The Muffinville Horror

[Kether]

He reconsiders and heads up the stairs to the second floor!.

[Harri-chan]

Matt seemed a little disappointed, but put his flashlight away. Glancing up the grand staircase, he watched Kether go. For a moment he looked around the options on the ground, rubbing his chin, but ended up making the same decision as the robot man.

"Just stay out of my way", he said to the other as he climbed up the stairs too.

[Blaze]

Dact rubs his chin. "Lets see... explore the main mansion that likely has everyone's attention... or a creepy mausoleum I just discovered on my own." Dact grins. "Exploration it shall be!" He says... getting out a lantern and heading down said stone stairs!

The stairs are covered in moss and ivy, making the trip down them rather treacherous, but surely the knight is surefooted! At the bottom, he finds a room filled with more coffins... there is light, but not from a lamp, but a candle! Also, thee floor is covered in footprints outlines by dust... some very VERY recent.

Usagi looks around for a moment as she enters and moves carefully, heading down a random path as she taps the wrist band she was holding for a moment. Though she didn't do anything more with that and kept her eyes open.

Usagi heads into the mansion and... let's say she took the first door on the left! She finds herself in a library, longer than it is wide. There are many old and dusty bookshelves along the walls to her right and some on the left between the boarded-up windows. There are still some books on the shelves, but they are all old, moldy and crumbling. IN the middle of the room is a circular oak table with some chairs around it... and a piece of paper? Unlike most over things in the room, it's not coated in dust, nor yellowed with age.

With a nod Bones finishing the calculations needed to conduct a Chibi ritual of divination; the sacred arts of the Chibi shaman require strict precision and careful measurement. Noting the lack of screams from those fools who barged on in the mastermind deduces that it is safe enough to enter.

Stepping into the hallway Bones first goes make a clearing within the center of the room, making certain to move furniture, carpeting and debris from the floor. The next step will require sufficient space. Assuming he is successful on this first step of many he now begins to hastily scribble a massive circle in the floor.

Those observing the circle might notice that it looks somewhat similar to a Tibetan mandala. Those knowledgeable in the obscure ways of the Chibi shaman, however, will know that it is in fact a map depicting the Dream Realm of the Chibi, that bizarre ethereal expanse that stretches the subconsciousness of the Chibi collective.

Strange squiggles representative of flying serpents and migratory souls line the outer ring while at the center burns a furious alien sun. And of course, beyond the dream realm and relatively new to the cosmology lies the underworld with its obsidian temples....

And lo, Feng draws the complicated circle in the middle of the floor. Thankfully, everyone else went upstairs or to the left, so no one walks over it. Nothing happens to prevent him from doing so.

He reconsiders and heads up the stairs to the second floor!.

Matt seemed a little disappointed, but put his flashlight away. Glancing up the grand staircase, he watched Kether go. For a moment he looked around the options on the ground, rubbing his chin, but ended up making the same decision as the robot man.

"Just stay out of my way", he said to the other as he climbed up the stairs too.

As the two ascent the stairs, they creak and groan threateningly, a new reminder as to how old and dilapidated this house is. Once they reach the balcony that overlooks the first floor, they find that it serves as part of a corridor that leads to their left and right. On both sides are 90 degree turns that lead to more rooms.

[Kether]

As the two ascent the stairs, they creak and groan threateningly, a new reminder as to how old and dilapidated this house is. Once they reach the balcony that overlooks the first floor, they find that it serves as part of a corridor that leads to their left and right. On both sides are 90 degree turns that lead to more rooms.

*Kether heads left! ignoring the rude boy*

[Knight Errant]

Dact raises an eyebrow at that... the candle had to be recent... as were the footprints... he sees if he can follow the more recent ones and see where they lead to!

[KonokoHasano]

Usagi heads into the mansion and... let's say she took the first door on the left! She finds herself in a library, longer than it is wide. There are many old and dusty bookshelves along the walls to her right and some on the left between the boarded-up windows. There are still some books on the shelves, but they are all old, moldy and crumbling. IN the middle of the room is a circular oak table with some chairs around it... and a piece of paper? Unlike most over things in the room, it's not coated in dust, nor yellowed with age.

Usagi looks around in wonder at the library, though she shivers in disgust at all the dust and mold. That was just NASTY. However, upon spotting the piece of paper, and the state of it, she makes her way on over and picks it up, looking it over.

[Harri-chan]

Matt waited for Kether to go left, and then went around to the right, pulling out a handgun as he did so. It seemed energy based, with a dial on top that contained all the colours of the spectrum.

"Whoever is in here, you may as we save us both some time and give it up now", he called as he moved down the corridor, and checked into the first room he came across.

[Blaze]

*Kether heads left! ignoring the rude boy*

Down the left he goes, finding himself in another short hallway, one that contains three doors. One on the left, one on the right and one dead ahead. The one ahead consists of double doors, while the others are just single doors.

Dact raises an eyebrow at that... the candle had to be recent... as were the footprints... he sees if he can follow the more recent ones and see where they lead to!

The most recent set of footprints lead to a gap in the wall that might have contained a coffin once, but is now empty! A space has been dug into the wall behind it. It's pitch black, but Dact can see two red eyes shining in the darkness, gazing out at him...

Usagi looks around in wonder at the library, though she shivers in disgust at all the dust and mold. That was just NASTY. However, upon spotting the piece of paper, and the state of it, she makes her way on over and picks it up, looking it over.

The piece of paper has Blaze's only-just-legible handwriting on it! It reads as follows:

So we got a new big job, checking out this mansion and clearing it of any supernatural activity we find. The fact that it's still standing with no maintenance speaks volumes of what we're likely to find. First thing we did was check out the first floor and backyard, setting up lamps. While setting up in the first floor, we saw some spots in the roof that were sagging and set up some makeshift props. We marked where they were on the second floor, so if you see a white X on the floor, it's safe to step on, but avoid the area around it.

But anyway, after completing our survey, I drew a map, as seen below.

Indeed, below the writing is a rather crude map of the mansion and it's grounds. Apparently there is a hedge maze and a mausoleum in the background. AN arrow points to the mausoleum labelled 'someone living here?' THe first floor consists of the entrance hall, the library Usagi is in, the live-in servant quarters which is through the other door on the left of the hall, the kitchen which is through the right door and a grand dining hall which is directly across from the entrance.

The second floor consists of the master bedroom which is to the left of the stairs at the end of the hallway, a children's bedroom which is on the left side of the same hallway and an office which is opposite to the children's bedroom. To the right of the stairs is a lounge and a games room apparently. There is also a hatch to the attic on the second floor, right next to the stairs, though there's apparently nothing special up there.

Also... there is apparently a basement, the only entrance being a hatch outside, but Blaze has noted that the hatch is locked with five padlocks and the keys are nowhere to be found...

Matt waited for Kether to go left, and then went around to the right, pulling out a handgun as he did so. It seemed energy based, with a dial on top that contained all the colours of the spectrum.

"Whoever is in here, you may as we save us both some time and give it up now", he called as he moved down the corridor, and checked into the first room he came across.

Matt's voice echoes through the house, no answer forthcoming. The first room is through a door to the right! Inside is a room that contains a variety of gaming tables! Pool, billiards, poker, blackjack, roulette and even Foosball! Also, some old slot machines and arcade games stand against the wall. There are some old photos on the wall of gentlemen playing cards, men and women gambling at a craps table and even some frat boys playing on the Foosball table!

Also, a piece of paper lies on the nearest table (a blackjack one) that is untouched by dust or age. The moon shines through the window and makes it stand out even more.

[Kether]

*he decides to go through the double doors*

[KonokoHasano]

Indeed, below the writing is a rather crude map of the mansion and it's grounds. Apparently there is a hedge maze and a mausoleum in the background. AN arrow points to the mausoleum labelled 'someone living here?' THe first floor consists of the entrance hall, the library Usagi is in, the live-in servant quarters which is through the other door on the left of the hall, the kitchen which is through the right door and a grand dining hall which is directly across from the entrance.

The second floor consists of the master bedroom which is to the left of the stairs at the end of the hallway, a children's bedroom which is on the left side of the same hallway and an office which is opposite to the children's bedroom. To the right of the stairs is a lounge and a games room apparently. There is also a hatch to the attic on the second floor, right next to the stairs, though there's apparently nothing special up there.

Also... there is apparently a basement, the only entrance being a hatch outside, but Blaze has noted that the hatch is locked with five padlocks and the keys are nowhere to be found...

Usagi took a few moments to read Blaze's handwriting. She really should work on bettering her penmanship. None-the-less, she grabs the map next and looks at it, studying it as she makes her way out of the library and into the entrance hall.

As soon as she gets back in the area, she walks over to the door to the servant quarters and opens it to look inside.

[Knight Errant]

The most recent set of footprints lead to a gap in the wall that might have contained a coffin once, but is now empty! A space has been dug into the wall behind it. It's pitch black, but Dact can see two red eyes shining in the darkness, gazing out at him...

Dact... blinks at the darkness... and shines the light into it even as he raises his sword into a defensive position. "... hello?"

[Feng]

"There," mumbles Bones as he lifts his chalk from the floor. Nodding with satisfaction at his handiwork the villain prepares for the next phase of the ceremony by carefully setting up an array of tiny black candles throughout the circle. With care he lights each wick with a blue flame that seems to flickers with anticipation!

The step finished, the final ingredient is added. From his belongings Bones procures a toaster painstakingly carved from Obsidian collected in the region. Those familiar with the Chibi and their bizarre mythos would immediately recognize the image as the icon of their psychopomp, the Smoking One. Lighting an incense stick placed inside one of the toaster's slots Bones immediately exits the ring and begins to chant. In practice this very ritual has been practiced by the various shamans and priests of the Chibi to communicate with the spirits of the dead. Should everything go well a spirit will become ensnared within the ring.

Of course this all depends on the power of the spirit and the skill and proficiency of the summoner. In less skilled hands the spirit could very well become enraged....

[Harri-chan]

Matt glanced around the games room, studying several of the photographs, but started to make his way back out when the note caught his eye. He headed over to the blackjack table with a frown, picking it up, and then moved beneath one of the lights so he would be able to see it more clearly.

[Blaze]

*he decides to go through the double doors*

Through the double doors is the master bedroom! The bed itself, a grand king-sized four-poster thing has had it's mattress cast onto the floor and sliced open. Dressers, drawers and closets have been ripped open and the contents scattered everywhere. Seems someone was investigating this room thoroughly.

Usagi took a few moments to read Blaze's handwriting. She really should work on bettering her penmanship. None-the-less, she grabs the map next and looks at it, studying it as she makes her way out of the library and into the entrance hall.

As soon as she gets back in the area, she walks over to the door to the servant quarters and opens it to look inside.

Through that first door, she finds herself in a hallway with three doors on each side. It seems that the mansion could have six on-site staff at a time.

Dact... blinks at the darkness... and shines the light into it even as he raises his sword into a defensive position. "... hello?"

"D-Don't hurt me!" the owner of the eyes yelps, scrabbling out of the hole. The fall to the floor and look up at Dact.

"Are you a demon hunter?..." Ryan whispers.

"There," mumbles Bones as he lifts his chalk from the floor. Nodding with satisfaction at his handiwork the villain prepares for the next phase of the ceremony by carefully setting up an array of tiny black candles throughout the circle. With care he lights each wick with a blue flame that seems to flickers with anticipation!

The step finished, the final ingredient is added. From his belongings Bones procures a toaster painstakingly carved from Obsidian collected in the region. Those familiar with the Chibi and their bizarre mythos would immediately recognize the image as the icon of their psychopomp, the Smoking One. Lighting an incense stick placed inside one of the toaster's slots Bones immediately exits the ring and begins to chant. In practice this very ritual has been practiced by the various shamans and priests of the Chibi to communicate with the spirits of the dead. Should everything go well a spirit will become ensnared within the ring.

Of course this all depends on the power of the spirit and the skill and proficiency of the summoner. In less skilled hands the spirit could very well become enraged....

The air becomes chillier as a spirit appears in the ring... judging by his old hardy clothes, it seems to be one of the mansion's builders. His shoulders are hunched and he gazes at the ground, the picture of despair. A nail juts out of his eye as he uses his other one to peer at Bones.

"Who're you?..." he whispers.

Matt glanced around the games room, studying several of the photographs, but started to make his way back out when the note caught his eye. He headed over to the blackjack table with a frown, picking it up, and then moved beneath one of the lights so he would be able to see it more clearly.

It is a note written by Lucy! In her loopy fancy cursive, she writes:

"There's a whole bunch of game tables here! I asked if we could take a couple home as part of our payment. Blaze said she will ask, but I doubt she'll remember. Maybe I could sneak one away somehow? Anyway...

So! We found a big hatch leading to the basement, and it had five locks on it. But we didn't have any keys, so we had to go through the whole house looking for them. Man it was a pain, but we found them. Taped mine to this note, because no way am I looking for it again!"

Taped to the note is an old iron key.

[Kether]

*he carefully examines the room trying to get some idea what someone might have been looking for*