<El-Cideon> In the gloom of Mistvalken's clock tower attic, the heroes face off against three undead maids clad in white uniforms. As weapons flash out on both sides, the strange noblewoman yelps in surprise and dodges behind the changing screen in the corner.
<El-Cideon> OOC: C, open up. They're about 40 ft from you all.
* Corben meets the charging maids head on!
<Corben> roll 1d20+21 no need to charge!
* Hatbot --> "Corben rolls 1d20+21 no need to charge! and gets 31."12 [1d20=10]
<El-Cideon> OOC: hit
<Corben> roll 2d4+10+3+2d6
* Hatbot --> "Corben rolls 2d4+10+3+2d6 and gets 27."12 [2d4=2, 1][2d6=5, 6]
<El-Cideon> Corben hacks into a shoulder and nearly severs the arm of one maid. Unperturbed, the reanimated servant and one of her companions step to one side of the barbarian and stab away!
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+17 A
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+17 A and gets 31."12 [1d20=14]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+12 A
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+12 A and gets 14."12 [1d20=2]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+17 B
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+17 B and gets 27."12 [1d20=10]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+12 B
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+12 B and gets 13."12 [1d20=1]
<Corben> OOC: AC26, can't be flanked
<El-Cideon> OOC: I didn't include flanking bonuses.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d4+6
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d4+6 and gets 9."12 [1d4=3]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d4+6
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d4+6 and gets 7."12 [1d4=1]
* Corben changes topic to '6Corben: 70/137, Eliaphas: 92/102, Madeline: 64/96| 4Corben > maid x2 > Eliaphas = Madeline > maid'
<El-Cideon> Corben's canny battle sense spares him more than a couple grazing slashes, however!
<El-Cideon> OOC: E
<Eliaphas> Raising his crossbow, Eliaphas fires a flurry of bolts into the maid on Corben's left!
<Eliaphas> roll 1d20+16 undead bane, rapid shot
* Hatbot --> "Eliaphas rolls 1d20+16 undead bane, rapid shot and gets 18."12 [1d20=2]
<Eliaphas> roll 1d20+16 undead bane, rapid shot
* Hatbot --> "Eliaphas rolls 1d20+16 undead bane, rapid shot and gets 32."12 [1d20=16]
<Eliaphas> roll 1d20+11 undead bane, rapid shot
* Hatbot --> "Eliaphas rolls 1d20+11 undead bane, rapid shot and gets 15."12 [1d20=4]
<El-Cideon> OOC: second hits
<Eliaphas> roll 1d10+5+1d6+1d6+4d6
* Hatbot --> "Eliaphas rolls 1d10+5+1d6+1d6+4d6 and gets 33."12 [1d10=7][1d6=2][1d6=5][4d6=3, 6, 4, 1]
<El-Cideon> A sizzling bolt skewers the maid in the neck, but this doesn't stop the undead mockery of life in her tracks yet!
<El-Cideon> OOC: M
<Madeline> Madeline likewise raises her bow, ready to unleash a hail of death upon the flanking maids!
<Madeline> roll 1d20+23
<Madeline> roll 1d20+23
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+23 and gets 32."12 [1d20=9]
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+23 and gets 38."12 [1d20=15]
<Madeline> roll 1d20+18
<Madeline> roll 1d20+13
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+18 and gets 29."12 [1d20=11]
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+13 and gets 26."12 [1d20=13]
<El-Cideon> OOC: all hit
<Madeline> roll 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock
<Madeline> roll 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock and gets 22."12 [1d8=8][1d6=1][1d6=1][1d6=4]
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock and gets 27."12 [1d8=3][1d6=4][1d6=6][1d6=6]
<Madeline> roll 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock
<Madeline> roll 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock and gets 27."12 [1d8=4][1d6=5][1d6=4][1d6=6]
<Madeline> roll 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock and gets 20."12 [1d8=2][1d6=1][1d6=6][1d6=3]
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock and gets 20."12 [1d8=2][1d6=3][1d6=6][1d6=1]
<El-Cideon> Finally the first maid tumbles to the floor, shot full of arrows. The third foe seems to identify Madeline as the most notable threat. Crouching low, she races forward with her knife thrust forward!
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+17+2 charrrge
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+17+2 charrrge and gets 34."12 [1d20=15]
<Madeline> OOC: hits with startling accuracy
<El-Cideon> roll 1d4+6
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d4+6 and gets 9."12 [1d4=3]
* El-Cideon changes topic to '6Corben: 70/137, Eliaphas: 92/102, Madeline: 64/96| 4Corben > maid > Eliaphas = Madeline > maid'
<El-Cideon> OOC: C
<Corben> With one of the maids dispatched, Corben sends the other one that thought to fight him back to her maker!
<Corben> roll 1d20+21
* Hatbot --> "Corben rolls 1d20+21 and gets 29."12 [1d20=8]
<Corben> roll 1d20+16
<Corben> roll 1d20+11
* Hatbot --> "Corben rolls 1d20+16 and gets 30."12 [1d20=14]
* Hatbot --> "Corben rolls 1d20+11 and gets 19."12 [1d20=8]
<El-Cideon> OOC: two hits
<Corben> roll 2d4+10+3+2d6
<Corben> roll 2d4+10+3+2d6
* Hatbot --> "Corben rolls 2d4+10+3+2d6 and gets 30."12 [2d4=4, 3][2d6=6, 4]
* Hatbot --> "Corben rolls 2d4+10+3+2d6 and gets 29."12 [2d4=4, 3][2d6=6, 3]
* Eliaphas changes topic to '6Corben: 70/137, Eliaphas: 92/102, Madeline: 55/96| 4Corben > maid > Eliaphas = Madeline > maid'
<El-Cideon> Two terrific, crushing blows send the maid reeling, but the abomination remains on its feet--barely, as it looks ready to fall to pieces, struggling to remain standing. This doesn't stop it from trying two more stabs at its enemy, however, as eerily silent as ever.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+17
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+17 and gets 29."12 [1d20=12]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+12
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+12 and gets 28."12 [1d20=16]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d4+6
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d4+6 and gets 10."12 [1d4=4]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d4+6
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d4+6 and gets 8."12 [1d4=2]
* Corben changes topic to '6Corben: 54/137, Eliaphas: 92/102, Madeline: 55/96| 4Corben > maid > Eliaphas = Madeline > maid'
<El-Cideon> OOC: E
* Corben changes topic to '6Corben: 56/137, Eliaphas: 92/102, Madeline: 55/96| 4Corben > maid > Eliaphas = Madeline > maid'
<Eliaphas> Stepping away from Madeline to get some room to aim, Eliaphas shoots his last two bolts into her assailant, his face a mask of grim stoicness as he mechanically works his deadly trade.
<Eliaphas> roll 1d20+18 undead bane
* Hatbot --> "Eliaphas rolls 1d20+18 undead bane and gets 37."12 [1d20=19]
<Eliaphas> roll 1d20+13 undead bane
* Hatbot --> "Eliaphas rolls 1d20+13 undead bane and gets 18."12 [1d20=5]
<Eliaphas> roll 1d20+18 undead bane crit threat
* Hatbot --> "Eliaphas rolls 1d20+18 undead bane crit threat and gets 33."12 [1d20=15]
<El-Cideon> OOC: crit, other misses even after charge
<Eliaphas> roll 2d10+12+1d6+1d6+4d6
* Hatbot --> "Eliaphas rolls 2d10+12+1d6+1d6+4d6 and gets 46."12 [2d10=8, 5][1d6=1][1d6=6][4d6=3, 6, 1, 4]
<El-Cideon> With the crack of a steel bolt against bone, Eliaphas's shot shears off most of the maid's face and a chunk of jaw. One dead eye is all she needs to stare resolute at her target, however!
<El-Cideon> OOC: M
<Madeline> Madeline soon sees to that, with the volley of arrows aimed to puncture through the maid and carry on towards Corben's nemesis.
<Madeline> roll 1d20+13
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+13 and gets 23."12 [1d20=10]
<Madeline> roll 1d20+23
<Madeline> roll 1d20+23
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+23 and gets 41."12 [1d20=18]
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+23 and gets 38."12 [1d20=15]
<Madeline> roll 1d20+18
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+18 and gets 26."12 [1d20=8]
<El-Cideon> OOC: all hit
<Madeline> roll 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock mshot must hit same target
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock mshot must hit same target and gets 24."12 [1d8=4][1d6=6][1d6=5][1d6=1]
<Madeline> roll 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock mshot must hit same target
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock mshot must hit same target and gets 23."12 [1d8=3][1d6=6][1d6=3][1d6=3]
<Madeline> roll 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock and gets 22."12 [1d8=1][1d6=2][1d6=6][1d6=5]
<Madeline> roll 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock and gets 26."12 [1d8=5][1d6=1][1d6=6][1d6=6]
<Madeline> roll 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d8+8+1d6+1d6+1d6 fire/frost/shock and gets 18."12 [1d8=2][1d6=1][1d6=4][1d6=3]
<El-Cideon> This final barrage of arrows puts down both enemies, the servants falling truly lifeless now!
<El-Cideon> OOC: free act
* Eliaphas is out of bolts! This will not do, especially if he has to put the undead noblewoman out of her misery, so he commences reloading at once!
* Corben stares at the rude and twice-dead maids in dismay.
<El-Cideon> The room is still and quiet, save for the relentless clicking and grinding of gears below. The noblewoman shortly reemerges from behind the changing screen with a vacant smile as though nothing were amiss. Sudden shock, a hand over her mouth. "Oh my! Someone's slaughtered my maids!"
<Madeline> "M'lady, they have been dead for many years," replies Madeline.
* Eliaphas raises an eyebrow but decides to see where this is going. Madeline has more experience with these courtly types, after all...
<El-Cideon> "Have they?" She hikes up the heavy train of her dress, hustles over to one of the bodies to peer down at it. "It isn't what one would call normal skintone, is it? But I would swear they were perfectly fine just yesterday!"
<Madeline> "If I might interject, a wizard was responsible. M'lady, I am Madeline of the Brislovian court; might I ask your name?"
<El-Cideon> "A wizard? Is that so! Well, once--" A blank look and she stops talking briefly. Another smile. "You may do so if you wish."
<Madeline> "Er- yes, what is your name?"
<El-Cideon> "Oh! My name, yes, of course." An expression comes over her as though she were struggling to discern something at a far distance. "Naaame...mmmm..." A hand flutters to her temple, and she looks briefly pained before again recovering with a smile and turning to the other intruders. "And what may I call you gentlemen?"
<Eliaphas> "Eliaphas Crane," the inquisitor grunts, deciding to start turning over the room for anything useful while Madeline tries to draw blood from a stone.
<Eliaphas> roll 1d20+21 perception
* Hatbot --> "Eliaphas rolls 1d20+21 perception and gets 36."12 [1d20=15]
<Corben> "Corben," he says curtly, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Do you not know what you are?"
<El-Cideon> Eliaphas finds most of the room is given over to empty space, rafters, and a few broken cogs and gears. A few things do stand out, however: a dark glass cube sitting on a small table in the center of the room, three inches to a side. Most of the lady's corner of the floor is given to mundane items--clothes, hairbrushes and other beauty accoutrements--but two things on the cabinet catch your attention. Your reflection in the mirror, for one, is notably less grimed and haggard than you would suspect is accurate. A small statue also stands out: red stone, about a foot high, of a nude man with feathered upper body and wings, holding a violin.
<El-Cideon> "Of course," the woman says. "I am the lady of the house. I see to the cleaning schedules and, on occasions like these, entertain guests."
<El-Cideon> OOC: K:R can be rolled on the statue, incidentally
<Eliaphas> roll 1d20+16 (+22 to identify monsters)
* Hatbot --> "Eliaphas rolls 1d20+16 (+22 to identify monsters) and gets 22."12 [1d20=6]
<Madeline> "Would you be able to introduce us to the lord of the house?" asks Madeline, zeroing in on an opportunity!
<Eliaphas> Blasphemy is hardly a surprise here, but Eliaphas is curious as to the meaning, and will try asking just as soon as Madeline's questions are answered.
<El-Cideon> "Well, I see no reason not to," she says. "It's so rare we have guests anymore. And an elf, at that!" She reaches out and flicks at the tip of one of Madeline's ears, as though verifying they aren't fake.
<Eliaphas> "What is this?" the inquisitor asks cooly, pointing at the taboo red statue.
<Madeline> "Half-elf," mumbles Madeline, flushing. "Please don't do that."
<El-Cideon> "Oh?" She turns and follows Eliaphas's direction, oblivious to Madeline's discomfort. "Oh! You are not educated in the classical world, I see. That is Ollon, deity of the arts. I keep it by for when I desire music but I think it too late to wake the orchestra." She strides over to the statue, taps the base of it, speaks. "Ollon! Play us something. A requiem...a requiem for my fallen maids!"
<El-Cideon> The statue shortly becomes animate and a plaintive tune emanates from its violin.
<Corben> "How can you die and not know it?" Corben asks, drawing closer to Madeline while he watches their hostess warily.
<Madeline> "If you died in your sleep and woke up, how would you know?" whispers Madeline.
* Eliaphas sees little point in debating with a forgetful undead thing on the falseness of her theology, but at least his curiousity is satisfied. Nodding, he walks around the Lady with the intent of getting an angle of her reflection through the mirror to verify its effect on her, before he goes to investigate the glass cube.
<Corben> "Not breathing or eating would be a large clue."
<El-Cideon> Eliaphas can see that the woman looks perfectly vibrant and healthy in the mirror's reflection. There is no indication in the glass of her current condition. He also notices the cube has a small switch set in the base, with multiple unlabelled settings.
<El-Cideon> The woman has closed her eyes and begun dancing with some unseen partner as the music continues without anyone breaking her attention.
<Eliaphas> "Madeline, you're good with magical devices. Can you make anything of this?" Eliaphas asks, holding up the cube.
<Madeline> Madeline shrugs at Corben, and advances towards Eliaphas. "Certainly. Let me see..."
<Madeline> roll 1d20+18 detect magic, spellcraft
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+18 detect magic, spellcraft and gets 31."12 [1d20=13]
<Madeline> "Oh, it is a most excellent device! I've always wanted one!"
<El-Cideon> The Lady's meanderings eventually see her bumping into Corben. "Oh! Sir Corben, my apologies. But such a dour look on your face, shall we share a dance?"
<Eliaphas> "What does it do?" Eliaphas asks.
<Corben> "No," Corben refuses, without so much as needing to think about it. "Do you remember who killed you? I will avenge you, if so."
<Madeline> Madeline eagerly reaches out to take it! "It creates illusions along a particular theme or style- sort of like interior decorating," she continues. "For instance, an empty room could be made to resemble a noblewoman's chamber, or a barren plain could be made to seem flush with life. That sort of thing. It should have several available themes to choose from already, but I could install more. It's the very best for impressing guests."
<Eliaphas> "We could use it to disguise ambushes and traps..." the older man muses thoughtfully, not sharing Madeline's own enthusiasm for its aesthetic qualities.
<El-Cideon> "Killed me?" For the briefest moment a serious expression crosses her face and Corben is struck with unnerving sensation of standing at the rim of a great abyss. Then she smiles again. "Well, perhaps someone else cares to dance? Ollon knows many other songs."
<Madeline> "We could..." muses Madeline, checking the device to see if it is currently operational.
<Corben> "Are you pretending," Corben asks the lady, "or do keep forgetting that you're dead? Can't you see the skin on your arms?"
<El-Cideon> In an instant, the room flickers into something else around you. The walls become rows of tree trunks, the floor a carpet of lush green grass, the roof branches arcing overhead, the bed the bole of a fallen tree. A pleasant, diffuse light trickles down from above. Visually it is a lifelike recreation of a verdant sylvan glade, though the clicking of gears below somewhat spoils the effect.
<Madeline> "Oops, why'd it do that?" mutters Madeline, crossly.
<Madeline> "Oh, the button here..."
<El-Cideon> She frowns, glances at one arm, pulls back a sleeve and picks at the dead gray skin there. Head tilted to one side, she gives Corben a flat expression, blinks unevenly. Again you have the feeling of standing in close proximity to some crushing weight. Then she smiles again. "Perhaps I have spent too much time in my room. There is so much cleaning to arrange, after all. I simply need a bath!"
* Corben palms his face.
<Madeline> Madeline shrugs. "As you can see, though, it's quite pretty!" She lowers her voice. "D'ya think we should try taking her with us? Other monsters may be reluctant to attack with her present. It's obvious the... lord... wishes to keep her safe and away, as well."
<El-Cideon> A worried expression crosses her face. "Are you ill, Sir Corben? I am certain we have a nurse somewhere on the grounds...shall I summon her?"
<Eliaphas> Looking over to where Corben tries to reason with the undead woman. "It didn't deter the maids. Do you think she's the Duchess, or some other victim pulled here in the years since?" he replies to Madeline thoughtfully.
<El-Cideon> She turns to issue command to the nearest maid, only to start in surprise. "Oh! My maids are dead!"
<Corben> "The Duke killed them," Corben tells her, fairly certain that he's speaking the truth.
<Madeline> Madeline frowns. "I'd suppose so. She calls herself the Lady of the house, after all. The mental manipulation is surely deliberate, a ruse to keep her happy and content. Her name... I must assume it is deliberately kept from her. Perhaps not the Duchess herself, but someone who resembled her? Her own identity would need to be removed on this line..."
<El-Cideon> "Who is that?" A sudden vicious twinge, then back to her usual smile. "What were we speaking of?"
<Eliaphas> "Are you the Duchess, wife of Duke Varas?" Eliaphas calls over to test the theory. Pity he can't recall her name... she never really had any relevance to his interest in Mistvalken.
<El-Cideon> "...Mmnnghmnh." A palm to her forehead, she staggers a few steps back from Corben, fixes a penetrating glare on Eliaphas. "Who...?" She shakes her head violently, though it's unclear whether this is in answer to his question or extension of general unease as she seems to double over suddenly, clutching her head.
<El-Cideon> The light from the artificial forestscape dims a shade, the atmosphere flickering on and off briefly.
<Madeline> Madeline twitches. "Perhaps we should go," she notes, uneasily. "Perhaps there is a good reason to keep her content."
* Eliaphas has a bad feeling about this and agrees with Madeline. "Yes... she is not what I came for," he agrees, starting to slowly back off towards the stairs.
<Madeline> Madeline follows suit, naturally.
<El-Cideon> Without being pressed any further, she soon straightens and returns to normal--or at least her version of it. She heaves a deep breath, obviously not necessary for her, but it seems to be reassuring. "Oh! Is everyone leaving? I've not even offered you anything to drink! Where are my manners.""
<Corben> "Do you ever leave? Do you get any visitors?" Corben asks, deciding to see if there is a topic the strange abomination can actually stay on consistently and without an ominous dimming of the light around it.
<El-Cideon> "Why, of course! There is ever so much cleaning to arrange, the maids always come and go with my orders."
* Corben runs a hand through his hair, and glances towards the stairs. "I guess I'll go," he decides at last, choosing to follow his companions.
<El-Cideon> She curtseys. "Well, if there is anything you require during your stay, do not hesitate to ask the nearest maid!" She strolls back to the cabinet, sits down and calmly brushes her hair.
<Eliaphas> "I wonder what would have happened had we pushed harder, but she's harmless where she is and can better be dealt with after the Duke," Eliaphas reflects as they descend.
<El-Cideon> One final, surprised, "Oh! Someone's killed my maids!" echoes after you as you retreat to the gear room. Contraption is still here, watching the clockworks with a look of concentration.
<Madeline> "I feel that we ought to know more about the reasons why she is as she is," replies Madeline. "But answers from her would be unlikely."
<Eliaphas> "Until then we keep exploring?" Eliaphas asks, ignoring Contraption and continuing downwards.
<El-Cideon> Below is still the mess you left in the atrium. The area looks undisturbed.
<Eliaphas> Leaving the atrium and going back into the perimeter hallways, the group continues Eastwards until they find another unexplored door or stairway. Naturally Corben can take the lead, Eliaphas will cover the rear while Madeline gets the enviable filling spot.
<Eliaphas> But if she doesn't want it she can hang back and Eliaphas will stick with Corben!
<El-Cideon> The next break in the wall is a set of double doors to the north. Crossing each of these fine wooden doors is a masterful engraving of a swan taking wing from a lake.
* Corben pushes the doors open, always ready to carve them apart if need be!
<El-Cideon> Surely much to the barbarian's disappointment, these doors are unlocked. On the inside:
<El-Cideon> A short corridor leads to a descending staircase, all of this wide enough for two to walk side by side. The light here is poor--a set of windows along the north ceiling would allow adequate illumination during daytime, but in Mistvalken's perpetual gloom you can make out only general shapes. Archways midway along either side of the corridor allow access to large, open rooms--you think you can glimpse paintings on the walls. There is an air of luxury to the area, clean white walls with reliefs of mythological figures crowding the ceiling. A thick layer of dust coats the floor, disturbed only by a set of bootprints heading for the stairs.
* Corben follows said prints to wherever they might lead him!
<El-Cideon> They lead down the stairs. You find yourself in a similar corridor, with open archways on both sides. The stairs end here. The bootprints, you see, lead to the eastern archway in this corridor.
<Eliaphas> "Whoever made these might still be down there," Eliaphas notes at the lack of other prints visible, following Corben.
<Corben> "Yes," Corben agrees, drawing his falcion as he heads for that very eastern archway himself.
<El-Cideon> Past the archway...Simple portraits occupy this room, most posed but some capturing the subject in some sort of action. The largest and most prominent paintings are on the north wall, larger than life immortalizations of a noble lord and lady. Next to your door, an old soldier and a peasant washing her hands. On the south wall, an elf and a painter at work. And across from you, paintings of a dancer and a nude woman. Between these last two is another archway, this one fringed with a red curtain. The bootprints lead into this.
<El-Cideon> You can see that all the paintings have titles on brass labels at the base of the frame, but reading this or discerning more detail about the works would require a closer look at each.
* Eliaphas pauses to regard the lord and lady painting, seeing if there's any resemblance to the clocktower lady before he goes to read the plaque.
* Corben merely glances at the portraits long enough to see if he can recognize anyone at all.
<El-Cideon> OOC: the lord and lady are two separate paintings, should have noted
<Madeline> Madeline finds herself drawn towards the elf and the painter, squinting at the plaque.
<Eliaphas> OOC: the lady, then
<El-Cideon> All find that the works herein are the product of a master realist and of admirable detail and quality. It's also quickly apparent the paintings don't suffer from the dust that carpets the floor--all are vivid and clear. (more)
<El-Cideon> Eliaphas examines the following: A young noblewoman dressed in dark silk finery poses for her immortalization, sitting with hands in her lap. Her features are refined and aristocratic, but she carries a warm and friendly look. A voluminous fall of black curls tumbles down behind her. Edging out of the frame to one side of her is a keyboard instrument of some manner, keys and wood body polished to a fine sheen. A collection of sheet music sits open above the keys, and the artist has gone to such detail that it could be read if one had the knack for it. The plaque reads: Lady Romanja Varas.
<El-Cideon> The woman is instantly recognizable from the tower, though here she carries the warm blush of life still.
<El-Cideon> OOC: also roll will, E
<Eliaphas> roll 1d20+15 +17 if fear
* Hatbot --> "Eliaphas rolls 1d20+15 +17 if fear and gets 17."12 [1d20=2]
<El-Cideon> Madeline examines the following: Pale and smooth-skinned, unearthly slender, face sharp and angular of bone, the face of an elven lord is such that one could scarce imagine it breaking into smile or laugh. Golden blond hair falls straight to his waist and he wears flowing green robes of a shade just a touch off from his forest surrounds. Indeed, he could easily be lost amidst the greenery of his natural backdrop at a casual glance, such that one looking at the painting from across the room would see but face and hair as sign of one residing unobtrusively in the wild. The plaque reads: Steward of the Forest.
<El-Cideon> OOC: will for you too, M
<Madeline> roll 1d20+9
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+9 and gets 22."12 [1d20=13]
<El-Cideon> Madeline briefly feels a tug from the painting before her, as though something were calling her, pulling at her...then it's gone and there's just a painting before her. Eliaphas, however...soon finds himself tumbling away from the room around him! Anyone else looking in his direction will notice the inquisitor merely blink out of existence before them. (OOC: #nightgallery, E)
<Madeline> "Don't look at the paintings! They're- oh, turn my blood blue," calls Madeline, turning about to see a total lack of Eliaphas.
<El-Cideon> OOC: If corben's taking a close look at the same painting as E, also roll will. Otherwise, you don't recognize anyone else at first glance.
<Madeline> Of course, they would be like this, wouldn't they? Madeline finds herself activating her magical senses far too late, and giving the room a brief once-over.
<Corben> roll 1d20+6
* Hatbot --> "Corben rolls 1d20+6 and gets 14."12 [1d20=8]
<El-Cideon> Corben quickly vanishes as well!
<Madeline> "You- I can't believe you did that!" stammers Madeline, suddenly finding herself alone!
<Madeline> She wracks her brains in an attempt to think of similar phenomena...
<Madeline> roll 1d20+11
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+11 and gets 29."12 [1d20=18]
<Madeline> It would be grossly imprudent to gaze into the paintings further, and Madeline manages a gulp of uncertainty. She quickly fumbles for some parchment, and leaves a brief note on the floor that would let her companions know she's gone on ahead.
<Madeline> This accomplished, she continues to follow the bootprints to the curtain, which she lightly brushes aside.
<El-Cideon> This is a much smaller gallery than the others, perhaps a third the size, and contains only four objects of note. Three paintings: a bathing scene just to your right, on the other walls a scene from some myth judging by the clothes and buildings, as well as a city in flames done in similar style. At the far end of the corridor sits a large urn, half the height of a man. The bootprints stop here, just before the painting nearest the door.
<Madeline> Madeline briefly inspects the urn for magical power!
<El-Cideon> Madeline still finds nothing around her emanating a magical aura.
<Madeline> Frowning, she turns to leave, amending her note appropriately before continuing to proceed through the castle in a clockwise- and stealthy- direction.
<Madeline> roll 1d20+33 stealth!
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+33 stealth! and gets 37."12 [1d20=4]
<El-Cideon> Leaving the gallery, Madeline walks quietly and undisturbed through the corridor. There is soon another door along the north wall, this one plainer, and not far past it is a four-way junction.
<Madeline> Madeline stops to listen at the door and inspects it for magic, before forcing her way through!
<Madeline> roll 1d20+18 perception, stop me if I notice something
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+18 perception, stop me if I notice something and gets 26."12 [1d20=8]
<El-Cideon> Madeline finds nothing unusual or magical here. Beyond the door...
<El-Cideon> This small, square room contains in rather cramped dimension a desk, a bed with a chest at the foot, and a curtained-off partition in one corner. All you see rests beneath a heavy coating of dust. There are also doors set in the west and north walls. Windows to the east look out on a flagstone path between one building and the next.
<Madeline> Madeline quickly searches through the room for her own edification, and then moves towards the windows to take a better look at the next building.
<Madeline> roll 1d20+18 perception
* Hatbot --> "Madeline rolls 1d20+18 perception and gets 36."12 [1d20=18]
<El-Cideon> Madeline finds the following: the chest contains a collection of mundane, dour, and mostly rotted robes; behind the curtained partition is a toilet; and in the desk...sits a quill pen, a glass well flaking with dried ink, and a notebook.
<Madeline> The notebook soon finds itself inspected by the archer's probing eyes.
~
<El-Cideon> Corben and Eliaphas find themselves...somewhere else. The sitting room of some lavish mansion, identical in appearance to the painting you were looking at just a moment ago. The subject sits before you, posing still. The instrument next to her, you see, is a harpsichord. "Visitors?" she says with some surprise, though her expression remains carefully unchanged.
<El-Cideon> Your surroundings...look mostly real, insofar as the works of the gallery looked decidedly real in style. There's a slight sheen to everything that makes it look more paint than flesh, however.
<Corben> "What sorcery is this?!" Corben exclaims, looking about himself.
<Eliaphas> "A trap," Eliaphas grimaces, looking around and then stepping back as Corben joins him. "Duchess Varas?" he decides to greet the noblewoman, seeing if she might be more helpful in paint form than necrotic flesh form.
<El-Cideon> "Well, at least my visitors are aware of whose house they are in," she says drily. "Take a seat if you like, just don't block young Ewan's view." She gestures to a young man opposite her, at work at a canvas.
<El-Cideon> Corben finds there are a couple doors here, on either side of the room. Otherwise, there's no indication of how you came here.
<Eliaphas> She seems somewhat less mentally deficient here, at least... but still unaware of the overall situation. Walking around behind the easel, he looks at the canvas and asks, "Do you use any special techniques in your paintings?"
* Corben scratches his forehead, and decides to see where the doors lead to, for now.
<El-Cideon> The young man is intensely involved in his work and acknowledges you with only the irritated quirk of an eyebrow. "Oh, he won't answer you while he's at work," Romanja says. "Artists are of such delicate temperament, you understand. Might I ask what business brings you here today? We weren't expecting strangers. Or I wasn't. My husband keeps his own affairs in some matters."
<El-Cideon> Corben opens one door. Simultaneously, the other door opens. He can see into the same room he now stands within. He can even see himself across the room, staring into an open door.
* Corben quickly shuts the door, shuddering.
<Eliaphas> "Yes, we are guests of your husband," Eliaphas replies with his own dry tone, deciding to try reason before anything else. From how her undead self acted, she should be a proper hostess... "Until he can see us, however, might we indulge your hospitality, Duchess Varas?"
<El-Cideon> "I'd looked forward to a lively afternoon of sitting motionless, but if you must break my concentration with a round of lively conversation, well, it is my duty as lady of the house to see that guests are properly entertained. Guests of Tad, then? No doubt here to discuss matters mysterious and arcane."
<Eliaphas> "I am a simple man of faith, my lady, not a scholar of the arcane," Eliaphas replies. "But I've heard stories of animated portraits, or ones that can draw a viewer completely into the scene. I suppose that would fit with arcane interests?"
<El-Cideon> "Well, from the sound of it, yes. Though of late I find him absorbed in construction of our new home. Stonebridge it's to be called, perched on a hill across a river. Lovely view. He brings in all sorts of strange magicians to consult on its construction. Binding otherworldly creatures to tunnel the foundation, purify water for us, that sort of thing." She shrugs. "Architects. It's one thing to admire skill, but I find myself ever drawn to more intimate arts."
<El-Cideon> ------------