Ghosts of Gauntcliff: Chapter Six

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"May be they should get ready ta grab whate'er floats an' scarper," Everline says, her voice oddly calm. "Just s'long as they take whoe'er else be goin', that's fine wit' me. An' those blokes jus' saved me life. Least I owed them was fair warnin'."

As soon as Griffiths lets go, Everline gives him a wry smirk and saunters off, headed for the area where the others are tending the wounded.

"'Ow's it goin' 'ere, then?" she asks as soon as she sees anyone she recognizes who is doing tending, rather than being tended.

[ewancummins]

"May be they should get ready ta grab whate'er floats an' scarper," Everline says, her voice oddly calm. "Just s'long as they take whoe'er else be goin', that's fine wit' me. An' those blokes jus' saved me life. Least I owed them was fair warnin'."

As soon as Griffith lets go, Everline gives him a wry smirk and saunters off, headed for the area where the others are tending the wounded.

"'Ow's it goin' 'ere, then?" she asks as soon as she sees anyone she recognizes who is doing tending, rather than being tended.

Griffith laughs.
''Ha, I'll make sure I take you with me if I leave. You did save the figurehead, after all."

His gaze travels up and down Everline soaked figure. With his free hand, he wipes some of her wet hair and loose sand from her face, not too roughly.

"You're a comely little thing, aint you just?"
The captain releases her.
He smiles, nostrils flared slightly and his teeth showing.
‘’Get. Maybe I’ll check on you later tonight, girl."
She can feel his eyes follow her…

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Aye, I'm comely," Everline says as she walks off, and makes a rude gesture with one hand. "But ye en't - not ta my eyes. Go cuddle up ta yer 'elf' wench, an' ye'll be a lot safer."

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Denys hands Dorgio a mostly dry blanket.
“’We’d better get her to the chateau, beside a good warm fire, yes? Dorgio?”

At first he makes no response, instead staring transfixed by the young woman's eyes. It doesn't matter that he's never seen her before in his life; with Dorgio and strange women it's the same old tale.

He shakes his head quickly, as if it were covered in cobwebs. For a moment he is about to protest that he should stay here to help he others, but he looks at the woman again and his decision is made before he's even conscious of it. "Yes," he says, taking the blanket from Denys and wrapping it around the woman's shoulders. "I'll get her to the chateau, I'll be back for the others after." And wit that he starts escorting the girl back.

[Ail]

Eustace peers into the corridor, unsure of what happened. Did the shadow leave? And did it actually touch the door? He looks at the broken glasses on the ground and shakes his head.

Nothing to do for that now. Let's see how Primeiro is doing.

He doesn't spend much time at it, he shutters the window as best he can and then goes to the corridor. Just then, he hears a woman's voice cry for help down the corridor, and seeing it is in the same direction as Elliana's room, he runs in that direction.

As he reaches the room, he asks in a loud voice

"What is going on here?!"


OOC: I was actually assuming he had kept the silver dust necessary for the consecrate ritual in his person when he left the room. "Fully equipped" was meant to imply that.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Elliana's room-

Elliana’s naughty leer twists into a sour smirk. The thin, petite blonde speaks in a low whisper-
‘’I came here for a holiday. Why did you come? No, don’t answer--I don’t care, not now. I thought you were interesting at first, but now I see you’re just a grubby little practical man like Dorgio. Like his lunatic friends. Poor fools. You’ll all die here, trying to stop whatever damned curse you released, while I will go safe home on the ship that arrives today. Denys promised me that I’d be at the top of the list.’’A nasty little laugh escapes her perfect lips.

''I tried to handle you nicely, I really did. Since you insist on behaving like a common thug…"

She screams hysterically-

As she screams, she tears the front of her nightgown. ''Get out! No, don't touch me! HELP! HELP! RAPE! "

Primeiro laughs maliciously. Suddenly, his free hand shoots out and grabs her neck. "There's no ship," he says with a cold smile. "No exit for you. Didn't you hear those urgent calls in the hallway? A ship has run aground on the rocks. We're trapped here."

He leans closer and says softly. "You have two choices. Treat me nicely--" The thumb of the hand that's holding Elliana moves up and caresses her lower lip. "--and I promise you'll enjoy the rewards, physical and financial." He retightens the grip around her neck. "Threaten me again, and I promise you'll float like the passengers on that wrecked ship. Are we understood? And don't compare me to Dorgio. He's...."

Just then, he hears a woman's voice cry for help down the corridor, and seeing it is in the same direction as Elliana's room, he runs in that direction.

As he reaches the room, he asks in a loud voice

"What is going on here?!"

"Nothing sinister, Eustace," Primeiro says calmly, keeping his eyes on Elliana. "I came to check on our missing fellow guest, who apparently was still asleep. At waking suddenly and seeing me in the shadows, she made an unfortunate assumption."

He release his grip. "Mademoiselle, I hope you have regained your composure. I shall check in on you later, if you'd like."

He turns to Eustace and walks into the hallway. "Our mission to the abbey ruins must wait, my friend. Let's see what's going on outside. It sounds like they need help."

[Ail]

Eustace casts a doubtful look at Elliana. She reminds him so much of the wicked witches the inquisitors of Belenus hound so earnestly. He feels an inate distrust of her.

"We should be careful, Primeiro. I have news for you."

If they leave the room without incident and when they are in the hallway outside of Elliana's ear range, and adding a safety margin, Eustace says:

"I have been attacked by our shadow friend, Primeiro. Just before I left for your room. It is here in the manor!"

[Adam]

Bennedict hustles over to Everline, his shirt sleeves rolled up and covered to his wrists with blood. "Are you alright?" he shouts over the roar of the surf and the sounds of the dying. "I heard you shouting. Anything I can do?"

He looks the Captain over before turning back to the girl. "It seems we're not getting out of here anytime soon..."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Aye," Everline agrees. "Nearly drowned me fool sel', tryin' ta help the passengers. All I saved were the ugly figurehead." Everline shakes her head, an expression of disgust on her face.

"Cor, I ain't half cold," she continues, wrapping her arms around herself as soon as she no longer feels Griffith's eyes on her. "Can't seem to make an outfit last two days, lately. Almost as if summun's conspiring ta get me in the nuddy in public. Yon captain wouldn' mind tha; pretty much said 'e wants ta drop anchor in my cove. Bastard. What kind'a man thinks o' tha' when there so much sufferin' an' dyin' aboot?"

Leaning in closer, Everline whispers: "Sumthin' not on the up-an'-up. Sancerre was supposed ta set up a warnin' beacon, righ'? An' where'd this bloody storm come from? Did anyone see it comin'? We need ta get back ta tha 'ouse, soon as all the wounded are fit ta go."

[ewancummins]

The beach, Everline and Benn

The Captain only grunts in reply to Benn, before walking off to check on his men.



Denys approaches Everline and Benn.
“Benn, Mademoiselle Vaughan.“

The merchant waves over a man dressed in a long oilskin coast. “Melmoth, I’m over here, my good fellow.”
The guide flips up the brim of his floppy hat to stare at Everline and Benn with a weary expression. The lines etched in his long face pull deeper and longer as he stifles a yawn.
‘’Wet out today.”
Melmoth isn’t smiling at his own joke; if that’s what it was supposed to be.

Denys turns to his servant and says, ‘’Melmoth, take the folk from the Peryton back. Go now. Come back for a final sweep before sundown. I want everyone snug and warm in the chateau before dark.”
He then turns his attention back to Everline and Benn-
“Mademoiselle Vaughan, if you are leaving, you can go now with Melmoth and the others. Benn, I imagine you want to get back to your family—but you may yet be needed here. Dorgio has already started back, and that leaves me short on medical help at this end of the operation. While he is gone, you are it. If there are any more injured folk, well, you’ve got the healer’s true hands. There are at least two men I expect would have died today without your aid. Please.”

Memloth coughs.
“Couple of mules missing. I noticed when I untied one for Dorgio and the girl from the ship."

Denys goggles.
“’What? Damn fine time for such an accident! We need those mules to move the survivors. ‘’

Melmoth shakes his head.
''Not an accident. Ties undone. Rain and tramping feet pretty near erased the tracks.''

[ewancummins]

The chateau, first floor guest hall, Eustace and Primeiro


Leaving the submissive, weeping Ellliana in her room, the two men go back into the hallways. No sooner than Eustace has informed Primeiro of the shadow’s presence in the house, but a door across the hall flies open. A young man with curly golden hair and bright blue eyes, dressed haphazardly in footman’s uniform, staggers out of the closet. He waves a broom at Primeiro and Eustace.

‘’Villains! I’ll thrash both your arses red and blistered!”

[Ken of Ghastria]

Primeiro says solemnly, "Oh really? If you really want to do some thrashing, go see the woman down the hall, buffoon. Actually, go to my room first and make yourself handy with that broom. It's gotten a little dusty." He tosses a gold piece at the man's feet -- and then he points at it with his rapier.

"Pick. That. Up. Go away.

"Come, Eustace, we have more important matters. Were you able to tell which way the creature went?"

[ewancummins]

Primeiro says solemnly, "Oh really? If you really want to do some thrashing, go see the woman down the hall, buffoon. Actually, go to my room first and make yourself handy with that broom. It's gotten a little dusty." He tosses a gold piece at the man's feet -- and then he points at it with his rapier.

"Pick. That. Up. Go away.

"Come, Eustace, we have more important matters. Were you able to tell which way the creature went?"

The servant rushes at Primerio, swinging the broom at the young nob's sword in a haywmaker blow...

[Ken of Ghastria]

This moron can't be serious, can he? thinks Primeiro. He'd be willing to dismiss the attack as nonsense ... if not for what Eustace just said. Still, the footman is most assuredly NOT a shadow, and he'd rather not kill one of Sancerre's servants. At least not today.

He hops up several feet to avoid the wild sweep at his sword arm, then moves to the side, so that the footman is between him and Eustace. "You don't like gold, I see..." He moves as though to pick up the gold coin -- and then quickly spins the other way, his rapier poised to strike.

____________________________________________
Primeiro uses his +1 Dodge bonus to AC. He tries to hop up (as per the Jump skill, DC 10) to avoid the broom sweep! Just made it:
Jump check =11. He uses the rest of his Move action to duck to the side, and then a Standard action to feint:
Bluff check (for feinting) = 14. If that beats the footman's Sense Motive, then he'll be flatfooted vs. Primeiro's real attack next round.

[steveflam]

The others are so busy trying to help those in need that no one seems to notice Jürgen unhitch and lead away the two mules to carry his boat.
The mules are uneasy near Dark One, but the boy is able to get them under control. After securing his rowboat, Jürgen heads south, leaving Dorgio, Everline, Benn, and the others to do the hard work of search and rescue.

…
As he walks down the beach to the south, a dull throb builds in his jaws. A nasty, salty taste fills his mouth. He feels queasy.

Jürgen stops a moment and coughs out the salty taste in his mouth. "D-Dark One..... My jaw hurts and I don't feel good at all." The lad tries to find someplace to lean or sit. He tries to see how far the chateau is from his position.