Zapdos

Search of the Abandoned Mansion - Creative Thinking Fantasy RP

Claribel looked like she was in deep thought for a few seconds. Finally, she responded to his question, sadly shaking her head. “I can’t, sorry. The old guy’s doing this thing in a few hours. If I don’t stop him-”

She stopped talking when she heard a quiet thud, looking alarmed and checking around her to be sure something dangerous wasn’t nearby. Claribel looked relieved when she realized that it was just a book that had fallen out of one of the bookshelves. After taking a breath, she continued what she was saying, this time in a whisper.

“Dad and everyone else will die.”

Search of the Abandoned Mansion - Creative Thinking Fantasy RP

Upon hearing the shepherd speak, the thing in the shadows ran towards him faster. A few moments later, Sohn saw what it was; a little girl with brown hair, black eyes, and a worn and dirty pink dress. This was obviously Claribel.

Despite being the one who ran up to him earlier, the girl seemed hesitant, yet curious. “You’re not with the old guy...right?” Claribel looked like she was ready to run back to where she had started if the shepherd gave her the wrong answer.

Search of the Abandoned Mansion - Creative Thinking Fantasy RP

The dog did not make a fuss, so Sohn moved towards the archway. Using the knob and his staff, the shepherd opened the grand door. What was revealed was a grand library, filled with books and shelves arranged in rows. It looked like there were 12 or so rows of shelves, all parallel with each other, and all in a straight line. This didn’t even include the shelves on the walls, which wrapped around three of the four walls. It was slight, but thanks to the moonlight, Sohn could see that the wall that was furthest away was actually made up of more windows. But the third row from the right somehow seemed a little darker than the others, and then the man realized that someone or something was moving toward him.

What would the shepherd do?

Search of the Abandoned Mansion - Creative Thinking Fantasy RP

Sohn noticed a few things as he did his work in the piano room. First was that the window ledge and frame had no rot. Whatever it was that had broken the window, it had been done recently. Second was that it was not far from the window to the ground level. Maybe a little girl would be clumsy if she left that way, but it was nothing that would break any bones. Cleaning the glass and positioning the chairs were still common sense moves, though.

On his way to the stairs, the shepherd noticed something much more alarming; the bodies of Eliel and Magolor were gone. Aside from minor blood stains that had been left on the ground when they were killed, there was no evidence that either man was ever there.

Surprisingly for this place, the stairs revealed no traps or other impediments. Now the shepherd was on the mezzanine balcony which wrapped around the walls of the lobby and had a nice view of it. There were three doors that Sohn could choose from; one to the right, which was right next to the staircase. Attempting to open it would reveal it was locked. There was also a door to the left which was shut, but unlocked. Finally, there was an archway in the center, similar to the one downstairs in the lobby. However, unlike the one downstairs, this one had a big wooden double door inside it that was closed and unlocked. Carved on the door was an ornate script of some kind that looked like none Sohn had ever seen.

Search of the Abandoned Mansion - Creative Thinking Fantasy RP

While the shepherd’s paranoia was sensible given the losses he had endured, right now it was merely cautionary. Sohn heard nothing but the wind, so he went into the room, where he saw nothing that would put his life in immediate danger.

However, something had happened in this room in the past; there were big picture windows straight ahead of him all along the wall, revealing an expansive yard ahead. Most of them were intact, but there was one that was broken. Whatever or whoever did this had created a way outside of the mansion. There was a chair laid on the floor next to the window with glass shards scattered on it as well. In fact, there were at least 20 chairs in the left side the big room. Some were lined up as if they had people in them watching a performance, but others were laid on the floor or otherwise disordered from that arrangement.

Near the east of the big room was a grand piano. If Sohn chose to play it, he would know that it still played perfectly. Based on the way the chairs were arranged, someone had played this instrument before an audience at some point.

Finally, on the left and right sides of the room (near the chairs and pianos respectively) were two more doors. The man could also see where the dining room was in relation to this big room, as the straight path he had seen before going into the kitchen led to this room.

Search of the Abandoned Mansion - Creative Thinking Fantasy RP

Sohn’s guess was correct; the room he entered was a kitchen. Faded wooden shelves could be seen ahead and around him. There was also some woodwork with a ceramic dishpan in it. Nearby was some kind of pump that could be used to get water. Charles Cornwall (or whoever built the mansion for him) had thought to drill a well next to the dishpan so the house’s occupants wouldn’t have to carry water in to drink or wash their dishes with. Most of the shelves were closed, but one was open; investigation of it would reveal it to contain a silverware divider with sections containing forks, spoons and knives used for eating. One section was empty though and it was the biggest one there.

Looking to the left and right, the shepherd could see two closed doors. The one to the right was a double-acting door, while the one to the left was not. There were no windows or other means of escape, at least not in the kitchen. Thankfully, there were no more imps or other murderous creatures in the kitchen either.

Search of the Abandoned Mansion - Creative Thinking Fantasy RP

Sohn’s search of his departed companions yielded concrete results; the half-elf had a small dagger and a copper piece, likely a loose piece of change he found on the ground at some point. The Halfling had three gem apples and a journal of some kind. While the knife was designed more for skinning animals than for combat, it could come in handy at some point. Depending on how long it took to be safe, the food could be helpful as well. Whatever insights could be gleamed from Magolor’s journal would have to wait though, as the notes were written in some kind of Halfling language. Except for the clothes on their backs, Sohn would find nothing else of value with his formerly living companions.

As he finished his search, the shepherd heard a loud THUNK from above. Looking upward revealed nothing but the ceiling and chandelier, so this was likely caused by something on the second floor.

Search of the Abandoned Mansion - Creative Thinking Fantasy RP

The dog and shepherd’s instincts were right on the money, in this case. The seamless cooperation born of labor on the fields allowed the pair to assault the demonic creature quite successfully, try as it might to free itself. And it did try, but all it did was able to do was lightly scratch Fortuna before the imp disappeared in a cloud of purple dust.

Now the pair would have to decide just what to do from here. Their companions were all dead and they were seemingly no closer to finding Claribel or anything else worth their time in this building. How would they continue their search of the abandoned mansion?

Search of the Abandoned Mansion - Creative Thinking Fantasy RP

Magolor nodded at Sohn and proceeded towards the left door. He pushed it open, looked around, and then fell backwards towards the dining room. The cause of this was a thick kitchen knife whose sharp end had connected with the small man’s neck moments before. He laid on the floor, holding his neck to prevent more blood loss, but deep down the merchant knew his end was coming.

Eliel had been in his sad state over the loss of his father figure, but the strike on Magolor had shocked him out of those emotions. “Magolor!” he exclaimed and ran towards the Halfling with his trademark speed. The half-elf kneeled to try and do what he could for the merchant, but before he could do anything a small furry purple imp lunged at the half-elf and slashed his neck with its claws. Despite the creature being the size of a one year old baby, this imp’s claws were sharp and deadly. After Eliel fell to this being, the demonic creature turned to look at Sohn next. Seeing a new victim, an evil grin appeared on its face.

Search of the Abandoned Mansion - Creative Thinking Fantasy RP

After an understandable grieving period from Eliel and a less understandable period of insanity from Magolor, the latter found the former solider girl’s blood where she had been. Without any real proof it had been hers though, the team of three cautiously headed towards the room with the light to see what they could find. Fortunately, there were no traps to speak of around the pit.

When they arrived, everyone saw what was in this room; a formal dining room, complete with a set of sturdy-looking wooden chairs and a table. The centerpiece of the room was a grand portrait of an important-looking man. Evaluating the amount of detail and color that went into it, it was easy to assume it was probably Charles Cornwall himself. Based on the artist’s representation of the man, the nobleman had a commanding presence and commanded respect. The light that had been seen was actually from one candle on a diminished, yet still ornate chandelier. While the detailed metalwork of the fixture still alluded to the former grandeur of the piece, there were holes that looked to have contained gems sometime in the past. Upon evaluation, the team would find that the candle had no drippings or other signs of wear; this piece of wax was only lit recently. There was also a grand wooden cabinet that was a little shorter than Sohn, made of the same wooden material as the table and chairs, with three drawers of equal size.

Besides the direction they came from, there were three other passageways the group could use. To the right was a door that was mostly closed; it had been left slightly open by whoever used it last. The left door was a double-acting door. Interestingly, there was a big scar on the wooden material, as if it had been cut somehow. The middle led to some kind of big room. What was inside this room couldn’t be seen without some investigation, but the size could be vaguely seen through the lighting created by the oil lamp and the candle.