Topic: Steeple and Heldric - Pillars of Salt (Read 102731 times)

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #150 on:** July 10, 2015, 05:28:34 am »

Steeple searches the desk and drawers, then tries to deduce if there is a secret door in the room - perhaps behind the books, mirror, bed, or fireplace.

Drakilian · « **Reply #151 on:** July 10, 2015, 02:38:11 pm »

Searching the desk and drawers, Steeple finds more writing utensils and papers/papyrus to write on. The books hide nothing but dust and cobwebs - seems Kazimierz did not spend much time perusing his varied religious works. Briefly lifting the mirror to the side, Steeple confirms that there is nothing of consequence behind it as well.

Moving on to the fireplace, he sees that the ashes within it are cold - not recent leavings, though he cannot tell just how old they are. Most likely irrelevent information, Kazimierz has not been here in over a month

Sticking his head in to see upwards, he disturbs a bat, which screeches briefly and shoots up the tiny chimney shaft, showering Steeple with ash.

The bed holds no greater information - though Steeple does notice the brief gleam of torchlight shining off the eyes of a rat as it skitters away from him.

---

Sitting down at Kazimierz' desk, Heldric looks into the Obsidian mirror, searching for clues as to something unusual in the area, when he sees her.

Subtle, very subtle. At first he can only see her at the edge of his vision; turning to focus at her - even through the mirror - wipes her from view. The longer he stares into the dark reflection the better his view of the spirit whose hangs herself so casually off of brother Feliks' shoulder.

Curly blonde hair frames a cutesy face marred by the blood leaking leaking from one of her missing eye sockets. A cut throat pours the stuff down a frilly blue dress, and the remaining eye, a bright blue, looks boredly into his own.

Heldric feels an unnatural chill come over him as the light of realization hits the eye. The spirit, already close to Heldric, lets go of brother Feliks and lays a hand on the small of Heldric's back. Even as a vampire, he begins to shiver as her touch sends the muscles on his back into a small series of involuntary spasms.

"I see you."

Heldric can feel her breath frosting the side of his face as she leans over and whispers into his ear, her voice plainly audible.

"Now you see me too."

---

Steeple's attention is pulled away from the rat when he notices Heldric shivering violently in Kazimierz' chair, where he looks into the obsidian mirror the malkavian had previously discarded.

"Egads! Good thing you only checked out the BACK of that mirror!" Prince maurice declares.

Andreas seems concerned, but the burly Nosferatu also seems, humorously enough, too afraid to go help his Domitor.

Nadia, meanwhile, has begun to nervously dust off Kazimierz' bookshelf.

Forge · « **Reply #152 on:** July 10, 2015, 02:51:47 pm »

Heldric stays still trying to think about what to do with a spirit since he is not so well versed in them.

could it possibly be friendly or reasoned with? He thinks somewhat desperately

"I do indeed see now, Kazimierz was blessed with the ability to deal with spirits and has left a holy relic allowing us to do the same." he tries to think quickly "Spirit, is there a reason for you waiting in this place? Can we aid you to your rest?" he prepares to flee

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #153 on:** July 10, 2015, 03:51:26 pm »

"Spirits, eh?" Steeple says, "I wonder..."

Steeple tries to scan the room through the reflection of his own magic mirror.

Drakilian · « **Reply #154 on:** July 11, 2015, 11:43:33 pm »

Through the mirror Steeple sees a young girl bent over Heldric, seemingly whispering sweet nothings into his ears.

"The dirty old dog, didn't think he'd go for the young ones, him. Hell, she's a ghost!"

Steeple understands that the Prince believes Heldric is ecstatically spasming about.

Unfortunately, Steeple is unable to hear whatever she is saying.

---

The girl pouts, what would have perhaps been an endearing look if her face had not been so horribly marred by blood.

"Daddy Kazimierz went and got himself killed by the monster in the mines, and now I don't have anyone to play with anymore."

Jumping up and laying her hands on Heldric's shoulders, so cold as to almost make him jump.

"Will you play with me?"

From terrifying to childish, it isn't entirely clear to Heldric which of the two is the act.

Andreas has begun to slowly back away from Heldric as he realizes there is, in fact, a real live ghost in the room. Nadia's efforts are actually raising a cloud of dust into the air, so frenetically does she clean.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #155 on:** July 12, 2015, 09:34:25 am »

"What is she saying old chum?" Steeple asks Heldric; "I can see her, but I got no volume control on this thing..."

"I have an old ritual for chatting with the dead, but it seems a waste, when you know, you seem quite able to *ahem... have dialog with her and all."

Forge · « **Reply #156 on:** July 12, 2015, 02:29:05 pm »

Heldric takes a calming breath "Could a ghost really harm me? I get the impression she really could"

Then outloud "She was a spirit who Kazimierzs... Looked after but she has been stuck here alone since he went into the mines and wishes for me to entertain her, although I have no experience with spirits I can seemingly see and hear her due to the mirror."

He matches eyes with her in the mirror.

"We actually came here to bring Kazimierzs back from the mines, meaning he could return to look after you again. Do you know any details of what happened to him or if he left any relics behind that might help us?"

Drakilian · « **Reply #157 on:** July 14, 2015, 02:02:27 pm »

She puts a finger to her lip, looking as if she's thinking hard.

"Nope. At least, not while everyone else is here."

She smiles, "If you want to see daddy Kazimierz' things, you'll have to stay here alone with me."

Forge · « **Reply #158 on:** July 14, 2015, 05:36:15 pm »

Heldric pauses "this might be a bad idea but I can also vanish from her sight if needed. I think. Any powerful relics left behind might be valuable beyond compare"

"Would everyone mind leving me alone in here for a short time, the spirit wishes to tell me somthing in private." He tries to seem calm about it

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #159 on:** July 14, 2015, 06:46:50 pm »

"Oh, by all means!" Steeple replies, herding Nadia out.

"If you need anything, just scream."

Drakilian · « **Reply #160 on:** July 14, 2015, 07:12:48 pm »

Prince Maurice chortles within Steeple's mind.

"Oh sure, she needs to be "alone" with him. We all know what that means! Bleugh!"

Drakilian · « **Reply #161 on:** July 14, 2015, 07:46:08 pm »

"Finally, now we get to play together! How about Hot and Cold first?" The ghastly child asks sweetly.

Forge · « **Reply #162 on:** July 14, 2015, 11:04:33 pm »

"Ah, first you mentioned some of his items that might be of use to us." I really don't want to play these games though "show me somthing useful first, then we can play, we can keep taking turns like that! Although can't you just show me the items and come with us, then you could play with us more often?"

Drakilian · « **Reply #163 on:** July 15, 2015, 02:14:09 pm »

"The game will show you where daddy Kazimierz' real home is, I promise!" The girl says, her hands closing on Heldric's left arm and dragging him out of the chair. The Nosferatu suffers a sudden bout of disorientation before regaining his faculties to find that he sits on the floor, his back against the door leading out of Kazimierz' secret haven.

The second he tries regaining his feet, however, he suffers a bout of nausea - rather unusual for one such as himself, to say the least. The room spins around him. He feels hot.

In the old children's game, hot used to mean that you were getting closer to your goal. Is it the same case here?

Forge · « **Reply #164 on:** July 15, 2015, 02:21:45 pm »

Heldric gives himself a moment to think "So I was wrong, ghosts are very dangerous but I can't get out of this now, making her stay happy or at least not angry would be best. "Oh, we get to play and find the real home, perfect, I would love to!" He adds outloud trying to sound sincere

"So hot means I am getting closer then?"

He burns a blood point for healing just incase it did somthing then tests out a couple of steps back into the room very slowly and carefully due to the nausea to see if he feels hotter or colder. If hotter he very slowly follows the feeling across the room, if colder he turns and slowly starts out of the door.

Drakilian · « **Reply #165 on:** July 15, 2015, 02:31:19 pm »

The blood does nothing to heal Heldric, the damage being mental and not physical. He stumbles about the room almost drunkenly, trying to find the hottest point.

As far as he can tell, the room is coldest around the mirror and hottest around the fireplace - but he cannot get close enough to the fireplace to examine the area, when he gets to about a foot away from it the air gets so hot as to almost melt his skin, any further and Heldric is afraid he would burst into flame.

The girl sits on the chair in front of the mirror, screaming out hot or cold whenever Heldric would come across a hot/cold area.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #166 on:** July 15, 2015, 03:02:30 pm »

Out in the hallway, Steeple waits idly.

"You think he's all right in there?" Steeple asks Nadia, making an attempt to be more inclusive with her from time to time.

Forge · « **Reply #167 on:** July 15, 2015, 04:31:39 pm »

Heldric pauses as close as he dares to the fireplace while he speaks to her "Unfortunately I don't think I can move any closer to the fireplace without injury. You wouldn't be trying to hurt me now would you?"

While he talks he tries to stare at the fireplace looking for anything that might resemble a catch or trigger to open a secret passage.

Drakilian · « **Reply #168 on:** July 15, 2015, 05:58:00 pm »

Out in the hallway, Brother Feliks and Jakub talk nervously to each other, they aren't sure leaving Heldric in there was the right decision. Andreas has edged as far back from the door to the ghost-room as physically possible. Mr. Whitey's hidden presence is now the only measure of whether or not Heldric is still alive.

Nadia appears to be keeping her obvious fright under wraps, though she also seems to be muttering about needing to spruce the whole place up - it really was too dusty in here, wasn't it? Steeple catches something of a manic look in the maid's eye as she says this.

She answers him non-comitally - "I'm sure he's fine, probably."

Prince Maurice, still believing Heldric is a total perv, gives some sarcastic remark about how fine Heldric really is.

Drakilian · « **Reply #169 on:** July 15, 2015, 06:00:22 pm »

A giggle from the corner of the room by the mirror.

"Of course not silly. Do you need a hint?"

Heldric sees nothing of the kind.

Forge · « **Reply #170 on:** July 15, 2015, 08:00:19 pm »

"Ok give me a hint for this one, then next game I'll give you a hint!"

Drakilian · « **Reply #171 on:** July 15, 2015, 08:16:42 pm »

She cocks her head, "That's not how it works silly. If I give you a hint, then you'll owe me a favour. You'll have to do one thing that I ask you to do, is all."

Forge · « **Reply #172 on:** July 15, 2015, 08:35:10 pm »

Quote from: Drakilian on July 15, 2015, 08:16:42 pm

She cocks her head, "That's not how it works silly. If I give you a hint, then you'll owe me a favour. You'll have to do one thing that I ask you to do, is all."

"Ok then, let me try one more thing before I ask for my hint" He very very carefully, keeping low to the ground heads for the mirror to try and examine the fireplace through it and to carefully touch its surface.

Drakilian · « **Reply #173 on:** July 15, 2015, 08:50:40 pm »

Doing for the first time something that no one else up until this point had thought of doing, Heldric goes to the Obsidian mirror. Examining the fireplace through it, he tries to touch the mirror - and finds that his hand goes through the mirror as easily as air. A strange tingling sensation is felt on his hand on the otherside... it appears the mirror is more than just an magical mirror enchanted to make you see spirits.

Forge · « **Reply #174 on:** July 15, 2015, 10:41:35 pm »

"So I was after the cold and the mirror is a portal." He mumbles to himself as he slowly tries to pass through it

Drakilian · « **Reply #175 on:** July 16, 2015, 03:55:40 pm »

Positioning himself that he might pass through the portal that is the mirror, Heldric leaps through to the other side - only to find that the air there burns with the same heat that the fireplace in Heldric's world had burned with. The very second ALL of Heldric is through the portal, his clothes start to smoke, his skin sags as it begins to melt under the heat, and he feels his blood boil within his veins.

The girl stands before him, more life-life and real than ever before. He no longer has to look through the mirror to see her, for she stands right in front of him, flesh and blood as real as his own. "Hot! Hot!", she cries happily.

Forge · « **Reply #176 on:** July 16, 2015, 04:42:39 pm »

Heldric instantly sticks an arm back into the mirror hoping that having part of him in contact or through it would stop the burning. While he does this he scans his surroundings, looking for artifacts etc.

Should just having his arm through not work, he will try and grab the girl before he leaps back across.

Drakilian · « **Reply #177 on:** July 16, 2015, 08:32:33 pm »

Heldric's hand bursts into flames before it reaches the mirror - once he tries to reach through it, he finds with some panic that his hand begins to disintegrate before he can bring himself through the portal. He retrieves his arm completely on fire, missing the tips of his fingers on his left hand. The red fear twists and pulls at his psyche, but Heldric manages to hold it off - for now.

Forge · « **Reply #178 on:** July 17, 2015, 12:00:36 am »

Heldric immediatly moves further frame mirror, toward the 'girl' in the hopes that is gets cooler that way. (If this is a reflection of the main room he heads for the fireplace)

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #179 on:** July 17, 2015, 05:27:52 am »

"Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?" Steeple asks, wiping his brow.

"You all right in there Heldric?" Steeple then calls through the door. "You're not getting schooled in there or something are you?"

Drakilian · « **Reply #180 on:** July 17, 2015, 12:00:19 pm »

It is, in fact, a reflection of the main room - heading immediately towards the fireplace, Heldric finds the place to be absolutely frigid. The blood within his veins start to cool rapidly, so much so that he is afraid if he stays too long he'll freeze solid. Far colder here than the mirror was on the other side.

The girl stands next to him, now.

"See, you went through the mirror, so now everything's reversed!" She giggles happily.

"Colder", she says, when she's done.

---

The monks look at Steeple strangely, "no, master Trevesky - nothing has changed. If anything, it's grown a slight bit colder ever since we entered the father's room."

Steeple receives no reply from the room.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #181 on:** July 17, 2015, 12:17:35 pm »

"Great..." Steeple remarks, and opens the door to the room to look in.

Forge · « **Reply #182 on:** July 17, 2015, 12:35:16 pm »

Heldric moves to themiddle of the room where his temperature is balanced to give him some moments to heal if at all possible (2 blood if it actually works on anything that is happening.)

"So before the fireplace was too cold hot to get near but now it is too cold." He mutters to himself as he scans his surroundings for somthing out of place or different from the main room, a special dagger on the wall with a card saying "Kills ghosts" or somthing like a strange artifact or ok that was not present in the true reflection.

He talks to the girl while he looks "So is this his hidden haven or do we play hot and cold to go... To another place?"

Drakilian · « **Reply #183 on:** July 17, 2015, 02:04:33 pm »

Heldric manages to heal his molten skin, fixing it back up into place - but there is nothing he can do for his missing fingertips or his burns without much more concentration and time.

He does not find the much desired dagger, much to his chagrin. In fact, the room appears identical through the mirror as it did in the normal world - the only thing that has changed, so far as he can tell, are the temperatures.

"Oh, so you want your hint now?" She asks, excitedly.

---

The door does not open. Straining his absolute hardest, Steeple finds himself unable to pull open the door. The monks seem alarmed, though they are unable to help him in the least.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #184 on:** July 17, 2015, 02:12:59 pm »

Steeple motions for Andreus to smash the door down.

"If you would be so kind?"

As he waits, Steeple begins casting Calling the Restless Spirit.

Forge · « **Reply #185 on:** July 17, 2015, 03:53:33 pm »

Heldric carefully heads over towards the girl herself "Hmm on this side you are much more real. I'll hold out on the hint for now." So long as she isn't hanging out in one of the most dangerous areas Heldric attempt to catch her hand in his less damaged one.

Drakilian · « **Reply #186 on:** July 17, 2015, 08:01:18 pm »

Andreas stays where he is, practically whimpering. He shakes his head a gentle no.

"What a little bitch!" Maurice declares within Steeple's mind.

"Show him you don't need his sorry help, tear down the door Steepleton, TEAR IT DOWN!"

"Mayhaps with Nadia's help"

"Should probably throw the monks in there as well."

"Hey, where did the perv's crocodile go anyway?"

Drakilian · « **Reply #187 on:** July 17, 2015, 08:42:04 pm »

The girl does not struggle as Heldric grabs her hand, though he finds her to be almost as cold as the fireplace. She continues grinning happily, blood that had dripped down the side of her face showing in her teeth.

Forge · « **Reply #188 on:** July 17, 2015, 08:51:29 pm »

"So you are definitely solid here at least, what happens if you touch the mirror then?" He asks

Drakilian · « **Reply #189 on:** July 17, 2015, 11:43:15 pm »

"I touch it, silly," she says, looking at him quizzically.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #190 on:** July 18, 2015, 06:44:25 am »

"I see..." Steeple says, dryly - and continues his ritual.

"The door is nothing," he says to Prince Maurice; "If it comes to it, I can always just walk right through. Ghosts aren't the only ones with that trick up their shrouds, haha!"

Forge · « **Reply #191 on:** July 18, 2015, 11:31:20 am »

"So you can't pass through? Hmmm." Heldric pauses to assess things, he can't go near the mirror side of the room without being burned to nothing and the fireplace side freezes him to death, he can't even carry the mirror to the fireplace to cancel them out.

well the cold side worked last time but for now I guess more information he thinks

He carefully moves are lung the room, not going too close to any extream temperatures in order to get a proper layout of the gradient, were there other spots that were hot and cold or just the mirror and the fire.

Drakilian · « **Reply #192 on:** July 18, 2015, 12:33:30 pm »

Prince Maurice retorts - "But that ritual also takes time! Who knows what that ghost is doing to Heldric right now?!"

---

Heldric finds that the farther he moves from the fireplace, the hotter it gets - there are no other cold spots in the room save those which emanate from the fireplace.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #193 on:** July 18, 2015, 12:50:49 pm »

"I do believe it's called 'having one's way with'," Steeple replies to Maurice, grinning wryly.

'Hey, dryly and wryly rhyme!' he thinks to himself, quite pleased.

Forge · « **Reply #194 on:** July 18, 2015, 03:00:35 pm »

Heldric likes to avoid danger, and people, but mostly things that might kill him, but he is out of options now so he braces himself then burns two blood for dexterity and moves as fast as possible to the fireplace to examine it.

He aims to touchy he mantle first, then the ashes and then to investigate whether there is a false back or hidden lever of any kind.

However if he feels himself freezing up he will retreat for a turn before continuing (OOC: using however many turns it requires to full investigateit without freezing solid.

Drakilian · « **Reply #195 on:** July 19, 2015, 05:00:31 pm »

Heldric begins the slow and arduous process of examining every inch of the small fireplace while retreating to the hot spots of the room to thaw himself when it became too much. He continuously feels out the mantleplace, which has nothing to it. He eventually moves down to the actual wood and ashes and begins to scatter the stuff, when he sees a small trapdoor that certainly hadn't been visible in his own world (or else Steeple would have spotted it).

On the other side of the shroud though, he sees a way down...

The girl stands by him. No more giggling this time, in fact she seems a little distracted.

---

Steeple's ritual is nearly done, he only has a minute of preparation left to do before he can call the spirit of the girl to him.

Forge · « **Reply #196 on:** July 19, 2015, 05:12:15 pm »

Heldric shrugs, spends a blood point to keep himself unfrozen then heads down the trapdoor.

Drakilian · « **Reply #197 on:** July 19, 2015, 05:26:55 pm »

The trapdoor pops open briefly, and for a second Heldric feels fear. Something dwells below the fireplace. Something he does not want to find.

A cold blast of air bursts from the fireplace's mantle, and Heldric sees the frost collect on his body. His vision blurs as even his eyes start to freeze.

He succumbs to the Red Fear, and Heldric rushes immediately towards the mirror, as slowly as he can. The hot spot is much weaker this time, just barely enough to weaken the blast of cold. Through the mirror, Heldric sees his own self sitting in his seat - if he was capable of rational thought he would wonder at how strange it was; he'd jumped through that mirror full-blast when he'd gone through, and all of him had passed. He'd left nothing behind.

Yet in the throes of Rotshrëck, he simply rushes the mirror and leaps into it. His body flies through the mirror and he... he recedes into himself. With a start Heldric feels like he is in control of himself again. The fear of what is behind that mirror is gone, but more than that he feel like he can move again. Strange, hadn't he already been able to move?

Flexing his hands, Heldric is surprised to see that his burns are gone and his fingertips back in place.

The girl is nowhere in sight. What the hell had happened?

---

The girl is a horrifying little thing, with a bloody throat, a missing eye and a smile that shows off teeth like that of a cannibal with bad hygiene.

She pouts at Steeple now, while Andreas curls into a ball in the corner of the room, feeling the chill despair that her presence casts over the room. Nadia has edged closer to the two monks who themselves look wildly uncomfortable.

"Jeez, that's one ugly little girl." Prince Mauric delcares.

"Now why'd you have to go and interrupt the fun?" She asks.

Steeple is the only one who can see her or talk to her, for now.

Forge · « **Reply #198 on:** July 19, 2015, 05:51:35 pm »

Hendric is very confused. He a.so wants to get out. Getting out trumps decide ring everything that just happened, he runs for the door, pausing only long enough at the door to look slightly more dignified as he opens it.

BerkaZerka · « **Reply #199 on:** July 19, 2015, 06:23:28 pm »

"What are you doing in there with my friend?" Steeple asks the girl sternly. "You haven't been haunting him have you?"

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Author Topic: Steeple and Heldric - Pillars of Salt (Read 102731 times)