See No Hear No Speak No - RPLOG
Participants
Date
13/7/478
Log
The door to the House of the Night stands open in its remote alcove, deep under the quarry. There is something. . . Hungry about the open door. It seems somehow more ominous than usual in its crystal lit grotto and it opens into a small antechamber with two doors leading off. One bears the image of a cornucopia, overflowing with fruits and vegetables and the other bears a rather strange image of three wizened monkeys, one covering its eyes, the next covering its ears, and the final covering its mouth.
Cassidy folds her hands behind her back as she appraises the doors, eyes flicking between the two. "I like that one," she says, gesturing towards the door with the monkey trio. "But I suppose Olloch would be waiting for a meeting, too. I always prefer the unknown ones."
Kazel lands directly at the door and starts dusting herself off. The bat is wearing her usual black dyed leather armor and a wide array of weapons are strapped to her. She peeks into the new room and trails her hand over the walls. "Interesting. I say we see what is behind the monkey door, since the other one seems to lead something known already?" She tilts her head, this being the first time she heard of Olloch.
Zuri studies the ever-different room again, departing briefly from the group of beings he is with to peer closely at the door bearing the cornucopia. He licks his lips, then shakes his head as if trying to clear his thoughts. "Mmm.." His gaze follows along to the other door and he skips over, tailtip whipping in curiosity. "Hm! " He exclaims at that door before turning around to face Cassidy. "I dunno, I don't think we should upset Mister Olloch. He's probably watching right now and seeing what we do, you know?"
"Can't say I mind either way," comes a thick, rough voice from behind the group as a corpulent, and well dress boar is suddenly leaning against the doorframe leading back out into the regular world. "I imagine I will watch, no matter which door you take." He folds his flabby arms and waits for the group to make their choice.
Natska moves her shoulders in a small shrug, reflexivity pulling the shadows closer around herself as her hackles rise at the subtle feeling of the House of Night this time. "This is a House of choices and, sometimes, challenges. He can hardly fault us f-" she stops and turns, then smiles and inclines her head. "Good afternoon."
Cassidy glances back towars the boar, then towards Zuri. "They're all watching. No matter what choice we make, they will undoubtedly take note of it." She sets her hands on her hips. "And yes, it's a place of choices. If you always take a choice you feel pressured into, for one reason or another, then it's a bit of a foggy challenge, isn't it?"
Kazel turns around, a hand on her sword and raises an eyebrow. "Olloch, I assume?" The bat looks the boar up and down, not letting her hand slide off the hilt of her sword at any time. She frowns slightly. "Do any of you know him?"
Zuri straightens as he hears Olloch's voice. He peers over in the voice's direction and skips over, getting a good look before smiling. "Hello Mister Olloch!" He peers up at Kazel and nods. "Mister Olloch was kind enough to host a big feast at the Diseased Pig a few days ago, with plenty of incredibly yummy food that had.. uhm.. lots of beings binging and eating and drinking and all that stuff." He nibbles on his lip before adding. "It was pretty nice.."
Olloch, for that is certainly the obese boar's name laughs, sending his fat belly jiggling. "It was my pleasure," he says, "I love to see people enjoying themselves." He waddles past the group to the two doors and places his fat hands on his ample hips. "It's always about choices, you know," he muses aloud, "Whichever door you choose, there is just another choice behind it."
Natska smiles at that and inclines her head. "As it is with almost all things in life." She looks back to Cassidy. "Shall we, love?"
Cassidy nods at Zuri's words, casting a glance to Natska for a moment before reaching up to adjust her top hat. "We ought to make a decision. Since I doubt this will be the last time we're here, I'm curious as to this 'new' spirit, still, but... Well. Whatever we want to do."
Zuri clears his throat. "W-well, we should vote then! And hopefully it won't be a tie again." He giggles. "I think we should visit Mister Olloch's corner of the House of Night. We can always visit.. uh.. whatever that other door is next time! I mean, I'm sure we have lots to learn about Mister Olloch still that couldn't be explained in just the small time we had at the party."
Kazel shrugs. "I am all for the monkeys. Seems interesting." She turns away from Olloch and trails her fingers over the displayed primates. "Not meaning that you are not interesting, Mister Olloch, this just has something mysterious about it, more so than usually."
Natska grins! "Onward, then, to know the unknown." She moves for the monkey door, testing to see if it opens.
"Sounds like the vote is in favour of the monkey door," Cassidy says, offering a tip of her hat towards Olloch. "Next time, perhaps," she assures with a nod before moving after Natska.
The door opens easily, and a cool breeze issues forth from the door. On the other side is another small chamber with a raised dias on the far side where three beings lounge in stone chairs. Before the dais is a table, or possibly an altar draped in red silk with four exquisitely made daggers lying on it. Otherwise, the room is bare, gray stone.
The three stone thrones are occupied by a female figure in a heavy, hooded robe trimmed with fine purple silk and stitched with arcane runes and mathemagical symbols, a creature with the upper body of a young, male Creator and the lower body of a feral goat, and the third throne holds a figure shrouded in simple black robes. All three sit in silence as they wait for the beings to approach.
Zuri offers Olloch a sad smile and a wave. "Sorry Mister Olloch. Maybe next time..." He peers back at the door as it creaks open and hops along to join his companions, his tail sliding across the floor dejectedly.
Natska perks her ears as she makes her way into the room, head tilting as she takes in the triumvirate at the end of the room. She begins approaching, head tilted. "Hello," she greets, bowing her head. "Which room is this?"
Kazel:quickly steps through the door and inspects the room through narrowed eyes, leaving the talking to others for now. Her hand is still resting on the hilt of her sword and she refrains from touching anything for now.
Cassidy glances around the room as she steps in alongside Natska, eyeing the trio. "Well, now this is curious," she murmurs to herself as she steps forward with her wife, nodding her own greeting.
The strange figure lounging on the center throne sighs and looks around at the four beings walking carefully into the room. "How DULL!" he purrs, then pauses and a smirk grows on his face, "Except the little one. That one is good!"
The feminine figure stands and spreads her hands in a gesture of greeting. "Welcome, brave seekers!" she says, her voice soft and whispery, but easily heard, "You stand in the room of Truth and Deciet." She hesitates at a growl from the other hooded figure. "Or perhaps it is the room of Knowledge and Wisdom," she amends, though the smirk in her voice is evident. "Our test is a simple one," she says, "Each of you holds a dark secret in your heart. Olg'Ish has read your hearts and knows the darkness within them." She waves a graceful, black-gloved hand at the strange satyr in the center chair. "You may either reveal your secret to all those here present," she says, carefully taking her seat again, "Or you may stab one of your fellows." She waves at the pedestal of ornate knives. "It is as simple as that."
Kazel tilts her head. "Stab them? Does it matter where? Are the blades poisoned or otherwise irregular?" The bat frowns and picks up one of the daggers, turning it in her hand. "What if we refuse?"
The male figure in black speaks up. His voice is harsh and horrible to listen to. "If you refuse, then you may not leave here alive," he rasps, "The blades are indeed poisoned, and while they may not kill, they will certainly cripple a warrior." The figure points back to where the group entered, revealing that the door is gone. "Time is short," the female figure chimes in, "If you do not choose quickly, the choice will be made for you." That sounds ominous.
Zuri walks into the room after the others, the last one in. He peers up at the three figures with his usual cheerful smile and even offers them a wave before the feminine figure stands and speaks. His smile decidedly fades when she explains what is about to happen. He looks sideways at his three companions, then back at the three figures. He listens to the question, and the answer, hand already trembling. He shrinks away for now, paralyzed by the nature of the request.
Natska raises her eyebrows at the declaration, then looks around. She grins then, and leans in towards Cassidy. "Were we settled with miss Kazel, love?" she murmurs, tone sweet. Then she steps forward, eyes on the cloaked figure. "I am afraid I do not recognize you, sir. May we have your name? And as this is a place of trials, what is the reward for completing this one?"
Cassidy approaches the pedestal, raising a brow. "Give up our secrets, or stab someone... Those are the choices, huh?" She takes up a knife, pondering it and glancing towards the figures. "Why... That sounds fair." Though since they never specified who they had to stab, specifically... She glances towards Natska and nods. "I think so. Besides, I've got something else in mind," she says, advancing on the figures themselves, knife in hand.
Kazel rolls her eyes at Natska. "I have severed hands before they could reach me before, just so you know." The bat makes her way to the three thrones, smiling a bitter sweet smile as she places a hand on the shoulder of the male figure. "You know. We are both kinda dark and have kind of a twisted sense of humor. I can tell that. I might just call you my fellow."
Just before the door vanishes an acrobatic figure quickly dives in in a quick combat roll before standing up, "Whopsee daisy, where has the fool gotten themself into now?" the being, none other than the Jester said in their distinctive jolly tone.
Zuri keeps quiet as he walks around, watching Kazel warily as she walks up towards the thrones. The salamander's right hand trembles as he reaches over to take one of the ceremonial knives, grasping it firmly. The Jester's sing-song entrance draws his attention, the salamander gasping and turning around to face away from the entire group to hide his facial expression of mounting terror.
The central figure starts to laugh at the threatening advances of the beings in the room. "I told you!" he chuckles, "They always want to have their cake and eat it too!" None of the figures seem especially worried, however. In fact, the male figure, despite it's hidden face, seems rather pleased about the direction things are going. The female however, shakes her head. "Rules, darlings," she says, "I would LOVE to tell you my name, but first you must make a choice."
"Of course I do," Cassidy says, shooting a looking towards Kazel for a moment. "Because I play the game by my own rules. I will force it to conform to my whims, when it does not suit me." She pauses, glancing amongst the figures. "But there are... Two of you that I particular don't like. Something about you that sets me on edge..." She looks towards the hooded being, one of the males. And that is her target as she takes her stab.
Natska sighs and rubs her palm against her muzzle, her other arm crossing over her chest. The jaguar pinches at the bridge of her nose then starts to speak up, although Cassidy's lunge steals her attention and her ears fold.
Kazel steps back as Cassidy assaults the male and swiftly turns around to face the goat-man. "So many riddles, so many lies, why would I believe what you say? I only trust one spirit, and none of you are him, vile creatures of corruption and deciet" She narrows her eyes and stabs at the heart of him.
The black hooded figure lets loose a ROAR! Though it seems almost to be a sound of approval, rather than pain. The figure erupts into a cloud of inky fog and suddenly, a long, pale limb lashes out from the cloud, four others erupting out after it, two of them bearing huge maws with thousands of teeth!
The other two Spirits dissolve in a cloudy haze, vanishing as the monster appears. There is just enough time for Kazel to see the condescending, pitying sneer on Olg'ish's face before he vanishes!
The Jester simply cartwheels into the room, standing at its center before turning their gaze towards the group and whatever is happening here, "The Fool seem to have come upon violence, with great conviction. Sure to lead to some friction between friends which might lead to infliction." The Jester sings along as he sees the events unfolding, "But the violent behavior would certainly lead to some rude eviction, that is my prediction." they add before letting out a giggle as the two tendrils come out, "ANd true to my word, time to face such a vile depiction."
Zuri drops the ceremonial knife as the roar echoes out around him. He turns around, stunned to see the creature appear seemingly out of the inky nothingness. He peers around, eyes wide, and with tremblings hands reaches behind his back to retrieve his bow and assume a defensive position.
Cassidy steps back to Natska, keeping the knife firm in her hand after the stabbed thing bursts into a cloud. Reaching up, She adjusts her hat and tightens her white gloves. "Worked out perfectly, don't you think, Natska? We didn't have to stab anyone we like. Or give up secrets. I mean, my secret wasn't even that BAD... I just didn't want to play their game," she comments, watching and waiting to see how the situation unfolds.
