|| NIGHT 006: GENERAL
As night closes in on the castle, the guards at the gate seem to grow increasingly anxious. They peer out into the fog and pace contentiously. Just before dusk gives way entirely into the dark of night, one of them clearly spots something and a great deal of shouting is undertaken before the gates swing open.
Tanny brings her horse through at a canter, her cloak and boots mud splattered and an unfamiliar canvas sack hung at the back of her saddle. She and the three guards who accompanied her make their way to the courtyard, where the guards dismount and salute her. She turns her horse away from the offered help and guides him into the Garden, clearly intending to give him some time to cool down.
The Guard Captain makes his way swiftly inside, mounting the stairs at something that nearly approaches a run.
As the night falls, the Scaled Boy gets to his feet, making his way back inside. His shoulders are slumped and his head is down, and he does not lift his gaze to look at anyone as he walks inside. He enters the Steward's Room and does not appear for the rest of the night. The door is locked if anyone tries to go after him.
The wind picks up again with dusk, although it is mostly a warm breeze, with an occasional harsher gust blowing through the courtyards. Much of the debris has been cleared from the courtyard and grounds, although a few muddy patches still linger from the fast thaw of the previous night.
The townsfolk give the setting sun a few nervous glances, hurrying to retreat into their homes with the sound of locking and barring doors.
As night falls the Crows begin to settle, many finding their way into the closing houses. By the time night has fallen fully, not a single black feather can be seen out and about. In the windows of every house and shop a single candle has been left lit. Someone has even gone into the Tailor's shop and lit a light in the window, though anyone entering the bordered up house will find no one in residence. There is a sense of presence they cannot explain, and anyone who has been inside before might find that a few items in the upstairs area have been moved.
Kaito will be sought out by two of the crows as night falls, with another, slightly larger bird with white patterning of feathers arriving with Gilly after messages have been exchanged.
Both will stay close to him during the night, though the larger crow refuses to approach or to let herself be handled. Neither will enter the Rose Cottage, though those who are sheltering within it will often hear the soft sound of pipe music just outside the windows. Rose herself has lit a candle in the window, as the other houses in the town have. She seems somewhat melancholy tonight, though she is quick enough to shake off the mood to speak to the residents of the house.
In the Market Square of the Town, there is a bonfire lit, with stakes and spits around it for roasting meat; a few of them seem to have rabbits and small game on them, while many of them stand empty. Several large kegs of darker wood than any associated with the castle or the brewery stand nearby with rough wooden tankards at the ready. Phantom music plays with no visible point of origin or any sense of real direction, and shadowy figures seem to have a revel going, colored fabric draped loose obscuring their frames - although those looking closely will notice something not quite right about the way the figures are moving.
The Drowned Woman stands amongst the merriment, but seems mostly confused by the revelry. While she is not near to any particular source, she does move about--if slowly, and if dripping water along behind her, creating damp trails across the Square. She is a little slow to react tonight, but clings fiercely to those that make the mistake of coming too close.
The path between the castle and the town is well lit and the Guards walk it at regular intervals, as the torches there seem to have an uncanny habit of going out. Beyond the circles of light they provide, strange moats of light float a few feet above the ground, involved in some intricate dance. Something hunts them in the darkness, as they, like the torches, keep going out.
It will hunt those who venture beyond the lights as well, though it does not enter the garden. Those who encounter it will only remember a flash of white teeth in blackness before they find themselves waking on their beds. The occasional howl can be heard, and the sound is occasionally answered from somewhere in the castle.
The Gargoyles patrol the walls, main courtyard, and the stretch of road between the castle door and the main gate; the creatures seem to be in a particularly foul mood, and will lash out at anyone passing nearby with careless swipes that are still enough to break bones and shred flesh. Those who walk next to the guards on their patrols will be able to pass without incident.
They avoid the Gardens, and the vines that drape over the adjacent walls of the garden will occasionally reach out to entangle and snare them.
Within the Garden itself, everything seems to be agitated, the plants not only growing and greening unusually quickly but grasping around as if feeling for anything in their surroundings. Anyone over 18 who is not dramatically nonhuman will find themselves attacked by plants that grow thorns, irritating spines, and worse that regrow when wounded, while Shadow will find the plants unnatural strong and hostile if he approaches. Younger characters or those that are very nonhuman will find the plants opening a clear path and closing it behind them. Those who take up this invitation will be led to any one of a small handful of secluded glades with trees and flowering bushes sheltering from the rain; vines with flowers that glow gently grow around these glens, while some of the bushes have edible fruit. Simba will find the living plants making attempts to provide as well, trapping burrowing rodents and some larger insects.
In one of these glens, the Girl from the Gold Bedroom is beginning to stir, although she remains tired and disoriented.
All female residents will find on their trunk a small velvet bag holding a jeweled collar, and a rather lovely piece of parchment, folded and sealed with wax. Each holds the same message. "Join me for a meal." At the bottom of the note are two way seals, red for yes, and black for no. A choice must be made before midnight arrives.
The Sirens continue to mill about the halls, but something seems to have agitated them. Feathers are ruffled and they look upon everyone with suspicion. They still will not harm any women, however, but men are still often in danger around them. Whatever has distracted them has not stopped them from acting as escorts for the time being.
There is a note on the board in the Common Room:
Take notice: Tomorrow's chores will NOT be required. All staff will continue to receive their usual wages, regardless of participation in their assigned tasks.
The room itself is unusually windy, despite the lack of any windows. Anyone who remains in the room for more than a few minutes at a time will find miscellaneous plates, bowls, and tableware being hurled at them with violent force. The effect becomes more persistent with time, and the longer they stay, the harder it is to avoid getting hit. A bell can occasionally be heard ringing throughout the room, but it is difficult to track, and never seems to stay put for more than a few seconds.
Something is pounding on the locked door to the Steward's Quarters.
Anyone in Dorm 20 at nightfall will see a dark cloaked figure leaning over Soubi's sleeping form, one hand resting gently on the boy's head. The figure vanishes before anyone can approach, but the boy has been carefully tucked into his bed, the blankets pulled around him. A new, brightly colored blanket has been lain over his sleeping form.
The Basement is nearly entirely dry, though traces of mud remain where the stones have not been scrubbed clean. All of the water has vanished, save for what remains in the Pit, though the water there is mostly still. If someone stands at the side of it for too long they will see ripples spreading outwards from the center, waves lapping nearly silently against the sides. Near the pit, a large fire has been built that doesn't seem to be putting out any heat; a guard stands watch nearby, warning any "servants" away from it and the scaled forms huddling in among the wood fuel.
The workers beneath the grate are once more on their feet, hard at work amid the steam of their task. They seem to move a little bit easier after the rest provided by the day, but the work they do is obviously hard.
The Executioner is once again showing signs of agitation as he moves through the Basement. Something about the Cells seems to be bothering him, and so that is where he’s found, sometimes still but often moving in his too-quick way around the room in response to something only he can sense. Although he does leave on occasion it seems ill-advised to investigate what exactly is the cause of his frustration.
However, any who do will find disturbances in the dirt surrounding the Cells, to a point where dust has risen the air, leaving a haze that is not very comfortable to breathe in. Occasional tremors can be felt beneath the feet of any who walk there as they stir up the dust. The floor has sunk slightly in some spots.
In the Tapestry Room the woman moves about easily, checking for any dampness among the shelves. Her bundle is knotted carefully to her chest, settled comfortably between her breasts, and she seems to barely feel the weight of it. She hums to herself as she works, sorting spools of thread and finished projects. The project that she was working on during the day has revealed itself to be a well tailored jacket, and sits folded neatly on her bed.
While night has freed the guests from their tasks, the Cook and the Grey Maids are still hard at work in the Kitchen. They seem to be preparing for a meal, and there seems to be some urgency to it.
Despite that, a pile of moist roots and new greens, as well as some odd shaped fruits and nuts, have been left on one of the side table. The Cook snarls at anyone who gets close to them.
The door to the Gold Bedroom has closed and locked; occasionally licks of flame curl around it that do not seem to do any harm to the castle.
The Gem Bedroom door is also closed; occasionally the door rattles as someone seems to be pounding and scratching on it to escape.
The Zoo appears to be empty, but in the storage room the occasional noise is audible still; the attentive may find a narrow door tucked back in among the bins that hangs open, leading to a short set of stairs and a wide room with large metal cages. The various creatures normally kept in the zoo along with a few others have hunkered down for the night in the cages; most are uncomfortable at any unfamiliar approach. One cage in particular, however, seems filled with darkness, and those in the room will hear familiar voices calling to them from the cage - friends and loved ones not present in the house, frightened and begging for help.
Throughout the halls of the First and Second Floors, a large beast prowls the halls. The creature's crimson fur hangs in ragged patches over blackened bones; its body is too long for a canid, but too long-limbed for a feline, with a long tail heavily tufted with longer fur and long claws on each of its paws. Its muzzle is long and wolfish save for a pointed short horn straight forward from its nose, and it has long pointed ears that swivel to track sound; empty eye sockets have little more than small sparks of flames within. Flames have replaced its internal organs, leaking out its jaws and the holes in its fur. The Tyger moves with the speed of a wild beast, quick to hone in on noise made within the hallways or give chase to anyone unfortunate enough to catch its eyes.
Soubi, Alma, Hibari and Murtagh receive doubled wages.
|| 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
1. Main Hallway 2. Silver Bedroom 3. Silver Bathroom, 4. The Storage Room 5. Upper North Passage 6. The Barren Room 7. The Sandstone Bath 8. The Motley Room 9. Collector's Library (Upper Level) 10. Head Bedroom 11. Museum 12. Colonial Study 13. Plush Bathroom 14. Locked Room 15. Glass Gallery 16. Mural Bedroom 17. Round Bedroom 18. Gem Room 19. Jungle Bedroom 20. Locked Door 21. Marble Bathroom 22. South Passage 23. Exotic Zoo 24. Servants' Room 25. Magpie Bedroom 26. Slanted Bathroom 27. Fortune Hunter's Bedroom, 28. Locked Room 29. Crystal Bedroom 30. Crystal Bathroom 31. Gold Bedroom 32. Gold Bathroom 33-34. Open Parlors 35. Music Box Bedroom 36. Enclosed Orchard
Courtyards and Grounds
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allthekeys) wrote2016-04-22 08:56 pm
no subject