Author Topic: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?  (Read 39054 times)

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #40 on: July 25, 2013, 01:07:11 PM »
Claudia steps inside the house, then steps right back in the direction of the party, noticing Elizabeth gorging herself in blood.

I'll be taking a look inside in search of a clue.
Feel free to meanwhile finish your brew.


And then she walks inside again, looking for anything that may explain the disapearance of the people. Are there any signs of struggles? Or is everything on its place?

Oh, and also keep a look for valuable trinkets and baubles. Always nice to have more of those.

If that house didn't provide anything meaningful, she would repeat the process on the biggest, fanciest-looking building in the village she could find.

Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #41 on: July 25, 2013, 05:25:57 PM »
Listen check, please.
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Offline oslecamo

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #42 on: July 26, 2013, 11:33:25 AM »
Claudia stops to listen to the world.

(click to show/hide)

Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #43 on: July 26, 2013, 11:51:44 AM »
Off the corner of her eye, Claudia could swear she saw a child's visage - slightly aglow and ethereal, like a ghost's - but as she turned to face her, the image was gone.

In a voice that sounded staticky, like over a bad radio, Claudia heard:

Are you... there?
Kami darou ga akuma darou ga, ore no michi ni tateru mono NASHI!!

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Offline oslecamo

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #44 on: July 26, 2013, 12:46:12 PM »
Trying to look as calm and relaxed as possible, Claudia breathes deep and replies:

Yes... Yes I am here right at this bit.
With who am I having the pleasure to speak with?

Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #45 on: July 26, 2013, 05:24:50 PM »
No answer. Only darkness.
Kami darou ga akuma darou ga, ore no michi ni tateru mono NASHI!!

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Offline oslecamo

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #46 on: August 22, 2013, 04:42:15 PM »
Just my imagination
That's the answer to my question.


Claudia resumes exploring the house, pulling heavy things around to make sure there's no hidden stuff behind them.

If that still doesn't provide any result, she'll start setting things on fire. Any candles/fireplaces first, furniture later.

Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #47 on: August 23, 2013, 08:58:49 AM »
Claudia's search yields nothing particularly interesting - the things that ARE hidden all happen to be fairly mundane: a little girl's diary, a small pouch with silver pieces (likely the meager economies of the family), and so on.

The flames don't reveal anything particularly interesting, either, except that poor houses burn fairly fast.
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Offline oslecamo

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #48 on: August 23, 2013, 09:06:34 AM »
Under the light of the burning house, Claudia carefully opens the diary and starts skimming trough it, seeking to get an insight on the life of the previous owner and hoping she had left any records that may hint to the reason the village was currently devoid of life.

Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #49 on: August 23, 2013, 09:54:10 AM »
Mostly, what Claudia manages to find are snippets into the vapid mind of a village girl. (Try as she might, there are lots of spelling mistakes, and most of her notes aren't very interesting.) From the way it reads, the child must have been... 10, if not a little less.

Her read turns up very little to no useful information. Something about her parents looking concerned as they return from a local town meeting (then again, the very same note can be found a few pages earlier).

Claudia finds some blank pages that might lead her to believe the journal is ended. However, some pages later, in the same child-like calligraphy, she finds the same sentence repeated over and over:

Are you there?

A couple of pages have small smudges of dried blood in them.
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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #50 on: August 25, 2013, 07:05:12 PM »
Puzzled with the situation, Claudia takes the book to Elizabeth and shows it to her:

I found this strange diary with dried blood in the village
Can you use your magic to some information from it forage?

Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #51 on: August 25, 2013, 10:25:31 PM »
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Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #52 on: August 26, 2013, 09:39:33 AM »
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Watching the flames rise into the sky, Elizabeth decided she'd catch up in a minute--after sending some scouts out to check for anything interesting at all in this village. A group of oversized, demonic-looking bats seemed to rise out of the shadow--and they were promptly sent to look for living creatures. After that, a much smaller bat settled itself onto the vampire's shoulder.

Finally, after having drunk her fill once more, the vampire took off towards the flaming building--quite literally. The fastest way from A to B was a straight line, and that meant taking to the air.

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Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #53 on: August 26, 2013, 10:18:18 AM »
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The bats return empty-winged. Apparently there are no living souls within the village. However, given their limited intelligence, there may have been something they've missed.
Kami darou ga akuma darou ga, ore no michi ni tateru mono NASHI!!

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Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #54 on: August 26, 2013, 10:28:14 AM »
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Offline oslecamo

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #55 on: August 28, 2013, 07:37:33 PM »
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Something is very wrong with this village.
Madness was taking over each inhabitant's mind.
I sugest we look for the biggest cottage.
Search it all and see whatever we can find.


Claudia proceeds to go look for the biggest, fanciest house in the village, kick down the door and turn everything upside down looking for any more clues for this mystery. All while humming a happy tune and smiling to herself.

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #56 on: August 28, 2013, 07:40:59 PM »
Gathering her minions about herself, Elizabeth landed behind Claudaia, following her into the building with spear in hand. Actually getting in involved ducking somewhat--a coffin on the back, though useful as an oversized backpack, made manoeuvring rather on the difficult side.

"I don't know about you, but everyone that once lived here is gone. Gone or dead. Or staked outside, I suppose. My bats here can't find a thing--and if half a dozen predators that don't rely upon sight can't help, what can?"

Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #57 on: August 29, 2013, 11:08:03 AM »
The biggest, fanciest building in town isn't a house, but the town hall. There's a small antechamber that leads up to different offices and administrative rooms, and then there is a hallway that leads to the audience chambers proper.

The audience chambers are likewise apparently empty but for one large, fancy chair in the back, looking almost like a throne, whereupon a single man rests.

He is tallish, or at least appears so from the way he clumsily lays on the chair, taking a nap. He's wearing tight leather pants, a pair of loafers, and a tunic with a V-shaped neckline plunging all the way to his waist, with a number of rings in both his hands. His hair is combed backwards into a tuft, and his skin is rather pale, possibly suggesting a vampire.
Kami darou ga akuma darou ga, ore no michi ni tateru mono NASHI!!

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Offline oslecamo

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #58 on: August 31, 2013, 02:49:11 PM »
If half a dozen predators that don't rely upon sight can't find anyone
Perhaps a single clown with eyes will get the job done.


Giving Elizabeth a "I told you so" look, Claudia turns and makes an elaborate bow to the napping figure, then speaks as loudly as possible:

Our traveling troupe to this village came.
I'm Claudia Cinzenta and this is Elizabeth without surname.
Would you be interested in playing with us a game?

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Chapter the First: How, What, When, Why?
« Reply #59 on: August 31, 2013, 03:05:55 PM »
"Well, I set the bats to luck for living creatures, and they didn't find any of them," Elizabeth countered, folding her arms and trying to look as uninterested as possible in the seated figure, bats taking up positions along the sides of the room, "So I would say we found something quite unusual here."