The party finds the secret staircase with ease now. Made of creaky wood, constructed in a spiral down a 5-foot wide shaft of mortared stone, the staircase descends 50 feet. Cobwebs fill the shaft so thickly that little can be seen beyond five feet in any direction.
When they reach the bottom of the seemingly endless spiral, a narrow tunnel stretches out southward before branching out east and west.
The party begins to hear an eerie, incessant chant echoing throughout the basement.
Rin’s going to stealth and lead.
Sen is going to give Rin some inspiration: I believe a kiss on the hand for them.
After Sen does this, Faolan looks at Rin, then at Dima, then at Sen again and says, "I hope you don't tongue me when you give me mine."
<.>
Rin winks, blows Sen an air kiss, and starts down the westward path.
[STEALTH, r: 20; Rin is officially vanished into the shadows.]
They're going to move five feet over to take a look at how many stairs there look to be (or ten feet if they need to). Here, they'd like to pause and try to discern whether anything's changed in the echoing sound, whether it sounds nearer or farther or anything.
[dm: They can't tell where the sound is coming from at all. It's almost an ambient, if distant, noise.]
Though they’d intended to go check the other hallway, having seen the steps, Rin now knows a strong desire to see what's down the steps, and they're going to move to the bottom stair.
[dm: They come to the bottom of a short flight of stairs; the hall opens out into a room with a wooden table and four chairs. They can't see much in the dim lighting, but it looks like the room might branch off into other spaces.]
Rin thinking to themself, very emphatically, shit.
They'd like to pause for half a minute to discern whether there are signs or sounds of movement before heading back up the stairs.
[dm: There's no movement at all. Just that weird noise.]
Okay moving back up the stairs. They'd like to take a small look down the first branching hallway if they may before returning toward the group.
<.>
Sen is, meanwhile, uncomfortable standing here with Faolan and Dima in silence
And as he rolled a 19 on stealth, he's going to scout the other direction.
<.>
Checking out this hallway, Rin discovers more branching. And. Well. A little more searching wouldn't hurt. And Sen can reach them if anything's needed! So Rin's going to scooch down the left branch.
[dm: Down this branch, Rin finds an empty crypt. There is no name and no corpse. The blank stone slab meant to seal the crypt leans against a wall.]
’Seems like a waste,’ Rin thinks. And. They're just going to slip out of here. They don't really like having walked into a crypt. This is supposed to be a house. And thinking about what happened with Sen in the library, Rin resolves to return to the party— After taking a careful look down the right branch. Then they'll go back!
[dm: This is likewise a crypt hewn from the earth. The stone slab meant to seal it leans against a nearby wall. Etched into it is the name Walter Durst. The crypt is empty.]
....Rin nearly. Nearly says out loud, ’I knew Walter was trouble.’
They did not know any such think. They also don't do more than think the words, though they'd like to take a moment to see just how dusty this crypt is, and whether there are tracks anywhere within.
[dm: There are no tracks; the general dust and cobwebs are about the same as everywhere else down here.]
That's enough for now; Rin's going to head back toward the others. Probably, it's wisest not to stay split for too long down here.
<.>
Sen, not knowing where Rin is, exactly, is going to message Dima.
[ Is Rin back yet? ]
<.>
Dima has been trying no to look too long at Faolan; it isn't the right time (to say the fucking least), and he doesn't want to discomfort the man any further. He studies the rings on his hand, reminds himself to stave off worry for later, and he's about to dare a press to Faolan's bicep when—
Godsdamnit Sen.
He sounds huffy even in his thought response: [ No, they haven’t— ]
Which is when the tiefling slips back into view, seems to instantly note Sen's absence, and fixes Dima and Fae with sharp eyes.
[ They have. I believe they're looking for you, o intrepid adventurer. ]
<.>
Faolan's attention is on Rin, so he fails to notice that Dima and Sen are communicating.
[ If we come down this way, don't bother with the first corridors, left or right.
I'd go so far as to say, keep Faolan out of them. Yourself, as well, with your little passengers. ]
Sen is, as it turns out, standing in the crypts of Rosavalda and Thornboldt Durst.
A perfunctory look down the other hall has told him these are the crypts of the children's parents.
<.>
Dima: [ …I'll want to know what you've seen. But I take your suggestion in this case as word. ]
<.>
Sen: [ Final resting places of those not yet finally resting. And those who ought not be finally resting, come to think of it. It seems Father and Mother Durst have done one good thing for their children, after all, and expired. ]
<.>
A moment as Dima first forgets, then remembers to breathe, and: [ Thank you, Sen. ]
And.
[ I'd be interested to know who sealed the shitminded parents into resting. For now, you'd better return before the tiefling throws a fit. ]
<.>
No need to tell him twice; he didn't think about THAT.
- Who buried the parents, OR Rin throwing a fit
<.>
After messaging Sen, Dima's going to softly share with Faolan and Rin some part of what Sen relayed: That there's nothing that needs searching in the first passages to the east.
[DEC, d: 12]
<.>
Faolan regards Dima for an uncomfortably long moment, then decides not to investigate further. (Yet.)
Sen, on returning, says there's nothing at all down either passageway.
[DEC, s: 15]
Rin buys it. Faolan is still not having this shit, but also kind of figuring at this point mAYBE they're lying for a reason.
So, the stealthed thieves just returned to report Nothing. Faolan also decided to stealth himself and is silently judging some not-truth-tellers.
<.>
Dima, seeing everyone going stealth, will try his hand at it again, though his hopes aren't particularly high and he's planning on keeping to the back of the party.
[STEALTH: 20]
Rin does not trust Dima to lead the stealth train. They're good with themself, Sen, or Faolan.
Dima. Does not want Fae to lead. For no particular reasons. And suggests one of the thieves - who are presumably accustomed to odd houses - should take point.
<.>
Sen is not as accomplished a thief as Rin and will gladly defer to their guidance.
<.>
Rin gives Sen a smile and a [ Why thank you very much! ] With a wink because you see, they learned this trick too!
"Before we move— Okay, so we're gonna want to go down a small flight of stairs. There's a hallway to the right, but it's just a couple of empty crypts." They pause. They think. "Mostly empty. There was a name in one, but nothing to go with it. Point being it's not really worth our time so. Down the stairs we go!"
If no one has questions or comments, Rin will begin moving toward the stairs they found earlier.
Death House pt. 2: Onward and Downward
When they reach the bottom of the seemingly endless spiral, a narrow tunnel stretches out southward before branching out east and west.
The party begins to hear an eerie, incessant chant echoing throughout the basement.
Rin’s going to stealth and lead.
Sen is going to give Rin some inspiration: I believe a kiss on the hand for them.
After Sen does this, Faolan looks at Rin, then at Dima, then at Sen again and says, "I hope you don't tongue me when you give me mine."
<.>
Rin winks, blows Sen an air kiss, and starts down the westward path.
[STEALTH, r: 20; Rin is officially vanished into the shadows.]
They're going to move five feet over to take a look at how many stairs there look to be (or ten feet if they need to). Here, they'd like to pause and try to discern whether anything's changed in the echoing sound, whether it sounds nearer or farther or anything.
[dm: They can't tell where the sound is coming from at all. It's almost an ambient, if distant, noise.]
Though they’d intended to go check the other hallway, having seen the steps, Rin now knows a strong desire to see what's down the steps, and they're going to move to the bottom stair.
[dm: They come to the bottom of a short flight of stairs; the hall opens out into a room with a wooden table and four chairs. They can't see much in the dim lighting, but it looks like the room might branch off into other spaces.]
Rin thinking to themself, very emphatically, shit.
They'd like to pause for half a minute to discern whether there are signs or sounds of movement before heading back up the stairs.
[dm: There's no movement at all. Just that weird noise.]
Okay moving back up the stairs. They'd like to take a small look down the first branching hallway if they may before returning toward the group.
<.>
Sen is, meanwhile, uncomfortable standing here with Faolan and Dima in silence
And as he rolled a 19 on stealth, he's going to scout the other direction.
<.>
Checking out this hallway, Rin discovers more branching. And. Well. A little more searching wouldn't hurt. And Sen can reach them if anything's needed! So Rin's going to scooch down the left branch.
[dm: Down this branch, Rin finds an empty crypt. There is no name and no corpse. The blank stone slab meant to seal the crypt leans against a wall.]
’Seems like a waste,’ Rin thinks. And. They're just going to slip out of here.
They don't really like having walked into a crypt. This is supposed to be a house. And thinking about what happened with Sen in the library, Rin resolves to return to the party— After taking a careful look down the right branch. Then they'll go back!
[dm: This is likewise a crypt hewn from the earth. The stone slab meant to seal it leans against a nearby wall. Etched into it is the name Walter Durst. The crypt is empty.]
....Rin nearly. Nearly says out loud, ’I knew Walter was trouble.’
They did not know any such think. They also don't do more than think the words, though they'd like to take a moment to see just how dusty this crypt is, and whether there are tracks anywhere within.
[dm: There are no tracks; the general dust and cobwebs are about the same as everywhere else down here.]
That's enough for now; Rin's going to head back toward the others. Probably, it's wisest not to stay split for too long down here.
<.>
Sen, not knowing where Rin is, exactly, is going to message Dima.
[ Is Rin back yet? ]
<.>
Dima has been trying no to look too long at Faolan; it isn't the right time (to say the fucking least), and he doesn't want to discomfort the man any further. He studies the rings on his hand, reminds himself to stave off worry for later, and he's about to dare a press to Faolan's bicep when—
Godsdamnit Sen.
He sounds huffy even in his thought response: [ No, they haven’t— ]
Which is when the tiefling slips back into view, seems to instantly note Sen's absence, and fixes Dima and Fae with sharp eyes.
[ They have. I believe they're looking for you, o intrepid adventurer. ]
<.>
Faolan's attention is on Rin, so he fails to notice that Dima and Sen are communicating.
[ If we come down this way, don't bother with the first corridors, left or right.
I'd go so far as to say, keep Faolan out of them. Yourself, as well, with your little passengers. ]
Sen is, as it turns out, standing in the crypts of Rosavalda and Thornboldt Durst.
A perfunctory look down the other hall has told him these are the crypts of the children's parents.
<.>
Dima: [ …I'll want to know what you've seen. But I take your suggestion in this case as word. ]
<.>
Sen: [ Final resting places of those not yet finally resting. And those who ought not be finally resting, come to think of it. It seems Father and Mother Durst have done one good thing for their children, after all, and expired. ]
<.>
A moment as Dima first forgets, then remembers to breathe, and: [ Thank you, Sen. ]
And.
[ I'd be interested to know who sealed the shitminded parents into resting. For now, you'd better return before the tiefling throws a fit. ]
<.>
No need to tell him twice; he didn't think about THAT.
- Who buried the parents, OR Rin throwing a fit
<.>
After messaging Sen, Dima's going to softly share with Faolan and Rin some part of what Sen relayed: That there's nothing that needs searching in the first passages to the east.
[DEC, d: 12]
<.>
Faolan regards Dima for an uncomfortably long moment, then decides not to investigate further. (Yet.)
Sen, on returning, says there's nothing at all down either passageway.
[DEC, s: 15]
Rin buys it. Faolan is still not having this shit, but also kind of figuring at this point mAYBE they're lying for a reason.
So, the stealthed thieves just returned to report Nothing. Faolan also decided to stealth himself and is silently judging some not-truth-tellers.
<.>
Dima, seeing everyone going stealth, will try his hand at it again, though his hopes aren't particularly high and he's planning on keeping to the back of the party.
[STEALTH: 20]
Rin does not trust Dima to lead the stealth train. They're good with themself, Sen, or Faolan.
Dima. Does not want Fae to lead. For no particular reasons. And suggests one of the thieves - who are presumably accustomed to odd houses - should take point.
<.>
Sen is not as accomplished a thief as Rin and will gladly defer to their guidance.
<.>
Rin gives Sen a smile and a [ Why thank you very much! ] With a wink because you see, they learned this trick too!
"Before we move— Okay, so we're gonna want to go down a small flight of stairs. There's a hallway to the right, but it's just a couple of empty crypts." They pause. They think. "Mostly empty. There was a name in one, but nothing to go with it. Point being it's not really worth our time so. Down the stairs we go!"
If no one has questions or comments, Rin will begin moving toward the stairs they found earlier.
<.>