Escape from Castle Amber - IC

[North]

Tyz

Sho' whash the plan. As muscch as I likes a good meal. Whatsh are we goin' do bout it.... The halfling eloquently states. Damns magishses.

[GimliFett]

Oberon

Relieved that Ereltih breathed, but concerned about the man's health Oberon shows uncharacteristic irritation. "Fool pyromancer! Listen next time!" he whispers harshly. Slowly raising a hand to his face to cover it, Oberon scowls at the halfling. "Careful little one. We don't know all of the player's here," he whispers.

The faetouched looks at his cousin and the dwarf. "Well, it seems we are the only ones fit to make decisions at the moment. Shall I see if we can get Erelith a room?"

[North]

Tyz

Lisshle one! Is shick and tired of being called lishle! Firsht the guysh back theres nows you toosh? I washnt too lisshle t' beatsh hish ...thing. Bassshh! My shword biggr en yourshs ish. the hafling hiccups, Tyz leans in close to the others, and whispers conspiratorally Thash really good beer.

[Proven_Paradox]

Duran places a hand over his face and nods to Oberon, sending an annoyed look at Tyz. "While you see to that, I'll see if I can figure out what's wrong with him..."

Duran casts Detect Magic and examines Erelith. If there is a magical aura about him (excluding this equipment, of course), and it is of faint or moderate strength, he will cast Dispel Magic on him.

[Toliudar]

There is a faint aura of conjuration about Erelith, but Duran knows from experience that he normally has this aura. There is a lingering aura of illusion, but it's faint, and fading fast. Duran's best guess (taking ten on a heal check) would be poison.

As the four gather around their unconscious colleague, the scene begins to shift again. The other guests have finished their meals, and are reforming into couples for a procession out towards the double doors, which swing open at their approach. Their laughter and conversation, heedless of the newcomers, forms a kind of raucous music in the room. The servants have now disappeared as well, and slowly, the image of the sumptuous feast - even the very real-seeming implements the five just used - fade back to the wrack of a space they saw when they first opened the door. The chair begins to creak under Jonah's weight, and he must quickly stand to avoid tumbling to the ground.

[GimliFett]

Oberon

The faetouched hunches slightly, lowering his tall profile. Energy dances at his fingertips as he looks around. "And I was just about to ask our host for a room for Erelith," Oberon comments dryly. "Duran Duran? Tyz? Can you carry him till we find a suitable location to place him?"

[Proven_Paradox]

Duran nods. "Aye, I suppose there's nothing else to do with 'im. It seems he's fallen victim to poison, and I've not the power to cleanse that from him yet. I knew I should have brought a scroll for that..." He sighs and kneels down to take Erelith's arms.

[North]

Tyz

Hah! Sursh I will. Why dont we jesh take him backs to the firssh room we were at? The halfling picks up Erelith arms tucks them under his armpits and starts dragging him towards the room they had woke up in.

[Diarmuid]

Jonah

The bard pipes in with his idea, though he still feels a little strange himself.

"As unlikely as it may be, Tyz...in his current state may have the best idea. If Jean-Louis is still in the room we met him in, he may know what has happened to Erelith and perhaps how to counter the effects."

As he gathers his things and begins heading out of the room, you notice his shoulders seem to be sagging under the weight of his pack and his equipment much more so than normal. His stride is shorter and more labored for sure.

[ooc] Am now at a medium load, movement reduced to 20 [/ooc]

[Toliudar]

The four work to get Erelith's limp form back into the room with the boxing ring. There, Jean-Louis is still in the ring, where he is now bobs and spars with a very active Magen. He barely glances over at the group as they come through the door.

Ah. Your friend, he has had too much wine at dinner?

[GimliFett]

Oberon

"You could say that. More truth would be to say something he ate or drank did not agree with him," the faetouched offers with a knowing smirk. "Perhaps you could direct us to a room for him, please?"

[Toliudar]

Stop!

At Jean-Louis' command, the boxer freezes in mid-jab. The d'Amberville strolls to the edge of the ring to address Oberon.

Hmm. Most rooms have been, er, claimed in one way or another. You are welcome to leave him here, as you wish, but do not expect me to waste my time looking after some drooling man who cannot hold his liquor. I believe there are a couple of empty chambers in the east wing. I go there so seldom now...

Clearly losing interest in the conversation, he begins to walk back to the boxer.

[Proven_Paradox]

Duran sighs and says, "I suppose that will work." He begins looking around for something that looks like a way to the east wing.

[North]

Tyz

The halfling continues dragging Erilith towards their destination. About as gently as a drunk halfling barbarian can.

[Toliudar]

There are double doors and a single door in the dining hall that the group has not opened, and the carpet-covered hallway continued on past the door that you initially went through to enter the boxing match room. Something like this:


|==|----------|-----==----|
|...|..............|.................|
|...|..............|.................|
|...=..Boxing ..=..Dining Hall.=
|...|....Ring....|.................|
|...|..............|.................|
|==|----------|------------
|........|
|........|
|.Entry|
|........|
|........|
|-==--|

= Door

[GimliFett]

Oberon

With an irritated look on his face, the faetouched looks at his friends. "Any idea which way east is in this place?" he asks with a frown.

[Toliudar]

Duran's keen underground senses might, in less confusing circumstances, given him some clue as to what direction was which, but in this strange topsy-turvy place, he had no clue.

Jonah HAD noticed that, when Jean-Louis had said "East Wing", he had jerked his head a bit, indicating the direction of the dining room.

[Proven_Paradox]

Duran continues looking around helplessly for a moment after Oberon's question, but at last he gives up and shakes his head. "Any sense of direction I might've had is worthless here," he says with a low tone, trying to keep the conversation audible to his friends alone. "I'm not even sure any of this is real, much less which way is which."

[North]

Tyz

Welllsh ish nothin here ish real? Lesh jish leave him here fr now. Ish all the shame rish? Tyz drops the unconcious Erilith in the corner of the hallway room. We can alwaysh gesh him if we finsh a better shpot rish? And thish might even be the exsish. Proshblem sholved! Lesh go eshplore! The barbarian begins weaving his way down the hallway to the new door.

Spoiler

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OOC: Translations just in case
Well if nothing in here is real, lets just leave him here for now. Its all the same right. We can always get him if we fins a better spot right? And this might even be the exit. Problem Solved! Lets go explore.

[Toliudar]

Spoiler

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Apologies. I thought someone else would chime in, and then lost track.

Having dropped off his unconscious comrade, Tyz pushes open one of the pair of massive, ornately gilt doors at the far end of the hallway, to reveal...another hallway. This one runs to his right - to his left, there is a lovely gilt end table with a lantern and some empty wine glasses, below a massive multi-paned window showing the roiling grey fog beyond.

The passage to the right is huge - easily 30' wide, with a ten feet wide red carpet down the middle, impeccably clean. Lanterns in sconces every twenty feet or so give a simple aura of elegance to the long long passage.

Opposite Tyz in the passage is a simple single door, painted to resemble the walls but with a handle clearly showing. About a hundred feet down the passage, there are two single doors to the left, both highly decorated. Just beyond those two doors, the ceiling dips to half it's height - still plenty of room for all to pass under, but strange nonetheless.

[Proven_Paradox]

Duran moves behind Tyz and looks through the hallway with a confuses expression. "The architecture of this place is so... strange." He enters the hallway slowly, as if expecting something to attack him (because he is).

[GimliFett]

Oberon

"That would be an understatement, Duran Duran,", Oberon comments dryly with a nod and a slight smile. He follows behind the dwarf, eyes scanning.

Spoiler

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See the Unseen still active.

[North]

Tyz

Yesh. Ish a bit crazy here, aint it. Supposesh that means we cant loot as much? Tyz says as he lurches into the hall. Hmmmf the big door first then? Big door. Big room right?

[Diarmuid]

Jonah

Still not feeling entirely well after the "meal", Jonah has been following behind the party looking around, longing for something that seemed "real" and/or "familiar".

Though he was concerned at leaving someone behind, he knew he certainly wouldnt be much help in bringing him along.

Peering through the doors, he looks right and left and merely shrugs, pointing directly across to the door in front of them,

"That one seems as good as any at this point."

Not really sure why, he draws his long sword from its sheathe and takes a measure of comfort from it's familiar feel in his hand, though the heft seems off and it feels heavier to his arm than normal.

[Toliudar]

The four men stand in the massive hallway, their keen senses alert. There is a faint whisper of a breeze floating from behind them down to the far side of the hallway, but all is otherwise silent.

Spoiler

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Nothing showing up on Oberon's Invisi-Dar.

Just to clarify, the three doors you can see - all on the left hand side - are all about the same size. The closest door is a little less obtrusive, because it's painted to blend in with the wall, but they're all about 7-8 feet high and 3-5 feet wide - pretty standard for more elegant homes of the time.

[GimliFett]

Oberon

With a thin smile, Oberon nods to the halfling. "Try knocking first, Tyz. It's best to utilize some manners, non?"

[North]

Tyz

Shure. Ill be verysh polite. Tyz walks over and bangs bodily into the door.

*Bang*

Tyz notices Jonahs sword out. Thash a good idea toosh. Shafety firsh. Tyz grabs his own blade and raps on the door with it. Helllllloooooo? Ish anyone in theres?

[Proven_Paradox]

Duran winces a bit at Tyz's yelling. He puts his hand on the hilt of his warhammer nervously.

[North]

Tyz

Wellsh I dont think anyonesh home. Tyz opens the door and looks inside.

[Toliudar]

The door opens with a push, sticking only a little. Beyond is a large and sumptuous bedchamber. A pair of nightstands with gold candelabra flank a massive bed on the right-side wall, with silk sheets and a sumptuous coverlet. The far wall has a stout wardrobe and footlocker, and a small window on the left side shows more of the grey fog.

A swarthy and barrel-chested man has apparently just risen from the bed at Tyz' knock, and he is startled but smiling. He speaks with a strange and archaic accent.

Good evening, gentlemen! How may I help you?

Spoiler

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Spot checks, please. Oberon and Jonah would both recognize his accent as being related to that of the fae.