Ghosts of Gauntcliff, Chapter Seven

[Adam]

Bennedict steps forward, gesturing for the men to step back. "We'll handle this from here."

He looks down at the passenger, checking her eyes for the tell-tale lack of focus that indicates some form of mental control.

"My name is Bennedict. Who are you? We can't allow you to leave, so I need to know who you think is coming."

[Ail]

Eustace nods at Dorgio

"Dodds it is, my bones tell me. And if that is true, it may well be the clue to end this haunting."

He looks away in disgust.

"He's burned... I wonder... there should be records somewhere, records about him. Let's take him away from this abbey, and quick. It may well prove that is the source of the power that supports this place. We need to study, we need to read into the history of this place. Quick, let's return to the Chateau, we've done what we could here!"

[ewancummins]

THE BALLROOM

Bennedict steps forward, gesturing for the men to step back. "We'll handle this from here."

He looks down at the passenger, checking her eyes for the tell-tale lack of focus that indicates some form of mental control.

"My name is Bennedict. Who are you? We can't allow you to leave, so I need to know who you think is coming."

The teenager's eyes roll back as she continues to rant and kick.

''He's coming-- he's coming- he's coming!"


Captain Griffith enters the room from the hallway, with another sailor at his back. The sailor behind Griffith brandishes a cutlass in one hand and carries a bright lantern in the other.

The sea-captain asks Benn,

''What the blazes is goin' on here, Mister Gehrmann? Some tricks of the enemy? Just panicked females? "

[Ken of Ghastria]

Primeiro recoils in disgust at the sight and smell of the corpse. The drink from earlier today rises up and burns the back of his throat.

Eustace nods at Dorgio

"Dodds it is, my bones tell me. And if that is true, it may well be the clue to end this haunting."

He looks away in disgust.

"He's burned... I wonder... there should be records somewhere, records about him. Let's take him away from this abbey, and quick. It may well prove that is the source of the power that supports this place. We need to study, we need to read into the history of this place. Quick, let's return to the Chateau, we've done what we could here!"

"The fiend isn't Dodds?!" he says, trying to comprehend. "A mindless spirit that has absorbed his identity somehow? It makes as much sense as Dodds himself gaining such power! Very well...."

He sheathes his sword and grabs one end of the chest with its vile contents. "Lift with me now, one of you. The other, guard and guide, if you will."

[Ail]

"I will help you, Primeiro. I trust Dorgio more than myself should it come to physical fight."

[Adam]

"Perhaps," is the only answer he sends to Captain Griffith as he leans closer to the girl.

"Who? Who is coming, child? Get a hold of yourself!" He gives the woman a slight slap to the side of the face, trying to help her regain her senses.

[ewancummins]

The Ballroom-

"Perhaps," is the only answer he sends to Captain Griffith as he leans closer to the girl.

"Who? Who is coming, child? Get a hold of yourself!" He gives the woman a slight slap to the side of the face, trying to help her regain her senses.

The slender, black-haired girl passes out.

Further questioning of witnesses yields no information apart from the girl’s name and position-- Lorna, a domestic for Mister Wigot ( one of the shipwrecked guests). No one reports anything other than the girl suddenly bolting for the door, jabbering about someone coming. A search of the area, conducted by Griffith and his men, whether or not Benn and Everline help, reveals nothing unusual in or near the ballroom.

Lorna remains unconscious for several minutes. When she comes to, she claims to remember nothing about the incident of ‘madness’, the “burned man”, or anything of the sort.


Sailors and staff recover the stunned footman from the dining room and bring him back to the ballroom. He recalls almost nothing about his strange lapse.“I was…umm…checking something…I think…no…Bah, can’t think straight. How did I get down on the floor? ”


Denys arrives with a lantern raised, and his swarthy major domo trailing him. He seeks out Benn and Everline.
“Benn, Everline, I’m told there was some sort of disturbance. What happened?”

[ewancummins]

The expedition

"I will help you, Primeiro. I trust Dorgio more than myself should it come to physical fight."

After fastening the chest shut, Eustace and Primeiro are able to haul it to the base of the pit, while Dorgio watches the rear.

The mules have the good sense not to enter the ruin, so the party is forced to haul the chest up the hard way, with rope and a lot of hard work.

Melmoth helps to pack the chest on the back of the largest mule, after removing all other cargo from the animal's load. While the big folk do the grunt work, Penda keeps an eye out from his watch point on fallen plinth near the main entrance of the ruin. The men are tired and sore by the time everything has been secured and the mule train is set to return to the chateau.

Melmoth takes a swig of water from his canteen, offers some to the others. He says,
"I don’t want to know what's in it.”The gaunt man turns his face south, to where the hills rise wild. At the distance and in the mist, the chateau’s lights cannot be seen.

[Ail]

"And you do well indeed, Melmoth. Forget you have even seen this chest", Eustace adds.

He walks somberly besides the mule (or rides somberly, whatever's the case), fighting against the sleep but very worried. His thoughts stretch to the Chateau, and to whether anyone lacked the good sense to sleep in the ballroom. He hopes everything is alright, back there, but is already planning for the day ahead.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Primeiro takes a swig from the canteen and wearily begins the trip back to the chateau. He wants to ask Dorgio and Eustace questions about the idea that "Dodds" isn't really the painter from his childhood, but he won't do so in front of Melmoth. Besides the possibility that the servant will spread distorted gossip about anything he hears (as servants are wont to do), Melmoth is also Sancerre's trusted man -- and Primeiro remains convinced that Sancerre is withholding important information. Can Sancerre be trusted? Probaably. Certainly, Sancerre has been more than gracious to Primeiro. Demonstrably so, he thinks. More so than I would ever expect...

He does say to Eustace and Dorgio, "When we are rested, perhaps that 'speaking' ritual we discussed yesterday might still come in handy." He glances pointedly at the chest.

[Adam]

A rumbling sigh escapes from Benn as he wipes a handkerchief across his brow. "It would seem that Dodds is toying with us, possessing people and creating a disturbance to throw us off our guard." He looks around, intentionally projecting his voice so that it carries to the other scared masses clustered in the ballroom. "The fact that the creature is resorting to this method tells me that it is weak, and getting desperate. It can't face us directly, so it acts indirectly, trying to shake and frighten us. I consider this to be a sad attempt by a foe that knows it is nearing its end. As we speak, my compatriots are destroying its lair. This is the endgame, and we are definitely still in peril, but we must hold to our resolve and maintain calm. Panic is what Dodds wants. Discord is the most powerful tool left in his arsenal. If we are strong of our heart and firm in our strength of will, this nightmare will end soon."

He turns back to Denys, lowering his voice. "I am growing very weary of this Dodds, I must say. I wish he would just stand and fight, but he's too smart for that. For now, I'm going to try and get some more work done on the scroll here in the ballroom, but I have my doubts whether Dodds will leave us in peace long enough for me to finish."

[ewancummins]

A rumbling sigh escapes from Benn as he wipes a handkerchief across his brow. "It would seem that Dodds is toying with us, possessing people and creating a disturbance to throw us off our guard." He looks around, intentionally projecting his voice so that it carries to the other scared masses clustered in the ballroom. "The fact that the creature is resorting to this method tells me that it is weak, and getting desperate. It can't face us directly, so it acts indirectly, trying to shake and frighten us. I consider this to be a sad attempt by a foe that knows it is nearing its end. As we speak, my compatriots are destroying its lair. This is the endgame, and we are definitely still in peril, but we must hold to our resolve and maintain calm. Panic is what Dodds wants. Discord is the most powerful tool left in his arsenal. If we are strong of our heart and firm in our strength of will, this nightmare will end soon."

He turns back to Denys, lowering his voice. "I am growing very weary of this Dodds, I must say. I wish he would just stand and fight, but he's too smart for that. For now, I'm going to try and get some more work done on the scroll here in the ballroom, but I have my doubts whether Dodds will leave us in peace long enough for me to finish."

Benn screams in terror and runs out of the ballroom!

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Dammit!" Everline coughs. She staggers to her feet, jabs her finger at the two sailors that held the young woman down and snarls: "You! You! Follow!" Another snarl, aimed at Denys and Griffith: "You! No one else! Leaves!" She grabs the nearest candle or toch she can find and limps off after Benn, as fast as she can.

[ewancummins]

"Dammit!" Everline coughs. She staggers to her feet, jabs her finger at the two sailors that held the young woman down and snarls: "You! You! Follow!" Another snarl, aimed at Denys and Griffith: "You! No one else! Leaves!" She grabs the nearest candle or toch she can find and limps off after Benn, as fast as she can.

Denys looks puzzled and just shrugs.

Griffith laughs at Everline and goes after Benn, rushing out into the hall and nearly knocking Everline over as he does so. The two sailors, Baldie and Blondie, run after their captain.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Lock! Doors!" Everline howls at Sancerre and whoever else remains in the ballroom. "Lock! Them!" She moves on, as fast as she can, wand at the ready.