A Midnight Masquerade — IC

[Namelessjake]

"Rooms untouched by the flames is probably a good place to start actually. Any clues in other rooms may not have survived the fire," Évrard adds following the two brothers towards the room.

[Fialova]

OOC

[SHOW]

Are you climbing through the window? Going for the nearby door into the house? What is happening here?

[Scratcherclaw]

OOC

[SHOW]

I had figured through the door and to the left inside, as your narration made it sound like this room was right next to the door.

[Fialova]

OOC

[SHOW]

The room itself is next to the door, but the door doesn't lead into the room. The doors leading into the room are on the opposite wall. You do not yet know where the door leads.

[Scratcherclaw]

OOC

[SHOW]

Then go in through the window I guess? Assuming it's easy enough to do. Otherwise, go in through the door

[Fialova]

OOC

[SHOW]

The windows on this side are still intact, so if you want to go through them you need to try to open one or break in. The door you have not checked yet so you do not know if it is locked or open.

[ratwizard]

"Shall we try the main doors?" Renault suggests, pointing with his cane.

[Scratcherclaw]

"It's as good a place to enter as any," Jacques says, reaching to open the door. "Should it be locked, I doubt anyone will notice another broken window."

[Fialova]

Approaching the door and pulling on it, you do find that it appears to be locked. Looking at the mechanism you can see that the Dupuis twins spared no expense when securing their home from outsiders, as the locking mechanism appears quite complex and equally ornate.

[Scratcherclaw]

Jacques sighs as he finds the door is locked. "You would think they'd have unlocked the doors if they wanted the guests enjoying the gardens." He glances toward the window instead, viewing it as their ticket inside. "Well I suppose breaking and entering is on the table then. I'm sure Marcella wouldn't mind, on account of us saving her life."

OOC

[SHOW]

How thick is the glass? Any sturdy furniture/stones nearby that could be used to break it more easily?

[ratwizard]

Renault taps at one of the windows with his cane, testing the thickness and material. "If we must. This building has sustained enough damage to warrant an entire restoration. One window is worth the price of admission."

OOC

[SHOW]

I want what he's having ^

[Namelessjake]

"Once she recovers I think Marcella will have bigger problems to worry about than one more broken window," Évrard adds as he turns to look around the patio area for something to break the glass with.

[Fialova]

Noel nods in agreement. "Those creatures are also justify such actions, even in an undamaged estate. We've been tasked with investigating this by the Apostles, which is tantamount to being tasked with it by the Arch-bishop himself. Some broken glass is a small price to pay."

OOC

[SHOW]

The debris around the base of the building is primarily wooden, and mostly charred. There are plenty of stones in the garden out back, though primarily of the small gravel-sized variety. Some of the flower gardens may have larger stones, you cannot recall.

As far as the window is concerned, it seems relatively sturdy but not reinforced. It was likely made by a master artisan, given its smooth and even finish. However, something sufficiently sharp or hard thrust at it with enough force should break it.

[ratwizard]

"I will find a stone, then. I believe I saw some in the garden, toward the rear of the estate." He begins to make his way over, looking for a moderately sized rock that he can cup in a single hand.

[Scratcherclaw]

Drawing his blade, Jacques attempts to line up its pommel and smash the window. Last night's events have sapped far too much of my strength. Why couldn't we have met in the afternoon?

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Strength check to break window: 2(1d20) +5 = 7
Listen, man, he's still tired from the night before

[ratwizard]

"Careful, brother. Just give me a moment," Renault calls back to Jacques.

[Fialova]

Renault

[SHOW]

It takes a few moments of wandering, due to the size of the estate, but eventually you come across a flower bed next to a pond. The pond edge is lined with rocks ranging from the size of ones fist to the size of a head, of various shapes. Some are smooth, many others are oblong and jagged, though all appear to be granite.

[ratwizard]

Renault takes two stones — one the size of his fist, and one a little heavier. He makes his way back to the three others.

"Please, step back in case the glass shatters."

Taking the smaller of the two stones, the Father takes aim and hurls it toward one of the windows.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Improvised RBA: 3(1d20) +7 = 10; 4(1d4) +5 = 9

Hits AC 10 for 9 damage.

[Fialova]

With a loud crash, the stone shatters the window and lands on the floor in the sitting room. Most of the window remains intact, but there is now a sizable hole by which the group could continue to break in. Shards of glass litter the window sill and the floor inside, and the window frame - while not damaged - would now be easier to damage with one of the panes destroyed.

[Scratcherclaw]

"Good work, brother," Jacques says, slapping Renault on the back. "Who would have thought you'd have such a throwing arm? Certainly not father." He chuckles, examining the sizable hole in the pane. "Now, care to finish the job?"

[ratwizard]

Renault reddens at the unexpected compliment, and struggles against holding back a proud smile. "I suppose I know a trick or two."

Taking his heavy cane, the Father steps up to the window pane, using the end of it to carefully punch through the remaining glass shards inward.

[Namelessjake]

Évrard can't help but chuckle at the two brothers, their interaction reminding him of his own siblings.

"Hopefully there's a latch on the inside. It's still quite a small hole for a person," he says looking at the smashed window.

[ratwizard]

"Perhaps," Renault agrees, stepping closer to carefully feel around inside the window for a latch.

[Fialova]

Initially it does not seem like there is a latch of any sort, as you find nothing along the bottom of the window frame. However, after a moment of looking you see that there is actually a latch on the side. Reaching up through the newly-created gap in the window you are just able to reach the latch and release it. You feel the window loosen its grip on the wall, and with little effort you are able to push it open.

OOC

[SHOW]

This is what you seek looking through the window, for any who walk up to it. Once you enter I can give you any missed details from outside.

Peering into the first window you come to, you see more clearly that this room seems to be a sitting room of some sort. Along all 3 walls not facing the garden are some writing desks with individual chairs facing them. Toward the center of the room are three separate clusters of nicer, lounge chairs in U shapes. These chairs are separated from one another by small end tables, and seem arranged to promote discussion. Under each cluster is a large, round rug of varying designs, and there are many other rectangular rugs throughout the room as well.

From a protrusion on the outer wall, between the 2nd and 3rd windows, you surmise that there must be a fireplace on the center portion of the back wall. One of the clusters of seats appears to face this supposed mantle, while the others face elsewhere, each roughly aiming towards one of the two sets of double doors that line the opposite wall. On the wall to your left there seems to be an arched doorway that leads into the room of books you spotted before, and you can see through it more shelves. All of this seems untouched by the previous night's inferno.

Apart from the furniture, the room is decorated with various potted plants, framed paintings and portraits, and small decorative statues and statuettes. Many of the paintings are your standard fare for an aristocratic household in this city - featuring images of the sea, ships, and beaches - while others appear to be portraits of family members, like ancestors of the twins.

[Namelessjake]

"Excellent," Évrard says as the window swings open. "Shall we?" He asks as he moves to climb through the open window and into the room beyond.

"We should have a quick look to see if anyone was in here last night, but we probably want to focus our investigation on the rooms we know for certain the murderer or the creatures were in," he says as he scans the room looking for anything unusual or out of place.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception: 17(1d20) +6 = 23

[ratwizard]

"A sound plan," Renault agrees, climbing through the window behind the navyman. His coat catches on a scrap of glass in the wooden frame, and he pulls it free with a firm tug.

"I can check on the reading room. Father, will you accompany me?" he asks, before turning to address the others. "We should stay within the same wing of the mansion, but I do not see any true danger in breaking off to investigate adjacent rooms."

[Namelessjake]

"Neither do I," Évrard says in agreement. "Shout if you find anything... or run into any more conjurations," he adds.

[ratwizard]

Renault blanches, unsure if Évrard's comment is in jest or not. He whispers a quick prayer under his breath regardless.

OOC

[SHOW]

Move me to the book room if Father Noel is ok with coming.

[Scratcherclaw]

Jacques follows behind, carefully stepping through the opened window. He meanders through the sitting room, taking note of the room as a whole. "Do you really suppose such a mastermind would have left many clues? I suppose that's why he tried to kill all the witnesses and set the place alight." He shakes his head, wandering towards the portraits on the wall. A long-lost relative, jealous of wealth, might turn to murder.

OOC

[SHOW]

What do the painted peeps look like?

[Fialova]

"Very well," Noel responds with a wan smile, following after Renault as they head towards the next room over.

Évrard

[SHOW]

Looking around the room, you can see it seems immaculate. Clearly the servants that the twins employed kept this room tidy, or at least did so in preparation for the previous evening's event. The symmetry of the furniture is difficult to find any fault in, and there is not a speck of dust to be found.

In your searching the room, you do notice a single glaring oddity, one that might not stand out to those simply lounging the night away leisurely. On each of the writing desks lining the walls there are two decently-sized, and heavy-looking, silver candlesticks. All but one of the tables, that is, where one of the sticks appears to be missing.

Jacques

[SHOW]

Now able to get a closer look, the 4 portraits you could see through the window appear to be of 3 men and a woman. You can get a rough idea of the age of these paintings based on both the aging of the paint itself, as well as the fashion depicted adorning their subjects. The oldest one appears to be a depiction of a man who at the time appeared to be somewhere in his late 30s to late 40s. The attire suggests it is around 100-120 years old, the man likely being an ancestor or even the founder of the family. He is well-dressed, though his clothing is by no means gaudy. He has dark brown hair like the twins, short and combed to one side. He is clean shaven and has a serious demeanor.

The next portrait looks more recent, probably only 40-50 years old at the time. It depicts a man who seems to be in his late teens or early twenties, dressed in full navy regalia for the time. His coat is decorated with a variety of medals, and the insignia suggests he was a minor officer at the time of the portrait. The man has reddish-brown hair and a small but well-kept mustache that looks out of place on his otherwise youthful face, and he seems quite pleased in the portrait.

Younger still is the portrait of the woman, which appears to have been done approximately 20-25 years ago. Unlike the first two portraits, this one shows a non-solid background. The woman is seated at a chair on a balcony overlooking the sea, and given the architecture of the area it seems likely to be somewhere in Gleios rather than Imardin. The woman looks to be in her late 20s or early 30s, somewhat plain-looking but well-groomed. She seems either calm or unfazed by her surroundings, wearing a neutral expression. Her hair is long, curly and a reddish-blond color, and she wears an elegant and ornate dress that, at the time, was at the peak of fashion.

The most recent of the portraits appears to have been done sometime between 10-15 years ago, and features a man who looks to be the Bishop when he was an equal amount of years younger. He is dressed in full clergy attire and stands near the alter of the Ellisport Cathedral, looking serious but not stern.

In addition to those four, you notice one last portrait - much larger than the others - that sits above the mantelpiece of the fireplace you correctly assumed to be in the room. It features the Dupuis twins in the center, as children - likely around 10 years in age - flanked on either side by a man and woman you can only assume to be their parents, Miriam and Esteban. Miriam, the matriarch and their namesake, matches the twins in hair color and has a similar face to Marcella, though aged more. Esteban, in contrast, has darker brown hair - almost black - and slightly darker skin tone than his wife or either child. All are dressed modestly, in clothes that look clean and well-kept, but by no means ornate or expensive.

Renault

[SHOW]

Stepping into the adjacent reading room, you are faced directly onwards with a bookshelf that ends on your lefthand at roughly the same space as the left side of the doorway, but extends another 20 or so feet to your right. The path to the right seems to continue onward, flanked on both sides by bookshelves, then ending at a perpendicular shelf. From there it curves to the left. Meanwhile, to the left of where you stand the room opens up much more, There are more cushioned chairs separated by small end tables lining the exterior walls of the room, placed between the windows and more potted plants and decorative fixtures.

As you walk through the room you find it to be an L-shape that follows the edge of the building, windows lining 2 of its walls. The more interior portions of the room you find match the area you entered through, being lined with bookshelves in various rows to make it easy to move through. The exterior portion, meanwhile, is dedicated to the aforementioned seating areas, where the twins and their guests could relax and read by natural sunlight.

At the corner of the L - and, but extension, the rear corner of the estate - is a spiral staircase. It is encased in stone and winds upward into some unknown room on the second floor. Towards the base of the stairs you spot a single candle lying on the ground, lacking its candlestick.

Lastly, as you reach the opposite end of the room you find that it wraps around to another door. While this door faces the same direction as the doorway you entered through, it is offset more than the first, further confirming the L-shape of the room. In addition to more bookshelves near this door, you find that there is a slightly larger-than-life size statue of a woman. She has her arms extended towards the air, and appears to be grasping at something, though what it is is not depicted in the piece. The woman appears to be naked but draped in water as if she is coming out of the sea upwards.

[Namelessjake]

"See the candlesticks on the writing desks?" Évrard asks Jacques. "One of them is missing," he continues, the question obviously intended to be rhetorical. "The look heavy enough to do some damage," he adds walking over to the desk with the missing candlestick and picking up the lone ornament to test its weight.

[ratwizard]

Renault eyes the strange statue. Returning to the surface from a dive, perhaps? He walks through the L-shaped room, arriving at the spiral staircase upward. His boot touches the candle, and he looks down, frowning.

"Where did this come from?" he asks rhetorically, picking it up to get a closer look at it.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Is there anywhere on the wall that it could have fallen from, or rolled over to this spot?

[Scratcherclaw]

"Peculiar," Jacques says to the navyman. "Though our victims were sliced open. I doubt a candlestick could manage that." He recalls the shattered window in the upstairs bedroom and adds, "Although he could have used it on a window or two."

He looks back at the portrait before him, examining the figures portrayed within. One particular portrait catches his eye. "Do you suppose it's normal to have a portrait of the Bishop in one's home?"

[Fialova]

Évrard

[SHOW]

Grabbing the stick you find it weighs a few pounds, certainly heavy enough to do damage to a person or a relatively weak object if swung hard enough.

Renault

[SHOW]

This room contains numerous wall sconces which each contain spots for three candles. However, in looking throughout the space you cannot find one that is missing a candle, and the candles from these sconces seem to be a slightly different size than the one you've found.

[ratwizard]

"Seems it was taken from another part of the house, then," Renault surmises, holding onto the candle for safekeeping. "Perhaps upstairs?"

He begins to creep up the stairs, looking to scout the stairwell, but not opting to enter a new room entirely.

[Fialova]

Renault

[SHOW]

"It is certainly out of place," Noel responds, following after you as you head up the staircase. "Though a servant may have dropped it when replacing the candles, who knows."

The stone staircase winds upwards, and is much more raw than the rest of the house. It is clear these were part of the original structure, before the twins revamped the manor, and nothing was changed on them. The steps are slightly worn down from years of use, and the corridor is narrow and dark. As you move upwards you reach what seems to be the exit, though you can see that it appears blocked by a pile of debris. What appear to be parts of broken chairs and barrels bar your path, and block line of sight to the rest of the room above.

[ratwizard]

"Hm," Renault notes, not bothering with the rubble in the way. "Won't be going anywhere soon this way."

Taking the stairs back down, he thumbs through some of the shelves of books, investigating what sort of reading material the twins harbored in their estate.

[Namelessjake]

"Very true," Évrard says as Jacques speculates on the absent candlestick, placing it's twin back in its place. "It's quite hard for me a comment on whether or not that's normal," he says. "My mother is a Bishop and we have portraits of her in the house. It would be a bit strange to have another Bishop's portrait though - Perhaps he's a relation of the Dupuis?"

[Scratcherclaw]

Jacques continues to stare at the portrait, wondering its significance. "The Bishop of Ellisport a relative," he says, nearly lost in thought. "An interesting development, though who's to say its significance quite yet?"

Curious if the Bishop's own bodyguard knows more, he peeks his head into the reading room. "Father Noel, what do you make of the Twins having a portrait of the Bishop. Do you know if there if any relation?"

[ratwizard]

"A familial relation?" Renault asks, clarifying. "I'm... not sure, to be honest. I suppose it's possible. Have you found anything, brother?"

[Scratcherclaw]

Jacques shrugs at his sibling's question, dumbfounded himself. "I cannot say. But I do not think it's usual to hang a portrait of a bishop in ones home unless there's some relation."

At the other query, the man points towards the writing desk. "Evrard discovered a missing candlestick, but nothing else of interest."

[ratwizard]

"Are you sure that is unusual? The Bishop is a man of guided principle and keen leadership."

At his brother's discovery, Renault slides the thick candle from his coat pocket. "Looking for this?"

[Scratcherclaw]

"Perhaps not unusual for the Clergy or especially devout, but for the average aristocrat? And why would it be hung here, amongst the other ancestors?" Jacques asks, still convinced of a relation of some sort.

Jacques buries his face into his palms as Renault produces the candle from his coat. "A candlestick, Renault, not a candle. The thing which holds candles."

[ratwizard]

"I'm well aware of what a candlestick is, Jacques," Renault says in a darkened tone. "What I am saying is this might be the candle paired with it. It was simply laying here, at the foot of the stairs, and it's not from anywhere in this room."

[Namelessjake]

Évrard stifles his laughter as he joins the brothers and Noel in the reading room. This childish bickering may be amusing but hopefully it won't derail the investigation. Unless we end up going down a path which leads to the Swords, in which case maybe they could be turned against each other.

"It looks like it certainly could be from the missing candlestick. The candle itself doesn't serve many uses other than light," he says, looking at the candle in Renault's hand.

OOC

[SHOW]

Does the candle look like it would fit the candlestick without being too small or too large?

[Fialova]

"I don't know of a connection," Noel responds to Jacques. "Not familial at least, not one that has ever been talked about by the Bishop. I know the Bishop is supporter of their philanthropic endeavors, though, and has aided them in getting back on their feet after they lost their parents. Perhaps they look up to him as a sort of father figure?"

Renault

[SHOW]

The books seem to be primarily fiction in nature, mostly a mixture of adventure novels and romance novels. You see a wide array of authors, ranging from ones well known throughout the nation as experts of the craft, to ones you've never heard of before.

Apart from the storybooks, you do occasionally come across the assorted non-fiction book. The few that you spot tend to be related to hunting techniques and embroidery patterns.

Évrard

[SHOW]

Looking at the candle Renault has, it appears to be more or less the same as the ones you saw in the candlesticks in the previous room. Without holding it adjacent to another one you cannot be completely sure, but it is noticeably different from the others on the sconces lining the walls of the library you now find yourself in.

[Namelessjake]

I'm pretty sure this candle is from the missing candlestick. Whoever took it must have come through here then. Have you checked to see where the doors lead?" he Évrard asks.

[Scratcherclaw]

"Perhaps we'll come across the candlestick in another room somewhere," Jacques says with a shrug, pondering where it might be found. As Evrard mentions another set of doors, the vampire chimes in. "We may as well see. I'm unsure how many more clues we'll find in here, anyway."

[ratwizard]

"The stairs upward lead to a pile of debris and a dead end. The other door there should be our next step," Renault says, pointing to far end of the room, to the right of where they entered.

[Namelessjake]

"There are other doorways back in the other room but it makes sense to follow the trail of clues we do have. If this missing candlestick proves to be nothing important we can always circle back around," Évrard says as he starts making his way over to the door Renault pointed out, before trying the handle.