The Fall of House Pancrazio Chapter 4

[ewancummins]

Harold claps Tristan on the shoulder before he can get up, a rare smile creasing his weathered face. "Well done, boy," he compliments him. "You have an organized mind, to put everything together like that. You might like to get yourself into a University one of these days, no telling how far you might rise.

As for the chest, no, I haven't gotten it open. Haven't tried to. Where there's necromancy on the lock, it's best not to poke your fingers in. We should try to find the proper key, since I lack the kind of spells that might disarm the trap."

Tristan thanks Harold before showing the grate to Agna, of course.

A wee bit later, as Agna gets a chance to satisfy her curiousity about the cellar egress, Tristan says to Harold-

''You say we need the proper key to the chest. I don't like this- but hadn't we better follow up on Luisa's ring? She was entombed wearing a ring that looked as if it matched that queer lock on the chest- that's what Goran and Julian seemed to think, anyway. Look, I feel as uneasy about disturbing the dead as do you, but what if something really vital is cached in that chest? I think you should ask for permission to retrieve the ring. If you wait too long, she'll...''

He pauses to cast a quick sideways look at Agna, and then falls silent.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Harold grumbles, and shakes his head. "I'll not be asking the master of the house permission for that," he says. "Better to have one of the young scions do that; his lordship's already upset with me for suggesting he be sensible, pack up the whole lot and leg it for the border. Methinks he's more likely to trust his own blood to treat the old lady's body with the proper respect."

[ewancummins]

Harold grumbles, and shakes his head. "I'll not be asking the master of the house permission for that," he says. "Better to have one of the young scions do that; his lordship's already upset with me for suggesting he be sensible, pack up the whole lot and leg it for the border. Methinks he's more likely to trust his own blood to treat the old lady's body with the proper respect."

''That makes sense, yes, let one of them ask him.''

[RocEter]

Waking in the morning Julian rises and holds back a yawn as he sits there at the edge of the bed thinking of evens last night. He knows what he has to do today, even though the idea of doing so disturbs him.

Reaching for his sword he moves to pack, reaching in he pulls out his whetstone and begins to sharpen and polish his blade. Once he has completed that he sheathes it and starts to don his armor.

He puts his eye patch on, and ties his sword to his belt. Grabbing his saddle and saddle bags he heads down stairs to the kitchen, to see if can grab something to eat.

[Lord Skybolt]

Tahl walks into the kitchen for some food . "So what's for breakfast ?"Tahl asks

[Griselda]

To Harold, she shrugs with the resignation of a burden borne and says, "It probably doesn't even matter yet. Has she even come home from her adventures of yesterday? I suppose it would be too much to ask her host to feed her breakfast before returning her." She recalls what she saw on the trip back from Vor Zyiben; distance makes it easy to add scorn to her first reaction of revulsion.

In the pantry, Agna drops to her knees to consider the vent Tristan has indicated, looking for the gouge she made two nights ago, along with any sign of the great amount of blood that had apparently soaked into the floor. "This must have been what I heard two nights ago, where Mariabella...." She shakes her head and continues, "How could this have been here all this time and us walking over it without knowing it?"

She stands and gazes up at the jars Tristan indicates, even taking a few to examine. "Someone living down there? How long? and how long ago?" The idea of someone creeping in and out of the house, only feet from where she, Mariabella and Emilio were sitting at the fire or working or even while they slept, chills her.

Agna mulls over what Tristan delineated. Someone else saw a boy -- the same one she saw in Phebe's room? The continual talk of the queer lock is starting to bother her. How queer can the thing be? Locks generally put together one way -- insert metal shaft with teeth (or something that could approximate it) and turn. At least that was how most of the ones she'd fiddled around here worked. Why did one need a ring to open a chest?

She looks out of the pantry and sees Tahl and Julien have entered. Not wanting to shout certain things across the kitchen, she tries to catch Harold or Tristan's eye and motion one of them to join her.

[ewancummins]

She looks out of the pantry and sees Tahl and Julien have entered. Not wanting to shout certain things across the kitchen, she tries to catch Harold or Tristan's eye and motion one of them to join her.

Tristan joins Agna in the pantry.

[Griselda]

Once Tristan has joined her, Agna motions to the jars brought up from below. "I don't know where these came from originally, but I don't think it was our house. They're older than me. I know that if you do it right, preserves can last for some years, but 20? How old were those living quarters?"

She turns the ceramic jar in her hands nervously. "When that... thing came in, two nights ago, it.... I-I had the jar of Lady Luisa's 'special' tea, the stuff made from the flowers in the greenhouse that she drank for pain." Her mouth twitches, indicating that "pain" was likely not the only reason. "It screamed 'Mine', it had Mariabella in one hand and grabbed with the other one and I...." With visible effort, she shakes herself and starts again. "When I awoke, the jar was gone, and it wasn't in the mess that I swept up. I realized there was a space below us that night when I could hear... Mariabella's blood... down there. I never had a chance to tell anyone."

"You mentioned a chest you found down below, with a strange lock that might need a ring, maybe the one on Luisa's hand." Agna now holds the jar tightly in her arms, her expression a mix of consideration and confusion. "Every lock I've ever seen goes mostly the same way -- insert key with a long metal piece and turn, or make it think you did," she amends. "Does this lock want you to put the whole thing in, or just the top of it, like a seal?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Harold also joins Agna and Tristan in the pantry, hopefully soon enough to hear the half-Vistani's words. "I'm no locksmith," he says. "So I can't help you there. I only know there is a spell tied up with that lock, and its 'family', if you will, is dark. I was not able to fully identify it ... I suppose it would be like knowing someone is from a family known for cannibalism and murder, but not knowing their own specific reputation. Does that make good sense?

As for those preserves ... There are some spells in that 'family' that can keep dead matter fresh and preserved beyond the abilities of the best cooks and jar-makers. High-level magics, those are."

[ewancummins]

Tristan listens quietly to Agna. When she's done, after he considers for a moment, he says-

''Thank you, Agna. Hmmm....so the creature did have some kind of intelligence- for it spoke to both of us. It wanted Luisa's 'tea'? I think that there might be more of that plant in the greenhouse- which is a moldy wreck, may I add. So, in addition to further exploration of the cellars, we need to have another look in the greenhouse, I think. Ah, and some sort of alarm or trap on the known points of access to the cellars is probably a good idea.''

After Harold makes his comments regarding the jars of food-

'' It has been tested. It isn't poisoned or foul, at least, nothing that has been opened thus far is unfit to eat. I found some very nice jam yesterday- quite tasty. ''

Tristan shrugs-

''Besides, if these black magics are so 'high level' , oughtn't you be able to detect them pretty easily? You sniffed out the sorcery on the chest and in the little shrine-closet with no trouble, after all. If you hadn't thought to do so before- try it now and set your mind at rest, Harold.''

[Varrus the Ethical]

When Sebastian reaches the main floor, He feels the pangs of hunger rise from his belly and realizes he hadn't eaten since his arrival yesterday.
"Perhaps the library can wait" He says to himself, heading towards the kitchen.
When he enters the kitchen, he hears the voices of his hosts coming from the pantry.
"So, whats everyone doing in the pantry? I hope no one is thinking of going back down into those tunnels before I've had some breakfast."

[ewancummins]

When Sebastian reaches the main floor, He feels the pangs of hunger rise from his belly and realizes he hadn't eaten since his arrival yesterday.
"Perhaps the library can wait" He says to himself, heading towards the kitchen.
When he enters the kitchen, he hears the voices of his hosts coming from the pantry.
"So, whats everyone doing in the pantry? I hope no one is thinking of going back down into those tunnels before I've had some breakfast."

Tristan chuckles at that last remark.


''No, not before breakfast.''

[Rock of the Fraternity]

''Besides, if these black magics are so 'high level' , oughtn't you be able to detect them pretty easily? You sniffed out the sorcery on the chest and in the little shrine-closet with no trouble, after all. If you hadn't thought to do so before- try it now and set your mind at rest, Harold.''

"Oh, but this is another one of those cases where someone is from a bad family without being bad themselves," Harold says with an airy wave of the hand. "That spell just preserves, it does not do anything ... unfortunate. The food seems alright, so let it be, let it be."

The old man does not respond to Sebastian's remark, but just shrugs and limps back to the table for his tea. On his shoulder, the barn owl flaps her wings once, then settles back down.

[Varrus the Ethical]

"Well, in that case, I think I should tell you about what happened to me in the Library while we eat. I think it may be enlightening, assuming of course that I didn't just imagine it all."

[ewancummins]

"Well, in that case, I think I should tell you about what happened to me in the Library while we eat. I think it may be enlightening, assuming of course that I didn't just imagine it all."

''Excuse me, Agna.''

Tristan, a jar in hand, returns to the main kitchen area.


''Yes, do tell! We've already discussed some of what has been going on of late- and it's best if all information and ideas are shared. ''

While he waits for Sebastian to tell the story of the library, Tristan examines the glass jar, wiping dust from the exterior.

''Hmmm...pickled cucumbers.''