Ghosts of Gauntcliff Chapter Four

[ewancummins]

The Side Parlor-

Just a short time after Eustace cries out in fear, you all hear knocking at the door to the hall.
A low, unfamiliar voice calls from the other side of the door, "Is everything alright in there?"

[ewancummins]

Juergin


Gruz whispers, "Bad things coming, we hide."


Juergin hears hoofbeats and the jingle of harness in the street.

[ewancummins]

Benn-

"Just once," Benn mutters, "I wish something just came out of the bushes and talked to me when I tried that."

Not really seeing any other signs or landmarks, he wanders towards the noise.

Benn enters the verge of the green forest. Wandering about, he soon find a trail that leads deeper into the woods.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio stifles a deep yawn as his comrades shake him back into wakefulness. "Again? By the black...this is more than just my drinking, yes? It has to be an attack, or something not wanting us to keep going down the road we're going..."

"The girl, it may be that she could tell us nothing we haven't already learned, if she really was that young...I am not eager to dig up a girl's body if we don't think it could help us. I say we go straightway to the abbey."

[steveflam]

Juergin nods. For now he won't ask, figuring the time for questions can come later.

The lad melds into the shadows best he can.

[Ail]

If Eustace has cast his spell, he answers to the door, without opening it.

"Who is it?"

If not, he waits for someone else to do it.

[ewancummins]

Juergin nods. For now he won't ask, figuring the time for questions can come later.

The lad melds into the shadows best he can.

After a short while the sound of hoofbeats fades, replaced by silence.

Gruz whispers,''Maybe safe now.''

[ewancummins]

SIDE PARLOR-

If Eustace has cast his spell, he answers to the door, without opening it.

"Who is it?"

The voice answers, ''Mikel the footman, sir. I heard what sounded like a woman cry out in terror.''

[steveflam]

Juergin whispers "Was that the Dodd's? What do the bells mean? Can you lead me to the Fat One?"

The lad whispers to Dark One "Look outside. Can you sense Benn at all?"

[ewancummins]

Juergin whispers "Was that the Dodd's? What do the bells mean? Can you lead me to the Fat One?"

The lad whispers to Dark One "Look outside. Can you sense Benn at all?"

Smezel replies, "The Dodds not here, uhh...Dunno where the Sleepless Ones take fat human."

Gruz raises his voice a little."Fat bells in fat house. So fat!" He holds up his arms with his hands held wide as if to mime ''really big."

Dark One peels off Juergin's back and creeps out the window.

[steveflam]

"Why do the bells toll?"

Juergins mind reaches out to Dark One, in a low whisper. Dark One, try to find Benn in this odd city.

The lad talks in a low voice to Gruz and Smezel..

"Guys, I need to find my fat friend Benn and get all of us out of here........."

[ewancummins]

JUERGIN-

"Why do the bells toll?"

Juergins mind reaches out to Dark One, in a low whisper. Dark One, try to find Benn in this odd city.

The lad talks in a low voice to Gruz and Smezel..

"Guys, I need to find my fat friend Benn and get all of us out of here........."

Juergin hears something moving in the back of the room, where the darkness hangs thick, impenetrable.

Three ragged men armed with cutlasses reel out of the gloom. Their throats are all sliced through, mirthless red smiles below the chin.

[steveflam]

Juergin remains silent at the sight of the men with cut throats. Very bizarre, he thinks to himself. This is a strange place indeed. We need to find Benn then get out of here ASAP.

[RocEter]

Dorgio stifles a deep yawn as his comrades shake him back into wakefulness? "Again? By the black...this is more than just my drinking, yes? It has to be an attack, or something not wanting us to keep going down the road we're going..."

"The girl, it may be that she could tell us nothing we haven't already learned, if she really was that young...I am not eager to dig up a girl's body if we don't think it could help us. I say we go straightway to the abbey."

Thom shakes his head and stifles a yawn after he his shaken awake. It takes him a few seconds longer than usual to process what Dorgio is saying. "If this is an attack, we should proceed with caution..."

"Yes I would rather not have to exhume the dead girl's body. I agree we should make our way to the abbey."

SIDE PARLOR-

If Eustace has cast his spell, he answers to the door, without opening it.

"Who is it?"

The voice answers, ''Mikel the footman, sir. I heard what sounded like a woman cry out in terror.''

Thom lets out a loud, tired, laugh. Then shouts so he can be heard through the door. "We are all well and good." He says.

[ewancummins]

The Side Parlor-
The footman says,
''Oh, alright, then. "
And then Thom hears the servant retreat from the door, footfalls receding in the hallway.