Early Culautumnus: A Mystery Arises [Open Posting]

[Sahji]

To anyone present, Ric may have appeared like ramshackle sailor, or even a useless, defenseless drunk. But exactly that appearance was deceiving as Ric slowly regained all his other senses. Slowly his body started to ‘wake up’... and ‘scanned’ his surroudings once again.

[[I'm gonna crank dese out mates, hold on to yer ba--er, tights]]

The more Ric looked, the stranger seemed the populace. Something, something INHERENTLY must have been wrong with them, the way they moved, turned, spoke, hollow voices, yet human at the same time. Something devilishly uncanny about them, but what, he coulldn't quite pick up on.

One of the dancers passing by had a bit of string sticking out of her neck. Another, his teeth seemed...wooden.

Sand. There was sand on the floor, come to think of it. Was it truely collecting around the feet of the party goers?

"Over here, sailor. You're to dance and sing for our host...." The woman beckoned across from a hearty man, whose big stomach seemed ready to reupture. He lay on his back across a sofa, his eyes hidden beneath a costume mask, waving a short, manicured hand for Ric to get on with it.

[Sahji]

she cried as her basic survival instinct took over. She turned her body around whilst clawing frantically at anything and everything that could possibly help her get away from the spider.

"Sweet-ling, sweetling.." A voice. Where was it coming from? It crooned, a woman's voice, sounding slightly dry. Meanwhile, the spider simply tap-tapped at her struggles, drawing her further back into the room, "You musn't struggle, nay, I've a blanket for you my dear. It is time to sleep....sleeep, sweetling, sleep..." The web wrapped round and round and Shula was wrapped tighter, and everything was getting darker, the thick, cloistering web shutting out the world of sight and sound. The harder she struggled, the tighter it seemed to grow until finally Shula could move no more.

She was duly aware of a feeling of floating, but there was nothing but silence. She couldn't open her mouth, for fear of suffocation.

The House had claimed its first victim...

[[But it's not the end of Shula!]]

[Sahji]

His eyes opened, narrowing upon the structure as he stepped forward. Where to enter from?... His brief reverie unfortunately revealed neither the entrance used by those that were within or which path was truly the 'safest'. It was time to put faith's foot forward...

[[Silas, I'ma let Babs whisk you away, if ya don't mind!]]

[Sahji]

With a start, Tatianna pulled out of her memory and saw that she was almost completely wrapped up in the hungry plants and was unable to move. She screamed again, this time, her voice was strangled and soft as the vines constricted her chest, making breathing difficult. Thankfully, she still had a hold of her dagger, which she immediately used to start cutting herself free; though it was a seemingly fruitless task as she had let too much time pass and she was trapped so completely. Still, she didn't give up and continued her work in desperation, trying to break free.

There was pain for a moment, when the vines had pierced her skin. But then the matter wound about her spine and suddenly there wasn't really any more pain or discomfort. Leaves caressed her cheeks and tangled in her hair. Tatianna the child, Tatianna the young woman, quickly began to fade. She was vaguely aware of an intense thirst...and then everything went dark.

The house claimed its second victim.

[[Although very shortly, Tatianna shall return! In fact, right after Karma's or Sila's next post, I imagine. Whichever comes first....]]

[Sahji]

Thayne snatched the coin from his man and examined it. "Hmm..." He squinted at it with his good eye and realization flooded over him. "This coin is over eight hundred years old..." Curiosity piqued, they entered the collectors room. Perusing the pedestals carefully, while making their way to the chest at the end...

"Wait, boss, let me. It could be trapped..."
One of his loyal servants pointed out, dropping to his knees in front of the chest. The man checked the lock, discovering it rusted, breaking away at his touch. A greedy delight came into his features; he traced the chest's lovely, old seal before gently raising it.

Within, something glittery caught the candlelight.

The Cuhannan lifted the lid, revealing treasures within. A whole PILE of those coins, not to mention kings' scepters, fist-size jewels, a regular incredible bounty. And it was all theirs! All theirs for the taking!

His guard grinned a wide, semi-toothless grin up at Thayne. And that's when they saw it move. The chest fell down, onto his hands. And then squeezed.

This yell was heard everywhere in the mansion, albeit distantly. For Thayne and his other guards it was a blood-curdling howl of primal horror and agony. The "locksmith" writhed and pulled back, trying to free himself, his boots squeaking on the marble floor. Cuhannan curses went out--the Chest growled and chewed and savored the meat, lurching toward the man, coins spilling onto the floor...

A sting, Thayne felt a sting. The coin he'd picked up--it had turned into a beetle, and was gnawing at him!
"HELP! HELLLP!"

[Karma]

"Wait, boss, let me. It could be trapped..."
One of his loyal servants pointed out, dropping to his knees in front of the chest. The man checked the lock, discovering it rusted, breaking away at his touch. A greedy delight came into his features; he traced the chest's lovely, old seal before gently raising it.

Within, something glittery caught the candlelight.

The Cuhannan lifted the lid, revealing treasures within. A whole PILE of those coins, not to mention kings' scepters, fist-size jewels, a regular incredible bounty. And it was all theirs! All theirs for the taking!

His guard grinned a wide, semi-toothless grin up at Thayne. And that's when they saw it move. The chest fell down, onto his hands. And then squeezed.

This yell was heard everywhere in the mansion, albeit distantly. For Thayne and his other guards it was a blood-curdling howl of primal horror and agony. The "locksmith" writhed and pulled back, trying to free himself, his boots squeaking on the marble floor. Cuhannan curses went out--the Chest growled and chewed and savored the meat, lurching toward the man, coins spilling onto the floor...

A sting, Thayne felt a sting. The coin he'd picked up--it had turned into a beetle, and was gnawing at him!

Thayne watched as his companion knelt before the chest. A slight and quiet chuckle emerged as the man started to open the chest. He wasn't so foolish as to open a trapped chest with his experience in treasure hunting. The other Cuhannan beside him looked on slack jawed and wide eyed as the chest tore into it's prey. The coin in his hand, now a beetle stung him, but how? He wore the fists of Druaga, adamantium gauntlets enchanted to protect the followers of Lochwar. Apparently not enchanted against acid, however. Thayne crushed the bug in his hand and turned his attention to the wailing idiot.

"HELP! HELLLP!" The guard cried. The bearded tyrant took a step towards the quivering mass of his now freshly mutilated guard and slit his throat. "Keep moving you mangy dog, its obviously not here." Once again the room fell silent and the two remaining men moved back towards the exit.

[Jain Zar]

[[I'm gonna crank dese out mates, hold on to yer ba--er, tights]] ==>

The more Ric looked, the stranger seemed the populace. Something, something INHERENTLY must have been wrong with them, the way they moved, turned, spoke, hollow voices, yet human at the same time. Something devilishly uncanny about them, but what, he coulldn't quite pick up on.

One of the dancers passing by had a bit of string sticking out of her neck. Another, his teeth seemed...wooden.

Sand. There was sand on the floor, come to think of it. Was it truely collecting around the feet of the party goers?

"Over here, sailor. You're to dance and sing for our host...." The woman beckoned across from a hearty man, whose big stomach seemed ready to reupture. He lay on his back across a sofa, his eyes hidden beneath a costume mask, waving a short, manicured hand for Ric to get on with it.

Once more he felt adrenaline seeping into his blood, causing tingling sensations in his spine, in his heart and extending to his limbs. Some of these people… if they were people at all, reminded him of something which leaned close to what he called… abominations.
Something was wrong here, very wrong and he sensed how his body started to prepare, in his case a reaction which was as instinctive as breathing. Just like it had been when he faced enemies at sea…


The black sails of the rivaling pirates’s ship closed in on them, yet he didn’t sense the fear some of the youngest lads had uttered softly earlier. Below his feet was a well maintained vessel, manned with a seasoned crew. Two hundred tons of heavy white oak, pine, forged iron, and more than a hundred loyal arms to be exact, awaited the incoming foe almost eagerly. As helmsman he stood side by side with his captain and Bella. They, and all the rest held their blades with a firm grip, their eyes dark and determined locked on the incoming, daring foe, and prepared to show who was the terror of this corner of the sea… and then…




Ric snapped out of the memory, and as unobtrusive as possible his hands groped for his weapons while he pretended just to be jerking on his belt in order to adjust his pants. For a moment he saw himself bathing in blood and pure adrenaline when he discovered his weapons were… gone?
Some feeling, pretty alien to him, sent a chill down his spine. A black mist started to swirl at the corners of his mind.

Stay calm Ric… focus lad…

Instead of allowing his mind to plung in a pool of emotions which would make him feel more uncertain, Ric crouched down and pretended as if he was tying his shoe.

“O’rite matey, let me get ‘tis first. Ye can't dance wit' ye knickers below 'n ye laces makin' ye trip!” he said jovially.

Meanwhile he checked his boot for his hidden knife and when he saw the sand collecting, he didn’t think twice but grabbed some of it from the ground and slipped it in his pocket. He frowned and got up, walked over to the sofa and grinned somewhat… what… nervously?

Ric started to clap in his hands and soon, his feet and the rest of his body found the rhythm…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrmR90e_aPA

[Sahji]

[[Early Calautumnus is going on hiatus until further notice, though feel free to post your own rooms and the like. If PDM Athena is still about, she can play a little, but the major plotline will be halted. I'm mostly bedridden and DM Sabre has suffered a death in the family so we can't be about. We hope to pick up Early Culautumnus in the future, but if this is as far as it gets, thank you for playing, we had a lot of fun, and we hope to see you soon.

PS: If you are trapped, and would like to continue, you can become untrapped in a manner of your choosing, and meet the others, cause mayhem, etc]]