Night 003

[allthekeys]

|| THREAT DOWN

|| NIGHT 003: GENERAL As night grows closer, the guests will find that the guards and servants are gathering in the courtyard, clearly waiting for the return of the hunters. The woman in the feathered cloak and the Jester have joined the gathered watchers, though the woman seems somehow uneasy. Most of the townspeople have also gathered, standing silently alongside the snow covered lane, eyes resting upon the gates. Kaito will find himself swept along in this gathering, with the guard who has been following him keeping a hand on him at all times, though the guard is not particularly rough with him. When the gates open, the servants seem to gather themselves, watching as the force makes their way through the area. The Captain dismounts from his horse, and the bird that had guided them sweeps to the ground in front of him, becoming a girl scant moments before she would have landed. The girl is young, dressed plainly, with long blonde hair and sharp grey eyes. The moment she appears, all in the courtyard sink to a knee and Kaito will find himself dragged along with the guard who still has hold of him. Those who joined the gathering or returned from the hunt will find themselves with no compulsion to bow, though they will be able to see that they likely should. The girl turns red at once, cheeks ruddy and blotchy with the blush, and seems entirely at a loss for what to do with the show of deference. The feather cloaked woman offered the girl a small smile and makes a lifting gesture with her right hand, which the girl mimics after a clearly confused moment of finding herself in the spotlight. The guards and servants rise, the approaching second and the captain turning to involve the girl in their brief, quiet conversation as the feather cloaked woman moves to join them, draping a fur lined cloak around the child before she can even start to shiver in the snow-filled air. She nods to the woman, and then to both guards before moving to the doors, which open to allow a grandly dressed woman to exit before they can reach them. The woman is odd, her face seeming to catch and reflect the light. The Steward stands at her shoulder, arms crossed over his chest and seemingly smug, as though he has caught the girl at some mischief and will soon see her punished. No words are exchanged between them, but the girl seems to gather herself, marching straight towards and past the woman without looking at her. The woman screws her pretty face up in a scowl, opening her mouth to speak before being interrupted by the girl. "They do my bidding, mother. Do not bother them. There are other matters for you to attend." The girl does not pause, the feather cloaked woman in step behind her, bright feathers sweeping out behind her. The woman scowls, but turns to follow the girl without another glance at the assembled. The Steward follows her back inside the castle, the doors closing behind them and seeming to free the gathered from whatever spell had caught them. Kaito will find himself guided upstairs. INDOORS: The halls in the wake of the woman and the girl have been filled with the Merry Gentlemen, and these elongated creatures are quick to make a grab at anyone who lingers for long in the First Floor's main corridors or open areas on the first floor. They will not enter the Kitchen or the Barracks and seem unable to fit in the narrower corridors that the servants use. These creatures are quite deadly, and seem to take a certain macabre amusement in catching those unwary guests. They do not offer quick deaths, but it is difficult to fight someone free of them once prey has been captured. The kitchens are full of activity, and for once the Grey Maids appear happy in their work. The blood is drained from creatures brought down on the hunt before the beasts are broken down, large cuts of meat being salted, others smoked, and still other dried over the ovens before being stored for the winter. Large vats of blood are mixed with grain and herbs and put in casings to make sausages, others are mixed with still more grains and herbs and cooked in fat over the fire. The maids are free with handing these tasty cakes to those who helped on the hunt, and even those who remained behind. A few times the women can even be heard laughing as they go about their tasks, and the stew on the hearth tastes quite good and is very meaty. The women are quick to refill bowls or to offer a desired tidbit to anyone who asks. The castle cats have shown up in force, rubbing around the ankles of those who currently occupy the kitchen, and the women who work there are free with hand outs of meat scraps and bones to these friendly creatures. Any pet or companion creature, or guest who looks sufficiently nonhuman will find that these women are just as free with scraps for them, and several times the guards can be seen making away with bones for the hounds. Though the kitchen is almost cheery, despite the night hanging heavily on the castle, the Basement is dreary and cold, even in the basement quarters for the workers the cold seems impossible to escape. Even bundled up in every scrap of clothing they own, the only place they will feel truly warm is in the kitchen. The Steward's Quarters is somehow even colder than the rest of the castle. The effect is intensified by a faint but steady breeze that seems to flow through the room--even though the window is tightly shut. All of the tables have been overturned, and the floor is littered with dirty dishes. The doors of the armoire stand open, and the clothing inside has been emptied out and ripped to shreds. The ledger, however, sits safely on the desk, open but unharmed. Anyone who approaches closely enough to inspect it will discover themselves becoming lightheaded, overcome with exhaustion, and finding it increasingly difficult to breathe as long as they remain in the room. Anyone who shares a room with Murtagh will hear and offended squeal and thud as night falls, and then bear witness to a pile of clothing rolling from beneath the bed. Whatever has found itself caught in this bundle seems quite displeased, squealing and making quite a lot of noise as it tries to wrest - and then burn -- its way free. Much more sedately and calmly another dragon creeps from beneath the bed, though it remains just within the shadow of it so as not to be noticed. There are other dangers in the Basement as well. The distant sound of screaming can be heard the moment one steps down the main stairway, and it can be heard muffled in the sleeping rooms. One of the Grey Maids sits on on the bed in the Women's Quarters, pillow pressed over her head as though to muffle the sounds. The Cells and the Torture Chamber are currently in use, every square filled with a person. Gargoyle's patrol the halls, even blocking the passage of the guards from deeper into the maze of passages. There will be no escapes tonight. Most in the cells seem shell shocked by their imprisonment, heads shaved of hair and bodies clad in thing grey rags. The grey of the cells seems to be seeping into them, and one man appears to have a face half made of stone or metal. They are unrecognizable to those who might risk passage. Another poor creature is currently being attended on the rack, her body extended beyond all possible limit. It is her scream that shivers through the cells, rising and falling in pitch as she struggles weakly against her bonds. Needles rest beneath her skin, and where the needles are, a grey stain seems to be spreading, engulfing her slowly. A dark man leans over her, occasionally adjusting the needles or finding some soft piece of fleece to pierce. He hums an almost jaunty tune, seemingly oblivious to her pained cries. Another man hangs limply from another device. He has been disemboweled, but his chest rises and falls, and the guts twitch with every movement. Nearest to the wound, his skin has gone grey and hard, cold metal where flesh should have been. Every breath he takes seems to spread the ghastly infection further across his skin. Chained to the wall in one of the cells is the Silver Gentleman. The heavier iron chains are attached around the ghost's wrists and ankles in a manner that seems to show little regard for the more delicate-looking silver chains, but not only does the silver seem undamaged, the iron has a faint heat-glow in the dim light. OUTDOORS: The snow has increased, heavy flakes eliminating visibility. The darkness further blankets the castle and the surroundings, and the guards do their best to keep people indoors. The Stable Boy is at work keeping the path between the stables and outbuildings and the castle itself at least reasonably open, but the task is made difficult by the heavy snowfall. His ears twitch irritably at the cold and the wind, but he stubbornly and as efficiently as possible keeps shovelling the snow away from the path that can only just be made out. In one of the larger stalls of the Stables, a couple of small Feral Deer fauns are play-fighting with the gryphon cubs. The horses that were taken on the hunt are brushed down, blanketed and walked until they can be safely placed within their stalls and fed, and the guards are quick to feed them warmed grain mash and warmed water. There seems to be a constant stream of traffic to and from the stable to check on the horses and the other animals currently being roomed there. All around the grounds of the castle, spatterings of black and red can be found in the snow; sometimes in small spots, sometimes large patches of snow and ice torn up with blood and dirt and grime. If one isn't careful while investigating, they will find themselves pricked by discarded spiky bristles. The Glass Dogs are on edge tonight. They are bloodied and battered and stay in a tightknit pack in order to protect themselves. The pups and the little boy Tyler stay in the centre, the adult dogs growling and snarling at any who approach. They are constantly on the move, not daring to stay in one place for long. The Hellhounds, too, are prowling. They sniff and scratch at the ground, following the scent of something. They don't run. They just keep moving, never tiring as they stalk their apparent prey. Anyone looking too closely will find that the hounds' mouths are bloodied, pierced with frost-like spikes. They don't seem to mind the pain. Those who risk the path to the town may find pieces of ice catching in hair and on their clothing. Though these burs of ice at first appear harmless, they are quick to begin to burrow into skin and beneath clothes, and can cause great wounds in the flesh as they do so. Because of the extreme cold of the burs they may not be noticed until they are firmly embedded in flesh. The skin around them will become inflamed and swollen, though no pain seems to result from the injuries. Thankfully these burs are only a little larger than a fingernail, but the wounds they leave can easily become infected. The only way to kill them is with heat, though the heat must be applied directly to the bur, which can be difficult once they become embedded. The square in the town is empty and the trash left from the revel has been covered with thick blankets of snow, drifts of it forming against the buildings. The Prisoner is moving slowly around the house she has been left in, sweeping leaves from the floor and cooking a small meal for herself on the hearth. It seems that someone has stopped by with foodstuffs, for their are clearly items that none of her guards remember leaving here before. She is easily distracted, and quite easily exhausted by her work, and naps periodically. || 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