Gormenghast

[Someone]

"Thank you, Eo." says Chronius. "We may have something to do here, and we already know the way back, so you may return" adds in a tone that suggest he´s not just being kind. Then he tells the grogs to clean the place and look around for signs of someone having been here recently, and look for something that could feed a fire -enough to warm the party, at least-

Stinged by the wet clothes, he has to wait until Eo leaves to use a simple spell to dry them*, though the stain remain in place. A thing he has to live with, so he tries to keep that out of his mind for the time being.

"I´m starting to think Ambrosius used this pace to extract Vis. The source should be near, and he did the harvesting on summer, for what we know. Let´s see if we find some clue..."

*That´s a Perdo Aquam spontaneous spell, without fatigue. I don´t remember the numbers right now, but I suppose it should be fairly low level. Do it outside the building, so his warped magic doesn´t damage anything.

 

[Yair]

Eo issues a sound somewhere between "ahemm" and "phew", and returns whence you came.

There is no clear source for firewood at sight aside from the furniture (which would actually make good firewood), which may not be so bad since there is no fireplace and the whole place is made out of wood.
The temperatures this deep into spring are pleasant compared to the harsh winters of the north, and at least during the day a fire is usually not necessary.

PeAq Spell: The place (on the outskirts of the city) has a Dominion 2 aura, and the spell is something like Guideline 5, -1 Personal, for a level 4 spell. Your total is (3 roll+4 int+12 Pe+3 Aq-2 aura)/5=4; barely, but you made it. Due to the low level, the side effects are very weak - a slight withering of a few nearby plants.

 

[arscott]

Since we've skipped over the scene where they meet in earnest, can we assume that chen has arranged to tag along with everyone else at least until they find Daniel?

 

[Yair]

Since we've skipped over the scene where they meet in earnest, can we assume that chen has arranged to tag along with everyone else at least until they find Daniel?

OOC: Fine with me. You can also continue the conversation in a "flashback", no need to stay at one time in a PbP. I am sorry I skipped the scene, but it seemed to be stalled. :\

 

[Strahd_Von_Zarovich]

victor awaits for Eo to leave, then he goes outside, near Chronius.
Little tricks of my own fellow wizard.'
With a wave of hand he turns into a black crow (my heart shape), Victor flies up to the roof and into the barn from the opening. he tries to find a sturdy spot that can hold him, he looks on everything from above, searching for something that maybe tell us a clue.
if he finds nothing Victor will circle the area around the barn for clues- the little marsh and behind the along the river.
(10 min. max) after it Victor returns with his findings to the rest.

 

[Someone]

Chronius also investigates inside the barn. Could the alchemical equipment be of the kind used to extract Vis? Or what other use could it have?

OOC: As for Chen, sorry if I´m confused about this, but, Is he a complete stranger, or does he have something to do with the covenant? I say this because I´m afraid there´s no way Chronius would allow a complete stranger to go with the party, witness him cast spells, etc, in the purest D&D tradition.

 

[arscott]

Chen isn't affiliated with the covenant (yet), but he's met magi before and knows enough to identify you as one. He's been hired to deliver a letter to Ambrosius (whom he likewise knows to be a magus).

 

[Yair]

There is little besides dusty surfaces and bird dung on a cursory glance. The more perceptive of the party [Perception 9+ roll] will notice that things were left fairly well-ordered, and by the looks of it haven't been moved for a long time.
A flight through the area reveals the marsh to be a strange one - the plants in it aren't like those in nearby areas (many you don't recognize), and you get the distinct impression most animals aren't there right now. It's also shaped strangely, from a bird's eye it seems almost like a whirlwind frozen in time, with the "barn" at it's center. But you don't spot any obvious clue as to Ambrosius's whereabouts.
The alchemical equipment could indeed be used to distill vis from any plant substance. It may also be used to distill a plant extract, which can be useful at times as a component in a larger project.

Does anyone inspect the content of the chests? Does anyone use more magic to investigate?

OOC: arscott, you can reconstruct Chen as a Redcap if you want to make life easy for Chronius I can make life interesting for an isolated Chen and make make him useful for the PCs, but of course I won't force anyone's actions. * wonders off wondering if he should have allowed more time for Chen's dialogue with Sofia *

 

[Strahd_Von_Zarovich]

This area is strange, everything in the radius of that barn is like frozen in time and not like the rest of the town, the wierd thing fellow wizards that it seems that this barn is the center of all.
Victor asks the grogs to search for a hidden trap doors around the barn and open the chests.
There is an arcane mystery around here, maybe we need some magic to find it out?
Sofia, Chronius , what do you say .

 

[Someone]

"Of course there´s something magical here." answers Chronius, who then stops for a moment. Then he goes outside with the other magi, so the grog´s can´t hear them. "Now, our ´official´ mission stops here, so we have to think on something to say at the covenant, just in case, so everyone tells the same thing. The simplest lie I can think right now is that, having identified the Vis source, we recognized this was Ambrosiu´s working place. We noticed he has not been here for a couple years, so we wondered, and this is the tricky part, if the Vis was no longer safe or if something else happened with it. Understand? We were not worried about Ambrosius himself: we´re looking for his advice as a fellow wizard."