You all stand in the mausoleum watching Peter ....
Peter reaches down and tests the latch on the door, which isn't locked and lifts easily. Slowly he pushes the door open ...
Suddenly he jumps backwards, with a look of surprise on his face and exclaims "Gods ...." as out from the doorway fies a spectoral owl.
It is about the right size for a samll owl, but it is nearly transparent and glows with an eerie light.
It flies silently and slowly around the room, seeming sizing each of you up ....
Peter jumps backwards and stumbles, the look of surprise on his face leaves you in no doubt he was not expecting that.
The surprised look deepens as he takes half a stap backwards and trips over his own feet, finishing up on the floor, looking back at the spectoral owl.
BTW I am going to Monday and Thursday posting for the next little while :)
Rolf, too, is surprised by the glowing owl. He draws his blade in a quick, practiced motion and moves to the fallen Peter's side. Keeping his eyes on the owl and the blade ready in his right hand, he offers the left to aid Peter in regaining his feet. As it spins about the room, he turns to follow it, wondering at it's intentions. "Greetings," he says in a quiet, tentative voice.
Peter takes Rolf's hand and pulls himself to his feet. "Thanks.." he mutters as he continues to watch the owl over Rolf's shoulder.
Eyes wide, Elsbeth motions to Laddie to stay put and takes a step forward. She raises her hand in greeting. "Greetings to ye," she whispers to the spectral owl. "We be meanin' no disrespect or harm."
Her voice is much like what she uses when speaking to Laddie.
Though nervous and uncertain, Edgar follows the lead of Rolf and Elsbeth, and greets the owl, phantom or no, with a series of caaarks, fluttering his wings as he does so.
The owl ignores all attempts to communicate with it and continues to circle, weaving in and out of you as it flies.
As Peter starts and falls, Callum reaches for his sword, releases it when he sees that it is a bird, then gasps as the nature of the bird becomes apparent.
"'Ware! Maybe the houlet has an owner behind yon door!" he warns!
OOC: If the next few moves involve a young mage wearing round glasses, someone is going to get a slap next time he's in Edinburgh:-)
November 29, 2001, 5:45 am
Roll 1, 20 sided di(c)e 1 times. Add 3 to the result. Drop the lowest 0 di(c)e.
9 + 3 = 12
Total = 12
November 29, 2001, 5:46 am
Roll 1, 6 sided di(c)e 1 times. Add 1 to the result. Drop the lowest 0 di(c)e.
5 + 1 = 6
Total = 6
November 29, 2001, 5:46 am
Roll 1, 6 sided di(c)e 1 times. Add 1 to the result. Drop the lowest 0 di(c)e.
1 + 1 = 2
Total = 2
The spectoral owl circles once more and then Dives at Callum raking him with both claws.
It really is strange, the birds wing seems to pass straight through Callum's great sword as if it didn't exist, but the claws seem to strike deep into his body causing excruciating pain.
It is clear from the expression on Callum's face that - it hurt - but there neither his clothing or his flesh is ripped, nor is there any blood.
OOC: Well it was going to be you anyway really. All to do with Callum's physique ...
"By Frey's cloud .." ejaculates Peter as he watches the owl attack Callum. His hand goes to his dagger, but he hangs back in indecision waiting to see what the others will do.
Then his face whitens slightly as Callum's words sink in and he turns slowly to face the door, dagger held in front of him.
You can see the uncertainty in his stance, the very knowldge he shouldn't be there, but there is also a sort of determination that keeps him in place, and armed, alongside Rolf.
Ambivalence grips Kerim. On the one hand he wishes to defend his friends, on the other he'd no sooner bring disrespect on his friends for attacking a guardian of a sacred resting place.
In the end he simply asks.
"Being that I am not fully aware of the local customs I wonder what it is to be that our next move shall entail?
It seems most unwise (sorry for the owl/wise crack) to stay and receive it's ire, of that I am sure."
Kerim backs off, raising his sword to defend himself. He looks from Rolf, to Elsbeth, to Ravn, and any who have shown knowledge of the more ritual or spiritual, waiting for a response.
Gasping at the sudden attack, Elsbeth steps forward to the owl, her hand on the sprig of mistletoe at her throat, the other hand upraised. "Back off, ye beastie," she warns the owl softly. "We be meanin' your master no harm. We come respecting ye."
As the bird attacks, Rolf cries, "Ware the bird." He moves to put himself between the owl and Peter. He pulls out his blade and in his free hand, pulls out a smaller axe. His eyes flicker across the scene quickly before he makes up his mind. "Callum, back towards the entrance, see if it's set on you or guarding the place or what."
Callum lets out a yelp as the ghostly claws rake him. He backs off rapidly and starts making his way quickly up the stairs. Realising that he cannot swing his sword in these confined spaces, he draws the dagger he recovered from the doghead camp. If the owl comes near him again he will try to hit it with that.
Madelyn, last of the opriginal group to enter this room, draws her sword and stands ready. As the owl flies she takes a swing at it with her sword, only to see the blade pass right through it.
Zhiri bends to a corner and whispers in her little friends ear. It listens intently, then grins and disappears with a quiet "poouff" noise.
OOC: I think both Zhiri and Madelyn will be leaving us during the Hiatus folks. :(
November 30, 2001, 6:11 am
Roll 1, 20 sided di(c)e 1 times. Add 3 to the result. Drop the lowest 0 di(c)e.
7 + 3 = 10
Total = 10
November 30, 2001, 6:11 am
Roll 1, 6 sided di(c)e 1 times. Add 1 to the result. Drop the lowest 0 di(c)e.
2 + 1 = 3
Total = 3
November 30, 2001, 6:11 am
Roll 1, 6 sided di(c)e 1 times. Add 1 to the result. Drop the lowest 0 di(c)e.
1 + 1 = 2
Total = 2
The owl follows Callum, its wings seeming to pass through the door frame and the walls as it fies after him. Again it rakes at him as it passes (5pts of damage) again there is no sign of any injury ...
OOC1: Please have a swing back Callum :)
OOC2: Callum's move leaves everyone else fairly stationary unitil the owl moves :)
OOC3: Kerim is on holiday for a while and Ravn is up to his eyeballs with work - This might be quite hard work :) but lots of extra experience :)
Seeing the owl following Callum out of the door, Peter takes a peek through the door in the screens. His sudden intake of breath makes it clear there is more in there that he did not expect to encounter.
"I will shout if anything else moves in here .." he calls to Rolf, head still half through the door to the secluded area, nominating himself for a sort of guard duty.
Rolf starts to follow Callum out, wanting to help, but he is distracted by Peter's gasp and his self-appointed position as guard. "What is it Peter?" He moves purposely towards the door in the screens.
Kerim will unfortunately have to submit himself to the whim of the GM for a week in my absence.
Clutching at straws Kerim displays the wrist band to the Owl, hoping beyond hope that it will ward them against it.
Other than that he recalls that there was a sword recently found.
"Callum, what of that sword with which you opened that chest? Perhaps it will sunder this winged nemesis."
"Peter is there a owl body or statue in there? If we cannot affect the apparition, berhaps there is a physical aspect within that can be effected?"
Peter jumps slightly as Mandrake speaks to him, he is obviously jumpy and wasn't expecting it. "I can't see any statues of an owl. There is a human skeleton, a large coffin and a damaged metal statue - but thats all I can see." He responds, talking more quickly than normal, and in a slightly quavering voice.
Zhiri twitches, her fingers flickering anxiously as she shifts her weight from foot to foot.
"Magic.. hopefully magic."
December 3, 2001, 4:09 am
Roll 1, 20 sided di(c)e 1 times. Add 2 to the result. Drop the lowest 0 di(c)e.
3 + 2 = 5
Total = 5
Callum slashes wildly at the ghostly bird while retreating towards the daylight. He appears to be trying to fend it off rather than hit it, so wild are his swings.
+1 to hit and damage for the Dagger :)
Mind you, that still missed :)
December 3, 2001, 5:07 am
Roll 1, 6 sided di(c)e 1 times. Add 0 to the result. Drop the lowest 0 di(c)e.
5 = 5
Total = 5
Edgar is held immobile by the sudden appearance of a bird that he would normally flee from ere it caught him, but as the owl's claws rake Callum, the raven leaps from Mandrake's shoulder, caaaawing loudly, hoping to distract the creature from its target, trying to get close enough to rake the owl with his claws, though his fear of the creature, be it phantom or no, is evident.
December 3, 2001, 6:01 am
Roll 1, 20 sided di(c)e 1 times. Add 0 to the result. Drop the lowest 0 di(c)e.
20 = 20
Total = 20
Edgar flies of after the owl attacking Callum and even though the stair well hampers his flight manages to get close enough to make a pass at the spirit, trying to rake the thing with his claws.
OOC - make me a To Hit roll then please Edgar.
** EDITED December 3, 2001, 8:30 am **
Returning from the temple, Ravn's disappointment at having found no clues as to the significance of the moonstones slowly wanes when he sees the plentiful leftovers in the kitchen, neatly wrapped up by the tidy Peter.
However, just a few seconds after his first bite of bread his delayed luncheon is disturbed by loud shouts and the roar of one certain Celt warrior, the noise quite obviously coming from a downstairs stairway.
Ravn struggles hard to swallow the large bite of bread as he hastes downstairs, and almost chokes on it when he sees Callum retreating before the ghostly fowl.
"HEL's GUARDIAN!!?! Now what have you done, infidels?!?"
Ravn raises his spear, symbol of Odin's power, the polished spearhead gleaming like a silver mirror.
"ALFATHER! Protect me from this creature of Hel! Let me pass unscathed! WAYFARER! Hear my words!"
OOC: That's a Sanctuary spell, in case you were wondering.
Elsbeth looks at Ravn. "Ye might be needin' to go back where the body is, Ravn," she tells him. "Something might have happened there and now its why it attacks, though why it targets the Lad I don't know."
So saying she moves to try to intercept the owl (without getting hit by Callum's wild swings), her hand still on her symbol, trying to remain calm.