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The Note Read:

"Some people seek wealth and glory and are therefore content with their life to die in peace. Others with the same goals in life and achieve it want it to last them for all eternity. There is said to be a manor where the largest storage of gold and artifacts are stored, horde by a one Jonathan L. Whittaker. Jonathan was a spiteful man who held quite a bit of credibility to eliminate all of those who cross him. Oddly enough those who allegedly 'crossed' him were those only of excessive wealth and glory. His wife, Catelyn W. Whittaker had been reported missing after but a few short years after marrying Jonathan. I want to know if this wealth of his was fact or fiction. Be wary that the Manor has also be reported to be haunted by Jonathan's money grubbing spirit. There are few who have sold their souls to the devil and have bought it back, with interest."

A small pocket watch with a mirror had been given to the group wrapped in paper that also read:

"Jonathan's old pocket watch given to him by Catelyn's parents as a marriage tribute. Light reflected by the mirror has only ever pointed in an inconspicuous direction for each of its owners after Jonathan lost it. Now that the mirror has been within reasonable distance of the manor, all light reflected by that watch has aimed directly at that manor. I'm sure you'll need this somewhere inside."

The air was cold. Front gates leading into the property were loose on their hinges, idly swinging back and forth with a headache inducing screech from metal to metal grinding. Acres of land from left to right lush of its own untended greenery. Wild flowers and weeds sprouting from cracks in the walkway showed sign enough that the estate had not been occupied for decades.The window just to the left of the entrance was not veiled by a curtain which did no justice to illuminate the inside as the interior held its own shadows cast from wall to wall with the exception of the four squares of light splashing on the floor broken by the window frame.

The chill wind seemed to have no effect on the gaunt figure standing nearest the gates, his dead grey eyes scanning the note once more {with some skepticism}.
Takurasho was a painfully prompt person. He would have likely been the first to arrive on the scene, but whether this was due to his timeliness or eagerness to begin was unknown. It was evident that he was a man who appreciated wealth. His attire consisted primarily of black silk with gold trim, his long white hair was neatly brushed. Despite the pair of rapiers on his hips, his appearance didn't suggest him one of extraordinary strength or skill. One might question what he had to offer & why he was hired for such a mission.
The screech of the rusted gates turned his thin lips to form a faint grimace. With a few lengthy strides he approached one, grabbing it firmly to seize its swinging. Takurasho's narrow countenance turned to cast a sideways glance towards the others, a single brow twitching upwards, apparently meaning to take accountability of personnel & observe who all was present.

Aranel was there fairly promptly as well, but this wasn't because of an attempt to be. Her steps were often fast-paced when she walked with something on her mind, and despite wanting to get there at a reasonable time, preferably after many others, she got there shortly after Takurasho did. Great.

The young woman peered down to her note and read it over again. Yeah, she was in need of work to continue this dumb lifestyle, but upon seeing the manor in question, she began to question whether or not she should go through with this.

She knew she enjoyed things like this from afar, but now was her chance to really get inside and see what's going on. This was an uplifting thought, and Aranel calmed down. Her awkward, anti-social behavior prohibited her from doing anything verbal in reply to Takurasho's sideways glance, though that could be because she didn't rightly see it.

She narrowed her eyes at the manor (she couldn't rightly see well without her glasses, and still couldn't even with them at night) to check for lights. Would they need one? She felt like they probably would, but she was so unprepared for that. She didn't like causing fire anyway. It makes her nervous. Instead of dwelling on that, the girl cleared some of the distance between herself and the gate, and paused about mid-way through.

Aranel's outfit was primarily brown and yellow and dirtied from travel. It was a long-sleeved dress with brown stockings and even darker brown boots. A belt was tight at her waist, holding a pair of red oak tonfa. Her hair was very long, but obviously neglected by just how messy and tangled it was. It was also a medium gray. From behind, she'd likely look like a huge tuft of tangles with two little booted feet sticking out the bottom (it's rather ridiculous).

Finally, she decided to inch a little bit closer to Takurasho so that he may hear her rather quiet voice saying, "Do you, hm... do you think there's actually a ghost...?"

Talking to people? That was stressful. Not something she enjoyed doing, and it made her visibly nervous and uncomfortable doing it. Still, there's no real reason in keeping to herself this entire night. She'd not get anything done!

Zaida stepped up behind Aranel with a nearly silent step. She was barely there for the time being, but she heard the questions, "If a spirit does not pass from life into Heaven, then it destroyed, they do not linger like in fairy tales." She didn't mean to be rude, but was often course. Her dress was a bit strange; she was covered from the top of her neck down to the ground in what looked like a thick black dress and her hair was covered in the same material. She carried a well-worn bag on her back that looked like it might be full.

She stood and gazed up at the house, but her mind was clearly elsewhere for the moment. One hand went to the gate, "I wonder..." She trailed off, not completing her thought out loud.

Takurasho would greet each of them with a curt nod as they approached, remaining silent. As Aranel began to speak he'd tilt his head slightly to the side, listening carefully to her softly spoken question, which caused the corners of his mouth to curl upwards into a bemused grin. It was Zaida's answer, however, that inspired a glint- the ghost of a laugh?- in his otherwise lifeless eyes.
"I've heard of stranger things," he would admit simply.
His voice was deep & almost melodious, yet carried a somber undertone. Takurasho would let the chilling statement settle before adding in a more cheerful way, "But it's only a rumor, isn't it? Our focus should be on this infamous "blood money" the old "ghost" has collected. No need to trouble ourselves with spirits." Grey gaze pondered the mansion thoughtfully, lingering on the only unveiled window. "I believe there's one other who will join us, if I remember correctly.... Share your thoughts?" he added in response to Zaida's vague statement.

Fence... fence... fence... Aearion was incredibly disoriented. When he thought he traveled north, it turned out to be south-west. The Merman knew he was going to be late for this story. Ah well, no worries. He wasn't from this dry world. No one could blame him for being lost within this entanglement of nature.

Fence... fence... gate! Finally, people! He made it at last! The man started running towards the group. He didn't want to make them wait any longer than needed.

This man was a strange figure with his dark blue skin and purple hair. He stood out for sure. His coat with embroidered shells did not dim this down. Aearion liked being noticed. His note was stuffed in a satchel on his belt. The note intrigued him endlessly. So much in fact he didn't even question why someone would want a bard to come along on this path. Perhaps he was chosen to create a tale from the events that would follow. Just the fact he was promised gold as well as spending time in a haunted mansion was more than enough to get this Mer on his feet and travel.

"Forgive my tardiness, friends." He greeted the group with a wide toothy smile and a short wave."I've traveled many roads but these were twisty, and my memory didn't serve me well. I hope I didn't make you lot wait too long." He took a deep breath."Aearion is the name, and stories are my game."

Almost as though the structure itself was well aware of the number of people to attend its entry did a reasonable force of wind blow around them all to the sole direction of the manor. A crow that had been perched atop of the chimney took off in a swift flight just when the doors to the manor opened on inward swinging hinges creaked open.

Zaida looked over, "My thought?" She acted ignorant of what she had said. If one looked closely the lie was written across her eyes, with the flicker to the left of her. She smiled, "I was just thinking that perhaps if there is something supernatural in there, that we are ill prepared."

She smoothed her dress as the wind blew, "I suppose we should be off, shouldn't we?"

Zaida's random appearance (she didn't hear her approach) startled the girl and made her jump. Reeling around, she listened to the remainder of what she had to say before displaying a few varying expressions: surprise, irritation, and disappointment in that order.

"Oh... You could be wrong, though," she said, sniffing a little as if to mask the frustration in her voice. She was a naturally kind person, and appearing mad at anyone was actually a bit of a fear of hers. "Besides. I saw a ghost before! So that can't be true!"

It was as if remembering that made everything better. That the potential for spirits had become likely once more. That she was right and Zaida was wrong. Honestly, Aranel wasn't too sure why she loved ghosts so much, but assumed it was probably because she enjoyed much of the unknown. Why else would she be wandering around, adventuring more or less? To discover new things or to understand more about the things already discovered.

Aerion was spotted only when he spoke, since she was so proudly standing in her success at out-witting someone (this... wasn't exactly true, but she was very excitable). He was blue! She wanted to say something about it, but kept it to herself. What was he? She adjusted her glasses, thinking it might have been a trick of her eyes, but nope.

"It's alright, I just got here so I've not been waiting too long. I'm Aranel," she replied, grinning a little. Overhearing Zaida's response to Takurasho, the girl smiled. "Aw, don't be silly. Ghosts are fine! They're not tangible, they can't harm you. Just rustle some stuff or knock something over, but they can't hurt you." Well, maybe with regular household spirits. Then there were poltergeists.

Her attention was stolen by the force of wind, which could prove difficult to stay balanced in. At least, for her. Her eyes stared off toward the manor, wanting to go ahead, but not wanting to lead. Sucking it up, she'd start to walk regardless of if she wound up in front or not.

Aearion gave a curt bow."I'm pleased to meet you all. Like minded adventurers are always a welcome sight indeed." He said as he walked closer.

When he did, though, a shiver was sent through his spine. The wind was cold indeed, and the gate opening on its own made the Merman take a step back."That... is quite spooky." He spoke rather softly, not expecting an answer. Out of instinct, the man took his lute from his back and strummed a few notes to check whether everything was in working condition."Well, no reason to stay put. Let's get going, shall we?" The man chuckled as he walked through the gate, trying to hide the fact he was quite startled by the sudden gust of wind.

Takurasho regarded Aranel's sudden insistence with a quirked brow. She seemed, to say the least, almost intrigued by the aspect of phantoms lurking within the mansion. Funny. He could of sworn she'd almost seemed frightened at first, but this change would surely prove more useful to them than fear. The ghost of a grin would return as he contemplated just how great her tolerance for the nonliving would prove.
The pale man would greet the peculiar Mer with yet another short nod, dismissing his apologies of tardiness with a politely spoken "not to worry". Although he was relatively familiar with the breed, it had been a long time since he had seen a Merman on land, let alone one of such bewildering coloration. Seeing as each of them introduced themselves {save for Zaida} he took it upon himself to do the same. "My name is Takurasho," he'd add after Aranel, addressing the other woman's suggestion with a sly smile, "& none of you need worry about preparation regarding the supernatural. That is why I am here."
Relatively open-ended introduction aside, he'd stoop down to pick up the black leather doctor's bag at his feet, tendrils of ghostly hair undulating wildly in the sudden gust of wind.
"I suppose we should be off, shouldn't we?" Zaida had said.
"Indeed," Takurasho agreed.
Seeing as his hand was still holding one of the rusty gates, he'd push it aside as Aranel neared & hold it open, offering the others to enter. If Zaida followed Aearion he'd fall in behind them.

There was clearly more to this mission than your usual 'treasure hunt'. This much was obvious even to the most ditzy of people. Just as Takurasho, Aearion and Aranel began their way toward the preemptively opened manor doors the rapid clatter of horse hooves sped up behind them from down the padded dirt road. Shadows had been to shift, twist and move at every corner to everyone's eye. The feeling of numerous eyes watching every step they took in absolute detail was to become apparent the closer they went. There was however, a brief moment of freedom from such an apprehensive feeling as all became focused on Zaida. The one who was being left behind. Shadows zipped across dimly lit terrain with soft whispers in their wake, faster than the eye could blink and coated the ground Zaida stood upon in a murky substance.

Like quicksand, Zaida was being pulled down at a drastically accelerated rate; so fast that should a scream have begun to come from her mouth only the initial utterance was to escape before the shadows dispersed. Zaida, the one left behind would find herself in a whole body restricting bind. Darkness had consumed her for the time being. [Removing Zaida from the roleplay temporarily per her request. She's having internet connectivity issues.]

Should the group have turned about to see what had become of Zaida whether before, during or after her 'consumption' a male stepped forth from the seamless abyss of dark that remained posted from wall to wall in the manor. "Excuse me." A decrepid old voice forced from aged lungs. Dressed as a butler would from head to toe, only this male held a candle from his left index finger. Right arm drooped down his side and back hunched over from what could be assumed as years of hard physical labor. "Have you come to see Master Jonathan?" To the keen eye, the candle could be noticed that it was not emitting any particular light and yet it could be seen as one. Not an inch of any surface was illuminated by this 'candle'. "If you will come with me." The butler was incessant with his speech giving almost no time for response.

Should and when the group enter, they would see that the manor was to no longer be engulfed in endless darkness. Like stepping through a portal, but not so. The moment the whole body had entered the manor they would be greeted with a multitude of friendly faces. A party was being hosted to say the least! Inside looking out, it was daylight with birds chirping and butterflies fluttering about, while vice versa to any standing outside. Idle chatter kept the ears filled with the subtle white noise, but what was it they were saying..? Any of the group walking passed any of the residence would be met with your standard 'How do you do, Takurasho?' or a 'Long time no see, Aearion!', perhaps a 'Good to see you Aranel!'

The butler? Nowhere to be seen amidst the groups of people, leaving the group to mingle should they so choose.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said quietly after Takurasho had introduced himself.

Aranel might have been initially afraid, but she's always been curious of these things. And really, she was still sort of concerned, but felt like most of what could scare her would be spiders and walking through webs and the visage of some apparition rather than what it could do. Regardless, she pressed on, waiting for Takurasho to open the gate and bowing her head with a smile while she muttered a genuine, "Thank you, sir."

The ball-of-fluff continued on until she heard the horse hooves and felt that uncomfortable gaze, and even then, her gait merely slowed. She did, however, finally force herself to look back. Uncomfortable with it all, she veered to the side to allow passage from the approaching horses, only to find nothing happened. Her shoulders were hunched and she was gawking at the ground in front of her until the moment she nearly moved to turn and look, had a man not stepped out from the manor and addressed them.

"So there really is a ghost?!" she squeaked, somehow in her still-silent way. Her eyes lit up, but her face paled (if that was even possible, the girl looked like a ghost herself). Both excitement and fear? Why not! Before she could properly finish her quiet sentence, she found that they were being lead indoors. She looked around for approval, but stepped through.

Wow. Just wow.

She'd never seen anything like this before. "Whoa... how in the- wow!" she stammered, very impressed. It didn't occur to her that this was unnatural until she heard her name. Aranel jumped when an unfamiliar voice spoke to her, but also seemed to address the other two as well. Wait a second.

"Where's the woman?" she asked. More than likely she needed to repeat herself in what felt like a yell for people to properly hear her (though the volume itself wouldn't be as loud as she thought it was) in all this hubbub. She looked around for her, but couldn't find her. She wouldn't have run off this soon after entering the place, would she? Wait, when she looked around for approval before entering, she didn't recall seeing Zaida up close and personal in the group, either, but at the time she just assumed she was a few feet behind.

Stranger yet, she noticed none of them said another name. What could be the woman's name. She didn't overhear a single one of them utter it! Suddenly the alien situation began to settle on her as just what it was. She cleared the distance between she and the rest of the group, which was only a couple yards. From there, she'd look for the butler, adjusting her glasses as if it would help. She couldn't find him.

She expected a dark, musty old building with spiders and a locked door! Not... not this.

Aearion was as surprised as any other to see the butler. Wasn't this place supposed to be abandoned? Or was that Aearion's imagination playing up when he read the story that was told in the note. He wasn't sure anymore, but once he followed the butler inside, he gasped.

What a magnificent place! This looked like a rich man's party. All that seemed to be missing were snacks. The Mer did wonder how it was possible for this place to be so vibrant and lively inside yet seem dead and abandoned on the outside. But none of it seemed to matter. People knew him!

Aearion pretended to know the people who called him out."Hey... you. Still alive and kicking, I see. Good for you!" He'd call out to one, and smile at the other. It was starting to make sense to him. This was no adventure, but a celebration. The Mer figured Mr. Jonathan needed a bard, but the celebration was a secretive one.

"Not to worry, my friends. Aearion is here to sing you tales of grandeur and play music that you will remember for years to come!" He had not heard Aranel's question about the whereabouts of Zaida. He had a job to do! His delicate fingers strummed over his lute as he began to sing a calm poem.

Takurasho, who had intended on being the last to pass through the gate, seemed to have been the only one to witness the fate that befell Zaida. One moment he was gesturing expectantly for her to enter, & the next she was slipping down into the earth. He uttered no sound, made no motion to help or to alert the others, but took a startled step back & brushed the hilt of one of his rapiers with the hand not clutching the doctor's bag. The moment had passed as quickly as it had begun. He glanced towards the remaining companions- their attention was on the entrance of the manor, from which the butler {who he regarded with great suspicion} emerged.
Just as well.
He fell in behind them, not a word spoken as he ascended the stairs. There was no helping her anyhow.

Unlike his fellows, Takurasho did not seem impressed by the lavish celebration that was occurring. In fact, he almost seemed disturbed by it all. His eyes would narrow dangerously, brows furrowed, mouth set in a disgruntled frown. He would not acknowledge the unfamiliar party-goers that addressed him, & should any come too close he'd recoil from them distastefully. "Mind yourselves..." he'd murmur. "This seems a tad too queer to be anything short of phantasmagoric to me." As he spoke the man would begin rummaging through his austere bag, producing a pair of bizarre goggles, but as he made to equip them he noticed his words had gone unheard & the two were already taking off in opposite directions.
"Wait- stay near one another!" he'd call with some alarm, projecting himself over the din of the party. He sighed with some exasperation, strapping on the goggles & storming off in Aearion's direction. He'd lost sight of Aranel for the time being, but meant to locate her as soon as he'd dragged the bard away from his "audience".

A few moments had gone by, providing Beau with quite the time to sing his song and play his instrument.A standing ovation! From wall to wall the people of the room clapped in joy and merriment.

Shadows were not so much apparent in this 'reality' to those who noticed, but with the consistency of light in the room it would not be one of common knowledge to piece together logically. Not a single shadow, save for the group of three themselves only their shadows were portrayed in the direction from their entranceway which had since been closed. From a door on the far end of this ballroom the butler still holding his lackluster illuminating candle emerged. "May I have your attention please!" The white noise of chatter lower, save for spurs of whispers here and there.

"I, your loyal butler, would like to promptly introduce the arrival of Master Jonathan Whittaker!" The butler stepped aside to allow the man he presented to the crowd; primarily the group, to step from behind him in his prideful strut.Jonathan Whittaker himself, but oddly.. young?

"Lady and gentlemen!" Jonathan raised his hands in the air. "I am glad to see you on this beautiful night, eve or day! I host this party in your favor. That you may find all that you are looking for to have a luxurious stay here in my abode." Both hands moved behind his back as he started to walk through the crowd, his shadow being portrayed as many times over per how close he is to one of the guests as though they were sources of light themselves.

The butler had tucked himself away back behind that door where he and Jonathan entered, locking it in discretion.

"From pleasures!" The female guests curtsied. "All the food you can eat!" What was once not in the room had mysteriously taken presence behind the obstruction of people as they moved to reveal a table with a wide variety of gourmet meats and plantation. "And all I ask in return is a small donation." Shaking his head with a merry smile to assert innocence looking directly at each member of the group one moment at a time.

Swiping his hand through the air from around his back he pointed directly at Aearion. "Aearion!" He bellowed. "Play these people another tune to begin the festivities!!" Followed by a hearty laugh -- even Jonathan knew the Mer's name..? The atmosphere of the room grew brighter as Jonathan turned to make his exit still hooting out those 'Haws' for laughs of his.

Aranel was used to not being heard, so it didn't offend her. It did, however, make her feel the need to sigh before she continued on with what she was doing. The girl heard Aerion's music, but paid it little mind. There were more curious things happening.

Although the fact that everyone but the three lacked shadows, she didn't realize that specifically. There was a sort of strange appearance about the entire room, but she couldn't quite place it, she didn't know it was the lack of shadows. Maybe she was just a dummy? You never know. But! She recognized something was off and that counts for something, right?

She was trying to find the bard and the pale man, but to no avail. Suddenly, a voice called out and addressed the crowd. But wait, singular lady? Odd. Regardless, she stood there and listened, staring now at the man known as Jonathan Whittaker. The man didn't seem like a spiteful spirit... and by the gods, this was the most vivid and realistic apparition she'd ever seen! Well, not like the girl ever laid eyes on one before, but still. When Aearion was requested to play yet another song, she half wanted to go sit and sing wit him, had she known the words. But then the word "food" was mentioned, and she grew distracted.

Food sounded like a great idea, though, creepy ghost mansion or not. Aranel was quite famished! She inched her way toward the table with food present, timidly staring at it as if awaiting approval. It wasn't hers, and even though he said it was ok, she still wasn't sure. She brought a hand up to toy with the frame of her glasses as she debated, a pensive look upon her face. Distract this girl with food and nothing in the world mattered until it was gone! At least now she'd be easy to find.

In the cellar. Down, deep underneath the manor there was a sudden disturbance.. Life, perhaps? Underneath the manor in what could be mistake as a wine cellar came subtle groans and rustling. Zaida. She had been wrapped in tightly woven cloth and sealed inside one of the eight coffins that were placed. A sigil had begun resonating on the coffin which set it ablaze in a black fire that illuminated the room abnormally, splashing grey light on the objects of the room. The darkness itself feared this fire. The top of the coffin caved in on itself from the lack of center support and burning the rest of the wood, however it did not burn Zaida. The cloth also caught itself ablaze to free her from the constricting bind.

On Zaida's chest was a note left which had also refused to burn just as her clothes and flesh. The note read:

"Welcome back from the Land of the Dead. I am the one who summoned you here. The Master is unaware of your presence down here. The coffins were designed to retain supernatural beings; which by fault suppressed one's life force. Anything locked away in one of these coffins is doomed to an eternal sleep, should each coffin be occupied by a particular individual simultaneously. When the coffin is closed with a body in it, the Ritual to be cast is thusly forfeited. A timed Ritual, if you will. Do not worry yourself with my name. When you have awoken it will only be a matter of time before the Master knows you are here. Everything that is darkness, he sees. Eyes in every nook and cranny of the manor, but for now all eyes are on the party your friends attend! Time is of the essence. He sees them only by their Shadows. When time comes for him to feast all will grow dark. The black flames which did not burn you will however, burn the darkness. The shadows fear this spell. Master Jonathan wishes to harness this flame within himself to finally be able to leave the manor, but as something far worse than human. You must stop him! A man who bribed the devil himself to return to the world need not dwell here or anywhere but the bowels of the abyss itself! To help you. The words on this letter will begin to reform themselves into the etchings of the sigil which conjures the Black Flame. His soul is bound to a particular item I know not where it is. Place the Talisman on it to banish this beast and allow our souls to rest."

Just as the note stated, the words on the note would crawl their way along the page to form the sigil.

Zaida was stunned for a moment, her mind racing into a darkness that had melted away. As she read the words on the page, a subtle panic mixed with a deathly calm state. She stood and brushed her dress free of any ashes that might have fallen on her.

She wasn't a stranger to magic, but still she had never seen it so close to herself. She began to move, looking across the whole room. There wasn't a moment to spare, but she needed to know what all sides contained. She did not want to miss a door and lose her way because she was ill-prepared.

Hopefully the others would be fine.

Zaida had not been acknowledged considering, well, she was below them. After minutes of debating, Aranel decided to take a plate and decorate it with various edibles, pausing only when she couldn't decide on the next item to take. Her plate wasn't heaping, but neither was it bare.

Embarrassed she went through with this, the girl began to slink to the wall to stand there in her shame, stuffing her face with food that didn't actually exist. It felt so dumb to be embarrassed over something so dumb, but she was. Typical Aranel.