|| NIGHT 002: GENERAL
INDOORS:
The Chore Board has again been wiped clean of the day's assignments, though two messages do remain. A notice informs those who wish to earn another day's wage that there is lumber to be cut and delivered to the hearths throughout the castle. Another informs those who are willing and able that daytime will bring a hunt, and those who volunteer for it will attend the guards outside the walls and be paid a double wage.
All who did their chores during the day will find their wages in their trunks, and anyone who participated actively in all of the chore groups will find that their wages are double.
Each guest, upon returning to their assigned bed, will find a small, neatly wrapped cloth parcel awaiting them. The fabric is clean and of good quality, and is tied closed neatly with a bit of twine. Within it is a small sprig of dried mint and lavender, a bar of pleasant smelling soap, two small candles that smell sweetly of herbs when lit, a small spool of sturdy grey thread, and three shiny needles stuck carefully through a small strip of gray fabric. There is no sign of where these gifts might have come from, and every gift is the same.
Inside the castle there are hundreds of lit candles crowding all the windows, the wax pooling on the sills and dripping down to the floors. The hallways and rooms are chilly and dark save for these candles, but the warm glow of the little flames does keep some of the cold away, and there is a sense of safety in staying close to them. Like any childhood fears of the dark might come alive if you stray too far into the castle.
The prisoner sleeps within the house, though she will rouse if any of her rescuers attempt to gaze her attention. She is often prone to cradling faces and frowning as though puzzled by their appearance, or perhaps trying to place them.
Roaming the empty halls tonight is the Silver Gentleman; the ghost seems to be wandering in a silent fugue, often not even showing awareness of people until they pass within arm’s reach. If the ghost is touched or effort is made to get his attention, he is still potentially dangerous, but if a guest is fairly quiet and leaves him be, they can pass safely. Sam and Kaito will find themselves safe in the ghost’s presence so long as they wear the charm, although contact with the heated metal he wears is still not advised.
The Basement is completely dark. Though nothing can be heard or seen lurking on this floor, there is a feeling of foreboding and warning, that perhaps you shouldn't go down those steps tonight.
OUTDOORS:
As dusk draws near, the light snow that has fallen during the day becomes heavier. Bits of sleet mixed in make the roadway between the castle and the town more dangerous for those who wish to travel, though the gates remain open and the party in the square seems to have altered as night has crept over it.
The paths down to the town have been lined with torches. An effort is made to keep them lit, though the heavy snowfall will occasionally put them out. Bonfires have been set up at the four corners of the square, with another at the center of the dance. The heavy snow hisses as it falls into these fires, but the square itself is warmed by the flames and the press of the dancers. Meat roasts over the fires, spits being turned by yapping dogs, fat hissing as it too stokes the flames. The cheerful dancers will often step away to slice themselves a portion away from the carcasses. Those daring enough will find that no one will stop them should they wish to cut themselves a little bit of the dripping meat.
These fires are constantly tended by several enormous creatures with bullish masks, who chuckle if help is offered but will allow anyone who wishes to try to lift their axes. Even those with added strength will find these axes too heavy to pick up from the ground, and might find themselves in the circle of several of the bull-masked men if they try for long. Though their laughter is rawkus, they pat and guffaw over those who dare to try with obvious good humor. Trenchers full of roasted roots sit near to the fire, also easily attained.
Other cloaked figures crouch at the furthest reaches of the flames, hidden in the dark of the night. They play games of skill and chance, and will allow any who wish to join their games. They play for odd trinkets as well as money, and those who risk the games might find themselves down a few silver, the tip of their tongue or the joint of a finger. But the treasures they might win are certainly worth the nearly tangible risk.
The dancers sway, the tune becomes more hurried, and other dancers have appeared dressed in garish colors and brightly painted masks. Some of the dancers cut alien shapes in the squares, their shapes too large, or their bodies too long, a few are hunched and twisted, and others wear what seem to be furry gloves upon their hands but they dance all the same, grasping their partners in the winding steps. The Jester appears entirely good humored as he plays for the crowd, and many more than seemed to occupy the town have occupied the square. The tramping of boots cuts through the quickly falling snow, and seems to make the ground tremble.
The booths at the side offer hot drinks that taste of spice and warm the belly, though those who drink too much will find themselves drawn into the dance, unable to remember that they might have been doing some other thing. The dancers will not harm them, but they will not allow them to leave.
Curled up against the Well is a pitiful figure, a tired mess hidden in a traveller's cloak made from rough material with the hood drawn deeply over their face. A closer look will reveal the face of a human, perhaps a woman, of indeterminable age - the fleeting, uncertain impression is not helped by the way this beggar turns her head away and keeps her eyes downcast, although she will extend her hands to anyone who's willing to give her plight a second look to ask for any scrap of food or coin they can give. Her skin is very cold, her fingertips and uneven nails having taken on a slight shade of blue. However, there is no shivering.
A graceful bird slightly larger than an eagle sits on one of the roofs, feathers dark orange and glowing faintly in the darkness. The bird watches anyone who comes near to the house, and will shriek loudly should anyone outside of a small group attempt to enter. Those who press the matter may even find themselves attack by the creature's knife sharp claws.
Those who wander away from the towering bonfires will find themselves in a world that seems to have donned a fine gown of pristine white, draping the houses and business and gleaming on the road.
On those roads are strange horses that seem barely more substantial than the snow they appear from, white bodied with opalescent eyes and filmy manes that are finer than silk. They seem unusually interested in those who have dark pasts, approaching them curiously if they wander away from the fires. They will nuzzle at hands and faces, wafting cold breath over already chilled fingers. Those who have held little darkness will find the horses disinterested in them, and should such a pure soul exist that they have never suffered a hardship, they will find that they can barely see the horses at all.
The horses seem uncertain about attempts to ride them, though they will not object to someone trying to gain a seat upon their backs. Their bodies are oddly warm to the touch of those who risk it, and any who linger in their presence long will find that they feel lighter, and unburdened by the darkness of their past, though their memories remain.
The Guards seem uneasy with the beasts, and will try to draw away any that they see lingering near to them for very long. They will make no move to attack the creatures, but they do give them a name. Frost Nags, they call them, though they will offer little more information than that.
The paths of the garden are nearly impassable with the snow, though those who wander them might notice another set of footprints in the snow. The footprints are small and the outline of the toes is clearly seen. Occasionally, a print can be found speckled with blood, but most of them are completely clear. Should anyone start to follow the footprints they will eventually find a small boy sitting against a wall. He is at most ten years of age, and his clothes are ragged tatters, his feet are bare, and his eyes gaze at nothing. His face is strange, half gone to hard, rigid scales of a pale blue, and half clear and human like. He cries softly for someone the guests do not know, though his tears have frozen into tracks on his face.
His touch is as cold as the snow, and seems to bite into the skin of those who dare to touch him. Those who let him grab hold of them will find that the cold becomes dangerous quickly, and that his grip is almost impossibly strong for a small child. If they are alone, it would be easy for this ghost to freeze them to death.
Other creatures lurk the outdoors, creeping on the edges of the town and the yard. The glass dogs had returned, revelling in the snowfall, and prowling the perimeter looking for stray travellers. The beasts are hungry and look for stragglers; anyone who travels alone will find themselves soon overcome with a small pack of the needled dogs. Groups larger than two or three people will find the dogs less inclined to interfere with their passage, but as the night goes on and they get hungrier, they also get more desperate. Desperate enough to attack and draw blood even if it kills them.
A little boy is seen sometimes with these dogs, loping along with them on misshapen limbs to follow them. He too feasts on the fallen travellers, but cries openly as he does so.
In the garden the Green Man seems to have gone dormant; snow has collected on the figure, enough that he may be mistaken for some sort of errant shrub if not for a vaguely humanoid shape and one crow that is keeping close, often perched on the mass of plants.
The Stable boy has snuck out some extra feed and treats for the animals in the stables and outbuildings tonight, and can be spotted slinking along as he talks quietly to them and encourages them to get through the long night. A lot of the animals seem particularly alert - often reacting to things unseen and unheard, snorting or whining softly in response to things nobody else quite seems to hear. The stable boy, however, seems understanding enough.
|| THREAT DOWN
1. The Cells 2. The Carpenter's Room 3. Porcelain Bedroom 4. Glassmaker's Room 5. Tapestry Bedroom 6. The Pottery Room 7. Basement Generator Room 8. Torture Chamber 9. Basement Hallway 10. The Hole 11. Basement 12. Basement Passage 13. Stone Washroom 14. Wine Cellar 15. Women's Quarters 16. Empty Dorm 17. Common Hallway 18-27. Dorms
1. Receiving Room 2. East Hallway 3-8. Small Parlors 9. Collector's Library 10. Grand Hallway 11. Grand Dining Room 12. North Passage 13. Castle Kitchen 14. Pantry 15. Common Room 16. The Steward's Room 17. Steward's Bath 18. Southwest Passage 19. The Musicians' Parlor 20. Throne Room 21. Guard Passage 22. Captain's Quarters 23. Soldiers' Barracks 24. Soldiers' Bathing Area
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allthekeys) wrote2015-12-18 09:56 pm
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Assuming he heals enough to go walkabout, Mukuro is going to try one of skill games ONCE and I'm gonna pray he doesn't end up with a disaster again. (Rolled 33 in chat.)
Meanwhile Murtagh is joining in the hunt for the next day.
And Kaito will want to try speaking to the Silver Gentleman, the orange bird in town, and the crow near the Green Man. o/
Regarding the BEGGAR, both Kaito and Murtagh will leave a little something for her. Some money in Kaito's case, a trinket in Murtagh's (some feathered charm or something).
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She will also spend some time staring at the orange bird in town and fingering the bangle of feathers in her hair, wondering if they're the same.
She'll share the parcel of smoked meat she won during the day with the Beggar, wondering if it's the same woman as the prisoner and trying for idle conversation.
As well, she'll wander out just a little bit to see one of the Frost Nags and pet it's neck and cheek.
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the beggar will get a coin and hot cider from a stall.
she is also mounting a frost nag after giving it an apple.
She will also get a bowl of stew for Tyler and raw meat for the glass dogs.
...I'll have an open that sums it up in a bit but all in all a busy night o/
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He will also be joining the hunt for the day time.
The Frost Nags will also get a few treats and pats from him.
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During the night he will give the Beggar two silver coins, as well as the fur-lined hat from the items given to the servants that morning.
Naturally, he’ll also be slipping into that house where the Prisoner is to check on her… and probably attend to the last of his burn injuries while he’s in there because there are less chances of random people walking in on him than in the dorms or castle.
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He has no need for money (or so he thinks) so he gives all of his current earnings (10S,100C) to the Beggar. Along with a pep talk.
MAURICE:
After making his rounds, he'll notice the Jester out at the party and attempt to play along with him with his new guitar for a song or two.
A Frost Nag will take a liking to him and attempt to eat his hair because horses.
He will also attempt to lift an ax of one of the masked beings because he does want to help and MAYBE assert himself a little. Look how strong he is!!! But once he realizes he can't do it and they start laughing, he sheepishly bows out.
ROMAN:
He will sit and watch the gamblers for a couple of hours before daring to join in for a single round. He offers up a scale he plucked from his own tail in hopes that its origins will be mysterious enough for them to find it valuable. If denied, he'll wuss out. If they let him.
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