The Cranborne House Investigation

[Andrew]

Nicholas nods as his wife introduces him and adds, "Plus with your permission of course, I personally would love to photograph your garden. It is quite beautiful."

[ImpInTraining]

ooc,Convincing him to showing you the stone ring would be a persuade roll, not a Fast Talk check. But you would have made that check with your roll as well. No worries.

George frowned slightly as the mention of the ring of stones is brought up. "They're just a bunch of rocks... vaguely arranged in a circular formation. Not nearly as beautiful as my garden."

As the others in the group prove interested in the ring of stones, George sighs and shook his head. Nicholas brings out his camera and George lightens up again, "Oh, of course, you're encouraged to photograph as much as you'd like."

Paul stepped up and suggested, "Nicholas will be happy to take all sorts of pictures of your lovely garden... on the way to the stone ring."

Reluctantly, George agrees. "All right, fine. We'll make our way through the garden to the ring of stones."

ooc,Hope you don't mind me adding that little clip in on your behalf, Anatomist

The man finished the cup of tea he had poured for himself and started leading the others out through the back door. He leads you up a small path of hedges and pauses before a large rose bush, where he begins a very long monologue explaining all the work he had put into each and every plant along the way as he winds all throughout the beautiful garden. The plants, shrubs, hedges, flowers, and trees are all very beautiful and it is obvious that George deserved the pride he felt as he got to show it off. The tour goes on like this for a half-hour/45 minutes when you all start wondering when you will get to the stone ring... if at all.

[Anatomist]

ooc GM,I dont mind at all the comment on my behalf. And sorry the use of wrong skill, seems im more rusty then i thought.

Paul scetches the route as best he can on his map as they walk 'I hvent seen to many gardens Sir, but this one is one: beatifull and two: huge!'

[yockenthwaite]

"It is a lovely garden. It must take a lot of maintenance though," says Samantha, "though I can see that it gives you much pleasure."

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, absolutely," says Laurence, admiring the flora. "I can't imagine how long it must take you to keep all these grounds."

[Andrew]

Nicholas starts photographing the gardens from different angles, mumbling things under his breath as he does so. Its sounds as if he's talking to the plants themselves. 'Work it honey.', 'Let's see your naughty side.' and several other things can be heard as he dips and dodges shooting at different angles. He seems to be enjoying the shoot as much as their host seems to be giving the tour.

At one particular beautiful rose bush he stops and lowers his camera and says, "Now if I can get everyone together for a group shot, tallest in back please." Once everyone gets into possition he starts shooting from different angles yet again.

[Anatomist]

Nicholas starts photographing the gardens from different angles, mumbling things under his breath as he does so. Its sounds as if he's talking to the plants themselves. 'Work it honey.', 'Let's see your naughty side.' and several other things can be heard as he dips and dodges shooting at different angles. He seems to be enjoying the shoot as much as their host seems to be giving the tour.

At one particular beautiful rose bush he stops and lowers his camera and says, "Now if I can get everyone together for a group shot, tallest in back please." Once everyone gets into possition he starts shooting from different angles yet again.

'Nicholas excuse me, are you really asking a bunch of roses to line up?'

[ImpInTraining]

As long as George sees his company is still interested in the garden, he continues his tour - seemingly leaving no plant uncovered as he rambles on about the care and time he'd given to all the plants as well as the reasons for why he placed them where they grow. For another 20 minutes the tour continues and it seems the man never tires of talking about his garden.

Paul,Looks like according to your map he is leading everyone back up to the front of the house.

[Andrew]

Nicholas stops and looks at Paul with a dumbstruck look on his face and finally answers, "Well yes of course!" He laughs and adds, "Actually I meant the humans to get in front of a bush. I'd like to document who's here and so on. I've taken enough individual pictures when you guys weren't looking, might as well get into a group shot."

[Thorn]

Pet introduced herself before they went out into the garden, then wanders among the flowers while the man talks. "Beautiful....beautiful..." She peers into the roses, half expecting to see little fairies inside.

[Anatomist]

Nicholas stops and looks at Paul with a dumbstruck look on his face and finally answers, "Well yes of course!" He laughs and adds, "Actually I meant the humans to get in front of a bush. I'd like to document who's here and so on. I've taken enough individual pictures when you guys weren't looking, might as well get into a group shot."

'Excuse me' 'I could swear you where talking to the plants' Paul smiles and tries to catch up whit the tour.

[Mr. Handy]

Laurence stands at the back for the group photo, being the tallest one there. "Actually, I hear that gardeners find that talking to their plants helps them grow better," says Laurence. He looks at their host. "Is that so, Mr. Tenison?"

[ImpInTraining]

The man nods enthusiastically, glad that the group is taking an interest in his gardening. "Oh yes," George says responding to Laurence, "my plants just love it when I show them affection. I know it sounds silly, but it really does seem to make a difference."

Another half hour goes by and still George Tenison hasn't uncovered the ring of stones. As long as the polite visitors seem content at the garden tour, he stretches it out - seeming at this time to be straining to reach points that he hadn't yet covered. You have completely circled the house and are about to start on a second pass covering some of the smaller paths that were not yet explored.

[Mr. Handy]

"I say, is this circle of stones much further?" asks Laurence. "It feels like we've been walking for a very long time."

[Anatomist]

"I say, is this circle of stones much further?" asks Laurence. "It feels like we've been walking for a very long time."

Paul looks at Laurence and nods 'yes yes' 'i cant wait to see that too'

[ImpInTraining]

George rolled his eyes and exhaled sharply. "Oh, all right. You've all been such good guests, I don't see the harm. Just straight back that direction... you won't miss it. Just beyond the edge of the gardens. I'm sure you're all thirsty by now, so I'll head inside and prepare some cool drinks for when you're done." He turned toward the house and started away, muttering something about the lack of importance of a bunch of dusty old rocks.

Out of sight of the main house and just beyond the boundary of bushes and trees, that mark the edge of George's beautiful gardens, is a path that leads to a circle of ten equidistantly placed stones. Each is roughly the shape of a crude spearhead and stand between a metre and a metre and a half tall. The stones are about two metres apart making a circle of approximately six metres in diameter.

A path has been worn from the back of the garden to the centre of the stones, undoubtedly made by George's visits.

[Mr. Handy]

"Hmm..." says Laurence, striding up the path to the stone circle. He begins to walk around the outer edge of the circle, examining the stones closely, but they don't seem very familiar to him.

[yockenthwaite]

"Gosh they are taller than I expected," says Samantha, examining the stones with some interest. "I wonder what the history behind them is?"

[Anatomist]

Paul walks around perimeter of the circle noting on his map, taking a look at the surroundings and watching the stones, he tries to remember if he ever heard anything about theses rocks. And seems not to get much out of it. (1d100=21, 1d100=56)

[Thorn]

Pet moves around the circle with interest, stepping inside it reverently.