To the Manor borne… (everyone)

[Joajackson]

Father Ó Shaban went up the stairs at the end of the group, looking arround the place with certain confusion he talked to Hamish.

"Hammish, forrgiveness, could you oben ze window more? My sight is not what it was."

With that done, he joined Bonnie to try to find something of interest, looking arround the wooden shelves.

[Philulhu]

I’ll take a spot hidden from anyone searching.

Father Ó Shaban - Spot Hidden (25%) 1d100 (failed).

Dr. Douglas - your medical training means that you recognise the bones as human but you would need to roll to determine any further details (age, gender, etc.)

[Snapper]

1d%pHdd60%

OOC:   Hard Success.

After gently uncocking his revolver with a distinct "click - click", Ascot squats down on his haunches and pokes around the mess with renewed interest.

[BoyBlunder78]

30%
1d100

Turning to Ascit Dr Douglas says The bones are human, look the same as before."

[Philulhu]

The books and papers had been well and truly shredded, barely a sentence could be read from any of them, and the wind from the freshly opened window stirred them on the floor and threatened to send a few sailing down the stairs.

[Mr. Handy]

Bonnie finds something, but she figures it can wait as she scrambles to retrieve the papers.

Spot Hidden roll (50% skill) searching the desk:
d%

[Philulhu]

Amidst the papers on the floor, one stood out. The majority were either torn pages from books or pages from a ledger that recorded household accounts in a neat copperplate hand.

The anomaly was the crumpled page that looked to have been torn from a notebook or journal, written in capital letters were the words, ‘NIHAR CTHOR HAG NAATHI IST’HE GHLAN GHEIHNT’HOR’. Reading the words sent an unexpected shiver down the spine. Of the rest of the book, there was no sign.

[Snapper]

Ascot points the piece of paper out tho the others. "I don't know what that means but it gives me the willies, like the witch doctors back home. Father Shaban, you're our expert, does that mean anything to you?"

"Now, obviously we need to alert the local constabulary to the fact that people's remains have been disturbed. But I want to solve this now, discover who or what is responsible. If everyone agrees. I imagine Mr Price would like a solution from us too, preferably one without the supernatural."

"If we're all agreed, I suspect we should have a look in the old family tomb or crypt or whatever it is, next to this manor. Much as I hate to say that. Those bones must have come from somewhere though, eh? Not to mention the coffins."

[Joajackson]

Ascot points the piece of paper out tho the others. "I don't know what that means but it gives me the willies, like the witch doctors back home. Father Shaban, you're our expert, does that mean anything to you?"

"Now, obviously we need to alert the local constabulary to the fact that people's remains have been disturbed. But I want to solve this now, discover who or what is responsible. If everyone agrees. I imagine Mr Price would like a solution from us too, preferably one without the supernatural."

"If we're all agreed, I suspect we should have a look in the old family tomb or crypt or whatever it is, next to this manor. Much as I hate to say that. Those bones must have come from somewhere though, eh? Not to mention the coffins."

Father Ó Shaban looked at the paper Sir Ascot refered to. With considerable attention.

"Well... Yes, Sir Ascot. Myself is ze exbert in ze african languages, and religion... And arrchitecture. I am ze exbert in ze many zings. Forr starters, inshallah, ze lebbers aren't hieroglyphs, I zink..."

The religious men and expert studied the script, almost sure he wouldnt know what it meant. He was an expert in many things, but he knew little about african languages that arent Arabic, Ancient Egiptian, and Coptic.

[Philulhu]

There was nothing in the text that Father Ó Shaban recognised, despite his extensive studies. The words looked completely alien to all of them.

The spiral staircases do go up to another floor.

[BoyBlunder78]

Oblivious to all this Dr Douglas says, "Well there seems to be one more floor at least. I can't see the local polis being interested in a load of old bones. They'd probaly blame it on the local wildlife and lay even more woe on that poor lad in custody and add desecration and grave robbing to the murder charge."

[Philulhu]

Can I have a KNOW or IDEA roll? Or Medicine, whichever you prefer.

[BoyBlunder78]

75%
1d100

OOC:   Hard!

[Philulhu]

It occurs to Ruairi that although the crypt is empty, it is unlikely that the bones seen in the Manor House were taken from there. The bones they have seen were gnawed for their marrow, which would only happen when they were relatively fresh. Bones left in the crypt wouldn’t have had marrow in them.

[Mr. Handy]

"Perhaps we should finish exploring the hoose before we report our findings," says Bonnie.

[Snapper]

"Well, I think everyone is agreed we keep exploring before we contact the authorities. Which suits me, I'm curious now."

"Depending on what we find upstairs, I'm still keen to double check there's not a cellar. Surely, some old Scottish laird would want a bolt hole to hide himself and his gold in when the redcoats were about?"

Ascot carefully cocks the revolver again and heads up the stairs. "How high can this places go?"

[BoyBlunder78]

"Everyone be on there guard, all these bones can't have been from the crypt on account of the fact that there would've been no marrow left in the ancient bones. Like i said before, these bones are from fit and healthy folk." Ruairi says as he holds his lantern high and heads towards the stairs. Shotgun cocked.

[Philulhu]

Sorry, me again! For clarity, all of the bones are old, not fresh. Dr. Douglas would be able to tell that from a quick examination as any tendons, muscles, etc. are long gone.

At the time they were gnawed, however, the previous owners were likely to have been freshly deceased, otherwise there would be little point in chewing them open.

Hope this helps

[Joajackson]

Father Ó Shaban finally spoke about the strange writing they asked him to check.

"As expected, combanions. Yes, zis wrritings are nonsense. Or maybe a tybe of malasian cuneiform, yes? They mean nozing in any language I know of."

Relevant to the bone situation.

"No gud follower of our Lord would let bones of zeir fellow man to rot, yes? Ze old bones deserve the same resbect as ze new ones. But lets all be careful. Zis house looks exactly like de last visit I did to ze sahara, yes. Depresators dens, zem are always filled wiz bones."

[BoyBlunder78]

"Everyone be on there guard, all these bones can't have been from the crypt on account of the fact that there would've been no marrow left in the ancient bones. Like i said before, these bones are from fit and healthy folk." Ruairi says as he holds his lantern high and heads towards the stairs. Shotgun cocked.

Shaking his head at his own ramblings, Dr Douglas reflects that maybe he's still a little bit shaken from the statue encounter. "Sorry, I know what I said was bloody obvious, just trying to fill the silence."