“Then you have never met a Golden dragon.“ Jun Jia pointed to the gold embroidery on her robe. “I wear this to honor the dragon who imparted her power upon me.”
This message was lightly edited by the player at 19:44, Thu 06 May 2021.

"Noted, but I don't know what this dragon is like," said Ceila.  "...you could make another attempt, though, now that you know what to look for.  I think you might be faster than I am."

And that was saying something.

Jia shook her head. “A man’s greed is like a snake that wants to swallow an elephant.” She beckoned the others to follow her. “Leave it. I think that no good will come of that orb.”

Jun Jia's words reached Vyktor as he the former knight was making his own attempt at the orb. His hand paused and he looked over to Chokahr. "Do you still have that bag we found earlier?"

If their large friend would produce the bag, Vyktor would attempt to nudge the orb, carefully and without touching it himself, into it using the tip of the silver dinner knife he'd procured earlier in the evening.

Shrugging, Chokahr pulled out the bag ou of his backpack and tossed it to Vyktor. He himself moved away from the statue and readied his weapon, putting the skull gently down on a ledge.

"I hope you can jump faster than Jun Jia, friend. Any idea who this dragon-guy is, First?"

I'll allow the orb to be put into the bag using the silver knife with no consequences. Smart thinking.

Good luck pulling anything out the bag without touching the orb tho. :D
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:01, Sun 09 May 2021.

Jia shook her head. “No good will come of that orb.” She sighed. “Which chamber must we explore next?”

"Forgive me, but you sound not unlike the Inquisition which banished me here... We shall see. We shall see." Vyktor retorted.

He then shook his head as he walked away and sighed. "Perhaps greed is one of my faults after all...?

Vyktor tied the pouch with the smokey org to his belt and then gave the chamber a final scan for anything they might have missed and then made ready to leave the basement the way they'd come.

After careful inspection of the otherwise empty room yoh find another door at the southwest end, but also a secret door at the north that leads to stairs going up

If Jun Jia heard Vyktor’s quip, her face didn’t show it. She approached the southwest corner. “The door ahead of us.” Then, she opened the door.

Chokahr elbowed Vyktor gently as he passed him.

"Greed is a word the weak use to shame the strong. We earned our reward. THis house tried to kill us, and we will take everything we can as a trophy."

With a wink, the barbarian followed Jun Jia through the door.

Ceila sighed at the bickering and followed.

33

A chandelier is suspended above a table in the middle of the room. Two high-backed chairs flank the table, which has an empty clay jug and two clay flagons atop it. Iron candlesticks stand in two corners, their candles long since melted away.

A small hall leads west:

34

This room contains a large wood-framed bed with a rotted feather mattress, a wardrobe containing several old robes, a pair of iron candlesticks, and an open crate containing thirty torches and a leather sack with fifteen candles inside it. At the foot of the bed is an unlocked wooden footlocker containing some gear and magic items.


A folded cloak of protection, a small wooden coffer (unlocked) containing four potions of healing, a chain shirt, a mess kit, a flask of alchemist’s fire, a bullseye lantern, a set of thieves’ tools, and a spellbook with a yellow leather cover containing the following wizard spells:

1st level: disguise self, identify, mage armor, magic missile, protection from evil and good

2nd level: darkvision, hold person, invisibility, magic weapon

These items were taken from adventurers who were drawn into Barovia, captured, and killed by the cult.

(You're 100% on the house now)

“You saw my weakness against the unliving menaces  of the House, Barbarian. One might also argue that insults are the ready refuge of weak minds.” Jun Jia took one of the healing potions and the flask. She gestured at the others to choose as they would.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 22:30, Tue 11 May 2021.

"Well," said Ceila.  "We've found some useful things, I hope."

She went to examine the gear.  A shame the spellbook was wasted on them.

Chokahr ignored Jun Jia's retort and went to peruse the items superficially.

"Nothing here of great use to me, save for this cloak, maybe. Let's take the whole lot and divide it later on, when we're in a safe place."

"Safe? We've cleared out this mansion, where will we find someplace safer?" Vyktor asked. He didn't dwell in the point. When he had means and opportunity, he'd have the mansion restored and claim it as his own. He nodded at Chokahr's suggestion however.

"That's a point," said Ceila.  "We've cleared the shades from this house.  We can probably rest here in safety.  It's just a start, though-- we must learn what is nearby if we wish to stay here.  Ignoring a threat a hundred yards away could be a fatal mistake."

“How unfortunate that we lost one who could have helped us locate such threats.”

Upstairs to the attic.

Down through the house again.

It is beginning to feel like home.

You take note of the locations of the beds: the master bedroom, the nursemaid's quarters, the guest bedroom, they all seem clean and comfortable. Of course the children's beds in the attic, but those wouldn't do.

You find the food in the kitchen seems fresh, and the chandelier in the dining room flickers candlelight happily onto the blood red curtains.

The front door awaits.

Perhaps the most terrifying thing about the house now is leaving.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:20, Fri 14 May 2021.

Chokahr helped himself generously to the food in the kitchen and let himself drop into one of the comfortable armchairs - the same one he had been in when he first entered the house, though he did not remember it. Placing First on th table in front of him, he happily fed the talking skull bits of meat , the bloodiest he could find, while resting his feet on the table.

"Well, all's good in the end. We should rest in shifts anyway, you can never be too sure. I don't mind taking the first watch. Me and First have a lot to discuss, probably, heh."

"I'll take midwatch, then," said Ceila.  "Someone must, after all."

“Do we want to spend a night in this house? Is that not inviting the same fate that befell the last party that braved this place?” Jun Jia watched the door as she spoke. “Surely this town has an inn where we could sleep? If not, we could sleep outdoors.”

"Those who lived here previously were involved with the evil cult we mopped up in the caverns beneath this place." He sighed. "Listen, we hardly know each other, we come from different places, but we do seem to work well together. Let's go find a town, an Inn, or... whatever."

He walked over to the front door, pressed his ear against it briefly, and then pulled it open and prepared to step outside.

"Best we learn what we face, yes," said Ceila.  "Sleeping... we'll figure it out."