The Fall of House Pancrazio Chapter 5

[JMaytr]

Night gives away to a new dawn morning in the land of Borca. birds begin their early songs and insects stir from their slumber. The dew on the grass is not clean but dirty and waxy.

A black wooden carriage bearing a single horse and driver pulls slowly towards Pancrazio manor. The driver wears the current Lamordian fashion and a odd looking device, a musket maybe, at his side. The driver's countenance is anything but serene: his brow beads sweat while his nervous eyes dart about and his mouth lies tight lipped. The carriage pulls to a stop before the decadent and aging Pancrazio manor house. Paint peels from the facade in large round patches while rust collects at the bars on the windows. Planter boxes, long uncared for. spill long tendrils of ivy down the walls of the house, spider webbing across the face like some predators net.

The driver ascends from his stoop and opens the rear door of the carriage. An old man, nearing his middle sixties, slowly exits the carriage. His hair is stark white as is the thick handlebar mustache at his lip. A scratched and dirty monocle sits in the elder man's left eye socket while a tall, black stove pipe hat crowns his head.

"My lord," The driver says helping the man out of the carriage, "welcome home."

The elder man looks up at his ancestral home and feels a simultaneous wash of happiness and guilt. The front door of the manor opens and a black haired man in his early forties exits, a smile on his face.

"Uncle Saverio!" Roderigo exclaims, trotting down the steps of the manor towards the aging man, "welcome home. I am so pleased to see you. Mother missed you at her funeral"

Roderigo moves to Saverio and embraces the old man.

"Come uncle, lets get you inside. I must introduce you to my daughter."

[JMaytr]

Walking Saverio into the manor, Roderigo grits his teeth and fights back his anger as well as he can. The dinner, Roderigo thinks, This was my chance to strengthen my claim to the house, Saverio is a relic from another time. Now the old fool will try something, I'm sure

"I am so glad you are back. With mother gone the house has been in disarray. I have plans though that will-"

"You have plans? Boy my sister is dead. I am unsure what plans you think you have...but I am here to right the wrongs of my sister. while I was studying in Lamordia she let the family finances crumble. The fire? Those repairs should never have cost as much as they did!"

The old man is sweating more than before though the air is chill and damp. His lip twitches and the weathered lines in his face crease hard and deep with resolve.

"I beg your pardon uncle! I am no fool and I know the true reasons you went abroad to study for so long. How dare you!"

Tristan, the house hounds man, hears this exchange as he rounds a corner, perhaps at the worst possible time.

[ewancummins]

Tristan briskly steps round the corner. He nods to Roderigo in a friendly fashion.

''Master Roderigo, good day to you."

He inclines his head politely towards the older gentleman.


"Good day to you, sir."

[JMaytr]

Saverio narrows his eyes.

"Who is this foreigner that addresses a Pancrazio so?"

Roderigo stiffens. "Sorry uncle, this is Tristan. He was mothers houndsman...she so loved hunting foxes in spring and Tristan accompanied her when she still had the spirit. Of course you would know had you not been gone...so long."

"Enough of this. I will not be spoken down to in front of an Arkandale hick. No disrespect to you Tristan, houndsman. I want to lie in my bed Roderigo, it has been ages."

"I am afraid your old room is unavailable. I have relocated to my mothers chambers so you can rest in my former. It is well suited to your needs Uncle, I assure you." Roderigo says. "Tristan, can you and Tahl find my son? I have words for all of you." Roderigo gets close to the huntsman, prayfully out of earshot.
"make haste into the tunnels. We have to find out if any menace still remains."

Saverio starts and stares at Roderigo before wetting his lips in an unwholesome manner.

"Goran is here?" His eyes dance nervously in his skull. "How pleasurable it will be to see him again."

[JMaytr]

IN THE STABLES-

Julian, Goran, Sebastian, and Tahl have just prepped their gear and horses for another excursion into the tunnels below Pancrazio manor. They wait patiently outside of the greenhouse for Tristan to return from the manor proper.

[ewancummins]

Tristan ignores the fat old man's rudeness for the time being.


He nods to his employer.

''Right, boss, no problem."

He then immediately departs to be about Roderigo's business.

Once he is outside, he tracks down the others.

In a low voice, he tells Tahl and Goran-

''Roderigo wants us to go down to the tunnels tight away, and poke about some more. We need to find our if things are safe or not. Goran, a relation of yours has arrived. He's your- ah Great Uncle, I think- Saverio. "

[RocEter]

Julian nods to Tristan as make his way towards Tahl and Goran. He lets them have their moment of privacy before moving to them. "Lets get moving." He says "I think we have delayed entering the tunnels long enough. I am sure my Uncle would agree, I will take the lead, the rest of you stay close and keep your sense about you."

Once every else is ready Julian will lead the party into the tunnels.

[ewancummins]

Tristan says only-

''That's good sense."

He grabs his gear, checks his powder, and falls in line of march...

[Lord Skybolt]

Tahl moves along with the rest of the group . Keeping a look out for anything else strange to come at the party, considering what was there last time they went .

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Harold presents himself at the door to Miss Phebe's rooms and knocks. "It's Harold," he calls out. "Is Miss Phebe washed, dressed and ready for company? May I come in yet?"

[Varrus the Ethical]

Sebastain take's position behind Julian. "Lead the way brother, I am eager to help reclaim these tunnels from the evil that seems to have taken hold."

[JMaytr]

As Harold knocks on Miss Pheobe's door, he draws back his hand with a start. The door blazes hot as if an inferno lapped at its other side.

From inside the room he hears a child crying accompanied by a animal's forlorn moan.

[JMaytr]

Goran, Sebastian, Tahl, and Tristan follow behind Julian as the party decends into the tunnels below the green house. The air is colder than before. Indeed, it even appears that frost has formed along the walls of the tunnel and the floor is slick in spots. The smell is different than before as well...almost noxious...

[Varrus the Ethical]

"Things seem...unsettled." says Sebastian as he follows Julian into the tunnels. "I shall call upon Ezra's guidance to warn of any unliving dangers."




OOC: Casts detect undead

[ewancummins]

Tristan sniffs the air- not inhaling too deeply.