Elder Holes: Dongerfall (Phoenixcs)

[Mashugana]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Speech check (CHA), 13 vs 10.

The imp had retreated back up in a hole in the ceiling, and your scamp's fireball smacked aimlessly a few feet away from it. There was a moment of silence before you'd see the imp's tiny, horned head poke out from the hole in the ceiling, beady little eyes gleaming eerily in the torchlight.

"Man-Mer thing speak Daedra tongue?" it responds curiously, nails clicking against the rotted planks of wood as it regards you. "Why Man-Mer thing here? What do Fitwick's territory?" it demanded soon afterwords, it's tone more agitated.

Well, at least you had it's attention and it wasn't attacking you now. Your scamp regarded you in confusion, as if wanting to know what your orders were in the mean time.

[Phoenixcz]

I'm relieved the imp shows the ability and willingness to communicate, and with the immediate threat stopped, even if it's only temporary, I order the scamp to stop attacking. Maybe I won't be able to talk the imp down and his time will yet come. As I'm not directly under attack, I can concentrate better and have more time to form proper sentences. Or at least better, though the imp itself doesn't seem like much better speaker either. Still, I speak slowly and a bit haltingly. <"I'm Elayne. I was in ship. The ship was destroyed in storm. I awake in a cave, the gate to sea was destroyed behind me. I want to leave, I'm lost, I didn't know this is your place. I thought I can find some useful items there."> I gesture towards the skeletons and the shortsword I was interested in <"I didn't know it was your, I'm sorry. I won't touch it."> If I can parley with the imp, perhaps it'll tell me more about this place and how to get out. That outcome would be preferable to combat, though that's not up to me.

[Mashugana]

The imp paused, seemingly considering what you were saying before suddenly ducking back into it's hole. You hear him rustling around in there for a while and even some terse muttering, before he pops his upper body back out, he appeared to be holding an odd little crystalline red stone in his hand, in the shape of an eyeball. It gleamed unnaturally, and you sensed the hair raising chill of magicka emanating from it.

"Fitwick will let Elayne Man-Mer thing go, even let Elayne Man-Mer thing keep shiny sharp and give direction, but Man-Mer thing must give thing to Fitwick!" The imp declared as he held the stone close to his cheek, the iris of the eyeball like stone seeming to stare at you in an eerie manner as he spoke. "Take strip of cloth from rags, spill blood onto, then give Fitwick!"

[Phoenixcz]

I eye the stone warily as I consider the imp's offer. Giving my blood to someone can't lead to anything good... though magic that could do something with that should be beyond the powers of a mere imp, that stone could mean trouble. I have no idea what it does, but I feel it's powerful. Accepting the offer would give me what I need, without fight I'd rather avoid, but at what cost? Me and the scamp could propably win in a fight, and then I'd have the stone, and be able to check what it does, perhaps using it for my benefit, perhaps destroying it, if it's dangerous, but I'm not sure it's worth the risk.

I reach for the sword on the ground, then hold it to the rim of my dress, but I stop before cutting a strip. Not that I care about the dress, it's ruined already, and it won't make things worse, but I'll still have to ask... <"What you need it for?">

[Mashugana]

The imp considered your question, and it's beady eyes seemed to lose focus as the gem it held took on an eerie glow, humming with magical power, after a moment, the glow went back to being a normalish gleam, and the imp's gaze snapped back into focus on you.

"Blood of the children of Hearless One mixed with blood of the Unchanging One's scions, has power maybe, master says." The imp answered, before starting to shift impatiently. "Deal or no? Fitwick not have all day! Man Mer thing!"

[Phoenixcz]

Hearthless one? I've read myth of Lorkhan before... the Aedra had torn out his heart as a punishment for tricking them to use their power to create the Mundus... our world. I think Nords worship him as a progenitor of men under different name. But unchanging one? Can the imp mean Akatosh? Or something else? I'm not sure I've heart that title before. But he keeps calling me man-mer, which gives me something more to work with. I'm a Breton, and Bretons allegedly have some elven blood mixed in their ancestry, explaining the talent for magic Bretons we known for. Does he think I'm some kind of half-elf, and my blood carries great power? Well, I can use magic... the beaten-up scamp proves that... but I wouldn't exactly call myself powerful. I think he's gonna be disappointed, though I'm still young, and perhaps I do have some great hidden potential. In any case, beside the bleeding... I'm not looking forward to that part... his request seems harmless enough. Even if the gem still worries me. Does he refer to it as his master, or does he use it to communicate with someone or something else? I want to get out of here, preferably without unnecessary fighting, and he offers help in exchange, so I'll risk it.

<"Deal.">

I half-cut, half-tear part of a sleeve from my dress, then again pause for a moment, as I consider where to draw the blood from. Finally, I choose my newly exposed arm, grit my teeth and make a shallow cut, then put the cloth over it to soak the blood. It doesn't hurt much, but I should still bandage it afterwards... luckily for me, my dress wouldn't be much more worse for wear if I cut the other sleeve as well. The cut isn't very big, so it may take a while to get enough blood, and I don't know how much does Fitwick want... hopefully not much, I don't want to overdo it.

[Mashugana]

The imp watches you make the cut, and eyes the strip of cloth til it starts getting noticeably heavy and reddened, raising a claw to stop you.

"That enough, Man Mer thing can set cloth down and take shiny sharp thing. Want direction out yes?" the imp inquires, seeming reluctant to leave the cover of it's hole, probably for fear of treachery. "Take door on left to go out easier, village on road nearby. Watch for beasties on way though."

Well, that was easier than you thought. Of course, you could ignore the imp, he might be lying after all, but then again there wasn't much point in it was there? Of course, there may be more valuables in this dungeon that could be pilfered, and you might have trouble finding your way back here later.

[Phoenixcz]

I put the bloody rag on the ground and step away from it, then start cutting the other sleeve to bind the wound. Healing spell would be nice to know right now, but nooo, that was boring, I had to learn how to make my touch create sparks and summon daedra. Given my current situation, both of those will come handy, but still, thinking back, that was not my wisest decision. Well, this whole expedition wasn't that great idea either, given where I've ended up. I wanted adventure, I've got it, except now I'm alone, lost, hurt, hungry and no valiant knight in sight. A bit too late to start regretting my life choices, though.

While I'm working on my improptu bandage, I'll try to get more information out of the imp. We've both got what we wanted out of the deal, but I hope he'll tell me more. <"Thanks. You know what beasties are there? What to look at?"> Eh, that doesn't sound right. <" Look... for? Friends of you to not fight, maybe?> I consider if I should get out of here as quick as possible, or if to explore some more. Whoever started the campfire could still be somewhere here, and there may be more useful stuff, but this place is clearly dangerous. Being too greedy could get me killed. Maybe I should make sure the way out is clear, then, depending on my state at that point, I could return and check the other way? Fitwick may not be happy if I return here, though.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Was the cut enough to cause some damage?

[Mashugana]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Eh, I'll go and say that you just gave yourself a shallow enough wound that it won't cause any actual damage. For now.

The Imp paused, thinking. "Wolves and rat-things prowl outside at night. Most like deer and rabbit but may go for Manmer-thing if hungry enough. Ogre guard exit chamber itself, armed with big club for smashing. Occasionally leaves enough for Flitwick to eat-eat." he answers, showing you a nasty looking grin full of sharp teeth at the thought of getting some fresh Breton flesh for his meal. "Him lazy though, easy sneak by if sleeping. Stupid too."

[Phoenixcz]

An ogre? I've never seen one, but if I remember correctly, they are big and tough, and much stronger than humans. And they aren't exactly the types for talking. That doesn't bode well. Sneaking sounds like the best option. Maybe I could use the scamp as a diverson to draw his attention away from me, if it comes to that. I'll see when I find him. <"Thanks. Maybe I return back, not like enemy. To see other side."> I point at the other door. <"Don't want more fighting, I come as friend. No need to fear, I promise.>"

I'll go check the door Fitwick indicated as the one leading to exit. I open them slowly, and look for any surprises on the other side, and try to be as quiet as possible.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Writting in broken English to simulate the deficiencies in Elaine's Daedric language is surprisingly hard.

[Mashugana]

Flitwick nods, and you hear his wings flap down to grab the strip of cloth as you push the door open, which takes some effort since it appears that the door hasn't been used in some time, and you feel a small jolt every time the slowly rotting wood and rusted hinges groan and squeak, expecting some brutish monster to come smashing through the door. Luckily, it doesn't appear to be the case, as you find yourself in a hallway with several busted doors along the walls and torn, destroyed paintings lining the walls. Down the hall you hear the sounds of loud snoring.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Personally I've found it easiest to do when sleep deprived or coming down off a caffeine high, nothing turns your brain into caveman tier stuff like that.

[Phoenixcz]

All right. No ogre waiting for me just behind the door, and the sound of snoring suggest I'm in luck and he's sleeping... and he's also considerate enough to make enough noise to let me know where he is. I could... and propably should... slip past him and get out as fast as I can, as the longer I stay here, the higher the chance he'll wake up, but I still think I should explore this place more thoroughly. To see if there's something useful, like food, or at least valuable: when I get back to civilization, I'll need food, new clothes, some gear, propably also a means to get to Daggerfall, and I can't expect to get that stuff for free. Any coin I've had for my mission is on the bottom of the sea, and while I propably could get something for the sword I've got from Fitwick's room, I doubt it'll be enough.

The paintings are useless, too damaged to have any value, and too cumbersome even if they did, but make me wonder what exactly is this place. I start checking the side doors one by one to see what's there, still trying to be as quiet as I can.

[Mashugana]

The first door you open appears to lead to a bed chamber of some sort. The smell of molding linen permeates the room, and you can see what was once a luxurious looking bed, complete with curtains, before time and the touch of beasts and other unsavory entities sullied it, torn pieces of bedding littered the floor along with what looked like bits of fabric, close inspection would reveal expensive, high quality silk, or at least, it used to be.

In the bed itself, you could just make out a bit of what looked like the skirt of a dress hanging over the bedside, small, dainty bones that looked like they came from a child's foot lay scattered on the floor underneath it. On the walls were a couple of small paintings, which could actually be made out under the grime and filth if you looked hard enough. A portrait of a family of three, with a dark haired father, and a woman and child at his side and sitting down in front of him respectively, both having honey blonde hair. All three were smiling, though the father's face appeared pensive and worn out while the mother's had a sort of lingering sadness and paleness about it.

There was also a closet, which held what you might presume to be the room's original occupants' clothing, and a bedside table.

[Phoenixcz]

I pause when I see the small bones. They raise some disturbing questions. The bones shouldn't be here. From what I've seen so far, this doesn't look like a place for a child, and if the bones are there, it means it must have been attacked by something, not merely abandoned and taken over by some opportunistic necromancer and an assortment of random monsters. A fortress fallen to a siege? Some kind of betrayal? Something worse? In either case, it looks like whatever it was, it happened long time ago, but I've seen undead and lesser daerda already... something much more powerful may still lurk here, their kind don't care much about the passage of time or the needs of mortal lives.

I avoid the bed. While the questions burn in my mind, I'm not sure I want to learn the answer, or disturb the remains. I check the closet, in case there's something useful here, but I'm not hoping for much, and I'm hasty and not very thorough. I'm eager to leave this disturbing place and continue searching the other rooms as soon as possible. For a moment, I almost forgot I have to be quiet to avoid waking the ogre, but catch myself in time, and slow down a bit. I don't want to end up like this too.

[Mashugana]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Apologies for being so late in posting on this, past few days have been a bitch and a half

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Rolling for search: 81! Rolling for encounters: 77

Quietly creeping into the closet, you risk a small peek back towards the bed and it's occupant, but see nothing out of the ordinary as you rummage through tattered, musty clothing, what once were fine dresses fit for the daughters of this land's nobility, some potentially even matching your own line in terms of extravagance, was now worthless and stained by the passage of time and neglect. However, as you're about to give up on the hopes of anything useful or valuable, you spy a small box in the corner of the closet, previously obscured under the filth. Carefully digging it out, you appear to have a small jewelry box, currently locked, but it didn't look too durable, you could probably break it open with a large rock or some other heavy object or tool.

However, you feel the air in the room turn cold around you, as though a draft of cold air from the heart of winter had entered the room, and you felt the presence of something standing still.

Just behind you.

Staring.

[Phoenixcz]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Eh, considering it my previous post took longer, I don't think I've got any right to complain.

As I feel I'm not alone, I freeze. It's not the ogre, obviously, as he wouldn't be able to sneak up on me like this, but I've learned enough about various supernatural creatures to have a good guess what's going on. Ghosts and similar incorporeal undead are immune to normal weapons, but my magic should work. But avoiding any fight would be preferable. I have to force myself from turning to face whatever... or whoever... is behind me, slowly put the box back in the closet before straightening up and turning towards what I can only guess is the original owner of this room. Or what's left of her. I try to avoid sudden movements... a dangerous idea if it's hostile and about to attack me anyway... but I'd prefer talking, and I'd rather not provoke it. Her. Whatever fits.

[Mashugana]

You feel the presence steadily begin to get closer as you move the box, and as you slowly turn, you swear you can almost feel something freezing cold pushing against the small of your back, a chill deeper and sharper than even the deepest depths of the coldest seas on the physical plane of Mundus could achieve, which almost seems to turn your blood to ice as you face the direction of what could be causing it to find...

Nothing. Just an open door, the remains of a dead girl, and a tattered, ruined bedroom. The presence having dissipated once you'd fully turned, allowing warmth and life to rush back to your body with the force of a sledgehammer striking a post into the ground.

[Phoenixcz]

The ghost, or whatever it was, is apparently gone, but I still feel I have to say it. "Sorry about that. I got lost here and hoped I'll find something useful." I look at the bones and continue with regret in my voice. "I would get you proper burial, but it's not in my power right now. Perhaps if I get out of here alive, I'll return one day, but I can't promise anything." I don't know if the ghost could hear me, or if it cares if it did, but I don't pay more mind to the box and leave the room. After the encounter, I'm a bit hesitant to enter other rooms, in case their inhabitants are less forgiving, but I still want to have something to show for all this, so next room it is.

[Mashugana]

You're not sure if it's due to the presence of any spirits, or if it's just psychological, but it feels as though the room was holding it's breath, only to slowly deflate as you made your statement and left, and you even feel a small brushing sensation at your shoulder as you pass, as though someone patted you there with a cool hand.

Entering the second room, you were greeted with a musty, faintly moldy smell, but you could tell this was a sort of store room or broom closet, with a small container holding some flasks of liquid. Opening them, you'd notice by the smell that while old, you knew these were health tonics. After all, giants' toes have a certain distinctiveness to them. On top of this, you find a set of thick leather gloves, the kind that gardeners would wear when trimming hedges or pulling thornier plants, and a leather apron of similar making. Combined, this should at least make you a little more resistant to getting scratched or cut up.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

2 small health potions, one set of leather gloves, one leather apron.

[Phoenixcz]

As I leave the room, I once again regret that I don't know any magic that could lay the spirit to rest, and I have to worry about my own survival to take care about the remains to try to give her peace that way. Still no side of the ogre as I explore another room, which is a good sign, and even if the room is filthy, no spirit seems to care about its content. The haul may be less valuable than whatever may be in the box in the previous room, but it's certainly more practical. My dress is in tatters, so the apron is clear improvement... even old and dirty, I don't have to worry it'll fall apart on its own and leave me naked, and the gloves will protect my hands if I search through more junk and rubble. I'm less sure about the potions. I do have some training in alchemy, so I recognize them for what they are, however, their age makes them suspect. Magical potions and elixirs don't generally go bad like mundane beverages, but there are different possible mixtures, and some are better in this regard than others. I think it won't poison me, and even if I'm fully intent on avoiding injuries in the first place, they could come in handy if some monster- or simply old ruin- related accident happen. However, they present a different problem: I have no good way to transport them. My dress doesn't have any pockets, and I don't have any pouch, bagpack or even sack to put them in. And both of my hands are occupied with the torch and the sword from Fitwik's room. The room I'm in doesn't have anything useful in that regard either. I leave them where they are for now, and go search the next room, intending to return for them later if I find suitable container.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Ah, the problems videogame characters don't need to solve. Abstract inventory is a nice thing, but hardly RP. Though if the flasks are small enough, she could possibly hide them in her cleavage.