NM Part 2

As the group crosses the bridge into town the fog seems to lift ever so slightly revealing what lays beyond. The buildings are old, the same construction style as the gatehouse. Many seem to be single or double-room dwellings with thier doors and windows sealed and boarded shut from the outside, strange markings cover the boards and hang overtop of doorways. An old stable on the left is open and empty, several wagons loaded with dusty crates and barrels sit waiting for pack animals that are no longer there. Thr fog makes it impossible to see more than two or three buildings down the street at any given time, but through the haze a single light flickers in the distance.

Alba's poisoned daggers bounce restlessly in her hands, throwing vile green motes of energy ahead of her as she stankls down the ruined road. Ears and eyes twitch in every direction, lips skinning back from her teeth in frustration against the muffling fog. "Let us find shelter," she murmurs, looking over her shoulder at the rest of the party briefly. "It may be we shall have need of a strong place to sleep, before we finish the killing of the heart of this lure."

Ka'Len grumbles to himself quietly as he looks around once they've crossed the bridge. There's a quick glance back over his shoulder before he turns back and frowns a little. "Strange.. it's like they had time to prepare to leave," he motions to the boarded off windows and the markings before sweeping his hand towards the loaded wagons, "but weren't able to take their things with them." He chews on his lip a little bit before looking at Alba, brow's lifting slightly before he nods. "Might be a good idea."

[SCENE] The slats in the shutters on a nearby window open slightly. A pair of green eyes peering out at the party through the narrow slit, only for it to snap closed if somone starts to turn in thier direction. [SCENE] <1>

Remi follows quietly after the others... The bard biting his bottom lip, and his rabbit ears played as he looks around... Peering worriedly at the creepy looking buildings on either side... And even more so at the light that seems to be up ahead. And as he walks, he keeps atleast one hand free at all time, to use his magic when he has to... Meanwhile glancing over at Alba as she makes her suggestion, simply responding, "... Um, alright."

Sebastion glances around quietly at the various buildings as he walks, not all frayed nerves like Alba and the others seem to be. However, he does seem to be tense, his weapon kept out in the open. He isn't without his fretting, and turns his head to peer back when the bridge they walked over has been engulfed by the fog they can barely see through. "Hmm," he sounds out, at Ka'Len's words. "They might still be here," he muses, "If our 'friend,' the bridge guard, is any indication of how their departure went." He looks toward the light in the distance. He points with the sword toward the light, "Perhaps we should go that way?"

Marduke walks along quietly near the front of the group eyes watching the buildings around him. "If they ever got to leave at all." He offers glancing to one of the windows as the shutters snap back shut. A shake of his head as he frowns a bit glancing to the light ahead thoughtfully, "The symbols." He offers with a pause coming to a stop for a moment, "Ancient, very ancient. Yet the placements suggest abjuration, wards." Shaking his head slowly, "Nothing is adding up."

Traveling on you find the source of the light, a single lamp hanging outside of what appears to be an inn or tavern. A faded wooden sign designating the place as 'The Wark and Kupo' with the image of a moogle riding a chocobo is the buildings only identifying mark. Unlike the other buildings while the windows are shuttered tight the door has not been sealed.

lba's ears flicker toward the sound of the shutters closing, knuckles whitening around the hilts of her daggers. "'Tis the only light in this benighted place. Wiser, perhaps, to set it aflame..." Grumbling something under her breath, she shakes her head. "...But all this village would need the same... so... Tchah, very well." Looking more annoyed with each step, the Viera slinks toward the lit inn, managing to try the door without taking a hand off a weapon.

Ka'Len's hand lifts and he gnaws lightly on his thumb while pondering a little. Quietly he follows after the group, looking around quietly before focusing ont he tavern sign. With a sigh the young man murmurs in responce to Marduke's comments, "keeping something in or out I wonder." When Alba reaches for the door handle he dropshis hand to his blade and scowls, "suppose we'll find out."

Remi's ears perk and he glances around when he hears a shutter slam... well, shut. But after a moment, he feels better just deciding it was the wind or something. Stopping infront of the inn with the others then, he frowns, and soon pipes up quietly, "Great... How much does anyone want to bet that place is full of creepy ghosts?" And he pauses for a moment then, before adding, "Then again... This whole town probably is..." And he watches Alba try the door.

Sebastion doesn't seem terribly inclined toward further comment, merely watching their surroundings as everyone chats about what could be wrong with this place. He keeps his weapon at the ready the entire time, and the only sound that comes from him is the sound of his slightly aged armor clanking. When they arrive to the building that might very well be an inn, he stares up at the sign, and then over to the light, his brow furrowing suspiciously at the light in particular.

Marduke shakes his head slowly as he considers the sign and shrugs his shoulders, "As good a place as any I suppose, but the safest sometimes is the most dangerous. Yet this being the only active light it was like we were meant to come this way and go inside." Eyes looking around again and sighing, "shall we?"

The door opens easily enough revealing the familiar surroundings of a country tavern. Tables and chairs sit in neat clusters around the room, a dusty piano against lefthand wall and a long bar running the length of the back of the room. A staircase leading up to the building's second floor. Illumination is provided by lamps similar to the one outside, but what is fueling these lamps is unknown as there's no smoke and no obvious fuel.

Alba sticks to the wall as she enters, edging about the common room until a corner is reached. THere, in relative security, she leans back against the wall, slipping one dagger back home and bringing out a dry whetstone. "...Well. Now we are here. I assume our host is satisfied with this arrangement."

Ka'Len's fingers tighten on the hilt of his sword though Len never draws it. He looks around quietly before biting his lip and then stepping in after Alba, her words drawing the faintest fo frowns. "As much as I hate to think that there might be more than we can see here.. we... should probably go ahead and look around to assure the place is, at least, physically empty." He pauses and looks over at Marduke then, "don't suppose your ability to deal with Spirits extends to detecting well.. ghosts."

Remi hestitates for a moment in the doorway... Before he extends his hand, palm outward, and has the other grab his wrist. Stepping inside then, and swiveling left and right, arm extending, like he's pointing a gun. Slowly starting to edge closer to Alba then, though also trying to stay near the door... Frowning at the interior meanwhile, though he also can't help eyeing that piano curiously. Glancing at Ka'Len then, he nods, adding, "... We should probably explore. But I don't suggest splitting up like they do in scary stories."

While everyone slips inside, Sebastion sticks behind the group, and glances around into the fog as the last person goes into the building. He lingers only for a moment longer, and follows them into the inn, going at a slow pace. He's still not saying anything, for the time being.

Marduke takes his time looking around from a spot near the doorway. A slight shake of his head as he leans into his staff considering the scene. "All I can say for certain is that this is a prefolly place." pushing off his staff he moves further into the room and to the bar as he glances over it, "Aye stick together, best we keep a eye on each others backs, this does feel a bit like one of those horror stories."

[ACTION] As the group fully enters the building the lights flicker and dim before going out entirely. In the brief moment before they come back on an ungodly racket is heard from the left side of the room. [ACTION] <2>

Alba's ears snap toward the sound of the noise, whetstone clattering to the floor as her readied dagger comes up in a defensive posture. Her free hand shoots out toward Remi, the Adamantoise charm tied around her wrist beginning to glow.

Remi is about to respond to people, when he lets out a little started yelp instead, and almost lets loose a reflexive fireball, when the room suddenly goes dark and there's that loud noise. The rabbit eared Hume actually jumping up a bit in fright, though luckily for his self esteem, it goes unseen in the dark.

"Oh sonnuva..." Ka'len responds as he turns and halfdraws out his sword. He doesn't do it fully though on the offchance he'd skewer someone in the dark.

Marduke glances sharply to the left side of the room as the racket comes about one hand holding up his staff with one hand and chanting the words to a spell as he tries to see what is going on from where he is at.

Sebastion turns to direct his weapon toward the sound of the racket, his eyes widening, his posture falling into a combat stance properly, his breath sucking in, armor clanking loudly with his sudden jerking motion. He makes sure not to strike anyone nearby with his weapon in the confusion.

As the light comes back on the source of the noise is proven to be the piano. A small crank on the side turning and showing that the unit is one of the old self-playing models, though from the racket the mechanisms are worn thin and it's badly out of tune. If plays through a few more bars before the metallic sound of grinding gears and a resounding *sproing* and cloud of dust from under the lid sound it's death knell. The room returning to the stillness it had before.

Alba's charm flares alight shortly after the darkness recedes, enveloping the bard in a multifaceted field of energy... protecting him against absolutely nothing. The Viera bares her teeth again, ears scraping against the wall as they flatten, the now-broken piano earning a fulminating glare. "...We may yet wish to burn this village to cinders," she snarls, stooping to retrieve her whetstone.

"I ... think that I am in full agreement with you, Alba," Ka'len responds before he shoves the blade back into it's sheath before a hand lifts to his chest and he closes his eyes. His eyes flick back open then before he considers, "Remi.. I know some instruments have taught wires and such, harps and all. Do we need to worry about things springing and wires lashing at us by chance?"

Remi stands with his palm pointing at the piano, frowning... But seeing it was 'just' the instrument acting up, he soon lowers it a bit, before glancing at the others... Giving Alba a quick thankfull look as he noticed she cast that spell on him, before answering Ka'Len, "Um, I dunno... The ghosts may try to do that to us, if they really want to be scary... I wonder if they'd be happy and leave us alone if I offer to tune it for them?" The Bard trying to make some light of the situation, to feel better.

Sebastion doesn't draw out of his stance when the lights come back on. Instead, he seems to sloooowly approach the instrument, and stands a few feet away from it, long enough that his sword won't reach, but close enough to get a better look, still apparently on the defensive. "Hmm..." He doesn't seem convinced that it's stopped being a threat, at least for the time being. "Perhaps... we should investigate upstairs."

Marduke takes a deep breath as he holds up his hand letting the energy he gathered release safely. then opens his eyes to look to the piano with a frown, "Humpf." Is all he offers and shakes his head slowly. A side glance to Ka'Len, "As to your question about sensing ghost, not directly. I am a priest of the temples and trained in the sending, but that works for the unsent, ghost different even though in many ways the same. The power to sense either is not a common skill. It would be easier to keep the senses open to the magic around us, but something tells me that may not be the wisest of ideas until the time is right."

"A wise idea," Alba says, bobbing her ears Sebastion's way and pushing away from her chosen corner. "Were our troubles solved so simply, Singer, no purpose would there be in laying such the trap. ...Come. Let us see if anything more wishes to shake our nerve in this place." With that, she slinks toward the stairs, whetstone exchanged for dagger once more.

Ka'Len chuckles quietly at Remi's idea, though it's easy to hear that there's a nervousness to it. A quick look at Sebastion and then to Marduke beforeh e nods slowly, murmuring quietly, "likely best not to, your right." Chewing on his lip quietly the young man starts after Alba. "Sebastion, bring up the back please and keep eye open for anything following us, uh visibly following us." With keeping the others sandwiched between the fighters he continues after the viera. "More, Alba, to shake our nerve more."

Remi starts following after the others towards the stairs... And no matter what Alba says, he keeps well clear of the piano, not liking the idea of suddenly getting strung up by it. Staying in the middle of the group, he looks around nervously as they ascend the stairs, glancing at Marduke some, "It'd sure be helpful if we could sense where these ghosts are... There could be one following us right now... Oh well."

Sebastion gives a confirming grunt over toward Ka'Len, though otherwise seems unconversational once more, keeping to the rear of the group and keep an eye on the room in general, looking around at the various seating arrangements with an intense suspicion in his eyes.

Marduke moves to head up the stairs as well, staying quiet for now as he keeps a eye around him. One hand gripping his staff extra tight in a sign of nerves. A glance to Remi as he pauses and shakes his head, "Just assume at all times we are being watches. Paranoia at this time is probably the most accurate thing we have."

Upstairs is a fairly simple affair, a large room with single beds Barraks-style for weary travelers. It offers basic comforts but no privacy, the beds are made and while they are a tad dusty are servicable if one wanted to use them. The footlockers at the end of each bed reveal a small handfull of ancient coins, a simple steel dagger, a few pieces of cheap copper jewelery and some basic clothing. A door at the far side of the room however opens to somthing much more unsettling. A Skeleton lays slumped over a small desk in the inn's only provate room. A large book in front of him and a long since dried inkwell and tattered quill resting nearby.

The skeleton's clothing is old, but only by about twenty years or so in stark contrast to the possible century or more than the town seems to be. The pages have been ripped from the book leaving no indication of it's contents. Gripped in one of the bony hands is a simple iron keyring with 5 keys on it. The room holds nothing else of note or value.

Alba takes in the common sleeping area with no comment, but once the door to the private room is open, she stops dead, a look of... not fear, not revulsion... but disgust, as though recalling an unpleasant moment, crawls over her face. "Resting dead," she mutters sourly. "Of course." Blowing a breath through her nose, she slips to one side to allow the others leave to enter, if they like. "The first to touch the body without ensuring it is safe will miss the bit of liver I shall carve out. Be warned."

Ka'Len casts a glance around and then motions to the footlockers, "likely want to leave those things I'd think." He moves past to look into the room and then seems to relax some. "At least this we can see.." He steps in and pauses, glancing at her before nodding a little. Slowly, looking around the room as he enters, the young man moves to look at the book without touching anything beyond the floor. "The pages are torn out, and those that are left haven't got any remaining impressions. We'll find no clues in that."

Remi wasn't planning to touch anything: Not the footlockers- and as he peeks past the others into the office, and goes wide eyed- and especially not the skeleton. Looking at the skeleton worriedly, he pipes up nervously, "... Well, at least we know where the ghosts come from now... Can you tell what killed him, Alba?"

"Seeing what killed a skeleton is difficult Remi." Marduke offers as he steps past into the room and makes his way right up to the skeleton, but he doesn't touch anything as he looks things over and frowns a bit more. "Take the keys, perhaps the book to. This isn't as old as the rest of the place is, we do not appear to be the first to visit this place." Glancing up to Alba, "Nothing here is safe, we either risk it or we don't. The keys seem important, the book itself is out of place."

Alba glances askance at Marduke, then with a snort, moves to the far end of the desk from the skeleton. One dagger is held, point-first, toward the corpse's eye socket, as the Viera leans down to ease the keys from the bony hand's grasp. Every inch of Alba's posture all but screams the coiled tension of a nasty surprise expected, but the keys are likely to be a needed thing.

Ka'Len watches Alba for a few moments and backs up a step, hand on his weapon, but he also takes a few moments to look around the room for anything else that might stand out before looking back once more.

Remi backs up together with Ka'Len, considering he's behind him, and nervously watches Alba go for the keys, biting his lip some as he equally awaits something scary to happen. Though a brief glance is given to Marduke, and he shrugs his shoulders a bit, "It's easy to tell if the skeleton is damaged... But I can't really see." Leaving it at that.

Marduke nods slowly to Alba as he himself steps back a couple of paces watching, but keeping his posture relaxed and ready to act. A quick glance to Remi, "It doesn't appear to be so, possibly starved, or other means." Looking back to watch and waits.

The Skeleton does not move, the keyring finally coming loose with a sharp crack and the clattering of bones as the hand holding it falls apart. The keys are as ancient as the town, forged of iron with simple designs. It seems the previous owner took the time to scratch words into the side of each key to denote it's respective door. 'Library' 'Courthouse' 'Sherrif' 'Armory' 'Church'. While the keys are examined the skeleton shudders and collapses in on itself, bones clattering to the floor as the skull rolls to a stop at Remi's feet, the empty eye sockets peering up at him.

Alba straightens, tensing only a little as the skeleton begins to fall into itself, turning her back when the skull hits the floor. "Well and well," she says, flipping through each key on the ring in turn, "these are necessary keys indeed, like as not. Who, then, shall carry them?" Leaning back against the table, she picks up the empty book-cover with her free hand, glancing up and arching an eyebrow at the rest of the party.

As the book is touched it slams shut, the cover twists and contorts into a grimacing face as it bellows out. "This story has ended, it is not yours to continues!" The entire building seems to shake for a moment as the lights flicker before the book then bursts into flames. Reducing itself to ash in a matter of seconds but doing little more than scorching the surface of the desk.

Ka'Len jumps and spins around towards Alba and the book, his eyes widening for a moment as he issues something very much like a yelp, though later he'll never admit that." The sword is out and aimed at the book while he spreads his legs to keep from falling over as the building shakes and the book ignites. He opens his mouth and starts heading towards the door only to stop as the shuddering also ends.

Remi is slightly startled at first as the skull lands at his feet, looking down at it wide eyed, as if might bite him. Then, even more scary things happen, the shaking and the yelling book actually causing the Bard to trip over himself, and falling back onto his butt, right next to the skull. Causing him to start scrambling back in fear at it all, his mouth open in wordless terror and his eyes like saucers.

Marduke watches the skull fall with a almost impassive expression not at all worried about it. Yet when the book talks he steps back and blinks a moment. Eyes narrowing as he holds up a hand ready to smack something but relaxes as the book crumbles, "We have the first of our answers, only to get more questions." Turning to start out of the room, "A story to be told, perhaps we need to start a new one." eyes stopping on the skull as he passes it and then to Remi. Kicking the skull back to the desk he shakes his head, "We are not in harms way Remi, relax."

<1> A [SCENE] Pose is one in which the PCs cannot react to, it's there to set mood.

<2> In an [ACTION] Pose all players are required to type a response at the same time and hit return in unison. So no one is able to change their pose in response to another's actions. All actions are consider Simultaneous

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