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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2020 18:56:29 GMT
As evening approaches Edmund decides he doesn't want to spend another night in the woods like the last one. He begins to Shadow shift toward one with some sort of habitation. Either a village or town, or even a lone house like the one he passed a few days earlier. Anything with walls and a roof, a defensible position. Inhabited, or not. Defense against what? Ghosts? Something fast, intelligent. Able to pass Shadows as I do. A rare creature indeed. What do they want? Simply observe and keep track of me? Rob me? Snack on me? They've found the pursuit worthwhile for now. Huh. Maybe it's not me they want at all. Perhaps they want a meal of Pinewer. Plenty of cultures enjoy horse. What did the Gnomes of Laggershien sing? "Pick the packs of a pony. Nib the nabs of a nag. Stab the shanks of a stallion." Barbarians. Good cigars though. And Laggershien was a damn sight jollier than what Arden has become.
He rides on as the sky darkens.
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Post by Admin on May 12, 2020 0:51:44 GMT
As if it is his destiny, the old mansion lays along the trail he follows. The ghostly figures hold back seemingly afraid of the structure.
The path to the buildings is long overgrown with weeds and grass, a few fetishes of twisted twigs and vines have been tossed onto the ground and are slowly rotting away. The barn is made of rotting wooden planks and has a tree growing out through the roof. The house is made of ivy and kudzu covered stone with one of the walls tumbled down showing the two floors above ground level. Its front door hangs on one rusted hinge.
Edmund hears the distant cry of a hawk and a close by hoot of an owl. Pinewer shies away fearful like last time they came this way.
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2020 23:02:59 GMT
Edmund pulls up on the reins and regards the structure. Too late to go further, here he'll make his stand. He climbs down from the horse's back, returns a glance in the direction he came from then moves toward the house. Arrived at? Or driven? Is this a trap laid for me? Rather spring a trap than stumble about in the open any further. "I know, I know. Don't like it either. But I'd rather this than have my back against a tree like last night. Maybe there's a treasure inside. An old bag of oats? Would something so ancient still be edible?" He drags Pinewer up to the front door. Studies it a moment, pushes it aside gently. Looks around at the entrance hall, what's left of it. More decay, rubble, stunted grass, dried leaves. First dry things he's seen since leaving the Lodge. A horse inside a house goes against the natural order of things but... "It's olay, come on."
Once inside he'll reset the front door so it provides some sort of barrier. Puts a few rocks against it to hold it in place. If Edmund can assemble a makeshift torch he does. Then he looks around the house to get a clearer picture of what it offers, how sturdy it may be, what sort of defenses he can quickly erect.
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Post by Admin on May 14, 2020 5:56:22 GMT
Considering the age of the building and how weathered the place looked from the outside, it is surprisingly dry inside except for the area near the fallen wall. Must have been a well-constructed roof back in the day.
The foyer is floored in a tiled mosaic of the Unicorn. Further inside the furniture is still in good shape although covered in a layer of undisturbed dust. The walls are painted pale green and brown for the most part, in some places murals have been painted, others have mosaics. Edmund recognizes scenes of Amber city and surrounding areas. A few pictures hang on the walls - Oberon features in a few, some of his wives he recognizes from similar paintings hanging in the castle, Benedict, a few other men and women he doesn't recognize.
Only two of the upstairs rooms are intact, the others are too damaged to access. One of the rooms is a bedroom, still furnished, the other is a glass-ceilinged observatory with brass telescopes, sextants, and other unidentifiable equipment. Unlike the other areas in the house, this room is mostly dust free, even the windows look to have been washed recently.
A locked door probably leads down to a basement or cellar.
Outside the ghosts stay in the trees away from the clearing, slowly circling the area.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2020 4:39:26 GMT
Odd about those windows, but can't worry about that now. Must prepare.
Prepare he does. Edmund chooses a downstairs room to make his stand. Expecting an attack at any moment, or one late at night, he sets up the room as best he can. Keeping the front door and windows blocked while giving himself an out through the back. When that is accomplished he feeds Pinewer, then himself. Then he sits and waits. As the light fades it becomes pitch black outside again. The ghosts are impossible to see. He is surprised that they keep their distance. From what I've heard this is the kind of place they'd be attracted to. Maybe not that kind of ghost. Would my weapons even work on them? Would they feel an axe? A bullet? My fist? What can they do to me? Julian once mentioned conjuring the Pattern to do... something. Never explained how it's done though. Just never got 'round to it. Think hard about it I guess. Too tired.
Edmund thinks about the Pattern and what "conjuring it" may mean. Nothing seems to come from it though. He's just not doing it right.
As the night wears on without an attack he decides to steal a few hours of sleep. Hopefully them ghosts keep their distance.
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Post by Admin on May 16, 2020 6:03:03 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/Smhrfk3/adworkincolourinvert~png The house glows a silvery light in the darkness as if it is a magical conjured item. In the silence Edmund discovers something else about the place - no vermin have settled into the walls. No skittering of tiny feet and scratching at the baseboards. Outside more of the dark ghosts have come to the edge of the clearing, They begin to chant in some soft sibilant language. Just before falling asleep, Edmund is bathed in a long pulse of silvery light. When his vision clears he sees an image of Dworkin standing in the room. The man is made up of silvery motes dancing in some unfelt breeze but still managing to stay Dworkin-shaped. "So, you have arrived," Dworkin says. He puts a hand to his forehead and frowns. "It masses outside but not strong enough to come in yet, oh no, not yet!"
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2020 4:01:01 GMT
Edmund jerks into consciousness. Looks at the figure and around the room, not seeing any obvious attackers or ghosts. At first he doesn't recognize the figure and grips his axe tighter. Then in a few seconds he sees the similarity to pictures in the halls and rooms of the Castle. Perhaps he saw Dworkin at a distance once or twice. "What? How-?" Edmund glances at the hastily erected defenses and sees they are still in place. Pinewer too is unharmed. He stands as he struggles to come to his senses. "Uh, pardon me, sir. I dunno what this is. What are you doing here? What's outside?"
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Post by Admin on May 21, 2020 8:46:26 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/Smhrfk3/adworkincolourinvert~png "This is my home. Home away from home, some might call it. I'm always here looking in on this and that. It's so quiet here away from the hustle and bustle of the castle, don't you think? Usually so quiet here except when he comes around!
"Outside is my foe. Our foe! Yes, always trying to find his way in, always trying his tricks! But we still have time, time enough for me to show you something special!"He grabs Edmund's sleeve and tries to pull him out the door of the room.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2020 4:35:56 GMT
Home? No one's been here for years. Daft as I've heard? Edmund peeks out the window and sees the ghosts are still being held at bay. Well, there is that. "Foe, huh? Don't know what trick you're using but it's working." Agents? Main enemy? Our foe? When did I inherit these people's problems?
"Alright, old man. I'll come with you. Be a while until daylight anyway. Perhaps you'll show me something I can use against this foe. Can't say I've ever encountered ghosts before. Heard many a tale about them. Mostly to scare the kids." Edmund considers lighting a cigar, but declines. One wrong ash though and this whole place could go up. Don't want that responsibility.
He let's Dworkin lead the way.
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Post by Admin on May 22, 2020 6:52:47 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/Smhrfk3/adworkincolourinvert~png The diminutive man leads Edmund back into the atrium filled with astronomical equipment. "You looked in here, yes? Everybody does."He goes to a telescope and spins it around, adjusting the height, angle and replacing the lens at the end. "You were here and didn't touch anything...kids these days have no imagination. Look!"he points Edmund to the eyepiece of the telescope.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2020 5:02:26 GMT
"I looked in here, sure. Didn't interest me. I've seen the stars a-plenty, sitting out, at night. They don't do much. My concerns have always been closer. Where I am, my goals. Tomorrow. Staring at specks of light, or the moon... Not my habit. Once I met- Once I learned- They've become even less important. Now on a dark, cloudy night, surrounded by enemies you think I should study some old relics?" Edmund regards the old man. Yes, he as daft as I've heard. He looks out of the window and sees the glow around the building. The ghosts still at bay. He smiles. For good or ill, he's the one in charge here. Play along. "Alright, I'll look."
Edmund approaches the old instrument. Much like the ones he used during the war, and after. Just larger and heavier. He gently rubs his finger down the side of the tube, being careful not to move it. He enjoys the feeling of the smooth metal. How cool to the touch it is. He looks at Dworkin again. Studies him for a moment. Edmund sees no hint of deception or trickery. Satisfied, he crouches and looks through the eye piece.
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Post by Admin on May 23, 2020 9:25:59 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/Smhrfk3/adworkincolourinvert~png The view in the eyepiece is not of the grey clouds but of a purple region of space where two stars and a handful of planets spin slowly about a fixed point. "And here and here!" Dworkin giggles as he turns a crank, shifting the telescope. The second view shows a jagged mountain floating in the void of space, strange colors illuminate it at crazy angles. It almost resembles what Edmund had been told of the Courts of Chaos. "Not under this sky! Not under these clouds!"
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2020 18:36:05 GMT
Edmund looks, then lifts his head to view the scene naturally. Then looks again. Back and forth a couple times. He's wanting that cigar more and more. He can feel it in a chest pocket. "Huh. Nice trick. But so what? This scope can see... other Shadows? Other realms? Okay. Doesn't help me in the here and now, does it? Unless I can see a particular place or person 'am not following you." He looks at the dials and cranks Dworkin used. They make no sense to him. Unless... Tarnation! "Can I see a certain person with this?"
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Post by Admin on May 25, 2020 7:09:04 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/Smhrfk3/adworkincolourinvert~png "A person? Yes! Yes, if you were able to locate them and calibrate the system. Sadly this is just a prototype and so it doesn't contain the full set of features which were introduced later. But we can see those attuned to in now! Want to see that little fink Random?"The silvery Dworkin sets to adjusting the dials again along with replacing the lenses of the telescope. While he does so there is a loud knock at the mansion's door. "You weren't expecting a friend to join you here? Others did in the past. That Eric seemed to think this was his private trysting place. All my best hauntings couldn't scare off his ladies, either his charms were great or those Chantris girls are a strong bunch!
"If not then the ghosts are approaching. You'd better answer the door."
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2020 20:49:58 GMT
Edmund sighs. "No, no friends. Not in this area anyway." He straightens up. "Alright, I'll go answer the door."
He goes downstairs carefully, trying not to slip in the dust and debris. As he crosses through the main room he peeks out the window again to double check. Then goes to the door. He glances at the rocks and boards he put in front of it. He pauses to consider his options. Damn limited. "Who is it?" Lordy, that feels silly.
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