|| NIGHT 007: GENERAL
As night falls, a steady rain begins to fall upon the castle and its grounds. The towns people go about their business, turning up collars and recovering hooded cloaks from their dwellings with seemingly little concern for the rain or the night that has arrived.
There seems to be good reason for this, as the Night Market with its strange denizens has returned, and those odd creatures are busily setting up their stalls and booths, some setting up tents to shield their customers from the rain, and others not bothering, seeming to either enjoy the rain or simply not care that it falls. All manner of oddities can be procured here, as well as some rather common goods that seem to have no shop to be found in the town. A cobbler works busily beneath his tent, shaping leather for those who would buy shoes from him. His fuzzy ears flick as he works, bespectacled eyes seeming to peer through the darkness outside with little problems.
A child is playing near to a man as he sets up a stall. Candles, crystals and other, odder items being set out for sale. He never lets her meander too far from his reach, and watches warily as though fearing someone might snatch her from him. He also brings with him cartons of eggs, fresh produce that seems oddly out of season, and a few peeping birds tucked in cages. The steady beast that has pulled the cart has been provided with a mixture of hay and meat, its inky skin seeming to defy classification.
The bullhead giants are again at their game, throwing axes against a board, and are happy to let the houseguests pay a coin or two to join in, though the axes are heavy and made for their size. They guffaw loudly and easily remember those who played with them before.
The dice men have set up their games under the awning of one of the shops, shielded mostly from the rain. They too will welcome the guests to join them.
A different game of chance can be found nearby – a figure wrapped in a dirty old cloak, hood pulled low over his or her face, is sitting curled up by the next building. Though not very talkative, the person offers a simple game to those who care for it: bet something and get either twice back or lose it, depending on which of the two cards you pick.
The bullmen have piled a great bonfire in the middle of the square, and many of those who have spent their day working can be found there, spinning in a wild dance around it.
In the Night Market is a peddler with a Unicorn tied to his cart, and smaller one lashed in a basket. The little one is so young that its horn is still covered in velvet, and it bleats in panic, unable to escape the trap. He spends most of the time negotiating with two of the Eyeless Lads, occasionally stroking the tied beast with a possessive hand. She tries to bite him several times, kicking at him from time to time, though he is wise enough to stay just out of her reach. A dark haired girl sits miserably on the cart, and does not stir from her place there. Half of her face is covered in burns, while the other half is smooth and pleasing.
He has other small creatures trapped within his cart, ranging from simple goslings to a small basket full of the pups of some unfamiliar creature. He is willing to part with most for the right price.
A rather ancient cat woman with bangles woven into her fur sells tea and rice at her stall, as well as a noxious herb that lingers in the air around her. Her ears are notched with the scars of many years, though her skin is not wrinkly and she moves spryly about her little cart. Her stilted eyes seem to see more than is wished of those who shop with her.
Rose can be found at this stall early in the night, negotiating for some of her wares.
Strange, twisted figures that are entirely not human play raucous music for them to dance too, mouths that cannot quite close properly over their massive teeth gaping as they watch the dancers.
The merriment comes free to those who wish to partake of it, though the goods may prove to cost more coin than one is willing to spend.
In the Stables the Stable Boy is sitting astride one of the low doors, watching the flickering light of the bonfire. He makes no move to go down to the party, but he watches with some unspoken longing, long arms wrapped around his knees, ears laid flat against his head.
Within the castle, a group of crows, oddly draped with clothes and jewelry, seem to be engaged in a game of hopscotch on the stones. There are clear rules to the game, and any of the crows who dare to use their wings to make it over more squares are roundly scolded by their fellows and made to return to their place in the circle.
A few of these crows also maintain a watch above, and will loudly call if anyone they consider a threat to be approaching.
The Bleeding Child is wandering the halls, and the crows seem to dislike her in particular. She seems intent on finding Soubi and Simba and the crows seem just as intent in foiling her plans. They will pelt her with rocks and other small items, and swoop at her face, calling loudly to warn the boys of her approach. Both are welcome in their game, should they wish to join it.
A dalmatian is roaming the first and second floors. It seems intent on keeping a close watch on the guests, with one brown eye and one blue eye that never appears to blink. If anyone catches its attention, it will follow them in silence--however, it will try to maintain a safe distance and will flee from anyone who comes close enough to touch it.
The Jester has reappeared in the Throne Room though he seems a bit worse for wear, head resting listlessly against the neck of his instrument as he strums it. Beneath the white paint there are clear discolorations to his skin, mottled bruises that have not yet begun to fade. One of his eyes is swollen so badly it seems nearly impossible to see out of.
It does not seem that his audience much cares for his appearance. The people present are dressed up in finery, rich silks, furs, leathers and gemstones, but beneath the clothes their skin is dried and leathery, their bodies fixed and stiff. The breaths they take are ragged and mixed with low moans. There’s something incredibly pitiful about the way they’re forced to dance: slow, shambling, limping, and obviously pained.
A pair of Sirens can be found among the throng of people, easily spotted as the only fluid and natural movement in the room. They slow dance together, the one with shorter hair than most sirens holding the second, who wears braids in her hair. They do not take too kindly to being interrupted, but may react positively to those who have been kind to the Sirens in the past.
In the other throne from the Jester sits the Lady, and she’s quite disinterested in the Jester’s appearance or well-being. Her irritation is clear and seems centered on the Sirens, but she doesn’t do anything but glare at them as they move along the other dancers.
What she does do is appear to take some kind of offense when the finely dressed people finally stop breathing – and dancing. They become bodies instead of people, if what they were before in a barely alive state could even be called people at all, and the Lady looks upon this with distaste until they slowly, painfully, suck in gasping breaths and heaves and force themselves back to their feet to move once more.
The door to the Steward's room is locked again.
In the Common Room, the air is so thick that it is all but impossible to breathe. Anyone who lingers in the room will feel as though they are suffocating; staying for more than a few minutes is fatal.
In the Women's Parlor another scene is taking place, though this one far gentler than it seems the night should allow. Tanny sits on the floor in front of the feathered and masked woman, her clothes have changed and her hair is damp, as though she has only recently escaped a bath.
The woman is brushing her hair, humming a soft, soothing tune as she does so, and the girl appears to linger on the edge of dozing. Those who enter the room will find themselves beginning to feel relaxed, small aches and pains eased by the soft magic of the song, and greater injuries speeding their healing. The girl's hair seems to gleam with a light of its own as the woman brushes it, though neither seems to notice or care.
New gifts have been left for Lind, Rachel and Rei. For Lind there is a beautiful white feathered mask, dotted with fine pearls. For Rei there is a delicate lace fan, made of black lace and painted with peonies. For Rachel there is a short spear, the shaft of it made of a dense hardwood and the blade sharp. It is well balanced and without ornamentation. There is no note left with any of the items.
The Unicorns are not in the cages tonight. Instead they have been taken to the Orchard. Though normally they might appreciate the change of scenery, they are clearly in rough shape, and have both been tethered to heavy iron rings that keep them from getting close to each other. Their flanks and horns are covered with blood and some sort of thick, black fluid. One of them is making every attempt to scrape the substance off on the grass, tail flicking behind him in clear agitation.
The other seems to have given up, laying at the absolute reach of his tether, legs folded beneath him, head resting on the grass. He seems to be in worse shape than his fellow, and some of his wounds are clearly very badly infected, oozing a greenish puss that stains his white fur.
They are guarded by a pair of Eyeless Lads who seem to take some pleasure in tormenting them. One holds an apple just out of the reach of the one standing, taunting the clearly hungry beast.
Though the two will prevent anyone from cutting the tethers, they seem to find attempts to approach the rather dangerous creatures amusing and will not issue any warning to anyone who tries. Asch can approach the one standing with no issues.
The door to the Gold Bedroom has finally opened, although that exists in that room now is quite different. The furnishings and trappings have been restored, once more wood, cloth, and stone; however, a sheet of flames flickers across everything, somehow existing without consuming any of the material in the room. Anyone entering the room will find the heat unbearable and the flames very real. In the center of the room is curled the Tyger, head resting on its paws as though asleep - although it is fast to react if any linger too long in its doorway.
The Basement smells unpleasantly of a disturbed grave. The corpse within it rotting and foul, though the source of this disgusting odor cannot be found. It lingers throughout the night and cannot be banished.
In the Tapestry Room the young woman is clearly distressed by the odor, and keeps her baby wrapped within a thin blanket as though to block him from inhaling it as much as she can. He seems rightfully fussy about it, whimpering through much of the night as his mother tries to sooth him.
In the Carpenter Room the man has taken to burning chips of wood to try to block out the smell.
The young man in the Pottery Room sits miserably on his bed, holding his nose between his fingers.
The woman in Porcelain seems to be on the verge of smothering herself with a blanket, ears flat against her head.
The Glassmaker is huddled in blankets next to his kiln, and seems to be attempting to mask the smell with other smoke.
In the dorms, two new dragons have appeared, cuddled next to the Scaled Boy. He sleeps fitfully, waking from time to time to stroke the huddled creatures.
In the Library the man and his bundle have returned, but without the women that he is normally found with. He rocks his bundle carefully against his chest and whispers "hush" to it. Anyone who approaches him will find themselves feeling very sad, as if they have suffered some great loss. Tonight he does not seem to be stuck in his loop and is fully articulate.
The Library itself seems to have lost all of its malice for the night. Removing books will not make anyone feel scolded or judged, though there is a faint air of defeat among the shelves.
The Steward roams the upper hall, his axe dragging behind him on the ground. The metal grinds against the stone and he is trailed by a small, quite content pack of
Salamanders. They offer a rather lethal threat for anyone who might think to enter the third floor.
|| 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
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allthekeys) wrote2016-05-20 08:47 pm
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