The Fall of House Pancrazio Chapter Three

[PathOfDreams]

"Get me that map when you can please Harold." With that said, the ranger turns and focuses on leaving the subterranean hell, heading for the green house trapdoor.

[Varrus the Ethical]

"Perhaps we could use this patch to identify who this ghoul used to be?" Sebastian suggests, holding up the signet patch that he recovered. "It wouldn't hurt to try and could save us some time."

[ewancummins]

Tristan walks over to the storage area and begins to unload choice items.

''We will have to double check to make sure all this stuff is good to eat- but I bet that Agna will be happily surprised to come home to a full larder!''

[PathOfDreams]

Upon reaching the greenhouse, Goran takes a moment to breathe heavily, purging his lungs of the foul underdank. While doing so, he knows he must soon find more roots to ease his stomach pains, and decidely plucks a handful of petals from "grandma's" white flower, which have taken over the greenhouse.

Goran returns to the kitchen to brew some tea out of the flower, I am not sure this is the smartest idea, but it must have properties which will help with the pain.

When the brew is done, he lets it cool so that he may drink it in a few large gulps without burning himself.

[ewancummins]

Tristan will ask Tahl and Harold for help in transferring to the manor house the locked chest [careful not to handle the lock!], the black jar, and the various items of canned or preserved foodstuffs.

''We'd better get the food to the larder. I suppose that Harold will want that black jar and the locked chest in his room.''

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I do not have a room in this manor," Harold grunts as he helps to lug the chest. "My home stands in Vor Ziyden. I doubt anyone wants to go to the effort of transferring these things all the way there." The old man sighs testily. "I suppose that under the circumstances, I should spend the night."

[ewancummins]

"I do not have a room in this manor," Harold grunts as he helps to lug the chest. "My home stands in Vor Ziyden. I doubt anyone wants to go to the effort of transferring these things all the way there." The old man sighs testily. "I suppose that under the circumstances, I should spend the night."

'' You can bunk with Tahl and me. Use my cot and blanket- I'll sleep among the dogs.''

[RocEter]

Julian watches everyone backs as they gather the supplies, he follows them up back into the greenhouse and secures the entrance.

[ewancummins]

Once the supplies are moved to the larder, Tristan snags some preserved food, meat -if he can find it. Once back in his bunkhouse, he smells the food and takes a close look at it. If it seems at all bad, he'll burn it. If it looks good, he'll take a nibble for himself. If an hour passes with no ill effects, he'll feed some to one of the dogs[not Elsie]. If that dog is alright after another hour, he'll feed all the dogs.


He informs Harold, Goran, Sebastian, Tahl, and Julian of this plan.

[JMaytr]

IN THE LARDER-

Tristan does not find any meat in the jars, but a selection of fruits and vegatables. All look quite good still. Tristan does find another jar painted black, but this one is empty. Harold finds that, try as he may, the chest does not budge.

[ewancummins]

IN THE LARDER-

Tristan does not find any meat in the jars, but a selection of fruits and vegatables. All look quite good still. Tristan does find another jar painted black, but this one is empty.

Tristan leaves the black jar behind, as it's empty...and kind of weird.

Hmm, no, I told Harold that he'd better have a look at this one. I'll leave it for him.

If he sees Harold, he'll remind him about the funny black jar.

[RocEter]

Once back at the manor, Julian will look for his Uncle to give him an update.

[Griselda]

Agna is quiet for the rest of the ride to town. She does her best to neaten her hair and find a way to adjust her dress so neither her "road rash" nor the subsequent tear is not visible. Over and over, she recalls the encounter with the "gypsies" (no, that's not right, there's another name for them, the real one... I can't quite remember....) -- their faces, the sound of their voices, the music that seemed to float out of the mist before them, how their words leaped into her mouth. Most of all, she thinks about Madame Nadezdha and the cards and what she said to Agna. Could she have heard Emilio say my name at some point? She dropped it like she already knew it. And the other things she said -- about an enemy and reversal of fortunes, calling me 'lost daughter'.

Agna turns her attention to the new horse, who seems to be handling very well.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Once everyone is back at the manor, Harold brings out the black jar (which he'd already put in his pack) and subjects it to a Detect Magic spell.

[JMaytr]

IN VON ZYDEN-


As the hour draws late, Emilio directs the carriage towards a dressmaker he knows quite well. Though many of the garments in the store are well beyond the price of the few coins Roderigo gave them, there are a few that are acceptable and to Agna's liking. The dress was purchased; a flowing emerald color with an open back.

As the pair loads the dress into the carriage, the streets of Von Zyden become rapidly vacant. In the distance Borcan wolves brayed at the gibbous yellow moon.

"If we had more coin I would put us up for the night at one of the local Inn's. It is not to be however. We must make haste in getting back to the manor. I would like you to sit inside the carriage on the way home. I'm afraid I need to push these beasts if we are to make it back before night is fully upon us."

After Agna is inside the vehicle, Emilio begins to drive back north to the estate. As they leave Von Zyden behind, Agna spies one of the Inn's that Emilio was referencing: a tall white washed affair with a steeple roof and garbled windows. Comforting yellow light spilled from a window on the second floor. As Agna watched, a man came into view, looking out at the approaching night. The man had a shock of yellow hair, wild about his face like the mane of an animal. He was shirtless and quite hairy and held in his hands a bottle and two wine glasses.

Agna shrank back in the carriage so the man would not see her spying. It was Lothario Enzo! Agna was not prepared to see the woman come into view. Magenta, nude except for a pair of long white gloves that ran the length of her arms, reached out the window, grabbed the shutter, and pulled it closed.

Agna did not see anything else as the carriage continued past, pulling out of town and onto the wooded trail to Pancrazio manor.


IN THE KITCHEN AND LARDER-

Goran effortlessly makes the tea for himself that he had watched his grandmother Luisia make a hundred times. As he took his first drink of the drug his face twisted into a scowl. It was nearly abhorrent. The taste was something close to molasses and metal but with less viscosity. The liquid crawled down his throat like a slug, but landed in his stomach like a rock hurled into a pond. Moments later a tingling began in his chest and then in his fingers. Goran was blissfully numb. The pain from his injuries was gone replaced with a sensual euphoria.

Harold speaks an incantation at the heavy black painted jar, though reveals nothing. The similarly painted but empty jar shows no magic either.



UPSTAIRS IN THE MANOR-

Julian finds Roderigo in his study-formerly Luisia's study. Julian can see that his uncle has not changed anything about the decorum of the room-it appears exactly as his great aunt had left it. There were pots hung by oddly knotted ropes that contained various flowers that lent a fragrance to the room. There was a day bed off to the side that was dusty but expensive, a desk with a series of drawers, and a few bookcases with tomes haphazardly placed upon. There were also dozens upon dozens of small ceramic figures lurking about the room. Most depicted little cherub faces with white gowns and small dove wings at their backs but some had monstrous countenances.

Roderigo sat at the desk going over a stack of invoices from the winery in Sturben. Seeing his nephew return, Roderigo stood and placed a weight on the papers.

"Julian! Whats the news of those tunnels? Did you find anything of use? Any clues about why mother returned?"