Death House

[steveflam]

"Might be the mother too. It could be taken that way as well."

[alhoon]

"It's that baby that the spooks told us to save, remember?" Burdur says.

After Gnorric deactivates the trap and the portrait is move, the disappointed adventurers find ... nothing special behind it, or behind any of the other portraits.

[ewancummins]

"It's that baby that the spooks told us to save, remember?" Burdur says.

After Gnorric deactivates the trap and the portrait is move, the disappointed adventurers find ... nothing special behind it, or behind any of the other portraits.

Gnorric works on breaking down the trap for spare parts.

[alhoon]

Gnorric and Bhunder do exceptional job and can reclaim the whole mechanism. Not even a bolt was destroyed, not a single cord was cut, not a single spring was broken.
Bhunder finds the mechanism boring. Effective, but simple. It could use a few extra springs just in case something didn't work. Or to move the spear back more fluidly. Perhaps twist in case it hit? And the weights could have been placed so that there was more balance to the hit. Sure, it could have toppled the armor, but it would be worth it, wouldn't it?

Gnorric on the other hand finds the mechanism effective without being too complicated. The thing one that knows what he's doing would make. It is clear that this was made by a professional not an amateur reading from a manual.

[VAN]

Van searches the fireplace for secret doors.

"Maybe the fireplaces are connected somehow, there should be a common chimney anyway."

[alhoon]

Indeed, there's a chimney connecting this fireplace with the one bellow and the ones on the upper floors; they have seen that chimney from outside. But it would be far harder to climb than the dumb-waiter.
Van finds no secret doors around the fireplace.

[VAN]

Once examined the fireplace and the gnomes have finished dissembling the trap Van moves at the next room the one that Gnorric has disabled the armor trap that was guarding it.

[kintire]

Kimber looks a second time at the canvas in the gloom, furrowing her brow.

"Looks like someone was interrupted... or maybe just left it at the sketch stage...."

She stiffens, her eyes fixed to the canvas with its starting sketch that will in due course become a painting.

"Vorj, look at this! it's US!"

[steveflam]

Bhunder goes and tries to see the painting closer up if possible.

[alhoon]

The painting in the corner seems a mostly empty canvas with the outline of some people drawn as a draft with charcoal, amidst a light-gray smokey background, like mist. It could have been an extended family painting; two men and a woman along with three small, childish figures.
However, those childish figures seem to have slightly off proportions. The biggest of them seems too ... stocky to be a normal child. Stocky as a dwarf.
The other two "kids", about the size of a 5-years old seem to have too developed, even if miniature, bodies. Like gnomes.
Both men are big, well-built guys, but one is as taller and broader from the other as Van is from Vorj.
While the drawing is just outlines, the party can see that the woman is about Kimber's size compared to the men with long hair like hers visible in the crude, unfinished drawing.

This is a painting of the party. And it hasn't been finished.

[VAN]

"Oh boy...this is indeed a haunted house and apparently we are trapped in it and I'm afraid even part of it now..."

Van checks the painting for other details apart of their shapes and also if there is a signature.

[steveflam]

BHunder removes a dagger from his gear, and looks closely at the canvas, looking to see if he can cut it out from somewhere.

[VAN]

Van immediately gets his hand over Bhunder's to stop him cutting the canvas but he doesn't use any strength, the gnome is his friend and the fighter is positive that he will understand.

"Bhunder, lets take a moment to think about it. We are actually in this painting, if you cut it something might happen to us. I know that having a painting with our actual pictures in there is disturbing but might be even worse if we alter it or cut it. At least check it for magic first and I don't know if you can do anything for ghosts...it maybe be posessed and we don't want for sure something to pass from the painting to us..."

[steveflam]

"Very well. I was just going to cut it out , not us... perhaps a magical inspection is in order," he muses.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Vorj is shocked -- and angered -- by the painting. "Someone, whether living or dead, is having sport with us," he says. "Or ... they're testing us. Perhaps they believe they can learn more about our strength and weaknesses by shocking us." A pause. "You should know your enemy thoroughly before engaging in battle. Right now, we're at a disadvantage."