Dak was already dressed in chain with a sword on his hip.  The sword scabbard managed to bang into every chair and table leg as he moved and he'd spent some time figuring out how to sit down with it.  He might have done better if he hadn't had to concentrate on not poking someone's eye out with the metal javelin he was also carrying.  Perhaps he should have left these in his room until after breakfast.

Once settled, he ate a hardy breakfast with the others while they waited for Storm to pick up his haberdashery.

Lenelle returned to the church to sleep that night.    Prior to turning in, she spent extra time at prayer, asking Atu to aid her to greater wisdom, in doing the right things for all concerned, in whatever might lay ahead at this wizard's abode.

The gentle bells of Matins awoke her in the pre-dawn hour, whereupon she got out of bed, and prayed for her daily spells. 

She was thus up and around by the point Storm arrived, packed and ready to go.  She hailed him out front "Wait up, I'm going with you."

Discovering he'd been chewing a bit of hardy gristle for some time, he spit it out and found the rest of the meal to be a hearty repast.

Little Line

Were the town larger, there might have been the bells to tell them of the hour, but the sun had moved to the height which spoke of Terce.  By now, the visitors from the outlying area for the fair had gotten well underway, so the streets were no longer filled with the carts and wagons.  In Monteci, fishermen were out to sea, and others were well into their day's work, as the companions--both those tried by the rigors of escaping not only captivity but destruction of the island and those newly met started out on the road.

As they passed the church, Lenelle also joined their company.

The road to the house, once leaving Monteci, wound along the rocky coastal terrain, often offering them a view of the sea below.  Low clouds passed along, with occasional patches of sunlight appearing out over the water.  A stiff breeze blew in off the waves, carrying a briny scent of the churning sea water.

As they approached, they could see the decrepit house sitting on a high point.  A once proud stone wall had once surrounded it, though the six-foot wall had partially collapsed in a few places.  An ornate metal gate lay open, swaying slightly in the breeze, while beyond wild flora grew, leaving only the barest traces of a once well-tended garden.  The roof held gables, and also a number of holes where the slates had gone missing.

The sun told that they were still well ahead of Sext as they approached this structure.  Near the house, too, could be seen a wooden roof of a water-well near the house, rising just above the tall grasses of the yard.

"This is it," Westin says, with a wave of his arm. "I could tell that whoever dwelt here was someone of importance when I first passed it though I had no idea at the time it was a mage."

"I don't know if that wall was just for privacy," he muses, "or if it truly provided some defense. I'm surprised it has been knocked down in a few places."

He walks forward and grabs one side of the metal gate and pushes it forward, opening it and then stepping back. "I'll let someone braver than I volunteer to go first."

"We're just looking for a book," Dak said, surveying the dilapidated structure.  He hoped the book was in better shape than the house was.

"We should split up to make this faster," he decided.  "Lighter people check the upper floors or attic.  I'll check the main floor to see if there's a cellar.

"If anyone sees a lamp, let me know."

Perhaps he should have brought one from the boat.

Karel nods slowly as he examines the building from a distance. "Well, I'm happy to have a scout forward, perhaps scoot up into a second storey window. Or we could all just traipse in together, whatever you all think," he adds, deferring to the rest of the crew. He begins rubbing his hands together, as if limbering up his fingers.

During the journey, Storm will walk in the front position to protect his friends. As he walks, he wonders how the first adventure will turn out for him and his new friends. Occasionally, he will touch his mace and wonder if he will be able to use it soon to smite evil.

"Let me go up and knock on the door first. It will be showing courtesy and politeness to the owner of this building. If no one answers, we an enter to investigate if any tragedy has befallen the occupants. What do you guys think?" Storm asks.

The gate swung with Westin's actions, although somewhat hampered by the tall grass which grew nearly as tall as Westin himself.  While there had most certainly once been a path from the gate to the house, evidence of this path was very faint, as overgrown as the yard had become.

"Go ahead and knock," Dak said to the big man.  "I'll check around back."

Dak stepped through the gate and began to circle around the building to look for another possible entrance.  If anyone were using the building, they might not leave their trail at the front of the building.

Storm approaches the gate and looksfor a knocker to knock while announcing,"Stormrider and friends have come to pay their respects to the master of the manor."

As a paladin, it is always good to be polite to others, he feels.

Telemachus had kept relatively quiet for most of the walk and kept his small-talk to simple answers.  The Captain of the Ananke had shelved his simple leathers for what could be mistaken at a distance for plate minus the helm till he was close enough for others to notice none of it was made of metal but of hardened leathers.  Clearly he'd found a talented leatherworker to take the concept of simple heavy hide and apply his skill to it being 'civilized' rather than freshly skinned off a large beast.

He looked to Karel who had already offered and simply shifted the suggestion a tiny bit, "Perhaps circle the opposite side and meet Dak at the rear if you find no obvious entrances or openings that someone else has used to gain entrance?"

With the new day, Wick was able to get over to the inn and snag an early table.  He wasn't normally one for raising early, but he still had some pounds to pack on after his days as a slave and was interested in a hot breakfast.

He hat the eggs with a bit more gusto than the porridge, and the apples with more gusto than the eggs.  All in all, a right proper meal.  If any of his ship mates come in, he waves them over to the table to join him if they're of a mind.

Lenelle stepped nearer to Telemachus, who seemed to be something like this group's leader, or at least an organizer, and a speaker of good sense, and said-

"With Atu's blessing this morning, I've a spell that will detect sources of evil.  About fifteen minutes worth, one hundred twenty yards out, so I understand.   I'll be able to cast it once.   I'm open to suggestions, whether to use it here, or perhaps wait till we get inside-?"

Westin watches as Dak starts to circle around the tower. Westin, though, is content to say with the main group. He listens carefully after Storm speaks for anyone or anything answering.

Telemachus tilted his head to her in greeting with a small smile.  His reply wasn't sarcastic despite it sounding such, but was quiet so the others there could watch and listen unimpeded, "Well praise Atu for that.  Would have been nice to have you on the island but I wouldn't have wanted you to get there the same way we did...by slave ship.  I'd wait till we were inside personally.  Evil can be blunt but the worst of it is subtle and missed at just the wrong time."

Dak circled around the left side of the building, while Storm talked to the gate.

The front door had no knocker, but after the difficult movement through the grass, it could be seen that it almost did not fit its frame any longer, looking nearly ajar as Storm approached to announce the visit.  Nothing, however, seemed to stir in response to him, although it almost sounded like there was some sort of plaintive voice just barely audible from within.

Dak disappeared around the left side of the building.

Hearing the slought noise, Storm listens harder and peers around the area before saying,"Hail, anyone home, Stormrider with his friends have come to pay the honoured master of the house a visit. May we enter?"

If there is no response, he will declare his intention to enter and enter.

"I thought I heard something," Westin says, his voice quivering a bit. He pauses again but only hears the wind and the sounds of the distant ocean. When Storm announces his intention, Westin takes a deep breathe and when Storm enters, he follows him inside dagger in hand though pointed downward. Probably nothing, though I glad it's daytime and especially glad there those better defended noting Storm's newly forged armor.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:08, Sat 31 Aug 2019.

"Your ears are better than mine so be wary as we enter.   Wick?  Want to follow Dak on his side so he's not alone and meet us at a back door?  Silas?  Do the same with Karel's side?  Then none of us are alone and you can pass along that there might be something within..." remarked Telemachus quietly.

Looking to Lenelle he added, "Let's accompany Storm and Westin inside and keep our eyes and ears open for either of the people slipping around actually being inside."  Shifting the small shield from his back to his forearm he also drew his scimitar wordlessly in case they needed to defend themselves.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:02, Sat 31 Aug 2019.

Lenelle nodded once, then complied with the suggestion.     She likewise did the same with her small shield, albeit one made of metal, not the wood a druid would use.

Her mace however, she did not yet take into hand --  still considering using the divination she'd mentioned, and for now leaving a hand free with which to cast.

Please move to threads based on location.