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Post by hadopelagic on Oct 19, 2022 21:35:36 GMT -6
((OOC: Una asks John if he understands the howl, and then attempts to lower the portcullis by spinning the wheel; she also sings a little shanty. OK, it's the Wellerman song. Items: Candle))
Una froze; the howl sounded familiar. They'd heard it earlier, after leaving the goddess's tomb.
"You, there! Canid!" she called, looking over her shoulder to glance at John. "Is that a friendly sound, or should we be concerned?" Surely, barks, howls, and growls were his native language. "In any case, I think we need to close this door, and quickly!"
Una put her strength to the wheel, trying to lower the portcullis. As she worked, she sang a song of perseverence:
"As far as I've heard, the fight's still on The line's not cut, and the whale's not gone ..."
She'd be like the whale. Fighting until the very end.
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 19, 2022 22:22:28 GMT -6
As Una worked the wheel, the portcullis lowered, little by little, each turn of the crank. She was making steady progress as she worked. The air was cool and wet around her feet. She noted that there was far less mist here.
Peering out into the distance, an into the darkness, she could swear she saw faint shapes slinking about on the hill far below.
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Post by indeath on Oct 19, 2022 22:45:54 GMT -6
((August tries one of the tower doors to see if it’s locked and looks for stuff to defend with))
August walked over to the nearest tower door and gave the handle a jiggle to see if it would open. The howl made him nervous.
“Couldn’t be worse than a manticore, right?”
He touched the nearest piece of wood. It was a dumb thing to say. He looked about for anything they could use to defend themselves.
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 19, 2022 23:08:59 GMT -6
August tries the door (K), and it opens with a good tug. Something that had been leaning against the inner door falls heavily against the floor with the sound of clattering metal. An object rolls out into the walkway as August moves to step inside, clattering noisily on the ground to rest against the crenelated wall.
It's a helmet. With a head in it. Granted, a head without much flesh, or anything else left.
The rest of the body, which is little more than dried flesh, torn cloth and rusted pieces of stained metal buckles and collapses against the ground with a final-looking crunch. The inner portion of the door appears to be bloodied.
Within, this room appears to have been used as some kind of office. There are several ornately carved wooden chairs in the shape of hounds pushed against an empty and apparently deserted desk. There are two objects on the desk which you identify as Flint and Tinder. There is a staircase that descends to the lower portion of the tower in the far left corner of this room. There is another door on the East portion of this tower.
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 20, 2022 0:42:41 GMT -6
A crow lands on one of the castle walls, soon joined by another. Both of them stare down at those gathered below. The first ruffles its feathers, then hides its head under its wing, as if resting. "They have the means to mend themselves, but who will take the first bite?" The mummy looks around sightlessly with its flat, masked face. Is it surprised? Or in wonder? It is difficult to say. It moves to Una's side to help her turn the wheel, and with a final click, the great iron grid locks into place. The sound of the metal upon stone echos loud across the dark hillock. As Una looks out upon the dark field, she sees the faint greenish yellow shine of animal eyes, ascending the hill below them. They bob slowly, high off the ground. The approach is slow at first, hemicircular. Whatever beings were drawn here stay out of the light of candles and torches, dwelling in darkness. Map update: ibb.co/gd8PD9y
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 20, 2022 2:08:51 GMT -6
[ Ash takes and reads what he can in the decaying book. Then, he suggests that they close the wooden door too and will try to help Una and the mummy in doing so. ] [ Items: Ritual Dagger & Una's Flint tied up in the sash/gown around his waist, Decaying Leather Book ]
Finding nothing of any interest in the pile of junk, Ash reluctantly rises to a stand again, wincing as he straightens. He then makes his way over to the scattered papers, gathering them up with the book and looking through them. There seemed to be directions there, and Una had already completed the first, lowering the portcullis.
The howling startles him and his scales lift, his ears pricking toward the sound. He glances out through the bars into the night, then moves into the main room. "We should... We should close this door too. And bolt it closed," he suggests to Una.
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Post by indeath on Oct 20, 2022 2:26:48 GMT -6
((OOC: August puts on the helmet, checks the desk and the east door in the tower.))
August took the helmet and carefully removed its previous inhabitant, gave it a good shake out then placed it upon his own head. Stylish. He was a little sad that it wasn’t a perfect fit but maybe they’d find a bigger one and he could give it to Vince. He made a mental note of the flint and tinder.
“Oi Johnno! Maybe ya oughtta try the other tower! Might get ya a fancy helmet like mine.”
He felt more at peace now that the hunter no longer saw him as a killer, maybe they could even be friends. He moved through the office, checking the desk for any secret compartments then tried the East door. It could be handy to know where it led.
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Post by tsukikoko on Oct 20, 2022 3:03:52 GMT -6
[OOC: John answers Una, in a manner of speaking. Gets ready to help close the inner door (E)].
Canid? Canid?! Lumping him in so casually with the likes of wolves and - ugh - dogs, how insulting! To assume he would know what a howl would mean, why the nerve.
For a while, John internally seethed and spat, though externally the only sign was a slight rise in his hackles, which could easily be put down to a reaction to the howl itself. Eventually, though, the fox forced himself to respond; he still needed to work with these people, especially given the instructions covered many an action he could not do in his current form.
He gestured in the direction of the howl, then himself, bared his fangs, reared up and drew a claw across his throat and then fell down as though a puppet with strings cut. In short, yes, it was likely bad and would likely kill them.
Given Vincent and August had both travelled up one staircase and John doubted the mummy Leo would have enough strength for any heavy or badly rusted-shut doors, the fox would have to wait until after Ash and Una closed the inner door. A spike of irritation lanced through him; if he could just phase through walls like normal this wouldn't even be an issue.
Trotting to the inner side of the heavy door (E), the Kumiho placed down his candle and rose onto his hind legs, placing his forepaws against the wood. Given Ash's injuries, it seemed pertinent that he assist in closing the door.
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Post by beastly on Oct 20, 2022 19:25:57 GMT -6
((Vincent didn't approve of the helmet, but agreed to check the other tower. He tells August to be on the look out for a key. He heads back down, and stops to help John.)) ((Items: candle, knife, tooth))
"Ugh," he wrinkled his nose at the discarded head," just... look out for a key."
The hunter went back down to the others, with the intention of going to the other tower, but paused when he saw them tying to close the door. He went over and helped the fox, not asking questions.
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Post by hadopelagic on Oct 20, 2022 21:20:34 GMT -6
(OOC: Una tells the gang about the eyes in the dark, and grabs the bolt to seal the door)
As the others shut the door, Una searched the ground for its bolt.
“Did you see them?” She asked John/Vince. “In the distance! There’s an army of shadowy figures with bright eyes.” She lowered her voice. “They glint, like the tapetum lucidum of cats or dogs or my friend, Ru. Or Auggie.”
Once the door was shut, Una barred it.
“They’re coming for us,” she said, “but I don’t know what they are. They shy away from the light.”
Suddenly, the pieces fell into place. Sharp teeth? Glinting eyes? Una gasped! “Whuh. Wait. August is a VAMPIRE!?”
She stared intently at Vince, looking for signs of inhuman features. Had she been acting like an average human woman for no reason? Was the charade even necessary? Una mouthed the words “What are you really?” Perhaps Vince was a … werewolf?
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 20, 2022 23:40:18 GMT -6
Ash, John, Vincent and Una finish securing the Portcullis, and then close the inner door(E ). The door is made of reinforced wood with a heavy metal grid on the outside. When they inspect the door, they notice that it has a secure peephole with its own small, latchable door and a heavy metal grid over it.
The door makes a loud, secure click when it closes, and they are able to both place latches down, and to pick up a very large wooden post that appears to be made to bar the door behind them. The bar was heavy, and required two (2) people to lift and maneuver it, but with the number of individuals collected at the door, it was not difficult to recruit two.
The inner door is now secure.
August does not find anything of interest in the top floor of the tower besides the Flint and Tinder. When August moved through the door to the West of the tower, he stands on the Upper Walkway to the South of the castle. There is a central structure (L) on the upper floor that appears to be a guardhouse overlooking both the room underneath, and the drawbridge.
As soon as they have finished their task, they hear a heavy rhythmic knocking on the far side of the door, likely against the portcullis itself. It is forceful enough to be heard both by August upstairs, and those assembled behind the door. There is a pause after the knock, something that feels like a very long silence, and then they hear a voice call out from beyond.
“Let us in. We are cold and hungry.”
Speaks the voice, terribly deep, yet hoarse, breaking the relative silence of the darkening night. From where August is situated, he can see five (5) assembled human figures down below, standing on the drawbridge on the other side of the portcullis. All of them are wearing hooded outfits, their outline difficult to make out in the gloom. One of them, which appears to be their leader, reaches out to knock on the door again.
From where he stood by the door, the mummy turns to Una, Vince and the others and shakes his head back and forth quickly, steadying his mask in place as he does so.
MAP: ibb.co/r011Ctn
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 21, 2022 1:57:02 GMT -6
[ Ash helps with the door then suggests they go upstairs to find things to drop on the creatures at the gate. And also to look for a way into the reliquary. Then he heads upstairs to H. ]
Ash helped with the door as best he could, and tried to help lift the bar as well along with the others. He felt a little safer with the heavy wood and iron between him and... whatever was out there. If they were the things mentioned in the book, however, they would also be able to climb. He pushed away from the door, looking to the others. "The... the book said... we must drop things on them from above. Boiling oil or heavy stones. And shoot arrows at them. It said they can climb the walls. We... can't let them in, or they will probably kill us."
He fidgeted, his scales clicking against one another as he looked toward the nearer of the sets of stairs. He nodded toward them. "We should... we should go up. And look for things to drop on them. And... maybe a way into that?" He flicked his tail to indicate the locked reliquary.
The Sival hesitated a moment, waiting for the others responses before making for the stairs opposite the ones the vampire had gone up. He hoped someone would come with him.
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Post by indeath on Oct 21, 2022 2:28:38 GMT -6
(( August tries to get a better look at the Tommy Knockers with a classic line.))
There was something off about these hooded figures and their arrival with the howling and whatnot was bothersome. Eyes like his and Ru’s… Also Una knew Ru? That guy got around, he was so good at making new friends. He needed a better look at these creeps. He moved further up into the middle until he was right on top of them. Then he called out.
“Oi! What’s your favorite scary movie?”
He kept his eyes train down, waiting for one of them to look up. He held his spade up just in case they tried scaling the wall. If they actually had an answer for that then it was even more suspicious. There were five of them, just like the graves. Had it been a mistake to take the candles from the graves. Were they the victims they hadn’t saved from the village? He sure hoped not. At least they seemed unarmed.
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 21, 2022 2:29:37 GMT -6
Ash opens the wooden door of the tower (J). This room that appears to be some kind of food storage room. The many barrels of what was probably wine or ale appear to have been broken open some time ago, and no liquid remains. There are hooks from the ceiling, but there is no meat left upon them. All the shelves are bare and only the most putrid scraps remain on the floor, trampled into the straw that coats it.
There are some torches tipped with pitch that sit, unused and forgotten, within one of the broken boxes.
There is a door that leads to a spiral staircase down to the first floor of the tower.
There is another door to the West of this room, which likely leads to the rest of the walkway.
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 21, 2022 2:36:55 GMT -6
There was a pause, and the men at the gate went silent, and ceased their knocking. The moonlight was an admittedly poor source of light, though it was enough to gather the vaguest of details about their appearances.
All of them looked about, two on the sides slinking outwards with a smooth, stalking motion, moving their heads slowly from side to side as they scanned the area. Their hidden faces studied the various windows and doors of the front of the fortress, likely to see who had called to them, before one of them looked directly up at August from where it stood.
The being that caught August’s eyes, if only for a moment, appeared to be human, though its eyes were large and luminous and its face had a harsh, hungry appearance. Its skin must have been pale, for the light caught it well for the moment its head was tilted upwards. The creatures’ body was well hidden within its ragged clothing, which did not seem too dissimilar to the clothing of the villagers, though if this was some kind of undead, it was very well preserved. “What is a movie?” It croaks back at him.
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