Chapter 5: The Farmhouse

[HoneyDog]

Alice unlocks the door and enters, along with Balzac and Rupert, brandishing their firearms. Arthur follows behind. The door opens directly into the front room, which is dirty and long untouched. Dust lies thickly over the mantel and the shelves, and dead leaves and assorted detritus litters the floor. The wood of the floor is warping and badly stained, no doubt due to water leaking through the roof and ceiling of the attic above. There is an old couch and matching wing chairs, rotting away with mould. A faint, unpleasant odour is in the air. Ahead is an entrance which must lead to the kitchen / back room of the house.

Alice & Rupert,You can hear a soft scuffling, bumping noise, coming from what must be the cellar below.

Meanwhile, Isadora and Henry make their way to the back of the house. They find that the back door is in fact slightly ajar. Entering, they find themselves in the back room of the house, which also served as a kitchen. Ahead, by the entrance to the front room, a narrow opening in the floor reveals a steep flight of stairs which lead to the cellar. There is a trap door set in the ceiling above, it’s frame covered with the same symbols which decorate the outside of the house.

But the room seems to have been recently occupied. The dust is kicked up, and you can see fresh footprints. The large fireplace contains embers of a recent fire. Beside the fireplace, a large, new wool blanket has been tossed, next to which is an empty can of Campbell’s pork & beans. Nearby are a box of matches, a can opener, a dull jack-knife, a dirty spoon, the stub of a candle, and some well-used magazine adverts of attractive young ladies.

On a high shelf an old cigar box and a sheaf of yellowed papers can be seen.

Isadora,Roll Power x4

[evil_scientist]

Meanwhile, Isadora and Henry make their way to the back of the house. They find that the back door is in fact slightly ajar. Entering, they find themselves in the back room of the house, which also served as a kitchen. Ahead, by the entrance to the front room, a narrow opening in the floor reveals a steep flight of stairs which lead to the cellar. There is a trap door set in the ceiling above, it’s frame covered with the same symbols which decorate the outside of the house.

But the room seems to have been recently occupied. The dust is kicked up, and you can see fresh footprints. The large fireplace contains embers of a recent fire. Beside the fireplace, a large, new wool blanket has been tossed, next to which is an empty can of Campbell’s pork & beans. Nearby are a box of matches, a can opener, a dull jack-knife, a dirty spoon, the stub of a candle, and some well-used magazine adverts of attractive young ladies.

On a high shelf an old cigar box and a sheaf of yellowed papers can be seen.

Isadora,Roll Power x4

Isadora Carmichael

Power x4 = 52%
[dice]0[/dice]

"Can this be Bernard?" Isadora wonders, looking at the blanket. She assumes that, given how new it is, it might belong to Bernard, who stocked up on some essentials before coming down to the house.

Isadora examines the door: are there any signs of forced entry?

Does the cellar entrance have a trapdoor to cover it?

[innsmouth]

Henry Glynn

"Could be. Or maybe just a vagrant? We should have asked about strangers back at the store."

Henry picks up the knife then goes to the high shelf and reaches for the cigar box and papers.

[andyw666]

Balzac, looking relaxed and interested, casts about for a fireplace in the main room. "Well, nothing exceptional about the foliage outside, old agricultural plantings run wild and native Americana."

"In here, the ceremony the professor described took place about the fireplace, no?"

OOC,Can [b]Balzac[/b] identify the strange odour?

[Mr. Handy]

"I hear something in the cellar," whispers Alice, trembling a little.

[HoneyDog]

OOC Andyw666,It's probably the mold.

Disturbed by Alice's words, the front room party enter the back room where they see Henry and Isadora examining the papers and the cigar box. Balzac notices the large fireplace with satisfaction. "Alors!" he exclaims.

Henry places the items on the kitchen table, and the heroes stand around, regarding them silently.

OOC,Anyone can roll History.

[innsmouth]

Spoiler:

Henry History 23 [dice]0[/dice]

OOC:   Henry keeps the knife and puts it in his pocket just in case

[evil_scientist]

Isadora Carmichael

OOC:   HoneyDog, in case you missed, Isadora wanted to check out a few things in her previous post!

Isadora examines the door: are there any signs of forced entry?

Does the cellar entrance have a trapdoor to cover it?

History 20%
[dice]0[/dice]

[HoneyDog]

OOC:   Sorry Evil! There's no visible signs of forced entry, and the cellar entrance has no cover. It's a flight of steps.

[andyw666]

OOC,[b]Balzac[/b] has a [i]History[/i] skill of 20% and he rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

[Mr. Handy]

"Maybe those papers are the translation we're looking for," says Alice.

OOC,History roll (30% skill) in the back room: [dice]0[/dice]

[innsmouth]

Henry Glynn

Without going down Henry shines a flashlight into the cellar space.

[HoneyDog]

Henry,[b]Henry[/b] can't see very much, but he notices that the dust on the cellar steps has been disturbed. It could be footprints.

[innsmouth]

Henry Glynn

"I think maybe someone's down here. Miss Stanton heard something and it looks a bit like there are footprints in the dust. I could go down and take a look ..."

[andyw666]

Balzac crouches down by the fireplace, using the shotgun as a prop for balance. Then he whips out his magnifying glass and starts carefully examining the contents of the fireplace, touching nothing.

[HoneyDog]

Balzac,Balzac finds nothing in the fireplace

[andyw666]

Balzac straightens up with a cracking of muscles and joints, and a grunt. He flicks his cigarette butt into the fireplace.

"Well, there is no evidence to be found in the fireplace, at least not visible to the eye. What was on the pieces of paper you found?"

[HoneyDog]

Although Henry is waiting anxiously by the cellar entrance, all eyes are fixed on the old papers held by Alice. As she lays them out on the table, the companions are able to see what is written on them.

They appear to be handwritten in a different writing style to Putnam’s. The first six sheets are all written in Latin, and all appear to be exactly the same.

The next three are notes. They describe the Latin as a chant copied from ‘Di Vermiis Mysteris’ by Ludwig Prin, written circa 1542. The book apparently describes the significance of the Egyptian sarcophagus and the unimaginable powers contained therein. The specimen trapped in amber is believed to be a guide to the Arab spirit world, and is benevolent. If the chant is performed in conjunction with certain other ritual activities, communication with the spirit can be made.

The tenth sheet describes the pentagram which must be used including the symbols to be drawn, and the combination of chemicals, including magnesium, copper and sulphur, to be burned in the fire, and the need for two black tapers.

The next three sheets describe the ritual. Once the ritual objects are prepared, the words must be chanted for two hours starting at midnight. In order to dispel the spirit, it is simply a matter of chanting backwards.

Prin apparently advises the use of several chanters, allowing individuals to occasionally interrupt their chanting. If the chant is continuous for two hours, with at least one person at all times maintaining the rhythm, the spirit will succumb. But if the chant is at all disrupted, it must begin again the following night. Prin advises that during the chanting “a watcher be posted, lest the sorcerers be disturbed by the nuisances and distractions of malevolent spirits”.

[andyw666]

Balzac adjusts his specs and has a peer at the Latin writing, trying to get some idea what it says.

OOC,He has a [i]Latin[/i] skill of 26% and rolls [dice]0[/dice]

[HoneyDog]

Unfortunately, the Latin is an obscure form, and uses many unfamiliar terms. Despite his skills Balzac is unable to make much sense of it.

OOC,Sorry the scenario doesn't have the Latin or any translation. Understanding it isn't important for the mystery.