As Dak and Wick moved forward, they were able to see that most of the rest of their group appeared to have gone up the stairs.  The open door, flanked by windows, looked like it was the front door which had been left open when the group entered the house.

Upstairs, nearest the stairway, could be seen Westin, Panatix and Telemachus, though Lenelle and Storm were not much further down the hallway, discussing what doors should be opened and how they should proceed.

"Please!" called the voice from the end of the hall, sounding rather faint.

"Did they actually find someone in this place?" Dak said quietly to Wick.  The voice definitely wasn't one of their own.

He waved to those at the top of the stairs and stayed put at the bottom.

His senses alert, Westin heard the sounds of others on downstairs. He glanced back and spotted Dak and Wick.


"They are closer than you think," he responded, gesturing with his thumb behind him and down the stairs at Dak and Wick.

Seeing the others had the upstairs search well in hand, Dak decided to continue searching the main floor.  If he didn't find any books, he at least hoped to find an oil lamp or candle he could use in the cellar.

"I'm going to look around down here some more," he said to Wick as he turned back the way they'd come to check on those doors they'd passed.  He was going to try the one facing the front of the house first to see what he could find.

Wick glances around.  "It's probably best we not get too spread out, I'll go with you."  He also looks around for something to provide some light.  "We just got done shopping and I didn't even think to buy a lantern or a candle.  What was I thinking?"

Lenelle regarded the locked door, where from beyond the voice pleaded.

"We must force our way in, then!  I'm no expert in breaking and entering, any tips appreciated -- or help -- "   She tried forcing the latch, then put her shoulder to it and attempted forcing it open --

Lenelle rolled 12 using 1d20.  open doors  - - 6 or less. Don't think so...

There was still a fair amount of light streaming in from windows and cracks in the walls, so additional illumination did not seem to be an immediate concern as Dak and Wick went back to retrace their steps and look into other doors.

The door at the front of the house was the front door, which the group now upstairs had left open when they entered the house.  There were hallways, one which led to the right, under the hall where the others were now located, and another to the left as well as the doors by-passed earlier.

Upstairs, despite the rather decrepit look of the place, the door stood firm against Lenelle's effort to force entry.

Dak proceeded back the way they'd come to check on those doors they'd by-passed earlier.  He was going to try the one facing the front of the house first to see what he could find.

"Oh well, let me try my friend,"Storm says as he charges towards the door. "We'll save you!

Perhaps it was his brute stength or his desire to save the owner of the voice, his charge forced open the door easily.

OOC: 10:23, Today: Storm rolled 6 using 1d20.  Open Door
This message was last edited by the player at 02:24, Thu 19 Sept 2019.

Upstairs

The door easily gave way under Storm's efforts, revealing a room which looked like a completely decayed bedroom with a fireplace.  On the far side of the room, opposite the door, was a man who had clearly been bound, hand-and-foot, dressed in only his drawers and a patched chemise.  He had been gagged, but had apparently managed to find a sharp point near himself, as the fabric now lay over one shoulder, and there was both dried and fresh blood on that same side.

---

Downstairs

As Dak retraced steps, the layout of the house started to become clearer--he had entered from a side of the rear, and the longer hallway had led straight up to the front of the house.

Opening the first door, which was now on his right, he saw a small room with two windows and could just see the edges of the well's structure.  Within the room were two badly damaged arm chairs--once well stuffed, but now frayed and chewed upon, although the wooden frames seemed relatively intact.  A wooden table was, broken, lying on the floor under one of the windows.  Just to the right upon entry was a fireplace, and a pile of very small bones--likely mice--spilled out of the hearth.

"Who are you? What happened to you?" Westin asks lowering his dagger. He takes a quick glance around the room. The situation seems particularly odd and he wonders if it is some sort of trap.

Dak entered the dilapidated room and searched around the table and chairs for any books.  He lifted them up to see what was beneath them and felt the cushions of the chair for irregular shapes.  He also made sure nothing was attached to the bottom of any of them.

With the door busted open Telemachus turned so that the two remaining doors were in front of him and thus he was guarding their rear in case anything came out from them.  The entire place didn't make any sense meaning he was still well wary...

Storm enters and seeing the man bound, walks briskly over to untie him while keeping look out for danger. Before he approaches the man, he pauses and uses his defect evil ability as he felt worried about an ambush.

Moving across the room, Storm noticed that some of the floor seemed to be sagging, and a bit fell with a bit of a crash to the floor below, although he had moved with enough speed that he, himself, did not go through the floor.

Those not yet entering the room could see that if they moved along the wall to the left, the floor looked a little more stable.

"Name's Ric," he said.  "I thought I be done for.  Was going to Monteci, heard I might get work at the new mine there.  I was just by the gate and I got hit on the head and ... well, that's about all I know, I woke up in here."

While the man looked rather unkempt, a notable lump could be seen on the back of his head.

Lenelle felt internal conflict, as the wish to help someone in distress clashed with the awareness that this was odd, and this man might not be what he seemed.

"That floor is unsafe.  I think the fewer that walk it the better, regardless whether part of it seems more stable. We want to help, sir," she told the man, "but I think you must agree, your story is vague, and suspicious."       She glanced toward Westin.

"Are you able to test for the presence of magic?   That might tell us, at least, if he is more or less what he looks to be."

Storm unties the man and asks if he could stand and move on his own. He agrees that they should not stay in the room for too long. He glances around for any exit or furniture and uses his Detect Evil talent.

New mine?... ran across Telemachus' mind.  He hadn't heard of anything like that considering the towns limited exports but then again it could be something either so mundane or so new it hadn't made the rounds yet even at an event as large as the festival the other day.  Still the revelation of the man, the state of the floor and uncertainty kept him from the room and still keeping wary eye on the other doors that lead to where they were.  For the time being he'd let the other three do the talking.

Ric paused a moment, rubbing at ankles and wrists, and said, "I think I can, thank you.  I didn't think they was going to have anyone come in the house and I was going to die here."

A sense of disquiet comes over Westin as he hears the man's statement. I had just passed that gate a few days ago! If he's telling the truth... He stares at the man wondering if he is what he seems to be.


Westin nods and begins quietly chanting. When done he will look at Ric and see if he or anything on him radiates magic. He will then scan the room.

When done, he looks at the man. "Are you missing anything? Do you have all your possessions?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:44, Tue 24 Sept 2019.

Downstairs

As Dak began his examination of the room and furnishings, a number of spiders came out of the cold fireplace.  Each spider was close to half the size of his hand (legs included), and they seemed to be swarming toward Dak and Wick as though someone had signaled dinner.

---

Upstairs

"They done took my clothes," said Ric, who was just wearing the drawers and chemise of his undergarments.

"Out, out, out!" Dak blurted as he tried to get back out of the room to pull the door closed before the spiders caught up to them.

It was a bit harder to be suspicious of the fellow while he stood there in his drawers.    She glanced at Westin, gathering by his lack of comment there was no magic to be immediately warned of.

"Very well.  Are you able to walk, sir?    I think you should join us over here, then we'll get you out of this place.  We can get you something to wear, and a meal, at the church I think.   I can help with your injury too."       She wanted Storm out of the crumbling room, as well.

"That'd be good of ya," said Ric, standing and gingerly taking a few steps, wincing a little in the manner of one who might be stepping on a foot that had fallen asleep.  He edged toward the outer wall, where the fireplace was, to start his way out of the room.

Downstairs, Dak and Wick found that they were able to retreat from the room and get the door closed before the spiders managed to get to them.

"I don't think the book was in there" Dak said, giving the door another tug to ensure it had closed securely.  "Why don't we try in here?"

He indicated the door on the other side of the hall and, not to be intimidated by spiders, opened it courageously to see what was inside.

In reply to DM (msg # 22):

"Who is the they Ric sir? Maybe you can tell us more as we move you away from this place. Like my friend asks, are you able to walk?" Storm says, lending his hand to help the man up.

Wick had hustled out of the room at Dak's warning.  He quickly inspects the closed door, trying to gauge if the spiders were going to crawl under the door or otherwise get out.  He looks to see if there's anything to stuff into the cracks just to be safe.

He shrugs as Dak suggests the room across the hall.  "What do you think made those spiders stir up?"

"I must have disturbed one of their webs.  They probably have them all about the room to let them know when a meal is about," Dak replied.

Downstairs

The space under the closed door looked disturbingly capable of allowing spiders to crawl under the door, as indeed one did while Wick was looking at that space.

The door nearly opposite, when Dak opened that door, revealed what appeared to have once been a dining room with a long table--now broken--running across the room.  There was a broken chair, and some moldering bits of cloth which might have once been napkins along with broken earthenware dishes in the middle of the room.

"Thank you," said Ric, starting to stamp his feet as he walked along the outer wall to make a loop to the door.  "Once I get some feeling back in my feet, I can walk, I'm sure.  I don't know who they are ... I just reckon that it'd take more than one person to cart me up here after they hit me on the head.  This is a fell place, for sure.  Why'd you come here?  Not that I'm not grateful someone came, just ... it's a bad place."

Wick stomps on the spider that came under the door.  "Dak, see anything to stuff under this door, your spiders are starting to follow you."

Wick continues to look around for anything that might be suitable.

"Yeah, I see something," Dak replied to Wick as he stepped into the room and tried to scoop up an armload of debris.  Moldy cloth and broken plates would probably fit under a door.

In fairly short order, Dak and Wick were able to stuff debris under the door to prevent any other spiders from sliding through that crack.

Having secured the spider door, Dak returned his attention to the dining room.  It didn't look like it would have a book, but he walked the room. He stirred the debris with the point of his metal javelin to see if anything jumped out.  Perhaps there'd be a silver candlestick or two mixed in with the rubbish.

"Looking for something," Lenelle answered him, purposefully vague.

"Did you know it was a bad place, when you approached?   What were you doing so close to the gate?"   

Westin will look about the room Ric came from. Does he see a book? Is there a desk or chest or something that might contain a book?

Westin looks at Ric, doing his best to discern something from the man. If he was an elf, he would be more confident but humans are still perplexing to him.

"Do you feel well enough to travel?" he asks Ric after he answers Lenelle's question.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:45, Mon 30 Sept 2019.

In reply to Ric (msg # 25):

Seeing the unusual sight, Storm walks carefully towards the fireplace, asking his companions to stay back for a moment. He concentrates to see if there is any evil lingering in the place before examining the fireplace area carefully before moving towards the window sills to check the unusual lack of a dust cover. Could the fireplace be a dud or secret entrance, he wonders.

Turning to Lenelle and Westin, he says,"The sill does not have the same dust cover that can be seen through most of the room, and there are some odd marks on the sill, like scratches. I wonder if the covers were removed or the fireplace is a dud."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:04, Mon 30 Sept 2019.

Downstairs

While Dak tried moving debris to see if something more valuable lay hidden, neither book, nor valuable candlesticks (nor even a bell) turned up amongst the shattered earthenware and moldy fabric not used to create a barricade against spiders.

---

Upstairs

While Storm looked over the fireplace, no evil came from the fireplace or the window.  Too, this was on an outer wall, and looking through the window, he could see the water of the bay, as the land curved around so that Monteci was just visible to the distant right.

"I dinna know it was a bad place, an' I never meant to come in it at all," declared Ric.  "I was just on the road."  He turned to Westin and said, "I could go with you and look for that thing you're looking for.  Mebbe even find my clothes."

The room itself was devoid of furniture, though it seemed that Ric had found a bit of a nail that he'd been able to use to work through the gag.

"I don't see any books down here," Dak observed, poking some last bit of debris with his foot.  "Let's try that last door we saw down the short hallway."

He lead the way back toward the kitchen and then down the short hallway to the door.  He opened the door without preamble to see what was inside.

"We have two more doors up here we can check before heading down, so lets do that and see if we can find his clothes or the book..." replied Telemachus from the hallway as he waited for them to get into position before he moved to the closer of the two.  Sheathing his blade he eased the next one open while placing the shield so it could intercept any trap or ambushed blade coming from within.

Lenelle attempted to make sense of what Storm had noted.

"Scratches on the sill?   Has something come in from outside, perhaps?"    She shook her head.  "What?"   

Then glanced back when Telemachus spoke, "I don't know.   What about him?" she indicated Ric.     She wasn't keen on bringing an untrained man into possible danger.   Nor having this stranger at their backs in a tight spot.

Telemachus stopped his movement in opening the door to quietly reply to Lenelle, "Either he is straight and now at the back of our formation, or he's complicit and I'd rather have him within arms reach to deal with instead of ambushing us later when we aren't expecting it."

Shaking his head he added, "It's not ideal but life seldom gives you perfect situations to deal with."

"I do not know also but from here we could see the outer area whih is water. Hard for anyone or anything to get through on foot. Guys, I am going to check the fireplace out. Let us be vigilant," Storm says before prceeding to the fire place.

At he fireplace, he will examine the ashes, soot, wood and other materials to see if they are cold or warm. He will also carefully examine by looking upwards into the chimney using a mirror.

She nodded once, slightly, at Telemachus' whispered words, figuring it was sound advice.    Then glanced to Storm over at the fireplace, seeing if he might find anything unusual or informative.

"Checking the fireplace is a worthy idea. I'll join in looking with you," Westin says. He will walk over to the fireplace and begin examining and careful knock on the stones on the outer and, when he gets a chance, on the inner part of the fireplace. He will also check the areas adjacent to the fireplace for any hollow sounding walls or secret compartments.

Wick gives a nod and moves along to the other door that Dak talks about.  He's a bit surprised at Dak having opened the door without even a quick glance, but then there didn't seem to be anything worth protecting around here.

"See anything?" Wick asks form the corridor.  Dak had done most of the scounting and Wick was certainly willing to do his share, but it wouldn't do to have both of them barge into something.

Downstairs
Dak made his way back towards the kitchen, turning to the short hall, and opened the door to see outside.  The edge of the ruined well could be seen--and this was the way that Silas and Karel had taken, yet they were neither heard nor seen here.

---

Upstairs

The fireplace was cold and dusty--even the ashes were covered in a layer of ordinary dust--revealing no loose stones or other such hollows.  The window sill, on closer examination, had slightly curved scratches, as though something metal with a circular base had been set there rather carelessly.  The chimney did show signs of spiderwebs, however.

"We should go," said Ric, bouncing from foot to foot.  He was wincing less, suggesting that normal feeling might have returned to his extremities.

"Just an old well outside," Dak replied to Wick's query.  "Let's head back to the front room and see if there's anywhere else to look."

He closed the door and headed back to the main room where they'd seen the others up the stairs.  He wanted to make sure they'd looked in every room on this floor.

Telemachus glanced at Ric and then back over to Lenelle quietly adding, "I don't like leaving since his captors may be here hiding and waiting for us to leave but perhaps we should get him back to the church since it isn't that long of a walk from here.  Then return and finish this search up.  If we find his clothing we can return them to him at the church when we are done...something feels off...that or I'm getting way too paranoid." he ended with a self-deprecating smile.

He then glanced towards the room and spoke up so that Ric, Westin and Storm could just as easily hear him, "When you're done looking let's get out of here and get Ric to the church...it's all of a little bit away and he can be in safe hands.  Then we can return and finish looking into this strange home and if we find your clothing Ric we'll make sure to get them to you."

In reply to DM (msg # 50):

"I wonder what could be wrong. The fireplace is cold and dusty--even the ashes were covered in a layer of ordinary dust, and I think it hasnt been used for a long while. The chimmey too, has spiderwebs, indicating little useage. So I assume no one was here. However, the window sill has slightly curved scratches, as though something metal with a circular base had been set there rather carelessly. I wonder if someone used a contraption to climb out or in," Storm informs his friends.

In the meantime, he looks outside the window to look above and below the window for clues.

((Upstairs characters, please roll d20))

---

Downstairs

Returning to the large chamber, the two wings on the first floor could be seen, as well as the stairs leading up to where the others had been seen before.  However, the group was no longer readily visible from the ground floor, although their voices could be heard in the hallway above.

OOC: 10:16, Today: Storm rolled 13 using 1d20.

"This way looks good," Dak said, leading Wick toward the left to explore that wing.  "We'll see what else is on this floor while the others explore upstairs."

OOC:
18:10, Today: Westin na'Belva rolled 17 using 1d20.  DM request.

"I do not think you are paranoid," she whispered reply to Telemachus, "This does feel off."

"Telemachus speaks good sense," she said to Storm and Westin. "Let us deliver friend Ric to Father Niall's church.  And then plan anew what to do here.     Perhaps we should request an investigation by this isle's constabulary, seeing as an innocent traveler was assaulted."   

She wanted Storm and Westin off that damaged floor, now.

Lenelle rolled 19 using 1d20.  The mystery roll....  If we need high, great.   If it was a wisdom roll, even I fail that. 

Telemachus glances in the doorway and towards the window.  Looking to the left and right sides of the room before looking back he murmured, "Storm, get back on this side, perhaps Westin too...don't want too much weight on the floor so I can slip on by..."

--->ooc: if they do I've got a PM to the DM here that they can un-PM.

"That's a good idea," Westin chimes in.

"Ric you may not recall anything now, but if we get you someplace safe like this Father Niall's church, some things might come back to you," Westin says. "The town's not very far away, just an hour or two walk."

"An hour or two?" echoed Ric, sounding rather dismayed by the prospect.  "And me barefoot?  Mebbe could be looking 'round a bit first, see if whoever it be left something close what I could wear."

Downstairs

Moving to the left, which put Dak and Wick in the hall beneath the others, the way was fairly light, as sunlight came through the filthy windows which seemed to have lost their shutters over the years.  There were two doors to the right, one nearly even with the first window of the passage, the other just a little further than the second window.

---

Upstairs

Finding little in the fireplace other than indicators that led to more questions, Storm and Westin found little reason to remain in the room as Ric had made his way into the hallway.

Keeping to the edge of the room where the floor was solid he took a closer look before nodding, "It's a lantern.  If this place has been abandoned as long as it looks like it has someone likely was using this window to signal someone else out there...or something else similarly that would make someone move a lantern back and forth to cause the scratches."

Westin's usually friendly face changes to a frown. "If I was kidnapped by unknown assailants and was rescued or otherwise got free, the last thing I would want is to stick around that place and look for clothes, especially if the kidnappers were still on the loose."

His hand goes to the hilt of his dagger and he glances at Telemachus. "I was hoping to save my ESP spell but maybe this is a good time to use it. I should be able to verify Ric's story and if he is lying, determine who or what he really is and what his plans are. Should I cast it?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:05, Mon 14 Oct 2019.

"I supposed you had better leave this place. I cannot seem to find any clues and it will be useless if we hang around here while your asyet unknown assailants are on the loose,: Storm says gently.

He uses detect evil again.

Dak moved to the first door on the right and pushed it open to see if there were any books laying about.

Wick gives a nod, continuing to follow Dak about the house.  At this point, though, he's wondering if it's worth a lot more time and effort, not having found anything really worth the effort as yet.  "How long do you think this place has been abandoned?  it's holding up pretty well, I don't think it's been all that long."

Lenelle wasn't certain what an 'ESP' spell was, but she was fairly sure the elf was attempting to bluff Ric into being truthful, after his suspicious comments.

She nodded her encouragement.    "Yes.  It worked well on that scheming bandit who tried to dupe us, that last time."     

"Maybe five years or so," Dak mused over how old the house was.  "Perhaps it wasn't that nice when people lived here at the end."

Downstairs

The door to the room opened with only a small amount of effort, as the hinges had not been well-maintained since the house had been truly abandoned.  The room itself was empty, although there was a fireplace which did not boil forth with spiders, but on the floor in front of the fireplace, in a semi-circle were some tiny mushrooms of a brilliant red hue growing from the floor.

---

Upstairs

While Ric seemed to be growing increasingly uneasy, his weight shifting from one foot to the others while those in the group voiced their suspicions of the man, the group remained in the entry of the room, except for Telemachus who had gone to examine the window sill.

From the doorway, Dak looked around to see if there was anywhere, other than the fireplace, that a book might be found.  A pile of debris, rags, a shelf, the mantel.  If it didn't look obvious, he wasn't going to bother going in.  Mushrooms growing on the floor probably didn't bode well for the floor's structure.

Westin feigns casting a spell of suitable casting time for ESP. He will look studiously at Ric, a smile still on his face. Then the smile fades and a startled look appears on his face. He takes a step back and draws his dagger. "He's Lying!" he shouts.

Downstairs

Perhaps it was so much closer to the front door of the house, but this room appeared to have been well and truly picked over, with very little debris of size left behind.  The mushroom growth was contained within a few feet of the fireplace itself.

Ric was fairly dancing in place until Westin's cry.

"Charlatan!" cried Ric, pointing at Westin.  "Faker!"

"He's evil,"Storm shouts , drawing his mace and moving to attack.

He shouts,"say who are you! He quick."

"I said who I was," said Ric, looking a little frightened, but also seeming to puff his chest out a little in a show of bravado.  "And I ain't the one threatening an unarmed man."

"Let's escort him out of here, and then be gone from this place.       Something is very amiss, and we won't learn the truth arguing with him, and having to worry he's going to put a knife in our backs."   

"You'll never get the answers then," replied Ric, running suddenly back into the room across the middle of the floor, and a gaping hole opened and he dropped to the next floor.

Downstairs

Dak and Wick heard a tremendous crash and what sounded like a significant weight landing on the floor in the next room.

"Stop him!" Westin shouts. He turns and dashes down the steps towards the room, as best he can determine, into which Ric would have fallen.

:Let's follow him!;Storm shouts.

Running, he takes a leap and jumps into the hole after Ric, taking care to land safely on his feet. With his graceful movemnt and great strength, such feats are not too dificult for the paladin.

Closing the door of the mushroom room, Dak went to see what the crash in the next room was about.

Dak opened the door to the last room down this hallway to see a rather good sized room, which had been empty except for a great deal of plaster crumbling from the ceiling, but now there's even more--and a man who is barefoot, dressed in only his drawers and a patched chemise with a dagger in hand.

"Did you just fall through the ceiling?" Dak asked, waving the plaster dust out of his face.  "Are you all right?"

He wondered what they'd been doing upstairs to have created this situation.  If this was the man calling for help, perhaps he'd have had better luck waiting for the next passersby to give him a hand.

Ooc: rolls a 9 vs dex 16

Wick follows Dak to the room next door.  Seeing the dagger in the mans hand, Wick brandishes a blade of his own, but keeps the point down.  "I'm not much good with this thing, why don't we put up our blades and talk?"

A moment after Dak and Wick had come to the door to pose their questions, Storm likewise came through the ceiling of the room, dislodging even more plaster and fractured laths.  Despite the awkwardness, Storm managed to roll to his feet with Ric now in between Dak and Storm.

Looking warily from one face to the other, the man edged toward the wall which was the outside wall, his eyes scanning from one person to the other while he kept his dagger in a position ready for use.

Lenelle followed in Westin's wake, not quite comfortable making the leap which Storm had done.

Turning from the window where he'd been commenting about the lantern or other such signalling device being used he watched in wonder as first Ric and then Storm came back into the room and chose to use the weak floor as a means to get downstairs quicker.  His brain was trying to figure out the series of events when matched up to the arguments just prior and all he could come up with was a roll of his eyes at the direction that things had taken and a simple one word quietly slipped passed his lips, "Seriously?"  Disbelief or not Telemachus eased the loop of leather forming his sling from its pouch along with a small metal bullet.  He didn't want to use it but it was better to be prepared if needed...

"Stop! Storm yells at ric before taking out his mace and asking the man why he is running away. He slowly advances and prepares to run if needed.

Westin rushes into the room, but then comes to a quick halt as he spots Ric. "I recall you saying that you were unarmed," Westin says, looking at the daggerin Ric hand. "Do you want to explain where you found a dagger?"

Westin does not approach Ric. Irritated as he is with the man, Westin has no intention of approaching him. He notes the skill and ease with which he holds the dagger. Ric appears proficient in its use, perhaps skilled, even, in combat. The fact that he was likely desperate now that he was cornered made him especially dangerous.  Best let Storm and the others so armored deal with him. However, if it looks like he might get away, Westin will intervene.

"In this room," said Ric, "and a good thing with the way he's wanting to kill me."

Ric's eyes were darting about trying to assess a way out of the situation, and he suddenly dashed toward Westin, as though to put the elven man between himself and the others in the room.

"Are we still looking for the book?" Dak asked aloud to no one in particular and everyone at the same time.  He was trying to figure out what was going on.

Did this guy have the book or know where it was?

In reply to Ric (msg # 94):

Seeing the man run, Storm immediately think of Westin's safety.

Without hesitation, he dashed after Ric, determined to grab and hold him to prevent his friend from being hurt.

Wick moves to put himself in the path of the running fellow (Ric).  He's not sure what's going on, but apparently the others have already been dealing with the fellow and has lied about the blade.  Of course, if Wick was surrounded by strangers, he'd probably not want to advertise carrying either.  But there'd be time for questions after the situation calms down.

"Shoulda tol' him it wouldn't work," muttered Ric, edging toward the wall which held the fireplace, and with the wall behind him, toward the door to the hallway.  His expression was a mask of desperation.

"You're clearly outnumbered!" Dak said loudly to the man as he put a hand on the pommel of his sword.  "Tell us the truth now or face the consequences!"

Lenelle took her mace into hand, but remained on the periphery, not advancing.   There were more than enough now to deal with a single adversary, if he did anything aggressive.

Now, it remained to be learned who 'him,' was, and what sort of scheme 'it' was referring to...

Westin takes a measured retreat, grateful for the assistance of his companions. Even so, his dagger in hand, just in case. Ric has shown himself to be quite resourceful. He wonders what Ric is muttering about, risks glancing around to see if he can spot anyone else who might be watching. Apparently, someone else was around, perhaps in the house as well.

Ric glanced about, his expression showing a mixture of desperation and grim determination, and with a sudden spurt of speed he ran at Westin, grabbing hold of the smaller man, his blade now resting cold against the elf's neck.

"Ye've pushed me to it," he said.  "Now jus' stan' back!"

Seeing Ric run towards Westin, Storm tries to dash and intercept.

OOC;May I try to intercept him?

Storm attempted to catch Ric before the man reached another, but fell a few steps short of stopping Ric from seizing hold of Westin.

"Stop you nonsense Ric. You come with his quietly and I guarantee we will not harm you. Hurt my frend and you wont leave this place alive because then you are evil and evil deserves to die," Storm says.

"You might want to listen to him Ric," Westin says in a distant voice. "Kill me and you seal your fate. And if you want to have any chance of anyone ever trusting you, you need to let me go and soon."

"He's meaning t' do me for," said Ric, not releasing his hold on Westin.  "An' I'm not wantin' to go wit' ya.  Lemme go my way, you can go yours, but keep 'im offen me."

"Drop him and tell us the real story and I promise you on my honor you wont be harmed," Storm persuades.

Westin will resist being moved, do his best to stay put and not be taken out of the room. With his free hand he will grab anything that comes within reach such as furniture, curtains, tables, etc, using to keep his in place or, at worst, forcing Ric to pull it along as well if he pulls him out of the room.

"An' ya won't make me go wit' ya when ya leave here?" said Ric, his expression one that was quite full of fear.  "You go yer way, an' I get my things an' go mine?"

Telemachus spoke up, literally from above as he looked down through the hole that they had made in crashing down to the first floor, "Ric we came here looking for something and came across a tossed home and you bound up.  We don't know you from Francis and you don't know us and this place is creepy beyond belief...and seeing as not so long ago we'd been taken by slavers to be sold as chattel perhaps you can understand wanting to leave a place that could be rife for ambushes and deception that would lead back to the same result."

He shrugged his shoulders, "We just wanted to help but we're a bit paranoid ourselves right now cause of what I just told you.  I was certainly willing to give you my boots to head to the church and get you some rest and food and figure out who tossed you, this place while also trying to solve what was going on.  You want to go, go.  Be on your way.  Prove yourself to be foul and what our fears tell us and then yeah you likely won't be going anywhere."

He tilted his head continuing to lay out simple facts and unambiguous terms, "Would you do any different if a stranger held a companion or friend of yours under equally strange circumstances?  So is this simply a big misunderstanding because we're both on edge?"

In reply to Ric (msg # 110):

"As long as you aretruthful and do not harm my friend, I assure you WILL not be molested! You can like my friend says, head to the church and find help. But if you lie, I will know and then it wont be good for you. So please Ric, tell us why you are here and what happened in this place?" Storm asks.

In te meantime, he will not move forward but will stand ready to dash forward if there is a need to.

Lenelle nodded her own confirmation of those words to Ric, putting a hand to her holy symbol.

"I swear to you, as a cleric of most merciful Atu, what these men tell you is the truth.   You are in no danger from us, if you offer us none.  And, you are a free man, and may go where you please.  But that all changes instantly if you do murder.  So please, let our comrade go, now."   

"I can see that," said Ric, a look of relief washing over his face, though he still looked rather frightened.  He let go of Westin, taking a step away from the elven man, though not making any move to put away the dagger just yet.

"I'd like to get my things upstairs," he added, glancing up through the ceiling at Telemachus.  "They be in the room next to ya."

"Would you mind answering our questions first Ric? I ill escort you to get your stuff later. Do not worry," Storm replies.

"Storm just walk with him.  He accommodated us by trusting us and letting Westin go.  Let's accommodate him in just asking for him to tell his story as he walks." remarked Telemachus from upstairs.

It looked like the others had things under control again.  Dak nodded to Storm and then returned to the hallway to see if there were any surprises on this floor.

Looking wary, Ric took another glance up at Telemachus, and nodded his head, and started to edge toward the door to the hallway.

"Thank you," Lenelle said to Ric, for releasing Westin.   She began to move to walk with him and Storm, attempting to be a calming presence, if Ric was at all a religious person, or at least recognized the church as benign.

She did not, however, get too close, and remained on guard.

Storm follows Ric and asks him to explain what happened. He will walk beside him and keep him in his view while being ready to tackle him at anytime.

Westin immediately backs away from Ric once he is let go. He rubs his throat, thankful it was not cut and moves to put others between him and Ric. Having had a dagger at his throat, he is not inclined to believe anything Ric might say. However, out of appreciation for the words of his comrades which convinced Ric to let him go, he refrains from saying anything.

"I don' know what yer asking," said Ric, and he seemed to be quickening his pace to move back up the stairs, as he seemed to be satisfied that no one was going to impede his trek back for his clothing, though he seemed to be limping slightly--perhaps that leap to the first floor had not been quite as smooth as he had thought, now that adrenaline was starting to wane.

"Why are you here and who did you meet?" Storm asks while keeping pace with him and gesturing to his friends to follow behind. As he walks, he will be wary of traps and the like.

Seeing things were calming down, Wick puts away his own blade even if Ric kept his in hand.  After all, if Storm couldn't handle the fellow, then Wick wasn't going to have a lot better luck.

But what Telemachus said raised a lot of questions for him.  Looking up at Telemachus, Wick gives a nod.  "So, what's the story?  You found the guy tied up here?"  That didn't sit well, the house didn't seem to be quite as abandoned as it had looked.

Looking down through the hole he nodded, "Yeah he was bound up here to a chair missing most of his stuff except that knife he hid on his person.  Said he was coming here for possible work in that mine that opened recently and when he was passing the house someone hit him from behind."

Looking over to Westin he asked the two of them, "Westin?  Wick?  Think you two can check the outside of the house?  Karel was circling on one side and hasn't come in yet.  I want to make sure that whoever Ric said had hit him over the head isn't still around and waiting for us to leave and did something to Karel..."

Wick shrugs.  "Sure thing."  He glanes over towards Westin to see if the fellow is up to it after his ordeal.  "With people getting hit from behind around here, it's probably best we don't wonder around alone."

Ric continued up the stairs, stopping one room before the one in which he had been tied up when the group first found him.

"There's folks don't want any investigatin' in this old house," said Ric.  "An' to keep ya's from finding stuff out, distractin' like.  An' I ain't gonna get paid none, but I be headin' to Shipton after an' if ya go back ta Monteci, ya kin say what ya killed me.  Better be thought ta be dead than to be dead, ya unnerstand?"

"Certainly," Westin says with a smile but inwardly glad to get further away from Ric. "let's go, shall we?" he asks Wick.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:17, Wed 06 Nov 2019.

"I believe that can be done," Lenelle assured Ric.   She didn't care for lies, but murder was far worse.

"And, it might help us to protect you more, if you tell us something about these 'folks' you mentioned. What is it they don't want found, here?"   

Ric opened the door next to the room he had been bound in, and carefully circled opposite the way that had been safe in the other room.  The floor here looked similarly suspect to the floor in the other upstairs room.   A small chest was in the room under the window, and he opened this, pulling out clothing, boots, and leather armor, and he began dressing as he spoke.

"I don' know details," said Ric.  "What ya don' know, ya can't betray.  Jus' somewhere's there's meetin' for some business o' movin' stuff fer extra coin.  An' I be supposed to get ya to leave off pokin' about, 'cept I guess he didn't know how suspicious you was, so it ain't much use and I get hit on th' head fer nothin'.  Hit me harder'n need be, too."

It was more than plausible -- some sort of criminal operation. She tended toward believing this explanation.  So, then what about the item they'd come here seeking?    Did they have it?

She wasn't sure it was the best idea to mention it to him.  However it was a chance to learn whether or not it was here.

"Are there any books left in this house?"

Storm considers what has been said and asks,"So did the man leaveany detail as to where you are to meet him or how you are to cntact him for further instructions or jobs? If you have seen him before, could you describe his features?"

Dak continued to search the remaining rooms on the first floor.

Having exhausted the possibilities in two wings of the house, Dak re-traced to the entry room.  The last unexplored wing stretched away from where the others were grouped upstairs, and narrowed into a hallway with a door on either side about midway down the hallway and a large opening into what appeared to be another room at the end of the hall.

"I don' know about no books," Ric replied.  Dressed now, he looked like the sort of man that would definitely have raised suspicions if he had met the group before.  The lump on his head was still visible, though.  "He jus' had me come upstairs, didna give me a tour of the place."

Crossing to the last wing, Dak checked the open room at the end of the hall first.

Dak followed the hallway to its end, where the hall opened into a large room with another fireplace opposite him.  To the right, he could see windowed doors, showing beyond the overgrown patio that he and Wick had passed on their way into the house.

In the corner just to his left was a pile of trash.  There were signs of a trail in the dust leading toward the door to the patio, although stopping abruptly before that point.  Glinting from the edge of the hearth was something that appeared golden, though Dak would have to get much closer to tell details about the very small object.

It looked as though someone had come in to look out the patio window and then turned back.  Or at least that's what he thought it looked like.  He wasn't any tracker, but the dust looked obvious.

A little wary of fireplaces after the spider incident, he went over to spread out the trash with his javelin first.

In reply to Ric (msg # 135):

Storm looks at ric’s dressing and asks what exactly did the man ask him to do again

Moving to his left, Dak spread out the trash that had accumulated in the corner, finding that this was a mix of chewed and moldy fabric, what appeared to be stuffing material from furniture, copious amounts of droppings, and a silver hoop earring.

Upstairs, Ric reached into the chest again, pulling out a belt with a short sword in a scabbard.

"He said I was to get ya ta leave off investigatin' th'house," said Ric, holding belt in hand as he edged back to the hall.  It appeared he was attempting to get closer to where Telemachus was last seen, but he was not attempting to belt on his sword.  "Tha's all I know.  I don' know where ya find what ya ain't supposed ta find."

While it was possible Ric knew more than he was telling, it made sense his employers would have told a hired flunky as little as possible.    She had no more questions at this point, reckoning more would be learned only through finishing the investigation of this house.     She awaited to see if Storm had any other questions for him.

Telemachus put away his sling since that wasn't needed at the moment but he did keep his scimitar at the ready knowing that Ric, despite him being helpful in some ways, was still a possible threat.  Looking out the window again he turned back to the doorway and uttered his question to the presently unseen Ric but who he knew was well within range of hearing his request, "And the window frame?  Use a light or mirror to signal someone else if everything was okay or was that for something else?"

After picking up the earring, Dak stirred the debris one last time in case it's mate appeared.

Looking back to note there wasn't a door to close in case of spiders, Dak went to the fireplace to poke around for that reflection he'd seen from the doorway.

"I ain't seen anyone comin' up here afore ya did," said Ric, sidling down the hallway to the doorway of the room where Telemachus now stood, still holding the belt in his hand.  "Didn't hear anyone about, neither."  He looked decidedly uneasy.

Downstairs, Dak stirred through the trash, but found nothing else of note.  At the fireplace, he found that the glint that he had seen from a distance was a small, very detailed, leaf which, other than being made of gold, looked like it could have just fallen off a rose bush.  There was, perhaps to Dak's great relief, no sign of spiderwebs or spiders coming to investigate his presence.

Telemachus nodded his head, "I said that you can leave and be on your way, the others won't stop you from doing so.  Besides like you said...you seem to have more worry that those that hired you realize you are alive and do unfortunate things to you.  So unless you have something that you think we need to know or should know," he looked over his shoulder at the window and then slipped slightly to the side where the wall kept his back covered, "then you might want to slip out of here quietly and not look back.  I'd suggest us not seeing you again if you happen to be part of a plot that injures us in the future; your well being wouldn't be guaranteed a second time.  If it's in passing though you have no fear of us.  I may even be curious when you've been up to and share a drink."  He tilted his head toward Ric letting him know that he was done talking and he should either speak up or hold his tongue and leave quietly.

In reply to Ric (msg # 145):

Storm listens to Ric's words and something about Ric seems unreal. He detects evil again.

Ric tilted his head, looking at Telemachus with considerable curiosity, and then silently belted on his sword and turned to walk down the hall, back to the stairway.  He gave the others a look as though to confirm that they were going to go along with what Telemachus had said, and then continued down the hallway, picking up speed as he reached the stairway and headed for the front door.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:48, Mon 11 Nov 2019.

Dak bent to pick up the leaf, wondering if it had been attached to something burned in the fireplace.  He stirred the ashes with the tip of the javelin, trying to ascertain when it had last been used.

Downstairs
Dak stirred the ashes in the fireplace, and the signs indicated that it had been a very long time since a fire had been lit here.  Also, he did not find anything of further interest beyond the curious gold leaf.

---

Upstairs

With Ric's departure, the companions found themselves with the room at the end of the hall, where Telemachus had been looking out through the window to try to piece together all the small pieces of evidence he had, while the other companions could see that there was one room on the wing where they were which had not been explored--a room nearest the stairway.  The room from which Ric had retrieved his belongings appeared empty other than the chest which he had collected things from.

"Let us explore the other room we havent checked. I have a feeling there must be something here for us. This is not catapult science but I feel we should,"Storm whispers before moving to the door.

Outside the door, he concentrates and tries to see if he senses any evil from inside the room.

Leaving the fireplace behind, Dak backtracked to the nearest closed door.  There were two and they were all the same to him so he opened the one on the right.

Westin hurries into the room. "Something's got Karel! There was blood all over the place and something moving in the weeds and I don't think it was Karel," Westin blurts out breathlessly.

Dak opened the door to the room toward the rear of the house, finding within what had once been a writing room, or perhaps a study.  Against the wall under the windows sat a large wooden writing desk, partially broken and riddled with dry rot.  There were three drawers on each side of the desk and a large central drawer.   The center door was closed, but the drawers on the side were all open, two of them bearing marks that told of having been forced open.

As Dak made his cursory inspection of the room from the doorway, he heard Westin approaching, breathlessly announcing that something bad had happened to Karel, with blood and movement in the weeds outside.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:49, Fri 19 Mar 2021.

Now that the Ric situation is resolved ..

"Go tell the others and I'll take a look," Dak said, leaving the most promising room yet to head back toward the kitchen.  He jogged toward the kitchen they'd entered and drew his sword left handed.  Javelin in his right, he opened the kitchen door to circle around the back in the direction Karel would have been coming from.

In reply to DM (msg # 156):

OOC:Hi GM have you resolved my action?

The door was, to Storm, a blank, with no unusual sensations detected.

((Sorry, I think I missed that.))

Storm opens the door and enters it to searc.

OOC: It is okie boss!

The last upstairs room along the wing where the majority of the group was opened easily for Storm as below they could hear Westin's voice talking about Karel and blood.

The room had no furniture, but rubbish was scattered everywhere in the room, with webs covering the walls and ceiling.  On the wall to the right, on the same wall as the stairs, there was a fireplace.  From the doorway, a glint of light could be seen in the fireplace, suggestive of a small, highly reflective object.

Storm approaches the fireplace.Hw will attempt to avoid the rubbish and movegracefully.
As he walk towards the fireplace, he will attempt to identify the garbage, hoping to see if there is anything worth of value.

OOC: I am assuming I cant hear the commotion below well.

Telemachus almost wished he could easily jump out the window to get to Karel's spot faster but instead he moved as quickly as he could around the weakened floor so he could bound down the stairs and head out the way Westin had said he'd seen the blood...

Lenelle was already downstairs, and moved swiftly once she heard the talk of the missing Karel and blood, to get outside and join with the others.

Westin quickly moves out of the way so that the other party members can get past him. He then follows up behind them. "Over by the well," he adds. "Be careful! There's something in the weeds out there."

Storm, now alone in the house, made his way over to the fireplace.  The glinting from the fireplace turns out to be what appeared to be a crystal -- what might be estimated as a third cut away to allow it to have a flat bottom, otherwise it would have been a small ball, easily held in one hand.

Storm searches the fireplace and area and uses defect evil while shouting," guys outside need help?"

Other than the crystal in the fireplace, Storm found nothing more of note, nor did he hear anything in response from the others in the group.

Storm takes th Crystal. He inspects it before putting it in his pack. He will then detect evil before looking for his companions

Storm noted nothing new about the crystal, nor did he feel any signs of evil in the vicinity.

Storm leaves the building to find his friends outside. He packs his items in his backpack before leaving.