The Fall of House Pancrazio Chapter One

[RocEter]

Julian nods "Yes that was Luisa." he says plainly.

Julian kneels down and runs his hands along the edge of the tiles "The trail ends here, I believe there is a secret passage or hidden chamber."

Julian looks for a handle of someway to move the tiles(1).

1. Spot check result is 17

[RocEter]

As Julian looks for way to move the tiles he speaks to his Uncle and Cousin seeing how they are alone.

"Take no offense Cousin, but this is beyond some ability of a jester, there are dark forces at work here. Earlier before I left, I heard Harold shouting in Phebe's room. When I got there he told me something had written on the walls, I dismissed it at first, thinking it was stress related. Yet now I come to see a connection, between the events of earlier and what has taken place."

Julian stops his search when he realizes what he just said. He stands and runs back to the Manor going for Phebe's room.

Oh Ezra, please let nothing have happened to her. She is a gently a soul. he thinks to himself.

[JMaytr]

Roderigo smiles and picks up the blade Goran has thrown him.

"My son."

The man rushes forward and embraces the young ranger. "I am so pleased to see you, though it is terrible that it was because of your grandmother..." Roderigo's voice trails off as he looks at the creature that was once his mother.

"By Ezra's grace."

Julian's fingers trace along the cracks in the floor, finding what he suspected. A small pressure plate in the tile uncovers a passage. Julian, speaking of his earlier discussion with Harold, then rushes out towards the mansion.

As Tahl prepares to go for Tristan, roderigo stops him.

"Tahl, we need to calm this mess down immediatly. My nephew is running amok shouting orders, as has my son apparently. I need this situation to come under control. You are my house guard, I need these swords everyone is rattling quelled now. My mother, for some reason returned to us tonight. I mean to find out why. The hour is late and the lack of rest combined with this horror is making everyone irrational. Magenta's jester is afforded certain liberties in his humors and pranks. He is an expensive performer I am told. His behavior, I am sure, should be taken into the context of his learning; I doubt he has the mind of a warrior or sleuth, and we all know that fools use laughter to mask their fears."

Roderigo reseals the passage in the floor. It makes a sound of stone scraping hard against stone as it closes.

"We won't be able to do much with this darkness still against us. I want this house settled down for the night. We will make sense of things in the morning. Watch my nephew close too. My uncle Saverio, his grandfather, is on his way home from Lamordia. I'm sure he knows Julian has become a Champion in the church of Ezra, but I doubt he understands just what that means. I'm sure my nephew will think that title makes his britches larger than they are."

Roderigo turn to Goran, dismissing Tahl to his duties.

"I'm glad you're back. Like I said, Saverio is on his way here and now that mother is...well, twice dead, I'm sure the old man is going to try and push for control of the family estate and fortune. Obviously, your grandmother intended for me to inherit." Roderigo trails off, a sleepy yawn filling his voice.

"When Harold returns tomorrow, he'll be able to shed some light on things. He's the big scholar, he's bound to know more about this walking dead business than any of us."

Roderigo walks out of the greenhouse, making sure that Tahl and Goran follow. Once the greenhouse is seemingly empty, the Elder Pancrazio closes and seals the greenhouse door.

[JMaytr]

Rushing into his Aunt Phebe's room, Julian is greeted with the sight of a slumbering and snoring woman, clutching a dirty overstuffed teddy bear. The look on the woman's face is quite peaceful as she sleeps.

[RocEter]

Julian breathes a breath of relief. He closes the door as quietly as he cans and makes his way back down stairs, to check on Agna.

[PathOfDreams]

Goran gives only an apologetic nod in response to his father as he restrings his small ax to his right hip. He holds a hand forth in request for his blade.

"The stables are my bed tonight father, I will only lay awake inside and I have not slept in more than a day."

"The horses will be more at ease and will alert me to any danger."

Goran leaves his father with the true embrace of father and son and turns his vantage on the stables...

[ewancummins]

inside the house
Tristan, accompanied by the dog, seraches the house until he finds Tuke.

When he meets the jester, Tuke may notice how pale and upset Tristan looks.

''Tuke! I'm glad I found you. I don't think a bandit killed Mariabella.''

[Irving the Meek]

Tuke glances up at Tristan with an expression that lies somewhere between sarcastic and sheepish.

"I know. Sorry about that, but shouting out 'By Ezra's molars, I just ran out of the house and loosened the bark on this here tree to tell you that sweet Miss Lucia whom we done buried this morning came shambling back from the grave, is munching on the cook, and might want the serving maid for a soup course' tends to raise questions. 'Bandit' seemed to be a better way to get everyone up and moving quickly. I didn't think people would believe me otherwise." Tuke shakes his head. "I barely believe I saw it myself."

[ewancummins]

Tristan looks hurt or upset by Tuke's words.

''This isn't the time for jokes, Tuke. That thing could have killed me! I would have believed you, if you'd sworn it.''

Tristan takes a seat in the nearest chair. Suddenly, he looks very tired.

[RocEter]

*Double Posted*

[RocEter]

Julian enters the room, coming in on the last tid bits of Tristan and Tuke's conversation, noticing the tired look on Tristan's face.

"Tristan, I want to thank you for what you did in the Greenhouse. I should have not hesitated to strike down my Aunt, I am glad that you were able to deal with her with no harm to your self."

Julian makes his way to the back into the Larder.

Once in the larder Julian searches the cupboards for herbal remedies for either slowing poisons or curing them. (1)

As Julian searches his wipes the sweat off his brow, his leg still swollen and in pain, he feels drained of energy from the effects of the poison from the wolf bite.

1. Search Check result 14

[ewancummins]

''Just doing my duty, Mister Pancrazio.''

Tristan turns back to Tuke and asks-


''How is Agna? ''

[Griselda]

Elsie pads into the larder past Tristan and Tuke and pushes her cold wet nose into Agna's face as the half-Vistani leans, one ear pressed to the floor near a disappearing puddle of blood. Agna sits up with a squeak of surprise, and the hound proceeds to lick Agna's cheeks, tail thumping against the door jamb. Agna scruffs Elsie's ears, smiling tiredly. "Elsie, where'd you come from? You should be with Tristan."

As the hound tries to push past to sniff at Mariabella, Agna grabs her collar. "Elsie, no. Leave her alone, " says Agna, a quaver creeping into her voice. She encourages the dog to go back out, trying not to actually look at Mariabella, fearful the fragile control she has on her grief will shake loose.

At Tuke's outburst, Agna's face suddenly lights with relief. "Tuke! Oh, praise Ezra! When that thing came in, I couldn't see you, I didn't know what had happened to you, and then--" She embraces him tightly, insensible of the muck on her dress, and he can feel her shivering.

As Julian enters, lifelong training takes over. Agna releases Tuke and tries to get to her feet as quickly as possible, a task rendered troublesome with her skirt catching in the heel of one shoe. Once on her feet, she brushes off her dress and apron, wanting to look presentable. It is a hopeless task -- her black dress and once-white apron are both covered with dust, dried blood, pottery fragments, blots of spice and tea, and other, less identifiable stuff. Her cap is loose and a few strands of very dark brown hair drift on the left side of her face before she tucks them behind her ear. Her hands show red under the nails and a few small red crescent dents on the back of the left. She is clearly embarrassed at what a sight she must be and can't quite bring herself to to look at him. "M-Master Julian, I'm sorry I look like such a mess."

Julian enters the larder, and his pallor and sweating catch her attention immediately. "Here, sir, you sit, I'll look," she points him toward a chair. "What did you need?" (1)

The horror of earlier seems far away now, with someone in need of help and a task at hand, provided she doesn't glance toward a certain spot on the floor....





(1)Search check = 18

[Irving the Meek]

"Agna? Oh, I'd say that she'sjustfine!", Tuke squeaks as he gets squished in Agna's embrace. Straightening his shirt and trying to reassemble his dignity after giving Agna a chaste peck on the cheek, Tuke rummages around behind some spice jars for a brown bottle. He takes a strong pull on it, then tosses the strong apple brandy to Tristan. "You're a better man than me, Tristan - if I'd seen you collide with a tree and yell about walking corpses, I'd have told you to lay off off the brandy, or give me some. Sorry.

Will you help me carry poor Mariabella to the woodshed for the night? We'll see to her in the morning, but she ought not to be laid out in the larder like that."

Tuke follows after Julian to the larder, gesturing for Tristan to follow. Along the way, Tuke picks up the little vase that he threw at Luicia. He hops up onto a butcher block, finds an apple and a pear, and idly starts juggling. From the distant look on his face, he's obviously not looking for applause - he's merely getting his calm back, and finding the lost tempo of his thoughts.

"Master Pancrazio? Could you ask your uncle if I might fetch some help from the village tomorrow? Agna and I can probably get a rough breakfast on the table tomorrow morning, but she can't run the kitchen all by herself for all of us."

Tuke shudders a bit. "What did you find in the greenhouse? I didn't choke it out too well, but there's a flower in her tea that..." He shakes his head. "I'm not sure about the sense of it, really. But I found some notes in an herb book... it's a painkiller, but it can lethal if you take too much. Luicia used it in a tea on bad nights, and she grew it in the greenhouse. I've been smelling it all day. I don't understand how, but I think that that little flower has something to do with..." He shrugs expansively. "All this. There are still pieces of it that don't make sense, but I don't think I can figure it all out tonight." He closes his eyes and tries to gather his thoughts, attempting to recall any tales he might have heard regarding plants and the walking dead.(1)

(1) Bardic knowledge check, result 21

[ewancummins]

Tristan accepts the apple brandy and takes a long pull of the stuff. Wiping his mouth, he looks down at the body of the cook, a sad expression on his face.
He squats next to the broken body of his friend, Mariabella, and reaches over to gently close her eyes. Then he picks her up and slowly rises to his feet.

''I'll do what needs to be done.''

As he turns to the door, Mariabella cradled in his arms, he looks at Tuke and says-

'' You'd better stay here to answer questions. Don't wander off and get lost, or I'll have to come looking for you. ''