Episode Two - The Plot Thickens..

[Mr. Handy]

"You're right," whispers Rachel. "We should head for the kitchen, then. If there's someone in there, Nellie's maid disguise might deceive whoever it is. Then she could try to send them away on some pretext if necessary so we can gain access to the cellar and get Mr. Ponsonby out, while we hide so anyone emerging doesn't see us. If that doesn't work, we'll have to move in and keep the kitchen staff silent."

[Priest]

(Posted on behalf of jaysun81)

Jonathan nods and gently opening the door fully begins creeping towards the far door. From beneath a small amount of yellow light spills, its gentle flicker hints at candles as opposed to gas light. No sound can be heard coming from beyond the closed door, so it can be assumed that whoever was rattling pots and pans has left the room, or stopped working.

As he nears the second door, that set in the west wall, he pauses and listens before beckoning you forward, "Wherever that door leads there is no sound of life beyond" he whispers. Carefully he opens the door to reveal the dining room, this then is the door you had seen in the north east corner of the dining room.

[Mr. Handy]

"Let's proceed to the kitchen," whispers Rachel. "Whoever was inside seems to have left."

[carnage_lee]

"Well, well, well...." Roxburgh mutters softly, with a slight pause he starts down the steps, carefully and slowly in deference to the darkness.

OOC:   woud Roxy have means to make a light? matches? torch?

[Priest]

Roxborough (6 SP) -

From a vest pocket Roxborough produces a silver vesta case, opens it and takes a match which he lights. By its limited light he sees that the narrow flight of stone steps, worn with use and slick with age, lead down to the west and end at a closed wooden door.

No light can be seen from around its frame and no sound can be heard beyond. It is fastened by a simple raised latch affair and has no evidence of lock or bolt on this side.

Rachel (6 SP), Nelly (6 SP), and Jonathan (4 SP) in the corridor -

With care and keeping a silent step you approach the door behind which you hope to find a kitchen. Soft light flickers at it base and no sound can be heard within.
(Whoever is in front and wishes to open the door please roll Stealth (DF 3) remember the more successes the better)

[Mr. Handy]

Rachel takes the lead, opening the door carefully a crack and peeking through.

OOC,I have 6 Stealth, and I think the risk of rolling and getting two or less isn't worth the potential benefit of rolling four or more. It's safest to take the average and get three successes guaranteed, but I'll spend two Style points to get a fourth success. That is, if [b]Nellie[/b] can't assist me in this situation. If she can, she can give me the +2 because she has Stealth of at least 4.

[Priest]

Rachel (4 SP) opening the kitchen door -

Using the utmost care you turn the doorknob at glacial speed, opening the door just enough to allow you a glimpse of the room.

The limited view reveals, as you had expected, a kitchen. You can see, in the flickering candlelight the usual fittings one would expect. Directly to your front (north) you can see a sink (fixed to the east wall), its basin filled with dishes of various size. Also in the north wall you can see a door, which from size and shape you assume to be the back door, alongside and to its left a shuttered window.

The view to your left is obscured by several racks of shelves, but beyond in what you assume to be the south-west corner of the room, you can see and feel, the glow of a large fire. And further along the west wall (towards the north) you can see another partially closed internal door.

That this room is occupied you can tell by the low snoring coming from the fires direction. It would seem to be the snoring of two unknown persons...

As this is a task that can only be done by a single character, Nelly cannot assist. However as you spent 2 Style Points you get 2 extra successes which gives you a Complete Success +2 you opened the door silently without alerting any occupier. (2 Style points only get 1 modifier if spent in support of a Talent)

[Mr. Handy]

Rachel holds up two fingers, then clasps her hands together, leans her head against them, and shuts her eyes briefly as if asleep.

[carnage_lee]

Taking in al the details in the flickering yellow light of the match Roxburgh carefully descends before the match burns too low. "The door is bound to be locked from the other side..." he thinks as he reaches out to the door and lifts the latch as carefully as possible.

[carnage_lee]

Nelli watches on as Rachel silently opens the door. She nods at Rachel as she pantomimes people asleep and indeed she can now hear the snoring emanating from within. They've come this far, they need to get into the room and try not to awaken the occupants, probably the cook and maid, if that were true then should they not prove stealthy enough they ought to be able to subdue Choker's servants and stop them from raising the alarm.

Nellie makes a walking motion with her fingers, they have to keep moving...

[Priest]

Roxborough (6 SP) at door in stairwell –

The door opens easily revealing a room which by the rapidly diming light of your match appears to be a store room. As the match extinguishes you catch sight of what may be another set of steps leading upwards.

Striking another match confirms this and shows that you have emerged almost in the north east corner of the room and that the other steps seem to be about fifteen feet from you in the northern wall. As you had briefly noted this room seems to be a store room, it contains many shelves filled with various commodities, such as foodstuffs and other sundries, and many sacks, boxes and barrels are carefully placed around the room. The room is silent, the only noise seems a low intermittent rumbling that seems to originate somewhere above the other stairs

Immediately to your left in the east wall there is another closed door from what you can see of the lock it looks a complicated bolt system.

Rachel (4 SP), Nelly (6 SP) and Jonathan (4 SP) at the entrance to the kitchen –

With the door opened further more of the room is open to view. The kitchen, for indeed it is, looks functional if somewhat distressed. The sink is filled with dishes of varying size awaiting cleaning. It seems that the kitchen has seen recent use, as a large plate still contains a sizable piece of meat upon a badly scarred table top. Other than the two doors no other access point seems apparent,

Cautiously looking towards the fire you can see the source of the snoring. In a wing-back chair pulled to face the fire, her feet resting on a stuffed pouf, a large unkempt woman snores animatedly. Beside her equally lost in sleep, lies an enormous hound.

Fortunately neither seems aware of you as you creep into the kitchen

Please make stealth rolls, as an opposed roll all successes count and will be compared to the perception rolls of the occupant, so as always the more successes the better.

[carnage_lee]

Nellie steps into the kitchen almost on tip-toes; anxious not to wake the sleepers. She stops suddenly, aware that one set of snores doesn't sound quite right, then she hears a whimper... a dog! Not just a dog... a huge hound...

Nellie Stealth:5 +2 Style Pts,[dice]0[/dice]

[carnage_lee]

Striking another match Roxburgh steps towards the shelves ignoring the barred door and the other step of stairs that presumably lead into the house, "Let's have a quick look, might be a lamp or candles... or some delicious cured ham..." he thinks; peering closer at the shelving in the flickering yellow light of the match.

[Mr. Handy]

Rachel tries to be quiet as she creeps into the kitchen, but she makes more noise than she would wish.

OOC,Maybe [b]Jonathan[/b] should wait outside the kitchen, seeing as he has no Stealth skill and, with only Dexterity 2, would get no dice to start. Stealth 6 + 1 Style Point = 7 dice: [dice]0[/dice]

[Priest]

Rachel (2SP), Nelly (4SP) in the kitchen and Jonathan (4SP) outside the kitchen door -

Both intrepid females creep into the kitchen trying their best not to disturb the sleepers. All seems to be going swimmingly until Rachel's foot taps a discarded empty beer bottle. For a heartstopping moment both females freeze, expecting imminent disaster. However other than the large dog stretching its front legs, the sleepers snore on. It would seem that luck smiles on you tonight.

Just outside the door Jonathan watches in horrified silence aware that at any moment the hound or the woman could awake...

Gripper the hound,[url=http://orokos.com/roll/429728]Sleeping dog perception 3[/url]: [u]3#1d6[/u] [b]1[/b] [b]4[/b] [b]2[/b]

Roxborough (6SP) in a store room -

By the light of your fourth match you find a small carboard box marked candles. Originally it had contained six but there are only two remaining.
Each taper candle burns for eight hours.

[Mr. Handy]

[

Rachel mentally sighs with relief, not daring to actually exhale. She makes her way to the interior door, more carefully this time.

OOC,What happened to my other Style point? I should have three left.

[carnage_lee]

OOC:   Does Jonathan have any Stealth? If he enters the room does that set off another test?

[carnage_lee]

Nellie keeps a wary eye on the sleeping figures, hale convinced that one or both will wake at ant moment but they're committed to the rescue and there's no turning back. The hound worries her, if it were to wake it would probably start barking, well she hoped that's what all it would do... in the half gloom of the flickering firelight it looked as large as a pony. "Aha... that will do the trick..." she thinks too herself eyes resting on the slab of meat, that would be a good distraction if the worst happened.

Altering course Nellie crosses to where the remains of the joint of meat rest and carefully picks it up from the plate, now should the hound waken she had the means to distract it.

Meanwhile...


Moderately pleased with his find, he quickly sets about lighting three candles and sets them where they can cast their yellow light to illuminate as much as possible of the cellar. Casting a hopeful look around the shelves, his mind pictures a huge hunk of ripe cheddar before taking one candle and approaching the locked and barred door "This could be where Ponsonby is being held". he thinks. He stops, did he hear some scuffling coming from the room above? After a few moments he fails to hear any other noises and continues to inspect the bolts securing the door.

OOC:   So, Nellie will cover Rachel's back and Roxy will inspect the locked door, might it be trapped or alarmed in some way?

[Priest]

OOC:   Jonathan will stay in the hall, he is only too aware that a misplaced footstep or an unlucky noise could bring disaster upon you. Sorry Mr H, I will make amends when I update later

[Priest]

Rachel (3SP) and Nelly (4SP) in the kitchen –

The sleepers sleep on unaware of the presence of the two women. With a little more care than earlier Rachel picks her way to the partially open door. By the limited light of the kitchen she can see that the door opens into what appears to be a fairly well stocked pantry. Directly opposite the door is another door, with interior bolts open. Further along the west wall to the south, another interior panelled door stands closed.

From beneath the closed door opposite she can see an occasional flickering light. The other door spills much more light as if beyond lies a well lit area.

Meanwhile Nelly has gently and noiselessly made her way over to the table on which rests the remains of a rather large joint of beef. Carefully, ensuring that her movements do not wake the woman, or more importantly the sleeping hound, she lifts the still warm joint.

Jonathan (4SP) at the kitchen door –

Hardly daring to breathe, Jonathan watches as Rachel and Nelly creep into the kitchen. For a moment his blood runs ice cold as Rachel taps a discarded bottle with her foot, yet it seems that the sharp tinkle, although loud to his ears, fails to disturb woman or hound.

Still staying put, he watches as Rachel heads for the partially ajar door whilst Nelly, for some reason, picks her way over to the remains of a previous meal. As he watches his hand strays to the hilt of his heavy bladed hunting knife...

Roxborough (6SP) in a storeroom -

By dint of the candle light you investigate the door. There is something about the configuration of the locking mechanism that reminds you of the door to the cold room of ‘La Belle Chance’ one of Paris’s most famous restaurants, and the very establishment from which you had poached Henri your personal chef.

The door opens towards you. From behind you can hear no noise and the door feels cool to your touch.

As you look at the door something further along the east wall towards the south corner catches your attention...

Please make a Perception Check (df 3). You may, of course, spend Style Points.

OOC:   Everyone: Please do not forget that you have various weapons on your persons, (Nothing bigger than a pistol or knife)