Legacy of the Silver Dragon: Chapter 1 (Chickens, Demons, and a Missing Girl)

[Toric_Arthendain]

Myst stops at the gap in the floorboards, squats down carefully and takes a better look into the cellar. "Might want to stay back a little," he says to Muzdim. "I'm concerned that the floor here might protest if we are both standing on it."

 

[Voda Vosa]

"Good idea." Muzdim back pedals a few steps, standing on solid ground. From his now advantageous point of view, he tries to take the big picture, and spot anything peculiar.

 

[gambler1650]

"I believe I just may. Thank you, my lady." Perhaps 'great man' was too strong? He tries to act properly chastened, hoping to pacify, equally non-verbally.


Don't ask for an opinion. Don't ask for an opinion. *Don't* ask-


Antares' eyes snap to hers, growing wider, showing more of his brilliant green irises. She knows! "As- As would gulping down such a careful blending of tastes, my lady..." Then, hopefully: "Perhaps I could take it with me?"

"Mmm, I think perhaps you have a bit of the soul of a politician yourself, young master elf." is Lady Mirelle's response, the tone of which is coolly amused. "Thank you for your... patronage this morning. It was most enjoyable."

OOC: She and the other two women have no further attempts to keep Antares... so feel free to post your leaving and then your plan... I'll note that from a timing point of view, this would have taken less time than the other thread has.

 

[gambler1650]

At the Burned House: Bosco, Muzdim, Myst

Bosco is able to determine that the piece of fabric might be the hem of a dress. There's a piece that has a smooth quality, likely the lower edge, while the upper part is more roughly woven. He doesn't hear anything coming from the trap door. A glint of dull metal attracts his eye - bronze likely - beneath the wood that the fabric is caught on.

Myst can see that the cellar appears to not have a wall where there's one above it. While he can't see much to the left part of the cellar (from his vantage point where he entered) most cellars in Ascadar are one large room. The floor directly beneath the hole is relatively clean with some charred small bits of wood scattered about, but there's a pile of burned wood near the right side of the house in about the center of the cellar. The area under the trap door can be seen, and it too is relatively clean.

Muzdim doesn't notice anything peculiar about the room in general. Any personal items look to have been removed - by the watch, or by looters? The floorboards creak again, once as he moves away from Myst, and then stop protesting.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Bosco is able to determine that the piece of fabric might be the hem of a dress. There's a piece that has a smooth quality, likely the lower edge, while the upper part is more roughly woven. He doesn't hear anything coming from the trap door. A glint of dull metal attracts his eye - bronze likely - beneath the wood that the fabric is caught on.

Bosco carefully examines the trap door and tries to get a better look at the metal before opening the trap door. He had an uncle with a nasty sense of humor and this is just the sort of thing that Bolingbroke Bracegirdle would use as a trap.

 

[Binder Fred]

"Mmm, I think perhaps you have a bit of the soul of a politician yourself, young master elf." is Lady Mirelle's response, the tone of which is coolly amused.

He very much doubts that, if politics are anything like this day. Inklings of the diplomat, perhaps, but even then... During this time the young elf has risen as slowly as nerves will allow and stepped back a few steps. He now bows to each in turn, "Lady Challon. Lady Mirelle. Lady Esdha... Please do keep us in mind." By which he is unsure if he means the Company or elves in general. Possibly both.

Lady Mirelle nobly gestures, "Thank you for your... patronage this morning. It was most enjoyable."

He is dismissed.

Indeed, she and the other two women make no further attempts to keep him... and yet, just before he goes, Antares hesitates, tentatively turns back at door's edge, pushed by obligations all his own: "If I may, ladies of the tea salon, perhaps something- simpler for future elven guests? My herbal teacher, for example -" which is not how he would normally describe Teacher Dysare "- greatly favors sorrel this season?"

(And his dam treasures her carefully managed hoard of Hibiscus, it is true, his Sire's favourite, but he always found that strong-brewed crimson concoction much too flavourful as well -- if in an entirely different way...)

<Response ladies?>

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And then he is finally, finally out! And with most of his dignity intact! Fresh air has never tasted so sweet, speeding his steps across the street and then down the opposite board walk.

"So how did it go?" inquires Stellan, locking strides from seemingly out of nowhere.

Antares slows as he gifts his friend with a slightly bothered look: "A great help you were back there! And, it turns out that sitting with an unfamiliar sword strapped to one's waist is *not* as comfortable as one could have hoped!" Moments later and his heart is still beating fast within his breast!

"I was always there, my friend, ready to rescue you if you needed it." He smiles minimally, amusement dancing in his human eyes: "Isn't it lucky that you didn't need it?"

"Um," reluctantly concedes the young mage. But he is not really mad anyway. He looks back to the tea salon, voice growing thoughtful as he gathers his thoughts. "As to your question, it was... mostly puzzling. She did not seem to care overly of my opinion on tea, or, more surprisingly, of furthering her son's reputation. Well, that's not entirely true: she would lavishly compliment, but would not, in fact, discuss even generalities about young lord Jasen's plans for the town." A longer pause. "It comes to me, friend Stellan, that - though she seems a fine and terrifying lady... Could it perhaps be that those plans would not entirely favor one such as myself?" Heaven, but only heaven for some? From the confort of study and arcane tower, politics had always seemed such a faraway thing before... Could they possibly be so powerful as to have an impact on such an importat thing as his life...?

"Could be, but-" Stellan scratches his left temple, "this applies to demon chasing how exactly? Did you spot any other possessed bells in there?"

Antares blinks back to the present. "Ah, right. Quite, quite right. And 'no'." Though there was that magically warded door...

A last thoughtful look back at the salon...

OOC: So are there windows giving into the room where the warded door leads?

"We should, indeed, rejoin brother Myst and the rest of the Company." A smile suddenly lights his face, "but there will be much to talk about at dinner this day, and for days to come!" Speaking of, he makes a mental note to ask Mysthyr if he knows anything of lord Jasen, or, failing that, it is unfortunately inevitable that his sire and dam know much on the subject... He *will* have to resume contact at some point, won't he?

At some point in the, for now, distant future. "How do you think they fared?" he brightly inquires, angling their steps towards the group's last known location.

OOC: Head for Anna's friend's house, please. I'm hoping they'll either meet the friend returning from the burnt house or get information from someone who's seen them heading that way.

 

[Toric_Arthendain]

Myst carefully stands back up and skirts the gap in the floor, heading back to where Bosco examines the trapdoor. "I didn't see anything in the cellar through the gap in the floor that stood out as terribly odd but I suspect that a closer inspection is in order to make sure," the cleric says to Bosco. "Is it locked? I'd say that trapdoor is our best bet for getting access to the cellar."

 

[gambler1650]

At the Burned Down House

The trap door appears to be nothing more than a simple door with a wooden latch that could hold a lock, but doesn't. Therefore, likely it will simply open. Also, when Myst peered into the room below, he saw signs of the stairs that probably lead down - but they come down towards the 'left' of the house (compared to the direction Myst and Muzdim entered from).

Antares and Stellan

Lady Mirelle nods once with a murmured, "Thank you, master elf." to his suggestions for the tea, and then turns back to the conversation that appears about to start amongst the three women.

OOC: No windows appear to open into the area on the left side of the house where the warded door is.

OOC: For purposes of time, we can say that Anna's friend is helpful after a bit of reticence - but after all, she's already let the cat out of the bag, so it won't take much work to convince her - Stellan, likely is the one to have put her at ease... So feel free to show up at the other scene right around now.

OOC: And finally, I will be slow in replying for the next week or two, a family matter has arisen that I need to be paying the most attention to, though this comes as a welcome break. My responses may not be as imaginative and thorough as I would like however, so please bear with me.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

At the Burned Down House

The trap door appears to be nothing more than a simple door with a wooden latch that could hold a lock, but doesn't. Therefore, likely it will simply open. Also, when Myst peered into the room below, he saw signs of the stairs that probably lead down - but they come down towards the 'left' of the house (compared to the direction Myst and Muzdim entered from).

Using the blade of his dagger, Bosco carefully pries open the trap door, using a hand to control the speed that it's raised at and to halt it if the hinges squeak loudly.

 

[Binder Fred]

Just then voices can be heard coming from the front of the house, not too discreet voices as that: "-must be the house, friend Stellan... And there, indeed, is Master Stonehand standing within, just as fair Erenie indicated." Somehow the word 'unfortunately' seems to softly hang over the name of the dwarven priest -- tactfully unsaid, but present nonetheless...

"How goes the search for the missing girl?" asks Stellan, peering in. "Did we miss anything?" The morning search has been remarkably demon-free so far, but a damsel in distress or two would definitively liven things up!

Behind him and a bit above, Antares' bicolored head can also be seen as he stands on tiptoes, trying to see in as well.

<Response Muzdin and/or Mystyr?>