NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 7335915" data-attributes="member: 2012">Caerth is definitely not in his element. The 'box' is so sterile that he finds only what would expect in such a place. He does note that the sheets are clean, so it is unlikely Lord Ebal slept in it last night. There only a few wisps of dust under the bed's wooden frame.While Caerth checks the windows, Phar checks for other doors. The windows are shuttered tightly and the two doors -- the one they came through and another door that connects to a stone stairwell that spirals down -- don't look as if they have been forced."That door leads down to the kitchen," Sir Ghal says. "Father was a night-time eater when he was younger, but he's developed a stomach ailment that keeps him from eating nightly morsels."Ghal looks at the door and then to the side-table next to the bed. "He normally keeps the key there," the knight points to the table. "Perhaps he's fallen back into bad habits."Phar finds nothing else that seems out of place in the room. It is tidy but not immaculately clean. There are stacks of parchments and several ledgers tucked neatly in a roll-top desk. The fireplace has coals that are barely warm. An old broom sits against the single wardrobe in the room."A good thought," Ghal opens the wardrobe and rummages through the clothing. "Hmm, yes, his nightgown and heavy robe aren't here, nor is his night cap. He wouldn't go traipsing through the halls without them." The knight checks through the shoes and boots. "And his low boots are gone too."The knight suggest they check the kitchen and lets Caerth lead the way. Phar comes up behind Sir Ghal while Quinn and Aureus take the rear. They enter the kitchen through an old sliding stone door that looks like it has been used recently. In the kitchen, they find Marabelle and her small staff of two cooks hard at work, preparing for a late breakfast."What's this now, eh?" She chastises as Caerth comes through the door. Then she sees Sir Ghal, "Oh, young lord," she says with a curtsy. "What is it you need?""Have you seen my father this morning or at all last night?""No sir," she replies. "But we did go to bed early last night. A lot to prepare for today." She asks her cooks if they've seen the man and they shake their heads. "It's been ages since he's come down here in the night lookin' for morsels, sir."Aureus takes a quick look around the kitchen and finds another door tucked away in an alcove. It's locked. She deftly opens it before the head cook can object."Hey now, you, don't be unlockin' doors that don't belong to you! I had to search high and low for the spare key to that door so I could lock it this morn. Now, you're lettin' in a awful draft."A burst of wind pushes the door open and nearly snuffs out the cooking fires."This door was open this morning?" Sir Ghal asks."Yes, young lord," Marabelle replies. "Unlocked and open just a crack. I thought maybe I forgot to lock it last night and when I couldn't find the key in its normal place, I had to hunt for the other."Aureus tells Phar that something smells very bad from somewhere down below. The door leads into another spiraling stairwell."Father!" Sir Ghal yells. He rushes past Aureus and down the stone steps. "No! No! No!"You follow him down to the bottom where a strong wooden door that leads out of the manor sits partially ajar. There is a body wedged into the opening. A young boy who obviously has been crushed by the weight of the door slamming against him over and over. "Oh no, Castio!" Sir Ghal kneels down by the boy. "Who could have done such a thing? He was only twelve summers old!"The knight lets out a bellow of grief and then pushes the door open and rushes out into the morning light. "Father! Father!" He catches his foot in a rut and tumbles down onto the ground. "Please be all right... Lord Jalivier," he prays. "Please let him be alive."The boy looks like he's been dead since sometime in the middle of the night. The smell that is on him doesn't isn't the smell of decaying flesh. It is something else. Almost like a wet dog mixed with saliva and blood. The scent is strong and Aureus' sensitive nose easily tracks it beyond the boy's body. The hutaakan rogue leads the way down into a low gulch nearby where an old privy sits. The smell is awful. Blood and ichor mixed with bile and offal.Sir Ghal hasn't moved from the spot where he fell. He sits there with his head in his hands. He sobs and shakes his head. "Please tell me he's alive! Please?" He looks towards the group, now gathered in front of the privy.Aureus opens the door. The body of Lord Gar Ebal sits inside, torn to pieces. His neck and torso has been ravaged by some wild beast and his head hangs at an awkward position, broken. His eyes stare blankly at the ceiling. A large metal spike has been thrust through his heart, as well. Blood and offal are everywhere."Father..." Sir Ghal whispers. "Please don't leave me alone." The wind carries the words to your ears and his sobbing.</blockquote>

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