Mynti
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Post by Mynti on Jun 1, 2016 6:18:54 GMT -6
*Damara takes a deep breath and looks at the group* Alright. I think our plan should be to go around. However, if they notice us and confuse us, we're probably going to get all screwed up. I'm not sure how to combat that, other than to suggest that if you notice this happens to you, take the course of action that seems least likely to work. That is probably the proper course and the confusion may be clouding your judgement.
Are we all in agreement?
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Post by Organ Miner on Jul 4, 2016 2:01:52 GMT -6
On Damara’s advice, the party silently creeps along the wall of the large room, trying to avoid the attention of the creatures. They have to maneuver themselves around the bodies along the wall, but aside from a few quiet scrapes of their armor against the stone, they are able to reach the other side of the room silently and do not attract any undue attention to themselves and they creep into the next hallway.
Just as Cherimoya said, there is a narrow stone spiral staircase at the end of the hall. The party will have to climb the stairs two-by-two. When they reach the foot of the staircase, the homunculi stop.
“This is where you must leave us,” says the Iron Defender. “We cannot leave the labyrinth. It is our purpose to defend it.”
“We wish you luck on your mission. But now, we must go help those other homunculi with those creatures, and then we will return to our post and continue with ours,” says the Clay Scout.
Before anyone can object, the homunculi turn and head back down the hall towards the battle.
“If they could only see me, I could tell them to come with us. There are only a handful of people that can change a homunculus’s primary orders,” laments Cherimoya. “But no matter. We can finally leave this dismal place.”
Ascending the stairs, the party passes what appears to be a heavy, extremely dented door handle attached to a large chunk of splintered wood. At the top of the stairs is a plain looking wooden door. A large portion of the door is missing where the handle would be. This would explain the handle encountered partway down the staircase. It seems someone, or something, had smashed into the door handle with enough force to launch it down the stairs, but precisely enough to not destroy the door itself. The door is currently in the closed position, but the hole in it does provide the party with a convenient way to look into the next room without opening the door.
While there is not much that can be seen through the damaged door, what can be seen is a scene that has become, lamentably, all too familiar. More bodies are scattered all over the floor of the room beyond, though even a quick glance shows that, in this room, there are exponentially more dead on the side of the soldiers wearing the manticore and anvil. Blood is splattered all over what was once stark white stone walls and polished floors.
There doesn’t seem to be anybody moving in the next room, but just to be safe, Cherimoya, using her new not-so-corporeal form, pokes her head through the wooden door to take a more comprehensive look at the room. She looks back to the party and solemnly nods, signaling that the coast is clear.
The door is quietly pushed open and the party steps into the throne room. Their first steps are muffled by a large banner bearing Lionem Anfilte’s flag, now torn and covered in bloody footprints. It appears that at one point, this banner had covered the door, obscuring it from casual view.
The throne room itself is, or rather was, extremely lavish. The walls and pillars are made of a brilliant white stone and are perfectly smooth, save for the cracks and burns suffered from the recent battle. And upon closer inspection, the walls seem to be made of a single piece of this stone. The floor, or rather what is visible of the floor under the discarded Anfiltean banners that once hung on the walls, the now ruined red carpet running along the center of the room to the thrones, the dead bodies, the blood, and the viscera, is polished to a mirror sheen and is made of a light gray, almost silver stone.
Just to the left of the party sit the thrones. Two grand chairs that probably cost more to build than most cities now stand in splintered ruins. Across the many-pillared room stand two enormous doors that stretch up as high as the gallery above, each of them adorned with a giant carved manticore. These doors are closed and relatively undamaged. And on the high ceiling are three gigantic chandeliers made of exquisite crystal that send cascades of prismatic light sprawling around the entire room. It would all be quite beautiful, were it not for all of the carnage on the floor below.
There appear to be four exits from the throne room. There is one small door on the other side of the thrones, another door on the wall to the party’s right, another one on the wall opposite that one, and of course, the giant double doors. Aside from the party and the bodies, the throne room is currently abandoned.
After taking in the sight of her once glorious throne room reduced to a scene of mass death for a long moment, Cherimoya speaks quietly.
“There’s an escape passage hidden underneath my throne,” she says emotionlessly. The events of the day are beginning to take their toll on her. “We can use that to get outside of the city. Once we are outside, we will head to the nearest port.”
She begins to lead the party towards the thrones, but stops short. She seems to be listening for something. Once the party stops and does the same, the can hear yells from outside the castle. It’s impossible to tell what the voices are saying, but there is clearly a large number of them, and it does not sound like battle.
“The Daedalans must be outside of the castle. They’re likely gathering the commoners and anyone else living outside of the castle to let them know about the… change in rule”.
She turns and looks to the doors at the end of the room, perhaps considering going to help her people.
“I… We can’t help them yet,” she says, more to herself than anyone. The sorrow in her eyes slowly turns to a righteous fury, but she says no more about it.
“This may be an opportunity for us,” Cherimoya says after a tense moment. “With the barbarians out trying to control the populace, there will be almost nobody in the castle proper. My High Advisor, First General, and Guard Captain all have chambers in the castle. There’s also the soldiers’ barracks. We may yet be able to find some coin and weapons there. I also kept a great deal of valuables in my bedchamber. It may behoove us to look while we have the chance.”
This leaves the party with two choices: escape now or explore the castle and risk getting discovered by the Daedalans.
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Post by Badger on Jul 5, 2016 20:10:47 GMT -6
*Badger takes a deep breath and starts poking about the throne room, attempting to be as quiet as a church-mouse while looking for anything of value (obvious gold objects, fine cloth, gems set into anything etc.) As Cherimoya begins explaining the situation he cocks an ear in the direction of the rest of the party and says, without turning from his search:*
"If we go out now, while they are gathering up your subjects, we're almost sure to be caught.. Wide-open spaces and all. I vote we have ourselves a look around, Find a place to hide.. If we come across any of these... Dada-lynns.. We stand a better chance of dealing with them quietly in here, then we do out in the open.... Or we can just hide."
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Post by Swipper on Jul 5, 2016 20:30:06 GMT -6
* With the stench of that Ooze finally clearing from his nose Kenshin takes in a few deep breaths.*
" We should serch for anything that'll be of use. We do not know if once we leave if we will be able to travel freely across these lands. I do not like it but I agree with the small one that we should stay clear of the other armies."
* Kenshen looks around the throne room and slowly makes his way to the inside of the castle*
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Mynti
New Member
Posts: 26
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Post by Mynti on Jul 10, 2016 0:08:32 GMT -6
*Damara frowns at the carnage, and begins to look around the room for any valuables while speaking softly.* "I agree, we should find whatever we can here, as distasteful as it may be. I apologize my lady... But where are we most likely to find the best items?"
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Post by brandnewkirk on Jul 13, 2016 18:07:32 GMT -6
"I agree with Badger. We can't leave now with the paltry supplies we have."
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Post by Organ Miner on Jul 15, 2016 0:22:42 GMT -6
Cherimoya nods in agreement, and the party begins their exploration of the castle. She had mentioned five rooms worth exploring.
“The High Advisor’s, First General, and Guard Captain’s chambers can all be found on the second floor. I suggest we start there. We can get there quickest through that door,” she says, motioning to the door directly to the left of the thrones. “My bedchamber is directly above that. If we have time, we can look through the Officers’ Barracks one floor below, in the basement.”
Following Cherimoya’s lead, the party heads through the door. It leads to a small, but opulent dining area with one long wooden table in the center with several cushioned chairs surrounding it and a larger, more regal chair at the head. The table has been set for supper, but no food has been prepared yet. Looking at the table, the party begins to realize just how hungry they are. This room seems entirely undamaged. It seems the battle took place mostly in the throne room and the labyrinth below.
There are two more doors in this room, one on the left wall that, according to Cherimoya, leads to the kitchens, and one across the room that leads to the second story. As the party passes the kitchens, Cherimoya stops and says, “We should take some food from the kitchens. We will get it on the way back.”
They head through the door on the far side of the room and ascend the stairs that lay beyond it. They find themselves in a hall lined with doors on either side. Looking through the open doors, they find that this floor is just as abandoned as the floor below. There are six doors in the hall, and judging by the contents of each room, it seems that each of the rooms that Cherimoya mentioned is directly across the hall from their personal servant’s chamber. The servants’ chambers hold nothing of note, only a basic bed and chest of drawers for their clothing.
First the party enters the Guard Captain’s chamber. It is not much more extravagant than the servant’s quarters. This room, and all other rooms have been ransacked, with clothes and books and bedclothes strewn about the floor. The invaders probably had the same idea as the party and seem to have taken everything of value that they could find. The books thrown on the ground seem to have come from a small bookshelf on the wall. Flipping through the books, the party finds that, aside from some history books, there are many stories of legendary heroes and their adversaries and of great romances. Epic stories of fiction and fancy. The window in this room seems to have been shattered, and the wind rustles the pages of the discarded books. Next to the bookshelf is a writing desk with an open book and an upturned inkwell on it. Many of the pages are smeared with ink. It seems that whoever looted this room had poured the contents of the inkwell over these pages in a cruel act of vandalism. Cherimoya is visibly upset by this, covering her mouth and never taking her eyes off of this book while the party searches the room. As they search, she begins to talk, though she does not seem to expect anyone to listen.
“Those… cursed barbarians,” she says with a mixture of hatred and sorrow. “That was his life’s work… Captain Nyles was a good and honorable man. Incorruptible and loved by the citizens, but still formidable and diligent… And creative.” She reaches down to run her fingers over the book on the desk, momentarily forgetting that she can’t touch anything. When her hand phases through the page, she scoffs and walks to the broken window and looks out. She looks down and gasps. She turns, walks from the window, and stifles a sob. Looking out of the window and towards the ground, the party can distinctly see a single armored figure splattered against the cobblestones below. Guard Captain Nyles, presumably.
Cherimoya goes back to staring at the book on the desk and whispers to herself, “He was old enough to be a suitor this year…” She then stands in silence as the party finishes their search.
Feel free to ask Cherimoya any questions you have, and then I will determine what, if anything, you find.
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Post by Badger on Jul 16, 2016 8:25:09 GMT -6
((First question, While we may all be literate... Can we read the alphabet of this particular world? If so, Badger may pocket the first adventure story that looks appealing to him. If not, Badger will choose a book at random and pocket it.))
*Badger lets out a low whistle and clucks his tongue at the sight of Poor old Nyles' fate, shaking his head, then shrugs and moves to check the desk, plying a dagger along the seams of the drawer and the desk top as he goes. Not really as a conscious action but more the action of someone who has done this many, many, -many- times before. He seems lost in what he is doing, singing to himself as he works, but a careful observer might note that he keeps an ear towards the rest of the party at all times.
"♫There was an elf in Copherus-Towne and the ladies he did chase
There was an elf in Copherus-Towne and the ladies he did chase..♫"
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Post by Swipper on Jul 30, 2016 9:37:39 GMT -6
* Kenshin try's to hide his rage at the destruction and carnage they've been thruster into. Trying to keep his expression as stoic as possible turns to Chimira*
"I'm sure he was a fine man, but there is nothing we can do for him but avenge his and the countless other deaths that has occurred today. "
* He picks up the book see is eyeing, while looking around for anything of use. Simple clothing that will help disguise them on their travel through dangerous territory.*
"I'll take this a try and get it restored for you my lady. We should also see to disguises, our travels may take us to dangerous places and peasants don't attract much attention."
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Mynti
New Member
Posts: 26
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Post by Mynti on Aug 1, 2016 13:14:23 GMT -6
*Damara cocks her head at the book, and digs around in the room, peeking under the writing desk to see if there is a hidden drawer or latch of any sort* "I am sorry for your loss, my Lady...what does the book have in it, if I may ask?"
*Damara continues to dig around the room to see if she can find anything useful at all, or maybe a book on the area, or the etiquette of their locale that might help them in their travels.*
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Post by Organ Miner on Aug 7, 2016 20:13:44 GMT -6
(You can indeed understand the language written in the books. It is not in the same runic language as that in the first room of the game. As to what kind of book Badger picks up, I don't know what kind of story he finds interesting. Most of the books are tales of grand adventure, epic battles, and terrifying monsters.)
This statement seems to make Cherimoya feel a little better. She straightens up, takes a deep breath, and says, "Yes. And that, we shall".
"I do appreciate that, Kenshin. Take it if you wish, but I do not want my personal grief to come before the task at hand. We can see to the book's restoration later. And yes, common clothes would be a good idea... if you can find something that will fit." (After a quick roll, I've determined that the guard captain's clothes are a little too small for Kenshin, but a much too big for Badger. Though they could work for either of them in a pinch, if they don't mind looking just a little bit silly. As for Damara, according to the character sheets, they would fit her best, even if they are tailored for a man. Evette does not have her weight listed on her sheet, but if she is of a similar weight to Damara, they will fit her as well.)
"I don't know exactly. Nyles did not want me to read it until it was finished. All I know is that he wanted to try his hand at a work of fiction, like the tales he enjoys... enjoyed so much."
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Post by brandnewkirk on Aug 8, 2016 18:10:19 GMT -6
Evette sets about gathering clothes in a businesslike fashion, as though wearing odd garb with dubious origins is something she's done before.
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Post by Organ Miner on Aug 13, 2016 1:14:44 GMT -6
The party begins to hastily gather some casual clothing to travel incognito. As Damara is picking up a boot, it slips from her hand, and a small yellow stone tumbles out of it and rolls across the floor. Picking it up and examining it reveals a small rune on it. Thought the shape, color, and rune are all different, this is clearly another Ioun Stone. Evette's Arcane knowledge reveals it to be an Ioun Stone of Constitution +1.
Aside from the Ioun Stone and the clothing, the party finds nothing else of use or value in the Guard Captain's quarters. So, they move on to the next room (loot will be divided once all of the rooms are explored).
The next room to be explored belongs to Cherimoya's First General. This room is in just as much disarray as the last. There is not much in the way of decoration. Though there does seem to be the remains of a map of the country all over the ground along with a number of small stone figurines to mark enemy and allied forces on it. There are also nails and hooks in the walls that some items were presumably hanging upon at one point. There is also a wooden mannequin in the corner of the room and a large armoire against one wall.
When Cherimoya enters the room, the first thing she looks at is the mannequin.
“Luckily, General Melleanne is not in the capital at the moment. She’s at the Eastern Border Barrier on assignment. It will be some time before she hears of what happened today. She should be one of the first people we try to contact when we reach safety.” Cherimoya takes another look at the empty mannequin. “And she is going to be livid when she finds out that some Daedalan savage stole her grandmother’s armor… I don’t envy that person when she finds them.”
She seems a little less willing to speak about General Melleanne than she was about Guard Captain Nyles. But the party is free to ask any questions they might have about her before they conclude their search of the room.
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Mynti
New Member
Posts: 26
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Post by Mynti on Aug 21, 2016 20:28:02 GMT -6
*Damara starts pulling bits of her new clothing on as soon as they enter the new room, discarding the old gear in a neat pile on the floor. As soon as she's in clean clothes she sighs happily.*
"Your Grace, err... If it was still here, wouldn't -we- be looting her Grandmother's armor? I don't think that'd go over much better, from your tone..." *She says a bit sheepishly, then turns her attention to the map* "Where exactly should we be heading? Directly to General Melleanne? Or do you have another route in mind?"
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Post by Organ Miner on Aug 21, 2016 21:42:17 GMT -6
"If we had taken it, we would make sure it made its way back to her. But now, it's in the hands of some nameless shifter. She'll likely never see it again."
The map is in tatters on the ground, and it's not exactly readable.
"We need to get to a place where Daedal can't harm us. The escape tunnel will bring us out close to our main port city. From there, we'll sail to the neutral country of Runuch (pronounced roon-ook,as in book). We can find a way to contact Melleanne from there, as well as seek aid from the Runuchian king. Lionem Anfilte and Runuch are on good terms and Daedal has no authority there. It's where we'll be safest until we can regroup and come up with a plan."
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