The Fall of House Pancrazio Chapter Three

[ewancummins]

''Well, is it safe to move the chest? Could we maybe slide it onto a sheet from the bed and use that to bundle it and carry it back to the manor-house? ''

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Without knowing which spell is cast onto the chest, I simply cannot say," Harold replies.

[ewancummins]

"Without knowing which spell is cast onto the chest, I simply cannot say," Harold replies.

''Well, to hell with this. We cannot stand here forever, we'll miss dinner. I'll risk it. Somebody have a stick, a pole I can use to shove that chest around the floor?''

Tristan slings his musket, enters the room and pulls a sheet from the bed.
He lays the sheet on the floor near the chest.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Have my quarterstaff, then," Harold sighs, handing over the aforementioned item before backing out of the room. "But on your own head be it. Unidentified magic is naught to trifle with."

[ewancummins]

"Have my quarterstaff, then," Harold sighs, handing over the aforementioned item before backing out of the room. "But on your own head be it. Unidentified magic is naught to trifle with."

''Alright, you other fellows ought to stand back...''
Tristan, using the staff as a lever, will try to push or flip the chest on top of the sheet. If he manages that without anything bad happening, he'll fold the sheet edges over the chest, making knots on four corners so that the bundle can more easily be carried upstairs and out of the dungeon.

[PathOfDreams]

Goran quickly stands and steps back from the chest. He does not leave the cell but instead stands ready to assist the houndsman if there is any trouble.

"If this works, I do not want that chest to enter the manor. I feel the greenhouse is a much more appropriate place to contain it until we can decipher it further."

[JMaytr]

As Tristan tries to push the chest with Harolds quarter staff, he discovers that the chest is extremely heavy-perhaps five to six hundred pounds. What ever is contained within is very heavy.

[ewancummins]

As Tristan tries to push the chest with Harolds quarter staff, he discovers that the chest is extremely heavy-perhaps five to six hundred pounds. What ever is contained within is very heavy.

''No use, this thing is too heavy. Oh, what if it is gold inside? Treasure? ''

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"What if it's lead?" Harold counters, shrugging in a disinterested manner. "Or petrified corpses, packed tightly together? Don't let greed - or need - tempt you to do something rash."

[ewancummins]

"What if it's lead?" Harold counters, shrugging in a disinterested manner. "Or petrified corpses, packed tightly together? Don't let greed - or need - tempt you to do something rash."

''Greed, no. Need, yes. I don't propose to keep the gold, if indeed there is any gold, for myself. If I wanted to get rich I wouldn't be working here. The Pancrazios need money, by the Righteous Judges! The horses are starving, the dogs aren't too much better. It'll be the folk of the household starving in a month, if we don't get some money. I'll the take the risk to help the others.''


Tristan squats near the chest. He's looking for carrying handles, projections to which a rope or chain might be affixed, etc.

[JMaytr]

OUTSIDE PANCRAZIO MANOR-


The front gates of Pancrazio manor lie open; two iron barred giants that in their prime could withstand a small armed force, but now rusted and weakened with age. The surrounding wall is equally damaged, with large sections of stone missing. The whole structure was gripped by thorny, yet decaying blackberry vines.

The carriage, the house majordomo, and the maid pass slowly through the gates and begin the long journey to Von Zyden. The already hard worked horses whine and shake in their steps requiring Emilio to slow the pace to a near crawl and whisper words of encouragement to the beasts.

Slowly the sky grows dark as gray clouds creep in front of the sun. They break letting a slight misty rain fall over the travelers feeling like sweat as it settles on their skin.

The rain continues for nearly an hour, never quite growing heavy enough to drench clothes but enough to make them damp and uncomfortable. Emilio has been quiet for the trip so far but as the rain ends and the carriage is nearly halfway to town does he finally speak.

"Oh this weather will be my death I'm sure. Oh Agna, I am so shocked of the events of the past week that my mind is having trouble accepting everything. Luisa buried and Mariabella slain by some abomination. It is an assault against the mind that is certain. I am relieved Master Roderigo gave us this errand. I am sure you could use the escape from the mansion."

Emilio seems to think about his next words carefully.

"Though I do admit that giving extra coin for a new dress vexes me. The house can nearly afford its current expenses. Add to that this dinner of Ivan Dilisnya and we are sure to be in the red come tax season. I fear Master Roderigo may have some ulterior motive for, ahem, gussing you up. I've decided to use half of those coins to hire on additional help for the dinner. Two girls from town that may distract Master Roderigo and Ivan Dilisnya so that I may hide you away somewhere doing other tasks in the manor. I'll be damned if I let anyone try to use you as a bartering chip."

Emilio becomes quiet again for a few minutes before speaking again. Tears have welled in the corners of the old man's eyes but he chokes them back.

"Do forgive me if I was out of line child. I've lost too many people over the last week I've considered family. I don't want to lose another. I may be paranoid but I have seen it done to other servants during my carrer."

The carriage jerks suddenly causing Emilio to turn his attention back to the road. One of the horses collapses falling below the other. The carriage makes a terrible moan and then becomes air-born, twisting in its decent towards the ground.

[RocEter]

Julian watches as all this happens merely monitoring from behind, after Tristan attempts to move the chest and fails due to is unexpected weight. He listens close as ideas are thrown out about what could be held within the chest.

"I suggest for now we leave it be and come back to it, we have still have the rest of place to investigate and see what surpirses it may hold. If there is any gold contained within the chest it would belong to the Pancrazio family. " he says.

He steps out of the small room and back into the hall waiting for the others.

" Let us press on, we have much ground to cover and very little time in which to cover it in.

[ewancummins]

.

He steps out of the small room and back into the hall waiting for the others.

" Let us press on, we have much ground to cover and very little time in which to cover it in.

''Right. I strongly urge that we move up the central hall. There's air flow coming from further up that hall, and that suggests to me a passage to the surface.''

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Sounds good to me," Harold mutters, gesturing curtly for the return of his quarterstaff. "Subterranean chambers disturb me."

[ewancummins]

Unless Julian tells him to do something else, Tristan will move into the intersection and up the central hall [walking into the air flow].