Gameplay 1d - The Silence of Death

Gavrel nods and falls into himself, praying for the Lord's protection.

Gavrel knows the spell is not moveable, so you enter the greathall again. The swords triggered when you got close to the bodies at the bottom of the stairs so you go wide around and then approach from the far side. When you get close enough, he gathers you together and amounted you not to cross the line other than up the stairs.

Casting the spell in the bodies, you move past them, and up the stairs. The spirits do not take up blades this time.

The stairs circle back and lead you to a walkway looking down the greathall on the second floor. There are six doors, two on the left, two on the right, and two on the far wall. These are all likely bedrooms.

But immediately in front of you are more bones. Judging by the jumble of dry bones, a great battle took place here along the upper landing. Ten skeletons clad in moldy fragments of drab grey cloth, one with a cleft skull, another with a severed head, are a chilling testament to the blood spilled in this place.

Gavrel says a quick prayer for the souls of the dead, "Be cautious," he warns, "Who knows what fresh horrors await us."

Maybe we should check the bedrooms. I'll try the first one. Pistol drawn Gerald opens the first bedroom door quickly, hoping to surprise whatever might be in there.

The first one is a storage room, the second a valet's closet. Both are essentially intact, but everything inside is rotted and mould has refused everything to rubbish.

On the other side, you find the guest bedrooms. Again, they're basically midden pits of rot. That leaves you to the two posher doors at the far end. There is one on the left and one on the right. Which fancies you?

Emma will head toward the left door and open it, weapons at the ready.

That left door is locked, firmly. There is no give in it whatsoever.

Seeing there's no give on the left, Emma will try the door on the right.

The second room is opulent, although filled with mildew and the smell of decay. A large double bed is centered on the right hand wall flanked with a pair night stands. A desk sits on the far wall, a table with two chairs on the left wall, and a dresser in the corner immediately to your left.

A once well dressed skeleton lies in the floor at the foot of the bed, clutching a saber.

Emma cautiously walks up to the skeleton. Can she tell anything by the clothing or saber who they might have been?

Given the location and finery, you suspect this might be the lord of the castle.

A Notice roll may get you more information.

Emma looks closely at the skeleton and it's items, trying to see if she can glean more information.

You're convinced this must be Baron Van Staler, slain by Solomon Kane years ago.

Anyone else fancy a Notice roll?

Hmm, those clothes. Could this be the Baron himself, or at least what's left of him?

Gerald leans down and examines the clothing more closely.

Gerald notes that the body was likely dragged here, wrll after the death. The way the clothes are sitting, the arrangement of the limbs.

You also see the outline of a key in a mouldy pocket.

Emma goes through the desk, dresser, and nightstands in the room, checking for anything of value or to confirm who this was.

Gerald's eyes light up at the sign of a key and rifles around in the musty pocket. Pulling it out he examines it and then will try it on either the desk or the dresser if any of them have keyholes.

Gavrel sees Gerald grab the key. If it doesn't work on anything in this room, he'll suggest, "Maybe this is the key for the other room?"

Emma finds ledgers and notes indicating the deal is where Baron Von Staler kept his accounts.

Gerald finds nothing that matches the key in the room, but it is a door key that matches the style of the door sets. It very well could be the match to the baron's door, or the other locked room. Checking, it doesn't work in the baron's door.