QUIET MOUNDS - STEF HEART

[abardacttofollow]

You find yourself in a stone room that looks like some sort of medieval dungeon. There are (thankfully), no torture instruments, but there is a man strung up here. One large manacle is around his neck, chaining him stiffly to the door. His hands are free, but each foot is manacled to the matching bottom corner of the doorframe. There is a visible lock on each of the three manacles.

It's Stefen, and there's a knife in his chest. Despite that, he's alive, apparently alert, and doesn't look to be in pain, perhaps due to the lulling, sense-dulling music that seems to be coming from nowhere at all—in fact, if you were in pain before you entered, it's gone here. His wound is bleeding, but only a little, and he smiles his usual bright smile at you.

Behind him, but in front of the closed door he's bound to, you can see three double sets of strings running vertically. Where they meet the floor, they are fastened, and then each runs across the floor to the three doors on the opposite wall, then under them.

There is nothing else in this room.

((OOC: Here's how this will work! Since we're doing individual runs, rather than me putting up individual top levels for areas, just jump the post itself, and I'll run everything for you within your one thread. If you're wanting to do a run with someone else, just stay in the same thread together.))

Comments

[splashofbourbon]

Family seems as good a place to start as any. You know anything about his?

[abardacttofollow]

"I don't think he had any before he came here?"

[splashofbourbon]

Well, that makes things interesting.

[abardacttofollow]

"It's probably in context with what you see in front of you," Medren says. "Or it'd be somewhere else."

[splashofbourbon]

So something about you then? Or something about this place?

[abardacttofollow]

"I don't know," Medren says promptly. "But things change as the context changes, right?"

[splashofbourbon]

Guess so.

[he scratches at his beard, taking another look around]

[abardacttofollow]

Medren resumes playing.

[splashofbourbon]

[is Medren on the neat bed or the smelly bed?]

[abardacttofollow]

The neat bed.

[splashofbourbon]

[well then he's going to go pawing through the sheets on the smelly bed. give me your secrets, bed]

[abardacttofollow]

Medren snickers a little.

You find some discarded clothing, a book, and another gittern string.

[splashofbourbon]

S'his fault for keeping it messy.

[checking out the book]

[abardacttofollow]

Early history of Valdemar.

"Stef uses his bed a lot."

[splashofbourbon]

I'd hope he does. Growing boy needs to sleep.

[Tries putting the string on the scale]

[abardacttofollow]

Nothing happens.

"It's true."

[splashofbourbon]

Say, can you try tapping that thing for me?

[abardacttofollow]

"Sure thing." Medren puts his instrument down, hops up, and goes over. He puts a hand on it, and

— click.

"Oh, well, that was easy, wasn't it?"

[splashofbourbon]

Easy enough.

[he gets up to go through the door, ruffling Medren's hair as he passes]

Thanks for that.

Performance 3

[abardacttofollow]

"Sure, any time! Good luck out there."

You enter a room that is… remarkably small, actually. There's just barely room for you to stand facing seven intimidating figures once the door is closed.

They're all tall, varying between middle age and elderly, and all dressed in a brilliant scarlet. The cord runs through the room and then up, being held by the man in the center of the seven. He's got a face like a lumpy potato, with a mouth that looks like he could eat an entire loaf of bread in one bite, and bright, black eyes. He is holding a key in his other hand.

"Well," he says, grinning absurdly, "I don't suppose you can tell me what the weight of duty is?"

[splashofbourbon]

[what is this some kinda tribunal? McCree scratches at the back of his neck, taking stock of the crew before focusing on potato-face]

Depends on what kinda duty you're talking about.

[abardacttofollow]

"Bardic duty, of course."

[splashofbourbon]

Seems to me like it's a whole lotta reading, writing, and practice.

[abardacttofollow]

"Sure. And has that been done? Can you prove it? I need to receive it as an exchange."

[splashofbourbon]

[he frowns a little, then glances back at the door]

Hang on a sec, I'll get you your proof.

[and back through the door he goes]