Game 20 - Separated

[arsgoetia]

After talking with the traveling group, Maon leads you some ways up the path again to regroup and talk without being overheard. You all got some information from the party—they aren't from here, they're on the move, and although of course they'd love to give up their sweet camping spot so a Daoine Sìth like Maon could help his good friend Vincent have a birthday party, unfortunately the dragon that lives in the nearby mansion hoards music and musicians, and any group here having a proper revel is likely to get snapped up.

You may have noticed that you're missing your shadow again, along with your fussbird and Elluka. Those with superhearing had heard a brief burst of hearttuggingly beautiful music box music, quickly cut off.

Oh, and now those people with superhearing are hearing a voice distant in the woods, "Were you the source of the sound we just heard? Or should we be looking further afield?"

It sounds like there's no signs of a fight. What do you try to do?

Comments

(frozen comment)

[oneknightsstand]

[this guy definitely does NOT have superhearing, looking at the rest of his group]

So, uh, did anyone see where they went?

(frozen comment)

[wrongstory]

No—

[NOT SUPER HAPPY ABOUT THAT EITHER]

(frozen comment)

[star_and_stone]

No -- they must have left while we were talking. Not really a surprise, given them...

(frozen comment)

[rollwillpowercheck]

[shakes his head]

How have we managed to split the party already...?

(frozen comment)

[redetermined]

I'm hearing voices— real voices, not in-my-head kind.

(frozen comment)

[tildeathdoweremain]

Maybe they thought they'd go check out the castle?

(frozen comment)

[thisgoddelivers]

[flicking a booger away onto the ground, sry hope it doesn't hit you]

Nope. Is mysteriously disappearing like this normal?

(frozen comment)

[liarliarliar]

They snuck off when I wasn't looking...

(frozen comment)

[hardatwork]

[shakes his head!]

[star_and_stone]

*well, that's. concerning. let's look around a bit to see if he can sense Sariel and Luka's contract in the vicinity, and if so, head in that direction.*

[rollwillpowercheck]

[FIRST WE LOSE THE CAT, NOW THE CHICKEN.]

Where did they get off to...?

(frozen comment)

[conatus]

[i'll be the super hearing dude i guess???]

—someone noticed Elluka or angry bird trying to use one of those music boxes.

(frozen comment)

[wrongstory]

[this doesn't sound great]

Are they in trouble?

(frozen comment)

[liarliarliar]

That stupid stuffy sparrow.

Telling me to stick close and then shuffling off like that.

(frozen comment)

[digitalemperor]

[Player X has rejoined the game, Mikado is no longer in NPC autofollow mode.]

Um... Do they know about the dragon? I didn't see when they left...

(frozen comment)

[arsgoetia]

You hear further discussion from that way—it's a bit far even for you when not a loudly declared thing like the first, and covered up by both the travelers and this your own group's chatter. But you can make out that Sariel is barking back questions, that the new arrival(s?) are the forces of Mia-something, and Sariel is demanding answers.

Oh the next bit's loud. Sariel is announcing that if he gets answers, he'll "agree to request an audience", which is a weird way to summarize getting captured.

(frozen comment) [On The Move]

[arsgoetia]

You seem to have, for the most part, decided to go towards the voices, which are in turn, apparently going towards the mansion.

You start to proceed through the woods, more-or-less as a group, vaguely following the direction of where it seems Sariel last was—but now the voices have stopped.

Are you planning to crash the party? Be stealthy? —well, either way, you seem to have a shadowy guest racing to return to you.

(frozen comment) Re: [On The Move]

[tenebrat]

[ immediately bounding out of the shadows once they're in sight as a large black dog, bristling and anxious. ]

Oh! I am so sorry, but we must go-- they are taking them to the castle.

(frozen comment)

[voreaciously]

Should...we use music, then?

(frozen comment) [The Castle]

[arsgoetia]

You head through the woods—luckily, even if you aren't sure where exactly Sariel and the others are at the moment, the moonlit mountain is a pretty easy target when the trees thin.

The mansion (or was it a castle after all?) is a large and imposing structure of nearly-white stone with multiple tower-capped turrets and very gothic architecture. A large wall surrounds the outside—the back of it appears to be directly built into the mountainside.

You can glimpse past the wall through a pair of huge wrought-iron gates: a lush and beautiful garden sprawls on either side of a cobblestone road leading up to a pair of huge, huge doors. Although there are some well-tended flowerbeds and bushes, it's mostly lawn rather than bushes and flowers—a large half-domed outdoor stage is set up to the right, so the lawn is likely also seating. Ivy winds up the front of the castle, but given how well-tended the area is, it's likely a deliberate aesthetic rather than any sign of abandonment.

You see no sign of the others, still, though there are footsteps approaching from the road leading West. Right now you're under the cover of the woods, still, but it doesn't seem possible to approach the castle without leaving cover.

(frozen comment) Re: [The Castle]

[oneknightsstand]

[whispers] So are we just going for it?

(frozen comment) Re: [The Castle]

[playfair]

[hmmm. hmmmmmmmmm

he would approach the castle, but approaching footsteps seem more pressing. he peers in that direction, trying to see who's coming]

(frozen comment)

[voreaciously]

Do you suppose we've already been detected? If we mean to impersonate musicians, we shall need instruments, unless we mean to pose as singers.

(frozen comment) Re: [The Castle]

[rollwillpowercheck]

[you know what? fuck it.

steps out of the cover of the trees.]

(frozen comment) Re: [The Castle]

[star_and_stone]

*turning towards the oncoming footsteps, closing his eyes to look for contracts or bindings in that direction; it's Sariel and Luka's he's looking for, but he'll take anything he can perceive*