Silent Sanitorium
Log Info
- Title: Silent Sanitorium
- DM: Culix
- Characters: Aelwyn, Dirk, Harkashan, MAC-B1G, Rune
- Place: Harwich Waters Sanitorium
- Time: Sunday, June 30, 11:00 AM CST
- Summary: The Adventurer's Guild has received a contract for a party of heroes to ride out to investigate the happenings at an old established home for mental health patients. All contact had apparently been lost, and the squad of Alexandrian guards sent out to investigate have yet to return. And so, our brave heroes set off to see what they can learn. And they will indeed learn the horrific truth soon enough...
It's a couple days' travel to Harwich Waters Sanitorium. Scant little information about what might have gone wrong is available to the guild, only that it hasn't been in contact with the outside world for a concerning amount of time, and the watch dispatched to investigate never returned. The journey goes fairly uneventfully- it's a road well travelled and well patrolled, and there are plenty of inns and waystations along the way to obviate the need to camp out.
The third day of travel begins with the air still hot and humid with summer heat, but dark churning clouds forming in the sky. There's static in the air, and the smell of thunder. It's going to be a summer storm. The gravid clouds continue to swell as they journey, and the group are less than an hour away from the Sanitorium when the first, fat drops of rain begin to fall.
GAME: MAC-B1G refreshes spells.
Dirk rides astride his pony Thistle, doing his level best to keep the spirits high. That involves plenty of hearty dwarven singing. His repertoire of raucous drinking tunes seems without limit. But by the third day, the heat has begun to get to the burly old ranger. Even the plume on his tricorne seems to wilt in the heat. And as for Dirk himself, his cheeks and nose are bright red, and his beard is fairly dripping with sweat. "Dana's flowery teats, this heat can fuck right off," he grumbles quietly.
The scent of petrichor has his large dwarven nose twitching, and he looks up, tipping back the brim of his tricorne as he eyeballs the skies. "Looks like we might get a shower afore we arrive, friends," he calls to the others. He turns up the collar on his cloak and grips it by the hem. "C'mon Lulu, in ye get," he urges softly. The little owl peers up at the skies, headtilting left and right. Then a great big drop of rain lands right atop her head, making her feathers fluff. "Hoo!" She hop-hop-hops along Dirk's shoulder and flutters down, tucking herself into the pocket sewn into the lining of his cloak for just such an occasion.
Dirk gently releases his cloak, letting the fabric drift back into place. "Well, at least it should cool things off a wee bit," he says.
"It smells like rain." Harkashan rumbled before the water would start coming down. The Sith-makar seated upon his Swiftclaw as the group travel towards the Harwich Waters Sanitorium. "I admit, I do not like riding into an unknown." He then adds. Something he's undoubtedly repeated a few times. But it bore repeating, what with every scout that had been sent there having gone missing as well.
"I was granted a few spells to deal with ghosts, in case we come across those." He adds to Rune. "And a few to deal with emotional troubles. But with so many unknowns, it's hard to be prepared for everything." Rain starting to drip on his head. The Sith-makar is unphased by them.
"The heat isn't too bad. But I promise you, the rain is only going to make it worse for the softskinned ones."
Riding in the sweltering heat of the summer is uncomfortable enough, both for animal and rider. Rune had the upper layers of her leathers unclasped leaving only the silvery material of her Mithral undershirt visible in order to help ward off some of the heat. However, with the storm looming on the horizon, she'd pulled up the hood of her cloak, ready to ride through what will inevitably be a miserable storm.
"We both agree there." Rune chuckles in response to Dirk's flowery language. It's a moment of levity on a long, boring ride.
As the ran begins to fall, it offers some hint of relief, but the air is just that much more muggy for it. "Sometimes, we just don't know what's waiting for us. Right now, it looks like we either have bad luck, or fate is setting the atmosphere for our mysterious investigation." She rests her hands on the reins, thoughtful. "If nothing else, we know there will be dead to find. Hopefully not the re-animated kind, but who knows."
The request as issued and the contract accepted. The multi-purpose assault construct, model Bravo, unit Golf of batch 1, travels to the dsignated coordinates. Its heavy plodding gait is not rapid, but is steady. The current local atmospheric conditions, or variances thereof, do not impact its performance. It observes more than participates in unrelated discourse, though the statements of fellow taskforce units intermittently require clarification.
Its faceplate rotates towards Dirk as it attempts to parse the implied relationship between floral mammary glands, temperature, and reproduction. It is unable to form a proper query to request clarification. Instead, it focuses upon the tactical hypotheses forming for the task ahead. "Additional data preferred, frequently unavailable. Observation and adaptation are required."
The first drops of rain were by no means a fluke, and within twenty minutes it's coming down hard when the first distant flash of light signifies lightning. It's several long seconds before the long, roaring boom of the strike rolls across the landscape. The road is packed well enough that it stays relatively stable despite the rain, not turning into a quagmire at the first glimpse of it at any rate, but the heavy rainfall does reduce visibility quite promptly.
Finally, they see it- squatting in the distance at the top of a shallow slope, and surrounded by a tall intricately wrought iron fence, the Sanitorium. The building's origin as a manor house are clear, with modest grounds, plastered stone exterior, large glass windows and rich, dark woodwork.
Dirk hunkers down in his saddle, the rain soon cascading off the brim of his tricorne. At least the road's in good shape, so the party has that. Eventually, the party comes into view of their destination. He looks up, squinting to see through the torrent. "Well, doesn't that look inviting?" he grumbles to himself. "Well, friends, shall we go an' see if anyone's home?" Lulu perks her head out from beneath his cloak and peers up at the manor as well. "Hoo! Hoo hoo!" Dirk nods his head in agreement. "Aye, it does look spooky, dunnit? An' it's nae even the harvest-time."
"You have to appreciate the Green Dragonmother's flair for the dramatic." Harkashan rumbles as they get close enough to the gates. Thunder and Lightning, very very frightening. Certainly with all this rain making visibility awful.
The Sith-makar dismounts his steed as they get close and brings it to a halt in front of the big barred gate, and uses one of the railings of the nearby fence to hitch it. After which he takes a moment to consider the barred nature of the gate.
"Others have investigated, yet the gate is barred. This suggests there is something or someone closing and locking the gates afterwards." He notes to the others. "Worrisome."
The soggy mess that is plodding through the rain is not one of Rune's favorte pass-times, but she's quite used to it by now. She and Harkashan have traveled great distances back and forth between various outlying locations, but usually they do choose to fnd shelter when a storm is brewing. Her horse whinnies at the lightning, unhappy.
The sight of the sanitorium looming has Rune giving a nod of agreement with Dirk yet agan, "Definitely spooky. The perfect atmosphere for everything to look dark and ominous." As they head towards the manor, she is already strapping and buckling her leathers back over her armor, checking over her gear before strapping her blades along her back. "I'm sure someone is home, but likely not the people who should be."
With Harkashan making assumptions, Rune seems to counter his argument, "Or they were closed whenever the initial issue occurred, and the watch found another way in and never made it back out."
MAC-B1G scans what it is able to of the immediate exterior. "Access-control structures appear intact. No immediate indications of forced entry." All is vocalized, regardless of its conspicuousness to others. "Query: Preferred method of entry: tactical, inconspicuous, specify other."
In the distance, another rider is approaching - riding on the storm with alarming speed, it takes only few minutes before the rider gets close enough. The horse lets out an annoyed whinny when the reins gets pulled.
"Skies blessing and greetings," A familiarly burning and widely grinning ruddy sith-makar greet. The rain apparently has done nothing to down the freshly coronated Knight Errant - Aelwyn. Nor has he even bothered with a cloak, just letting all the water slosh down his body as if it were just an extra accessory. "This one apologizes for missing the caravan."
The sanitorium makes him glance, but then he tilts towards the others. "Has this one missed anything?"
GAME: Dirk rolls Perception: (2)+20: 22 GAME: Rune rolls perception: (13)+34: 47
The moment that the focus turns to the gate, Rune squints through the rain. She holds up a hand. "Hold up. Something doesn't look right." Dismounting from her horse, she approaches slowly. "It's definitely trapped, some kind of spell." She explains to the others, "Don't get too close."
Looking over her shoulder, "I can probably disarm it and get it unlocked. It just may take me a few minutes."
Dirk swings out of his saddle, the rain splashing mightily as his boots hit ground. He joins Harkashan, tying Thistle's reins off on the hitching post. Giving his pony a fond pat, he turns to face the gate. But his rumination is interrupted by the sound of a rider approaching fast. He reaches over his shoulder and pulls his thunderbelcher, swinging it down into his hands and racking the slide in a single practiced motion. CHK-CHAK! But the rider soon appears to be Aelwyn. The old snowbeard breaks into a warm smile, lifting his rifle to rest over his shoulder. "Aelwyn laddie! Better late than never, says I! Yer just in time fer the fun!"
He turns back to the gate, glancing over at Rune as she makes that particular observation. "Trapped?" He looks back at the gate, his shaggy white brows furrowing. "What kind o' trap? An' did it get the poor watchmen what was sent out here?" He gives his beard a thoughtful tug, before shaking his head. "If ye think ye can untrap it, lassie, then go right ahead. This is a wee bit out my wheelhouse. We'll cover ye."
Another peal of thunder rings out in the distance, although, less distant than the last to judge by the delay between the flash and the sound. One mercy of the rain is that it's just as likely anyone in the manor can see the group at the gate as it is they can see anyone in the manor just yet.
GAME: MAC-B1G rolls spellcraft: (12)+13: 25
MAC-B1G's focus promptly shifts to the gate with Rune's warning and it takes a step back. Cyan optics glow more brightly. "Scanning..." After a moment it announces, "Mana vortices consistent with monitoring. No immediate threat detected. Use of ingress will notify monitoring party. This unit can attempt to neutralize, if directed."
GAME: Rune takes ten on disable device+7: (10)+32+7: 49 GAME: Rune takes ten on disable device+7: (10)+32+7: 49
"Up to you." Harkashan rumbles. "I suppose it may be wise to disable the sensor, so we get the drop on whomever our foe may be." As he crosses his arms and waits for the others to figure out the best way to handle the current connundrum.
Aelwyn flashes his teeth at Dirk. "Thundergun, this one is glad to see one still standing proud." The draconian replies, bowing his head. "And this one is glad for the greetings." Beyond that, he folds his hands over the horse's neck and leans forward, watching with a lazy look on his face as the locks and magicks get picked. The glaive, settled besides him on the saddle, burns bright.
GAME: Dirk rolls Survival+6: (7)+20+6: 33
Dirk isn't much help to Rune as she works her magic on the gate. Instead, he sweeps his gaze down at the road. The pattern of rain dancing along the hardpack draws his attention. He goes to one knee, reaching a hand out to graze his fingertips along the surface of the ground. "I think the guards made it through," he says, looking back up at the sanatorium. He glances to the side and leans over. "They had horses. Hitched 'em nae far from where we hitched ours. The humanoids went through the gate." He rises back to his feet, squinting through the rain at their destination. "They may still be in there. They might need our help."
The rogue takes a moment to step forward, being careful of the spell. She knows what markings to look for in order to disable it. "I'm not very good with spells, but I think this one is meant to alert someone that someone is using the door." There is a movement of tools as she works to finish disabling the lock. Eventually, there is a heavy click and she withdraws her tools. "That should be it. But let's be careful. Where there is one trap, there's often more."
The grounds have grown unkempt, it seems, but only recently so. The grass is long, and wild flowers and weeds are encroaching but not yet any shrubs or other plants that take longer than a season to establish themselves. The packed stone path leads directly through the grounds and towards the manor house, interrupted by a courtyard nestled just ahead of the house';s two wings which sports a fountain. The fountain is not running, and the water in it is murky.
"Let's take some time to explore the outside of the buildings. Analyse entries and exits. Let's try to stay on the quiet side. If we need a quick exit, it's best to know where those exits are." Harkashan suggests to the group as they enter through the gate finally. "Take your time. We're not in a rush, most likely." He notes.
Aelwyn makes sure to hitch his horse somewhere safe - unlike most cavaliers, he only knew the basics of riding. And unlike most cavaliers, he did not have a mount to call his own. Grabbing the glaive and leaning it against his shoulder, he glances around. "... this one admits he has seen more charming courtyards." He wipes at the rain in his eyes.
"Should we split, perhaps? To cover more ground?" The Dragoon asks, to get the biggest mistake in any horror story out of the way.
"Dispersion not recommended," MAC advises. "Task is not time-sensititve. Taskforce performs optimally when consolidated. This unit prepared to advance."
Harashan doesn't answer whether or not they should split up. They're all capable adventurers. By now, they know the answer to that. 'At your own risk'.
Instead, he heads towards the east side of the building and raises his hand, suggesting he's spotted something.
Dirk wrinkles his nose at Harkashan. "No, laddie, no we should not," he says. "Stick together. This whole place is givin' me the collywobbles." That said, he starts lumbering forward, planting his feet carefully. He appraoches the fountain, leaning over to examine the edifice. Is there anything strange going on there?
GAME: Rune rolls perception: (17)+34: 51
GAME: Harkashan rolls Stealth: (16)+-4: 12
Dirk's brows furrow. "This fountain's been stagnant fer awhile," he says. He looks back up at the manor, gripping his thunderbelcher a bit more tightly. "How long as this been goin' on?"
Once inside, Rune takes her time to look around, uncertain about just what they might be facing. "It looks like no one has been maintaining this place for a while now. Though that lines up with the last time that someone has heard from the people here." Which likely means that the caretaker or caretakers are no longer present, or are deceased.
Moving towards the fountain, Rune seems to be keeping her eyes and ears out for signs of movement. It isn't movement that she hears, however. It's something more unusual. "Did anyone else hear a piano?" She cocks her head, as if trying to hone in on the source of the sound. "I swear, that's what I heard..."
Aelwyn rolls his shoulders. "This one felt the sudden urge to ask. And yes, this one agrees, Thundergun." The draconian then starts to walk on after Harkashan, eyeing up the manor and giving a quiet click of his tongue. Earl of whatchamacallit? Nobles.
At the mention of the piano, he pauses and turns towards Rune. "No, this one has not..." Seeing Harkashan adopt a more stealthier pose - if possible, he then does the same.
GAME: Aelwyn rolls stealth: (20)+3: 23 GAME: MAC-B1G rolls stealth: (5)+1: 6 GAME: Dirk rolls stealth: (2)+20: 22
As Harkashan moves close enough to the windows to take a look through a couple of them, he spies lit candles, beds... and a human figure. Dressed simple and dirty but otherwise normal sackcloth pants and shirt, hugging his knees with his back to the wall. His lips are moving, but Harkashan can't hear what if anything he's saying. His head bobs up and down, and he seems oblivious to Harkashan outside his window.
GAME: Aelwyn rolls knowledge/nobility: (12)+3: 15
Harkashan puts his finger before his muzzle as Aelwyn approaches, and then points to the person in simple cloth hugging their knees. It /is/ a Sanitorium. So this should not surprise them too much. He then continues going along northwards.
The sound Rune hears, only intermittently over the rain, seems to be originating from somewhere inside the western wing of the building. Somewhere north.
Per its prior note of unit formation, MAC approaches the manor with the others with heavy, stomping strides. It notes Harkashan's gesture, following the indication by default even if it was not meant for it. The detained and/or damage biological unit is not inquired of, in order to maintain clandestine operations.
Aelwyn bows his head graciously towards Harkashan - and his glaive flickers out. The rain served to cool him down; but for now he did not seem to mind the water so much. Even if it started to get under his armor, loincloth, make his ribbons droop sadly and everything.
Aelwyn spies another one of the patients through a window, this one is standing against the wall, forehead pressed to it, and occasionally bumping his head against it. Not hard. Bump... bump bump... bump... bump bump bump. If there is a pattern to it, Aelwyn cann't discern it.
Moving further north, Harkashan sees inside of a pantry. It's mostly empty, although there is what is left of a butchered horse hung up on meat hooks within. Someone is still here, and still eating.
Dirk carefully approaches the doors to the manor. He reaches a hand out to try the door handle, but stops himself before he actually touches. He looks over his shoulder towards Rune. "Psst! Lassie! Is there a trap on this door here?" he calls quietly over the droning rain.
GAME: Rune rolls perception: (4)+34: 38
The next room that comes into view for Harkashan seems to be a dining room. There are dirty plates laid out, some of them old and mouldy, some of them fresher. Neglect of cleaning up, rather than lack of use or abandonment.
GAME: Rune takes ten on disable device+7: (10)+32+7: 49
Harkashan takes some time. Considering the 'fresh horse' and the dining room situation, he wonders what they might find here. So far, it's just what they might have expected -- except for the abandoned state of the place.
Aelwyn keeps on walking after Harkashan, more focused on keeping eye on their backs than whats in within. The butchered horse and the man eating makes him flare his nostrils though; and before you know it, there's a mask over his snout already. It begs the question though... "How are they still finding food here?" He very quietly whispers to Harkashan in their native tongue. <Draconic>
Through the windows at the rear of the central wing, Harkashan spies an office or study. Various books and scrolls are strewn about on the desk, haphazardly removed from the bookshelf and never returned.
Harkashan whispers in response. "The Horse likely belonged to one of the people coming here to investigate." He points out, before looking at the office. "I wonder what they were looking for..." <Draconic>
Dirk stands post with MAC, sweeping his gaze out across the courtyard as Rune does her work. He grips his thunderbelcher, ready to unleash dwarven fury at the drop of a hat. Assuming, of course, that there is indeed a hat, and that that hat will, in fact, drop.
GAME: Culix rolls 15-20: (14)+15+-20: 9
The longer that Rune stands there, the more she is certain of what she hears, "I'm pretty certain that the sound is coming from the Western part of the manor..." Pushing some of the water out of her eyes, she squints through the ran towards Dirk, giving a nod before she follows him towards the doors. Apparently, she has lost sight of the others, given that Harkashan hadn't said where he was going and she was too busy checking on other things.
"Yeah, let me take a look." Rune examins the door for a moment, "Not locked, but we have another spell-trap. Whomever has been messing wiith this place definitely has some magic at their disposal. I can handle it, though." She takes out one of her daggers, finding the right triggering marker, and jabs at it, slicing it neatly in half to disable the magic.
Harkashan finally spots signs of life that seems more cognizant of its surroundings. There's a large man, obese bordering on morbidity, in a fine if slightly dishevelled suit, sitting at a piano in the corner of what seems to be some kind of meeting hall. His top hat and cane are removed, his thin silver hair likewise slightly messy. He is palid, to the point of appearing ill, and seems rather enraptured in the piano- playing a few notes then pausing, thinking, shaking his head or agreeing with some internal monologue with a nod, before trying a few more.
Aelwyn recognizes the man. Alienist Clifflowe, the head proctor of the sanitorium.
At spotting the more 'together' man in the auditorium, he steps back and puts a finger to his muzzle again, trying to quiet Aelwyn. He then motions to head back. "Let's meet back up with the group." He remarks, once enough distance is made.
MAC-B1G holds position at the entrance to provide overwatch as Rune neutralizes additional magical hinderances. This includes monitoring the last known location of the others for their return from reconiassance or possible signal that they require assistance.
Aelwyn tilts his head. "Feed on the travelers..." He then carefully peers around Harkashan within the confines of the mansion. Narrowing his eyes, he then lets out a quiet 'ah'. Nodding his head, he then follows the larger - but not so much - to the rest of the group. "He was the... tch, the." There's a long pause and he tries to remember the exact pronounciation.
"Alien Clifflove, proctor of heads." He finally concedes, still whispering. "The hand of another."
Dirk nods his head as Rune does her thing. "Good work, lassie," he says quietly. "We're nae goin' tae find anything gettin' drenched here in the rain. Be ready fer anything, friends." As the sith-makar return, he looks their direction. "Find anything?" he asks, keeping his tone as quiet as he can, given the rainfall.
Harkashan nods his head. "A horse that got butchered, a dining area to the north-east that has both moldy and fresh food. A mad looking proctor playing the piano to the north-west. A bunch of folk that look like they belong here along the east." He explains to the group, shortcutting some of the more boring stuff. "I haven't checked out the west wing yet." He adds.
Aelwyn shakes his head. "Beyond the unsettling - this one has not really seen a reason nor cause for the events described." He says, clicking his teeth. He tilts his hips as he leans against the glaive. "It is odd though - no keeping of the grounds, yet time to play piano and butcher animals." He rolls his shoulders. "A collective madness, or a beings doing?"
Rune tucks away the dagger back into her boot sheath, then stands up. She turns just in time to see the Makari return from doing their rounds of the property. Harkashan seems to confirm what she'd heard earlier. "That must be the piano I've been hearing." She motions to the door. "We've got the door open, but this is the second magical trap we've run into. Everyone should be on their guard. Finding two means we've likely got a mage on our hands, and one who definitely doesn't want people poking around."
The fact that there are still people alive comes as a surprise to her. "We need to get to the bottom of this before things get worse. Those who really need the help need a caretaker that is actually going to watch out for them, not ... whatever this is." She motions at the manor at large.
"How about I cast us a few spells before we head in there. Just in case." Harkashan rumbles, as he tries to be as quiet as he can while drawing up a few magics.
GAME: Harkashan casts Magic Circle Against Evil. Caster Level: 14 DC: 20 GAME: Harkashan casts Magic Circle Against Evil. Caster Level: 14 DC: 20
As Harkashan begins casting, Rune raises a hand. Her brows furrow. "The piano just stopped." She whispers.
Dirk listens to Aelwyn and Harkashan's reports, his brows furrowing dourly beneath the brim of his tricorne. "Aye, that sounds about right, dunnit?" he grumbles. As Harkashan goes to lay protective blessings, the old snowbeard gives him a grateful nod. "Thanks lad. That'll come in handy, nae doubt." He looks back to the door and squares his shoulders. "Right, are we ready tae--" But he cuts off when Rune gives that report. "Shit. Think they know we're here?" he asks, looking up at his comrades.
Aelwyn keeps running his hand over his mane of quills, clicking his tongue in annoyance as he tries to remember something. "Ah," He suddenly exclaims - and then sees everyone else was focused on something else. "... the alien love is the nephew of the noble who donated this place." He hurriedly whispers to the others. "The one who is," A pause. "Was, playing the piano."
Harkashan huffs. "I suppose I must have been a bit loud while casting my spells." Harkashan rumbles. "Apologies. But, if they know we're here..." He continues casting.
GAME: Harkashan casts Freedom of Movement. Caster Level: 14 DC: 21 GAME: Harkashan refreshes spells. GAME: Harkashan casts Freedom of Movement. Caster Level: 14 DC: 21 GAME: Harkashan casts Freedom of Movement. Caster Level: 14 DC: 21 GAME: Harkashan casts Freedom of Movement. Caster Level: 14 DC: 21 GAME: Harkashan casts Magic Circle Against Evil. Caster Level: 14 DC: 20 GAME: Harkashan casts Magic Circle Against Evil. Caster Level: 14 DC: 20 GAME: Harkashan casts Heroes' Feast. Caster Level: 14 DC: 23
MAC-B1G parses and collates the provided information. "Behavior deviates from observed standards. Root cause undetermined, insufficient data. Further collection required." It has no hypotheses to offer. Data Biological or behavioral malfunctions are not included in its files.
GAME: Rune rolls perception: (16)+34: 50 GAME: Dirk rolls perception: (19)+20: 39 GAME: Harkashan casts Magic Vestment. Caster Level: 14 DC: 20 GAME: Harkashan rolls 1d8+7: (1)+7: 8 GAME: MAC-B1G rolls perception: (19)+16: 35 GAME: Harkashan rolls Perception: (18)+22: 40 GAME: Aelwyn rolls perception: (8)+1: 9
Harkashan rumbles, "Sounds like we have incoming." Amidst his casting. Though it sounds like they are not in a hurry, so Harkashan doesn't hurry himself either. There's a certain sort of spells that he really likes to have on his closest allies if he can help it.
"Remember to stay close to Rune and Dirk if there's any sign of evil spells." He reminds the others.
"Someone's coming." Rune takes a step back from the door, reaching for her weapons and pulling them out from the sheaths along her back. She doesn't make any aggressive moves, but it seems that the rogue is ready for whatever might be coming, if they should be a threat.
Aelwyn nods his head and then with a gracious bow towards Harkashan, makes his way over the rest. There are no more words from him, as he stands behind the others; ready to swing his glaive into action.
As the group are making their preperations and talking amongst themselves, the doors are suddenly thrown open. The corpulent man that Harkashan and Aelwyn saw playing the piano starts at seeing them, weapons drawn, and backs off as Harkashan steps in. He makes a fleghmy gasp and holds his hands up, "Ah- I have no- Hhah- nothing of value!" he insists, having to take a ragged breath mid sentence.
GAME: Culix rolls 18+4: (5)+18+4: 27 GAME: Dirk rolls sense motive: (3)+4: 7 GAME: Rune rolls sense motive: (14)+9: 23 GAME: Aelwyn rolls sense motive: (13)+5: 18 GAME: Harkashan rolls Sense Motive: (13)+24: 37 GAME: MAC-B1G rolls sense motive: (7)+-3: 4
MAC-B1G did not detect any threat incoming, but that does not discount others noting such. "Acknowledged. Preparing defensive countermeasures." An elipsoid disc on one manipulative appendage is pressed and rotated, but rather than activating, it is removed from the limb and offered to Rune. "Attach to manipulating limb. Press central crystal to activate."
Harkashan bows his head to the chubby man. "You've been expecting us." He simply remarks to him, bowing his head softly. "We're investigating the disappearance of those who were sent here before us." He then adds plainly.
GAME: Aelwyn rolls diplomacy: (1)+12: 13 (EPIC FAIL)
Rune's defensive posture shifts slightly as the disc is offered out to her. Confusion is written onto her features, but she accepts it none the less. She seems about to ask what it does, when the door bursts open. The rotund man is given a curious look as she presses the disc against one of her forearms and presses the button, following the instructions as provided.
Her eyes dart to Harkashan, likely trusting his judgement about the man more than her own. "What happened here? Why does this place look like it hasn't seen a caretaker in weeks?"
Aelwyn takes a slight step forward and then holds up his arms - and glaive, before making a bow at the man. "This one's greetings, Alien Clifflove." He flashes his teeth. "We simply wish to make certain that the premises are still safe and to inquire the whereabouts of few missing persons. And we shall retreat the way we came."
His teeth were very makari. They were very macabre; not to mention not that friendly looking in the gloomy atmosphere.
Dirk lets loose a quiet 'heek!' as the door is opened and they're confronted by Clifflowe. "Beards o' me fathers!" he gasps. He lowers his thunderbelcher (but doesn't relax his grip, that would be silly). He nods his head to Rune. "Aye, that's a brilliant question, innit? Did the gardener decide tae take a really long vacation?"
The Man still holds his hands up defensively, "No- no, not expec- ah- expecting." he insists, taking another step back away from Harkashan. Without the aid of his cane, which is still held up in the hand he's gesturing with- he heavily favors his left leg and winces when he puts his weight on the right. He shoots Aelwyn a glance, and there's briefly contempt visible clearly to Harkashan in his eyes, but then the mask falls back over his features. "We ha haaah haven't had any visitors. The sta- haaah staff fled, oh... I don't know wee- ah- weeks ago. I've been so busy, so- ah- busy trying to keep this place ru- running." he says, finally lowering his hands a bit and putting his weight on his cane.
"You a- ah- are free to lo- look around. Are you from the guild?" he asks.
MAC-B1G shifts focus from Rune to the emerging unit. "Lack of valuable materials on premises acknowledged. Information irrelevant to taskforce objectives." He does not deny the truth of the statement, only that it is not applicable.
GAME: Culix rolls 18+4-5: (14)+18+4+-5: 31
GAME: Harkashan rolls Sense Motive: (16)+24: 40 GAME: Aelwyn rolls sense motive: (13)+5: 18 GAME: Harkashan casts Zone of Truth. Caster Level: 14 DC: 19
GAME: Dirk rolls sense motive: (20)+4: 24
Harkashan tilts his head as he sees that glance towards Aelwyn, before looking to the runty one. "Aelwyn, less flashing of the teeth around Softskins. You know that." He rumbles to him. "They do not understand that." Before turning back to the man.
"One moment. Ah, yes. We're from the guild." As he calmly takes some time to draw a circle upon his own chest, then taps it. It starts to glow. "Sorry..." He then notes. "I didn't quite hear you the first time. But with the state the office was in, the moldy food in the cafeteria, and you taking some time talking to yourself while playing a piano - I have some doubts that you are doing a very good job at keeping this place running. Though something certainly has you exhausted." Pause. "Where are the previous investigators? And is that their horse in the pantry?"
GAME: Culix rolls 18-10: (17)+18+-10: 25
GAME: MAC-B1G rolls sense motive: (10)+-3: 7 GAME: Rune rolls sense motive: (3)+9: 12 GAME: Harkashan rolls Sense Motive: (18)+24: 42 GAME: Dirk rolls sense motive: (17)+4: 21 GAME: Aelwyn rolls sense motive: (8)+5: 13
GAME: Harkashan casts Chains of Light. Caster Level: 14 DC: 23 GAME: Harkashan rolls Spellcraft: (6)+21: 27
GAME: Culix rolls 9: (6)+9: 15
Harkashan notices movements from the man. It's a quick kind of thing. There's very little thinking involved in that moment. He wants to stop him from moving - that's the goal. Recognizing the spell comes a fraction of a moment later. "I desire the truth." He demands, "Be chained for your lies!" As a series of golden chains suddenly burst up from the ground and try to grab the Pianoman!
The man's expression turns livid as the chains wrap around him and his eyes go wide. Suddenly a voice bellows out, even though his lips don't move, moving through the aether rather than the air. <<Kill them!>> the telekinetic voice commands.
GAME: Culix rolls 9: (14)+9: 23
The mental command is met with sudden noise, peals of laughter and primal howls echo through the halls of the manor house, and suddenly a multitude of bare feet pad rapidly across the tiled floors of the halls, converging on the central room.
GAME: Harkashan casts Curse. Caster Level: 14 DC: 22
GAME: Culix rolls 11: (18)+11: 29
GAME: Harkashan rolls Melee: (17)+11: 28 GAME: Harkashan casts True Seeing. Caster Level: 14 DC: 22
Harkashan quickly tries to reach out as the man calls out telekinetically. He first tries to move his hand over his mouth, but quickly realizes that won't do a darned thing. So instead he tries to touch him in general, to curse him with inaction. But while his hand does reach the man, the curse is pushed away. Harkashan bristles as the chains also break.
"He's likely to teleport out. Be ready everyone!" Harkashan calls out. "We've got incoming!" As a shield of magic appears around him, trying to protect him.
GAME: Culix rolls 21: (3)+21: 24
GAME: Harkashan rolls Will: (9)+22: 31
GAME: Culix rolls 1d6+4: (6)+4: 10
The corpulent man breaks free from his golden shackles and takes a step back. "You should have t- gasp turned back! I cannot be interrupted!" gasp "I WILL NOT!" he bellows, spittle flying from his lips and his glasses askew. He throws his hands out, and the ground trembles before a mass of thick, black tentacles burst forth from it lunging out and attempting to grab ahold of each of the party- it fails however to grip any of them, even the unfortunate Lunatic who is clearly expendable to whatever this man's plans are.
GAME: Dirk rolls shoot: aliased to Ranged+2-3: (2)+17+2+-3: 18 GAME: Dirk rolls shoot-5: aliased to Ranged+2-3-5: (10)+17+2+-3+-5: 21 GAME: Dirk rolls shoot-10: aliased to Ranged+2-3-10: (11)+17+2+-3+-10: 17 GAME: Dirk rolls dmg+2d6: aliased to 1d12+2+6+2d6: (10)+2+6+(7): 25 GAME: Dirk rolls dmg+2d6: aliased to 1d12+2+6+2d6: (7)+2+6+(4): 19
Dirk's beard bristles angrily as Clifflowe reveals his true colors. And as those mutants come skittering in with shocking rapidity, the old ranger narrows his eyes. "Ohh, get the fuck out!" he snarls. He swings up his thunderbelcher, ready to unleash dwarven fury. But then, there's those tentacles suddenly writhing at his feet. He's seen what those nasty things can do. Fortunately, Harkashan's blessing lends some slip to his trip, and he manages to hop, skip, and jump his way out of getting tentacled. "Oooh, you nasty bastard! HAVE SOME O' THIS!" He draws his bead and opens fire. CHK-BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The muzzle of his blessed weapon kicks in his grip as he cracks off three shots, each one strobing like sunlight. Two of the bullets find their mark, slamming into the alienist's corpulent frame. "YEARRRGH! THE DWARVES ARE ON YE!" Dirk thunders, racking his weapon to eject hissing, smoking, faintly glowing shell casings.
GAME: Culix rolls 11: (17)+11: 28
Aelwyn stands back a touch as the insane occupants suddenly flood the entry hall - and then springs into action, moving past Harkashan. "Hark! " He barks. Or growls. Or hisses. Makari equivalent. "Surround and cut off their escape!" He neatly evades a swipe at his direction, dancing his way around the swipe before turning towards the doorway. "Let us time our blades and pellets - and turn this into a murderous dance!"
"You say the staff fled... but no one has heard from anyone in weeks." Though Rune isn't particularly good at reading people, she can follow the facts. This whole situation looks suspicious. "And the Watch don't just go missing. Which means some sort of foul play is usually involved."
In the next moment, there are spells being slung and then the sounds of pounding bare feet heading in their direction, "That... does not sound good." The arrival of the lunatics has her cursing under her breath, hands gripping on the weapons in her hands. With the enemies incoming, and dark tendrils lashing up around her, Rune moves with quick feet and ducks between the her allies to position herself next to man.
For now, she leaves the Lunatics to the others, and instead, she runs a hand over the disc, activating it as she prepares for what is likely to be a tough fight.
"Threats identified. Combat protocols engaged." In truth, it is primarily one, though MAC has awareness of others. Additional plating telescopes out over its chassis and damage-control subroutines are initiated. It then steps inside to stand with Aelwyn and others as a front line. As it stops, a muted wet hissing sound is heard from non-Newtonian fluids being injected to fill chassis air spaces and further enhance structural integrity.
Combatty
=============== Current Initiative Order - Round 1 ===============
---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes--------------------------------------------
>> 24 Insane Mutant 8 1 <<
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23 Insane Mutant 2
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22 Insane Mutant 5
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22 Insane Mutant 6
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21 Insane Mutant 1
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21 Insane Mutant 3
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20 Harkashan 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)
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17 Alienist Cliffl
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17 Insane Mutant 4
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16 Dirk 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)
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15 Insane Mutant 7
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13 Aelwyn 4 Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)
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9 Rune 1
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<OOC> Culix says, "Map link: http://143.47.248.14:30000/game"
<OOC> Culix says, "Can everyone list what spells they have cast? I'll add it as a journal entry to the VTT so it's easier to remember next tiume."
<OOC> Harkashan says, "Freedom of Movement <Aelwyn, Dirk, MAC-B1G> x3, Magic Vestment <self>, Shield of Faith/Quickened <self>, Magic Circle against Evil <Rune, Dirk> x2, Heroes' Feast <all>, Chains of Light <enemy>, Curse <enemy>, Zone of Truth <self-emination>."