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Ravenloft-Beyond the Mists
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<blockquote data-quote="SolidSnake" data-source="post: 912" data-attributes="member: 102"><p><strong>October 7th, 747- "The only thing we must fear, is fear itself"</strong></p><p></p><p>The foyer of the enormous mansion contained a large ballroom and a winding staircase that led to an upper level balcony, which overlooked the dance floor. Hallways led off to the right, undoubtedly to more rooms. The staircase had various designs worked into the rail, the most noticeable being nymphs in revealing positions. The red carpeting that ascended the staircase seemingly blanketing the entire second floor. A chandelier of antlers provided the only source of light in this morbid house as it swung hypnotically back and forth; its meager light illuminating a small door off to the side of the staircase. </p><p></p><p>"Where did he go so quickly?" the worry in his voice blatantly obvious. </p><p>"Let's check the first floor and then work our way up." </p><p></p><p>With every step, the floorboards creaked and lightning illuminated the shadows for a mere second. The experience was unnerving. Both of the holy men clutched their symbols for strength as they made their way to the first door. Monsette stood ready with his sword as Sam prepared to fling it open and shed the light of Justice upon its inhabitants. Empty. The next door; empty. They were all guestrooms that were devoid of furniture, save a dilapidated bed and nightstand. Strange...Making their way down the maze of hallways led the pair to a private garden. A flagstone trail led out of the glass double doors, meandering towards a broken fountain filled with sludge. The men looked at each other knowingly before grimly heading upstairs. </p><p></p><p>Monsette thought he heard something when he reached the top of the stairs, but he couldn't quite make sense of it. As the pair explored the rooms on the second level, they began to note the opulence of this house's former inhabitants. A grandiose balcony overlooking the front lawn, a collection of rare books, a study filled with strange artifacts, and enough rooms to house a small army. So why is it that no one lives here? The sound became more and more audible…like breathing, as if someone was taking wheezing breathes! Sam's knuckles went white with the strain of his grip on the rapier he was carrying. </p><p></p><p>"Let's get downstairs Sam, I have had enough of this." </p><p> </p><p>Sam didn't even bother to respond as he hurried to plow a path down the stairs, towards the door. The locked door had no effect on the Knight of Justice as he barreled himself into it and bounced off with equal force. Rubbing his shoulder as he got up, Sam suggested trying to hack their way out. Monsette couldn't think of a better idea, so they got to it. As the steel tasted the ancient oak doorway, it drew blood..black blood. This only made the pair hack faster. With every stroke, more blood seeped from the doorway and pooled at the feet of the men. So busy were Sam and Monsette that they did not notice the puddle of blood conglomerate and shoot forth a tendril. Sam barely managed to twist to the side as a stream of black liquid burnt its way through his armor and skin. In a scream of rage Sam thrust his rapier into the puddle of black ooze and watched the steel of his blade hiss. Monsette brought his sword down upon the creature with similar results before attempting a new plan.</p><p></p><p>"Sam, keep it busy!"</p><p></p><p>Backing up a distance, Monsette began to light a torch as his friend battled the amorphous abomination. Sam was in desperate need of help by the time Monsette was ready to carry out his plan.</p><p></p><p>"Sam, stand back!"</p><p></p><p>In one deft movement, Monsette hurled a flask of oil and the lit torch at the creature. Both men watched as the flask exploded on contact, showering the abomination with oil before the torch ignited the fluid. The energy emitted from the reaction was enough to throw both men to the ground and catch Monsette's cloak on fire. With some help from Sam, that problem was quickly extinguished.</p><p></p><p>"You can't escape. She won't let you!" </p><p></p><p>Monsette and Sam new that voice all too well. Turning around slowly, they saw their suspect out on the middle of the dance floor. Monsette would have been tempted to view this as irony...if he was a violent man.</p><p></p><p>"What are you talking about," Sam demanded impatiently.</p><p>"You are doomed...DOOMED!"</p><p></p><p>Keeping a level head, Monsette responded: "You said that before. Why don't you make this easy on yourself and give up?"</p><p></p><p>The angry Knight of Justice was on the verge of rushing the madman when the lights from the chandelier simply vanished, blanketing the room in darkness. Monsette thought he heard a strange gurgling sound just before the lights came on again. The room was empty again; the killer nowhere in sight.</p><p></p><p>"Where did he go," Sam asked anxiously.</p><p></p><p>Monsette was about to give a encouraging answer when he noticed something on the far wall...something was leaking out of the stone. The investigator approached, unable to contain his curiosity. Upon closer inspection, Monsette realized it was blood...blood was dripping from the wall! The priest tried to back away, but the dripping turned into a spray of blood that engulfed him and the rest of the dance floor. Slipping and sliding in panic, Monsette managed to get up with help from a very frightened Sam. They were making their way off of the polished wooden floor, when Monsette noticed that the blood began to move. Tendrils were snaking their way back and forth across the floor and then stopping at fixed position...they were spelling something! The blood was spelling something!</p><p></p><p><em>"Y..O..U......A..R..E......D..E..A..D" </em></p><p></p><p>Monsette had never cursed in all his years of life. It was simply uncivilized to curse; something that barbarians would do when they couldn't find the proper words to describe their feelings. Ignorance was no excuse for bad language after all. Given time, the right word could be found...that rule was quickly suspended.</p><p></p><p>"Sam let's get the f**k out of here NOW!"</p><p></p><p>Sam needed no encouragement to yank the poor investigator off of his feet and drag him towards the staircase. As they began to ascend, the floor began to crack upwards under the force of some unseen pressure beneath the house. Where the fissures occurred, pale green light would pour from the wound like puss. The breaking floor and green light only lent Sam strength as he began to run up the stairs with Monsette right behind him. Both men made their way towards a window they saw on the second floor that spilled onto a balcony overlooking the front yard. The screams they heard coming from down the stairs were not human...could not be human. It was the scream of pain; pain that had been festering for centuries. Monsette put his hands to his ears as he ran, attempting to block out the distraction. Sam simply barreled into the glass doors and bounced off again, like he did on the door.</p><p></p><p>"Not again," Sam shouted in frustration. "Quick Monsette, help me! Monsette, this is no time..."</p><p></p><p>Sam's voice trailed off as he saw what Monsette was staring at. A black humanoid mist was hovering near the top of the staircase, simply staring at Monsette. Its face was nothing more than an ebony skull lit from within by a malevolent reddish light. Sam pushed the catatonic priest of Viminau aside and boldly challenged the specter with his silver holy symbol. The creature's response was not pleasant: it reared back and flung its face forward...this had interesting consequences. As the creature's face approached Sam's it became more corporeal and more demonic in nature, while it screamed unearthly tones. Sam's holy symbol, a silver cross, melted all over his hand, searing his flesh where the metal came into contact with him and causing him to cry out in pain. Sam's screaming snapped Monsette out of his dazed state, allowing him to hurl his sword at the glass doors directly behind them before the specter was upon them. As the glass shattered, Monsette flung Sam through the opening and pushed him right over the side of the balcony. The investigator wasn't sure if it was him grunting or if it was Sam as the earth came rushing up to meet him...it didn't matter. In a matter of moments, the two men were up and running towards the fog encircling the house. Monsette ran and ran until he felt his lungs were on fire. Panting, the older man asked for the younger Sam to stop.</p><p></p><p>"I...can't...run...anymore. Let's...stay...here for a...while."</p><p></p><p>Sam was still wild eyed from the experience and eager to continue running, but he settled down next to Monsette after a few moments of unrest. There the two sat, in the middle of the fog, for quite sometime. Monsette didn't know how many hours or days had past, but eventually the fog cleared and the two found themselves in a thick pine forest. It was close to the edge, because Monsette could see the break in the tree line through the branches of the trees. Sam was helping Monsette to his feet when he heard a snap off to their left. Monsette nearly fell to the ground as Sam wheeled towards the sound and brandished his blade. Not more than fifty feet away from them were two figures. One was a frail man with ragged blue robes and the other was a mountain of muscle, adorned with every weapon conceivable.</p><p></p><p>"Identify yourselves," Sam yelled defiantly.</p><p></p><p>As the strange group neared, the man's face seemed to brighten at Sam's threat.</p><p></p><p>"Thank goodness! We are back in Nymbardax! The nightmare is finally over Shinlaiden, we are free."</p><p></p><p>Monsette collected his thoughts as he stood up and brushed the foliage from this clothes.</p><p></p><p>"I don't know where you think you are sir, but we are a long way from home."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SolidSnake, post: 912, member: 102"] [b]October 7th, 747- "The only thing we must fear, is fear itself"[/b] The foyer of the enormous mansion contained a large ballroom and a winding staircase that led to an upper level balcony, which overlooked the dance floor. Hallways led off to the right, undoubtedly to more rooms. The staircase had various designs worked into the rail, the most noticeable being nymphs in revealing positions. The red carpeting that ascended the staircase seemingly blanketing the entire second floor. A chandelier of antlers provided the only source of light in this morbid house as it swung hypnotically back and forth; its meager light illuminating a small door off to the side of the staircase. "Where did he go so quickly?" the worry in his voice blatantly obvious. "Let's check the first floor and then work our way up." With every step, the floorboards creaked and lightning illuminated the shadows for a mere second. The experience was unnerving. Both of the holy men clutched their symbols for strength as they made their way to the first door. Monsette stood ready with his sword as Sam prepared to fling it open and shed the light of Justice upon its inhabitants. Empty. The next door; empty. They were all guestrooms that were devoid of furniture, save a dilapidated bed and nightstand. Strange...Making their way down the maze of hallways led the pair to a private garden. A flagstone trail led out of the glass double doors, meandering towards a broken fountain filled with sludge. The men looked at each other knowingly before grimly heading upstairs. Monsette thought he heard something when he reached the top of the stairs, but he couldn't quite make sense of it. As the pair explored the rooms on the second level, they began to note the opulence of this house's former inhabitants. A grandiose balcony overlooking the front lawn, a collection of rare books, a study filled with strange artifacts, and enough rooms to house a small army. So why is it that no one lives here? The sound became more and more audible…like breathing, as if someone was taking wheezing breathes! Sam's knuckles went white with the strain of his grip on the rapier he was carrying. "Let's get downstairs Sam, I have had enough of this." Sam didn't even bother to respond as he hurried to plow a path down the stairs, towards the door. The locked door had no effect on the Knight of Justice as he barreled himself into it and bounced off with equal force. Rubbing his shoulder as he got up, Sam suggested trying to hack their way out. Monsette couldn't think of a better idea, so they got to it. As the steel tasted the ancient oak doorway, it drew blood..black blood. This only made the pair hack faster. With every stroke, more blood seeped from the doorway and pooled at the feet of the men. So busy were Sam and Monsette that they did not notice the puddle of blood conglomerate and shoot forth a tendril. Sam barely managed to twist to the side as a stream of black liquid burnt its way through his armor and skin. In a scream of rage Sam thrust his rapier into the puddle of black ooze and watched the steel of his blade hiss. Monsette brought his sword down upon the creature with similar results before attempting a new plan. "Sam, keep it busy!" Backing up a distance, Monsette began to light a torch as his friend battled the amorphous abomination. Sam was in desperate need of help by the time Monsette was ready to carry out his plan. "Sam, stand back!" In one deft movement, Monsette hurled a flask of oil and the lit torch at the creature. Both men watched as the flask exploded on contact, showering the abomination with oil before the torch ignited the fluid. The energy emitted from the reaction was enough to throw both men to the ground and catch Monsette's cloak on fire. With some help from Sam, that problem was quickly extinguished. "You can't escape. She won't let you!" Monsette and Sam new that voice all too well. Turning around slowly, they saw their suspect out on the middle of the dance floor. Monsette would have been tempted to view this as irony...if he was a violent man. "What are you talking about," Sam demanded impatiently. "You are doomed...DOOMED!" Keeping a level head, Monsette responded: "You said that before. Why don't you make this easy on yourself and give up?" The angry Knight of Justice was on the verge of rushing the madman when the lights from the chandelier simply vanished, blanketing the room in darkness. Monsette thought he heard a strange gurgling sound just before the lights came on again. The room was empty again; the killer nowhere in sight. "Where did he go," Sam asked anxiously. Monsette was about to give a encouraging answer when he noticed something on the far wall...something was leaking out of the stone. The investigator approached, unable to contain his curiosity. Upon closer inspection, Monsette realized it was blood...blood was dripping from the wall! The priest tried to back away, but the dripping turned into a spray of blood that engulfed him and the rest of the dance floor. Slipping and sliding in panic, Monsette managed to get up with help from a very frightened Sam. They were making their way off of the polished wooden floor, when Monsette noticed that the blood began to move. Tendrils were snaking their way back and forth across the floor and then stopping at fixed position...they were spelling something! The blood was spelling something! [i]"Y..O..U......A..R..E......D..E..A..D" [/i] Monsette had never cursed in all his years of life. It was simply uncivilized to curse; something that barbarians would do when they couldn't find the proper words to describe their feelings. Ignorance was no excuse for bad language after all. Given time, the right word could be found...that rule was quickly suspended. "Sam let's get the f**k out of here NOW!" Sam needed no encouragement to yank the poor investigator off of his feet and drag him towards the staircase. As they began to ascend, the floor began to crack upwards under the force of some unseen pressure beneath the house. Where the fissures occurred, pale green light would pour from the wound like puss. The breaking floor and green light only lent Sam strength as he began to run up the stairs with Monsette right behind him. Both men made their way towards a window they saw on the second floor that spilled onto a balcony overlooking the front yard. The screams they heard coming from down the stairs were not human...could not be human. It was the scream of pain; pain that had been festering for centuries. Monsette put his hands to his ears as he ran, attempting to block out the distraction. Sam simply barreled into the glass doors and bounced off again, like he did on the door. "Not again," Sam shouted in frustration. "Quick Monsette, help me! Monsette, this is no time..." Sam's voice trailed off as he saw what Monsette was staring at. A black humanoid mist was hovering near the top of the staircase, simply staring at Monsette. Its face was nothing more than an ebony skull lit from within by a malevolent reddish light. Sam pushed the catatonic priest of Viminau aside and boldly challenged the specter with his silver holy symbol. The creature's response was not pleasant: it reared back and flung its face forward...this had interesting consequences. As the creature's face approached Sam's it became more corporeal and more demonic in nature, while it screamed unearthly tones. Sam's holy symbol, a silver cross, melted all over his hand, searing his flesh where the metal came into contact with him and causing him to cry out in pain. Sam's screaming snapped Monsette out of his dazed state, allowing him to hurl his sword at the glass doors directly behind them before the specter was upon them. As the glass shattered, Monsette flung Sam through the opening and pushed him right over the side of the balcony. The investigator wasn't sure if it was him grunting or if it was Sam as the earth came rushing up to meet him...it didn't matter. In a matter of moments, the two men were up and running towards the fog encircling the house. Monsette ran and ran until he felt his lungs were on fire. Panting, the older man asked for the younger Sam to stop. "I...can't...run...anymore. Let's...stay...here for a...while." Sam was still wild eyed from the experience and eager to continue running, but he settled down next to Monsette after a few moments of unrest. There the two sat, in the middle of the fog, for quite sometime. Monsette didn't know how many hours or days had past, but eventually the fog cleared and the two found themselves in a thick pine forest. It was close to the edge, because Monsette could see the break in the tree line through the branches of the trees. Sam was helping Monsette to his feet when he heard a snap off to their left. Monsette nearly fell to the ground as Sam wheeled towards the sound and brandished his blade. Not more than fifty feet away from them were two figures. One was a frail man with ragged blue robes and the other was a mountain of muscle, adorned with every weapon conceivable. "Identify yourselves," Sam yelled defiantly. As the strange group neared, the man's face seemed to brighten at Sam's threat. "Thank goodness! We are back in Nymbardax! The nightmare is finally over Shinlaiden, we are free." Monsette collected his thoughts as he stood up and brushed the foliage from this clothes. "I don't know where you think you are sir, but we are a long way from home." [/QUOTE]
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