HLoM: The Firebird, Chapter 2

[NeoTiamat]

"He means that this is indeed that Castle Tristenoira, one of the Core's most haunted locales." Lena said, looking at Richard as well. Funny how the young Rashemani lass was already there. Lena followed as well, though being a practical minded sort, she was digging her wand out as she went. "I echo our new companion's question - are you alright, Richard?"

This was... unfortunate. Not unexpected, but unfortunate.

[Isabella]

Richard seemed to wince again, then reflexively tried to wave away concern with his bloodstained hands. "I-I-I am well, I-I am-am well," he quietly protested. "I-I-I could not even call it haunted. This-this is the Other Side, the realm where the spirits of the-the dead linger. A-a hole in this world that leads into the next one."

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Other side o' what?" Rojan asks Richard, his eyes wide, for the first time today showing more emotion than stoic acceptance of your errand. At Richard's explanation (such as it is), he shivers and makes the sign of the Spear and Coils. "Law an' Light 'twist us an' darkness," he mutters, looking up at the castle with an expression of growing unease.

Tara and Marcel, who had been staring at the castle gate and conversing in low tones, turn as Richard becomes the center of attention, and both move toward him with expressions of concern, only slightly mitigated by his waving away assistance. "That bad, is it?" Marcel asks quietly, and looks up himself.

Renhalt, conversing with Vasili, is reviewing the findings of the air elementals sent to scout. "First, the tower, no return. Second, the gatehouse, no return. Third, attacked by a human with a sword in the second level of the tower. Fourth, the tower. Three levels down before an entry made. Entered a room, no occupant, stairs going up and down. Sent back to the same room to take the stairs, never came back. Wizard-marked coin should be left wherever it was last. Fifth, the gatehouse. Empty. No-one there. No obvious way to get below ground level. Sixth, the courtyard. A big tree, several buildings, no signs of life. No obvious way to get below ground level. Not a lot to go on, really. It'll just…by the Name, freiherr! Are you all right?"

Having been reassured by Richard, he sighs and also looks up at the tower. "No use delaying," he mutters. "I really don't want to leave anyone behind. I hadn't thought to do this so soon, but…"

Shrugging, he kneels at the drawbridge and chants softly; the wood, soft and splintered, smooths and strengthens as he does so, leaving the drawbridge whole and strong. "That should do," he says. "All right then. We all stick together, bring in the horses and leave them in the courtyard."

Visibly steeling himself, he crosses to the double doors leading in and pushes them open.

The room you enter is in ruins--the far wall has been knocked out, making one very large room out of two or even three, and sunlight filters in from ahead and to your left where another wall has been broken leading into the courtyard. The room is filthy with mud; there is a doorway across from you, a doorway to your right and a set of stairs leading up, but for now your worry is the horses. Crossing into the courtyard, you emerge beneath a beautiful and enormous oak tree, fifty or more feet tall and easily ten feet through the trunk--a trunk scarred both by axe and fire. Just beneath where its branches brush the building, a double door has fallen from its hinges into the courtyard. The courtyard is knee-high with weeds; a cobbled road runs from your left to right, passing into what was probably once a carriage house. In the center of the courtyard a statue stands, facing a smallish marble structure with three domes. A handful of rudely build structures line the inner wall, obviously built by other hands than those that built the other structures, which are well-made for all their dilapidation.

Things labeled in green are points of interest you may choose to investigate. You have today and tomorrow to decide where you're going as a group, or you can split up and act as individuals--either way. This can be a one-line post if you're pressed for time--just say which thing you want to go look at/go to. You guys are at the extreme right of the courtyard as shown in the map, facing the lower left corner of the courtyard; the tree isn't pictured, but would be more or less directly in front of you. The collapsed double door is the one you can see pictured in the tower, very near the center of the picture. The statue and three-domed structure are also missing from the picture, but you can imagine them being near the center of the courtyard.

VIEW CONTENT:

[NeoTiamat]

"Worst comes to worst, we'll use the remaining scrolls for the horses." Lena said absently, once it had been established that Richard was not about to have more of a nervous breakdown. Once in the courtyard, she dismounted and glanced at the large tree. "Odd." She pronounced, but did not elaborate. Instead, she approached the statue, leaving the others to sort themselves out.

By her side, Ushka reached forward to sniff at the statue, and to look at it as well.

Ushka's Perception +20 on the Statue
[dice]0[/dice]

Lena's Knowledge (History) +11, take ten = 21

Ushka is also using Scent. Any human or animal smells here, and if so, what kind?

[Isabella]

Richard moved over to eye the rudely built structures, hoping they were not recently made and if so, that their builders had quit this place with no intention of returning.

[The Whistler]

"Law an' Light 'twist us an' darkness.”

“Law and Light…” Avram made the same sign — while rapidly moving to Richard’s side, clearly more concerned than the nobleman professed to be. “I defer to you, Freiherr, but if you need healing…”

He left the rest unsaid, but the import was clear. There was no shame in it, especially when one was on…whatever the other side was. From the looks of it, Avram felt a certain healthy forboding, but he wasn’t taking it in nearly the same way Richard was.

The hetman kept a certain cautious eye on the others, in the courtyard — it seemed prudent to keep as many people within line-of-sight as possible, especially given what had happened to the air elementals. All the same, he gingerly moved over to the domed marble structure to give it a once-over.

[Nathan of the FoS]

The statue is of white marble and is rather larger than life-sized, perhaps nine feet tall; it is of a man, long hair caught back in a queue, dressed in formal Forfarian garb, drawn sword thrust point-downward into the “earth.” The face is handsome (save for the fact that the nose has broken away), but the expression it wears is one of grief and savage anger. Either birds avoid it or someone cleans it regularly—there is no evidence of the statue having been used as a perch. The inscription at the base reads simply Marc Ap Blanc, Lord of Forfar.

Ushka sniffs and sneezes, then give Lena a look of warning.

The domed structure is actually three structures, each perhaps ten feet by twenty, with adjoining walls, each with a bronze door, coated in verdigris but actually on its hinges. Something about their construction and appearance immediately invites the conclusion that they are mausoleums.

The crude wooden structure nearest you is a two-story longhouse built of timber, and obviously of fairly recent make—given its ramshackle appearance, it would have collapsed entirely if subjected to the ravages of time the way most of the castle has been. Something seems to flit away from an upper window as you approach.

You still have all the options in green from the previous post, or you can make for the longhouse or the mausoleums.

Ushka's Scent reveals

VIEW CONTENT:

the smell of wolves, of rotting flesh, and of "something bad," not human and not any kind of animal she's familiar with. She smelled it faintly on the path here, so it's probably goblyn. All are quite strong.

[Isabella]

The crude wooden structure nearest you is a two-story longhouse built of timber, and obviously of fairly recent make—given its ramshackle appearance, it would have collapsed entirely if subjected to the ravages of time the way most of the castle has been. Something seems to flit away from an upper window as you approach.

Richard made a sharp gesture toward the others, his eyes flickering at the movement, quietly indicating the upper window where he'd last seen it.

[NeoTiamat]

Lena regarded the statue for a moment, considering it's unusual cleanliness. The problem (alright, one of many problems) was that in a place as haunted as Tristenoira, it was hard to separate the significantly unpleasant from the moderately spooky. So, while in other situations this would have called for significant alarms to go off, as it was Lena merely dredged up her bits of Forfarian history, recalled that the Ap Blancs were the lords of Forfar for a good amount of time (reign of Strahd II or III, was it?), and made a mental note that at least something local cared about the statue or gave it an aura to scare off pigeons. Perhaps Marc Ap Blanc himself was still haunting the castle. It would not surprise Lena in the least.

There were more immediate concerns, of course. Lena returned Ushka's look, and the fox promptly vanished in the tall grass -- for something that was colored such a bright and vivid red, Ushka was very good at not being noticed.

"Ushka smells wolves, rotting meat, and what I think are goblyns." Lena said softly, approaching Richard and keeping one eye on the longhouse. She gestured for others to come closer as well. "I'm fairly certain we've company. Shall I try and call them and see if we can't settle this like semi-civilized barbarous savages?"

Ushka's Stealth +27. Fox is trying to get inside the Longhouse.
[dice]0[/dice]
Total: 43

[Nathan of the FoS]

There is a rumble of thunder somewhere far in the distance, and a breeze--the first breeze there has been all day, and surprisingly chill despite the heat--ruffles the grass of the courtyard and tugs at your hair and clothes as the group notices Lena and Richard (or notices others noticing them) and begins to move toward the longhouse. It brings a faint, unpleasant scent of ozone with it.

Something moves again at the window--really no more than an arrow slit; this time both Lena and Richard see it. A hand? A face? Whatever it was, it is immediately gone. Suddenly, you hear a child's high, piping laughter, faint but distinct, seemingly coming from the longhouse. A few moments later, Ushka emerges with a child--a boy of perhaps ten or twelve years--in tow. He's a handsome child, dressed in rather old-fashioned Forfarian garb, with long blonde hair. As he comes closer you see with a certain shock that he has been badly bitten--his arms in particular are bleeding freely. He appears to be quite unaware of his distress.

At first his attention is entirely taken up with Ushka, but as he sees you he stops. He seems about to turn tail and run, but something--perhaps the way Ushka runs to Lena--gives him courage. "Fáilte, strainséirí," he says, making a creditable attempt at a leg.

[NeoTiamat]

There was a brief pause as Lena tried to figure out what the bloody hell she was supposed to do now. Madame Villeneuve's courses on etiquette had been sorely lacking on what to do with long-dead Forfarian ghosts (bleeding, old-fashioned clothing, alone in Tristenoira -- kid was a ghost). But Lena was a diplomat, and more than that, she was a Baroness of the Von Zaroviches, and a Von Zarovich was never fazed.

So, Lena ignored the fact that the child was dead, and instead simply looked at him. He was frightened, certainly, and yet curious. A calm, soft approach would work best here, as would letting the child play with Ushka (Lena dearly hoped this wouldn't result in a dessicated fox-husk and a ticked-off fey spirit that had to be resummoned) and showing respect for his noble status -- the fact that Lena was an equal aristocrat, with a signet ring to boot. What they shouldn't do was to crowd the child or frighten him, though Lena seemed to have secured a certain level of benefit of the doubt on the basis of being in charge of the fuzzy fox. Figuring out a common language would be vital, and hopefully the child spoke either Vaasi or Balok. This would get tricky otherwise.

"No sudden moves, no shouting or threatening displays, and do not crowd the child." Lena spoke softly, but her voice was firm. Anyone who scared off the ghost was going to get hexed. She glanced at the child's tartan, which was white and green. Not a family Lena recognized, and probably one no longer extant.

"Good morning, young lord, I am the Baroness Elena von Zarovich. Do you speak Vaasi?" Lena said in Vaasi, taking a few careful steps forward. Ushka, at some unvoiced command, approached much closer and sat down in front of the ghost, her fluffy tail curled around her feet. Lena switched to Balok. "Or do you speak this language? I am the Baroness Elena von Zarovich, young lord."

So that was a 21 on K:Nobility (Etiquette), a 33 on Sense Motive (Empathy), and a 21 on K:Nobility (Identify that Tartan).

[Isabella]

Richard blinked at the child, but at Lena's command he instinctively stepped back, bowing politely to the boy. He eased back into a more deliberately relaxed stance, slouching to knock about four inches off his height, and kept his hands carefully by his sides.

Knowledge Religion+10: Is this kid just here due to the evil or is he stuck here due to not being aware he's dead?
[dice]0[/dice]

Heal+8: Can I identify what killed this kid more accurately than "bites"?
[dice]1[/dice]=19

[Nerit]

Nuray had already circled to the side, but not so much that she blocked any exit for the boy. If you could call 'him' that. She made a bow as Richard did, as Lena had implied. Perhaps he was the son of the man depicted in that pristine marble face?

She did not reach for her bow, or any weapon, but clasped her hands before her loosely. She watched the spirit closely, but tried not to let her gaze linger on the wound that would surely terrify him if he knew the truth.

"I am Nuray." She leaned down a little, as you would to speak to a child -- though she certainly wouldn't have to lean far at her height. "I am your neighbor, from Hazlan." Nuray smiled faintly. She then gestured to the others to introduce themselves, or, if someone knew how to speak to the spirit, that they should.

_______

Sense Motive (Empathy) +20 = 35: The boy expects us to step forward and introduce ourselves, possibly ask for his father or mother.

[The Whistler]

Avram also bowed — though, like Richard, it took a half-second for him to process “bleeding deceased child speaking a foreign language” and cop to Lena’s excellent behavioral suggestions. Only a half-second, though.

”I am Nuray. I am your neighbor, from Hazlan.”

A kind smile. Avram was apparently rather natural at relating to ghosts. “And I am Avram ben Mansur, from that same place. Well met.”

Religion +9 for pretty much the same stuff Richard is trying to figure out:

[dice]0[/dice]

[Nathan of the FoS]

"He said, 'Welcome, strangers,'" Vasili notes, moving forward to effect translation if needed.

The boy doesn't quite shy back from Lena as she approaches, but he shows no sign of understanding anything said to him. Instead he looks again at Ushka, and then up at all of you, puzzled and a little frightened. "Más rud ... áit a bhfuil mo mhadra? Cá bhfuil Petitcru? Shíl mé go raibh sé anseo..." Looking around, his expression showing mounting anxiety, he bows again very quickly and says, "Mo athair sa túr. Tá brón orm, is gá dom a fháil ar mo mhadra."

Straightening his back, he walks very quickly through the group, angling toward the tower. As you turn to watch him go, the breeze gives a sudden gust, you hear the distant sound of thunder and suddenly you have lost sight of the boy-child in a crowd of people, Forfarians preparing an out-of-door feast, you are standing in the middle of an open space unbound by walls, in the shadow of a fine new keep with two tall towers and the great oak tree, it is late afternoon on an early summer day, warm and drowsy, and yet you feel a chill that pierces to the bone.

"You'll be among our laird's guests, then," a pleasant-faced, elderly man with a thin face says, addressing you. "That's fine, fine. I'll have Dugan take your horses. Please, come with me. There's Laird Ap Blanc and his lady at the head of the table, I'm sure they'll be glad to see ye."

VIEW CONTENT:

"Where...where's my dog? Where's Petitcru? I thought he was here..."
"My father's in the tower. I'm sorry, I need to find my dog."