Fantasy Hunter's Moon [IC] [CLOSED]

[Dmaster]

Camille moved herself carefully through the halls, her weapons at the ready as she silently crept in front of the group before Ethraeil asserted a position at the front. She made no protest, unable to spot auras or rely on anything beyond her own physical capabilities the huntress knew that he would make a better lead than she would. That meant she could focus less on the route to their target and instead what was on it.

The tense stair climb did little to calm her nerves, an intense gaze plastered on her face as she was already anticipating the worse. It was not like her to be shaken by such encounters or tasks, but the situation was understandably frightening. Even still, Camille knew to use that fear and anxiety to make her focus that much sharper. The passing patrols they dodged had her stop all breathing and movement as they passed, wanting to act but unable to due to the necessity stealth was to their success. With a deep breath she steeled herself, following behind the lich as he drew closer to their imprisoned allies.

 

[Infab]

Peltragow - Duke Ashwood's Estate (Dungeon - Prison Floor) - Evasion
D4 used to measure detection by enemy.
Inquiry Group #1 = 3. Detection. One Vampire spotted the group. Stealth broken till enemy is slain.
Elite Vampire Soldier #1 = 8 - 1 (7. Menacing Aura.) Does 1 DMG to Ethraeil. Ethraeil HP = 17.

Peltragow - Duke Ashwood's Estate (Ground Floor) - Evasion
Inquiry Group #2 = 2. Near Detection. Stealth still maintained.
​

As the group arrived at the top of the steps, they found themselves standing at the end of a hallway lined with cells. Well, it seemed that they were making progress. Valeria and Wesley were nearby, somewhere on this floor. They just had to find them now. They traveled down the dimly lit hallway, peeking into cells as they walked. More skeletons and rubbish left over from years prior. It seemed that this dungeon saw little use beyond storage and a cool place for these elite vampire soldiers to wander about.

As they rounded a corner, they found themselves looking upon a vampiric soldier peeking into a cell at what seemed to be a rat. As the group paused, he looked about. Having heard their feet skid to a stop on the cobblestone floors. "Who the hell?" he said aloud, before drawing his saber from his hip and charging the group. When he arrived, he gave a punch to Ethraeil, using the metal handguard of the sword as makeshift knuckle dusters.

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​

Inside the estate, the group continued their movements about. They wandered down the hallway towards the front entrance, looking for a way up to the second floor. Once they arrived, they found a winding staircase leading up to the top. And at the top of the stairs was Cassandra herself. They quickly retreated, moving back towards the dining room as they looked for an alternate route. Cassandra, whom had been speaking to a guard, glanced down to the bottom the steps and raised an eyebrow as the group quickly moved back. After a moment, she shook her head, and returned to the guard whom she had been speaking to.

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil took the blow, as it was more of an annoyance than actual pain, his head swiveling to the side from the force. What concerned him immediately however was to take care of the guard before anyone else was brought into the fight. Ethraeil thus responded by casting a dark magic bolt straight at the vampire guard in retaliation, and hoped that the others would also join in as well.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob had been quiet ever since he left the Inn. He had only talked a bit to 'Erwin' before he left the Inquiry, giving him his automatic pistol as thanks for helping him in the swamps. He made sure to send a letter to him, and hopefully the next time he sees William Van Cleef, the two will have those beers that Jakob promised.

After that, he was moody. But he wanted to keep his thoughts to himself. Seeing Aleister dressed as an officer enraged him. Something so little and unimportant like that was slowly eating at him. But for his sake, and the sake of the priest, he kept quiet. The more rational side of him knew that Aleister just picked the officer uniform to look good. As the group moved through the estate, Jakob looked around at the faces of the once brave and stoic heroes. Now submerged in opulence and luxury. It was disgusting to him, who had fought with all his will for the flag and King. "I swear, this room is going to give me an aneurysm." he whispered to his companions while walking through the halls. "These men disrespecting the Atracan flag, the King, and the governors. It's disgusting." He continued to walk with them. "...does anyone see the pastry table? I really need something sweet to calm my nerves. Specially if its some Escarian blancmange...or some Silver Shore sweetmilk."

 

[Viper Actual]

Having linked up with the sewer team Galina switched from her rifle to her compact crossbow to maintain stealth. During the short time it had taken to sprint towards the mansion she had regained most of her composure after the explosion, though the feeling of death at her hand still lingered. Once the team was inside and Ethraeil took a blow from a guard Galina raised her crossbow and fired, hoping to score a hit on the guard's torso.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister very calmly made his way back down and away from Cassandra, his expression placid but his throat tight and his mind reeling. He had even taken a very small involuntary breath of air, and let it out after several seconds of trying to recall how to do so. He gestured quickly but discretely at the others to follow his lead away from that path. They needed to find another route. Soon.

"We don't have time to dally, come along, and keep a sharp eye out," he said quietly, looking all a bout when he had a moment to break posture. Looking like you knew where you were and what you were doing was key, but one didn't magically learn the location simply because they pretended to know it.

 

[Dmaster]

Upon the guard spotting them and springing forth to strike, Camille took a single step back and tucked her arm in, rapier raised vertically as she took a stance in preparation. Once Ethraeil fired his reactive belt, she lunged forward and stabbed into the guard's chest in a single motion. Just then she heard Galina ready her crossbow, immediately withdrawing with a swift step backwards as she kept her distance to allow the shot to reign true.

There was no telling if that would be enough to get the vampiric guard out of commission, though her stabbing him with silver would stop him from making a rapid escape if that's what it came to.

 

[Infab]

Peltragow - Duke Ashwood's Estate (Dungeon - Prison Floor) - TURN 1
Ethraeil = 8. Does 1 + 1 (2, Master of Death) DMG to Elite Vampire Soldier #1. Elite Vampire Soldier #1 HP = 10
Camille = 9 +1 (10. Infallible Focus.) CH Roll = 8 + 1 (9. Grand Duelist.) Does 4 DMG to Elite Vampire Soldier #1. Elite Vampire Soldier #1 HP = 6. Elite Vampire Soldier #1 cannot use vampiric speed or strength (Silver.)
Galina = 5. Does 1 DMG to Elite Vampire Soldier #1. Elite Vampire Soldier #1 HP = 5.
Mariette = 6. Does 1 DMG to Elite Vampire Soldier #1. Elite Vampire Soldier #1 HP = 4.

Peltragow - Duke Ashwood's Estate (Dungeon - Prison Floor) - TURN 1 (ENEMY)
Elite Vampire Soldier #1 = 10. CH Roll = 5. Targetting Galina. Roll to Evade = 5. Evasion Successful. Galina takes no damage (Banshee's Foresight.)

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Peltragow - Duke Ashwood's Estate (Ground Floor) - Evasion
Inquiry Group #2 = 1. No detection.

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​

The group in the dungeon immediately reacted to their attacker, launching their own attacks. Ethraeil launched a ball of dark magic at the Vampire, forcing him to back away upon collision. As he was distracted, Camille launched forwards and shoved her rapier through the man's chest. The silver took effect, the vampire letting out a groan of pain as she removed the blade just in time for Galina to nail him with a crossbow bolt. Mariette also got her own attack in, using the blade that Cassandra had left with her. It didn't stop the vampire, however, as he launched another attack. This time at Galina. He rushed and swung his sword at her, but thanks to her gifts, she saw it coming and simply dodged it by sidestepping.

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​

The group traveled through towards the back of the estate, eventually finding another staircase near the rear of the building leading up to the rear portion of the second floor. Likely the staircase was used by estate staff. Once up to the second floor, they found that there were less guards in the area. Now, they just needed to go searching through the rooms for the blade. There wasn't any sign of the Duke himself, but they could clearly sense Cassandra on this floor. She was moving, but not towards them.

 

[joshuadim]

With the vampire having failed its attack against Galina, Ethraeil pressed the advantage and thrust an ice blade rights towards the vampire, hoping to not only catch it off guard but also to wound it enough for the others to finish it off.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob looked at his friends and gave them a nod. "Bitch is on the move. Doesn't seem to have detected us yet, though." He looked towards the general direction of Cassandra's aura. "Good thing our auras are hidden, I suppose, but we gotta keep moving. Especially you, Rose." He looked to Rosanna. "If the spell wears off, we can hide among the other troops. But I don't imagine there's gonna be many dullahans skulking around."

 

[Breadman]

"So far so good." Theodore said quietly as he carefully looked around for any signs as to where the sword might be hidden. "I wouldn't worry for Rose, constable. She's more resourceful than Cassandra has given her credit for."

 

[Infab]

Peltragow - Duke Ashwood's Estate (Dungeon - Prison Floor) - TURN 2
Ethraeil = 1. Misses Elite Vampire Soldier #1. Ice blade collides with wall, shatters.
Camille = 10. CH Roll = 10. Does 4 DMG to Elite Vampire Soldier #1. Elite Vampire Soldier #1 dead.

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Peltragow - Duke Ashwood's Estate (Second Floor - Living Quarters) - Evasion
Inquiry Group #2 = 2. Near detection.

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​

Ethraeil summoned a blade of his own, made of ice, and took a swing at the vampire. He barely missed, as the vampire leaned out of the way to avoid it, and the ice blade collided with the wall behind the vamp and shattered. Camille's attack was far more successful. She stabbed the vampire in his arm, forcing him to drop his saber, which she kicked up into her off hand. A moment later, she'd use it to cleave the vampire's head from his shoulders.

Now that the fight was settled, the group could continue their search. They left the vampire's body where it lay, it slowly dissolving into dust, as the traveled down the hallway. More cells to peer into and storage rooms to ignore. They narrowly dodged other patrols, whom seemed to simply be wandering the dungeon aimlessly. Boredom had set in most likely. Soon enough, they found the cell that Wesley and Valeria had been locked inside. Peering through the window in the door, they could see Wesley laying on the floor just inside. A wooden chair leg jutting from his chest. The door was locked, but seemed rather old. It could easily be kicked in by either Ethraeil or Mariette.

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​

The group on the second floor continued their search, peering into the various living quarters on the second floor of the estate. They made sure to avoid the various patrols wandering about, as few as there were. And they made damn sure to avoid Cassandra. One room in particular seemed interesting. A large room, likely used by someone important. The bed across from the door had a large blood stain on it. Who's blood it was, it was unknown, but still. They needed to search the room. Carefully digging through the wardrobe and searching in other locations, they examined the room closely.

Then, they felt the incoming aura of Cassandra. And there wasn't many places to hide in the room. Quickly, Jacob and Rosanna slipped into the wardrobe, while Theodore and Aleister slipped under the large bed. A few moments later, they heard the door open. And in stepped Cassandra. She quietly strolled across the room, seeming to be looking about for something. She looked for a full five minutes, and even came close to opening the wardrobe but stopped herself. Soon enough, she sighed before heading back towards and out the door. Shutting it behind her.

Apparently they had been searching Cassandra's room this whole time.

 

[Breadman]

"Merde." Theodore muttered after Cassandra left "Too close for comfort." He looked up slightly once he realized where he was hiding. That was her bed and likely the place she...sired Wesley. He shuddered as the intrusive thought entered his mind and he moved to get out of there.

Dusting himself off, he looked around. Perhaps they missed something before she came in. A journal or ledger or anything that would give away where she held the sword.

 

[joshuadim]

Without hesitation, knowing that their allies were this close, Ethraeil leaned back and thrusted a hard kick at the door to open it.

 

[Infab]

Ethraeil's bony foot collided with the door, shattering the lock upon impact and swinging the door open. The hinges snapped as the door bounced off the interior wall, forcing the door to spin like a top before falling over next to where Wesley lay. Valeria twitched across from the door, her chains clinking a bit as she looked up. She could see who it was rather easily, the blue glow of Ethraeil's flames giving him away. Next to him, Camille, Mariette, and Galina.

"Help Wesley first. He's paralyzed." she said, motioning with her foot towards Wesley's motionless form. "Quickly. We need to get out of here and find the sword."

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​

Jakob and Rosanna emerged from the wardrobe, breathing a sigh of relief as the others emerged from under the bed. "We waltzed right into the bitch's bedroom!" said Rosanna, looking towards the door. She looked back over to Theodore, when he walked over to where a nearby desk was. It was one of the places they hadn't searched in the room. After pulling open a few drawers, he discovered what appeared to be an old diary of sorts.

Skimming through the faded pages revealed the extent of Cassandra's descent into madness. There were a few affectionate references to a man in the earlier portions of the diary, but the name had been marked out with ink on every page it was mentioned. Likely whom Wesley had referred to when he explained Cassandra's reasons for turning him. According to the diary, Cassandra had also killed the man long ago. Afterwards, the diary listed the various encounters and eventual employment of Cassandra by the Duke. It seemed that the two had been acquainted for quite a long time.

In the later pages, there began to be a sharp decline in the sanity of the writer, beginning with the mention of an 'Artem Kutyakov' being captured with the assistance of 'a blonde, leather-clad demon'. The demon was later given a name in the diary, which the group was already rather familiar with. Sazak. Instead of the formal writing that most of the diary had been written, it shifted slowly to a sort of plain scratchy kind of writing. It was difficult to make out at times, especially towards the more recent entries.

What Theodore and the others did learn from the recent entries was that Artem was being held somewhere in the Ellisgate Mountains by the Duke and one 'Ser Edmond'. They also learned of the sword's location. The study on the top floor of the estate, locked inside of a glass case. At least, that's what it appeared to say, as the last entry was written in what appeared to be a rough, insane version of shorthand.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille stepped into the cell rather quickly after the lich, moving over to Wesley and pressing her boot to his chest rather coldly. Using that for leverage she pries the stake from his heart, and works to remove any shackles or bindings that might have been holding him as well. The huntress had no doubt that the guards would be alerted, so she wasted no time in freeing the vampire before starting to turn her attention to the cell door proper. "We need to get moving. I'm not too thrilled to be killing scores of vampire guards while performing some kind of scavenger hunt." she muttered.

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil strode over to Valeria and grabbed the chains that bound her to the wall. They began to frost over as he held them, weakening them as they froze over. Once they were sufficiently frosted over, he crushed the iron in his hand, shattering it and releasing her from the wall. "The others are upstairs in the main building, searching for it. We don't have much time apart from that, the explosion won't keep the garrison occupied forever."

 

[EdwardDewey98]

As the group continued to search through the room, Jakob opened one of the drawers to look for clues. "Hm? Oh...found her...err..." he said, before closing the drawer without saying much else. Eventually Theodore found Cassandra's diary, and as the small man began reading it, Jakob tried to read behind him. Not a hard task, considering the size difference. "So...the Tsavanian is still alive. And under the control of the Duke and a...ser?" He looked to the others. "Is that an old way of saying Sir? Another knight perhaps?" he asked, curiously.

 

[Breadman]

Theodore examined the writing as he read through the diary. The steady spiral down into insanity was interesting to note. One rather poorly explored subject of immortality in vampires. What happens to the mind as time goes on and on. Some clearly have adapted better than others, but considering the amount of vampires that turn to hunting. Clearly there is something there, something on the human side of things if these scribbles are to be believed. This diary was a rare find.

"It appears so." He said as he closed the diary and put it in his coat's inner pocket "And you are correct. Ser refers to the old knights. Perhaps another dullahan. Or another vampire."

 

[Viper Actual]

While Ethraeil and Camille assisted Wesley and Valeria the door was guarded by Galina whom kept her crossbow loaded and ready. She glanced over her shoulder once looking over Wesley briefly before continuing the watch the hallway. "Can they walk?" She asked in a hushed tone.

 

[Infab]

"I can walk. I need a weapon, though." said Valeria, before looking over to Wesley. "He might need some help walking. At least till we reach the stairs." After Ethraeil shattered her chains, she stood and rubbed her wrists. "I don't know where they put my things. His either for that matter. Still, we should get moving. If we're under the estate...then the sword is likely upstairs somewhere along with my equipment." She stepped over and pulled Wesley up off the floor of the cell, before moving to the door where Galina was. A moment later, she disappeared out of it, followed quietly by the others.

It wasn't all that far from the stairwell leading up to the next floor. Only a few halls over, really. During the walk, both Valeria and Wesley acquired weaponry in the form of left over from years prior. The axe that Wesley found seemed absolutely ancient, but the blade still seemed pretty sharp, while Valeria had found what appeared to be a spear head. It'd work well enough for a shortsword. Once they arrived at the stairwell, they made their way up it quietly to a more modernized floor of the dungeon.

Peltragow - Duke Ashwood's Estate (Dungeon - Guard Quarters Floor) - Evasion
Inquiry Group #1 = 1. No Detection.
​

There seemed to be far fewer guards on this floor than the lower ones. Four at most, and they were too busy playing cards at a table in the central room. Easy to avoid, as there were other halls on this floor which lead around the central room. The other rooms on this hall were filled with beds and various other objects and trinkets. Personal items of the guards roaming around the lower floors and potentially the upper ones. There was also an armory on this floor, which was locked. Ethraeil easily froze the lock and the group broke it open without much noise.

Inside the armory, Valeria and Wesley found their equipment. They quickly geared up, and soon they were off towards the final stairwell leading up to the ground floor of the estate.

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​

Rosanna spoke up a moment later. "Well, it says the sword's here. Lets go get it and meet back up with the others downstairs so we can end this." she said, motioning for them to follow as she strolled towards the door leading out of the room. Cassandra's aura seemed to have disappeared from the building. Perhaps she was sent to check on the garrison blast? The rest of the group followed behind her, and soon they were making their way back through the halls of the estate.

Suspiciously, the guards on the floor seemed to have disappeared as well. There were noises downstairs, so they seemed to have simply moved down there. This would prove to be the same on the next two floors going up, as the group eventually arrived on the top floor of the estate. This floor was quite similar to the others, with cream colored walls and gold trim. There were several more paintings on this floor. There was one painting in particular of a man that appeared to be dressed in fancy garments, wearing a mask with other masks fixed to his belt. Another next to it was of a tanned woman, wearing a golden headband and other fancy clothing while looking out of a window. The final painting was of a teenager wearing what appeared to be exotic armor from the western continent. Certainly eye catching paintings.

"The Duke's got a weird taste in art." commented Rosanna, as they arrived and stepped inside of the study. The room appeared much like most studies. Dark, hardwood floors with a large carpet in the center, a few chairs scattered about with small tables next to them. Bookshelves lined one wall, while a desk sat in the corner with a chair pulled away from it. To the group's right, there were a few glass cases with items in them. The long one in the center was the one they were after. Inside, the Sword of Velin. "There it is. Quick, lets get it and go!" said Rosanna, pointing it out to the others while she looked back out the door to make sure nobody was coming.

 

[Breadman]

Theodore stepped forward to the glass case. The thought of the case being trapped by magic passed through his mind, but they had precious little time to waste. So it they had to risk it. Out of all of them, he was the only one who could even lift the blade.

The professor placed his hand on the lid to lift it and reach for the sword.

 

[Infab]

The lid of the glass display case was locked in place. Theodore or one of the others would have to smash the glass or pick the small lock in order to get it open. As Theodore fumbled with the case, Rosanna looked about, before noticing one of the suits of armor next to the door to the study. As she eyed it, she noticed that the weapon that the armor had was laced with gold. No wonder she felt odd standing near it. After a moment of looking at the weapon, a standard arming sword, she reached over and carefully took it from the armor display. As much as she hated the feel of it, she'd need it for later.

 

[Breadman]

"Hmm. Alright. A bit of science." Theodore said before reaching inside his pocket. The uniform allowed him to conceal a few choice vials filled with concoctions he had on hand. Either forsight or pure luck allowed him to carry what he needed for this. "This should be a few seconds. Fair bit of warning, the smell might be horrendous."

Theodore pulled the top of the vial and poured the contents. The sizzling ooze started making it's way through the lock. The could just smash the case, but this was a quiet and quicker alternative to that and lockpicking.

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil did his job with opening the armory and continued to lead the way as the group advanced upwards to get out of the estate's dungeon. "So far so good..." Ethraeil muttered. "Let's hope the others found the sword by now."