IC -2 - Yesterday Upon the Stair - Everyone

[Mephistophilis]

The four of them start down the stairs. The creaking wooden steps shriek in protest at the weight. There's another crash of thunder and blinding white flash of lightning that starkly lights the entry hall, the lush plants and battered grandfather clock. At least the stench of guano is gone, only to be replaced with the acrid smell of Roger's candles, sizzling by the front door, emitting little puffs of dark smoke. There's a howling gust of wind and the shutters rattle, the boards shake, the candle flames quaver and sputter but do not go out.

Darren looks around, where's Ian got to? He sprints back up the stairs and just catches sight of a door closing, beyond the bannister to the north of the staircase, on the west side of the house. It's a room they've not explored yet, beside the door to the north where he saw Roger storm through earlier, but that door's now slightly ajar, with a weak light spilling out.

Ian is nowhere to be seen, but Darren doesn't notice until he gets to the bottom of the stairs.

[BoyBlunder78]

notice stuff:40
1d100

[BoyBlunder78]

"Ian!ian! where are you?!! Why have you gone there?!" Darren sprints down the corridor and kicks the door open to the room he hopes he saw his brother disappear into.

[Mephistophilis]

Halfway down the stairs, Darren suddenly cries out and rushes back upstairs.

Darren is moving here.

[Mr. Handy]

"We'd better go help Darren find Ian before we head back downstairs," says Harry. "One thing I've learned from Dungeons and Dragons is never split the party."

[kabukiman]

"Ok, so let's go all together"- says Kyle

[LiviaBlue]

"What about Louis?" Shirley asks lingering on the bottom step, her brows furrowed. As the other three boys rush back up the stairs, she takes a moment to look around from her spot, calling for Louis once more.

[Mephistophilis]

She's moving here.

Harry and Kyle run back up the stairs after Darren. Thundering up the steps, flashlights waving in all directions, they reach the upper landing out of breath. There's a crashing noise from the north west corner room where the door is wide open. The door straight to the north where Roger previously shut himself in is now slightly ajar and the weakest of lights is filtering out.

[Mr. Handy]

"That way!" says Harry, hurrying to the northwest door.

[kabukiman]

Kyle just follows Harry and shout to Shirley "Come with us, don't stay alone!"

[Mephistophilis]

Striding across the hallway from the opposite room to the north east, Roger intercepts them and reaches in and pulls the door shut in front of Harry and Kyle. 'Don't want to go in there. It's dangerous. Floorboards are rotten.' He gives a saccharine smile.

There's a nasty smell. It seems like it's coming from behind the door Roger is holding closed.

You got a look inside the room before Roger closed the door. Darren is standing in the centre of the room near a manky looking double bed. Something in the far corner gives off a flash, like a reflection, near that there's a figure in the gloom, but it's too hard to identify who it is.

The smell is some kind of rotting animal.

[Mr. Handy]

"Darren and Ian are in there," says Harry. He can't identify the smell. He thinks that maybe Roger farted, but again he's too smart to say so.

Notice Stuff roll (40% skill) in the hallway:
d%
Nature roll (10% base skill) in the hallway:
d%

[kabukiman]

Kyle:
Notice stuff: 40%
Nature: 10%

[Mephistophilis]

Releasing his grip on the door handle, Roger steps back, holding his hands in the air. 'Don't say I didn't warn you.'

[Mr. Handy]

Harry opens the door and looks inside.

[Mephistophilis]

Pushing open the door, Harry peers inside the room, shining his torch around. And Kyle looks over his shoulder, while Roger just shrugs and strolls down the landing towards the stairs.

It's a big room. Maybe the master bedroom of the house. In the centre is the mouldering remains of a queen-sized bed, torn and stained. Darren stands beside this, his back to the door. Looking into the far corner of the room. There stands another figure, it looks like Ian, and he's staring into a fine mirror in a brass frame hanging beside the window.

Opposite the mirror there's what looks to be a large closet door, shut. And on the other side of the window there's a ceiling hatch with an attached rope dangling down a few feet.

With the door open that stench is even more overpowering, and repulsive.

There's pools of water and patches of damp on the floorboards, several look black and rotten, a few are bowed. A few feet into the room there looks to be a piece of broken board, a small opening into the room below which appears to be the dining room - the dining table with Roger's stubby yellow candle glimmering weakly.

[Mr. Handy]

"Hey, Darren," says Harry. "Everything okay?"

Notice Stuff roll (40% skill) in the master bedroom:
d%

[BoyBlunder78]

"Careful guys, whatcha step, the floors all funky! I think there'ssomething up with Ian" Darren places his hand on his brothers shoulder. "You ok bud? What ya doing in here? Why did you leave me?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Yeah, Roger mentioned that about the floor," says Harry, staying in the room's entrance and not going inside. "Shirley went on downstairs to look for Louis. If we had a rope, we could lasso Ian and pull him out without risking stepping on the floor. Looks like he's transfixed by the mirror. If you could cover it with the bedsheets or turn it away from him, maybe he'll snap out of it."

[BoyBlunder78]

"Theres something about theses mirrrors, the broken ones foen stairs, the one in the bayhroom that freaked Shirley, saying that she saw something in it!" Darren takes his crow bar and swings ot the mirror, aiming to push it over and hopefully break it.