Ghosts of Gauntcliff, Chapter Seven

[Adam]

Bennedict swallows his revulsion at the sound of the dwarf's voice, before lowering his wife gently to the floor and doing the best he can to comfort his son.

"The boy has lied to us in the past, I feel certain of it. We can't know for sure, but the sorts of changes we saw in him don't happen simply by witnessing an act of evil. They occur when someone participates in it," he shakes his head gravely, "but if he has the scepter we may need to deal with him, one way or the other. Are we certain it is vital to dealing with Dodds? It didn't seem to do the villagers or the priest from the journal a lot of good."

[ewancummins]

The Private Bar, behind closed doors



Primeiro is vaguely aware of Everline's grip on his shoulder relaxing, her soft breath on the back of his neck slowing--and then he falls to the floor, lost in dreamless slumber.


Across the room, Dorgio looks up from studying the dead body in the box and sees his two friends slumped unconscious on the floorboards.


Dorgio's small hairs stand up at the sound of a cold, hateful whisper from the shadows.


‘‘Naughty boy-- taking things that don’t belong to you, asking questions that should not be asked. But enough-- night is come. Now it is playtime!"

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio sees both Primeiro and Everline asleep, and the priest curses in a quick stream of Luktar. When he hears the voice he freezes for a heartbeat, but only for a heartbeat.

"Dodds!" He calls out loudly, hoping his voice carries enough for his comrades to hear. As he shouts, he moves to a nearby candle and takes it from the wall, heedless of the wax dripping and scalding his fingers.

"Dodds! We have something in common! He holds the candle to the left side of his face, to show a mottled patch where ensorcelled flame had burned him years ago. "We know the kiss of fire! What a shame to feel it again!" With that, he moves toward the corpse with the candle, as if to set it alight.

[ewancummins]

Dorgio sees both Primeiro and Everline asleep, and the priest curses in a quick stream of Luktar. When he hears the voice he freezes for a heartbeat, but only for a heartbeat.

"Dodds!" He calls out loudly, hoping his voice carries enough for his comrades to hear. As he shouts, he moves to a nearby candle and takes it from the wall, heedless of the wax dripping and scalding his fingers.

"Dodds! We have something in common! He holds the candle to the left side of his face, to show a mottled patch where ensorcelled flame had burned him years ago. "We know the kiss of fire! What a shame to feel it again!" With that, he moves toward the corpse with the candle, as if to set it alight.

Dorgio has never before heard a sarcastic ghost-- never before tonight.

''Oh no. Pleeeeeese don't drip wax on a corpse.That is just too horrible. I can't bear to watch. Idiot."

The shadows flicker, and something cold rakes across Dorgio's face.

Dorgio looks about, but can't see his foe. The mocking words repeat in his mind-- and then he feels the Shadow's evil touch between his shoulder blades!

Dorgio stands in his home, in Gundarak. His mother grabs him by his skinny shoulders, pushes him out the door. He sees dust rising from the road, spies a glint of steel out past the rows of ripe barley.
The sound of boot tramping, a horse's neighing...

His mother kneels to kiss him.
“Go! The Barovians are coming!"

She will never be this beautiful again, never.
RUN

[ewancummins]

The Ballroom-

Charlotte sits up from the floor.

''Terrible!" She gasps--

And then the door to the bar swings wide as Dorgio rushes into the ballroom. He nearly rams into Benn, but just keeps going, headed straight for the broken window on the west wall!

Jonas begins to cry, clutching Benn's leg.

What do Benn and Eustace do...?

[Adam]

Recognizing the slightly dazed look he's seen several times already, Benn snaps into action, sprinting over and trying to tackle the cleric to the ground.

[Ail]

Eustace reacts after Benn does, and understanding what's going on, he quickly chants a prayer to Belenus, blessing himself. Not waiting to see the outcome of Benn's effort, he enters the bar room and tries to see the condition of Everline and Primeiro, shouting "Everline, Primeiro, come to the ballroom, quick!"

OOC: casts Magic Circle Against Evil on himself. That gives a 10ft radius emanation centered on himself.

[ewancummins]

Benn tackles Dorgio-- but the panicked priest fights back! Dorgio smashes a mailed fist into Benn's face. Benn tastes blood.

Eustace rushes to the bar room and pushes open the door...

He bursts into the dimly lit private bar.
The chest, with its grisly cargo, rests against the near wall.
Near the far end of the long bar, Primeiro lies on the ground, face down and still.
A few feet behind Primeiro, Everline lies face up on the floor. A charcoal gray shadowy figure crouches atop the teenage adventuress! The Shadow presses its black lips to Everline’s open mouth in an obscene kiss. Inky tendrils stretch from the creature’s face to penetrate the girl’s eyes, ears, and nostrils. The monster caresses Everline’s body, moving its spidery hands through her clothes without ruffling the fabric.

Eustace's cries do not waken the sleepers.

[ewancummins]

EVERLINE-

The Ogre rears above you, rising out of the heap of discarded children’s clothes in the middle of the big dimly lit room. Looking about, you see the shutters over the single window are fastened and both doors are closed.
‘’Little Princesss, tonight will be brief, but oh so sweet. Do you like your new nursery? Is it a trifle draughty?”

Ice cold blasts rolls from under the doors and through the cracks in the shutters.

“Why don’t we get you out of those wet clothes?”
Your clothes were dry a moment ago, but now you’re soaked to the bone, shivering.
“Mister Dodds will dress you up so pretty. Yes, and then we play. “

The Ogre reaches down to grab you in its huge hands, and you have nowhere to flee…





(OOC- you failed the save, so we are going to cut it here. No need to post again-- he utterly controls the nightmare. That's a very bad thing.)

[ewancummins]

The Ballroom-

Dorgio breaks free of Benn's grip, and swings his mailed fist at Benn in a vicious left hook!
Benn staggers back as the gauntlet smashes into the right side of his face.

Jonas , somewhere out of Benn's range of vision, cries out --

''Papa!"

Charlotte screams.

[Adam]

Benn staggers back, spitting blood out of the corner of his mouth. "That is more than enough out of you, Dorgio."

He mutters an invocation, pulling a magical field between the two men.

"You are going to owe me a few drinks next time we go to the pub, old friend," he says as he moves to position himself between Dorgio and the window.

"Stay back!" he shouts to Charlotte and Jonas.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Everline stands fixed in place -- isn't that always the way, in nightmares? -- and her body shakes as if she is in the throes of fever. Sweat gushes down her face as she watches Dodds' hands approach despite the cold, and the stench of her own fear and disgust fills her nostrils.

Something inside just... snaps.

The girl casts her blighted, purple eyes on the monster, forces a tigreish grin and whispers: "Got a question fer ya, yer'dishonor. Answer a girl's question?"

[ewancummins]

Everline stands fixed in place -- isn't that always the way, in nightmares? -- and her body shakes as if she is in the throes of fever. Sweat gushes down her face as she watches Dodds' hands approach despite the cold, and the stench of her own fear and disgust fills her nostrils.

Something inside just... snaps.

The girl casts her blighted, purple eyes on the monster, forces a tigreish grin and whispers: "Got a question fer ya, yer'dishonor. Answer a girl's question?"

AT LEAST, THAT'S WHAT YOU MEAN TO SAY.

It comes out like so-

"Got a question f....will you please cuddle me and hold me? I was scared at first, but now I love you and I want to play with you all the time. I love you so much Mister Dodds. You are my very bestest friend ever! Let's snuggle under a blanket. That's so nice!"


The Dodds-Ogre grins.

"Oh, Everline, I'm so happy to hear you say such sweet things. I almost thought you didn't really like me."

...

[ewancummins]

The Private Bar- Eustace-

The horrid scene before you vanishes as a web of darkness erupts from every shadow in the bar, weaving together to fill the room in a black flash.

[ewancummins]

Eustace calls down the power of Belenus, praying for the darkness to go away--- and nothing happens.

The scholar-monk is sure that if he can get a little closer, Everline may fall within the protection of his magic circle.
(She was past the far end of the bar, not within ten feet of him when he came into the doorway).

But to do that, he must go deeper into the dark room to face Dodds alone and unaided...