The Fall of House Pancrazio Chapter Three

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Nothing's ever easy," Harold grumbles to himself. "Venenicem video," he growls, hurling a Detect Poison spell at the jars.

[JMaytr]

Harold does not detect any poison from the jar either.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Dammit," Harold sighs. He mulls over the bloody thing for a bit, then finds a towel or some other cloth and ... opens the black jar and leaps back as far as he can go. Provided nothing explodes or emerges screaming from the jar with the intention to kill, he will examine the contents.

[JMaytr]

Harold opens the jar and steps back, but no explosion comes. As his courage returns the elder man cautiously looks back into the jar.

In the jar are several onyx gems. As Harold looks over them he can see that there are 6 onyx gems (1) and three gems that have become burned out husks (2).



(1) Appraise roll.
(2) Spellcraft roll.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Figures," the old man grumbles, "got worked up over nothing ... except ..." Harold's eyebrows draw down. "Oh, no," he mutters to himself, a look of disgust engraving itself upon his face. "Disgusting." As swiftly as he can, Harold tips the gems back into the jar. "Where are those boys?" he grumbles to himself as he stows both jars in his pack and leaves the room where he did the testing. "Moreover, where is the supposed lord of the manor ...?"

(OOC: Got no Appraise, Spellcraft check 29. Natural 20, heh heh. ^^)

[RocEter]

UPSTAIRS IN THE MANOR-

Julian finds Roderigo in his study-formerly Luisia's study. Julian can see that his uncle has not changed anything about the decorum of the room-it appears exactly as his great aunt had left it. There were pots hung by oddly knotted ropes that contained various flowers that lent a fragrance to the room. There was a day bed off to the side that was dusty but expensive, a desk with a series of drawers, and a few bookcases with tomes haphazardly placed upon. There were also dozens upon dozens of small ceramic figures lurking about the room. Most depicted little cherub faces with white gowns and small dove wings at their backs but some had monstrous countenances.

Roderigo sat at the desk going over a stack of invoices from the winery in Sturben. Seeing his nephew return, Roderigo stood and placed a weight on the papers.

"Julian! Whats the news of those tunnels? Did you find anything of use? Any clues about why mother returned?"

Looking back towards his uncle Julian pauses a moment before speaking.

"Well Uncle, we did find some jars with well preserved fruits and jams, which we brought back with us. However I am afraid Uncle that I have worse news, it would seem that the tunnels are haunted by a ghost of a young boy. Harold, along with Tristan seem to believe this boy is a Pancrazio. Yet I do not recall of any younger cousins or brothers that I would have grown up with, we also encountered a fair amount of ghouls in the tunnels, we dispatched them but at the expensive of exhausting ourselves, there were some mild injuries but nothing that be taken care of. "

he pauses for a moment to allow the rush of information he has given to sink in.

"We also found what appears to be a prison cell of some type, inside the cell was a locked chest, with carvings of Satry's dancing in the woods. The contents remain unknown, it was locked, it looked as if though a signet ring would unlock, much like the Great Aunt Luisa wore. Harold said the chest was protected by Necromantic magic, and with out the proper key, their could be grave consequences. There are still parts of the tunnels which we haven't explored yet." Julian continues, he watches his Uncles facial expressions as he does, most especially when he mentions the boy.

" On a brighter note, we did find a rather old shrine to Ezra in tunnels." he adds, just for comfort.

[JMaytr]

There is genuine surprise on Roderigo's face as Julian mentions the ghost and the ghouls.

"A ghost of a boy you say? How odd. I know of no unaccounted Pancrazio's either. And ghouls! How disturbing! We should have Calder Boiyer up here to rid the tunnels of those things before the dinner event tomorrow night. Do you think they will spill over into the mansion? Could the boy be the source of the music? Did it have anything like a flute?"

Roderigo stands and begins to pace the room.

"Don't tell my wife. She will not take well to this news."

[RocEter]

There is genuine surprise on Roderigo's face as Julian mentions the ghost and the ghouls.

"A ghost of a boy you say? How odd. I know of no unaccounted Pancrazio's either. And ghouls! How disturbing! We should have Calder Boiyer up here to rid the tunnels of those things before the dinner event tomorrow night. Do you think they will spill over into the mansion? Could the boy be the source of the music? Did it have anything like a flute?"

Roderigo stands and begins to pace the room.

"Don't tell my wife. She will not take well to this news."

Julian nods to his Uncles his request.
"Of course Uncle. I should also tell you one of the ghouls, was wearing livery with the Pancrazio house crest on it, I believe the tunnels go into our family crypt. The ghouls will not spill over into the mansion, I will see to that personally. I have plans on returning to the tunnels in the morning to finish what we started. You should focus on making sure everything is prepared for the dinner party tomorrow night. I will have every one back and ready for the dinner party, Goran, Sebastian and I will be dressed in our finest before the event is to start. As for the ghost it is possible, he could be the source of the music. I didn't see any flute on him, however he would not need such a thing in order to make that happen. We have Sebastian to turn the ghouls away, he excellent man of the cloth, if he can't do it then by Ezra's grace I will send them back to the grave with my blade." he says to his Uncle in a reassuring tone.

[Varrus the Ethical]

Sebastian takes time to help Tristian transfer the food stuffs into the manor. When that task is completed, he proceeds to seek out his elder brother with the patch he recovered from the ghoul in hand.

[Griselda]

It should have been far more enjoyable to shop for a new dress, particularly as Agna sees Emilio dismissing the usual dull colors and plain styles that she usually wears, but knowing the dress' intended purpose sours the pleasure. Agna is uneasy about the color -- pretty enough, not her first choice, and Luisa never allowed her anything very bright, especially red or green. The open back she refuses outright; how in the world is she supposed to do anything but stand with her arms at her sides to keep the dress on?! Worse, her scarlet blush of embarrassment at exposing so much skin is mistaken for pleasure by the dressmaker. Finally the waning hour forces a concession, and a dress with a full back is found. The front dips low, but appropriately for a young lady, and the skirt is by necessity to the floor, the better to hide her worn and patched shoes.

Agna watches the dressmaker's assistant wrap the gown in paper and string for the journey home. All that, just for something to be torn off, either by Dilisnya or Magenta, she thinks bitterly. Better that it is, I guess. After tomorrow, assuming I'm still alive, I'm not sure I'll want to wear it again.

Agna understands Emilio's request for her to sit inside is for her safety, and with the sound of the wolves in the distance, she does not object. Still, she sits by the window to watch the stars awake and hear the cricket song. Before getting in, she pats the new horse's neck and whispers, "Shall we go, then, friend? A good journey, a..." There was something special that you should say, something that someone gypsy used to say when he talked to his horses to get them going. They had been big, magnificent creatures, all variety of black and white with lots of feathery manes and tails and feathers around their ankles, powerful but docile. She struggles to remember more, but the memory is no more than a wisp, a suggestion, and it vanishes like morning's mist before the sun.

Sinking back on the worn cushion, Agna feels a brief wave of sleepiness, which she shakes off with effort. If you're tired, Emilio's twice as bad, and you're not sleeping until he does, she tells herself sternly. Pity the coin didn't quite cover a night under an inn-roof -- the one they're passing seems comfortable... until she sees Enzo standing at one of the upper windows. Agna shudders in revulsion at the sight of him, remembering his "interest" of the day before at the reception. Ezra, what woman finds that worth having? But when Magenta appears, Agna retreats into the darkness until she's nearly going through the back wall. She hopes neither marked the carriage or Emilio, and surely they couldn't see her in the carriage interior. Still, she neither moves nor makes any sound until the carriage is well past the inn.

So Master Goran was right, then -- Magenta was off to a tryst with Enzo. And the dress she asked me to pick would have been for that meeting as well. But Magenta suggested that the person she was seducing thought her wicked -- did she still mean Enzo? What could she have done that Enzo would find wicked?

As the carriage rolls on, the image of Magenta's gloved arms keeps rising in her mind. Why did she still have those on? I guess the nobles have some strange ideas about that sort of... thing, (not an idea she wants to explore further), but every time I've seen Magenta so far, she's been wearing gloves, even this morning. It just seems odd....

[ewancummins]

Tristan is a busy man for several hours: stocking the larder, testing the food, feeding the hounds [and horses, if he finds something good for them to eat], cleaning his guns, etc.

[Lord Skybolt]

Tahl helps Tristan and Sebastian with tranfering the food stuff's after that . He goes up to Sebastian says "Is their any thing that you can do to help speed up or cure the injuries that I got down in the crypt ?"Tahl asks of Sebastian after showing him his injuries .

[Varrus the Ethical]

"Oh, my apologies, my wits must have abandoned me back in the crypt. Let me take a look at that."

ooc: uses bless water to spontaniously cast cure light for 7 hp, http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2341405/

[Lord Skybolt]

"Thank you . That feels much better ." Tahl says to Sebastian .

[Varrus the Ethical]

"Your quite welcome, if anyone else is hurt, pleased don't hesitate to send them my way."