Burrow opens his mouth to apologize, but seems confused by the dwarf's teasings... The usually talkative mephling closes his mouth and shrugs his shoulders, moving back to the door to see if Rupert, the hounds, and Claw are coming along.
Claw, who seemed to be watching the spot where the ghost was only a few moments before, finally senses that his friend is looking for him. Shaking his massive head, the dire badger moves over to the door, looking warily back to the graveyard every other step.
The room across from the library appears to be another empty bedroom, in the same shabby condition as the rest of the place, though the bed in this one doesn't sport large stab wounds. Blade and Zoe do a quick check of the room and don't find anything more threatening than some dust bunnies of an unusual size lurking under the furniture.
Vlad moves into the library only to be summarily ignored by its sole occupant (as long as he doesn't try to take the book it's eating away from it or prod it with a sharp object). The worm thing watches the coming and goings of various people with mild disinterest, making little grunts of pleasure as it gnaws contentedly on thick tome. It seems quite incapable of communication as all attempts to talk to it are met with blank stares and more chewing noises. Looking at the books themselves, Vlad quickly discovers the truth of Kiaros' words-- there are multiple copies of the same books, many of which were of dubious value to be begin with, information or entertainment-wise. Who needed four copies of all ten volumes of "The Temptation of Elminster" anyway?
In the next room (C) over, Kiaros and Flaust find another largish chamber that appears to have once served as an alchemist's laboratory of some sort. It is dominated by long tables covered with glassware and tools, most of them broken or rusted past the point of use. Various containers from bottles to jars to barrels line the shelves, labels faded and peeling from years of neglect.
The dogs follow Donner and Claw inside, with Rupert bringing up the rear. The kobold still has the little dagger Blade handed him out, and he looks around the entry room nervously, eyeing the ratty tapestries as if he was afraid they'd come to life and eat him. Lots of things ate kobolds. Why not malevolent wall furnishings?
Flaust:
[Flaust rolled Spot 19+11] As she is sauntering down the hallway towards the last room on the left, the subtle glimmer of a planar portal coming from the door at the end of the hall catches her eye.
OOC: As a point of clarification, Serpenteye, the unusual concentration of negative energy is only found in the little graveyard in the courtyard; the manor doesn't possess any excess negative energies.
And my apologies to any Elminster fans-- just a bit 'o gentle joshing there...
Slowly making her way down the corridor, Zoe stops at the next door to the right and opens it to check the interior.
“This doesn't look like there is much to find here, except for dust and dirt. I hope this lead isn't going to turn into a dead end. Maybe there is a flight of stairs leading down somewhere?”
Zoe has put her sword back into the scabbard on her back meanwhile.
"Well, let's check out the rest of the building before we go knocking on walls and floors, shall we?" Blade suggests, and takes the next room on the right.
In the next room (C) over, Kiaros and Flaust find another largish chamber that appears to have once served as an alchemist's laboratory of some sort. It is dominated by long tables covered with glassware and tools, most of them broken or rusted past the point of use. Various containers from bottles to jars to barrels line the shelves, labels faded and peeling from years of neglect.
Kiaros, noting the decrepit state of the room and with neither knowlege nor interest in alchemy, makes a cirquit around the room, then moves on. Using his unual methods me begins searching for hidden rooms or compartments in the walls and floor.
Kai.... O? Flaust turned to see where the ghosty-elf was, but guessed he had gone off on one of his "search for more things that are 'obviously SO MUCH more important' jaunts". She walked down the hall and stood before the "glowy door" a finger tapping at her lower lip in contemplation.
A glowy doorthing! Now, I have to do something here. Yes, something important and urgent. Umm.... No, I washed my underwear before I left the Cage, and besides, I haven't worn their other side yet. Hrm... Now what was it again?
The girl jumped in the air with realisation and a whoop(!) and straightened herself, readying to open the door and see what was on the other side. Before she could decide whther it was worth her while actually going through, that is.
Burrow pokes his head into the lab, hoping that maybe he can find some rare herbs or something of the sort. 'Won't hurt to look...', he thinks to himself.
Blade, Vlad, and Zoe poke their heads into the next room (E) to find yet another empty, dilapidated bedroom. As manors go, this one certainly is repetitious.
[Kiaros rolled Search 7+18=25] Fwooshing through the walls and floors, he finds no secret chambers or compartments in the laboratory... just a few mouseholes that aren't even worth the dried rodent droppings in them.
[Burrow rolled Int 12+0=12] Alchemy wasn't exactly his strong point but as Burrow peruses the laboratory shelves, he suspects that like the library next to it, this room is mostly for show. It seemed to be missing a few vital components, like braziers for heating mixtures or scales for measuring compounds or a number of those bizarre twisty glassware he always saw in other labs. He does find some mild salts and acids among the bottles on the shelves, though not the full complement of chemicals and reagents one would expect.
The mephling exits the lab, brow cocked, and quickly catches up with the others. "There be somethin' wrong here - all of this seems more fer show than anythin'. Multiple copies of books in th' library, the lab's not properly stocked in any manner - t'is as if someone was tryin' ta make this place seem to be something that it is not..."
