2) The Secret of the Haunted House

[hedgeknight]

Burly throws up his hands in frustration. "I can't believe you are just going to leave all this...this...you know the damn reavers stole it all in the first place!"
He stomps around, fussing and cussing, acting every bit the teenager he is, but...finally, once everyone starts to leave, hurriedly replaces all the books or other items in the bedroom (except for the oilskin coat), and with one final look at the all the probable loot, he shuts the door to the bedroom.
He grabs another sausage and gnaws on it, along with any other food that he can help carry out, and climbs the stairs out of the cellar. "I hope there IS a damn bunch of reavers and not just a bunch of wastrels with big balls who rob from the rich and hide it out in a haunted house!"

[Fulci]

Jónas Gillman

Jónas buries the length of silk he cut off earlier deep in his backpack - he certainly doesn't want to hand it over to the authorities! He got hurt on this "job", and it's his payment.

Then he checks the box with the live stirge hatchlings.

"Let's not linger here any longer... I don't want to be ambushed by pirates!"

"One thing I don't understand," he wonders while leaving, "is the goblins. What were they doing here? Are they with the smugglers? Or were they trying to loot the house?"

[Stirling]

Vhing Cranepool

" Vhing bursts out in some spontaneous laughter, wagging a finger in the direction of Keiliff."and Miss Juli told you to watch over me in case I corrupted the group. Well I am not taking responsibility for your misdemeanours. We shall have to blame the brandy. This party has the worst bunch of tea-leafs I seen!"

[Mant72]

Keilif:

Responding to Vhing, "I am not your keeper, nor am I responsible for the way in which you court death as a paramour. Stay if you will. These pirates shall show you no quarter."

[wolfpack]

Jervis

After getting the cask upstairs Jervis will come back down the get the Bolt of silk and bring it up

[coil23]

Doubtful

Doubtful will arrange goblin corpses (and their weapons) and one musician's to look like the aftermath of a battle.

Time's a wastin'. Everyone up and out of the room now so I can tip over the water barrel.

Once the others have gone back up to the first floor Doubtful will tip over the water barrel and go up the steps to join them.

[Urson]

Alec follows the group, heading upstairs and making sure the trapdoor is closed.

[OGRE MAGE]

It sounds like the group is in agreement to finally leave this room?

Just so you know, I have a few loose ends to tie up in the private threads and then I will post the next actions.

This is gonna be good!

[ravenn4544]

Ben has been searching the walls behind the beds in the main room when you suddenly see him frantically waving his arms. As loud as a shouted whisper as he dares, "Avast! Everyone topside - now! someone approaches from behind this wall!!"

Ben will quickly drop what he is doing and rush back up the ladder to regroup with his mates to seal off or defend the opening to the basement...

[OGRE MAGE]

The Great Escape

The goblin bodies are brought below and arranged in a fashion that looks like they fell in battle. The one that Alec decapitated appears especially horrible as it is being reposed.

One by one the group starts to fall in line with Doubtful's suggestions, despite the grumbling and whining from two of his fellow members. The casks of brandy and bolt of silk are hoisted out of the room, up through the narrow staircase opening. Nearly everybody grabs a little something for themselves while Burly tries to take everything that isn't nailed down before coming to his senses.

Jonas has his silk bundle and box of stirges. Keilif fills his wine skin with the strong brandy. Alec takes the dead mans broadsword. Even Doubtful absconds with a bit of the bread, fruit, and meat. Danny and Jervis simply help get the spoils out, not interested in the thieving antics of most of the group.

Meanwhile, Vhing takes the dead mans horn and dagger, stashing them on his person. He also tries to pilfer the bread, glass jars of honey and the other preserves, along with all of the remaining fruits and nuts. He doesn't really have the strength to carry any of it up the stairs but, the pigheaded orcman refuses to comprehend this simple notion.

As the last of the group is climbing out, Ben suddenly bolts from the southwest corner of the room towards the stairway, trying to grab Doubtful along the way. He tells everyone to move their asses up the steps as he has just heard voices coming this way. The group makes it up into the raucous laughter room (4) and closes the hatch behind them. As soon as the moment calms and the comrades catch their breath, the group hears another shuffling noise coming from the direction of the entrance hall.

Actions!

One action per player, please!
I feel like some of you aren't listening.

Injuries:
Jonas, slightly
Vhing, seriously

[coil23]

Doubtful

Straining to hear more details to figure out what fresh hell is coming their way now, Doubtful freezes in place for a moment.

Then he gestures to indicate that one escape option, if needed, is going out onto the patio and over that wall to the house grounds.

His eyes dart around trying to locate Shoo-Fly in case a quick grab-and-toss might be needed to get kitty safely away.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

Keilif stands stock still at the sound of the shuffling. He mutters a silent prayer to Shiliel that the group can escape this place before the reavers return.

He repeatedly adjusts his grip on his mallet, mainly to console himself rather than out of necessity.

[Stirling]

Vhing Cranepool

"Well any reavers entering the bunk room will be in for a shock. Might take them a few rounds to sort through any mess before they dare explore above. Enough time for us to slip away and hide. Not enough time to run the miles to town though. Maybe hide but where? Least likely place they'll search is probably upstairs, so we exit through the patio, run round the house, go through the kitchen and hide in the attic."

In Vhings' mind, the idea is not as mad as it sounds. Eager to move and not be caught standing still, Vhing will go to the patio door and remove the wedge put in place previously, opening the door onto the patio.

[OGRE MAGE]

can you make a thread and post the map as explored so far. i do not remember which room is room 4.

Yes, I can, but not until I get home.

This is the last post that I had the map in.

viewtopic.php?f=318&t=5221&start=340#p237638

The noise sounds like it is coming from the upper floor, somewhere near the top of the stairway in the main entrance hall. (1) You can also hear muffled voices now, one of them sounds familiar.

[Fulci]

Jónas Gillman

Jónas stops fiddling with his box o' stirges.

"Let's leave through the patio door... but then don't go back to the house, Vhingg, we would be in grave danger!!"

He leaves through the patio door after Vhingg.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

Snapping out of his paralyzing fear, Keilif quickly leaves through the patio door. He crouches down on the other side of the wall and listens intently, hoping the familiar voice will speak again so that he may place it.

[OGRE MAGE]

While some decide to freeze, others decide to flee. Before anyone gets too far, the group hears the voice of their old friend Ermulf.

Psssst.......Guys.......Is that you?

It is now obvious that Ermulf and whoever he may have found were the ones making the noise in the other room.

[hedgeknight]

Burly readies his rolling pin and says nothing...just in case Ermulf is being held prisoner and forced to come after the group.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

Hearing Ermulf's voice, Keilif re-scales the wall and drops down onto the patio. He responds in a whisper, "Ermulf,... is that you? We need to be gone from this place." He anxiously waits for his companion's response.

[OGRE MAGE]

Ermulf speaks again, a little louder this time.

Ya, it's me! Duh! I am out in the main hall! Where are you guys hiding?

Come and see who I have found!!! A real life adventurer!!! You know, like we want to be! He has already told me some secrets about this place!

Wait......please tell me that you left that a-hole orc down in the dungeon?