Death House

[VAN]

Van looks up and says:

"Vorj, he is coming down, lets be ready."

[alhoon]

The dumbwaiter arrives and Van and Vorj see Gnorric's familiar face over the towel.

[Ken of Ghastria]

"Are you... all right, Gnorric?" asks Vorj. "What did you see?"

[ewancummins]

"Are you... all right, Gnorric?" asks Vorj. "What did you see?"

Gnorric says,
"I'm fine. Third floor's got a big bedroom. Shadowy, lots of curtains and hangings. A mirror, some furniture, place looks like it hasn't been used in years. Cobwebs hanging off everything, and dusty. There's a door near the dumb waiter opening that leads to some sort of balcony."
He shrugs.
"Funny, that room up top is the only part of the house we have seen thus far that looks really dirty and abandoned. "

[steveflam]

Bhunder looks back from his search , to his brother and walks over, waiting for Gnorric's reply.

[VAN]

"You are really brave my friend. Great job. Strange indeed that the whole place seems tidy and upstairs rather dirty and with webs like nobody else has been there for long time. Another mystery to resolve I guess...Anyway lets take the stairs now, I will lead."

[ewancummins]

"You are really brave my friend. Great job. Strange indeed that the whole place seems tidy and upstairs rather dirty and with webs like nobody else has been there for long time. Another mystery to resolve I guess...Anyway lets take the stairs now, I will lead."

Gnorric follows the leader.

[alhoon]

Unlit oil lamps are mounted on the walls of this elegant hall. Hanging above the mantelpiece is a wood-framed portrait of the Durst family: Gustav and Elisabeth Durst with their two smiling children, Rose and Thorn (Thorn has his doll). The children seem to be at about the same age as you met them outside. Cradled in the father’s arms is a swaddled baby, which the mother regards with a hint of scorn (Yes, the painting is THAT detailed). Gnorric recognises the two people from the bedroom portrait although this one seems to have been painted very recently.
Standing suits of armor flank wooden doors in the east and west walls. Each suit of armor clutches a spear and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf’s head. The doors are carved with dancing youths. The red marble staircase that started on the first floor continues its upward spiral. A cold draft can be felt coming down the steps. There seems to be a mostly white canvas over the fireplace but the lack of light doesn't help you recognize what's painted faintly on it.
The ceiling is 12 feet high.

[alhoon]

Bhunder moves to inspect the paintings, but they're too high for his diminutive form to reach comfortably. He moves towards the main painting, the somber Durst family and tries to find something to stand upon in order to reach the heavy, immaculate portrait of their hosts.

He grabs a small decorative table. A small delicate thing aristocrats use in their parties to put plant pots on or settle their drinks so that the servants may refill them. He puts the small table in front of the wall and tries to climb on it brushing the armor suit on the process.
Bhunder barely listens a click as the trap activates. Instinctively the gnome ducks and rolls out of the table, hearing only a whooshing sound follows. As he rolls he sees the armor resetting its spear after the trap's attack and becoming motionless again. Bhunder is laying on his back on the floor, a bit short of breath but unharmed. The Attack missed.

The rest of the group just heard movement, Bhunder crushing and caught a glimpse of the armor taking a swipe at the height where a human's chest would be, thankfully missing Bhunder.

[steveflam]

"Holy Cow!," exclaims Bhunder as he gets up. "This armor is trapped, meaning the other are probably too. I'm unsure if taking the table triggered the trap or

touching the armor did. I am no expert." He looks at the paintings he can not reach. "Van I can't reach some of those paintings to look behind them."

He does relate what he saw in them, however.

[kintire]

Kimber follows the group up the staircase. Seeing that the dwarf is guarding the stairs she moves on into the hallway, glancing at the design on the fireplace cover, her keen eyes untroubled by the low light. As bhunder has his encounter she spins round to cover the suits of armour, the rough club in her hand twisting again into the glittering shillelagh, relaxing slowly as she realises it was a trap not an attack.

"This house makes no sense. Who puts a trap in a mian area of a house? A house with young children?"

She looks at the painting again.

"Still, those two DO live here..."

[ewancummins]

Kimber follows the group up the staircase. Seeing that the dwarf is guarding the stairs she moves on into the hallway, glancing at the design on the fireplace cover, her keen eyes untroubled by the low light. As bhunder has his encounter she spins round to cover the suits of armour, the rough club in her hand twisting again into the glittering shillelagh, relaxing slowly as she realises it was a trap not an attack.

"This house makes no sense. Who puts a trap in a mian area of a house? A house with young children?"

She looks at the painting again.

"Still, those two DO live here..."

GNORRIC says,
" Maybe they aren't living here at all. Could be spooks. Did any of you actually touch them?"

Without waiting for an answer, he creeps over to his brother. After fussing over Bhunder a little, making sure he is not injured, GNORRIC turns his attention to the trapped armor.

[steveflam]

"I brushed against it. So it os not advisable to touch it unless it is deactivated first," comes the reply.

[ewancummins]

"I brushed against it. So it os not advisable to touch it unless it is deactivated first," comes the reply.

''No. I meant those creepy kiddies. Did anyone touch them?"

[VAN]

"I thought the same Gnorric, that's why I tried to touch the girl's shoulder but she moved away. Maybe there are ghosts or illusions which explain why the boy didn't want to take Bhunder's toy. But the issue remains; why they wanted to get us in here? Maybe they have unfinished business or something and want someone to take care of them or they are just plain evil and want revenge or there is someone else that is messing with us."

Turning to Burdur he says:

"Do you remember the strange feeling we both had in the mists? That someone is taunting us? Maybe this someone is hiding in here...and that's why he made these deadly traps where we would have obviously passed, to see us getting hurt. The ground floor was totally different, it had provisions so we could feel safe and once up here get in the traps..."

Turning to Bhunder he says:

"If you feel to try again, I can help you get to the paintings otherwise I will try to unhang one of them, maybe there is the name of the one that designed them there."

Tilting his head a bit to look at the painting better he adds:

"Look the mother's scorn, maybe the one behind all this is the baby...the one always unloved that grew up hating everyone. Just a theory of course."