1) The Haunted House

[OGRE MAGE]

Into the Haunted Mansion

After seeing nothing through the windows and hearing no more rustling, Vhing warily leads the entire group into the dilapidated house.

The place looks even worse from the inside. There are cobwebs everywhere and the whole place reeks. Plaster is falling from the walls and ceiling in several places. The wooden floor is rotting and squishes under your feet. Trim is falling off the walls and there is water damage in many spots throughout the place. Dirt and rubbish is scattered about. There is clear evidence of rodent and intense insect infestation.

The hallway is 5 feet wide, allowing only a single file line through at once. The ceilings are ten feet high and there is mould growing on them in several spots. As the group advances, three closed doors can be seen lining the dingy hallway. No noise can be heard coming from any of them but, there is a strange whirring sound coming from somewhere above you.

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The hallway turns and continues on towards the front of the house into what must be a grand entrance hall. Most of the front windows are filthy but still in tact so the light is much better in that area.


Single file order
Vhing
Alec
Jervis
Ermulf
Jónas
Danny
Keilif
Doubtful
Burly
Ben

[ravenn4544]

Ben offers in an urgent whisper, "Ware the floor! I've seen a ships deck like this once - it was Squib who found out the hard way though. Crashed right through the rotted boards into the Bosun - was the beginning of the end for 'ol Squib!"

[coil23]

Doubtful

Whispering to Keilif in front of him, Pass on to the front of the line: any floor signs of foot traffic anywhere?

[Mant72]

Keilif:

Doubtful

Whispering to Keilif in front of him, Pass on to the front of the line: any floor signs of foot traffic anywhere?

Keilif passes Doubtful's caution on to those in front, and immediately steps to the left once the group enters into the main chamber. His attention is then drawn to the ceiling, looking for the source of the strange whirring sound.

[Stirling]

Vhing Cranepool

At the front of the line, whispers get to Vhing to look for signs of passage in the dust. He turns around and nods, indicating with two fingers almost poking his eyes that he will search ahead and waves a hand over the floor as if scanning for something in the dust and rubble. Pointing to the corridor doors behind him he waves a couple of adventurers to go investigate as he steps forward, looking left and right and down on the floor and up at the ceiling. If he can he will make it to the front doors he will.

The strange sound above, Vhing has seen ceiling windmill fans before in grand houses (of ill repute), does the noise stem from a gadget like that or is the noise moving and fluttering about like wings?

If needed: a Vhing d20 roll = 7

posting this as Keiliff also writes. With Keiliff being 7th in line, if six step into the hall in front of you, we won't find any footprints but our own. Do you prefer to check out the room next to you instead?

[Mant72]

No, I still think we should stay together if possible. I'll just wait for those in front of me to go in and then follow with the actions of my previous post.

[Nordbo]

Danny Cruester

squints his eyes and peers alongside the floor surface to look for where the sagging areas are, to work out the location of the underlying beams, and if so, try to keep to those parts and avoid rotting midsections. Him and the other fellas sometimes used to play chase along the rafters of his uncle's fish factory - perhaps this balancing skill could come in useful here. He drops the tea cup fragments somewhere to his left.

[hedgeknight]

Ever curious, when Burly comes to the door on his right (in the corner), he leans in close to see if he hears anything, and if nothing, he tries the door knob to see if it will open.

[wolfpack]

Jervis just stays attentive, TRU TEMPER at the ready.

[OGRE MAGE]

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The undaunted Vhing proceeds through the hallway and enters the area in the front of the house. From there he can see more hallways and more doors. There is also a once beautiful, but now rotting and rickety stairway that leads up to the second story. The railing is broken off and almost completely missing, but most of the steps are still intact. There are the remains of what must have been a small table and chairs lying on the floor in one corner.

The filthy windows in this front area let in far better natural light so the half-orc uses it to look all around the area before continuing. In about the middle of the room, he spots what might be a trail in the dirt and dust of the floor. When he follows it, it seems to turn and lead up the steps. The whirring sound is definitely coming from somewhere above. It sounds like it might only be the breeze blowing through the upper parts of the old house because the sound is clearly intermittent.

The rest of the group continues down the hall behind Vhing. Burly can't control his curiosity as he reaches out to turn the knob on the door in the corner of the hallway. The rusty knob creaks loudly as it turns in his doughy soft hands, indicating that the room beyond is not locked.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

Seeing nothing of interest in the main chamber, Keilif rejoins Burly to investigate the room he previously passed along the way.

I definitely think we should try to clear a level at a time so that we we are not caught unaware by possible baddies and so that we don't leave anything behind.

[wolfpack]

Hearing the npise of the knob turning jervis spins around

Come at me demon!

When he sees it is Just Burly he continues on with Vhing

[Stirling]

Vhing Cranepool

Vhing indicates the trail in the dust which leads upstairs. "We can explore that later,"he says to buddy Jervis. Indicating to follow, Vhing will go back down the north corridor and into the western room. If the door is locked he'll just whack it open with the hammer. "Surprise, surprise,"he calls trying to look menacing.
If the room is empty, Vhing will shrug his shoulders disappointed not to catch the tea cup trapper.

"Well they know we're here anyway," he retorts go any 'sushing' and pulled faces behind him.

[hedgeknight]

The rest of the group continues down the hall behind Vhing. Burly can't control his curiosity as he reaches out to turn the knob on the door in the corner of the hallway. The rusty knob creaks loudly as it turns in his doughy soft hands, indicating that the room beyond is not locked.

Burly turns the knob and pushes the door open...

[Nordbo]

Danny Cruester

tiptoes along solid floor areas to inspect "the remains of what must have been a small table and chairs lying on the floor in one corner". Are they non-rotten enough to be disassembled and laid out up across the stairs, to strengthen the surface ?

[coil23]

Doubtful

Doubtful follows Burly and Keilif so as to keep the group in clusters.

[Urson]

Alec

At the moment, Alec is holding position, watching as people head different directions. He'll move toward whichever sub-group appears to need help.Do NICHT split the group!

[coil23]

Doubtful

We could explore two rooms at a time. Each room explored has one person who stays out in the hall from that door and the hall monitors stay in sight of one another. Anything happens the monitor calls out and we can immediately regroup in the trouble room.

[Stirling]

Vhing Cranepool

"Good idea boss,"Vhing replies to Doubtful as he stands in the door frame. He continues by pointing a finger at himself and three nearby buddies."Eeny meeny miney mo, on the guard you will go...oh yeah Danny is by the front door. He'll guard us."With that, Vhing will step into the room.

[Spectreman17]

Ermulf Jormundson:

Ermulf, half hoping to be selected as lookout, but not wanting to kids his chance to explore, follows Vhing close behind as they enter the next room.