Something Wicked (A D&D 3.5 Horror Game)

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella looks at Meeko, getting a shake of the head from the little tanuki, relaxing to T'aella's nerves ever so slightly before the noise goes off and setting them right back off. Taking a moment, T'aella decides to get this going somewhere, "we may need to delay talking, unless you want to help deal with whatever caused that. Something able to cause that could prove... profitable," she comments.

Spoiler: OOC

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Diplomacy to get her to help investigate
(1d20+27)[45]

Note: I have beguiling influence active and am psionically focused, granting me a +9 extra bonus to Diplomacy on top of my normal +18 modifier.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The thing appears to be nothing more than a rag, though it writhes and looks as thought it is attempting to fly at you again. However, a decent strike with the torch sets it alight, and it quickly burns away to ash and dust.
The fiendish attacker slain, the rest of the house/shop building remains open to be searched. The stairs await you as before, and the young ghost from earlier did seem like he had traveled to the upper floor.

T'aella and Dani
You can definitely tell that up-close the smell is coming right from her. It's less putrid and more stale, sickly but not quite gag-inducing, unless you are particularly sensitive to such things. Also, you could probably cite a dozen or more stories of "mysterious woman causing either good fortune or ill", but as far as you can tell nothing about a woman with a stale smell coming from her.

She took in what the two said, and gave a rather weak smile. "I believe I can follow along with you and continue to talk. It is a splendid night, and my walk is not nearly done yet. Perhaps on the way to that loud noise, I might tell you something of the song." She winked at the two of them and started walking in that direction at a leisurely pace.

Dlimsim looked at them and scratched his wiry hair, before chuckling. "I suppose we will talk about business later. I'm heading to my shop, to sit and tinker. Come in the morning, and we can talk more of cauldrons and protections." That said, he wandered off in his own meandering way towards his store and home.

[Jacior]

Corbin just hrumphs. It wasn't bad enough that there was a terrible host, and a lethal predator in the hall, but now he was being assaulted by drapery! Drapery! "DRAPERY I SAY!" He yells at the burned remains of the rag on the ground. Hrumphing again, he starts up the stairs. "I would have knocked, but by the authority invested in me by myself and a questionable protective agency, I'm just coming in anyway."

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella waves back to Dlimsim, "see you then," she then focuses more so on the woman, such a cliché these days, but one with its merits. This would be... interesting. It took some effort to keep the amused smirk off her face, but she managed. Depending on how things went, this woman could be an ally or foe, friend or enemy, weal or woe. It would be so interesting to find out what she could do, and if she was the type to help or hinder.

Still, it wouldn't do to let herself get too into this situation, letting her emotions be a controlling factor had gotten her in trouble in the past, she had to keep her head or she'd miss any sign of what could happen. Not an easy task given her interest in the situation... she'd have to have Flit remind her to keep her head on straight every now and then. Luckily Meeko was much more wary in this kind of situation.

Regardless, she'd follow the lead and head in the appropriate direction, it had been a long time since her interest was truly peaked, not since she first learned of the rituals that made up her profession.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
With your light source you can see much better as you traverse up the creaky wooden steps. Before long you find yourself on the landing of the second floor, a hallway before you with a number of open rooms before it. You hear quiet sobbing that you could swear is similar to that boy from the bottom floor. But before you can react to that, a voice yells from the far end of the hall, sounding like a petulant young girl. "YOU GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! AND HAVE YOUR STUPID TEA!" One of the doors at the end of the hall slammed shut, as a couple of teacups full of peculiarly hot tea are propelled you way!

Spoiler: OOC

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Roll a Reflex save! Success means you can post however you want to dodge or block these vial drink vessels, failure leads to strike of glass and burns of the liquid variety, meaning damage.

T'aella
With you leading but keeping an eye on the woman, you have to keep to her slow pace, despite the possibilities at the end of the loud sound. With no one speaking for the moment, she returned to humming that melancholy tune.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella sidles up to Dani, "now's probably your best time to talk to her about that song," she comments, "I have a feeling about her, whether it's good or bad though... I can't say just yet."

[Regalus]

At her offer the young elf beams with boyish grin that threatened to sear away all the night's gloom within several yards of him; the woman had clearly just made his week through her company, in truth only a slight wrinkling of his nose was the indication he even perceived the woman's disquieting presence and scent as he pet in step with his companions.

"Madam, my name is Daenith of House Eruatien; though if it pleases you many in these parts prefer to address me as Dani, and it is a pleasure to keep you company at this hour," Dani began cordially, as he dimmed his smile to a more polite radiance; yet the fire in his eyes at the sight of the woman remained. "Would you so grace with me with your name and that of thyne melody?"

[Jacior]

Corbin watches the cups fly at him with some amount of curiosity considering the implications of a ghost that could make tea, before lifting his empty hand and slapping both cups out of the air. "Well that was rude. I already said I didn't want any." He just sighs and walks down the hallway. "I told you that I have been invested with the authority to investigate here! I'm not leaving until... I'm not sure really! I figure I'll just know when it's time." With a wicked grin, he flexes the muscles in his back and a quartet of long, whip-like tentacles the crimson colour of the vein and studded with wicked thorns burst from his skin. "I forgot that that stings a little bit." He frowns. "Now I want a peppermint candy." He hasn't stopped walking down the hallway as he spoke and became slightly more terrifying, only slowing down slightly as the tendrils grew out. He heads for the door that slammed shut.

Spoiler

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Spend 5 Blood Points to Invoke the Thorny Vines and increasing the damage by 1 die size

[Haluesen]

T'aella and Dani
The woman chuckled quietly as she walked, hands folded in front of her in some manner that suggests nobility or at least good manners. "Quite an articulate one you are." she murmured with her same fading smile. "My name is something lost to history and memory, as quite so many things can be. You may call me Sonata if you wish, it works well enough. As for my song, it is both ancient and newborn, as it is a song of my making but inspired by a snippet of a lovely verse I heard long ago. I call my tune Moonlight Watches, Good and Ill. The song I heard before that made me create this one...there's a lot of a story behind that, and a short walk before us."

Corbin
The door itself is old wood, like much of the building around it. The door however stands strong to any attempt to simply push it open, as though it were barricaded. Either more force is required to get into it, or finesse or smarts. There can be no sound heard from within.

One door away the sobbing still continues uninterrupted even by the smashing of the glass cups. As well as there is a low sound from the floor below, like padded footsteps.

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella hums, "reminds me of this poem I heard when I was younger," she says, "quite dark really."

[Jacior]

Corbin frowns at the door. "I'm starting think all these problems make the hose not worth buying. First that vicious demon, the drapery, and now stuck doors?! I guess I'll just have to knock harder." He takes a moment to first shake out his makeshift torch, no sense in burning the place down... yet. Flexing his figures, he summons more of the power that fueled his blood, feeling it course and rush through him. What blood he still hadn't gotten out of his mouth from earlier and more still flowed around his teeth and out of his mouth, protecting his lips and jaw while forming a set of horridly jagged blood red teeth. "Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. I'm coming in whether you open the door or not!" Each utterance of the word knock is coupled with one of the tentacles lashing out at the door. His eyes well up with blood as well, giving him sight in the darkness.

Spoiler

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Spend 4 Blood Points to manifest Aggressive Energy: +8 Dex, +4 Con, Gain Bite Attack, Gain 60ft Darkvision

Tentacle Attacks:

To-hit: (1d20+11)[27]
Damage: (1d8+6)[12]

To-hit: (1d20+11)[16]
Damage: (1d8+6)[13]

To-hit: (1d20+11)[25]
Damage: (1d8+6)[12]

To-hit: (1d20+11)[30]
Damage: (1d8+6)[12]

[Regalus]

"Well then, might you grant us a snippet for now? And then, perhaps you could regale us with the rest of the tale once this affair has been sorted?" the elf proposes hopefully as he committed the name of the melody to memory.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The door easily fell under your attacks, broken to bits as your tentacles lash at it. Inside is the rotted remains of a bedroom, the furnishings still here despite few individual pieces being gone. A spectral-looking young girl sits on the bed, playing with a small sack doll. On your entrance she jumped to her feet, looking terrified and yet angry despite it. "HEY, I SAID TO GO AWAY! YOU NEED TO LEAVE HERE. AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DOOR??"

T'aella and Dani
Sonata nodded at T'aella. "It is fairly dark, but you know where you are. This is just one of the few dark things here that is also beautiful." She spoke it seemed to give herself time to consider Daenith's request. "Well...you may say that I've been blessed in life. I had heard the small piece of melody many times in my life, as though it followed me. Or perhaps I only heard it once, and then found it conjured elsewhere from my own memories. It was rather captivating after all, that I can only barely trust my memory as to where and when I heard it. But it filled my life." She gave him a wide grin. "It might capture you as well, should you let it. Is that something though that appeals to you, dear Daenith?"

[EdroGrimshell]

T'aella doesn't let her suspicion show, not yet at least. She sets about for a few hand signs, focusing on detecting magic, and focusing.

Spoiler: OOC

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Basic Arcana to use Detect Magic

If she starts to use a spell or any kind of magic after I get to the 3rd turn I'll know it.

And readied action to use a Screaming Flask from my Metabolic Reserve right next to her ears (hoping to deafen as that makes magic relying on vocals more difficult) if she starts casting a spell or using any kind of magic really.

[Jacior]

Corbin would have smiled if he could have been seen through the blood-plate mask. "I'm here on the authority of someone who likes to think themself more important than most people! Therefore I cannot leave until I have completed the task I was so brutally pressed into completing for the good of the most people!" The tentacles emerging from behind his figure twist and twitch, like they're barely being held in restraint by his force of will. "As for the door, I've decided to start redecorating early and honey, it's so far out of fashion that it was a mercy killing."

[Regalus]

"I know that kind of beauty; the kind of rapture one can only hope to be blessed by, and that lingers upon your very soul. It's a glorious thing truly, and I hope to witness those like it," Daenith replies as nostalgia graces his features,

"I'd be honored to witness that which has enraptured you so on a more suitable occasion; yet I fear that it may not capture me quite as it has you," he continues gratefully, if apologetic.

[Haluesen]

Corbin
The young girl fumed and stomped, though it made no sound against the ground. "Grr you! That's not your door to break! Now get out of here, fiend!" A wave of air rammed into Corbin, trying to force him from the room.

Spoiler: OOC Stuff

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Bull Rush attempt with some kind of telekinetic force
Opposed Str Check= (1d20+2)[7] cannot push her if you win.

T'aella and Dani
The woman chuckled again, shaking her head. "I am certain you will find it enjoyable and enlightening. It's rapturous at its core." By now the 3 were at the source of the sound from earlier, a very old 2-story building. A faint light emits from the top floor, beyond that the place is dim and clearly abandoned.

Looking at the woman, T'aella immediately sees a magical aura. A little bit of time on it and it is clearly felt as a moderate aura around the woman in some way.

[EdroGrimshell]

"We may have to hold on that, we're at our destination," T'aella says, looking the house over, "whatever caused that commotion earlier, it's in here," a few hand motions and she set her hand onto Meeko, her fur darkening and her eyes gaining a slight glow, followed by another few gestures that had no visible effect. Finally, a brief moment where T'aella's eyes turn dark green, then return to normal.

Spoiler: OOC

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Taking some time to prepare, using Enhance Familiar and See the Unseen then spending 1 power point to use Inertial Armor.

[Jacior]

Spoiler

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Strength Check: (1d20)[13]

Corbin stands still, the force merely blowing his hair into dishevelment and bringing him to an even more frightful visage than before. "Well that wasn't nice. And I told you, the woman in the big boots told me to come get rid of you!" He tilts his head to the side as he talks, stopping at an almost perfect 45 degrees as the rest of his body stood nearly straight. one of the tentacles lashes out at the door frame, taking a chunk out of the wood. "Oops, sorry. I can't always control myself!" The jaws of the red mask part slightly and inside can be seen his regular, white teeth. "So... why don't you tell me where the boy is and then I can rid this place of ghosts and be on my way?!"

[Regalus]

"Taella, can your Psycrystal fly up to the window to get a better look at what's happening?"Daenith requested as his demeanor slipped back to what the other girl might perceive as normal; the elf taking note of the changes in the girl and her familiar, but withholding his comments for the moment.

[EdroGrimshell]

"Flit can't fly yet, but he can get up there regardless," T'aella replies as the psicrystal detaches from Meeko's collar in mini-dragon form, and quickly made his way to the second floor window to peek inside.