Kai looks around, befuddled.  "What...just happened?"

Sigh....

18:00, Today: Kai Wasser rolled 1 using 1d4, rerolling max with rolls of 1.  Smarts roll

Hunter stumbled and almost fell. He jerked around in different directions brandishing his rapier at unknown assailants, before relaxing amd visibly calming himself. "Are we all here?" he asked, counting heads.

Once satisfied that they were in fact all there and no longer in peril, he sat down on a flower pot amd began carefully clearing his jammed pistol and reloading. "Well, that was exciting" he drawled.

"Liriam. Olyx found a love letter for you."

Piper blinked as the brightness cleared and she could see once again.

Mosii sat nonchalantly and licked a paw as if whatever had just happened was nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever.


"An illusion perhaps."  Piper speculated aloud.  "Though if that was the case, it was of the sort you only hear about in the old stories."

"I'm getting proved wrong, like, just about every time I think it cannot get more weird and outlandish." He pauses for a moment, trying to think what to do, then notices the stairs leading down that do not seem to be too much obstructed by the rubble. So he proceeds to examine them from the ground level to see if they are any good.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:50, Thu 15 Feb.

As the soft glow suffusing Olyx's sword subsided, he turned around to face the rest, clear bewilderment on his face. "What? By the seven seas, what be happening here?"

Numbly hearing Hunter's words, his left hand rummaged around in his pocket, looking for the note that he put in his pocket before; if it's there, he'll take it out and give it to Lirian without even realizing.

Jenkins came and chittered in Hunter's ear, who listened attentively as he cleaned his gun.


"I say Quentin, are you feeling possessed at all? Or that a ghost has just walked over your grave?" He asked, an eyebrow raising in amused expectation of Quentin's surprised and bewildered reaction. "Only Jenkins here was saying that there was a bad painting with a very good likeness of you, and a number of dogs. One of the dogs disappeared from the painting and became that awful shadow monstrosity we were fighting. Does that make any sense to you?"

Quentin first pauses a little and then answers with a "No.", expecting to get in return some background for the question. The background gotten was not quite what he would expect. He then tries to remember any relatives, alive or dead, that would match some or all of the following criteria:
1. Look enough like Quentin for this question to ever arise.
2. Anything from having more than one dog all way to being well known to always move around in a company of more than one dog.
3. Living in or visiting this city as adults, especially when the events took place the last time or some time before.
4. Mentioned in connection to the owner of the house.
5. Mentioned in connection to a particular portrait (Quentin will ask Jenkins if he needs more detail).
6. Did not end well.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:06, Thu 15 Feb.

Secret to Kai

[Private to Kai Wasser: While you don't notice anything else. You do notice that the magic in the area that was once really strong is now gone. It's almost like a tingling in your body that tells you this.]

Lirian was as surprised as anyone with the disappearance of the house. “I guess this rules out going inside” she smirked to Quentin


“Illusion is not my specialty, but it was quite vivid for that…” she said.


“Oh, how daring” She answered, feigning embarrassment. “We hardly know each one!”

(OOC assuming Olix hands the paper to her) “Did you take this form inside the house?” she asked him. “If so, I guess this discards a true illusion, as they do’t leave items behind… ”

She looked at the paper, trying to discern what it was.

Lirian opens the letter and inside finds the following:

Dear Guests,

It is of great pleasure that I allow you to be part of this great ceremony. We have for too long sat in the shadow of the King and his arrogance. Tonight we shall bath in the greatness of our true god. He shall give us the gifts which have been held back from the simple minds of common folk.

Tonight we achieve greatness. The time has come for us to raise to a new level that is unhindered by silly rules.

Join me in the catacombs below and welcome our new god.

-Lord Varren Blackpaw

"Hm. Or rules that in." Well, not exactly the same way, but still. "And some types say about arrogance..." He shakes his head. "All hail the new god, I say. Can't miss that."

Olyx's shoulders slumped, the tip of his sword brushing the tangled grass growing on the ruined path. "Great. And I be here, thinkin' we got clear of that reef."

He sheathed his weapon and turned around. "Don't worry lass, when I be courtin', it won't be with a flimsy letter", he said with a (what he thought was) dashing smile. "But yeah, I be findin' this piece of paper in the house. Maybe not an illusion, then? Maybe it be some bizarre summoning?"

He scrunched his face, clearly trying to remember if he ever read or heard about something like that. "Never have me ears heard of such a thing."

_{OOC: Can I roll an Occult if I know more about such a phenomenon?
EDIT: 23:54, Today: Olyx Mintarios rolled 1,3 using d4,d6, rerolling max ((1,3)).
Doubt it.}
This message was last edited by the player at 22:55, Thu 15 Feb.

"The magic of a god then, or so they would have us believe."  Piper figured.

"Illusions can hide the truth of things as easily as they can create new truths from nothing.  A fanciful sword or scrumptious feast, soon revealed to be nothing but rusted scrap, or a bounty of delights now rotten and fetid.  Either way it was left for us to find."


Frowning she continued.  "The question therefore is, I suppose, do we go along with walking into their trap."

Kai wanders around with his hands out, like if he was trying to walk through a dark room.

"This is weird.  The magic was strong here.  Now it's gone.  And I mean totally gone.  I can't even feel a residue.  Whoever cast this magic is really good. It takes a strong wizard to remove residue.  And to do it on something as big as that house?  All I can say is, taking him down is going to be messy.  Let's hope we can get the jump on him, because otherwise...."  He slowly shakes his head.

In reply to Vaelan Nightshade (msg # 97):

Aeress stared at the crest, vexed and overwhelmed for the moment.

22:30, Today: Aeress Veles rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4.  Requested Spirit Roll. – 4

His gun fixed and reloaded, Hunter checked his shield gun was still loaded. He frowned, and reprimed it.

"Piper's right" he said. "Do we or do we not go along with walking into their trap. Personally, I feel we need to go underground, and given the attack on the castle this is the best chance we've got. There is a sewer entrance nearby, do we take that or these stairs here, wherever they may lead?"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:19, Sun 18 Feb.

"Stairs might be a trap- but they be faster, and potentially lead to where we be goin'. The sewers entrance might be a wild mermaid chase, if we not be knowin' the secret passages and ways. Aye, I say them stairs over there are our best bet and worst option."

In the meantime, he sheathed his sword, the weapon losing its energy glow, but it felt like his little brush with his magic had energised him somewhat. He definitely felt more... alive.

Private to Aeress

[Private to Aeress Veles: No one notices but the family crest you are using sinks into your skin. The symbol glows and then fades into your skin. You are unable to determine it's meaning but you know it doesn't hurt. Right after the symbol sinks in its vanishes from your hand. You are sure it's still there but some how it's hidden, even from Kai who can detect magic.

I'll let you determine the meaning through game play rather than outright tell you what it does.]

Aeress did not contribute to the conversation, she just stared at her hand, horrified.  Or more like she couldn't decide whether to be horrified or baffled.

"Are you well, Aeryss? You look... stricken" Hunter asked, looking concerned.

Lirian looked at the stairs. “Not that they give me any good feeling, but I guess you’re right: they will be the quickest way to their base…” she answered.

“Good news is that if they were expecting guests to read this note and join them, maybe there are no traps on the stairs.” she added, trying to seem a bit optimistic. “But we better don’t rely on it and stay alert”
This message was last edited by the player at 10:09, Mon 19 Feb.

It takes some semi-gentle kicks to get the dogs to lead the way downstairs as the canines would pretty much prefer to be somewhere else, but after that they descend with some minimal fuss. Quentin goes right behind them, with a sunrod in hand. Given the dogs' understanding of traps (or, shall we say, lack thereof), they would be bound to miss (and thus likely spring) anything mechanical, but hopefully only on themselves. Quentin is much more reliant on their ability to detect chemical traps and biological ambushes, as well as maybe supernatural things, depending on the exact details of those.

15:51, Today: Secret Roll: Quentin Fox rolled 7,8 using 1d10,1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 7,8.  Dogs' Notice.
15:50, Today: Secret Roll: Quentin Fox rolled 2,2 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2.  Notice.
15:50, Today: Secret Roll: Quentin Fox rolled 2,8 using 1d6-1,1d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+3)9.  Persuasion.
15:50, Today: Secret Roll: Quentin Fox rolled 3,2 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2.  Persuasion.

Jenkins scampered off down the stairs after the dogs.

"Let's get that light going again" Hunter said to the sailor. He checked his weapons yet again and then followed the dogs and goblin down.

00:29, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 8,4 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+2)8,4.  Jenkins notice.

Without a question or remark, Olyx lights up the lantern and goes down last, guarding the rear and using the light for the benefit of the people in the back. His right hand held his sword again, ready for a fight.

"I be takin' the rear. Most likely person to be ambushed, so that better be me", he said with a grin- and he clearly meant it.

OOC: We will continue this in the next chapter.