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]

[McCree tips his hat to Randale]

'Fraid not, your majesty. Seems like his playing's been taking its toll.

[abardacttofollow]

"Let me see your hands," Randale says.

Stef lets go of the lute after a moment to hold his hands out to Randale. "I'm all right," he says.

[splashofbourbon]

That ain't what all right looks like.

[taking the lute and stepping off, going to go put it on the scale]

[abardacttofollow]

Behind you, Randale and Stef are talking quietly.

Click!

[splashofbourbon]

[well he'll let them talk, steps on through]

The Gift 2

[abardacttofollow]

The next is a bedroom. It is cozy despite how richly decorated it is, with a canopied bed that has two plush pillows on it, and rich, maroon heavy comforters piled up. Two well-cushioned wood chairs are pulled around a table that has a bottle of wine in it, half empty, the dregs sitting in two cups. A bookcase has a number of gorgeous, hand-bound books, along with sheafs of music on it, writing utensils, and even a few musical instruments on display.

A window is cracked, looking out over a beautiful garden, with peacocks wandering around; you can distantly see a group of women all gathered around and a man with long white hair performing in the middle. The scent of honeysuckle comes through the window. A travelling sack is behind the door you came in through, opened a little as though someone's been living out of it.

Nobody is in here. As before, the cord runs through the room and under a locked door with some sort of weighted platform next to it.

A sign on the door reads: "What is the weight of family? What of love?"

[splashofbourbon]

[fancy bedroom?? whose is this though. gonna go poke through that travelling sack looking for clues]

[abardacttofollow]

You find some of Stef's clothes in there, both from home and from QM.

[splashofbourbon]

Just visiting, huh?

[goes to check the music and the books]

[abardacttofollow]

Some solo pieces, some duets. The books are a lot of historical works and similar.

[splashofbourbon]

[checking out the duets, are there lyrics or is this just sheet music?]

[abardacttofollow]

It's sheet music.

[splashofbourbon]

[blast my inability to read music. sets them down where he found them, moving over to check the bed]

[abardacttofollow]

Under the bed you find a small closed lacquered tub (as for cosmetics or something similar; you can open to investigate further) along with a missing shoe.

When you pat the bed down, you find a lump at one part, as of something sticking out of the mattress.

[splashofbourbon]

[checking the tub first, what's in here?]

[abardacttofollow]

Some sort of salve or ointment. It smells of cinnamon and marigold.

[splashofbourbon]

[dabs his fingers in a little. is this some kind of medieval lube...]

[abardacttofollow]

It's probably a little thick for lube, and the way it starts to numb your fingertips would probably not be very fun for sex.

[splashofbourbon]

[yeah probably not]

[rubs it off before his fingers get too numb, putting the box away and going to check the thing sticking out of the mattress]

[abardacttofollow]

You pull the covers back to reveal a twisted and dangerous-looking knife stabbed into the mattress.

[splashofbourbon]

Well that ain't right.

[going to try to pull it out!]

[abardacttofollow]

As soon as your fingers touch it, you feel it starting to suck at your life force.

[splashofbourbon]

Whoa now—[lets go, shaking his hand out. tries with the metal hand??]

[abardacttofollow]

That works.

[splashofbourbon]

[good. he's pulling that out then. gonna try to put it on the scale]