Party 9

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Rose looks confused.
"Outside? We cannot go outside. We are trapped in this room."
As though to prove her point, she drifts over to the window and hits the glass with a loud thump. As she does, Thorn drifts after her, whispering something in her ear, and she nods.
"That was the house. It uses us as bait to lure in the prey. Like a fish. What you saw outside looked like us, and sounded like us, but it was a trick created by the house."
She returns to her previous spot above the skeletons.
"How we died is Mother and Father locked us in here to protect us from the monster in the basement. The monster would sometimes wake up, and we could hear it, so Mother and Father would lock us in here while they dealt with it. Then the noise would stop and they would let us out. But this time, they did not come back."
With that, she wraps her arms around herself, pulling the fabric of her dress tight around her frame, and revealing that she is even skinnier beneath her clothes than you initially thought.
 
Bronria doesn't take her eyes off the two ghosts as they speak, though her expression grows more grim by the second. When Rose explains what led to their deaths, she finally lowers her sword. There's a long pause before she says, "I am sorry."

She hesitates, then crouches down to get closer to eye level with the children, ignoring the fact that they seem to float. "Please, tell us all you can about this monster, and how to find the basement. There must be some way to break whatever curse has been laid on this house."
 
"We never saw the monster. But we could hear it groaning from somewhere in the basement. There's a secret door leading to the basement in the attic."
With that, she gestures to the dollhouse.
 
Kellen follows the gesture and examines the Dollhouse.
"This is the exact layout of the house! Even the secret rooms are here! Incredible. It seems we have but one set of stairs to take to get to this basement. Look, there's another secret room across the hall as well!" Looking at the apparitions again "Thank you friends. I am sorry for how you must have suffered. Is there something we can do to ease you on your way?"
 
Bronria watches Kellen's movements over his shoulder, noticing the hidden parts of the dollhouse as he points them out. Every few moments she looks up to check on the ghostly children. "As he said. If there is any way you might be allowed to rest, please tell us."
 
"We don't know. We've been here for so long. Please don't leave us alone again."
Having seemingly realised that you plan on leaving, Rose and Thorn drift around you, stopping between you and the doorway.
 
Bronria steels herself, not looking directly at the children. "I am sorry. Gods willing, you will be free soon." With that she raises her shield and advances towards the door.
 
"NO!"
With a shout that rattles the glass in the windows, Rose dives towards Bronria. Passing easily through the shield, she plunges into Bronria's chest and vanishes.
 
Bronria lets out a ragged gasp, her shield clattering onto the floor as she clutches at her armour. Upon realising there's no wound she goes still, visibly shaking. Then without looking up at her companions, she begins to speak in as slow and clear a voice as she can manage. "The girl is... inhabiting my body. I do not know what to do." What little colour was in her face drains away. "She is speaking to me."

Her eyes dart around the room before settling on her shield. She hurriedly bends down and picks it up, cradling it like a wounded child. "We should go. There are more rooms in this attic yet to be explored, and the basement as well." Sheathing her sword, she curtly gestures for her three companions to follow as she goes striding to the door.
 
Kellen hears the children's plea, and his heart breaks a little. Though he is brought back to a healthy fear when the girl appears to attack Bronria.

He pauses as she seems to pull herself and walk away. "She's talking to you!? What is she saying? Are you ok!?"

He pumps his little legs to keep up with the big 'uns long strides
 
Bronria shakes her head, not slowing down for Kellen. "She is no longer saying anything. I am fine." After exiting the room she turns and moves straight for the next door along, directly across from the last one. "Be ready," she orders, grabbing the handle without waiting a second longer.
 
"Fine?? That's not fine!" Kellen nearly shrieks as he stumbles after her. "There could be all sorts of consequenc..." he stops, realizing that they are heading into a new room immediately.
 
As the group hurries out of the room, Thorn makes a dive similar to his sister, but this time aiming for Kellen. However, less than a second after he dives into Kellen's chest, he reappears, shunted back into the room. Watching as the group gets out of the room, he slams his fists into an unseen wall preventing him from passing through the doorway several times before he plops himself down on the floor, wailing. Slowly, the image of Thorn slowly fades, even as the sound continues to echo throughout the house.
 
Bronria goes still, her hand still gripping the door handle. It shivers noticeably before she lets go. "Stay here," she tells the others — another command — then turns on her heel and walks back to the room with the dollhouse, heading straight inside.
 
As Bronria enters the room, Thorn materialises again. Sniveling, he looks around.
"You're not going to leave me alone again, are you?"
 
Kellen gasps as the boy disappears into his chest. He exhales, as he forces the boy out, through some instinct even he doesn't know.

As Bronria turns he follows her with his eyes "Where...?" He pauses as the boy speaks to the woman.
 
Bronria pauses with one hand on the doorframe, staring hard at the ghost child. "I... we are going elsewhere in this house. Your sister is with me." She swallows, though her expression doesn't change. "She would like you to come as well." With extreme reluctance, she moves her shield aside and spreads her free arm slightly; an inviting gesture.
 
Bronria breathes a sigh out through her teeth. "Then I will attempt to find a way to let both you and your sister go freely from this room. Until then, I can promise that you will be safe here, as will your sister with us. You will only be parted for a matter of minutes." She says the last part almost to herself, then turns and leaves faster than before. She won't ask any of her companions to offer themselves up for possession, but she suspects that Rose will become very bad tempered should she take too long to deliver on her promise.

With that weighing on her mind, she strides back to the door she had just intended to enter. With a short nod to Kellen and Abalister, she goes to open it.
 
As Bronria leaves, Thorn returns to his dis paired wailing as he once more fades from view. The next door is unlocked and opens easily, revealing what appears to be a storage room. The space is filled with dozens of various objects, all covered in white sheets, which are in turn covered in a thick layer of dust. Several of the objects are easily identifiable by shape, including a number of chairs and a bed. Many, however, are ambiguous boxy shapes.
 
Kellen listens attentively to the conversation between Bronria and the boy. It seems like she has not been hurt by her...passenger.

The boy was breaking Kellen's heart, and he didn't imagine he'd get another opportunity to experience a friendly possession.

With a gnomish quickness, and perhaps lack of full consideration, he ducks back into the room, and whispers "Hey boy! Get in! We're getting you out of here"
 
As Kellen steps back into the room, Thorn materialises, diving for him again. This time, when he plunges into Kellen's chest, he does not get shunted out again.
 
A number of emotions colour Bronria's expression as Kellen takes on the spirit of Thorn. First, a profound concern, followed by relief, and finally the same look of confident authority she's been wearing for the past minute. "Good. Now, out. We have work to do," she says primly, marching right back to the as-yet-unexplored room with its covered furniture. Her shield raised, Bronria moves into the room and begins to examine each of them.
 
Bronria finds the secret door previously identified within the dollhouse in the other room. However, the door is currently shut, with a large chest in front of it, as if to keep it shut. As Bronria goes to move the chest and clear the door, she notices that the sheet covering this chest, white like the other sheets in this room, is stained the unmistakable red-brown of dried blood.
 
Bronria pauses with her hand stretched out to touch the chest. Of course, she shouldn't have expected even an innocuous-seeming room like this one to be free from horror. Gritting her teeth, she gives the others a brief glance. "Be ready." Then she lifts her shield, takes hold of the sheet with her free hand and tugs it away.
 
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