Death House

[kintire]

Kimber looks uneasily around.

"Be careful. This is a likely place for some sort of device like on those armour suits downstairs..."

The club she grips in her right hand glimmers with green light and swells into the gnarled shape of a shillelagh even before any threat has appeared

[alhoon]

Both Van and Vorj attempt to listen at the locked door, as Burdur's light shines on them but they don't hear anything.
"Before trying if this key fits that padlock with your bare hands, try using some instrument to fit it in, like scissors or something, in case the padlock has a needle or something." Burdur says.

[Ken of Ghastria]

"My tools are a bit too... blunt for the task," says Vorj. "Kimber, do you have anything handy?"

[kintire]

Kimber shakes her head.

"I don't have anything like that. Maybe downstairs there's something?"

[VAN]

"We can search at the ground floor that was apparently trap free. Maybe in the kitchen we can find something.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Vorj shrugs off his backpack and rummages through it. After a few seconds, he pulls out a crowbar. "I don't believe we need to be particularly delicate in this damn house," he says flatly.

"Shall I?"

[VAN]

"Lets do this!"

Van stands few feet behind as well ready to protect Vorj if anything attacks him.

[kintire]

Kimber gives a grim nod and stands back!

[alhoon]

The lock doesn't seem to budge. Yet, not traps spring to action.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Vorj grunts from the exertion, futile though it was. "Well, I suppose I should be grateful that a scythe didn't swing out from the wall. Van, care to give me a hand? Together on the count of 3..."

[alhoon]

The lock breaks open with a loud, sickening crack and the door, under the force, opens as well to a large room. Burdur's white-golden light bathes the interior.

This room contains a bricked-up window flanked by two dusty, wood-framed beds sized for children. Closer to the door is a toy chest with windmills painted on its sides and a dollhouse that’s a perfect replica of the dreary edifice in which you stand. These furnishings are draped in
cobwebs. Lying in the middle of the floor are two small skeletons wearing tattered but familiar clothing.
The smaller of the two has been laid straight and has its skeletal arms folded over its chest as if sleeping. The larger one is curled in what would be a fetal position with an arm over the smaller skeleton, in a deathly embrace.
The smaller skeleton cradles a stuffed doll that you also recognize.

Here lie the remains of the Durst Children. Rose and Thorn. They don't seem to have died out of violence. Thorn evidently died first and Rose followed him into the grave probably realizing her fate once her brother was dead.

[VAN]

Almost sure that a ghost will be around as in Walter's room Van gets his swords and puts his back at the wall without touching anything at the room.

"This is the final clue that the children we met outside were ghosts or illusion and not real... Burdur when you think is the right time can you pray for these poor children soul? They seem to have been locked in here to hide for who know what and maybe were afraid to leave the room. What a terrible fate they had. Maybe they lured us in here to have their rests burried and have a proper funeral who knows. Look how Rose hugs Thorn, poor children."

[alhoon]

Burdur, while troubled by the display keeps his bearings. He matters a small prayer in dwarven ignoring Van for the moment.
Then, he tells to him in his usual annoyed tone "The door was locked from the outside. Someone locked the children in." He doesn't share with the others any theories of why or who.

[VAN]

"Lets search the room then. I still believe we need to do a proper funeral to these children. Anyway we should find out why they are locked in here, maybe their parents wanted to protect them, even if with what we have learnt so far for this family I seriously doubt it that they were good people..."

Van goes the beds and searches for a blanket in order to cover the children.

[Ken of Ghastria]

At the sight of the small corpses, Vorj gets down on one knee and also says a quiet prayer for the children's souls. Standing, he says, "Poor children, enveloped by darkness, with no chance for life....

"Yes, you're right, Van," he continues, breaking out of his melancholy. "If we take proper care of their bodies, and sprinkle their final resting place with holy water, then perhaps their spirits will find rest." He pauses. "We'll have to do a ceremony within the house, though. The poisonous fog outside makes any attempt at burial nearly impossible."

He aids Van in covering the children's bodies and then he, too, begins searching the room.