In Defence of Chickens [IC]

[turnip_farmer]

Talia and Koby

The tracks criss-cross one another all over the courtyard of the keep, though it doesn't take any special talents to distinguish two particularly well-trodden routes. One heads toward the well, while the other heads off in the direction of the south-east tower, ending in a solid looking wooden door.

The well

As Mac approaches, he too hears sounds coming from the well, vaguely like someone were calling for help. It's only faint, as if the source were very deep. He sees Alice peering over the side of the well, seeming to lean a little further over than is safe.

Looking into the well, Alice sees only a thick inky blackness. A blackness that seems to grow and twist as her sense of perspective falls away. For a moment the well seems to move around her as she feels oddly disconnected from her body.

Spoiler: OOC

Alice - make a DC 13 Will save

 

[thirdkingdom]

Yolo Swaggins

Yolo and his entourage head over to the door set in the southeast tower.

 

[jmucchiello]

Vasha and Ranken check out the one black building that hasn't collapsed. Seeing if they can see inside, perhaps.

Prinx sees Alice looking funny by the well and goes to aid her.

Garwen finds himself alone by the portcullis and move over the group by the southeast tower.

 

[theCourier]

Talia and Koby

They follow the tracks to the tower and stand before the door, seeing that others are already examining the well.

"Fleetfoot" Mac, Squire

He stops as he hears the voices, looking all around. "What in the...? Alice, perhaps you should step away from the well!" Mac is hesitant to go forward, and stays where he is instead.

Alice, Miller-Baker

She pays no attention to Mac nor Prinx, instead focusing hard on the strange sensations.

Spoiler: Will Save

Alice's Roll = 13

 

[turnip_farmer]

The Well

For a moment, Alice finds herself in a dream-like state, the world dissolving around her into a vague blackness. Strange shapes flicker at the edge of her vision. Some sort of beings moving too quickly for her to see them clearly, and yet at the same time seeming to beckon her towards them. She has a sense of falling forward...

..which, with a start, she realises is real. Her sense of perspective rushes back as she finds herse;f tipping over the edge of the well. She is able to grab at the walls of the well, just in time to prevent herself plummeting into blackness.

Prinx jogs up to hear the strange, faint moaning, continuning unabated.

The building

The only building still standing in the keep is in a pretty poor condition. The walls look like they have been recently burnt, and there are faint hints here and there of decoration and elaborations that have broken or been burnt away, leaving only a squat, black box of a building. Two gargoyles survive, flanking the doors, their faces carved into the shape of monstrous, demonic toads.

The doors are bronze, worked into a grotesque scene of distorted faces screaming in horror. Someone has barred the doors, from the outside, by hammering a great wooden beam into place, and painted the single word REPENT on the door.

The tower

Entrance to the tower is blocked by a rusty, iron door, with a demonic gargoyle face leering over it. To either side of the door are small arrow slits – others are visible above on the upper floors.

 

[TheAlkaizer]

Wenzel
Uninterested in trying to lift the portcullis, he trots forward to catch up with Talia and Koby

Edelgard, Margrit and Markus
A bit surprised by the fall of the portculis, they set to check their surroundings. After a quick walk around, they find that the moan of efforts of the others led to a portcullis that's once again open.

Edelgard nods in approval. "Good thinking," he says.

But before they can draw a smile, they hear the commotion from Alice's situation with the well, and reactions to it.

Margrit walks up to Alice and gently puts a hand to her pack. "Are you OK, dear?"

Edelgard gasps. "That's no good," he says. He motions to Markus and they both look around for some sizeable rocks or piece of bricks that they could lift by themselves yet do some sizeable damage if dropped on someone. They intend to stand by Margrit and Alice, ready to drop their newfound projectile in the well if some horror was to creep out of it.

 

[jmucchiello]

Prinx puts a hand out to help steady Alice, "Are you okay? You looked a bit dizzy."

Vasha and Ranken look at the door. "Wait, it's barred from this side. Should we disturb it?" "One way to find out," Vasha says. She knocks on the door, not touching the bar. "Hello?"

Garwen taps the shoulder of someone by the southeast door and points to the building. "What are those fools doing?"

 

[turnip_farmer]

Markus and Edelgard

It's a straightforward matter to find loose stones in this crumbling old keep. Nothing seems to emerge from the well, but the moaning continues.

Vasha and Ranken

The door makes a dull clanging sound, but after waiting for a minute there is no response to your knock.

 

[JustinCase]

Billy Happy
Walking up to the well, Billy the halfling is careful not to look down into it. "Odd sounds," he whispers, referring to the moans. "D'you reckon there's people down there?"

Granny Grain
"If anyone has a rope, we can climb down to be sure," Granny says, having moved next to Billy at the well.

The tough old lady nods at Alice. "You alright, girl?"

Despite her seemingly calm demeanor, Granny is upset by the effect the well apparently has on Alice; the corn farmer knows the miller-baker as someone who is not easily rattled.

Jack the dungfarmer
Meanwhile Jack has followed Koby and is looking at the animal tracks with some interest.

"If there are big animals here, where did they leave the droppings? They'd be everywhere," he says, thinking once again about the stuff he works with every night.

Calvin Littlebrook
The welldressed halfling grimaces when Jack mentions excrements again. Truly, why would anyone want to know where it is, except that it is not here now?

"Do you think those animals are down there?" he asks, motioning towards the well where some of the others have gathered. "Because I say we should be moving somewhere else, then. This place is dirty enough as it is."

 

[theCourier]

Talia Eastmoor, Noble

She examines the door, squinting at it. "Looks heavy. Perhaps we should wait until the rest have finished doing whatever it is they're occupying themselves with before checking this strange tower's insides..." She leans against the wall, and then spots Vasha and Ranken knocking on the other building's door. "Whatever's been sealed inside might not be worth disturbing. On the other hand... maybe there's something not worth disturbing in there along with something worth finding inside. Ah, decisions decisions! Lend me a hand, will you?" She begins moving the bar holding the door closed, her greedy eyes glinting with thoughts of possibilities.

Koby, Orphan

"I don't know. Maybe inside this tower? That is where the tracks led to, after all. That high and toity noble gal doesn't seem too interested in helping out here, but maybe we should check inside?" He stands at the ready to open the door, glancing around the courtyard with worry on his face.

Alice, Miller-Baker

She seems a bit surprised by all the attention being directed her way, but responds after taking a deep breath. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you all for your concern... I don't know what this well holds, but I have my own suspicions. Nothing good, honest folks like ourselves should bother with that's for sure!" She laughs nervously, taking one last look at the well's base before going over to join Koby by the tower door.

"Fleetfoot" Mac, Squire

"I'd gladly fight whatever's down there! If, uh, I had a light. And plenty of rope..." He seems intent on putting the matter behind him just from Alice's reaction, but then spots Markus and Edelgard with the heavy stones in their hands. "Be careful. She seemed... to not be herself, or hear any of us, when she approached the well." After warning them, Mac joins Talia, Vasha, and Ranken by the barred door.