Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Dhi on 01-07-2019, 01:58:34</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>01-07-2019, 01:58:34</strong>
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				<div align="center">(https://i.imgur.com/yYT4Yor.png)</div><br>On the 1st of July In the Barovian year 750, the Grand Opera Nationale sat empty but for roosting crows, the Musee du Port-a-Lucine gathered dust in its curios of savage men of lands faraway and relics of the glory of Dementlieu, and the Theatre de la Baie took down all its stylistic affiche, leaving tattered paper corners and discarded handbills to flutter in the cooling sea breeze. There was another diversion for all peoples hungry for culture and mindful of the social mores of the day, and to great fanfare on the port tented with colored canvas, the Rose d'Orchestre played a grand anthem of pride to godspeed the Charlotte on its voyage into terrifying, merciless, barbarous paradise.<br><br>Such a magnificent baroque ship was a rare site indeed to the industry of Port-a-Lucine, a lovely high-castled galleon bustled in balconies for the ladies of The Cocoa House to wave kerchiefs to sun parasols below, for the well to do of Voix de l'Ame to promise such stories to teary-eyed admirers, for the Society of Antiquity to blow kisses from rosette lace gloves, for the White Egg Ornithological League to release fifty-three turtledoves, for the Blackwell Coffee Club and Saint Ezra Country Club to shower coin into the muddy water for the benefit of the poor.<br><br>Painted in an adventurous azure, like a palace behind the galleon's three towering masts, the deck house sat broad over her rudder like a young oak, leaves of gold filigree in heraldic devices, motifs of dolphins and Saint Ezra long and lissome in white, and through them a shining prayer,<br><em>Deliver us to the place of Our bidding<br>With you Our Guardian as Guide. </em><br><br>A hundred prayers went with them as the Charlotte cut elegant into the waters of the Sea of Sorrows, pushed by an auspicious cooling breeze on that hot day, such a powerful ship to bear Dementlieu's women of higher learning and bold adventure, the gentle Goddess' own cupped hands.<br><br>~ ~<br><br>On the 2nd of July, as the sun became hotter and the air humid and heavy, Mlle. Goulet was the first to reduce to her petticoats and so appear in galley, much to the delight of Brigitte and Jeanne of Cocoa House decadence. A scandalous fashion caught flame, with Genevieve of White Egg and Eloise and Camille from the Saint Ezra Country Club bereft to smock and chemise within quarters and without under complaint of exhaustion, whilst Captain Thoubold and her none too gentle crew toiled day long to make smart use of a beneficial wind.<br><br>There was a restlessness in the belowdeck passenger cabins, a feeling of malaise with the rocking in claustrophobia, the sloshing washbasins and fluttering lantern light, the creaking of wardrobes and stiffness of narrow, shallow beds. Increasingly the posh appointed saloon which dominated the deckhouse became the ship's sanctuary, shy of the crew's eyes save for the warm lantern light illuminating its lovely leaded windows well into the night. Here Giselle of the Antiquitists charmed pretty on the piano for mild compliments, and when the mood took her Emma La Berche of Voix de l'Ame struck a more experimental sound, scoring the dances of Melodie with a poet's soul. Mlle. La Berche was the first to bare her breasts to the company of Charlotte's saloon, and not the last.<br><br>It was a time of vulnerability, but no place for the gauche swords or armor of the lady duelists hired to safeguard the ladies of Antiquity and Blackwell and Ezra's grace. They were all beheld to this dream, penetrating the mists forbidding for the distant pleasures of Markovia and its pristine white sand beaches like angel's dust on pink bodies, its roar of plunging water from black mountain peaks into crystal blue lagoons, the exotic cry of its tropical birds from dark primeval jungle, the scamper of playful monkeys after lunch scraps. A landing awaited them there, from which to strike out on adventure and the clubs' dubious purposes, and yet the mood in the Charlotte could not wait. Libations flowed freely from the saloon, bodies curled into armchairs in eschew of the privacy belowdeck.<br><br>~ ~<br><br><div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/Z3otLvj.jpg)</div><br>On the 3rd of July, the mists came and the good wind left. There remained nothing to see beyond the saloon windows, and in a sluggish grey purgatory between Port-a-Lucine and paradise, Emma La Berche read of her poems,<br><br><em>I have robbed the garrulous streets,<br>Thieved a fair girl from their blight,<br>I have stolen her for a sacrifice<br>That I shall make to this night.<br><br>I have brought her, laughing,<br>To my quietly dreaming garden.<br>For what will be done there<br>I ask no man pardon. </em><br><br>In the calm quiet of the saloon the voices of the crew were heard cursing the turn of weather, an unwelcome intruder on the seductive slide into luxury.<br><br>Pure tonic of Von Wagner Elixir passed the saloon gathering to ease the melancholia and numb what pains the corporeal form bring. It was Jeanne and Brigitte at first partaking, and Emma La Berche who shared stories of suicide by laudanum and suppository, a death by pleasure. Giselle of the Antiquities read privately in a cushioned seat, her hair teased by Mlle. Garsenda Goulet in a ploy for attention. Tending the libations was Genevieve once the servants had gone to rest, loosening the chatter of Eloise and Camille and Hannah and Zoe, all the women of Saint Ezra stripped of inhibitions and shift linens damp to the skin with sweat and fog. There was talk of climbing the poop deck, to brave the fog and witness the buck moon, mob courage willing.<br><br>A feeling, perhaps only of the fog-mired mind imagining things beyond, that something was not right in the water lapping at the immobile hull.<br><br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img height=250 padding=8]&lt;Character portrait, if any&gt;[/img][/floatleft]<br>[b]Name: [/b]<br>[b]Location: [/b]<br>[b]Wearing: [/b]<br>[b]Content: [/b]<br>[b]Tagging: [/b]<br><br>[hr]<br><br></code></pre>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>01-07-2019, 03:25:58</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Dazed and hazed in the malaise<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Aloisa sat back in one of the chairs of the Saloon sipping lightly at one of the drinks provided on the ship... At first she had been annoyed that they had none of the "fine" brandies she had gotten used to in the City, only to find that what she thought of as fine brandy was better used to clean the muck from her leathers after going on Patrol. It served its purpose in getting one drunk enough to forget the bad moments, but... Goddess above, this stuff the Cream had... The Flavor! No urge to just toss it back and down the glass in a single go and let the burn cover the taste, you actually Wanted to taste it, delicate small sips much like the other ladies who indulged did. She sighed contently as she leaned back after finishing her glass and gave a happy little rumble as the warmth, that was another thing, a nice gentle warmth tingled through the body rather then the feeling of something like hot grease down ones throat, suffused her body.<br><br>She looked around the room taking in the view of the other women, alone for the moment as she had just gotten off her "shift" patrolling the ship.. She wasn't the normal security or bully types most ships had, she was a Seeker and as such tasked with watching for signs of unnatural "things" making their way aboard to cause trouble, or find sign if anybody aboard had been consorting with the like.. Thankfully all had been quiet thus far and it allowed her to relax somewhat.. Though the sudden change in fashion had taken her by surprise, one day everybody had been wearing their fine formals, then next they were in their undergarments, and a few even less. Some of the other guards had joked and gossiped at how loose the Cream were in private, though she hadn't believed it, though now she found herself a bit suspicious. Pleasantly that is, the show of creamy skin was Quite nice..<br><br>She herself dressed in a pair of loose and light silks, a long flowing crimson wrap around her legs helped keep her cool while showing off some, and same time hiding some of the scars she had picked up while working, pleasantly surprised at some of the almost longing looks a few had given her for the fit and toned legs and thighs. The only other bit of what could be considered clothing was a black sash she had wiggled and maneuvered to barely cover her chest, still giving a nice view of her Assets while strategically covering her scars.<br><br>She rumbled and arched her back, wiggling a bit in her seat as she stretched happily, licking the last little bit of drink from her lips before looking around the room..
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				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>01-07-2019, 03:30:54</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Blue Walking Dress, Leather Boots and Gloves, Fancy Hat<br><strong>Content: </strong> Introducing Jacqueline <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>"If you ladies do venture off count me in." Jacqueline declared, throwing back a stiff shot of a liquor that was certainly not doing any good to cool her off. She leaned back in the plush chair of the saloon, a chair just big enough that two would have to sit on top of each other to occupy it comfortably, which was obviously what they clever proprietors of the place had in mind. Now though, with the heat and the doldrums the thought of sharing her space with even the most lively and pretty of the other girls seemed rather more sweaty than erotic. <br><br>Jacqueline had found herself a lovely wooden fan, and pondered resuming fanning herself, but she had reached the point where the heat caused by moving her arm about seemed greater than the heat relieved by moving the fan. She felt as though her dress were sticking to her, and wished she had the experience at revels between other ladies to feel comfortable enough to strip out of it. She was sure the powder about her eyes was melting and rouge that was on her lips was mostly on the glass she had been drinking from at this point.<br><br>"And even if you don't I might go off to try it myself in a moment." She declared, wiping her brow unhappily. "I was told there might be steam baths at our destination, but I wasn't expecting any in the saloon on the way there." 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>01-07-2019, 04:40:41</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Introducing Danae to the Saloon<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br><em>What did the alienist say?</em> The heat was overpowering her waking senses, and stirred the echo of memories. <em>I am to take a period of leave, and recuperate in the sea air.</em><br><br>She sat on a wide, polished leather armchair.&nbsp; Smell of oiled mahogany and good calfskin. She hadn't ridden in three days and the sensation of the boat rocking was a poor substitute for the sheer kinetic joys of her canters through the Mordentshire countryside - even if it was ever cold and miserable, it would surely have been preferable to the intolerable heat.&nbsp; She had her legs propped up on the matching leather ottoman, a tankard of cold and dark claret cup.&nbsp; She brought the frozen pewter to her throat and drew it over bared collarbone.&nbsp; Her shirt was sheer and good for summer, but had begun to cling in the humidity.&nbsp; The Ezraite girls were all a-chatter, and their knowing grins had something of the ghastly visages of the Church-ladies back home.&nbsp; Yes, those knowing, accusing gazes.&nbsp; Let her without sin...<br><br>"You lost your train of thought, Madame?" Smoky-eyed and buxom, Garsenda was perched on her lap, beestung lips pursed in irritation, shift clinging to improbable curves: heavy breasts, rounded belly, magnificent thighs.&nbsp; She smelled of sparkling cremant wine and cassis, and had doubtless spilled some on herself, whether by accident or by design. One never knew with these loose Dementlieu girls.<br><br>"Ah, quite - the goblins," that word righted her train of thought, and she began her narrative anew, this time parsing the saloon with her gaze.&nbsp; The dark-haired woman in the exotic crimson wrap had something of an experienced look about her.&nbsp; She, too, was surveying the room with expert eyes - that was not the gaze of the curious, but of one subtly gathering information. "Well," she raised her voice a little, "there were about two score and two hundred of the green-skinned wretches encamped up on Argyle Hill in the dead of night, gibbering to heir heathen gods.&nbsp; We surprised them by darkening our breastplates with soot and charging into their rear, dismounted.&nbsp; I brought down twenty-one by my own hand.&nbsp; No prisoners were taken.&nbsp; The trick with goblins, you see, is you need to aim <em>low</em>."<br><br><em>Oh, really dear, you're such a bore!</em> Danae took a sip from her tankard and felt the cool kiss of soda water and the heat of wine and brandy.&nbsp; She instinctively twirled her silver poesy ring. She needed to take it off.&nbsp; It reminded her of Abigail and hidden whispers.&nbsp; There had been fevered chanting from the cellar the night she left the manor, she was sure of it.&nbsp; Was their journey cursed?<br><br>"Oh, Madame," Garsenda feigned shock at her fellow-passenger's truculent tale.&nbsp; <br><br>Danae clapped her hand indiscreetly on the woman's tan thigh, for her shift had ridden far enough up to bare more than she may have intended had she been sober.&nbsp; She gave a knowing nod in the direction of the dark-haired stranger and introduced herself as Lieutenant Vine-Lott.&nbsp; Garsenda was a distraction - her companion, however, was a woman of substance.&nbsp; Still, there was no reason they could not share a complicit moment with a tipsy exponent of Dementlieu's demi-monde. <br><br>The noblewoman with the fan was overdressed.&nbsp; Danae had long shed any pretense of being&nbsp; fully attired as an officer of the Household Guards, but since the Dementlieuse was a native to these balmier lands, she was doubtless better accustomed to the heat. A fan, though, was an effete affectation.&nbsp; Warmer climates bred indolence and wantonness, or so her tutors at Ezra's Hospital Grammar School had taught her.&nbsp; <br><br>"Venturing off strikes me as an excellent idea, my lady." It was a lapse in protocol, but she did rise to greet her eminent fellow-passenger. Garsenda was rocking almost hypnotically against her thighs, vetiver-perfumed hair elegantly curled and pale drifted before her like a forest she would traverse galloping on her favourite stallion.&nbsp; "The air would do us good."<br><br>Was that a <em>mole</em> on the small of Garsenda's back, just above the full curve of her arse? That was a <em>sign</em>. <br><br>"Air," she murmured, and drank again.&nbsp; They couldn't <em>all</em> be in league with the darkness...that, the alienist assured her, was just nonsense.&nbsp; &nbsp;
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				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>01-07-2019, 04:58:20</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>A blue silk bathrobe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Introductory<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><br><hr><br>While most of the ladies seemed preoccupied in shooting glances between one another, Corinne's eyes had been fixated on one of the viewports all day. The Mists were a perpetual fascination to her, the mystery she had sworn to unravel, the reason she had plied her connections in the Society for Antiquity to join this cruise in the first place. And yet she remembered all too well the sheer terror she had experienced during her first investigation, a terror bordering on madness. Surely it was just childishness on her part, but she would certainly feel braver with someone at her side.<br><br>So when Jacqueline boldly proclaimed her willingness to venture outside, Corinne wheeled around almost too eagerly, her robe flaring out just a moment, giving the briefest flash of leg. "I'm going!" she proclaimed, as if she had resolved herself to it from the beginning. And Jacqueline's confidence was reassuring in itself. Danae, too, seemed like a capable woman, but there was&nbsp; something about the Lieutenant that unnerved Corinne, as well.<br><br>"I need to observe the mists more closely for my studies." A faint quaver could be heard in Corinne's voice. She hoped it came across as enthusiasm. She did not want to develop a reputation as the fearful little girl, who needed her hand held when the fog rolled in.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>snowdrop</strong> on <strong>01-07-2019, 15:18:13</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xFovKkY.png)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Elodie d'Estienne<br><strong>Location:</strong> Saloon<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Dancer's costume; lavishly decorated sheer silk bra and skirt with veil<br><strong>Content:</strong> Lounging around<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>It had been a wonderful cruise thus far.<br><br>Elodie was lying on top of the grand piano, feeling slightly tired, yet content in the moment. She was lying on her back, the long frontal slit on her glamorous skirt and the sheer veil attached to it letting her smooth, fair leg show in its entirety. The <em>dancing lights</em> she had conjured were slowly circling her, illuminating her in soft, atmospheric shades of purple and pink.<br><br>Elodie's left hand was playing lazily with her hair, while her right hand was slowly running up and down her torso, softly caressing the bare skin on her chest and torso, running all the way down to her thighs, until it turned back up again. It wasn't an attempt to pleasure herself (though one would forgive anyone watching her thinking so); rather, it was just Elodie's way of making herself comfortable. Her skin always craved to touch something; the sense of touch was as essential to her than sight or hearing.<br><br>Elodie let out a soft sigh as she observed the patrons in the Saloon. Yes, indeed, it had been a wonderful cruise. She wouldn't soon forget last night, when the dancing and merry-making had continued late till night, and Elodie had danced and danced and danced for hours on end. Elodie hadn't bared her own breasts -- she knew how to navigate that line of tease and temptation without going too far -- but she had definitely kept all the ladies entertained, and felt the touch of all of their bodies against hers. It was <em>wonderful</em>; it was everything Elodie had always wanted; and everything she could never have at home, living her ordinary life.<br><br>Today, however, the atmosphere was slightly different. More somber, more lazy than exuberant. The changing weather and presence of the mists must have been playing a large part in this.<br><br>The mists. Elodie didn't know much of their nature, only that she had always been forbidden from going anywhere close to them or asking any questions of them. Typical of her over-protective parents. Mind you place, do as you're told, live the life that's been prepared for you as the perfect Baroness of Estienne.<br><br>Elodie's gentle smile was slowly turning into a frown. This was bad, thinking thoughts like this. Already Elodie could feel the doubts appearing in the back of her mind; her subconsciousness telling her she wasn't behaving appropriately and she should never have boarded this ship. What kind of a noble lady would lower herself to the position of a mere entertainer? What would her parents say?<br><br>A moment of hesitation, then Elodie assertedly pushed the thoughts aside. No, she would not succumb to her thoughts. But she would need to do something, end this moment of laziness and doubt.<br><br>With an elegant swing of her legs (and a generous flash of her thighs), Elodie rolled down from the top of the piano and landed on her feet. A quick cast of <em>gust</em> threw her skirt high up for just a second, flashing her underpants but also giving her a much-needed breath of cooling air and adjusting the fabric so it was once again elegantly flowing down her form, as it should be. There was <em>always</em> time for a bit of theatrics.<br><br>"Climb the poop deck, you say?" she exclaimed in a soft voice. "Dare the dreaded Mists? Leave the comfort and warmth of our lovely saloon?"<br><br>Elodie navigated her way close to the would-be deck-climbers; very close, in fact; close enough to softly brush her body against several of them as she elegantly walked by them.<br><br>"Sounds scandalous! Sounds like an <em>adventure</em>!" She smiled. "Are we going?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>04-07-2019, 04:24:05</strong>
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				When at mounting urging the balcony doors opened onto a vista of the Sea of Sorrows, in it swept like a fierce winter's snow. It became so dense that Camille need only step out onto the shallow balcony to lose all definition and become a haunting shape, a shadow behind paper.<br>"Jacqueline, would you bring your fan?"<br>"Let us bottle a bit of it for Corinne's study, while it's so unusual," Zoe said.<br>"Scarcely can I make out the rungs before my eyes." Camille stepped out, and was the first to climb. "The futue renders it slippery, pray I do not fall."<br>"The stairs will avail you then, surely."<br>"What a bother, to dress and face the crew. You will catch me if I falter, Zoe."<br><br>She was bewitched by the emptiness of the mist, Zoe, eyes a shine in the diffuse moonlight, devoid of color. No sooner had the brassy hum of skin strumming the lovely rungs paused than she was up behind, pressing a hurry to Camille's bottom. "Here I am."<br><br>What remained of the women of Saint Ezra would not abandon their sister to this peril. Eloise paused to set palms into the arm of Aloisa Kriechjagd's chair, and broach a delicate subject.<br>"What if there is something out there?"<br>She was an autumn, and favored the color red, to bring out a slight color in hair. Even in that state of undress, scant roses remained pinned in the single column she gathered down one breast to render her neck thin and elegant. So late into the evening, her roses sagged, soon to fall.<br><br>"The moon is nowhere to be seen," said Hannah, but ventured only as far as the windows and lantern light.<br>"Above us, high," the voice of Camille filtered down from abovedeck. "Buck moon is a witching moon, and a sight to behold so far from the city's smother. Come out and bear witness."<br>"Whatever would you know of witchcraft," said Zoe.<br>"I met one, once. She read my fortune with a deck of cards. Doubtless the island savages hold some superstition for it. Look, it is yellow and red, both."<br>"I see no such color."<br>Hannah ventured out at last, and scaled the ladder. "Let there be no more talk of such things when we bring word of Saint Ezra to them. The Witch is unclean."<br><br>Up on the highest deck the four of them settled, making room for more. The upset of the crew below, the colossal creaking of masts in search of wind lent a danger to the moment Hannah Rodes-Taving nearly could not take. She fidgeted endlessly with her robin's egg juliet chemise sleeves and on with the ropes encircling the rail. "I've had such trouble sleeping, on the sea. What of you?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>04-07-2019, 20:10:49</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Dazed and hazed in the malaise<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Aloisa frowned slightly as people spoke so flippantly of going up into The Mist... Only the Spoiled Creme, heh, would be so foolish to wander out into it as if It would suddenly notice Who they were and suck in Its gut and come to attention like a shiny new houseman... She breathed a small puff and reached for the bottle, giving a small grunt as her fingers, some how having ended up tangled in the long thin braids of her hair, gave them a sharp tug as she reached. She lightly flicked her wrists to untangle and poured another small drink from the bottle into one of the fine small crystal glasses, they only held a few small sips at a time, but she found she liked it like that, giving ample chance to savor the flavor rather then just slinging it back all at once. ... She wondered if any of the crew would notice a few of the small glasses going missing...<br><br>She blinked as Eloise stopped by her chair, giving her a brief polite look over, "Of course there is something out there..." She picked up the freshly poured drink and sipped down half at once before offering the remainder to Eloise as she smacked her lips with a small lick. "The Mists." There is a long beat as she lets her heavy words hang in the air before her face cracks into a smile and she gives a small sigh and lifted herself up from her chair and stretched luxuriously, pops and cracks from her joints as she smiles, "But it would be a shame to leave all of them unattended, so I suppose I shall have to play chaperone."<br><br>She takes a moment to adjust her sash and sarong to cover herself, and her scars, while discretely making sure her daggers are still in place. Sure it might be something of a faux pas with this group, but one didnt spend the time she did shuffling through the nights chasing Erza knows what to leave yourself unarmed. You just made sure to hide them very well. She offered her arm companionably to Eloise before making her way towards the way up,&nbsp; a brief little shiver running up her back if the arm was accepted and she suddenly felt a little light headed before she remembered to breath...
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				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>04-07-2019, 20:58:57</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Blue Walking Dress, Leather Boots and Gloves, Fancy Hat<br><strong>Content: </strong> Good Life Decisions<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>The Mists were as thick as she'd ever seen them, maybe thicker, and this was a woman who had laid eyes on the dark mists in old forests where her family held land. Jacqueline had always liked going there to shoot at wolves who were harassing their holdings, preferring her bow to the nosier weapons to the day. When the mists were thick like this, one could almost swear the wolves stood on two legs. The thought sent a shiver through her, but sadly not a cold shiver. Jacqueline would have gladly traded terror for a drop in temperature at the moment.<br><br>She was rather delighted to hear so many ladies, so many exceptionally gorgeous ladies for that matter, agree to her proposal. <br><br>"Well then." She said, standing decisively. "I think we shall be off."<br><br>Jacqueline followed the others briskly, obviously miserable in the state of full dress. It was rather spooky the way that persons turned into vague silhouettes with only a few feet between her and them, but it wasn't anything she hadn't experienced before. Ladies of the de Fronsac family, especially those who are the only female child of their generation, grow used to being the target of strange shapes in the darkness, and their nerves are all the more steeled for it. Or so Jacqueline told herself.<br><br>"Is every pleasure cruise so miserable?" She asked impatiently, staring up at the blanket of fog that served as a sky as if pleading it to burst open into rain or wind. "Or has my good fortune smiled on me once more?" She spoke sarcastically, the voice of a woman used to a life of disappointments. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>05-07-2019, 03:30:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Moongazing<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>The bay windows let in a gust of saline sea air only slightly less muggy than the stifling heat in the saloon.&nbsp; She had resolved to give her evening away to distraction – perhaps wiling away the little hours chatting to Garsenda or flirting with the lithe dancer sprawled out on the grand piano.&nbsp; Yet the open air called to her – a siren song. Danae hauled herself up from her armchair and a startled Garsenda had to gather up her shift to avoid scandalising the saloon’s patrons.&nbsp; A fresh gust seasoned with sea-spray and she immediately felt like stepping out.&nbsp; She was unaccustomed to being confined in quarters for too long, and the horizon now opened up before her was a draw too powerful to resist.&nbsp; <br>“Witchcraft is no trivial thing, Madame, it is a blight on the land, and a blot on the soul,” she told Camille.&nbsp; A surge of suspicion overcame her.&nbsp; <br><br>The moon – all was governed by the phases of the moon, and the dark Sabbaths that took place in pale silver light and bloodstained granite altars – was an ominous sign.&nbsp; Here there were ladies of standing who openly confessed to consorting with mystics and sorceresses.&nbsp; The ship was corrupt, and yet a magnetic force seemed to draw her above-deck.&nbsp; She felt its irresistible force.&nbsp; So she hauled herself up above behind Aloisa and clinging Eloise and felt the rough-scrubbed surface of the decking underneath her feet, rimed with salt-spray.&nbsp; The mists were dense and dancing, the light behind them sickly and wan.&nbsp; Was it a moon?&nbsp; A witching moon, even? If so, she could scarcely make it out.&nbsp; <br><br>To Aloisa, she said, “Do you sense something?”&nbsp; She asked as though she were speaking to a fellow veteran.&nbsp; There was something in the woman’s deportment that communicated competence; one well equipped for any eventuality. <br><br>The noblewoman Jacqueline’s comment resonated with her, “I fear that those who take to the sea all too soon forget that the waters and the mists harbour secrets deeper than those on dry land.&nbsp; But the voyage would doubtless be a little more bearable if you were to make due concessions to the weather. No fellow officer would ever see me in this sorry state of dress!”&nbsp; The rolling waves were like ink and she could scarcely make out the subtle line where the horizon blended into featureless waters.<br><br>Danae went over to the edge of the polished hardwood balustrade and peered into the mist, “Lady Rodes-Taving,” she said at length, “for so long as I can remember my sleep has been fitful and the heat and the heavy air have scarcely helped.&nbsp; I have,” she paused and pondered her words, “an anodyne for that.&nbsp; It brings sleep swiftly.”&nbsp; <em>And fever-dreams, too</em>.&nbsp; Between the nocturnal visitations the opium brought about and insomnia, she had thus far chosen the latter. Still, it was perturbing that another passenger had felt the same restlessness, as though something stalked the night and the ancestral fear it carried with it impelled all to wakefulness.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>05-07-2019, 20:06:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>The Charlotte, Corinne's Cabin<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>A blue silk bathrobe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Collecting vials to capture the mists<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corinne's relief at the sudden eagerness of the women was tempered by a new concern—too many naive noblewomen all too willing to play with fire. Still, there was safety in numbers, or at least less danger to her personally.<br><br>Zoe's remark about bottling the mists, though, shifted her attention. "That's an excellent idea, Zoe," Corinne said. "I have some vials. I just need to return to my quarters briefly." Inwardly, she wondered if it truly was an excellent idea. Was it wise to bottle a fragment of pure malevolence? To sleep with such a thing at the foot of her bed? Nevertheless, she turned away from the rest of the group, and set a brisk pace back to her cabin, bare feet padding on the dark-stained wood and blue robe billowing slightly behind her. Caution did not advance knowledge.<br><br>Her cabin was fastidiously tidy, everything carefully stowed. While she had itched to unpack all of her alchemical aparati, she had no desire to pick her way through broken glass and caustic reagents, should <em>The Charlotte</em> find herself in turbulent waters. Corinne circled to the foot of the bed, where a sturdy chest was bolted to the floor, and knelt down, unconcerned as her robe parted around her legs. Drawing forth a key from a small breast pocket, she unlocked the chest. There, cushioned by some carefully packed clothes, was her bag of alchemical equipment. Collecting two empty vials—Zoe would no doubt want to try it herself—she locked the chest once more, and turned to leave.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>07-07-2019, 23:28:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Belowdecks, away from the noise of the crew, out of the night air, there was a sound like pressure subterranean pushing in on the hull. A slow, sharpening creak of the hull, as that of a branch flexed to breaking lent urgency to the moments of navigating narrow switchback stairs and finding the markings of the cabins by lantern light. In between, the bright chirp of the hull relaxing came as a pixie's mischief, a promise that the sea would try again.<br><br>Long shadows of weary servants attending to the needs of unseen mistresses haunted the corridors, reached around corners with the slow sway of lanterns. A maid pressed by Corinne with shielded chamber pot, a muttered apology.<br><br>Cat Grosbelhomme was there in the corridor, wearing the summer brocaded lace she'd been wearing that evening, when she proposed to read poetry with fellow Voix Emma La Berche. There had been no reading from Cat, and only in hindsight was it clear Cat had never returned from fetching her slim leatherbound volume. It tucked to her breast, and she stood without shoes, contemplating her toes or some unremarkable place between wall and floor of the cramped hall.<br>"I heard a sound," said Cat, a justification for her behavior, but utterly incurious as to whom she explained it to. She would not be pulled away. "What lies below us, in the ship?"<br><br><hr><br>Eloise arrived arm in arm with Aloisa beneath the moonlight and remained close to her, attached to her for protection against the vast night all cloaked in fog. It brought her the comfort of an old habit, even if Aloisa's heart did not steady.<br>It was as a result that her hands found the fleur de lis shape of brass pommel against Aloisa's belly. Curious came the pull which exposed it, their little secret, a danger which thrilled her.<br>"Did you come to guard Mlle. Goulet?" Her voice dropped to the softest of whisper. "I have heard things of Blackwell Coffee Club I shan't repeat, but you must nod if they be true, these depraved rumors."<br><br>Enough time passed that Zoe became anxious. "Mlle. Corinne," she called down the ladder. "Mlle. Corinne, are you not there?"<br>"Gone below I'm afraid," Giselle answered her.<br>"All that way for a bottle, but surely you have one at hand to lend."<br>A moment's consideration, and then, "What is your intention for it?"<br>"We will capture the mists," said Zoe.<br>"And then?" But Giselle provided, and a bottle for libations still with its label crisp handed up the ladder. "A touch of wine remains."<br>"This is the stuff of science." Zoe wagged the bottle at Camille. "Not fearful shibboleth. The lady is right, you will tarnish your reputation to speak of such things."<br><br>"Doubtless we must be free to speak of such things here," said Camille. "Who is there to sow such scandal? The specimen who flings herself beneath Mlle. Corinne's examination lens?"<br>"The implication," Zoe protest.<br>"Or Mlle. Vine-Lott, an <em>officer </em>no less?"<br><br>Hannah Rodes-Taving's hands tugged insistent in the hook of Danae's elbow. "She means it not, the spirit speaks through her. The nights are restless for her as well. But we have seen the moon, and I would sooner this night pass behind me one way or another."<br><br>With the factions so split, Camille's attention pirouette on Jacqueline and that acidic question. "Were the paradise at the journey's end less sublime, I would not go at all. It will be the first time, with the white sand so fine between the toes it passes like sheets of satin. Mlle. Goulet has gone before, when Perle Cove was repopulated. The wild jungle has an invigorating effect on the human libido. What is thorny is not always distasteful. Sometimes, it pricks the skin just right."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>08-07-2019, 00:32:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette, The Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Escorting Mlle. Eloise, explaining her work<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Eloise<br><hr><br>Aloisa walked steadily with Eloise, pausing as she felt the hand brush against the skin of her belly making her flush briefly before feeling the tug at her dagger, looking to the woman and seeing the thrill in her eyes and she gave a half wicked smile raising a finger to her lips and softly shushing.. At the question she considered a moment before giving a shrug, her voice not a whisper, but just spoken softly, a much better way as it didnt have the projection a whisper had, "No, The ship offered me hire and passage in exchange for my... Profession. Kriechjagd, my Great Grandfather claimed to be an "Outsider" And said in the language of his home it meant "Creeping Hunter". He took it as name and title when he settled in our home town and began working as a guard to protect against the... Things, that would want wander among the people at night with dread intent. We watched the Mists to make sure these things would not get by. Though we also worked as guards, patrolling the streets and checking custom to make sure nobody attempted to smuggle in profane artifacts. It was thought that having someone of my calling along would be a welcome addition along to help with you and the other Ladies safety. ... Not that there is concern." She smiles reassuringly, "It is just old habits die hard.." A wicked little smile curls her lips, voice moving to the not as quiet semi-scandalous whisper as she leans in, "And it is so very helpful for when the meat is overcooked."<br><br>She considers a moment, her voice going quiet again, "I must admit... I have not heard these rumors... I am afraid I seem something of the gooseberry at times... I would never dare ask a Mlle. as yourself to spread gossip and rumor... But if there is something that could be of concern..." She looked to her out of the corner of her eye.<br><br>She then gave her attention to the rest of the group, "If she is like many of the alchemists and chemists... They tend to have special bottles kept studiously clean, something about contaminates spoiling their samples and solutions... Though.." she considered tilting her head, "Alcohol is suppose to keep them clean and pure..." She considered then shrugged, "Maybe hers are simply better suited for collecting samples...?"<br><br>She remains with Eloise, but puts most of her attention to watching the Mists and fog, free hand kept close to the dagger as she watched the surroundings for any signs of... Anything that might come forth. Or at least the best as one could in the Damned Mists. This situation made the hairs on her neck stand up... One shouldnt be out in this without a pair of muskets, good men with axes and clubs, and armor...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>09-07-2019, 01:20:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>The Charlotte, Passenger Cabins<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>A blue silk bathrobe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Comforting Cat, returning above deck<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Cat<br><hr><br>Flasks in hand, Corinne stepped back into the halls, ready to hurry back to the deck when she encountered Mlle. Grosbelhomme, seemingly frozen in place. While Corinne was keen to return above deck and carry out the experiment, she did not like the idea of leaving the poor girl there, rooted to the spot.<br><br>"A noise, you say?" Corinne strained her hearing, taking a moment to listen alongside Cat, searching for any sound other than the wearing complaints of <em>The Charlotte's</em> timbers. Regardless of whether she heard anything or not, however, that was a concern for later. They would have plenty of time, after all, to become all too familiar with the vessel's hidden depths.<br><br>"I do not know," Corinne said, "But I must say, now I am curious. Perhaps in the coming days, we can discover for ourselves. In the meantime—" Corinne placed her hand briefly in the small of Cat's back, a gentle reminder of the physical world that would hopefully draw the girl out of her dark thoughts, "—I am on my way above deck. Come with me, at least as far as the saloon. One should not linger too long, alone with dark thoughts." She offered the girl her arm, though she certainly would not force Cat to come with her.<br><br>With or without Cat, Corinne made her way back through the corridors, and up onto the deck.<br><br><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Perception check</div><div class="spoiler_body">1d20+2 = 14 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=137883)<br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>09-07-2019, 01:39:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Blue Walking Dress, Leather Boots and Gloves, Fancy Hat<br><strong>Content: </strong> Misery loves company<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline's eyes flashed to Danae as she made her comments. "An officer? How impressive, and dashing." She said, with the lack of enthusiasm of one who would likely be more flirtatious if not so miserable. The dull tone of her voice did not indicate a lack of interest, merely of comfort due to the sticky heat and the thick mists. <br><br>To Camille she smiled as well, a smile weighed down nearly as much as her dress was, "Ah," she closed her eyes imagining it. "I can almost feel it. Sand like satin between my toes." Her shoes felt suddenly very confining, but she wasn't about to take them off and get a splinter on this deck. That would be just what she needed, laid up due to carelessness when they finally made it to paradise.<br><br>She reached the railing of the ship and leaned against it, staring out at the sea as if hoping some hint of a breeze could be spotted at a distance. "I am sure there are awful horrors in the depths but somewhere out there there must be a breeze too?" She asked hopefully. "Do not ships carry weather wizards and other types who might summon one by force if one does not wish to appear as a volunteer?" A forlorn sigh accompanied her turning about and facing the ladies on the poop deck.<br><br>"Well then, I am Jacqueline de Fronsac, you may call me 'milady' if you wish to be overly formal or adorably deferential," her eyes flashed about with a bit of a smile to the ladies as she said this, "but I do not require it." She spoke as if this was an act of great munificence. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>09-07-2019, 02:43:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Peering into the mists<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Hannah, Camille<br><br><hr><br>"An officer, yes," she said distractedly - she usually relished telling tales of her campaigns in the defence of Mordentshire, but the occasion seemed oddly inappropriate, "and the mists came down when I was on campaign, too - for we had a hard time of chasing off goblins and their ilk in the dead of night with no stars and the heavy mists all around us.&nbsp; Still, this hangs over us like a pall." <em>A funeral shroud, I should say</em>, but there was no sense in frightening the ladies.&nbsp; Hands clenched to the balustrade, she peered into the waters, and found their impenetrable and inky surface unbroken.&nbsp; "Have any of you been on this route before?&nbsp; Have you ever encountered such dead stillness?"<br><br>She righted herself again and stepped back from the deckside.&nbsp; "Lady Rodes-Taving," she said at length, startled by the sudden touch - even though her hand had crept up Garsenda's shift in the saloon with much soldier's aplomb, sudden human contact on the deck, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of witching moons and impenetrable mists, was disconcerting. "Of which spirit do you speak?" Her head throbbed when she uttered the word. The spirits spoke when the winds rattled the roof the manor up in the moors. Her wife never heard them, but she did. Phantasms chained to the will of maleficent sorceresses. "And you, then, how do you sleep, Milady, when the air presses on your chest and settles in your lungs like treacle? What do you take?"&nbsp; The thought that anyone could lull herself to a natural sleep on the ship was inconceivable.&nbsp; She had slept poorly since she had boarded, but had thus far refrained from taking her anodyne. Only generous doses of claret cup, cold madeira, and iced rum with lime had kept her in a sufficient stupor to even attempt sleeping.&nbsp; "Does it bring dreams?" Hers were filled with images of burning wicker men, masked red-headed girls with long, black-painted nails, and demented chanting coming from her cellar. <em>A Black Sabbath in my own home!</em>.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>The wood of the ship groaned, a growl from deep within its bowels.&nbsp; Danae turned and fixed Jacqueline with haunted eyes, "You are Dementlieuese, Lady Jacqueline," she said, and was in no mood for familiarity, not least because soldiering had accustomed her to addressing fellow warriors by title rather than by name, "doubtless you know these seas far better than I do, for I am a dragoon, not a marine. Is there anything to fear in the mists, in the darkness?"&nbsp; She spoke with steady cadence, though a sense of unease had swept through her. She felt like she needed her carbine or her rapier, or even a knife, but to carry such weapons into the saloon would have been gauche.&nbsp; Still, she regretted her choice. Nervously, she circled her poesy ring around a clenching finger, before deciding to take it off.&nbsp; She did not wish to be reminded of Abigail, and was disinclined to answer in detail questions of her troubled marriage. The country club gossips assembled around her doubtless noticed though.&nbsp; It was not a difficult deduction to make - she was a Morderntish officer of some standing, after all - marriage was a prerequisite for entry into respectable society.&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>10-07-2019, 20:28:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"It was a thumping, beneath the floor of my cabin," said Cat. "Most distinctly it reminded me of the fits of those animals sealed in crates for the menagerie. I became mesmerized by their horror, enduring weeks of storm-tossed sea in a lightless box without escape. You must think me mad, for there is nothing now, but I recalled the sight of them unloaded from the menagerie ship, mangy with filth, eyes motherless and unmoored, and <em>I will not set foot in saloon nor cabin </em>nor any such wooden box."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Corinne's Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">But there was no thump to substantiate Cat Grosbelhomme's story, only the groaning of timbers for the fitful mind's tricks.</div></div><br><br>As Corinne ascended the narrow stairs Cat was freeing one of the lanterns, but the light did not follow back to the saloon.<br><br><br><hr><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Aloisa's Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">In the distance, through the chatter of voices on deck, the noise of the crew's work and the blanketing fog, there was a low growl of thunder like the day-long downpours which shocked Dementlieu back to life come spring.</div></div><br><br>"I shan't utter them aloud," Eloise hissed playful, "for to give rumor wing is bad luck, and whom else accompanies on the Blackwell guest list, we cannot say for certain."<br>Eloise's eyes were on Danae as she invoked this, the woman whose hands had been on Mlle. Goulet below; entertaining her fancy, and almost certainly, her interests.<br><br>"I have no qualms with that," said Camille. "Was it not bad luck to bear a woman on a ship, before we had the gold to fund them? Bad luck, I should think, is often very convenient for the one who warns against it."<br>"It is the spirit of the wine," Hannah's quiet voice came to Danae, only quiet enough that when Camille should hear it, she should feel as though it ought not be heard.<br>"Superstitions, superstitious curses," said Camille. "Evil eyes and hexes unseen. If you must invest in such nonsense, draw faith in the blessing of Our Lady upon the Charlotte. She carries us to a place our own, away from shame and guilt. You must leave that behind, Hannah; Zoe."<br><br>"Look, you taint the fog around us with all this prattle," said Zoe. "I detect your breath from here."<br>To the rail Zoe leaned out, bottle a small scoop to catch the ephemeral fog where it was most pure- out there greying out the horizon, smearing the buck moon, and yet a slow swim through the mist brought nothing to show, only an empty glass.<br>"It is the Saint Ezra Country Club's first foothold upon Markovia, and our first journey there. Other sisters of chairty have been to the islands besides. I have heard tell of queer weather such as this, where the ship lists ponderous. What does tend to occur is that the master of quarter will ration supplies smartly."<br>"The wine?" asked Hannah.<br>"Only the necessities, and only so far as the stupor persists. A ship travels..." Zoe's eyes wandered off, and she traced the air with the bottle, working with a picture in her mind. "It travels on its belly."<br><br>Eloise stirred. "But if the wind does not return, then surely even the wine must be rationed. And what of bread?"<br>Zoe considered the empty bottle in her hands for a long moment. "Well-"<br>There was a sound at the ladder which drew the conversation quiet. When Corinne apeared at the top, Zoe greeted her with a smile, whatever dark consideration her mind conjured evaporated. "Ah!"<br><br>"Would that we had a weather-wizard in such a case," said Camille. "And to entertain with pyrotechnics and enchanting colors and illusion while the nights are long. It is difficult to find sleep on the boat."<br>Camille breathed deep the mist. She surrendered her spot, and shuffled cross the highest deck for the ladder. "But good wine and good company do wonders for it, so I shall try again. If the saloon still avails you in two hours when the rocking awakes me once more, I shall see you again to wish you a good night."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>11-07-2019, 02:15:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Blue Walking Dress, Leather Boots and Gloves, Fancy Hat<br><strong>Content: </strong> Misery loves company<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Open<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline nodded at Danae as she assessed her heritage properly, the noble born woman's hair feeling thick and clumped, a strand or seven falling in front of her face as she did, necessitating her to pull it back with a beleaguered sigh, momentarily taking off her three-cornered hat, as she once again attempted to tie it back in a ponytail. She knew it would be a ruined clump of tangles the next morning but she was starting to care very little, it was not as though any of the other ladies on the ship were looking their best in this weather. <br><br>"I do not know the seas but from stories, but I know these mists." She said, in a tone that mixed matter-of-fact with somber acceptance in a way might have caused one to shiver if it weren't so damned hot. "They are worse in the forests, I think." She mused, remembering her many forays into her family's remote holdings. "When they grow thick and angry, not unlike this, me and my brothers would hide ourselves away in the lodge or hall if we were lucky enough to be near one, and keep the hearth low. When the mist is thin the light repels it, when it is thick it seeks to smother." She let her hand trail about in the air in front of her, tracing a finger through it, pointing out how thick it was.<br><br>"I do not know if it is different on the water. I suspect no." She said with an air of remarkable nonchalance for what she had just announced. <br><br>"As for what there is to fear," the woman shrugged, "again I can tell only stories, we always kept it at bay, my brothers and I." She paused as if she was about to mention an exception or two to this, then shut her mouth, deciding the better of it. <br><br>She took off her hat again, wiping her brow miserably before replacing it at the correctly pretty angle. "What of you, mlle Dragoon?" She asked. "Surely you must have faced such threats in your loyal service." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>11-07-2019, 05:48:20</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Descending into suspicion <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Hannah, Eloise, Camille<br><br><hr><br>"Spirit of the wine indeed!" Danae shot Hannah a sidelong glance. She had a sense of creeping irritation with the cryptic, inane pronouncements of her fellow passengers. "She should drink no more than she can bear."&nbsp; Drunkenness and idleness were to be deprecated.&nbsp; <br><br>There was a pounding beginning between her ears and she could not be certain whether it was a migraine brought about by the stifling air, or something altogether more sinister.&nbsp; There was a sea of chattering voices, and they all seemed to echo on different frequencies, unleashing a cacophony around her. "Quiet down!"&nbsp; She motioned to the gaggle of lady passengers, "Chattering of superstition when you know not the first thing about witchery. Surely it is not a topic of polite conversation in your parlours, but there is malevolence abroad in all lands, and it preys of ignorance and willing blindness."&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>Grey eyes darted on Eloise, very coquettish with her tightly cured chestnut locks, but suspicious nonetheless.&nbsp; Had she not been escorted by Aloisa? Why did she seem to be parsing her fellow passengers?&nbsp; Did her predilections run to soldiers, guardswomen and their ilk?&nbsp; Ah, there were plenty such girls onshore and in Mordentshire alehouses and inns, but it was rare for women of breeding to be so overt. And, Danae thought, well-bred women were altogether too inhibited, though Dementlieuse ladies, she imagined, were more permissive than Mordentish high society would bear.&nbsp; Though her longing stirred, and it had been days since she had last sated her needs, she felt an irresistible compulsion to remain on guard.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">perception check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-07-10 22:25:58, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20m3 Result: 15 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=137895)</div></div><br><br>"Lady Jacqueline, to ride into the mists is one thing.&nbsp; One has the comfort of knowing the land, and the strength and cohesion of one's unit. Here on the sea you need mariners, not riders. The waters are dark, and trackless. But yes, if there be anything out there, I would fetch my carbine and rapier and pray that it may be vanquished by mundane arms.&nbsp; There is little to be gained by this moongazing.&nbsp; What business do we have up on deck in the dead of night?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>11-07-2019, 08:03:51</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette, The Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Speculation on weather <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Eloise<br><hr><br>Aloisa grinned at Eloises playfulness, nodding solemly&nbsp; as she looks around, "Well, then I shall have to keep my ears open least there proves to be more then rumor..." She looked to Danae briefly before looking around with a frown, casting out her senses, eyes closing a moment as she tunes out the crowd and crew..<br><br>They open again as Jacqueline and Danae spoke up nodding, "The Mists are no thing to be trifled with. Their Miasma seems to feed the souls of malfactors. Nights as this even in cities guards tend not to go out in a group of less then 7, and well armed.. It hides things best avoided.. Like the crackle of thunder like close to those early spring storms.. And it is always best to not speak of things foul, least they take notice and interest. With all respects I think it best that we conclude this business quickly and return below." <br><br>She looked around for a crew member to carry her concern of a storm to the captain or one of his mates, it was likely they knew already if something was coming, but better safe then sunk.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>14-07-2019, 23:07:57</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The press of voices scattered from Danae's outburst. It became quiet enough to hear Camille in the saloon below, making known her intentions to retire, and a quickening lap of water low beneath the Charlotte's prominent deckhouse.<br>"R- rude!" Sputtered an incensed Zoe. "Scolding all of us to quiet our suggestions, only to intrude your own. And what do any of us truly know of it, save Mlle. Corinne? It's she you should heed, not jockey to be heard."<br>"Look, the wind returns." Hannah swam her hand to find the direction of a cooling breeze. "The mist melts away with it."<br>"Worry not," said Zoe, "We have bottled it right here." Capped by her hand, there seemed to be nothing at all within, and yet her palm dimpled under the press of glass mouth, diligently seeking the approval of a woman of science.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">It was then that it became clear to Danae, from the frothy texture of the sea's spray and dark foundation behind the retreating mists, that this wind was not sent by good fortune but a coming storm.</div></div><br><br>With the fog thinned, movement of the crew on main deck below became visible though a dreamlike haze persisted. In diffused light, the white of Captain Renée Thoubold's cabric ruff drew the eye, among the crew thick trimming the sails and tuning the rigging.<br>Eloise followed a handful of steps behind Aloisa, down the ornate stairs and onto the main deck where the unsightly work took place.<br>When only Hannah and Zoe remained of Saint Ezra's foursome, Hannah seized the opportunity to remind Danae of her offer. "No business at all, now. I pray sleep does take me, for it must be quite late indeed."<br><br><hr><br>Captain Thoubold's white-trimmed sleeves were waving Aloisa away from the deck, as she approached. Out of the mist, she gave the guardswoman the benefit of a face to face- a ginger woman, her hair piled high, lips thin with worry. She was a senior to the ladies of Saint Ezra's and Voix and The Cocoa House, but a peer to Mlle. Goulet and those who made the journey before, a familiar face to this game, ever with the straight face shielding the surreptitious pleasures of the Charlotte behind heavy-lidded eyes. But in that moment, she was frayed, not so numbly composed.<br>"Watchwoman Kriechjagd, you've saved me the trouble of sending a runner. I see from the saloon lights that our passengers are in high spirits again. You must escort them all belowdecks to their cabins. See that bodies and belongings are secure. If they resist, you must be insistent- better to offend than to lose any to this storm."<br><br>"The Charlotte has spent all her momentum in stays. It will take all the wind we have to bring the beakhead to bear and break that first rogue wave. Even if we manage, it will be a rough heave down. If we do not, we will face head sea to starboard until the storm founders us."<br><br>Came the whisper from Eloise, "What did she say?"<br><br>Clear through the lifting shroud, forks of lightning ripped through the dark sky. A terrible storm was coming.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>14-07-2019, 23:16:24</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Blue Walking Dress, Leather Boots and Gloves, Fancy Hat<br><strong>Content: </strong> <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline didn't understand much of the nautical implications of a storm approaching, but she understood wind and rain would be a welcome relief from the humid doldrums and was rather inappropriately happy at the news.<br><br>"No need to force the issue I'll go down on my own." She said brightly, lifting up her skirts to begin the descent down to her quarters. <br><br>Once she reached it, she would change out of her more sociable clothing into a pair of still stylish but far more functional leggings, blouse, and jacket, slipping on a pair of her sturdy boots. She would strap down the supplies she had brought and tie her hair back in a thick braid. It wasn't that she was expecting much to happen, but she didn't want to be caught in a party dress if it did.<br><br>After all of that, she flopped down in her bed and tried to relax. If nothing else the breaking storm would make things more lively, yes?
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>15-07-2019, 00:05:09</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette, The Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Speculation on weather <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Eloise<br><hr><br>Aloisa saluted the Captain as she approached happy to know that her news was already known, and nodded as she was given orders, "Of course Captain, happy to be of service&nbsp; and will make sure the Ladies are all made ready. Anything else we should make ready for?" She waited for any additional orders before making her way back and letting Eloise catch up.<br><br>She considers Eloises question a moment, working her way through what the captain says.. "Im no sailor... But the ship needs to build speed and hold it best it can to break through the front of the storm. We need to hit it straight on so not to get tipped. Its going to be a rough ride and we will need to secure our belonging and selves in our cabins. Its likely the crew won't be able to help as they must tend to their duties and make ready. ... If you could help me convince the Mlles if need be? My experience lies better with the common citizen.."<br><br><hr><br>She makes her way towards the group again, back straight, but keeps her tone respectful, calling on all the authority she has... That doesn't come from a truncheon or the threat of sending someone to the cells, "Pardon Ladies, I have been asked by the Captain to inform all that there is a storm approaching, and as such we need to make sure our belongings are secure and make our way to our rooms, the sea will be getting rough and the crew will be busy working to keep the ship stable through the storm. We should be safe, but its best to make sure our belongings are secure and then ourselves."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>15-07-2019, 08:25:45</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong><em>The Charlotte</em>'s deck, headed below.<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Silk Bathrobe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Secure the science!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Zoe<br><hr><br>As Corinne finally alighted on the ship's deck, she suddenly froze. She had thought numbers would shelter her from her fear, but evidently she was wrong. Engulfed in the mists once more, she felt her heart race and her breath quicken as that old terror fell upon her once more. Did the mists reach out to coil about her limbs? Where those fingers running up her spine, or merely a chill personified by a panicking brain?<br><br>It was Zoe, and her charmingly earnest inquiry that finally brought Corinne back to reality. She was about to suggest bottling a new sample, when the order to head below decks was received. Inwardly, Corinne cursed her cowardly nature, having missed the opportunity to collect a proper sample. Which left Zoe's attempt. It might not be a perfect sample, but hopefully it would provide <em>something</em> worth studying.<br><br>"Well done, Zoe," Corinne said. "Quickly, but carefully, let us stopper it."<br><br>She fumbled for a moment, having too many flasks, and not enough hands. Thinking quickly—perhaps too quickly—she placed the two flasks between her legs, gripping them between her thighs, so she might uncork one of them. Corinne was quite willing to place scientific necessity ahead of modesty in this case, and if Zoe got an eyeful of her bare legs... perhaps Corinne didn't mind that either.<br><br>Taking the freed stopper, she cupped her hands around Zoe's, gripping the neck of the bottle together. She shared a brief glance with the girl, finding the precise moment to slide Zoe's hand away and fill the opening with the cork, as best she could.<br><br>"Lovely," Corinne said, with a smile, retrieving the flasks from between her legs. "Zoe, perhaps you would accompany me to my quarters while we wait out the storm? Seeing as you retrieved the sample, perhaps you would be my lab assistant, and aid me in the analysis?"<br><br>In truth Corinne doubted she could do any research while being tossed about on the seas, but the mists had unnerved her more than she anticipated, and she no longer felt comfortable being alone.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>15-07-2019, 08:33:25</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Danae’s Cabin<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Comfortably numb <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Hannah<br><br><hr><br>Danae's hand slipped from her hipbone to grip the pommel of a phantom rapier.&nbsp; She detested being disarmed, and her sudden outburst had added to her sense of vulnerability. To lose control of one's emotions was most unseemly, and especially so for a military officer.&nbsp; Mrs Herrington would have caned her for such lapse in protocol.&nbsp; The memory clawed through her subconscious, with a frisson of pain and release. Yes, discipline was good - it distinguished civilised humans from the lower animals and savage goblins.&nbsp; "Apologies, Ladies, I fear the heat has gotten the better of me. If the Captain bids us to retire, so we should. A storm is soon to be upon us. Though I am no mariner, I have walked the cliffside heaths of Mordentshire long enough to know when the salt air brews one up."<br><br>To Hannah, she addressed a brief, "Come, then, Lady Rodes-Taving - I have something for you in my cabin." <br><br>Belowdeck, she slid through the semi-deserted saloon, and into the lamplit corridor leading to the aft cabins.&nbsp; The floor was polished wood.&nbsp; Smell of beeswax and good olive oil burning.&nbsp; Hannah's presence stilled her nerves. The woman had a fresh, Mordentshire-rose complexion, and demure as she may well have been one of the 'eligible ladies' social convention would have told her to court.&nbsp; Fate had willed it that the lands and prestige she craved impelled a marriage to Abigail Sexton, but it was a longstanding convention that a soldier on campaign was unbound by the niceties of life in the Home Shire.&nbsp; <br><br>She had a brass key and with it, she unlocked the door to her cabin, and let Hannah in. Their transit into her cabin had been wordless.&nbsp; Inside, her travelling chest was propped up against a wide bed by the porthole, with thin, gauzy cotton sheets laundered, pressed, and starched that morning.&nbsp; The flowers set in the vase on the writing-desk were already wilting in the heat.<br><br>"Please, sit," she motioned for Hannah to make herself at home on the armchair by the writing desk.&nbsp; Then she went and fetched a ceramic medicine bottle from a monogrammed leather bag she kept under a pile of pressed shirts in her travelling trunk. She poured two spirit-glasses full of maroon, juniper-scented liquid.&nbsp; <br><br>"Opium," she said, matter-of-factly, "dissolved in gin.&nbsp; Drink it one swallow - I fear the recipe made no allowances for taste. With this, sleep should come swiftly." <br><br>"To your health," Danae raised her glass, and drank.&nbsp; The spirit burned her tongue, and the opium swiftly numbed it.&nbsp; A sensation of warmth, and well-being seized her, and she lay back on her bed, eyes raised to the ornate floral pattern carved into the ceiling.&nbsp; Something felt amiss in the immediate rush of narcotic-induced bliss.&nbsp; Had Hannah Rodes-Taving acquiesced in visiting her cabin alone?&nbsp; What would the fellow members of her Club think?&nbsp; The thought troubled her. <br><br>"Did you come here, Lady Rodes-Taving, because I can give you what you need? A soldier’s quarters are a dangerous place." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>18-07-2019, 02:15:22</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				In the saloon the lanterns burned on, warding away the dread of a lonesome sea in an expanse of black night, though Jeanne and Brigitte were fast in Elixir-induced sleep on a shared barside divan, and Emma La Berche curled upon a wide seat with a journal tipped between her fingers, trembling with the hypnagogic jerk of coming sleep.<br><br>Giselle proceeded to wipe clean the saloon bar, when news came down of the coming storm; and return the bottles to their proper places, and tuck the unused seats up beneath the decorative bar lip, and fasten the shutters of the bar enclosure one by one.<br>"I won't be long," she told Aloisa. "But someone must do it, else the saloon will be in quite a sorry state come morning. You needn't wait for me."<br>Eloise made an effort to lift one of the Cocoa House ladies from the divan, but found Brigitte uselessly limp and beyond waking, and surrendered the attempt to Aloisa. "What is the harm in leaving them here?"<br><br><hr><br>In the narrow corridor outside of Corinne's cabin, one lantern was missing from its fixture. In its absence was a stretch of darkness and long shadows, and Zoe accompanied Corinne through it into the private cabin.<br>"What manner of laboratory do you take with you on a ship," Zoe wondered, and when they were inside, when the door was shut behind them, she stood small peering about at the instruments of a woman of science. "How curious."<br><br>"Are you with the White Egg, come to study the birds of paradise," Zoe asked, "or with the Antiquitists, going to study the history of the island? I have heard of the basalt-carved giants there along the coast, hands cupped to the sky and imploring the sun or moon. It has the romantic sound of those marvels of the ancient world."<br><br>"We are going to give the good word of Saint Ezra to the natives," said Zoe. "Camille, Hannah, Eloise and I. They are called squat, dark things, with features a peculiar shade more animal than man. It makes one wonder, doesn't it, whence the ruins of Markovia originated. I should like to find out."<br><br><hr><br>Within Danae's cabin, Hannah accepted a glass of dark narcotic, sniffed the perfumed chemical cocktail. <em>Drink it in one swallow, </em>that was the prescription, but Hannah had not the courage. She took one gulp, and coughed, freckling her linen shift. "Bitter," her voice cracked.<br><br>It did not hit her the way it took hold of Danae, whose body seemed primed and ready to receive the rush. Hannah sat thinking, thinking about how the opium made her feel, considering the glass, debating another sip.<br>"If this chalk should put me into a deep slumber and entirely at your mercy, Lieutenant, both are preferable to that wakeful state of torpor I inhabit these nights."<br><br>Hannah rose from her chair to find Danae's eyes tracing patterns on the ceiling. The chill of storm through her damp clothes seemed to affect her all at once, huddled, shivered, drawn to the warmth of the wide cabin bed which dominated Danae's domain.<br>"You seem exhausted. May I help you prepare for sleep?"<br>Her hands, on the shiny embellished buttons of uniform jodhpurs, letting out tension. When her actions came under scrutiny, her hands retreat with a jump, but there had been a moment when the unfastening drew her smiling into reverie.<br><br>The courage rallied in her to more than halve the remaining opium in a stiff-tongued swallow. It was not a pleasure, it was Juliet's poison.<br>"Out here, we are as safe as the blessed children of Ezra's garden."<br><br><hr><br>The very fringe of a storm to the horizon descended on the Charlotte in driving rain, a patter on the deck turning quickly to hiss and roar, a torrent from the sky. Buffet of wind hit sails ready to receive, and twisted the ship on Captain Thoubold's orders, lurched the hull with a sudden lean which sent unanchored bodies tumbling and unsecured belongings rolling over cabin floors.<br><br>The thunder was close enough now for all to hear its growl. Beyond each porthole window, flashes of it came bright between grey waves of rain pouring down the ship's hull, lending the illusion that the Charlotte was submerged below the Sea of Sorrows, looking out into the world aquatic, strummed by the deep sounds of whales and kraken.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>18-07-2019, 18:55:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette, The Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Batten the hatches!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Eloise<br><hr><br>Aloisa nodded to Eloise as she started to get things put up, "Good thinking. I'll make sure all is well when I've told the others." She started for the door, pausing to watch a moment before she started to grin moving back over, "Or maybe a little help first could be in order.." She slid over and positioned herself to heft Brigette up to her shoulders in a firemans carry, despite the importance of her position, it wasnt uncommon to have to haul some drunkard home or to the cells.<br><br>She paused and considered the question a moment, "Well... The light end, tossed out of seats, rolled to floor, some minor battering and bruising... Medium, furniture tips over and pins them, possible light cracking and ugly bruising. The Really bad, broken bones as they are tossed about, furniture tumbling over them. Probably best to get them to their rooms and secured in bed at the least, or to their friends and club mates who will enjoy something to tease them on later. Better safe then sorry. And we can inform the other passengers along the way."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>19-07-2019, 08:58:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong><em>The Charlotte,</em> Corinne's cabin<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Silk Bathrobe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Hanging out with Zoe. SCIENCE!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Zoe<br><hr><br>"Most of my more delicate apparati are packed away, sadly," Corinne said, as she unlocked her cabin and ushered Zoe inside. "There is nothing worse than having to clean up an alchemical spill. Still, in calmer waters, I may venture to do some in-depth experiments, with some of my less delicate equipment. For now, perhaps we should merely make some initial observations of what you have found?"<br><br>Corinne settled into the chair at her desk, and drew out a smooth wooden stylus from one of her desk drawer. She ran the tip of the stylus along her lower lip as she peered into the wine bottle, curious if Zoe had indeed caught anything within. Leaning close, she tapped her stylus against the glass, curious to see if whatever was inside reacted at all to the disturbance. As she did, she continued to make small talk with Zoe.<br><br>"I am with the Antiquitists," Corrine said. "Well, not a member, per se, but I have been called in as a consultant on occasion. When I heard about the cruise, I decided to call in a few of my favours, so I could travel far and wide, and observe the mists in new places. I hope to discern whether the mists are uniform throughout these lands, or vary from place to place. Though, of course, I do love to delve into all manner of mysteries." Zoe's mention of the strange stone carvings certainly piqued Corinne's curiosity, and she found the stylus drifting back to her lips.<br><br>"I must say, your interest in my work is quite flattering, Zoe." The wizardess looked up from her studies, to smile at her companion. "The worlds of faith and science seem so often to be placed in opposition to one another. I'm glad that needn't be the case here. With any luck, we may discover all manner of things in our travels together."<br><br>Corinne paused, reflecting on what she had just said. How long had it been since she'd spoken on such friendly terms with anyone? Indeed, when was the last time she had truly had a friend, rather than a colleague? There was something utterly disarming in Zoe's sense of wonder and curiosity, something that, in many ways, reminded Corinne of herself as a young girl, watching her parents bustle about the lab in pursuit of ever greater marvels. That had been a happy time for Corinne, before...<br><br>Corinne shook her head. She did not like to remember what came after that. She looked back at the bottle, suddenly losing all drive to continue her investigations. In this moment, the mists only reminded served as a reminded of her parents' madness, and she did not wish to be reminded of such things.<br><br>"This may require further study," Corinne said at last, shaking her head to clear her dark thoughts, and walked over to her trunk. "These are not exactly ideal scientific conditions." She unlocked the trunk, and packed the bottle away for future examination, before turning back to Zoe. "You are welcome to stay, though," she said, looking down shyly at her feet. She was not accustomed to speaking so personably with another, and she suddenly felt very much out of her depth.<br><br>Indeed, there was a knot of worry building in Corinne's stomach. Zoe obviously admired her. How would this moment of vulnerability, of weakness, affect that image? Corinne wanted to live up to Zoe's image of the confident woman of science... but she felt the same fears as anyone else aboard the ship. Was she merely revealing herself as a fraud in this moment?<br><br>"As silly as it may sound–" Corinne sat on the edge of the bed, voice shaky, eyes downcast "–I too have trouble sleeping. A friend would be welcome on a night such as this." <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Arcana check to examine the bottle</div><div class="spoiler_body">Arcana check: 1d20k5a2 Result: 8 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=138024)<br><br>Actually, I realize I put the five in the "keep" section instead of the "add" section. With the correct modifiers, that would be an 11.<br></div></div>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>20-07-2019, 13:48:44</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Danae’s Cabin<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs (unbuttoned), loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Comfortably numb <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Hannah<br><br><hr><br>The fine, oiled wood grain of the ceiling stirred like the waves of the dead sea on which the Charlotte glided deep into that hot, humid night. There were shapes there, Danae was sure of it - memories compressed into an instant of recognition, only to be banished by the sudden reassertion of her rational mind. <br><br>"That is a dangerous task that you have taken upon yourself, Lady Rodes-Taving," Danae murmured, and drew her hands trough tightly curled, golden tresses.&nbsp; The brush of curls peeking under the tight and painstakingly starched fabric of her jodhpurs was more of a platinum blonde than silver.&nbsp; Most of her lovers found it striking, but to Danae it was proof of an atavistic taint.&nbsp; There had been rogues, lunatics, and heretics in her bloodline, she was certain of it. Corruption was in her blood. "You ought better not to play with fire."&nbsp; The wooden grain on the ceiling seemed to writhe like coupling succubi. <br><br>"We are so far from Ezra's garden, my dear - here we are in the embrace of darkness.&nbsp; You and your friends speak lightly of ancient, wicked things that you are fortunate never to have seen.&nbsp; I have seen the darkness, milady, I have peered into it, and it has peered back."&nbsp; The anodyne kicked like a spooked stallion and she felt its hypnotic grip seize her and pull her deeper into a reverie.&nbsp; With firm soldier's hand, one accustomed to clasping carbine butt and rapier, she took Hannah's pampered hand and pressed it palm down on the thin cotton of her shirt, just above her navel.&nbsp; Smooth and hard like polished marble. Ah, how need boiled in her! A roiling sea , quickened by the opium snaking its way through her veins.&nbsp; <br><br>"Why did you come here? To tempt me?" She caught Hannah's hair in a twisting grip. "You chose me?&nbsp; Why?" <em>She can smell that I'm wet, and wants to feel it, too, the slattern!</em> She was a soldier, after all, and what did this country club girl expect?&nbsp; Hesitation?&nbsp; Peasant barmaids were graced with common sense and would have been skirts up, thighs spread by now. <em>She's a little tease, a harlot - she smells your weakness, your taint</em>.&nbsp; <br><br>"This sin chose you," Danae tugged hard on Hannah's hair, twisting her neck, "I am a married woman, and still you lust after soldier's cunny.&nbsp; Tell me then, what do you want? I should birch you right here and now, and tame your folly with the hard kiss of my martinet."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>22-07-2019, 02:21:42</strong>
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				Hannah buckled under confrontation, followed the harsh lead of Danae's hand with a soft intuition for the intention behind sudden, jerking impulse.<br>"I thought-"<br>Wheat blonde curls tumbled over clenching knuckles like flounced silk, strained of rosemary fragrance by twisting sieve. it embarrassed Hannah, even as she lay her head for Danae's chastisement and inhaled the fever dream bedding.<br>"No, I am no such creature of darkness," she protest. The larger lion had her pinned under a killing paw, and she submit, did not move from the draped weight lest she invite the claws.<br>"I thought to repay you for your kindness with my company. There is no sin, no adultery, please."<br><br>Her hand had not moved from its placement on firm belly, and it listened to the shallow breath, in and out, for a wave of drowning euphoria to crash over Danae. When she was submerged and hands feeling for the cool night air, Hannah crept onto the bed. Knees straddled meandering jodhpurs, though her posture servile, aware that Danae would seize control at any moment, and until then she ought be on her best behavior.<br>"There is no sin."<br>Fingers picked at the buttons remaining. Now her hands, both of them, returned in a slide to the belly she'd been shown. Hannah would not own to it as anything more than friendly concern.<br>"There is no sin," became her whispered mantra. "Not in the garden of Ezra. Saintly virtue calls us there, unfettered by machinations of jealousy. Away from the darkness, on the white beach, we are free. It's freedom which calls to you, Lieutenant."<br><br>Having freed Danae of restraint to her own breezy state, Hannah lowered to lay upon the bed- no, upon Danae's body. Her head on breathing belly, body relaxed, she heeded the fitful anger wanting to rise up to the married woman's surface, lost in a dream of opium.<br><br>The drug was upon her. Not even the frightfully close booming of thunder roused Hannah. Her teeth worried in the lotus petal fabric of riding shirt. Nothing now would keep her from rest.<br><br><hr><br>With restless anticipation Zoe awaited the news of Corinne's cursory examination. She was ready, willing to believe any wild hypothesis; that it be living, infused with malevolent intelligence, a twist in the tapestry of Dementlieu, the egg from which evil, like the insects of spring, hatched forth.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Corinne's Arcana</div><div class="spoiler_body">If indeed Zoe's untrained hand had captured the mists within a bottle, it did not remain gaseous in container, and slid around in glass freely intermixed with remnants of wine. It seemed to be the passing of a thing, not the thing itself, leaving only water behind. </div></div><br><br>"If we go into the heart of darkness, it's important to understand it. I have always thought so, and delight to have women of science sharing our voyage. It brings me a comfort. You will not mind then, if I bring you samples in queer jungle flowers and peculiar signs and discoveries from the shoal. Think of me as your assistant, when the church's work has not otherwise occupied us."<br><br>Whatever likeness of Corinne was borne in Zoe's imagination was cast in bronze, unshaken by moments of uncertainty. Still Zoe's eyes were wide with wonder, looking on that trunk of science beside the bed, and up Corinne's silk-curtained legs, smiling bright.<br>"Yes, as friends," she decided. "In the morning I'll rejoin the sisters. Camille will have something to say of it, of course, but you oughtn't pay it any mind. She circles about scandal like a hound inspecting his bed, soon she will be in it and all pretense forgotten. We need only bear it a little longer, and then..."<br><br><hr><br>Emma La Berche roused from sleep with a little coaxing, but the Cocoa House pair remained medicated and comatose. With what untrained strength she could manage in such delicate sleep clothes, Eloise helped Jeanne's body not to drag as it was Aloisa, for the most part, carrying her. Eloise resented it, not of Aloisa just yet, but for the servant's work foisted on her by circumstance, and thankfully there were very few to witness it, the route they took belowdecks.<br><br>Before the saloon's proud waxed doors sparkling with lightning flashes through slivers of colored glass, where the mizzen mast pierced each deck and lent the deck house an unshakable foundation, stairs starved of lantern light by their switchback geometry descended, deeper than the wardroom, to the cabins below.<br><br>Eloise's voice echoed into a lightless wardroom, abandoned for the finer luxury above. "A moment, let me find my breath. I am not as robust as you."<br>She sat there on the threshold of the wardroom's darkness, her panting claustrophobic in the switchback stairs still to come, taking solace from the groaning of the ship around them that this, too, was tested by the storm.<br>"It is quiet below. We may be alone, with none to hear our secrets but the mists."<br>Into the wardroom she leaned to confirm for herself there was no one yet lurking among the chained supper tables.<br>"They say of Blackwell soirees, dark things inhabit the manor under cover of darkness. Devils, in human guise, walk among the elite on cloven hooves."<br>Ginger fingers sorted the stray hairs from Jeanne's sleeping face. For a moment, she considered herself some kind of warden against corruption, a watchwoman like Aloisa, and was ready to carry again.<br><br>"One must be careful accepting the hospitality of Mlles. Goulet and Bordeaux, for this reason."<br>Then, the lightning struck.<br><br><hr><br>So close to the lightning's stroke, there was no marbling of the sky. There was only an all-consuming flash, bright as the coming of Saint Ezra, drenching the main deck in light and flashed brilliant into every porthole. That creaking of the hull finally surrendered in violent musket volley <em>crack-crack-cracks, </em>the splintering of main mast into blackened halves, burning away of rigging in whipping, lashing spectacular tongues of flame.<br><br>Among the mast shards thrown out across the deck were chunks long as lances, heavy enough to hurl crewmen right off the deck rather than wound. From the highest crow's nest down into the heart of the ship, such fury from the heavens passed that weighty nails ejected from firm housing and ricochet into cabins and corridors.<br><br>Pieces of the main mast leaned and snapped and rolled the whole Charlotte hard to port before breaking loose into the sea with many a sailor. Even those bodies belowdeck were thrown with stupefying suddenness into a deep, precarious tilt which turned the whole world nearly sideways.<br><br>The first rogue wave crashed midships and poured frigid in through split hull, into the corridors of the Charlotte's luxury cabins along with witless pale fish and the rotting odor of deep sea.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>22-07-2019, 05:30:21</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Blue Walking Dress, Leather Boots and Gloves, Fancy Hat<br><strong>Content: </strong> Attempting to Escape a Disaster! <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline lay there in her bed listening to the waves slap up against her small porthole. The storm was indeed coming.<br><br>She'd always loved storms, from inside. A ship was a curious thing, neither quite inside nor quite the wilderness, she reflected. Would this storm be like sheltering in a sturdy castle and listening to the howling wind, knowing you were safe? Reading and having chocolate by a roaring fire while you pitied the poor souls trapped outside? Or would this be more like being one of those poor souls, desperately seeking a tree or a work station when staying too long in the fields? Jacqueline had experienced both in her life, although the former much more than the latter, and she was a bit trepidatious as to which one side this would fall on. On the one hand, she'd never been in a bed this cozy in an open field. On the other hand, most castles didn't rock up and down so much.<br><br>She was just about to wonder if maybe she shouldn't ask such things, when the lightning hit the ship. Even below decks the bright flash was nearly blinding, just from what parts of it came in through her small porthole, and she sat up in bed with a gasp just as a nail shot forth from the opposite wall and caught her hair, tugging it back hard as it slammed into the wall just past her. A moment to gasp and marvel at this preceded reaching up and yanking the errant nail out with a mighty yank, flavored with a slight yelp as an electrical jolt ran from the nail through her skin as she touched it.<br><br>She had a half a moment to wonder if this merited going for help, when her entire world tumbled.<br><br>Not even bothering to worry who might hear her scream, something she typically always tried not to do for fear of the mockery her brothers would make, she was thrown from her bed and seemingly into every piece of the tumbling cabin at once. It was only a moment but it seemed much longer as heavy things went this way and that about her. <br><br>"One thing I know," she gasped, getting to her feet once she could and grabbing her pack she made her way to the door. "A watery grave is no place for a de Fronsac." She walked through her door, flung open by the tumbling ship, and made for whichever direction was up and away from here! 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>23-07-2019, 20:13:48</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette, The Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Batten the hatches!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Eloise<br><hr><br>Aloisa grunted as she hefted Jeanne along with Eloises help, nodding when asked for a chance to breath, carefully setting the Mlle. down, "Gladly." She sighed lightly and chuckled looking to the girl, "Once back in the watch.. We had this large lunk of a man, claimed to be all muscle... But likely hidden beneath the fat. Always drank to much and showed to Watch late as he passed out in the pub and nobody wanted to wake him.. So one time we drug him back to the watch-house. The lads had gotten a nightwalkers makeup kit and had me paint him up. He worked most the shift looking like a poorly done streetwalker."<br><br>The jovial story stops when Eloise shares her story, face going flat and straight as she listens carefully to each word, carefully matching the names to the faces as she thinks... A slow careful not, "I thank you Mlles. Aloisa. I shall watch them with due diligence." She reached out lightly placing a hand on Eloises softly, a smile warming her face, "Again, thank you for sharing this with me. I know it is hard."<br><br>Then the crack of lightning shook the ship, surprise and sudden panic cutting its way through Aloisas spine as she jumped up like a scalded cat, "TIAMATS PISSED GARTERS!?!?!" grunting as the ship suddenly bucked and shook like a stuck bull throwing her and her companion about...
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>24-07-2019, 02:04:44</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, seeking a way out<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs (unbuttoned), loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Rude awakening<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Hannah<br><br><hr><br>She had fallen into a state of languid stupor contemplating the shifting wood grain of the ceiling, with Hannah on top of her.&nbsp; Such a slight thing, so warm and neatly coiffed and perfumed. Whatever aggression she had felt melded into a state of contented bliss. Her muscles went slack, her mind was clear, and she was free to revisit the memories of the things she had heard whispered in the cellar back in Mordent.&nbsp; No, despite Hannah's protestations something was afoot.&nbsp; Ezra's Garden was a fairy tale.&nbsp; The world was a dark and shadowy place, and evil permeated it. It rumbled, groaned, and roared.&nbsp; A loud, furious thing stirring in the bowels of her basement, amid the sacks of dried oats and the pipes of good port.&nbsp; It grew, festering, whispered in the darkness to Polly the housemaid and to Jenny the kitchen help. They were <em>weak</em>, so they could not resist the siren song.&nbsp; The thing roared, and the earth seemed to split and the girls were dancing, masked and naked, around a bonfire, their sorcery lifting them higher into the air. <br><br>A rush of water sluiced through the door of her cabin. It was a fever dream - she was certain of it. An almighty cracking echoed through the bowels of the hull and Danae pushed Hannah off her and rose from her bed, stepping into the rising tide of cold, dead seawater flowing into the cabin.&nbsp; Indistinct cries of panic outside. <br><br>"Up, girl!" She shook Hannah, though her senses were still clouded by the anodyne. "You can swim, can you not?&nbsp; I fear we my soon be shipwrecked."<br><br>She strode to the door of the cabin and saw the corridor already half-flooded, cold saltwater pooling at her feet and reaching to her knees.&nbsp; "If you cannot, I must ask you to hold on to me."&nbsp; She went and fetched her rapier and slung her sword-belt around her waist.&nbsp; "I am no mariner, but I am certain that this ship will not last much longer."&nbsp; Taking Hannah's hand, she led her out into the corridor.&nbsp; She rapped on each door with the insistence of a constable on her night-watch, and when she received no answer, simply forced the door open to awaken any who would have slept through the ship's sundering.&nbsp; Some of the cabins were already flooded and all around them the wood groaned and buckled. If she could help any others to safety she would, but with Hannah in her charge she also knew she could not linger long.&nbsp; These were not women made for war or crisis.&nbsp; <br><br>"This was not meant to be - when we were on deck it was calm.&nbsp; How could a storm have crept on us?" 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>24-07-2019, 08:06:16</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Wherever we're least likely to drown.<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue silk bathrobe. <br><strong>Content: </strong>GTFO<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Zoe<br><hr><br>A wave of relief surged through Corinne at Zoe's earnest smile. She was glad she hadn't made a hash of this whole thing, and blushed slightly, her previous worry seeming suddenly foolish. The pink in her cheeks rose even further when she caught Zoe sneaking a peek at her legs.<br><br>Thoroughly flustered, Corinne almost welcomed the sudden lurching of the ship, which tossed her and Zoe across the room, tumbling over one another until they nestled in a heap against the doorway. The chill water pooling around them, soaking into Corinne's robe, quickly impressed the urgency of the situation on her, though.<br><br>"Zoe. Zoe! We have to go," she urged, helping the acolyte of Saint Ezra to her feet. Hauling the door open, she pushed Zoe out. "I'll be right behind you!" Corinne turned back to the room, eyeing the chest anxiously. She should flee, should abandon her things and focus on saving herself.<br><br>But she needed her spellbook.<br><br>Sloshing through the water, she drew forth the key once more, unlocked the chest and threw it open. Much as it pained her to leave her alchemist's supplies behind, she had to prioritize what was important. Grabbing the leather pack that held her notebooks and quills, she thrust her spellbook inside and sloshed back out into the hallway. She muttered an small incantation, bringing several small floating lights into being to illuminate the path forward. She hoped Zoe had the good sense to forge on ahead, but that did not prevent her from casting a worried look about for her new friend as she made her way along the quickest path above-deck.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>24-07-2019, 22:13:10</strong>
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				<em>The Port Corridor<br>Danae, Jacqueline, Hannah, Camille, Genevieve, Servants </em><br><br>The first door to give way under Danae's numb strength belonged to Zoe, and it was empty, or else its occupant already motionless beneath the pooling water. The second belonged to Genevieve of White Egg, who though drenched and dragged from sleep in a panic, clawed for the open door.<br>"Help," Genevieve shuddered, shivered in the cold water, and perhaps she could make it up the wet incline alone. Perhaps the rising tide would flush her out, and she would find the strength to swim.<br><br>There were other voices in the corridor, trapped and frightened voices crying out over the quite loud storm raining freely into the split hull. One of these caused a stumbling Hannah to double back.<br>"Camille," Hannah choked, and she sloshed into the cold water as the tilting ship rocked and battered her into the corridor walls. In her anesthetized state she did not seem to intuit the water's leeching decay on her strength until her hands grasped for a hanging lantern and her legs gave way, dropping both in the water. The light extinguished, and Hannah gasped ragged for breath, just before the door to Jacqueline's cabin flung open.<br><br>Farther still, behind the narrow servants' quarter doors, a heavy scraping of bodies struggling to push free of the crowded closet which had been allotted them. The door was hopelessly pinned, and the gap it opened served only to pour water into the tiger trap. But the switchback stairs, and the open deck, were the opposite way.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">During a round you have a minor, move, and standard action.<br><br>As a move action you can leave the Port Corridor and reach either the Starboard Corridor or Deckhouse. If you can take the Dash action, you can move even further into the Hold or Main Deck.<br><br>As a standard action you can help Hannah, Camille, Genevieve, or the Servants. Freeing the Servants will require a DC 12 Strength check, or some other means of opening a stuck door.<br><br>You can choose to split your help two ways instead of focusing on one; if you do, all checks and saves will be at Disadvantage.</div></div><br><br><hr><br><em>The Starboard Corridor<br>Corinne, Zoe, Yvonne, Michelle, Sage, Delphine, Garsenda, Margaret </em><br><br>As wave after wave crashed into the starboard corridor, fresh tides swept quick underfoot, threatening to carry Corinne deeper into the sinking ship should she lose her grounding. Whipping winds led the lightning-strike flames in away from the storm, and plank by plank the cabins where Michelle, and Sage, and Yvonne bedded became fuel for the fire. Michelle's door already was engulfed in flame, and the woman within screaming.<br><br>Zoe was quickly into the hall, and from the tilted cabins Delphine Bordeaux, Garsenda Goulet, and Margaret Hotspur spilled in sodden bedclothes.<br>"The ship is taking water," said Delphine, and hypnotic the roiling flames drew her eye. "Oh, gods."<br>Margaret Hotspur claimed one of the two remaining starboard lamps, and ushered the four together into the darkened switchback stair, in search of higher ground.<br><br>But Zoe would not leave without Corinne.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">During a round you have a minor, move, and standard action.<br><br>As a move action you can leave the Starboard Corridor and reach either the Port Corridor or Deckhouse. If you can take the Dash action, you can move even further into the Hold or Main Deck.<br><br>As a standard action you can help Michelle, Sage, or Yvonne. Opening Michelle's cabin will require a DC 13 Acrobatics check to keep your footing as you scoop water, or some other means of putting out a fire.<br><br>You can choose to split your help two ways instead of focusing on one; if you do, all checks and saves will be at Disadvantage.</div></div><br><br><hr><br><em>The Deckhouse<br>Aloisa, Eloise, Jeanne, Emma, Brigitte, Giselle </em><br><br>Between the lightning and the thumping around and the sudden rush of cool air belowdecks, Jeanne awoke in Aloisa's arms. She was groggy, drugged and groping for an understanding of the situation, and in that state promised to fare poorly at balance, or swimming, or most any motor function.<br><br>The violence of the wave's impact had thrown Emma La Berche down the switchback stair, and her voice came through the slats where she remained at the bottom, pained, breath halting. The light from above could catch only hint of her fingers between long lines of shadow, hovering, trembling over her twisted leg.<br><br>Within the wardroom, foodstuffs tumbled across the floor and rendered the wood slick with flour. Above there was a riot of breaking glass, scraping furniture, and the deafening discordant bang of a grand piano snapping from its legs and hammering the saloon with every chord at once.<br><br>"Help, I need help," Giselle called from the saloon above. "Brigitte is cut badly, fetch the ship's doctor!"<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">During a round you have a minor, move, and standard action.<br><br>As a move action you can leave the Deckhouse and reach the Hold, Main Deck, or Port Corridor. If you can take the Dash action, you can move even further into the Starboard Corridor.<br><br>As a standard action you can help Jeanne, Emma, or Brigitte. Setting Emma's leg or stanch Brigitte's bleeding will require a DC 12 or DC 15 Medicine check, respectively, or some other means of healing an injury.<br><br>You can choose to split your help two ways instead of focusing on one; if you do, all checks and saves will be at Disadvantage.</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>24-07-2019, 22:21:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Attempting to Escape a Disaster! <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Hannah, Camille, Genevieve, Servants, open <br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline stumbled out of her room as the door flew open, taking in what she could see in the dim light as quickly as she could. She saw several other ladies in the passages, and many that needed help. Rushing to Hannah's side she did all she could to pull the woman out of the water and get her up into the air again. Slinging one arm over her shoulder if the lady couldn't stand on her own, Jacqueline would call out. "Is anyone able to help the servants? Come quickly!" <br><br>She would make her way over to where the servants were trapped in order to help them as soon as she could.<br><br><em>I assume I can't help Hannah and the servants in the same round, but she's moving so that she can next round!</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>25-07-2019, 08:18:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong><em>The Charlotte</em>, Starboard Corridor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>A drenched silk bathrobe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Hot doorknobs, magic, mellodrama<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Zoe, Michelle<br><hr><br>Corinne eyed the burning doorframe, then&nbsp; shot Zoe a glance. "Go!" she called. "I can protect myself, but I cannot protect you. This is wizards' work." Her dancing lights strung themselves out along the corridor, lighting the way up to the deckhouse, in hopes of guiding the girls to safety.<br><br>Turning to the burning doorframe, Corinne took a breath to steady herself and uttered a single word of warding, an antipathy to fire. Even as the heat from the doorframe faded, she managed to recycle some of the excess arcane energy into a secondary ward against injury, a little trick she had learned from her dogged study of Abjuration.<br><br>Putting forth her hand, Corinne gripped the doorknob, even as flames licked around her. She could hear a sizzle between her fingers, yet to the touch it felt no hotter than a fresh-brewed cup of coffee. Twisting her wrist, she flung the door open. "Come on!" she called to Michelle. There was no time to lose. Her protection from fire was already fading, and there were still two more doors to open. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Mechanics</div><div class="spoiler_body">Casting "Absorb Elements" grants resistance to fire, and also activates Corinne's <em>Arcane Ward</em> ability, for being an Abjurer. So now she's got 9 hp of bonus protection. Hoping that'll be enough fireproofing for this.<br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>25-07-2019, 19:04:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Tough decision<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Eloise<br><hr><br>Aloisa grunted as they were shaken and thrown about, bracing herself until things settled before looking around, mind reeling to take in everything that was happening. Suddenly those all to quiet and dark nights patrolling the streets and sewers seemed preferable... She took a deep breath, face taking on the stern look of authority as she turned to Eloise, "Get Jeanne up to the deck house. Slap her awake if you have to. Try and get help for Brigitte, call for doctor, or just keep the cut closed it you can. Im going to try and help Emma." <br><br>She knew her limitations, and just Who she could help best in the situation and made her way down the switchback to Emma, sliding into place next to her, "Damn.. Emma, Hold still. This will hurt.." she looked around snatching up a piece of wood, "Bite down on this.." She stuffed it into the girls mouth carefully, then tried her best to set the leg... <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Badly.</div><div class="spoiler_body">Summary: At 2019-07-25 12:03:02, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a1 Result: 6 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=138135)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>26-07-2019, 02:35:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Port Corridor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs (unbuttoned), loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> To the rescue<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Jacqueline, Hannah, Camille, Genevieve, Servants <br><br><hr><br>A professional soldier could never neglect a cry for help, not least in circumstances such as these where the helpless were now at the mercy of the elements.&nbsp; With cold water sluicing through the rocking corridor rushing up to her knees and cascading, clear but lifeless, through the belly of the dying ship, she was pleased that the Lady Jacqueline had the same idea and could do more than panic.&nbsp; Noblesse oblige, after all, as the Dementlieuse would say. <br><br>"Madame de Fronsac," Danae called, "you help those you can, I shall pry open this door.&nbsp; Those whose cabin doors had been flung open could take their chances, but those trapped behind doors were destined to drown unless they could be set free."&nbsp; Hannah, too, was her ward in this moment of crisis - she had, after all, been her guest.&nbsp; With firm grip, she hauled up her fellow passenger’s opium-slackened frame and propped her up against her shoulder.&nbsp; Hannah was still unsteady on her feet, and swaying, when Danae handed her over to Jacqueline for support.<br><br>"Listen girl," Danae hissed, for she was now a rough soldier shorn of superfluous courtesies, "hold on to Lady Jacqueline, and I shall force the door."<br><br>With that, she seized the polished brass doorknob cold with sea-spray and rammed the polished wooden panel with all her might, seeking to force it open. Though her mind was still addled by the afterglow of her anodyne, she was sufficiently inured to its effects that the sudden realisation of the urgency of their situation granted her an instant if sobriety.&nbsp; <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-07-25 21:53:57, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20m4 Result: 5 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=138144)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>28-07-2019, 20:43:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The waves Captain Thoubold sought to break with the ship's prow hammered into the ship, nearly capsizing it. Wind which had been missing for so long battered the unmanned sails and suppressed any attempt to rise. It had been waiting, this storm, on the other side of the mists, and the Charlotte sailed straight into the violent heart of it.<br><br>With a great creaking and breaking from every place at once, the Charlotte listed onto its port side.<br><br><hr><br><em>The Port Corridor<br>Danae, Jacqueline, Hannah, Camille, Genevieve, Servants </em><br><br>The first crash of Danae's body rebounded on slippery footing. The world tilted ever deeper at an angle, and the body's own sense of balance and normalcy restrained the will to bring every strength to bear at such a precarious angle. Water poured from the split deck above, from the crashing waves into deepening pools on the Charlotte's port side.<br><br>Another surge into the jammed door splashed in deepening water. Ragged, claustrophobic gasps from the servants' quarters as the last spaces of air filled with water. The last cries for help cut off suddenly. Fingers filled the gap between door and frame even as Danae thumped into it, certainly maiming poor people in the process. By the third great lunge, the water became so deep even a stout axe could not break down the submerged door. Sodden wood swelled into the frame, and pooling water dispersed any force which could be brought to bear.<br><br>The maids were doomed, condemned to a watery grave for their service to the ladies of the Charlotte.<br><br>"Oh, Camille, Camille," Hannah sobbed. Her muscles were consumed in deathly shivering, and she had no command to protest being led away.<br><br>Genevieve dropped from her ruined cabin into the port corridor turned sideways with an awkward thump and rush of breath. The last of the lights were sputtering, flickering, battered and damp. Soon they would extinguish. Though the switchback stair would be treacherous to navigate in this twisted geometry, the underdecks were too flooded to navigate.<br><br><hr><br><em>The Starboard Corridor<br>Corinne, Zoe, Yvonne, Michelle, Sage </em><br><br>That moment of warding was barely enough for Corinne to take solid hold of the sizzling hot door and shake it from a blackened frame of charred splinters and ash. A scalded young woman cowered on the other side, afraid to cross the ring of fire though the cabin burned around her.<br><br>"Hurry," Zoe called to her, just behind Corinne despite the wizard's clear warning. "At once!"<br><br>Michelle mustered her courage once, twice, but the situation worsened for her. Only when the Charlotte capsized, and the starboard corridor turned on its end, did Michelle drop through and into Corinne's arms.<br>"Mademoiselle!" Michelle startled. "Your hands are hot as coals!"<br><br>The last starboard lamp shattered, leaving only spreading flame and Corinne's wizard lights to illuminate the suddenly unfamiliar landscape of a frequent sight turned on its end. The door to Yvonne's cabin was above them, and Sage's below. Falling objects banged into the burning door above one after another, and the wood buckled, complained, but held.<br><br>One last rush of water all but extinguished the flames creeping across Sage's door. Zoe crouched to grasp the handle, and withdrew yelping, only to try again with fistfulls of her soaked chemise. As she struggled, the door directly above sagged in its frame, ready to spill the weight held aloft with a failing latch.<br>"We can help them," said Zoe, heart aflutter, fingers reckless, propelled by instinct.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-07-28 12:33:05, Dhi (uid: 27498) rolls: 2d6 Result: 11 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=138185)<br>11 fire damage, halved due to resistance, is 5. Corinne's ward takes 5 fire damage.<br></div></div><br><br><hr><br><em>The Deckhouse<br>Aloisa, Eloise, Jeanne, Emma, Brigitte, Giselle, Delphine, Garsenda, Margaret </em><br><br>It did hurt, the sounds muffled by Emma's ersatz gag betrayed as much. A bone, to the understanding of Dementlieu medicine, ought to fit together like pieces of a human puzzle. For Aloisa's hands this was not so, and forcing the injury only brought tears to Emma's eyes.<br><br>Then the ship capsized to port, and all progress was ruined sliding to the side wall. Emma would not walk again on that leg until the injury healed.<br><br>The lights snuffed out, and such a cacophony of shattering glass and smashing wood from the capsized saloon that Eloise wept with fright, finding Aloisa with a grope in the darkness.<br>"We have to get out," said Eloise. "This ship will be the death of us."<br><br>A lone lantern appeared at the switchback stair, shining on Aloisa, and three figures behind it.<br>"The ship is sinking," Margaret Hotspur announced. "There are brave souls behind us who depend on your strength. Go, and let us find these women to the tender boat."<br><br><hr><br>A final wave chiseled the gap midships into a gaping hole, and down the center the Charlotte split open. Ballast and barrels from the ship's hold filled the stormy water with impenetrable soot and dense flotsam, the thrashing of sailors fighting to surface through press of swriling waves. Bit by bit, the rent Charlotte tipped back to heavy aft and the demolished saloon to bid the moon one last farewell. In moments it would be beneath the surface of the Sea of Sorrows, lost for all time.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>29-07-2019, 01:58:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Port Corridor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs (unbuttoned), loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Retreating to the deck<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Jacqueline, Hannah, Camille, Genevieve<br><br><hr><br>Loss was a normal part of war and yet it scarred Danae's conscience that she had failed in the one task for which she had been prepared her whole life: defending the weak. But she had fought in enough campaigns to know that there was little gain in mourning the dead.&nbsp; war and disaster were the way of the world, and one could no more resist them than the Charlotte could resist the storm that was now consuming her. When the ship listed sharply on her side, Danae was thrown against a wall now cascading with water. With a desperate motion, she sought to regain her footing, pushing herself off the wall and up into the righted corridor passage. <br><br>"Damnation take this storm!" She roared, "Very well, to any who can make it, we should gather on deck and see if we can find a raft. I know little of the sea, but we shall all perish here if we tarry."<br><br>Motioning to Jacqueline to make her way out of the corridor first with Hannah, Danae made sure she was the last to leave, with Genevieve and and in front of her lest any lose their footing and fall into the treacherous, icy waters. To swim would have been a challenge for her, for she had no experience of doing it in open water, and so she expected that some of the more sedentary ladies would have found it impossible, especially in soaked shifts and gowns. <br><br>She seized the opportunity to prop up Genevieve, and shepherd her into the corridor.&nbsp; It was a contact that needed no explanation. Genevieve was to hold on to her for dear life. <br><br>"Will you lead the way, Madame de Fronsac? I shall gladly take the rear and make sure that we lose no more passengers. but we must flee. Now! Before the lights fail us."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>29-07-2019, 02:29:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Attempting to Escape a Disaster! <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Hannah, Camille, Genevieve<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline had already turned to leave, either dragging or carrying Hannah with her depending on what the woman's state was. It seemed she was rather distraught as to the loss of Camille, which, though Jacqueline could only assume what the relationship was, she couldn't blame the woman for being torn to pieces over a friend dying in such a horrible way. She assumed the maids were dead after all, unless one of them had some magic or prayer to pull themselves out of that watery tomb with. <br><br>Jacqueline however was much more focused on making sure she didn't join them. "Come on." She tugged Hannah. "Unless you're in a rush to join her." <br><br>She moved for the exit, not wasting any more breath on words or anything other than getting out there. By the time Danae told her to take the lead she already had and then some. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>29-07-2019, 02:44:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong><em>The Charlotte,</em> Starboard Corridor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Silk Robe (probably worse for wear at this point)<br><strong>Content: </strong>Being big damn heroes!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Yvonne, Zoe, Sage, Michelle<br><hr><br>The whole world seemed to spin at once, and Corinne found herself cushioning Michelle's fall. Rising quickly, Corinne's mind raced to piece together what had happened. The ship had listed to port, meaning they were about as high up as they could get. This was good, for them at least. They were as high up as they could get, and that gave them time at least. Rising to her feet, she helped Michelle up too, and directed the girl down the hall to the deckhouse.<br><br>Still, the situation was dire. "Zoe, help Sage," she instructed her friend. "I'll deal with Yvonne." Incanting another spell, Corinne cause webs to spring up around Yvonne's doorframe, loose enough to let the frame collapse, but enough to cushion whatever fell through. "Yvonne!" Corinne called. "I've rigged a net to catch you. I need you to kick down on that door until it gives way."<br><br>Zoe, meanwhile, managed to get Sage's door open, and helped the woman up from her quarters.<br><br>"Get Sage and Michelle clear!" Corinne shouted. "I'll be right behind you with Yvonne!" The wizard watched the door above her buckling, and she prepared to grab Yvonne and end her spell the moment it caved in.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Mechanics</div><div class="spoiler_body"><br>At 2019-07-28 19:11:55, Zoe (uid: 60242) rolls: 1d20 Result: 13 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=138192)<br><br>If at all possible, Corinne will ready herself to drop concentration on her web spell and move with Yvonne to the Deckhouse once she has dropped through.<br><br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>29-07-2019, 06:04:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Tough decision<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Eloise, Emma, Margaret Hotspur<br><hr><br>Aloisa flinched at the noises Emma made as she fumbled at trying to help. She was no medical practitioner and the movements of the ship made the work even worse. As they tumbled and tossed she did her best to try and keep steady, or at least to not be pummeled by debris. She grunted as Eloise touched her, unsteadily shifting to her feet as she panted and paused as the lantern illuminated the room, nodding, "Get them to the boats. I'll try and help who i can."<br><br>She stumbled as fast as she could to the Deckhouse proper, looking around for Brigitte, moving debris aside before trying to bind and care for her wound.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Medical test roll</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-07-29 04:00:32, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a1 Result: 9 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=138202)<br>No future in medical assistance...</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>01-08-2019, 04:09:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Ruined Saloon<br>Aloisa, Jacqueline, Danae; Eloise, Hannah, Genevieve; Garsenda, Delphine, Emma, Jeanne</em><br><br>It became dark, in the sinking ship, but for eerie wizard lights and roiling flame. When the roar of waves tearing pieces of the Charlotte to splinters and the peal of thunder abated a moment, the sounds of the deeps closing in around the Charlotte could be heard, a black abyss pinging against the hull with resonant sounds unpleasantly animal, intelligent, and huge.<br><br>As one the survivors met at a treacherous climb up the vertical-turned switchback stairs, now mere planks of hanging fence post crisscrossing at tiptoe's reach, splintering into slivers in desperate hands. There was almost no leverage but what one human body provided another, hoisting up, trapping limbs between slats, climbing body over body, breathless, driven by the will to survive.<br><br>It was Aloisa and Eloise reaching the upper deck first, and finding there an utter ruin of the lovely saloon, its few remaining furnishings bolted to a plane of wood wiped clean by scouring waves, the poop deck and Ezra's prayer completely gone. Pieces of what were once the Charlotte swept along the surging waves, while seaworthy barrels and a piano top thumped with the lapping water.<br><br>Behind them were Danae and Jacqueline with Hannah and Genevieve, clawed up from the drowned port corridor, Hannah tearful and Genevieve in a state of shock. No sooner had these four arrived under the stars than the boom of musket fire raised a scream. There were voices, further back, at the ship's rudder, and then the musket boom came a second time. Creaking, clanking, and a third mustket shot sent a great weight crashing into the sea.<br><br>One of the tender boats came scraping, rocking with the push of the waves. The two Blackwell ladies, Garsenda Goulet and Delphine Bordeaux, with a soaked and supine Emma La Berche and waterlogged Jeanne already filling the small boat halfway to its maximum capacity.<br>"Another boat is coming," Delphine told them. "Who is hurt? We'll take them."<br><br><em>Tender Boat Launch<br>Corinne; Zoe, Michelle, Sage, Yvonne; Margaret Hotspur</em><br><br>Sage and Michelle raced after the swirling wizard lights to the very aft of the ship, followed shortly by Zoe and Corinne. Yvonne yet reeked of smoke, fresh from the torment of her burning cabin, and her coughing could not stop even as it wracked her body.<br><br>There were stars, shining in, at last. Margaret Hotspur stood there in silhouette, a musket tucked against her breast, a murmur on her lips. When she heard the footfalls coming up behind her, she took a quick breath.<br>"You, there," she called to the five of them. "The last tender boat is here, if you mean to escape. Help me to push it onto the water."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>02-08-2019, 02:55:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Attempting to Escape a Disaster! <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Hannah, Camille, Genevieve<br><br><hr><br>"There had better be another one coming." Jacqueline muttered, lowering Hannah gently into the boat. She glanced about but the turbulent seas made it hard for her to see anything. "Or I will swim after you and drag the whole boat down with me if necessary!" She snapped, hoping this would put enough fear into them to fess up if they were just trying to leave the noblewoman high and not-at-all dry here. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>02-08-2019, 08:37:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Tender Boat<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Silk Bathrobe (singed and sodden)<br><strong>Content: </strong>Boat Launch, Scanning for survivors<br><strong>Tagging: </strong><br><hr><br>Corinne eyed the musket curiously, but did not hesitate to lend help in launching the boat. "Are we under attack?" she asked Margaret, as she pushed the boat out, and began helping the girls aboard. "I thought I heard musket fire." She helped Michelle and Yvonne first, as their condition was the most dire, then Sage and finally Zoe. She gave Zoe's hand a gentle squeeze as she helped her new friend aboard.<br><br>Shifting her gaze back to the sinking <em>Charlotte,</em> Corinne conjured her lights once again, this time sending them out in as broad as spread as possible, searching for the silhouettes of any other potential survivors.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>02-08-2019, 09:00:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Tough decision<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Eloise, Emma, Margaret Hotspur<br><hr><br>Aloisa pulled Eloise along with her, hardly paying attention to the wrecked saloon as she ushered the others through, a great flinch at the sound of musket fire causing her to draw the daggers from her waist in a quick smooth movement and keep them ready, unbidden memories of her grandfathers stories of the things he had fought while at sea slithering darkly into her head.<br><br>She looked to the boat and then to Eloise, daggers quickly sheathed as she moved the girl over, "Get aboard, help with the wounded." She helped the Mlle. and ignored any protests and grqbbed a length of debris to help hold the boat steady and shove it off as soon as the others were aboard, a slow tired sigh as she tossed it aside and let her shoulders sink, fingers absently finding their way into her hair, curling and coiling into it...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>02-08-2019, 14:34:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Ruined Saloon <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs (unbuttoned), loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Women and children first <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Hannah, Camille, Genevieve<br><br><hr><br>Something stirred in her the moment she heard musket fire.&nbsp; It was an ingrained response to a stress situation, where the soldier in her came to life and displaced any other concerns she may have had. The loud reports spoke of something more eventful than a mere shipwreck.&nbsp; To Camille and Genevieve she said, "If there is room, board this boat - it may be the last." It went without saying that she would board a lifeboat last.&nbsp; Her honour as an officer depended on her remaining calm in the face of cataclysm.&nbsp; The churning waves, though, were an abyss darker than any she had ever faced on land.&nbsp; There was fear there - fear of being swallowed up into the primordial blackness from which all human terrors once arose.&nbsp; <br><br>"Who is firing?" She called out, and motioned for Jacqueline to be on her guard, "I heard gunfire, did you?"&nbsp; Something drew her to the rudder, and the source of commotion.&nbsp; She clambered through the wooden wreckage of the half-flooded saloon, seeking a way through the wall of sundered planks and splinters.&nbsp; With the water lapping all round her, she did not quite know what she would find, if anything at all. "If there are any souls left on the ship, we should go to their aid.&nbsp; I know not what would call for musket fire in a situation such as this." <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae seeks to find a way through the wreckage to reach the source of the gunfire.</div></div> 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>05-08-2019, 01:40:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Neither Hannah nor Genevieve were outwardly wounded, but Hannah remained in distress, chattering from the cold water. She murmured something about the garden of Ezra as Genevieve helped her from the wreck into the lurching, storm-tossed tender boat at an awkward stumble, into the Blackwell ladies' grabbing hands. Genevieve followed with a rude tumble.<br><br>Eloise became mortified there at the very precipice of rescue. She made to double back for some alternative, and felt for the dagger beneath Aloisa's sash. Eyes met, Eloise's firmly set in this course of action. Her resolve steeled, knowing that she'd been caught thieving. This was necessary, she seemed to say; the dagger would see them through this accursed night if Aloisa would not. Her body followed the toss of another violent, frothing wave, backward into the tender boat. Then came the kick, and the full knowledge that if that dagger ended up in her hand as the boat flung into the mercy of the waves, it was only because Aloisa allowed her to take it.<br><br>"Markovia is North," Delphine Bordeaux yelled over the force of the storm. And then they were gone, shuffled into the turbulant seascape, swallowed into the dark night among so many scattered pieces of the proud ship.<br><br>There was no sign of Camille now. Neither Giselle who had remained in the decimated saloon nor Brigitte were to be found amid the wreckage. Cat Grosbelhomme had never returned from the now drowned and dark ship's hold.<br><br>But there were voices, and by a slippery climb over the deckhouse's skirt or dark grope back through the belowdecks to the ship's rudder they could be followed.<br><br>Margaret Hotspur was there laboring with Corinne to push a second craft into the water.<br>"Desperate times call for desperate measures," said Mlle. Hotspur. A good six foot drop the tender boat splashed, and then without passengers to weight it, it spun like a lost leaf on the motion of the water, threatening to sweep away as soon as the current separated it from its grind against the hull.<br>"Quickly now!"<br><br>Mlle. Hotspur pushed Sage, and with a scream the dilettante fell into the tender boat below.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>05-08-2019, 02:51:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, towards the Deck <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs (unbuttoned), loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Following the gunfire<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Danae sifted through the wreckage, seeking a way forward, drawn as if compelled by the mystery of who would be shooting in such circumstances, and at what. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Athletics Check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-08-04 19:48:15, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20m4 Result: 24 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=138346)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>05-08-2019, 03:50:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Tough decision<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Eloise, Emma, Margaret Hotspur<br><hr><br>Aloisa drew the sheathed dagger from her sash and slipped it into Eloises hand, "Go," and watched them drift away, an amused little snort at the directions. It would help if there was another boat. And a compass. She sighed and resolved herself, wondering if she could get to her room or if it had gone under. She would kind of like to have her swords when she died... She made a sharp Tsk and looked around, drawing her remaining dagger and grabbing up a belaying pin or such as she followed the voices.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>06-08-2019, 10:55:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/uYpwwG3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>The Tenderest of Boats<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Silk Bathrobe (singed and sodden)<br><strong>Content: </strong>Looks like I'm gonna have to juuuuuump!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong><br><hr><br>Corinne glanced around at the other girls, and realized that now would be an excellent time to lead by example. She looked to Zoe. "I'll be waiting for you at the bottom," she said, and promptly leapt from the deck of the sinking ship.<br><br>It was somewhere in mid-air that Corinne realized there was no modest way to perform such an action wearing only a bathrobe. While her rational mind told her she should find such a situation embarrassing, there was a small part of her that found it unaccountably thrilling. Landing in the boat with a thud, she turned to help whoever came after her... Fixing her robe would have to wait. There were lives at stake.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>08-08-2019, 06:07:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				From the lacquered cherubic detailing of the ruined deckhouse, once the Charlotte's broadest beam but now its highest remaining vantage point, Danae faced ferocious winds so heavy with sea spray they became an extension of the waves below. The ship had broken in two, and the half which once housed the crew and captain now was gone, scattered into tumbling sea polluted with shipwreck debris.<br><br>A musket had been fired from within the ship, the shredding of ruined balcony just below was evidence to Danae's eye. Jangling tatters of the tender boat pulleys remained, having been shot to pieces. It was an uncommon steadiness afforded the one who fired the musket, no peer of a trained soldier. A hunter, perhaps- one with the knowledge to brace and aim a musket, and to reload in pouring rain and rocking ship.<br><br>In the gap below Danae the second tender boat pushed onto the water. There was a brief exchange, and one of the Cocoa House girls dropped into it, pushed.<br><br>Corinne followed, and Zoe after. With each body dropped inside, water from the lapping waves breached over the tender boat's wall and pooled at the feet.<br><br>The fourth woman onto the tender boat was Margaret Hotspur, scholar of the Society of Antiquity. A musket tossed down from her hands for Corinne to catch, and immediately she fluttered a good ankle-twisting drop in the drenched hunter green of her chosen club.<br><br>Michelle of the White Egg Ornithological Society scrabbled down the slick wood after her and fell into the crowd of bodies. Now five to a tender boat, there was no more space to land, only to crush and pile together. A boat could hold eight in the most dire of circumstance, but already water from the storm was finding its way inside.<br><br>Seaworthy or not, the waves began to carry the last tender boat. The window to lash one's fate to that overpeopled vessel would soon close, as the paths of storm-tossed dinghy and sunken wreck diverged.<br><br>Yvonne began to ease from the gap, holding to the pieces of broken balcony like rungs of ladder. She was too cautious, and by the point of no return, the tender boat had lurched twice in the waves. There was a moment of wide-eyed panic, and Yvonne dropped into the raging water. Where she went next in the dark of night, none could say for certain.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>08-08-2019, 09:00:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> boat or bust!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> <br><hr><br>Aloisa made her way to the side, looking around spotting the boat below she licked her lips and considered a long moment before groaning and using her dagger to slash the sarong into long strips and using them to tightly tie the freshly sheathed dagger and pin to herself before backing up several paces and took a deep breath and took off to get a good jump as she shouted out, "Watch Your Heads!!" As she jumped off the side hoping her aim is true...<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">jump check!</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-08-08 01:49:15, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 19 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=138468)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>09-08-2019, 02:25:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, down to the lifeboats <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs (unbuttoned), loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Descent into the Abyss<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Margaret, Open<br><br><hr><br>There was only one way out of the dying wreck of the Charlotte, and that was down.&nbsp; She clambered down the rungs of the shattered balustrade, lower into the roiling abyss of broken wood, floating detritus, and foaming sea.&nbsp; If the wind picked up, she did not know whether she could hold on.&nbsp; The wood was rendered slippery by the sea-spray, and the magnificent wreck of the Charlotte groaned and jolted, rising and falling like a harpooned whale.&nbsp; Finally perched above the tender boat, she called out Margaret, "Good shot, Lady Hotspur!" She had a great admiration for a woman who knew how to wield a gun well, "I do not think I could have done better myself."<br><br>With that, she dropped into the crowded huddle of wet and fearful bodies into the tender boat, and reached out overboard, trailing her arm in the water in case Yvonne had managed to find purchase on some jetsam or flotsam to keep her above-water.&nbsp; "We should not tarry much longer," Danae said with grim resignation, "if any have seen the woman who fell overboard we should extend an oar for her. Otherwise, I fear we must leave. If any part of the ship capsizes, it may take us with it."&nbsp; <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Perception Check to identify any signs of life in the water</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-08-08 19:24:43, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20m3 Result: 16 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=138492)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>09-08-2019, 04:32:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Tender Boat<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Silk Bathrobe (singed and sodden)<br><strong>Content: </strong>Disco lights of rescue!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Yvonne, Danae<br><hr><br>Corinne felt a surge of relief when Zoe landed in the boat, right on her heels. Still, the water that pooled in the boat with each new impact was cause for concern. More concerning, however, was the splash as Yvonne tumbled beneath the waves.<br><br>With a wave of the hand, and another incantation, Corinne called forth a new set of dancing lights and sent them flying off in the general direction of Yvonne, a few plunging beneath the waves, hoping that the woman's silhouette might become visible that way.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>11-08-2019, 23:14:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Into the tender boat eight bodies crowded, all with water to the ankles cold and filthy. Margaret, Corinne, Zoe and Sage; Michelle, Aloisa, Danae and Jacqueline. A fishing oar could not retrieve their ninth, nor could the packed tender boat accommodate much more. It took full strength to preserve the oar against the current's pull, and clear it of the next incoming wave. Wood splintered, the tender boat's burrowed stern ripped clear of the Charlotte and into the mercy of the waves.<br><br>Corinne's dancing lights spread out beneath the surface, and into swirling grit of the ruptured ballast. There may well have been bodies beneath, shrouded by impenetrable dust, but ripples of dense water through colorful lights revealed the tremendous energy at work in the undertow, breaking against the Charlotte and sweeping swift beneath. Yvonne must have gone under with it. If by some change she emerged on the other side, no humble means of oar could hope to tame those waves and navigate to her.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">A night like this favored elvish eyes. Without guiding lights to accompany Danae's keen senses, the bodies thrown overboard were as good as lost. But if any yet lived, a light aboard the tender boat would provide a beacon for them in this chaos. It was a small hope, but a hope nonetheless. </div></div><br><br>A wind-piled wave cleaved with the little boat into floating debris. Bits of charred and broken ship pelted before the snag of shredded sail stopped short the tender boat's momentum, spun it round and threatened to tip. Bitter grey water spilled in. Only by an exhausting slog of the oars did the tender boat tear free, and escape into the current.<br><br>At the mercy of the storm's zephyr, the eight were borne aloft on heaping water, leaping, thrashing in a contest between the toss of the water and the hammering wind. In between, bodies were worn down. Zoe pant wide-eyed into the stark night. Shakily Sage worked to massage feeling back into her numbed fingers and toes. The spray of sea, frothing at arm's reach, drove Michelle into a huddle. Margaret offered a feeble prayer to the angry sky.<br><br>Gradually the tender boat bobbed clear of the wreck. The oars would steer, now, if only by strong arms able to steady them against the current. There was no sign of the first boat, of Garsenda, Delphine, Emma and Jeanne; of Eloise, Hannah, and Genevieve.<br><br><em>Markovia is north. </em>Those were Delphine's parting words.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>13-08-2019, 02:19:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Tender boat - adrift on the waves <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs (unbuttoned), loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Sail away<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Aloisa, Open <br><br><hr><br>"We must be off then," Danae said with grim determination.&nbsp; She took an oar in both hands, dipped the wooden plane into the wine-dark sea, and began to push away from the shattered wreck of the <em>Charlotte</em>.&nbsp; She was trapped in the nightmare, and there was nothing she could do about it.&nbsp; To watch the vast and once prod ship sink into the waves filled her with a profound sense of dread and hopelessness.&nbsp; There were forces so vast, so beyond her ken.&nbsp; Now with so many souls dragged into the deep, she wondered if the sea would ever give up its dead, and, if so, what they might say of her catastrophic failure to save them. <br><br>To Jacqueline she said, "You are Dementlieuse, good Lady, do you know how far we are from shore? The horizon is trackless, and I have no skill in navigating the sea."&nbsp; She looked up, seeking the cynosure, but found the sky alien and trackless. <br><br>She nodded in silent complicity with Aloisa and wondered if there had been any other fellow passengers who had found a boat of some piece of jetsam to escape.&nbsp; Adrift on the sea, they could not last long.&nbsp; "Wherever it is we should go, we should make haste.&nbsp; There deeps are full of monsters.&nbsp; I knew a man once styling himself a privateer who saw great, pallid leviathans: sea serpents and kraken.&nbsp; On a night such as this, we should not venture our luck any further."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>13-08-2019, 02:39:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> lost and lament.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>&nbsp; Danea, Jacqueline, Corinne, &amp; the others<br><hr><br>Aloisa watched the boat sink, and with it a little part of her and her family, those blades had been with the line since her grandfather and his stories of magically coming from another land. And she had lost them, on some damned cruise. There was of course the loss of the other lives aboard the ship, and the people she had failed to help. It was not a good day, and it weighed heavily on her as she shivered on the seat of the boat. "We should take a quick inventory of what we have. What goods everybody was able to grab or were stashed on the boat.." She drew out her dagger and the belaying pin, a small glass and silver flask that sloshed half empty of amber fluid, and the wet rags she wore.&nbsp; She wished she had ignored the stuffy uptight idiots insistence on leaving weapons behind and in the room. They were all so damn sure everything would be perfectly fine.. And now look.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>13-08-2019, 05:03:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Tender Boat<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Same ol' silk nightgown. <br><strong>Content: </strong>Sad times.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong><br><hr><br>Corinne scanned the flickering lights below the water, but finally had to give the cause up as lost. Yvonne was gone. The sudden absence of danger impressed itself in the most unwelcome way. Her fraught nerves suddenly felt raw and ragged, the lingering survival impulses suddenly lacking a convenient outlet. She quietly slipped her hand into Zoe's, seeking comfort as much as she sought to comfort her friend, as tears began to run down her face.<br><br>Aloisa's instructions called her attention outward once more. With her free hand, Corinne quickly swept the tears away, though her voice was still shaky and fraught. "A-all I have," she stammered, "are my notebooks and writing supplies." She considered for a moment longer. "There's a small knife in my bag, a-and my spell book of course." Her hand drifted up to a small golden chain around her neck, toying with the amulet that hung there. "And this... It's a focus for my magic." She was so accustomed to wearing, indeed she slept with it, that she often forgot it was there entirely. Her fingers clasped around it tighter, until she could feel the engraving - a coiled serpent with bared fangs - digging into her palm. It was hardly a talisman to protect her against further evils, but it brought her a strange comfort nonetheless.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>15-08-2019, 02:45:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charlotte, Saloon<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Attempting to Escape a Disaster! <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Hannah, Camille, Genevieve<br><br><hr><br>As Jacqueline found herself being tossed this way and that in the tender boat her stern, businesslike face changed quickly. Now that there was nothing to focus on but what had befallen them her lips began to tremble, her already pale hands became ghost white as they clenched the sides of the boat forcefully and her whole body shook. "No! No!" She screamed. "This was to be the one bright moment in my life! I will not let it take me without - without - " she glanced about at her companions and made an impulsive decision.<br><br>Suddenly she was darting towards Corinne where she sat next to her, moving like a cobra striking her hands were on the woman's cheeks holding her face still as Jacqueline threw her lips against the woman's and kissed her. Kissed her with all the blazing passion of a woman sure she was about to die, moving her face this way and that to kiss her from every angle as she held her still, finally pulling off of her when she realized that she was not being tugged to the bottom of the murky frozen depths. <br><br>She snatched her hands back as if they were on fire and glanced about, eyes wide as she realized what she'd just done.<br><br>"North she said. I'll row." Jacqueline said levelly, grabbing a row and putting her back into it to avoid any discussion of what she'd just done. She met nobody's eyes as she did this.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>15-08-2019, 06:38:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lost on a swirling, tumbling sea, the world became a psychedelic dream. Between peaks of waves the sea and sky blended together in a wine-dark maelstrom. Lightning seared the night eyes with hallucinations of color, and in the growl of thunder, the howl of wind, the human mind struggled to assign human qualities to the force of nature. It was not unusual to hear voices on the wind, to see faces in the shapes of the clouds and foaming waves. It was an evil night, which tested the wits of all aboard the small craft.<br><br>Even for those not at the oars, there was no rest. Rain and spill from the waves needed to be bailed from the ship with precious little but cupped hands for the job.<br><br>Zoe could not go on holding Corinne's hand while there was water to bail. But she continued to steal glances Corinne's way, and at last reached her hand into the bag. "The bottle," said Zoe. "Do you have the old bottle?"<br>Her face was drained. Neither gods nor science had saved them, and the memento to which she attributed such romantic notions at last became just an object.<br><br>For the better part of an hour the storm raged, until finally, the rain abated. The waves calmed. Michelle succumbed to fatigue, though her rest was far from peaceful. <br><br>"My family is very wealthy," Sage confided under the watch of the stars. "They will reward you handsomely for my return."<br><br>"Mademoiselle, you must be tired," said Margaret to Jacqueline. "Let another row. I fear your grip may falter if you continue on like this."<br><br>Zoe hung her head in her hands for such a long time that she seemed to pass asleep beside Michelle. Finally, she said, "What is in your notebooks? Let us hear something, to shake our minds from the morbid."<br><br>In the second hour, sleep came for Zoe, and Margaret too. Sage remained between bodies looking out at Aloisa, and at Danae, shivering from the damp cold, deep in thought, resolved not to let her eyes close.<br>"My name is Sage Laporte," she said. "I did not pay you much mind in the saloon, because I was with Brigitte and Jeanne. But you are not crew, nor were you with anyone. Who are you?"<br><br>In the third hour, the black sky began to brighten with the dawn. In the distance, a two-masted, gull-prowed caravel cut a course through the sparkling waves.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>15-08-2019, 08:24:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Charolette<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> lost and lament.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>&nbsp; Danea, Jacqueline, Corinne, &amp; the others<br><hr><br>Aloisa blinked at the sudden surprise kiss, eyes looking back and forth between people before letting the subject remain silent. She slid the dagger back into the folds of her wet sarong before she started wringing it out the best she could, and largely remained silent, taking her turns at rowing without protest amd working well to keep synchronized with the others.<br><br>She pauses when Sage addressed her and Danea, "I am Aloisa Kriechjagd, I boarded a bit back as favor to the Captain. I was.. Well, as my name means in my grandfathers tongue, creeping hunter. Our duty was to seek out the hidden frightful things that would seek into the town and put them down, search merchants caravans for forbidden artifacts, amd search out other hidden dangers. I joined aboard to help keep watch of the ship and to relax." She smirked slightly, "Sadly, I noticed the storm only a bit before it hit..." she frowned and twirled her fingers in her hair, "Though it seemed to hit Much to fast..." She sighed and shrugged, "Eitherway.. barely had time to give the captains warning before it hit... Eloise and i were trying to help some of the inebreated girls to their quarters when it hit.. and it all went down from there." A sad tone enters her voice as she continues fiddling with strands of her hair...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>15-08-2019, 17:27:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Adrift in a Dark Sea<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Attempting to Escape a Disaster! <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Everyone<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline felt her arms burning as she rowed and rowed. To say the sea was unfriendly was putting it mildly. After the first hour it felt like the water was tugging the oar back down into it with every stroke, and Jacqueline began to worry that she was going to go with it, too tired to let go.<br><br>Thankfully someone else seemed to notice. Jacqueline sighed in relief, too weary to favor Margaret with a smile she simply nodded, let another take her place and collapsed back against the side of the boat, exhausted. She spent the next bit of the trip nodding off and suddenly lurching back awake again as her body struggled for rest and her terrified brain refused to permit it.<br><br>As it seemed they had reached a time for introductions she gave one herself. "Jacqueline de Fronsac, for those who did not meet me earlier." She said simply. <br><br>She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the caravel approaching. "Thank the sunlight, we are rescued!" She got to her feet to wave at the ship to get their attention 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>16-08-2019, 02:06:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Tender boat - adrift on the waves <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs (unbuttoned), loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Sail away<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Aloisa, Open <br><br><hr><br>Constant labour of rowing kept Danae's mind fixed on the trackless horizon, hoping against hope that they might find some respite from the turbulent waters.&nbsp; They would not last long on a flimsy boat.&nbsp; <br><br>"Gold and silver matter little now, my Lady Sage," she sad "It is only if we come ashore still alive that we may talk of gratitude."&nbsp; The motion of rowing was unfamiliar to her.&nbsp; She had never taken to the sea and now she felt exposed and naked in this dark and unfamiliar expanse. "I am Danae Vine-Lott, though such things as were made on dry land seem to matter little here. I am a cavalry officer in Mordent's House Guards, though that it is of scant use to us now. I am a foreigner here, as you have no doubt surmised from my speech."&nbsp; This rude awakening had, at least banished the dreams that she knew would have pursued her had she remained in the grip of the anodyne.&nbsp; Still, if she had not taken it, then perhaps more could have been saved. Her guilt lay like a leaden pall, heavy upon her. <br><br>It was Jacqueline who first spotted the beaked ship darting onto the horizon. A beatific vision, ,and to Danae's pessimist cast of mind far too good to be true.&nbsp; "How will they see us? Do we have any pyrotechnics or alchemy that could signal to them that we are here?&nbsp; Will they have seen from afar the wreck of the <em>Charlotte</em>?"&nbsp; Casting those doubts aside, she began to row with grim determination towards the caravel. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>16-08-2019, 08:49:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Tender Boat<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Silk Bathrobe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Flustered awkwardness<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>"I'm afraid I left the bottle in my-mmph!"<br><br>By the time Corinne realized what was happening, her lips were already locked with Jacqueline's. Her first instinct was to protest, though that was more out of surprise than any inherent objection. Mlle. de Fronsac was a rather handsome woman after all, and this fact had not escaped Corinne's notice during the past three days. Add to that a passionate demeanour and, evidently, no small skill in the art of kissing, and Corinne was quickly coming around on the whole state of affairs.<br><br>Just as the wizardess was about to twine her fingers in Jacqueline's hair, however, the kiss was broken as suddenly as it began, leaving Corinne red-faced and weak-kneed in the small tender boat. She blinked as her mind returned to the oppressive dreariness of the current situation, and drew her disheveled robe tighter around her, concealing the crimson blush that ran all the way down to her chest. Much like Jacqueline, she would prefer to avoid any further commentary on the matter.<br><br>She sank down onto one of the benches on the tender boat, and let her mind wander. Embarrassment aside, she had to confess she felt a little less terrified of their predicament, and her mind managed to drift to more pleasant thoughts for a time.<br><br>Her reverie was broken when Jacqueline and Danae exclaimed the sighting of a ship. Hearing Danae's suggestion, Corinne called forth her lights once again, causing the four orbs to hover in a glowing tower above their little boat, like a garish exclamation point.<br><br>"Mlle. Hotspur," she called to Margaret, excitement clear in her voice. "Do can you signal them with your musket? If your powder is wet, I may be able to dry it with my magic."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OoC</div><div class="spoiler_body">I was thinking Prestidigitation might be able to dry out Margaret's gunpowder if it happens to have gotten wet.<br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>20-08-2019, 05:32:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The whole ship awoke at the break of dawn with an exuberant new energy. Zoe and Michelle hollared themselves hoarse calling to the ship in the distance, and Sage joined in waving madly, catching a pleasant warm breeze in fingers red from the elements. There was a serenity to the water as the rising sun crept across it, turning the waves into shimmering golden treasure. The sea could be beautiful again.<br><br>With a catch in her throat Margaret Hotspur loaded the musket. The powder was as soaked as every inch of the ship, and it was only by Corinne's magic that the weapon had any chance of firing. Hurried, limbs tremulous on spent adrenaline, Margaret invested her hope in a handful of powder and pulled the trigger to scatter it to the breeze.<br><br>The musket's crack was deafening, louder than any combined sound eight passengers could make. There was silence, panting, sobbing, and sharply the caravel's sails snapped full of wind and surged to intercept the ragged tender boat.<br>"We're saved," gust Zoe. "Praise Ezra!"<br><br>For fifteen weightless minutes the caravel drew nearer. A name, <em>Mercy, </em>bore in milk-white paint across its prow. Dark sailors, richly tanned men of low breeding, called undisciplined greetings from the caravel's deck. The language of it was unfamiliar, throaty and harsh with guttural clucks, but someone aboard must share the Common tongue. Someone had registered that ship, not so long ago that the sea air had stripped it away. A named ship had history.<br><br>There were kisses to go around, with the end of this ordeal in sight. Michelle pressed a kiss to Jacqueline, full of gratitude and asking no reciprocation at all. Her heart was all aflutter. It was quick, and done, while a kiss from Zoe to Corinne mired in frustration, jealosy, anguish. Sage granted a kiss to Danae and one to Aloisa, while the moment was bright, but these were torrid and self-serving, each a promise, a secret compact.<br><br>A rope net fished the tender boat from the water, and on straining, juddering winches, brought its eight passengers up to the caravel deck. Moving from cramped benches onto the caravel's open deck made unreasonable demands of the legs, and yet, however the body may stumble, the <em>Mercy </em>remained blessedly solid.<br><br>Through the crewmen stepped a dark woman in the flashy cosmopolitan style of Darkon, sweat-stained jacket over powerful frame and feathered cap over hair tangled to a feral condition.<br>She gave an order to the crew, curt and clearly understood, as she appraised the net's catch. Then she made a difficult switch to Common, the inflection of her words corrupted by the language of her crew, wielding the trade language as though dusting off an old heirloom. "I am Captain Baykur. You come to the Mercy. We welcome you from the deep's jaws."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Baykur</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://i.imgur.com/BlZUYhF.png)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>20-08-2019, 22:34:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Adrift in a Dark Sea<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Attempting to Escape a Disaster! <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Everyone<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline winced at the resounding crack of the musket. Outside of the storm it now seemed much louder than before, deafening the woman momentarily. She knew that such things were powerful and deadly, but she distrusted them as opposed to her bow. Still, she had to admit it was much more handy as a noisemaker.<br><br>Caught off guard slightly she was a bit more slow than normal to return Michelle's kiss, but as the woman tried to pull away Jacqueline caught her up in her arms and held her close for a second round, giving the girl a smile as she took advantage of the opportunity to do something she might not be able to do again if this ship contained folks who thought of women kissing women a certain way. <br><br>It only occurred to her as they were already caught in the net and being pulled up that it was possible the ship was less than friendly. But what could be done? And even if they were, could they be less friendly than an open sea and no supplies?<br><br>Jacquline therefore stretched warily as she finally found space to do it, and checked that her sword and her bow were still usable as she took in the rather low quality of the crew's heritage and the rather desirable nature of her companions and prepared herself for the need to correct what might be misunderstandings in terms of the nature of gratitude.<br><br>But then, another surprise, a woman stepped forward, a very eye-catching one at that, and Jacqueline found herself suddenly much more interested in this captain's opinion of women kissing women than she had thought she would give any mind to. <br><br>She stepped forward herself, not that she had any particular right to other than being of noble blood and an arrogant disposition.<br><br>"Jacquline de Fronsac." She said with a curt, almost military bow, "We are the survivors of the poor <em>Charlotte</em>, who was lost in the storm that passed through these waters. We are very grateful for this Mercy." She said it was a straightforward delivery, but part of her hoped that the play on words might provoke at least a smile from that businesslike countenance. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>22-08-2019, 07:34:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Deck of the Mercy<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>A Blue Silk Bathrobe That Has Seen Better Days<br><strong>Content: </strong>Kissing n stuff!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Any<br><hr><br>For the second time that day, Corinne found herself caught off guard by a kiss. This time, however, she recovered quickly, and in the case of Zoe her feelings were far less confused. Zoe's frustration and jealousy were completely understandable and, if Corinne was being honest, oddly enticing. The wizardess's hands flew to Zoe's cheeks, and her body pressed flush against the Ezrite. Corinne was determined to make it very clear that <em>this</em> was the kiss she had been craving. When at last she pulled away, she gave Zoe a lingering look, a mixture of doe-eyes and desire that she hoped would convey an apology and a promise of atonement all at once. She didn't expect Zoe to forgive her all at once, but Corinne was more than willing to put in the work.<br><br>Boarding the <em>Mercy</em>, Corinne walked a fine line. She did not wish to crowd Zoe if Zoe wished to remain angry... but Corinne tried to remain close enough to react in the event that any of the sailors made unwanted overtures to the Ezrite.<br><br>She was happy to let Jacqueline take the lead in addressing the captain, if for no other reason than Jacqueline happened to be wearing more than mere bedclothes. The perverse thought of discarding the bathrobe intruded sharply into Corinne's thoughts. Flushing red, she wrapped the blue silk around her even tighter, cinching the sash at her waist. These intrusive thoughts really were getting out of hand.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>22-08-2019, 14:25:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> found, but suspicious<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>&nbsp; Capt. Baykur<br><hr><br>Aloisa blinked as more kisses flew about, a bit annoyed and curious as to why she seemed to be ignored in this trend that seemed to be sweeping by without her. Then Sage took her and those feelings melted away as she was left blinking and breathless for a moment. When she snapped to she carefully hid the dagger away as effectively as possible and followed the others up, eyes scanning the deck and crew with suspicion guised as curiosity, trying to find some sign of the ships normal purpose. "We thank youost deeply Captain Baykur, but there was another ship before us... By chance have you seen it or any other sign...?"<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">perception: 9</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-08-22 07:20:29, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a5 Result: 9 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=138809)</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">insight:9</div><div class="spoiler_body">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2019-08-22 07:23:27, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 9 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=138812)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>22-08-2019, 17:05:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs (unbuttoned), loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Rescued<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Captain Baykur, Open <br><br><hr><br>What manner of trick of Fate was this?&nbsp; Danae contemplated her good fortune and at once considered it premature.&nbsp; They knew little of the <em>Mercy</em> or her crew, much less of their intentions.&nbsp; Fortuitous as the ship's intervention had been in saving them from the wreck of the <em>Charlotte</em>, she could not help but think that they have been cast into an altogether more difficult predicament.&nbsp; There were slavers on the waves, and privateers.&nbsp; To have been rescued may have been just the beginning of their travails.&nbsp; Long years of campaigning in the wilds of Mordent had taught her diffidence.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>"Captain," she addressed the mistress of the <em>Mercy</em>, "I am Lieutenant Danae Vine-Lott.&nbsp; For rescuing us from the jaws of the deep, you have my gratitude.&nbsp; Doubtless you will know that I and my companions are far from home. A storm claimed our vessel and to me these waters are uncharted.&nbsp; Tell us, what manner of ship is this?"&nbsp; She left the question hanging.&nbsp; Unaccustomed to being disarmed, she felt vulnerable.&nbsp; If their newfound hosts wished to seize them as raiding booty they could do so with relatively little resistance.&nbsp; These foreigners and their knavish ways were not to be trusted and it was incumbent on her - an officer and a lady - to be on her guard.&nbsp; <br><br>"At any rate, though we are loath to be a burden on your crew, Captain," Danae continued, "there are women here who need rest and water.&nbsp; We have been adrift since the dead of night."&nbsp; Horizon cresting the dawn promised a new day, but Danae was uncertain what new uncertainties it would bring. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>23-08-2019, 03:08:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jacqueline's word play tickled a flash of amusement to the captain's eyes, but it did not hold long against the barrage of questions, nor the tales of distress pouring from Sage and Michelle.<br>"We have not seen them by night," Baykur report. "We sailed from Martira Bay. Out here, the shoals are dangerous. If there are more boats, we will find them soon."<br><br>Zoe stood small on the deck after kissing Corinne, a lonesome reed bending with the slow sway of the ship. She attempted to meet the eyes of the crew, and found something deeply unpleasant in her new situation, and felt compelled to look away.<br><br>"We will sail a short time," said Baykur to Danae. The respectable rank Danae boasted did not seem to move her, nor stir the least curiosity, but she took notice of Michelle's smocked body.<br>"The <em>Mercy </em>brings goods from the mainland. When we reach safe port, someone there will care for you."<br>Baykur reached for the sodden hem of Michelle's bedclothes and drew the fabric up, up to expose pale skin and red marks left by burning wood. She might have exposed more, were the cries of protest not so forceful.<br><br>Instead, the captain took a step back, and gave an order to the crew in their guttural language. One man went belowdeck through the weathered sterncastle doors, and Baykur waited, her head at an angle, looking at each castaway in turn.<br>"That is a captain's gun," said Baykur.<br><br>Margaret regarded the weapon. "It saved us," she said. And sensing the tension of a firearm loose on the ship's deck, she offered the musket to Danae's hands.<br>"Along with Lieutenant Danae Vine-Lott. I wish to surrender it to her custody, for she is our acting captain."<br><br>Another woman stepped from the sterncastle, this one with marcelled curls in bright copper and the robe of Ezra's learned doctors, white at the edges from years of laundering. Her eyes were witch-blooded.<br>"Doctor Rehner," Baykur introduced her, "will examine you."<br>The doctor opened her physician's bag to let out the fragrance of clean gauze and poultice to the salty sea air. Only once she was poised to pry most intimately did she become aware of the eyes on them, and the nerves of her patients. "Come with me. We will do it in the store room."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Dr. Rehner</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://i.imgur.com/CuqhiQN.png)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>24-08-2019, 01:59:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Everyone<br><br><hr><br>"I am uninjured." Jacqueline said simply. Having been offered no quarters she simply went to the railing at the edge of the ship and leaned against it, staring out into the sea. She would not truly mind sleeping on the ship's deck until they arrived. The fact that her luxury cruise had gone so terribly just seemed fitting for the path her life was on. She didn't suppose her mother would spring for a second round.<br><br>She was lost staring out into the waves, trying to find some sort of purpose there, as she heard the injured ladies heading to be seen to.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>24-08-2019, 07:54:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> found, but suspicious<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>&nbsp; Everyone<br><hr><br>Aloisa nodded "Thank you for your kindness Captain, and bless your Mercy and her crew..." she bowed her head and followed along playing herd dog to the Mlle.s that were tired and in shock carefully cajoling them along to be seen by the doctor.<br><br>"Doctor Rehner, mind you that i ask where you are from? You look as if you would have fit fine along the Mlles of the Charolette." She gave a weak, but friendly smile, trying to keep conversation going as something to distract the Ladies and learn something of their rescuers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>25-08-2019, 07:22:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Deck of the <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A Blue Silk Bathrobe That Has Seen Better Days<br><strong>Content: </strong> <br><strong>Tagging: </strong><br><hr><br>Seeing Zoe wilting on the deck, Corinne shifted closer and interposed herself between Zoe and the crew. She wanted to pull her friend aside to speak privately and clear the air, but privacy would likely be hard to come by aboard the <em>Mercy</em>. Perhaps once the novelty had worn off, and they were less of a spectacle aboard the vessel, they could have a quiet word. She just hoped that Zoe's hurt feelings didn't fester in that time.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>26-08-2019, 02:16:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Store Room </em><br><br>Dr. Rehner bobbed beneath the low-slung beams beneath <em>Mercy's </em>forecastle and opened the furthest door to a hollow just behind the prow, nothing more than a storage closet for the ship's materials. A single yellow lamp hung from a hook at just head height, and in its streaked glass weary reflections stretched and distorted.<br>"Me, I work on the island," Dr. Rehner said. "Before that, I was born in Gundarak." Her eyes were searching for recognition in Aloisa when she named the place, squinting for it.<br><br>The huge bolts of sailcloth accommodated Michelle and Zoe comfortably. Sage utilized a rough stack of planks for a bench and a barrel labeled in unknown hoop-and-slash script to bury her head in her arms. Margaret settled in a coil of rope and seemed to regret it immediately.<br><br>"It does not exist anymore." Dr. Rehner overlooked the signs of mice in the store room and helped Michelle out of her smock. There were red lines striped onto her pale peach skin like the marks of a grill, and surrounding the skin was tender, pink. Allowing Dr. Rehner to touch it drew a sharp breath. She did not know whether to endure or protest.<br>"Ten years ago it was annexed by Barovia. The Gundarkite left the forest for the most part to settle there. Barovia is good for them, I think. There is peace with the devil. It is not a place for a doctor."<br><br>Dr. Rehner inspected Sage's frostbitten fingers and toes, and the bruises revealed when Zoe disrobed, all the while noting observations she did not share.<br>"I have nothing for the pain until we reach port. For now, you must all get out of those clothes. The wet will be your death of cold."<br><br><em>The Deck </em><br><br>At the captain's direction, the <em>Mercy </em>continued its journey, the violent winds and capsizing waves of the night before nothing but a vivid dream before these sparkling waters. Baykur remained on the deck while the crew worked, watching Jacqueline, appraising her.<br>"You can spend the time on deck when you are not in the way. We will house you with your friends in storage."<br>As the ship's course changed, Baykur joined Jacqueline at the railing, looking out, but observing the sea turned her too much into a sailor. She looked out over the morning sky, instead, the sun taking shape from a pool of gold on the horizon, the clouds deeper shades of blue than the waves.<br><br>"I will lend you my girl to fetch what you need, so you do not wander into the hold or crew quarters. She will keep you fed and clothed and in good spirits. She will serve you well until we arrive."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>26-08-2019, 05:37:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Baykur<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline remained leaning over the rail and watching the waves as the captain joined her. She tried to maintain her calm and not react too hard in any way one way. The captain was a bit intimidating, and the fact that she had control over Jacqueline and the other survivors in that they were involuntary passengers on her ship was a factor that Jacqueline was acutely aware of. So for various reasons she kept her eyes down and to the waves and said nothing as the woman joined her. She hoped the woman would not say anything too confrontational, for Jacqueline did not trust herself to be civil given all that she had been through lately.<br><br>Instead though, the woman was, in her straightforward way, very polite.<br><br>Jacqueline blinked, not expecting this and turned towards her with a cautious look "Well of course I will not interfere with your ship." She said calmly, resisting the urge to snap. An entire childhood of being treated like she was in the way led toward a bit of a chip on her shoulder on this subject, but that wasn't Captain Baykur's fault. <br><br>"I," Jacqueline paused slightly, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop, but when no strings seemed to be attached to the captain's generosity, she nodded and dipped her hips into something resembling a bow, feeling a bit silly for being so formal to one who form the way she barked orders and traded words with her crew was anything but interested in formal etiquette. "Thank you." She said, not sure what else to say. "That is far more generous than I would have the right to demand of you." <br><br>"When we arrive I will of course compensate you for your troubles, assuming my family can send money before you must be off." <br><br>Another short moment of silence as Jacqueline followed Baykur's gaze, or at least part of it, wincing as the glare of the sun off the water caused her distress that didn't seem to bother the pirate woman. "It is very beautiful." She said, sounding like she was admitting something. "It wasn't so pretty from the <em>Charlotte</em>. We were caught in some sort of doldrums and it was disgustingly hot." She sighed, "I was almost thankful the storm broke." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>26-08-2019, 16:23:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Questioning<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Baykur, Jacqueline<br><br><hr><br>The musket she accepted with gratitude from Margaret, though she had little use for it now.&nbsp; It was a symbol of authority, perhaps, but it carried little weight on this ship.&nbsp; If the crew of the <em>Mercy</em> wished to overwhelm them, they surely would and there was little they could do to stop them.&nbsp; As for the designation of acting captain, that was a stretch.&nbsp; Danae was not a woman of the sea.&nbsp; The first time she had even seen it was when she was first commissioned, and led a patrol out to the perilous cliffs and heaths by the Mordent coastline.&nbsp; She had never sailed the waves, but she now had to repay the vote of confidence that had been placed in her.&nbsp; <br><br>"Captain," she addressed Baykur once more, "I have little experience of seafaring, and to call me captain is a disservice to your experience, so I ask only for your indulgence if my questioning seems unlearned.&nbsp; May I ask which goods you carry, and to which destination?&nbsp; My companions and I would return to the mainland.&nbsp; If news of the wreck of the <em>Charlotte</em> makes its way back to Dementlieu there will be many a concerned spouse or relative.&nbsp; Madame Jacqueline and I are of one mind that we do not intend to impose on your generosity.&nbsp; If you see so fit, though, you may bid your cabin girl to tend to the wounded and the shocked among us.&nbsp; As for the rest of us, what fresh water or drink you could spare would be most welcome."&nbsp; The heat and the long journey aboard the tender boat made dehydration a serious concern. <br><br>She fixed Baykur, appraising the captain with the studied gaze of a soldier.&nbsp; They were warriors, both, though their callings were different.&nbsp; She positioned the musket butt flat on the decking.&nbsp; To have a weapon, albeit an ineffectual one under the circumstances, in her hands was reassuring.&nbsp; She no longer felt denuded and entirely at the mercy of her new hosts.&nbsp; "Your Dr Rehner is a woman of learning, no doubt.&nbsp; It is most curious to find a woman of her erudition on a cargo ship." <br><br>Danae was seized by the sensation that there were eyes on her.&nbsp; The crew would be regarding her with narrow, savage eyes.&nbsp; They were prey here.&nbsp; Behind a thin veneer of courtesy lay a fatal imbalance in power.&nbsp; Hospitality and safety would be at the sufferance of Captain Baykur and her crew. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>26-08-2019, 17:19:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> discussion<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>&nbsp; Doctor Rehner<br><hr><br>Aloisa grimaced at the mention of Gundarak, she hadn't heard much, but all of it pointed to it not being that pleasant of a place.. "I can't say i know much of your homelands, but I thank Erza that your here to help us," she gives a weak smile, memories of those she failed sweeping through her mind like waves over the broken deck of the Charlotte, "Undoubtably you can do much better then I was able to.." She nods and listens to what the doctor wishes to share, "We came from Dementlieu, set sail from Port-a-Lucine... Though I came there from a small town. Served the Watch there, though I left when the signs things were Changing." She frowned softly and gave a small smile pulling out the flask, "Well, Maybe this can help with the pain some..?"<br><br>She rested a light comforting hand on Michelles and gave her a brave smile, "Come on Ladies, you have heard the Doctor. Out of those wet cloths, and up together, back to back with each other. It will help you all warm up, Sage, you take the middle." She directs them along taking some of that old Watch Authority in hopes it helps, and while they strip she takes some time to shift about some of the things in the room to give a somewhat more comfortable place to settle in so they arent sitting on the rough wooden floor. She looked to the Rehner, "I dont suppose its to much to ask for a small brazier, maybe a pot of water to warm on it? Surely that will help them warm a bit faster."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>28-08-2019, 06:03:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Sore Room, <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Nothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong>Stripping, and magical grooming.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Doctor Rehner, Zoe, Aloisa<br><hr><br>Corinne joined the huddled mass of girls belowdecks, not quite certain where to settle herself. Zoe and Michelle huddled on the sailcloth left little room for a third, and so Corinne stood somewhat awkwardly. Still, it was worth reaching out to a fellow woman of learning. "Dr. Rehner," she said. "I have some experience with alchemy. While my supplies were aboard the <em>Charlotte</em> when it sank, I am happy to put my talents at your service, should you require them."<br><br>At the instruction to strip, something odd came over Corinne. The rational side of her knew that she could dry herself with a wave of her hand, yet she found she didn't want to. Indeed, she cast her robe aside with brazen eagerness. With a strange sense of confidence, she maneuvered next to Zoe in the ensuing huddle.<br><br><em>Now</em> was the time for a little magic. She ran her fingers through her hair, weaving some minor magic into the action. In one single sweep her dark tresses fell into perfect order, full and flowing, the knots and tangles entirely smoothed away. She sighed with relief.<br><br>"I feel so much better," she said, and reached up to brush a stray lock from Zoe's face. "Would you like me to do yours?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>29-08-2019, 22:37:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Deck </em><br><br>"You fear you have been rescued by corsairs."<br>A captain was accustomed to dealing with such questions, from petty port officials with the authority to cause great inconvenience and expense. When the questions came from Danae, Baykur set her in a withering glare.<br>"The ladies in your care did not share your concerns, but all of you are fussy in your own way, I see it now."<br><br>"We carry goods to the clinic on the island. Doctor Heinfroth owns the ship, and pays me to fetch what the island does not provide. These men are natives."<br>Baykur turned to watch the sailors working like a well-oiled machine, quick and tireless, and this gave her joy.<br>"Doctor Rehner is a friend of Heinfroth. When she is aboard, it means we carry patients from the mainland. These are not to be disturbed. I will do what can be done for you, but not at cost to them, or to my crew, or to the doctor."<br><br>Baykur opened a door to the aftercastle, where she'd warned either woman not to venture, and beckoned loosely with the expectations that her directives fall on ready ears.<br>"Come here."<br>Into a cramped deckhouse crowded by crew cabin doors she stepped, and opened the rearmost port door with a jangling ring of tarnished keys. As soon as the door opened, there was a flutter within, an excitable motion.<br><br>Within the captain's cabin a large window looked out over the <em>Mercy's </em>rippling wake. A rising sun shone in to illuminate her fine roll-top desk and regal seat, and a high bed for two with unmade sheets gathered around the body of a young woman, her skin smooth, unblemished by the seafaring sun, a halo of perfect yellow gold in the morning light through her hair.<br><br>"Colleen," Baykur named her, "we have castaways. See their journey to the island is pleasant as possible. They will need food, and water."<br><br>Bare feet thumped to attention. Colleen was dressed in ill-concealing rags, and her body moved tawdry with a practice for flashing belly and thigh through the tattered gaps. If she was a slave, she betrayed no suffering in the company of her mistress.<br>"Who are you?" Colleen asked breathless, with a wide-eyed wonder. "Where did you come from?"<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Colleen</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://i.imgur.com/JqcD8Ej.png)</div></div><br><br><em>The Store Room </em><br><br>Once the clothes began to come off, a fashion was set, the same way it had been within the <em>Charlotte's </em>sheltered saloon. Sage peeled from her wet clothes, and watched agape and shivering Doctor Rehner cup and breathe over her fingers to bring them warmth. The yellow lantern came down from its hook, and sat between the huddle for added warmth.<br><br>It had not been a day since the <em>Charlotte's </em>lamps exploded and set fire to the cabins. Michelle sat apart from the huddle, fixated on the flame as Rehner exposed it to greater airflow and grew it to a lashing orange tongue.<br><br>"I suppose," said Margaret Hotspur. From a full state of dress she began to disrobe in layers, under scrutiny. Action under urgency had not shaken her resolve, but now she became flustered. Corset loosened, and brown sugar breasts which had steadied a musket exposed. The effort stalled at her petticoats, and Rehner knelt to help her from them, to stilted stiffness and discomfort. When she was nude, Margaret Hotspur covered herself, her eyes averted.<br><br>"Yes," Zoe answered, "Please."<br>The feel of Corinne's fingers in her hair soothed. Zoe's eyes became heavy-lidded and dreaming, floating away from the unpleasant ship's closet and the rough scent of hemp and tough canvas. A small sound was made in her throat, of nerves, which was twisted-up and reedy like an emotion close to tears.<br><br>Doctor Rehner clucked her tongue. "No open fire on the ship. Your clothes will hang dry, but only when you give them to me."<br>The rest of the wet clothes gathered in a heap. Rehner waited expectantly for Aloisa to undress, too. A hand came out, and when the flask was not tightly attended, Rehner tipped it briefly to her lips for a sample.<br>"Mm, good. Little of this on the island. This will all be a little secret between us."<br>She winked, the doctor winked, and felt the fabric of Aloisa's silk sash between her fingers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>30-08-2019, 23:37:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>"Perhaps I should have acted like the captain..." Jacqueline muttered, assuming that Baykur completely ignored her because she wanted to interact with someone who she believed to be more important. It wasn't really worth wasting energy over though, the rather exhausted woman thought to herself, and turned to see who she was being handed off to. <br><br>"My name is Jacqueline," she said, "and right now all I care to say is I'm from a shipwreck. I'm tired and hungry and haven't had clean water in a day. Your captain implied you could fix these things." She crossed her arms and gave the woman a look that made it obvious she had her doubts. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>01-09-2019, 06:33:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>The <em>Mercy</em>, Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Nothing<br><strong>Content: </strong>Magical grooming, shameless snuggling<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corinne's magic restored Zoe's hair to its natural loveliness in the first pass, but the look of relief on the poor girl's face encouraged Corinne to trail her fingers through the smooth tresses a few more times. From there, Corinne let her hands run down Zoe's neck, along her shoulders, trailing down Zoe's arms. As she did so, her magic slicked away the grime and sweat and seawater of the previous night's tribulations, until Zoe's skin was as pink and clean as if she had just stepped out of a bath.<br><br>"There," Corinne said, taking a moment to admire Zoe in her freshly-groomed state, before circling the girl's waist with her arms. "We will get through this, Zoe."<br><br>To Doctor Rehner, she said, "If open flames are a problem, I could magically warm some water." She lifted one hand, to make a vague arcane gesture, though her other palm pressed flat and hot against Zoe's skin.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>01-09-2019, 12:06:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> discussion<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>&nbsp; Doctor Rehner<br><hr><br>Aloisa grunts and nods, "Right.. We saw the hazards of that.. My apologies." She unrolled the dagger from her sarong and undressed with no hesitation, without the strategically placed cloth her body now on display, not to mention the scars, a mix of slash and stab wounds, as well as a good measure of Other, bite marks, claw slashes, and a few more hard to identify ones. Her body rather well toned, sleek and lithe she didn't have the "extra padding" some guards showed from an easy time sitting back and watching a gate. Though she is nicely padded in the proper places.<br><br>She smiled, "Might have filled it back on the ship for when the rocking was a bit much for me to get to sleep. Wishing i had topped it up at some point." She held out the clothing, which while silk, when touched was obviously something a bit old and likely bought second hand or such, comfortable but no where near the quality of the Ladies clothing. She gave a weak smile and held up the sheathed dagger, "This," she nods to the torn clothing, "that, and the flask are pretty much literally all I own now.. Gave its twin to one of the outgoing boats, and other part of the set went down with the ship." Saying it out loud cost her, all her savings, equipment, and family heirlooms lost in an unknown land where the only people she knew were not much better off then her. She kept the smile up, but some of the honest warmth from it faltered.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>02-09-2019, 02:00:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Still questioning<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Baykur, Jacqueline, Colleen<br><br><hr><br>Musket muzzle resting against her shoulder, she contemplated the bizarre sight of Baykur's girl.&nbsp; It simply could not have been that the girl had been at sea for long.&nbsp; She seemed unmarked by sun, salt-spray, or rope.&nbsp; A familiar suspicion fell over Danae.&nbsp; Little seemed to fit or make sense.&nbsp; Did the Captain have a similar fate planned for some of the castaways of the <em>Charlotte</em>.&nbsp; After all, they were on the high seas, and there were numerous ports where a lady of civilised climes would fetch a good price at a slave auction.&nbsp; <br><br>"Captain, we are grateful for your hospitality, and for your crew's aid," Danae said, though she clasped the grip of the musket tight.&nbsp; There was so much unspoken that it filled Danae with an odd trepidation.&nbsp; Here was the captain's intimate - her servant and lover, a companion against the solitude of long sea-voyages. Could it be that she was kept in the cabin all day? <br><br>She nodded to Colleen in acknowledgment, still unsure of what to make of her, and introduced herself.&nbsp; "Our ship was wrecked in a squall or storm, though I know not how her hull came to be sundered.&nbsp; I am not a navigator, so I am on unfamiliar ground.&nbsp; I, for one, am from Mordent, a much colder and darker land than this one.&nbsp; My companion and I would be grateful for food, and water to drink and a basin with which to wash. <br>&nbsp;Then, perhaps, a place in which to rest, if only for a little while." <br><br>Danae scrutinised Colleen carefully, observing both her speech and motions, seeking to understand how she could ever have found herself on a ship such as this one.&nbsp; Questions would have to wait though.&nbsp; She did not wish to give Baykur the impression that they were anything but grateful and compliant.&nbsp; <br><br>To Baykur she spoke, soldier to seafarer, "I am a woman of practical manners, Captain - what may I offer you in return for this generosity?"&nbsp; She fixed her host's gaze to make clear that this was a question borne out of gratitude and not fear. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>02-09-2019, 06:27:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Deck </em><br><br>"Will you tell me the whole story, once you've rest?" Colleen pawed at the knot of Jacqueline's arms. "Yes, I know everywhere on the ship. Food, drink. I'll do it."<br>Resourceful as a mouse Colleen opened up a small closet, and pushed in a solitary lamp to illuminate the galley. It was a workshop for one industrious cook, little more than space for one to stand and turn and operate the shelved and festooned and stacked and overflowing tools of the trade. The morning's fresh catch lay staring dumb into the oxygenated world, and eager to prove her use Colleen set to work on them with a sharp knife.<br><br>In a short time Colleen had simmering on a logwood stove a low pot of bean and barley porridge mashed in bitter ale, diced with pale, tasteless fish and seasoned with perfectly browned garlic. The first bowls were for Jacqueline, and Danae, and with them came overflowing cups of grog, spilling on the deck wood, lending the galley a familiar aroma apart from the sea.<br><br>"How is it?" Colleen perched uneasy when deprived of Jacqueline's approval.<br><br>When Captain Baykur had locked her cabin tight, she stood with them in the aftercastle for a time as the too-hearty porridge settled in empty stomachs.<br>"You must have nothing material to give," said Baykur. She was happy to meet Danae's gaze with fierce, urging blue eyes, and get a feel for what was truly being offered. "As for ransom, it is not mine to take. Doctor Heinfroth will no doubt work out the price for returning you to the mainland, or lodging you until your relatives can claim you."<br><br>"For my own part..." Baykur tore her eyes away, having intuit all she needed. "We can come to some arrangement later."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's passive perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">And who was Colleen? She moved to Danae's senses like a common whore, singularly pampered on a ship where the crew tanned dark as leather. Her familiarity with the ship did not suggest one confined to the captain's cabin, and yet if Captain Baykur feared what should happen to Danae or Jacqueline out of sight down in the hold, the same ought to be true for Colleen.</div></div><br><br><em>The Store Room</em><br><br>Zoe shivered under touch though the feeling was warm. It took until the small of her spine to become comfortable with Corinne's hands on her, and drinking it in, she savored the transition from body temperature to magical warmth. The tension in her narrow back eased from direct touch and sent Corinne's fingers searching into the groove of her spine, along her contour lest a spot be missed.<br><br>"Another boat is out there, still." Dr. Rehner considered this, collecting the last of the wet clothes in full arms. "I will get these back to you, at least. But, you have your health. Some would appreciate the chance to start again somewhere new. You are reborn. Take the good and leave the bad, if it pleases."<br>It was a struggle for Rehner to work the store room door, but she managed out onto the deck, and began to hang wet clothes from the rigging without first shutting the door behind her.<br><br>Margaret uprighted from her seat to rush down the gaping door and shut it firmly. "Where have the other two gone?"<br><br>"That woman didn't give me any medicine at all," Michelle complained.<br><br>"Nor I," said Sage. When she caught on to what Corinne was doing with her magic, she led by the wrist to bring Corinne's heated hand to her own body, just over her heart. It thumped, she exhaled, and pinned with steepled hands. "But this is nice."<br>"Let me," said Michelle. From further up Corinne's wrist she pulled, forced Corinne to turn away from Zoe and follow with her hand to a breast its perfect complement, with no space for air between where heat might escape.<br>Zoe pressed to Corinne's back. "You have the lantern," she protest, reaching for the magic.<br><br>"Now we're at that doctor's mercy," Margaret said as she settled with Aloisa. It came as a grim warning, but then she saw Aloisa smiling, and her worry dissolved. She was smiling too, and finding reasons to inspect the grain of the weathered wood.<br>"I preferred my privacy aboard the <em>Charlotte. </em>Now there's nothing for it. It does exhilirate a bit, but I would not care to go out there in this state."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>02-09-2019, 07:29:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Watching the Ladies<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>&nbsp; Everybody in the store room<br><hr><br>Aloisa nodded and smiled wryly, "They usually have a bit more to help that new start. But I get your meaning, Thank you for your help Good Doctor." She gives a sigh and looks to the ladies, pausing as margaret Shuts the door tight, pausing to open it a crack again so the doctor can get back in, but closed enough to prevent prying eyes, "Lets not trap ourselves in and the Doctor out, and i believe the others are speaking with the Ships Captain and expressing our thanks for their timely rescue and maybe seeing if they can find our Lost sisters." <br><br>She smiled to Margaret even more warmly, giving a comforting squeeze before looking to Michelle, "And sadly, much like privacy, medicine is a rare commodity on ships, they have to make use of every little bit of space they can for trade goods, supplies, and crew. And if they do have what they can spare, its unlikely that she would carry it around on her person all the time. With that for doctor and crew Modesty is something of a casualty most likely. And better her mercies then the oceans..." She kept her tone soft and warm, gently rubbing the ladies backs and shoulders to get blood flowing, the touches comradely rather then heavily intimate, as she shared warmth with them... Her smile went to a wicked teasing grin as her voice went to a conspiratorial whisper, "Besides... After having been at sea so long with largely only hairy men with hardly a chance to wash, wouldn't you find yourselves wanting to see something much... Better..?"<br><br>She held back a sigh watching Zoe and Sage, and Michelle bicker over Corinnes attention, "Ladies, Please, we have gotten this far so let us not fall to bickering like children in the street, we are All much to Good for that. close together, share your warmth and have it shared with you. All we have left now is the Ships hospitality, and each other. Let no wedges pull us apart when we should be together. Someone come here, three together will help warm all up quickly, we dont wish to put to much strain on Mlle. Corinne and treat her like a warming pan."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>02-09-2019, 08:26:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong><em>Mercy,</em> Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Nothing<br><strong>Content: </strong>Too many bosoms, not enough hands<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corinne quickly got lost in tending to Zoe, her touch becoming ever more familiar until Sage and Michelle seized her all at once. All her sultry confidence evaporated into surprised embarrassment, as her hands were pressed firmly to soft breasts. And while she was hardly the sort to complain about such a state of affairs, Corinne was keen to avoid further wounding Zoe's affections. So when Aloisa suggested a more equitable distribution of body heat, Corinne was all too happy to oblige.<br><br>"Aloisa is right, uh.." she pondered how to handle this situation most diplomatically. "Sage, you and Aloisa seem... well-acquainted. Perhaps you should join her and Margaret?"<br><br>Turning to the other two girls, she set out to find an optimal arrangement. "Zoe, if you could shift around here?" Corinne sat with her back to the wall of the storeroom, then spread her legs to make room for Zoe. As the Ezrite leaned back against her, Corinne wrapped her legs aground Zoe's waist, and brought one warm hand around to pull the girl close. Lifting her other arm, she made room for Michelle to nestle against her shoulder.<br><br>"There," Corinne said, quite content with this arrangement. One hand explored its way up from Zoe's belly, over the swell of her breast, lingering to feel her heart beating in her chest. It was, after all, only fair. Corinne's other hand traced its way up and down Michelle's side, coming to rest from time to time on the curve of her hip.<br><br>A faint smile spread across Corinne's lips. "I trust my hands are not <em>too</em> hot this time?" she said to Michelle, recalling the girl's remarks aboard the Charlotte after tumbling out of the burning bedchamber.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>04-09-2019, 18:11:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Still questioning<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Baykur, Jacqueline, Colleen<br><br><hr><br>Danae ate and drank gladly.&nbsp; The repast set before her was superior to the rations to which she had become accustomed while on campaign in Mordent, and she was swift t assure Colleen that she relished it.&nbsp; She sat on her haunches by the fire, feeling the sea-spray dry off her skin, and watched the wood and embers crackle and the pot simmer and sputter.&nbsp; Nothing much made sense.&nbsp; Colleen was a vision of another world transplanted on this ship of rogues and corsairs.&nbsp; <br><br>"Tell me," she addressed the Captain's girl, "where was your home on dry land?"&nbsp; <br><br>She parsed Baykur for a reaction.&nbsp; If the Captain was a possessive woman, she might take umbrage at one addressing her girl in such a forward fashion.&nbsp; There was no doubt in Danae's mind that Colleen was far from innocent.&nbsp; Baykur was a seasoned sailor, a woman of the world with experience of whores in a dozen ports.&nbsp; Colleen must have been a veritable repository of sensual expertise, all skillfully hidden under an apparently self-possessed, understated demeanour.&nbsp; <br><br>Still, her curiosity was now tempered by a mounting sense of unease.&nbsp; There were too many loose threads for her methodical mind to take comfort.&nbsp; Turning to Baykur, she asked, "Why is the nature of Dr Heinfroth's study?&nbsp; What would a physician do in a far-flung island, far from civilsation -" she paused, and contemplated Baykur once more, defiant, "I mean no offence, Captain, but by your own admission this is a ship crewed by rough mariners.&nbsp; I wonder what would bring a woman of science to these climes."&nbsp; <br><br>She stirred her porridge, and eyed Jacqueline, hoping for some indication of her own sense of the situation.&nbsp; &nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>05-09-2019, 04:00:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">History 10</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Jacqueline rolled: 1d20, adding 2 to the total<br>Comment: history<br>Result: 8,<br>Total: 10</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>06-09-2019, 18:52:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Deck</em><br><br>Colleen looked to the captain before answering. "Martira Bay," she began to recall, equally distant as Baykur recalled the Common tongue, "Is a dreadful place. Those who live there are touched by a soulless magic, and it drives them mad. Great edifaces cage that madness in guilds and gentleman's clubs devoted to some perversion or another. It was no place to be young, competing to tour these disturbed private hells by moonlight. Twice revolution came while I lived there, and in places the moldering dead joined the brickwork."<br><br>Captain Baykur only surveiled the story from afar, and processed Colleen's words through a filter of half-forgotten language, perhaps. It settled on her at last like warm tea, and the way it ended seemed to please.<br>"Doctor Heinfroth came to the island after the war. She made to live there, and made her home into..." The name came to Baykur purely phonetically: "The Asylum for the Mentally Disturbed."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Jacqueline's History</div><div class="spoiler_body">The name Heinfroth struck Jacqueline as a mainlander name, probably somewhere within the landlocked and black-forested Core. Nothing more sprang to mind.</div></div><br><br>"I told you. When Doctor Rehner is aboard, it means we carry patients from the mainland," Baykur reiterated, word for word.<br>"Many are mad there," said Colleen.<br>"Patients are given to Heinfroth's care, so their madness can be treated away from everything. In peace. The <em>Mercy's </em>mission is to take them without incident."<br>Captain Baykur flung open the aftercastle doors, ready to return to deck and distance herself from all of these questions. "I leave you in Colleen's care," she said. "Stay out of the crew's way."<br><br><em>The Store Room</em><br><br>"Not too hot," Michelle agreed, as Corinne's hand settled on her pink skin.<br><br>Margaret Hotspur watched the three negotiate and intertwine like figures in a painting.<br>"I avoided the saloon, on the <em>Charlotte," </em>Margaret said. "I expected the nerves would flee me once we arrived on the white beaches. But there is no escaping one's nature- I went for the Society of Antiquity and would surely carry on that work unerring, refusing distraction by the likes of our friend Michelle, until our fleeting time in paradise was at an end."<br><br>"On that eve, perhaps, I would indulge the liquor with a sudden sense of urgency. There was ever a plan somewhere in my mind for a spontaneous tryst which I dared not conceive where or by whom, for fear of being complicit. I knew of it, the lascivious nature of the <em>Charlotte's </em>journey. Each of us are..."<br>Margaret lost her train of thought, in Aloisa's eyes.<br><br>Beside her, Sage dropped into Aloisa's lap, and indeed forced one into being. Hips fulsome and hot did wonders to warm, and Sage's hands pressed back slouched shoulders. She was not there to ease the tension from Aloisa's muscles.<br>"You will see me home safely, won't you Lady?" Sage implored, so breathy the sound of it transformed the energy between she and Aloisa. "Whisper in my ear how I might show my appreciation, and it will become our secret."<br><br>Zoe moved, between Corinne's thighs. Small movements, finding legs with her hands and rubbing warmth into them. She needed to keep track of Michelle in her periphery, that playful flit of white hair, and her eyes went wide with the effort.<br>"What other games do you play with magic?" Michelle asked.<br><br>The door opened a crack, and Doctor Rehner returned. There was a moment, tongue firmly set in her cheek, drinking in the atmosphere of the store room and the huddled giggling breaths. Without a sense of privacy, the doctor opened her physician's bag on an improvised plank examining table.<br>"You look very warm now. Who is first?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>07-09-2019, 07:38:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Deck, Captain's Quarters<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> A little disturbed<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Colleen<br><br><hr><br>Baykur did not disclose information gladly.&nbsp; Danae's thoughts drowned in doubt, the Captain's sudden and brisk exit compounding her suspicions.&nbsp; She knew idiots and lunatics were to be confined.&nbsp; That was a clear imperative of any healthy society.&nbsp; Such people were capable of seeing, knowing, and speaking to things best left outside the world of the sane.&nbsp; <br><br><em>And what of I?&nbsp; Am I not become a lunatic?</em>&nbsp; She glanced around herself, and saw Jacqueline in contemplation and Colleen's unsettling, self-assured affect.&nbsp; A creeping sense of unease skittered under her veins.&nbsp; Was she going mad?&nbsp; Would the good doctor, whoever she was, see through her facade?&nbsp; The world was corrupt, and wicked - suffused with witchcraft.&nbsp; No, she was not mad.&nbsp; It was the madness around that sought to claim back one of the few remaining islands of sanity. <br><br>Danae rose, fixed Colleen, "Does the Captain treat you well?&nbsp; Are you glad you are no longer in Martira Bay?"&nbsp; She sought a reaction, any reaction gauge what sort of woman she might have before her.&nbsp; The dull throbbing of the anodyne's comedown had left her irritable, and her questions were pointed with a hungry, demanding glower.&nbsp; It was her best soldier's intimidation tactic, and one she raised defensively, most conscious that she and the rest of the shipwrecked passengers of the <em>Charlotte</em> remained at the mercy of captors who may or may not have been reporting to a rogue alienist presiding over a bedlam.&nbsp; <br><br>Before her she contemplated Colleen and puzzled over the enigma.&nbsp; Vivid in her mind, the image unfolded - Captain Baykur, dark and rope-scarred, lips salty like sea-spray, claiming the pale and willing flesh of Colleen.&nbsp; A tangle of limbs, rustling of sheets, throaty moans and plaintive sighs.&nbsp; Images from a tawdry pirate romance.&nbsp; She had been punished at school for hoarding such a book once, and had reached a guilty orgasm, white-knuckled and panting, during her caning... <br><br><em>No, enough memories.&nbsp; Don't let them get out.</em><br><br>Danae pressed her fingers to her temples to banish the thoughts.&nbsp; The ship rocked, and she realised she could no longer look Colleen in the eye without conjuring a maelstrom of ungovernable echoes.&nbsp; She felt her away around the rough walls of the captain's cabin and settled on the clothes trunk, musket aslant on her lap.&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>07-09-2019, 22:44:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline wracked her brain for clues as to who this mysterious doctor was, but she got nothing, ending up learning quite a lot more from what Colleen was saying than anything else. <br><br>"You transport <em>patients</em>." She said the word like it was distasteful. "So is your cargo hold full of madmen?" She cocked an ear as if listening for their screams. <br><br>She glanced over at Danae, sharing a look with the woman, wondering if it would occur to her as well that their fellow pleasure-cruisers had vanished down that direction. <br><br>Well, at least the soup was good.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>08-09-2019, 15:01:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> discussion and being turned into furniture<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Margaret &amp; Sage<br><hr><br>Aloisa smiled warmly to Margaret as she gave what seemed like a confession. She gave the Lady a comforting squeeze and nodded in understanding as she smiled and opened her mouth...<br><br>And made a surprised and gurgled "Gloomphf" as Sage made lapfall with no warning. Its not that she was heavy, just more the surprise of it happening caught her by... Well. Surprise.<br>At her question she hhhmmmed and stroked her chin contemplatively, "... A richly appointed townhouse, some cute servants, and all the good brandy one could drink in their life..?" She perked and eyebrow and grinned teasingly, though her hand brushed and rubbed Sage's side softly to help ease the joke. Her demeanour grew more serious as she looked to Margaret, Sage, Zoe, Corinne, and Michelle, "But i Swear on my Life i will do all i can to see you Ladies home as safe as possible. Despite the tragedy we have faced, we should be safe now. But if something does arise, Please dear Mlle, you will need to listen to our orders and do them to the best of your abilities."<br><br>She gave a wry smile as the Doctor returned, "If you could see to Michelles burns first? We can help warm Sage while she waits. That should ease her Chills some." She half pushes Sage to stretch out with Margaret as well, sharing the warmth of their three bodies to help everybody warm up
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>09-09-2019, 00:34:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong><em>Mercy</em> Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>A heap of other girls<br><strong>Content: </strong>Wandering Hands, Wandering Thoughts<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corinne let her eyes drift shut, enjoying Zoe's hands running over her legs. With the sailcloth beneath them, she could <em>almost</em> imagine being back on the <em>Charlotte</em>, lying back in her bed. Almost.<br><br>She listened in as Margaret told her story. There was a ring of familiarity to the Antiquarian's words, something of a kindred spirit. Corinne, too, would likely have lost herself in her work, had Zoe not proven such an eager student. Moreover, Margaret was clearly capable and level-headed, rare qualities amongst the <em>Charlotte's</em> passengers. Corinne made a mental note to get to know the woman better in the coming days.<br><br>Sage's unsubtle intrusion between Margaret and Aloisa caused Corinne to roll her eyes, and she turned her attention to Michelle's question instead. "Games?" she said, surprised at the word choice. "I suppose I always thought of them more as experiments. Given a little time to prepare, I could grant myself understanding of any language, or call forth a magical servant to assist with menial tasks." She laughed softly. "Sometimes, when I've had a long day, it can be useful to have a magical masseur, too."<br><br>"Of course," she continued, "I have some other minor tricks. Zoe, would you care to assist me in a demonstration? I need a test subject." Leaning in until her lips brushed Zoe's ear, she whispered, "I promise, you will enjoy this."<br><br>"You saw how I cleaned Zoe's hair?" she continued, her voice taking on an academic tone, as though giving an address to the Alchemist's Guild. "It looks lovely, but there is something missing, no? The fragrance of a nice soap. But this is easily rectified." Once again her fingers combed through Zoe's hair, leaving the scent of strawberries in their wake. "You see? Much better."<br><br>"And, of course, you've seen that I can warm my hands," she said. "But I can also cool." Lifting her hand to Zoe's shoulder, one fingertip turned an icy blue, and she drew it slowly along the Ezrite's collarbone, watching for any reaction. She let the chill linger for just a moment before pressing her warm palm over the spot once again.<br><br>"And while I have no true artistic talent," Corinne continued, "I can create some simple little doodles." Lowering her hand, she drew a line with one finger along Zoe's thigh. The line lingered for a moment, and then slowly sprouted into a stylized flowering vine. "It's not permanent," she reassured Zoe. "It'll fade in about an hour."<br><br>It was at this juncture that the doctor returned. Corinne nodded in agreement with Aloisa's suggestion. "Yes, Michelle is probably most needful at the moment." She ushered the platinum-haired girl in the direction of the doctor and curled herself further around Zoe, giving her the benefit of both magically warmed hands.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>10-09-2019, 18:18:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Deck </em><br><br>"Doctor Rehner cares for the patients," Baykur said with her arm stretched long, poised to leave. "Leave them to her. If you go looking for them, I will not hesitate to cast you back into the sea."<br><br>With that, the captain returned to her duties aboard the ship.<br><br>Colleen was quick with a smile to defuse that tension.<br>"Oh, yes. Life on the island is most unrestrained. When it becomes too simple for taste, we up and sail. We still return to Martira Bay, on occasions like this."<br>The mention of the place brought it to mind, and Colleen was distant then, recalling the visit to port which must have left them with these madmen Baykur described. It troubled her, some.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's Insight</div><div class="spoiler_body">The wound of revisiting Martira Bay was still fresh in Colleen's mind to Danae's ears. It was not the patients which troubled her, but the piece of her history which had spoiled bitter. Colleen had sought something in Martira Bay and come away devastated. The way she spoke in frustration of its bewitched people, no doubt this was a reunion gone wrong. Still she searched for meaning, confounded and distressed by what had happened.<br><br>There was a sense as well that Colleen was aware of her role as tagalong to Danae and Jacqueline, and shepherding them to where the captain wished.</div></div><br><br>"But I get the worst jobs on the ship, since I'm not a burly sailor. It's my pleasure to be your cabin girl until we reach the island."<br><br>"I've met her, you know. Doctor Heinfroth," said Colleen. "She's very beautiful. Do you...like beautiful women?" The question aimed at Danae was sharpened and seeking what seemed to cause her averted eyes misery. It was an irresponsible question, without a mature woman's sense of decorum and restraint.<br>"You don't have to worry about Captain Baykur. We are all such good friends."<br><br><em>The Store Room </em><br><br>Zoe's breath had mingled with Corinne's as fingers traced up her thigh, body tight but lips apart. So decided was she to kiss Corinne and take this play further that Rehner's interruption sent her reeling like a cold splash. "It's all very enchanting," she managed.<br><br>Michelle rose offering the doctor her fingertips, and took a ginger place on the examination plank. Her body lay out, at Rehner's direction, and she faced Aloisa, since the alternative was too immodest to consider.<br><br>What secret desire had Aloisa murmured into that ear, she was left to wonder as the doctor's hands sought across her reddned skin for where she was tender. A shiver, a steeple of knees, only to have their judder eased back down by the doctor's hand.<br>"Does this hurt?" asked Rehner.<br>There was discomfort welling up in Michelle, interpreting even upside-down Sage's pleased smile and following the hand on that back. It gave a wholly different context to the doctor's touch. "No," she report.<br>"Here?" Rehner's fingers strolled along the red, pressing careless.<br>Michelle hissed, "Yes," but this did not stop the doctor. Perhaps from dangling over the examination plank's edge, her face turned pink and communicated the teasing she endured.<br><br>"Are you experiencing strange desires?" asked Rehner.<br>"Yes," Michelle told her.<br>"There may be some madness in you, too." Doctor Rehner urged Michelle to sit up, and brought her hunched form to a hunter green breast. Fingers swept back through Michelle's white hair, again and again, until her eyes lightly shut. "You're not to be blamed, any of you. You suffered an ordeal. You will bear its scars. We will see one who can help you very soon."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>10-09-2019, 21:48:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Deck, Captain's Quarters<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Demanding answers<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Colleen<br><br><hr><br>The question so baldly posed to her by Colleen stored uncomfortable echoes.&nbsp; She had been so close to the culmination of her pleasure.&nbsp; She had embarked on the <em>Charlotte</em> to escape.&nbsp; Escape madness, frustration, questions too difficult to answer.&nbsp; Questions with no answer.&nbsp; <br><br>"That, I do, Colleen, and you, for one, are most beautiful," Danae said, and tousled flaxen locks of hair sensing that the girl may have been fishing for a compliment.&nbsp; She called out to Jacqueline, "I cannot speak for you, Mademoiselle, but there are too many questions that cry out for answers.&nbsp; What say you we ask our obliging cabin girl to give us a tour of the ship?"&nbsp; Of Martira Bay she had heard of the infamous Cosmopolis Club, and the lady-officers of Mordent's Household Guard who would frequent those decadent premises searching for what no self-respecting Mordentish girl would give.&nbsp; Danae had been invited, but had always found an excuse not to go. <br><br>She rose and placed a hand on Jacqueline's forearm, "We should know a little more about Dr Heinfroth.&nbsp; Mademoiselle Jacqueline,&nbsp; do you not concur that Colleen would make a most distinguished guide, and a fine companion for lonely soldiers out at sea such as ourselves?"<br><br>She kept her voice as warm as she could, but her eyes were steely, communicating an unspoken determination to Jacqueline.&nbsp; A fellow warrior, and swordswoman would know. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>11-09-2019, 00:33:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline exchanged a meaningful look with Danae. The noblewoman's face had hardened as well, her stoic appreciation of the rescue rapidly spiraling down into suspicion and mistrust of this situation. <br><br>She stood and moved to stand at the other side of Colleen, slipping an arm about the pretty thing's waist, standing hip to hip with the woman she held her tightly, motioning with her eyes to Danae and indicating for her to do the same from the other side. <br><br>"Yes, I believe Miss Colleen your duties as a cook are fulfilled, and now it is time for you to show us this cargo of yours." She said sternly, in a voice that would brook no opposition. "After all a group of ladies taken aboard a ship deserve to see that their transport is fitting of their station after all." She squeezed Collen tightly with that hand about her slender midsection. "Point the way." She said with iron in her words. "Quickly." She was obviously not about to let go. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>11-09-2019, 16:20:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong><em>Mercy,</em> Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Zoe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Observing the good doctor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corinne would have happily indulged Zoe, had Doctor Rehner not returned so soon. "Yes, perhaps I can show you more some other time," she replied. She had been aiming for sultry and alluring, but her voice seemed locked into a narrow range of awkward and embarrassed tones. Nevertheless she held Zoe close, watching over the girl's shoulder as Doctor Rehner tended to Michelle. Her embarrassment deepened when she realized her magical demonstration may have scandalized poor Michelle. How had she let herself get carried away like that?<br><br>The doctor's final question, however, put Corinne suddenly on alert. <em>Strange desires? What business is it of hers?</em> The fact was Corinne <em>had</em> experienced certain odd fixations, ever since her first failed expedition into the mists. But they were small things, eccentricities really, and nothing that had ever interfered with her work. She was <em>not</em> mad. She was <em>not</em> like her parents. And she would not be locked away like a raving lunatic if she could help it. She did not trust this Doctor Rehner. No, not at all. She would have to be wary around her.<br><br>Unconsciously, Corinne slouched lower against the wall, half-hiding her face behind Zoe's hair. Her arms tightened around the girl's waist, clinging to Zoe as though she might ward off the doctor's suspicions.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>11-09-2019, 17:20:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> discussion and being turned into furniture<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Margaret &amp; Sage<br><hr><br>Aloisa smiled warmly to Michelle as she was examined, kind of wishing she had kept her flask a secret as a Nip would be nice at the moment.. Though....<br><br>No. No. Bad thoughts. Save them for when your not stuck on a strange ship surrounded by strange people in a strange land..<br><br>She quirked an eyebrow at the doctor, putting a little wry grin to her lips, "Surely we are all a bit mad Doctor, I mean.. The lands and world we live in. Its nearly a survival trait. And might I ask what you consider Strange..?" She smiled, "One of the other guards i worked with considered unseasoned porridge with some eggs from a local spider a delicacy... And my like of rabbit dipped in egg and spiced flour then fried in hot oil as near insanity. So what do you find to be strange cravings?" She watched the doctor carefully looking for small tells and signs of her being evasive or such..<br><br>((Insight Roll: At 2019-09-11 10:17:34, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 8 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=139302) ((11 if counts as detecting lies... which... yeah, prob not...))
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>13-09-2019, 18:50:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Deck </em><br><br>Colleen smiled ear to ear between dueling demands for her attention. So warm and inviting was this bath that at first the words did not seem to settle on her. When she realized what Jacqueline asked of her, she began to worry.<br>"Captain said," Colleen protest. And what had the captain said? "Stay out of the crew's way, and don't disturb the patients."<br>Grim the knife she'd used to prepare the fish wiped clean, and slipped into Colleen's tatters. When she sealed the galley, each of the doors around them in the aftercastle was identical, and Colleen rooted there in her anxiety, staring at Jacqueline.<br><br>"You oughtn't go down into the hold."<br>It came with a gust of breath, a taboo, but without the authority to forbid anything.<br><br>"This is Captain's Cabin. This is Doctor's," Colleen informed them. Her hands were far more illustrative than her words, running along the woodgrain of the rearmost doors, savoring the attention as she unfurled with a stretch before the eyes on her. "Galley, and crew cabins, where the sailors go."<br><br>Colleen tried the door to Doctor Rehner's cabin to demonstrate that it was locked. Instead, she led the way out onto the deck, under the bright sun. Baykur's crew called back and forth along the rigging in that guttural language, and from the stairs to the hold arrived a sailor drenched up to the knees, pushing past Colleen, continuing on up to the sterncastle.<br><br>Hung in the sun to dry, all the clothes Aloisa and Corinne, Margaret, Michelle, Zoe and Sage had been wearing billowed and snapped in the sea breeze, providing a screen against idle notice. There was an opportunity to slip down those stairs, if one were discreet and swift. Colleen did not let her eyes off Danae and Jacqueline.<br>"Down there is the hold. Alas, but for the rats. I would not wish the sight of it on you. We should not dawdle here, I don't wish to be whipped."<br><br><em>The Store Room </em><br><br>"Strange desires," Doctor Rehner reiterated. Michelle could not be coerced to lie still as a rich-smelling oil drizzled onto her burns and painted gingerly across the skin.<br>"Madness confounds the natural course of our desires to be healthy, happy."<br>The young woman's hands on her wrists did not stop Doctor Rehner from working firm into the poised genteel muscle of Michelle's flank and back. It amused Rehner to elicit halting gasps, to insistently dissolve decorous composure. All the while Michelle's eyes remained on Aloisa, lashes fitful as butterfly wings.<br><br>"Lunacy makes you forget what you need to be happy. It makes you want unnatural, destructive things," said Rehner. "What you suffer is not so uncommon. A little lust is healthy, but yours is lost its course. May as well you lust for a shoe as your fellow woman. All those who come to Doctor Heinfroth as such soon are cured. I do not think she will hold you, but you will want to talk."<br><br>If Doctor Rehner's intention was to soothe the lusts from Michelle, she went about it exactly the wrong way. Oiled hands diverted far beyond the red marks of burns that needed pampering, and bubbled from the airtight drag of Rehner's touch over small eager breasts, to bared throat. "In the meantime, I will help you, if you let me."<br><br>"You're hurting her," Zoe sputtered, a knot of tension in Corinne's arms.<br>Rehner loomed over her patient, both a touch out of breath. "Nonsense," she said. "One of you able-bodied ladies, help me to wrap the bandage."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Aloisa's Insight</div><div class="spoiler_body">Doctor Rehner's actions spoke truer than her words. She seemed far more intrigued by observing this diagnosed madness, and allowing it to run its course, than curing it.</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>14-09-2019, 04:26:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline kept her arm tightly about Colleen, not just possessive, controlling. It pleased her in more than the intended way that this didn't seem to draw any objection or resistance. She grinned as Colleen led the ladies about, not feeling the need to keep as tight of an eye on her because of it. She did however keep an eye on everything else.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Perception 2</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Jacqueline rolled: 1d20, adding 1 to the total<br>Comment: Perception<br>Result: 1,<br>Total: 2</div></div><br><br>Or rather she tried to. Perhaps Colleen's close presence was more distracting than she realized. Perhaps her efforts to exchange meaningful glances with Danae prevented her from actually looking at any of the sites. In any case, she didn't accomplish in seeing much more than was presented to her.<br><br>"Oh but I think the hold is exactly where we must go." Jacqueline said, her grip tightening around the woman's waist, "And I think you are just the one to take us there. You wouldn't want to disappoint me would you?" She asked with a venomous, thin-lipped smile, her free hand coming up about Colleen's face and pulling back a few stray strands of hair.&nbsp; <br><br>She had seen the knife. She wasn't afraid of it. Stronger than Colleen had tried and with larger weapons. If she wished to cross blades, the rapier at Jacqueline's hip would flash into her killed hand and that would be the end of it, quickly. It wouldn't be the first serving girl a de Fronsac had gutted personally, and likely wouldn't be the last. <br><br>"Don't you agree madam?" She glanced towards Danae. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>14-09-2019, 05:29:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Deck, stairwell to the hold<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Exploring<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Colleen<br><br><hr><br>"Indeed, Mademoiselle," Danae nodded, in conspiratorial agreement.&nbsp; They had but a slender window of opportunity.&nbsp; Squeezing Colleen's waist, and with a nod of assent to Jacqueline, she seized the girl and pulled her towards the stairwell. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Athletics Check: 22</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-09-13 22:01:25, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20m4 Result: 22 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=139384)</div></div><br>Colleen had committed a fatal mistake in not doing as she was told.&nbsp; Still gripping the cabin-girl, she unfurled the flimsy scrap of fabric clinging to her captive's waist to get a better sight of the rounded arse the Captain must have relished.&nbsp; Pale, smooth, elegant - something was very wrong to Danae's mind.&nbsp; Had the girl been captured recently?&nbsp; No, her familiarity with the ship and her attunement with Baykur's desire said otherwise.&nbsp; Her very presence seemed to defy any sort of inductive logic. <br><br>"You'll be begging for the Captain to whip you if you don't do as we say," Danae landed a hard barehanded swat on Colleen's exposed seat to emphasise her point.&nbsp; To be so forward with the captain's girl on her own ship was dangerous, especially if Baykur took it as an affront.&nbsp; But it summoned up a rush of excitement in a body weary and frustrated from the events of the <em>Charlotte's</em> wreck. <br><br>Turning to Jacqueline, "What does Mademoiselle think of the Captain's prize cunny?"&nbsp; There was a relief in finally being able to revert to the crude speech of soldiers.&nbsp; It was said of Mordentish society that it was famously hypocritical, but that facile assumption was of little concern to Danae.&nbsp; There was a time for manners, and a time for action.&nbsp; That, if nothing else, is what she had learned serving in the cavalry.&nbsp; "At any rate, the good captain is fortunate - doubtless she is a good lover.&nbsp; Does she not satisfy you, girl?&nbsp; Your loyalty to your ship's rules is noble.&nbsp; But I have a duty as acting captain to see to the safety of my own crew."&nbsp; She nodded in acknowledgment to Jacqueline, before returning her attention to Colleen, "Mademoiselle has made a request, and you shall comply with it."&nbsp; She spoke in her most authoritative tone, which she would use for commanding a horse - or a housemaid.&nbsp; "Now, Mademoiselle Jacqueline, I don't suppose you have seen much campaigning, but you must be a connoisseur.&nbsp; The whores in Dementlieu are famed - how does Baykur's girl measure?"<br><br>Danae had always considered herself a woman of simple tastes.&nbsp; Unfussy, unaffected girls with soft bellies and ample bosoms.&nbsp; She was nonetheless curious of Dementlieu's notoriously decadent aesthetic.&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>14-09-2019, 20:49:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Stealth 13</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Jacqueline rolled: 1d20, adding 3 to the total<br>Comment: Stealth<br>Result: 10,<br>Total: 13<br><br>Roll Result: Jacqueline rolled: 1d20, adding 3 to the total<br>Comment: Stealth<br>Result: 7,<br>Total: 10</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>15-09-2019, 04:20:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong><em>The Mercy</em>, Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Zoe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Flirting with the Doctor. For science.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>The more Doctor Rehner spoke, the more Corinne felt ill at ease around the woman. For a woman who considered sapphic attractions "lunacy", the Doctor's touch seemed rather familiar, and her breathing rather heavy. Had Rehner herself been one of Doctor Heinfroth's patients, and "cured" of her "madness?" Were these the symptoms of repressed desire? Or was Rehner perfectly aware of what she was doing?<br><br>Regardless, Corinne wanted to know more about this Doctor Heinfroth and her methods. She tried to recall if she had ever read the name in any of the academic journals she followed.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">History: 10</div><div class="spoiler_body">Corinne (uid: 60242) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 10 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=139405)<br></div></div><br><br>Zoe's concern brought Corinne back to the moment. She gave her friend's hand a little squeeze, and rose. "Zoe, why don't you share your new warmth with the other girls? I'll assist Doctor Rehner," she said, and moved to Michelle's side, helping to wrap the bandages slowly and carefully. This was as good an excuse as any to test Rehner further.<br><br>"Tell me, Doctor," Corinne said, taking a conversational tone while wrapping one of Michelle's arms. "You say that a little lust is healthy. What, then, does a woman such as yourself lust after?" Her gaze met Rehner's, and she let it linger. She was very curious how the doctor would process a more brazen advance, to have the tables turned on her. For emphasis, she let her hands grow warm again, clasping them around Michelle's fingers as she finished wrapping the first bandage. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Insight on Rehner: 22</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-09-15 00:01:43, Corinne (uid: 60242) rolls: 1d20a2 Result: 22 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=139409)<br>That is, in fact, a Nat 20<br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>15-09-2019, 05:18:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Nothing at all<br><strong>Content: </strong> discussion and being turned into furniture<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Margaret &amp; Sage<br><hr><br>Aloisa quirked an eyebrow watching the Doctor, but schooled her expression to remain neutral, "I would hope not.." A little frost was in her voice though, as she welcomed Zoe into the group having Sage shift between Zoe and Margaret to help her warm up better, "Tell me doctor, have you Spoken with Doctor Heinfroth yourself in such? I must admit i am curious.. In my home town i worked as Kriechjagd. Creeping Hunter, our task was to seek out abominable and deviant things.." She tried to keep her talking and get a better judge on the woman, "I would be interested to hear their opinion on some of the things I have seen in my time."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Insight Roll: 11</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-09-14 22:17:17, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 11 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=139406)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>18-09-2019, 08:20:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Store Room </em><br><br>Bandage crisscrossed over and under Michelle's bosom to swaddle her burned flank and hide it away in virgin white. Once Corinne's fingers had taken hers for comfort, Michelle was not inclined to let go. Her eyes followed Corinne, anxious, waiting for something, oblivious to how intensely these two women of science were instead focused on one another.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Corinne's History</div><div class="spoiler_body">Corinne has heard the names Heinrich and Schweinfurth from the densely forested Core. It follows that a Heinfroth might hail from the same region.</div></div><br><br>"Are you looking for the way to tempt me?" asked Rehner. "A doctor's hands are busy, there is no time for such distraction."<br>Rehner's eyes were green as lush summer growth in the old forest, and smiling on Corinne. She did not look away- she could not. Here was a woman confident in her superiority, convinced of averting the eyes to be a signal of weakness.<br>"There was a woman in Gundarak. We were simple people." Rehner snipped the bandage, and played with the spool of it over and over in her hands. "She was very plain, but a good woman, a dutiful woman. I remained to patch the rebels because I loved her. It was lunacy. She belonged to another, with many happy years between them."<br>A trail of bandage whisked by Corinne's backside, like a switch to a donkey, but there was no force to the gossamner, only a whisper. "If you must know."<br><br>There was little need for huddle for warmth anymore. Sopping bodies soon dried, and Rehner's lamp helped sustain the summer temperature even in such a shadowy alcove of the ship. Still, Zoe and Sage and Margaret Hotspur congregated together, and listened to the doctor's account.<br><br>"When one hunts wolves," said Rehner to Aloisa, "one must take care not to go too deep, or find herself racing on all fours and howling at the moon as the woods demand."<br>At once Margaret recoiled from this with a scoff, but Rehner continued.<br>"It is possible to pull a woman from the deep and return her to sanity. The thing is difficult. For a wolf, no, impossible. To make a woman of a wolf would break it, spirit and mind. So, I do not think there is a place for true monsters."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Corinne's Insight</div><div class="spoiler_body">From Doctor Rehner's behavior, a number of things could be deduced by the keen of mind.<br><br>Between unburdening the ladies of the <em>Charlotte </em>of their nightclothes and following no protocols of privacy, the doctor was quick to reduce her patients beneath her. There seemed to be a psychosexual element to her treatment, and given her intimate attention, a keenness to visit it upon the castaways.<br><br>In the course of this pursuit she did not shy from causing distress nor pain, and indeed provoked it. The heart of a sadist beat in her chest, which could not be easily reconciled with her role as a healer of Saint Ezra. Doubtless she projected that hypocrisy onto Michelle with her talk of strange desires.<br><br>How unusual, too, that a doctor on a vessel at sea would carry nothing at all to remedy pain. It ought to be a large part of her job to dose opium and keep the crew in working form.</div></div><br><br><em>The Hold</em><br><br>Colleen pulled with only meager protest down the forbidden companionway, and into the dim underneath of the ship's hold. There was some slip to the stairs, from the sailor who had just emerged wet to the knees, but there was no standing water in the hold. Only drips on dry wood, gradually evaporating as sunlight cast yellow rays through the deck grating into dusty shadow.<br>"Yes, Lady," Colleen deferred, and turned into Jacqueline's touch, affection her currency. "No, Lady, I won't disappoint." After a moment, she shielded her mouth and nose against a bitter chemical odor, which irritated the senses.<br><br>"If this is surely the necessary place for it."<br>Colleen gauged the lay of well-balanced cargo heaved to port and starboard, and the low avenue between. Up onto the avenue's shelf she turned her eyes, in expectation the deep alcove would soon contain her. Her bare feet were restless, there on the threshold. She was willing to be fooled.<br>"I am your cabin girl to command, Lady. I'm relieved you don't mince any words."<br><br>Behind the companionways, opposite that alcove, the hold ended abruptly at mizzenmast, straddled by a pair of heavy doors the likes of dungeon cells, secured with blackened smokehouse padlocks. No noise from the other side, no light through the gaps, but that chemical smell there concentrated in a miasma. Colleen avoided them rightly.<br>"Where is your crew? Up there?"<br><br>Colleen tilt her face in the path of a thin sliver of light from the store room, and blinked away the dust rained by slow footsteps above. Voices, too muffled and indistinct except to lend tension. Her hand pressed back the drape of her rags, all the way to the tops of her thighs, and let a ray of light catch unblemished skin spared all the toils of the hard sailor's life, devoid even any mark of her lover.<br>"They must be hungry, too."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>20-09-2019, 02:35:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, cargo hold<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Feeling the plot thickening <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Colleen<br><br><hr><br>"Mademoiselle," Danae addressed Jacqueline, feeling her way around the hold, "what do you reckon this smell is?".&nbsp; The chemical smell was disconcerting.&nbsp; She had no experience or knowledge of alchemy or of the sciences, and her encounters with those who used such substances had invariably been unsettling. <br><br>To Colleen she said, "What is beyond that door?"&nbsp; She lunged, and pinned the girl to the wall, preventing any sudden move to escape, "Better yet, what do you keep inside the hold?&nbsp; Why does it need a door such as that to keep it in?" <br><br>She pressed the full force of her soldier's frame against Colleen.&nbsp; The girl seemed slight, but she'd had nasty surprises before with opponents whose size and appearance betrayed their lethality.&nbsp; To feel smooth, unblemished skin against sunburnt skin felt so oddly pleasant.&nbsp; It was certainly not the right setting, but she had seen the flash of bare thighs and a golden nest lying in between.&nbsp; Close, tantalising.&nbsp; Yes, she now knew why Baykur kept a cabin girl.&nbsp; Many of her favourite whores and bargirls in Arden Bay she had shared with seafarers and some of these hardened women would lure girls to enlist with promises of silver and adventure.&nbsp; She felt a twinge of nostalgia for her time on campaign, and of need.&nbsp; If she needed to measure herself against Baykur the woman, she would have to prove herself worthy.&nbsp; The soldier in her was always in search of a challenge.&nbsp; <br><br>"Mademoiselle Jacqueline," Danae turned to her companion, "what should we do with Colleen, who needs to be taught to answer promptly the questions that we put to her?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>22-09-2019, 01:01:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline likewise felt that Colleen was being deliberately less than helpful, which she somewhat suspected would be the case. <br><br>"She gets by on being so pretty and soft and untouched." Jacqueline said darkly. "Maybe we should change that so that her captain feels she's more suited to stay down here. And then she won't ever forget why she should be more helpful when asked." <br><br>"If you'd like to stay pretty and well kept, you'd better start telling us what this is all about." <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Intimidate 2</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Jacqueline rolled: 1d20, adding 1 to the total<br>Comment: Intimidate<br>Result: 1,<br>Total: 2</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>22-09-2019, 02:27:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Hold </em><br><br>"Those doors? Only the aft hold." Colleen was in her own head when Danae's lunge swept her off her feet. The knife she'd tucked away did her no good, as both hands were necessary for the struggle. A trained soldier was stronger, and better practiced in bringing her mass to bear than Colleen. Face red, flustered, she labored to breathe.<br><br>"Nothing!" Coughing, she was made to regret her petulance. Since her hands could not overpower Danae's grip, she pat ginger in a plea for mercy. "You're crushing me-"<br><br>Colleen's words were halting with constrained breath. "Patients. Madmen. Cabins locked. Not sane. Let me- "<br>Her fingernails trailed blindly along the cargo she'd been pinned to. "In the hold. Supplies. Look. Supplies for...the island. Medicine. Chemicals. Nothing."<br><br>She seemed to intuit that Jacqueline threatened her with harm, and when faced with certain doom, Colleen's resolve steeled like a true sailor. "You...belong with them. You're both mad. Captain should put you in."<br><br>There was a pause where Colleen ceased gusting frantic answers. It wasn't that she'd run out of things to say. Rather, she was squirreling the breath to let out a scream for help.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>22-09-2019, 06:17:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>The <em>Mercy,</em> Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>An uncomfortably wide grin<br><strong>Content: </strong>Mind games<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>A slow smile reached Corinne's lips. She understood the doctor now, and that made Rehner far less intimidating.<br><br>"Yes, you do find ways to keep your hands busy, don't you?" she replied. She held the doctor's gaze a moment longer, before looking down to Michelle. For Rehner, looking away might have been a sign of weakness; for Corinne, it was a sign of boredom. The puzzle solved, the doctor no longer carried any mystique. To think she had feared this wretched soul just moments ago.<br><br>"I think the doctor's done all she can," she said to the white-haired girl, hiding the barest whisper of a barb beneath the soft words. "All that's left is to make yourself comfortable and let the healing take place." She helped Michelle up off the table, and shooed her to joint the other huddled women. "Now, who's next?" She locked eyes with Rehner once more, confident in her understanding. She slipped up onto the examination plank, making a show of crossing her legs that did nothing for modesty. "I suppose I am already up. I assume you wish to examine me? I assure you, you'll find I am in the best of health." She leaned forward, grinning madly. Now that she knew the game, she was very keen to play.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>22-09-2019, 09:12:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, cargo hold<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Interrogating<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Colleen<br><br><hr><br>"Why are there madmen in here? Patients, as you call them?" Danae hissed, her breath of Colleen's cheek, "Chemicals - what sort of chemicals.&nbsp; You raise more questions than you answer, girl!&nbsp; Are the locks to keep things in, or us out?" Colleen's casual reference to madness had unsettled her.&nbsp; Perhaps she was losing precious threads of her sanity.&nbsp; The purpose of her boarding the <em>Charlotte</em> had been to find her inner calm once again.&nbsp; Now the journey had become yet another descent into madness.&nbsp; Whatever the <em>Mercy</em> was carrying it had to be hidden behind padlocks and reinforced doors.&nbsp; That made no sense whatever.&nbsp; <br><br>"Don't you dare call for the captain," Danae growled, and motioned to Jacqueline, "this one is dangerous, and I think we should disarm her."&nbsp; With a brisk jerk of her hand, she tore open the girl's ragged raiment, so as to force the frayed fabric to yield the knife that had been secreted in them. Her hand lingered on the curve of Colleen's hip, and the swell of her arse.&nbsp; For an instant, she felt a surge of jealousy.&nbsp; She resented Baykur for the maddening secrets on her ship, and this extravagant piece of cunny that was far too fine for a rough seafarer.&nbsp; <br><br>"Baykur is a lucky woman, is she not, Mademoiselle?" Danae nodded to Jacqueline with something of a crooked smile.&nbsp; <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">unarmed strike to disarm Colleen</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-09-22 02:07:47, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20m4 Result: 23 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=139694)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>23-09-2019, 01:12:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>"I'm not sure how much luck has to do with it." Jacqueline commented, a bit upset that her efforts to be scary weren't taken so seriously. She would, if possible, reach for the knife that Danae's actions exposed and take it in her hand, check it briefly, and then place it down on a nearby surface.<br><br>Confident that the girl was secure in Danae's grasp, and taking only the slightest moment to enjoy how undone Colleen's clothes had become, she turned her attention back to the closed off area. "Does this door take a key? Who has it?" She asked. There was something very off to her about a ship that trafficked in madmen. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>24-09-2019, 20:58:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Hold </em><br><br>Spun free onto the floor was a squalorous knife, a goblin weapon of desperation. Its glimmers of sharpness were tarnished by carmelized fat and the notches of improper use. Worse than its cut would be the impurity it introduced into the body.<br><br>The drape tore from Colleen's body, and like the innocent beasts of the forest she was without shame, freed of her civilized inhibitions. Doubtless for the captain's preference she was meticulously shorn, so closely her skin shone like an object of worship. On Colleen's face, nothing had changed. Even terrorized, her blue eyes retained that narrow slant, unable to but meet Danae's interrogation with incredulity.<br><br>"Please-"<br>It came as relief to have Danae's hand on her hip, away from her vital breath. Colleen gathered herself.<br>"The doctor takes them, from mainland hospice to the island for treatment. The captain has the keys. You mustn't let them out, or they could cause disaster unknowing. When we arrive the doctor will soothe them, with chemicals I think. I do not know. Doctor Rehner knows much of the science. She will tell you all about it. I am only your cabin girl, for to fetch you breakfast and serve you well. There is no need for this, I promise you."<br><br>Jacqueline worried her. Danae's looming body was a shield against those hasty threats, and even as fingers traced up Danae's sleeves, her eyes were on Jacqueline.<br>"You must talk to the captain about the keys, or Doctor Rehner about the medicines. I would go, but my clothes are ruined."<br><br><em>The Store Room </em><br><br>Rehner's eyes followed. She could not help but peek what Corinne was offering her. Thinly the smile was returned, deciding perhaps whether it was worth the trouble.<br><br>"Doctor's pet." Rehner's diagnosis came a snappy answer for the barb. Playfulness was not beneath her. "Faking need for physician's attention for loneliness. I do know how to handle girls like you."<br><br>The examination plank was Rehner's domain, and she moved in to claim it. Hands rest atop Corinne's angled thighs, and followed the gentle slope down to root and hipbone as weight elongated well into the daring lean. The frayed fabric of healer's robes tickled Corinne's nose. Lips pursed soft to her determined brow. "No fever," Rehner report.<br><br>"This is wrong," said Zoe.<br>Rehner spared her a moment's glance only, and did not let it derail her play.<br>"Ah szemed ulyan, meent eszekai tchilagok." In her native tongue Rehner was not so stiff, but flowing, flourishes of syllables unfurled from a mellifluous vine.<br>"Ragyog a' fekete tengir." Each word chosen to woo, like a sorcerous incantation for ears receptive to the doctor's intentions.<br>"Ha hatalmam len a' fen tompitashahoz, ishtenno len'nik."<br><br>"These women look up to you," said Rehner, a reluctant switch back to the unforgiving common tongue. "Does your behavior say well of them? Are you all of one heart?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>24-09-2019, 21:16:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Nothing at all<br><strong>Content: </strong> discussion and being turned into furniture<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Doctor Rehner &amp; others<br><hr><br>Aloisa sits quietly, frowning as she watches the doctor, having a fairly good idea as to why the doctor works on a ship rather then a proper apothecaries. She controlled herself, watching as Corinne volunteered herself to be examined. "Rehner, when you are finished if you would be so kind as to give the Mlle. something for their pain? If not I will need my flask, and its contents back to help ease their aches some." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>25-09-2019, 02:11:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, cargo hold<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Hatching a plan<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Colleen<br><br><hr><br>"Very well girl," Danae said coolly.&nbsp; Whatever lay behind the bolted and padlocked doors worried her to no end.&nbsp; That they may be sailing to an island that doubled as a bedlam was unsettling enough, but nothing on the <em>Mercy</em> appeared to make sense.&nbsp; Al the answers she was being fed generated more questions, with no hope of closure or completeness.&nbsp; This was a spiral of madness, and she resolved to avoid being caught in it.&nbsp; Baykur could answer, and they would need to fetch her. "We shall consider our plan, but as for you - you shan't leave this hold until we have the answers we seek."<br><br>She spun Colleen around, so that the girl was facing the wall, wrists locked in unyielding soldier's grip.&nbsp; Baykur was a woman of oddly refined tastes.&nbsp; Perhaps she had acquired something of the Dementlieuese fashion of preferring her girls smooth-shaven.&nbsp; It was not a Mordentish affectation; buxom Polly back home was rather proud of her luxuriant, auburn thatch, but perhaps Mordentish girls were by inclination simpler.&nbsp; To Jacqueline she said, "The Captain seems quite demanding, when have you last seen a seafarer's girl so well put together?&nbsp; She is no courtesan, but a cabin girl."<br><br>With a shred of Colleen's sundered rags, she tied the girl's wrists behind her back, lest she recover the goblin-knife.&nbsp; "We can fix her to one of the padlocks with another strand of fabric, and gag her.&nbsp; She will doubtless call for help otherwise.&nbsp; We should go fetch the Captain under the pretense that her cabin girl has encountered some mishap in the hold."&nbsp; Then, addressing Colleen, "You won't shout, will you girl - you shall remain silent.&nbsp; And obedient."&nbsp; She brought down the flat of her hand on curve of Colleen's arse, leaving a fading red hand-print on pristine flesh.&nbsp; A surge of desire stirred in her, and she regarded her captive with predatory eyes.&nbsp; She pressed another bundle of ragged linen to Colleen's lips, doubtless the delight of Captain Baykur's nights at sea. <br><br>"Perhaps Mademoiselle Jacqueline, we should avail ourselves of Colleen's hospitality.&nbsp; But first, I suggest that we find and fetch Baykur.&nbsp; Or perhaps she will in time come to us?&nbsp; She is doubtless attached to this girl, her rare jewel.&nbsp; What say you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>25-09-2019, 19:26:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>"For someone who acts so eager to serve you are remarkably unhelpful." Jacqueline sneered at the serving girl. She'd never had much of a taste for servants who thought they were too good to serve, and she was starting to think that this was how Collette had ended up in this cushy position, through sweet talk and laziness, not any genuine recognition of her place in life. <br><br>With a nod at Danae's suggestions she quickly fashioned a gag and tied the woman's mouth shut tight with it, then helped Danae get her fixed to the nearby wall. <br><br>"I think leaving a scar or two on this pretty face might teach both of them a lesson in hospitality and their place in the world." Jacqueline stared flatly, staring at Colleen's features as though she were an inanimate piece of art she was considering defacing, any emotion or pain from Colleen completely disregarded. "Do as you will to her, I have no wish to sully myself with such cheap fare." <br><br>She did however, move to the door and check to see if it was indeed locked in the manner described, and get a sense of if she could break into it easily. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>27-09-2019, 04:58:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong><em>Mercy,</em> storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>A healthy glow<br><strong>Content: </strong>Playing doctor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>While this was all, ostensibly, in the name of better understanding the Doctor, Corinne was not above enjoying the attention. That wasn't to say she liked Doctor Rehner - the woman seemed clearly dangerous to Corinne - but she was tired and sore from a fitful night in a cramped rowboat, and was grateful just to feel soft hands running along her sore limbs. She was fairly confident the Doctor could not work anything malign like this... or was she? While Corinne did not recognize the tongue, she could at least listen for any hint of magic.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Arcana</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-09-24 19:46:19, Corinne (uid: 60242) rolls: 1d20a5 Result: 20 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=139787)<br></div></div><br><br>At the Doctor's question, Corinne arched an eyebrow. "While I have known these women for only a few days," she said, turning to regard the huddled women, "we have been through fire and water together. And if they look up to me, I look up to them just as much." She gave Zoe in particular a smile at that last piece, recalling how the Ezrite had stayed by her side even as the <em>Charlotte</em> was sinking. "Indeed. I'd say they showed far greater bravery than I in escaping our vessel."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>28-09-2019, 05:40:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Store Room </em><br><br>"Spoken as a leader," came Rehner's appraisal of Corinne. The doctor drew Corinne's eyes back to hers in a beckoning touch, insistent, doubtless aware of the welling reticence her foreign poetry aroused.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Corinne must make a Wisdom save, DC 12</div><div class="spoiler_body">Although the words themselves were not magical, Corinne is the target of a gaze attack.<br>Because Corinne is on the alert for magic with that 20 Arcana, she can make this saving throw with advantage.<br><br>On a failure, Corinne becomes charmed, incapacitated, and has a speed of 0 until the trance is broken. This essentially rules out anything but speaking.<br><br>On a success, Corinne is aware she was the target of some supernatural power, but not its effect.</div></div><br><br>Having gazed longingly into the depths of Corinne's eyes, the doctor stood upright and gathered her physician's bag from the plank. "Soon we will arrive on the island. All the medicines we might need will be available there. For the pain, I suggest you relax, and do not trouble yourselves."<br><br>Doctor Rehner seemed surprised to realize that she still had possession of the flask. It pulled from her physician's bag, only a few sips the poorer, now fragranced with faint rosin from the bag's soft interior. She held it to Aloisa at the tips of her fingers on her way to leave, sparing a lingering look into the guardswoman's eyes.<br>"Keep some for later. It will be our secret."<br><br>Only when Doctor Rehner had stepped from the room did the tension ease from Margaret Hotspur and Zoe. Soon after, Margaret rose to shut the store room door, which the doctor had again neglected.<br>"I must sleep," said Margaret. "The toll of our ordeal is heavy on me, and I fear my mind plays tricks."<br>Zoe rose from her place to join Corinne on the plank, and keep her warm. Sage remained to keep Aloisa company, making sweet promises with her lips to the muscled lines of Aloisa's throat.<br>"When we wake, I hope we are upon the island," Michelle squeaked in the span of a yawn. "I will be most glad for a bed to share, away from the incessant rolling and heaving. Most unsettling is this dark sea."<br><br><em>The Hold </em><br><br>"Mmf," Colleen answered into an ersatz gag. It was a plaintive sound, no cry for help, and on her face as she was trussed the expression was troubled, anxious. Already the fabric of her gag soaked with the mouth's anticipation from this rough, objectifying treatment. She did not approve of the chemical odor beyond the door to which she bound, but her resistance was merely a squirm, rooted willingly in the place of her abuse.<br><br>Even from a distance, the two doors- one to either size of the mizzenmast- proved to be locked with an external latch and smokehouse padlock each, wearing its forbiddance tauntingly like a laden treasure chest. Between heavy doors which were certainly resolute against the body blows of madmen, and the blocky locks which would prove difficult to pick without specialized tools, the latches themselves were almost certainly the weakest link holding the doors sealed.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Forcing a door</div><div class="spoiler_body">Forcing either door (port or starboard side) will require a separate attempt.<br><br>Forcing one latch will require a Strength check, DC 15. Athletics doesn't apply. If you attempt to force the latch quietly, the check is made with disadvantage, meaning you roll twice and take the lower result.<br><br>One lock can also be blown apart with a shot from Danae's musket, though it's impossible to do so quietly. There's no need to make an attack roll as long as you're sufficiently close.</div></div><br><br>Colleen shook her head vigorously as her eyes followed Jacqueline's hands to the padlock.<br><br>Above, Captain Baykur awaited them still up on the sterncastle overlook, a steady hand guiding the <em>Mercy </em>to its island destination. She would likely not take kindly to Danae and Jacqueline violating not one but the pair of her rules for castaways.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>02-10-2019, 07:19:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Corinne's widened in shock, as she felt the press of some strange influence on her mind, and shoved back mightily. Even so, it left her shaken and uncertain. She had steeled herself against potential meddling from the doctor, but even so she felt she had barely resisted the attempt. All semblance of playfulness gone, she watched the doctor leave in silence, visibly shaken.<br><br>The moment the physician had departed, she spoke. "Beware the doctor," she said to the gathered girls. "She has an appetite for cruelty and control, which is bad enough. But she tried to work some magical charm upon me just now, a charm I barely managed to repel. Do not look in her eyes, lest she beguile you. And do not believe her if she calls you mad."<br><br>She embraced Zoe eagerly as the Ezrite joined her on the plank, trembling quietly. Her surge of confidence had evaporated entirely, leaving her terrified once more. At the same time, she was overcome with gratitude for Zoe's presence and support. This roiling mass of emotions boiled over and in an instant she was kissing Zoe, frantically, desperately, heedless of the other women in the room. It was a powerful compulsion, this need for Zoe's lips, far stronger than the Doctor's magic. Corinne could not pull away, not until terror and gratitude and need had all been kissed away into oblivion. Idly, Corinne wondered if this was how Jacqueline had felt back in the tender boat.<br><br>After several long minutes Corinne pulled away, panting, resting her brow against Zoe's. Her emotions were still raw, and she wanted nothing more than to share a bed with Zoe at this moment, but she was at last in control of herself once more. "If you see me being foolish like that again, Zoe," Corinne said. "Please, feel free to slap some sense into me."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>02-10-2019, 13:06:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, cargo hold<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Hatching a plan<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Colleen<br><br>"Mademoiselle Jacqueline," Danae inspected the door, and studiously ignored Colleen's muffled grunts of protest.&nbsp; "We cannot risk Baykur finding where we have been.&nbsp; Not just yet, at least.&nbsp; There is more afoot on this ship than a simple girl like Colleen can explain.&nbsp; Wherever we are being taken, I fear it may not be the mainland.&nbsp; I need to see behind this door.&nbsp; We <em>must</em> see what they are so eager to keep from us."&nbsp; Of the two options she had to opening one of the padlocks, forcing it by strength of hand seemed the logical solution.&nbsp; To blast a musket at close quarters was ill-advised at the best of times, and would definitely attract attention of the hostile kind.&nbsp; Discharging a firearm on a ship would doubtless be construed as a threat, and rightly so.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>With that, and making no effort to keep her attempt silent, she leaned in with the full force of her shoulder to seek to loosen the heavy the latch.&nbsp; Turning to Colleen, "I must see, girl.&nbsp; I mean your captain no offence, but to be shrouded in secrets and your babbling excuses is...well, it is madness."&nbsp; Her eyes were wild, and she levered against the latch with a force she had scarcely thought herself capable of exercising.&nbsp; <br><br><em>Mind over matter.&nbsp; Stiff upper lip.</em><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Strength check to force latch</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-10-02 06:03:18, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20m2 Result: 20 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=140019)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>02-10-2019, 17:51:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> discussion and being turned into furniture<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Mlles<br><hr><br>Aloisa gave a weak smile to the Ladies as she shook her flask, removing the lid and pouring each of them a modest dose in the cup/Lid, the doses a bit larger for Michelle and Sage to help them rest, "I hope this will help ease things some.. Do your best to rest. I'm going to stay up a bit longer. See if I can figure something good from all this." She smiled weakly, then lifted the flask up and giving it a shake, sighing as it sloshed lightly and set it down next to herself as she put herself between the door and the girls slowly turning her sheathed knife in her hand while she waited for the next thing to go wrong.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>04-10-2019, 21:23:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Hold </em><br><br>A latch twisted and ripped from the wood under Danae's reckless insistence. For a moment the door became lodged in frame, embedded by Danae's strength. It took a foothold against the frame to haul one from the other, and with a heavy judder the deepest chamber relented its secrets.<br><br>In darkness beyond, the acrid chemical stink caused the eyes to water. The overpowering smell poured from a row of barrels, lashed to the near wall. From one among a dozen, a steady drip bleached the dark wood white, before trickling down to the flooded bilge. There were cargo down there, among the ballast, licked by murky water. Long pine wood crates sat in secret, like a smuggler's bounty, lightless and cold.<br><br><em>Thump. </em><br><br>A long pine box stirred.<br><em>Thump, thump. </em><br>The mournful wail of hell began muffled, heard through sealed frames of wood, but as voices joined the chorus it filled the bilge, becoming a forbidding wall of sound, borne of madness.<br><em>Thump, crack. </em><br>From unseen breaches in the strong pine, rats began to erupt. The filthy water churned with life, and as a tide swarmed the stairs, the light, Danae and Jacqueline's ankles. A hundred rats or more, all racing to escape the cacophony below with mad eyes and teeth bared to chew through any obstacle in the path.<br><br>Colleen shrieked into the gag, and drew herself up by her bondage until her wrists twisted and her hands turned red. She hung, for dear life, with an admirable tenacity.<br><br>Shadows drew over either companionway from the deck above. Port side, Captain Baykur descended with a fixed glare. The cutlass at her hip clanked on the steps when she sat to tuck her breeches into her boots, and as she sat, three tanned bulwarks of muscle descended the starboard companionway opposite. There was no retreat.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Jacqueline must make a Wisdom save, DC 11</div><div class="spoiler_body">On a failure, Jacqueline is Frightened, meaning she cannot willingly move into the bilge, and has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while within the hold.</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae must make a Wisdom save, DC 11</div><div class="spoiler_body">On a failure, Danae is Frightened, meaning she cannot willingly move into the bilge, and has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while within the hold.</div></div><br><br>"What mandate raises you above the laws that govern men," said Baykur. She paid no mind to the scampering rats, and maimed several which crossed the path of her boots. "That you violate your captain's orders so brazen."<br><br>"A boat like yours has just been sighted. It lies on a shoal without on board."<br>With a motion, Baykur called for her three crewmen to wrangle both Danae and Jacqueline and drag them to the deck above. As this played out, Baykur drew her cutlass and freed Colleen in a single stroke.<br>"It is a pity that your reunion will come in such bad conditions, scarred by the whip."<br><br><em>The Store Room </em><br><br>In the quiet needed for Margaret and Michelle to catch much-needed sleep, Zoe kissed so slowly that her lips released in silence. Her hands traced the shape of Corinne's back, reassuring, aflutter with nervous energy. She was quiet as a girl fornicating in her father's house, and desperate the tension wound up her spine, to the nape of her neck under Corinne's hands, drew lips into firm peaks. Each touch found her simmering and met with spiritual release, a sharp drain of breath.<br><br>Sage did not sleep. Her hands warmed between Aloisa's thighs. Fingers restless became bold, and she made excuses, whispering "Forgive me, I still confuse where my numb daddles touch."<br>But there was no mistake. Hot breath drained down Aloisa's chest. Two digits confused their way between Aloisa's petals, absentmindedly rubbed, and wandered in tightly controlled circles. Sage's pampered, wealthy fingers entered, not to bring Aloisa release, but to string her along, teasing, teasing, promising more than she gave. Her posture dipped submissive against Aloisa's breasts, promising more if only Aloisa were true to her. If only this one with the knife in her hand would be her protector.<br><br>For as long as Aloisa did not push her away, this became Sage's sole attention. Patiently she soothed the caged beast of need, although she would not free it. Not yet.<br><br>In time, the ship began to veer and slow, resisting the push of waves rather than glide along them. It was soon after the store room door opened against Aloisa's back, and Rehner pushed through, her arms overloaded with linens dried in the sun.<br>"Get dressed, the island is here," said Rehner. She puzzled through which clothes belonged to whom, with mixed success.<br>"There is great news and there is unfortunate news. Great news is that another boat landed in the night. Maybe your friends have made it to the island. Unfortunate news is two of your crewmen are to be punished for breaking into the hold. Captain has decreed twenty lashes, and then they will be free to go."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>05-10-2019, 06:19:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, cargo hold<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Caught!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Colleen, Baykur <br><br>She knew the sudden forcing of the padlock would attract attention, but she <em>needed</em> to know.&nbsp; It was a compulsion greater than every fibre of self-control in her being.&nbsp; Then the choked sounds, and the swirl of turbid water gathering at her feet. Cold, lifeless, stagnant.&nbsp; "Mademoiselle Jacqueline, what in all the worlds is this?"&nbsp; She breathed.&nbsp; There seemed to be <em>animate</em> things in the boxes; living, almost certainly, thinking, she hoped not.&nbsp; Her hearth thundered in her chest, as though she were trapped in the summation of all her nightmares made flesh at once.&nbsp; Of course they would not have been allowed down here - this was forbidden cargo.&nbsp; Perhaps it was no coincidence that the <em>Mercy</em> had been close to the wreck of the <em>Charlotte</em>. <br><br>Baykur's sudden arrival came was scarcely a surprise.&nbsp; The noise and Colleen's relentless struggle were bound to draw attention.&nbsp; Now outnumbered, and unarmed for melee, she and Jacqueline found themselves at the dubious mercy of the ship's captain. <br><br>"What then, were you hiding here, Captain?" Danae spat, and fixed her gaze on Baykur's, never once demurring from the challenge, "We are grateful for your hospitality, but this ship is accursed!" She posed no resistance when she was seized, for she knew that her strength was better preserved for whatever struggles lay ahead.&nbsp; "If you wish to lash us, it is your prerogative as captain of this vessel, though I only ask that you do it by your own hand.&nbsp; It is only for me to say that you should not flog my crew-mate. It was by my command that we entered the hold." <br><br>Truth be told, she would be relieved to be taken out of the hold.&nbsp; This was a place of incipient madness, and she knew that what she had seen and heard would not soon be forgotten. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Wisdom Check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2019-10-04 22:24:19, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20m1 Result: 8 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=140166)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>05-10-2019, 16:08:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				, dxzzxc<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> frustration, doubt, and keeping watch<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Mlles, dr Rehner<br><hr><br>Aloisa let the girls rest as she kept watch, not ignoring the others goings on, as that would mean she noticed and was actively working to not notice.. Thus she simply didnt observe it, a talent developed by the City Watch when dealing with Nobs, aristos, coin laden merchants, and the occasional brawling drunks that needed to wear each other out before you thumped them and dragged them off to gaol.<br><br>Sje didnt rebuff Sage as she settled down near her, or when used her body for warmth. Especially when she tucked her fingers into that warmest spot that only grew warmer with attention, even with the lame excuse it was... Nice. Sadly it seemed the Cream had no idea what she was doing, always getting Aloisa close&nbsp; and getting distracted to leave her wound up and resisting the need to moan and whine, only to start again... No wonder their hired help always seemed so uppity if this was the extent of the Creams talent.<br><br>After a while she put a hand on Sages back to stop her, "Best to get some rest now Mlle, who knows what tomorrow will bring, and will or ill best faced rested. Ill keep watch the rest of the night so sleep easy." <br><br>She held place and kept watch over the Door, dagger ready but not drawn least some good member of the crew comes in and take threat. But come morning even she was begining to grow tired, eyelids heavy as she slumped in her makeshift seat. At the door slamming open she was up and braced, dagger held ready though her stance seemed like she was more used to one in each hand.<br><br>At the sight of Dr Rehner she slumped, "My apologies doctor, bad rest." She sheathed the blade, and smiled wide at the return of their cloths quickly picking up her own and slipping it on while she prodded the others with her toes, "Come on, wake up and get dressed! And thank you doctor for your assistance."<br><br>She wrapped the dagger and flask in her sash to keep them hidden away, nodding slowly and smiling wide at the news, "That is excellent!" But her face fell at the news of the missing two going to the lash, "I.. ... May i ask what happened to receive that many..?"<br><br>She fixed her clothing and gave a shake so it would settle properly, bit direly missed the weight of her leathers and blades...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>05-10-2019, 22:45:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Wisdom Save - 6</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Jacqueline rolled: 1d20, adding 1 to the total<br>Comment: Wisdom Save<br>Result: 5,<br>Total: 6</div></div><br><br>Jacqueline's nose turned up at the smell, and quickly she had a hand over the lower half of her face trying to muffle that vile odor. The coffins she eyes with a disdainful unhappiness. These didn't look like patients to her. <br><br>Before she could speak her mind however, the coffins began to move and rats began to swarm. This was all too much for her. After holding on during the storm and evacuation and all she had dealt with, Jacqueline's mind went numb for just a second, her mouth falling open her lips trembling, her eyes scared for a moment, before she screamed. In that moment, she was every bit the dainty young noble girl she kept insisting to her brothers she wasn't, and here she was screaming and startled and terrified at the sight of a few rats and spooky noises. <br><br>The crewmen had to make no effort to get her up on top, in fact the only struggle would be if they stood in her way as she bolted towards the exit and fled as fast as she could. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>06-10-2019, 06:23:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy,</em> Storeroom<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A ragged silk bathrobe<br><strong>Content: </strong> Weary and Wary. <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><hr><br>Corinne curled herself around Zoe once more, drawing comfort and strength from the closeness while she could. When Doctor Rehner returned, she felt she had at least steeled herself for the encounter. She refused to meet the doctor's gaze again, yet kept Rehner in the corner of her eye at all times.<br><br>The possibility of survivors from the <em>Charlotte</em> was heartening news, but she was gravely concerned for Danae or Jacqueline. After twenty lashes, they'd certainly have need of a doctor, and with what she had learned of Rehner, Corinne was convinced that no medical professional on the island was to be trusted.<br><br>Drawing her tattered bathrobe about herself once more, Corinne slipped off the examination plank. "When shall the punishment take place?" she asked.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>09-10-2019, 03:26:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The pitiless strength of two crewmen grabbed for Jacqueline, and together ushered her up onto the open deck. The leather-tanned crew had gone quiet, and gone were the veils of hanging clothes to hide behind. Glassy black eyes, all staring, never quite met her own but looked through the being of reason, through the persona to the meat and blood of her.<br><br>Through them, the salvation of an island- finally, deliverance from the uncaring sea- rose above the foaming white waves in rocky bluffs. A bold gray gull made landing to thieve an unattended bowl of the ship's slurry, chased by half a dozen more. A dense forest capped the island, evergreen krummholz warped into tangles by unbroken wind. Out there along the coast, run aground on muddy shoal, was an abandoned little tender boat from the <em>Charlotte. </em><br><br>A moment later, Baykur emerged from the opposite companionway with Danae.<br>"Do you not know madmen from their wailing?" Baykur asked. "You were warned not to wake them. Now they will howl and thrash the whole way, and bring the wolves down on us."<br><br>Around the main mast fashioned coarse, sun-baked rope to hug Danae to the tarred wood.<br>"Punishment for you will be swift," Baykur said, and accepted a coil of tightly-bound dark leather for the task. It unfurled in her hand onto the deck with an oppressive weight, no plaything but a weapon of intimidation. Space cleared on the deck as the captain drew her whip back for the first lash.<br><br><em>Krak, </em>down Danae's back the leather snapped, all momentum delivered in a twist which rent open muslin and sent gulls fleeing to the skies.<br>Sharply the whip retraced its course like an inhaled breath, and with a fury she had once restrained Baykur lunged another low across reddened spine, <em>krak. </em><br>One by one the red welts blossomed in lasting marks, and muslin shredded to the salty sea air, leaving a back in agony exposed to the captain's mercy.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">10 damage to Danae</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae takes 10 slashing damage from the initial 5 lashes.</div></div><br><br>The store room opened to empty its genteel passengers onto the open deck. Zoe and Michelle look on in horror at the torment Baykur inflicted.<br>"Right now," said Rehner as she beckoned Aloisa and Corinne to bear witness. "These two broke into the hold. Do you know them?"<br><br>There was a breath where Baykur paced the deck, and ran her fingers through Colleen's golden hair. She met the eyes of Jacqueline, while her blood was burning hot, and said "Will you stand by, and let the blame rest on her?"<br><br>With renewed zeal the whip slashed across Danae's back, until blood dripped beneath the mast from angry slices down either shoulder.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">11 damage to Danae</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae takes 11 slashing damage from the second 5 lashes.</div></div><br><br>Sage averted her eyes from the sight of it, all the greater her jump of surprise with each whip crack. Margaret Hotspur kept her eyes on the captain. Her mouth was tight, her hands were fists. "Someone stop this cruelty!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>09-10-2019, 19:16:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline had been stunned by what occurred, so much so that the whip had fallen twice before she could even react. <br><br>"There is more madness above this ship's decks than below it!" She snapped, drawing her rapier with a sliding screech of steel as as she stepped between the captain and her captive, sword point forward and threatening anyone who would strike her companion again. "Get back if you value your miserable lives." Her eyes flashed between crewmembers, but her sword stayed focused on the captain.<br><br>To Danae she speaks, "You are the only one of virtue in this rabble, pull yourself together we may need to stand as one."<br><br><hr><br>If Jacqueline isn't in combat yet she'll use Rally to give Danae five temporary hit points. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Rally 5</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Jacqueline rolled: 1d8, adding 1 to the total<br>Comment: Rally<br>Result: 4,<br>Total: 5</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>10-10-2019, 04:16:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong><em>Mercy,</em> Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Same ol' bathrobe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Taking a chance on magic<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>The Captain<br><hr><br>Corinne spent only a moment fretting before deciding she needed to intervene. Tensions were already high. This was going to either deescalate the situation, or simply push it to the inevitable tipping point. Hoping the crowd's attention was focused squarely on Danae's punishment, Corinne muttered an incantation, hoping to bend the Captain's mind in a more favourable direction. Then Corinne stepped forward, holding a hand out for Jacqueline to lower her blade.<br><br>"Captain, please," Corinne said. "I think you've made your point. There is no need to flay the poor woman to death."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Charm Person</div><div class="spoiler_body">DC 13 Wisdm Save.<br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>10-10-2019, 15:06:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Punishment<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Jacqueline, Open<br><br>Anything to get her out of that damned hold would have done, and when she found herself bound to the mast, ready to be flogged a part of her felt an enduring sense of relief that she was no longer down there, with those <em>things</em>.&nbsp; In the distance, she saw land, and felt a gleam of hope.&nbsp; They would soon escape this accursed ship, even if she had to bear the Captain's stripes for the privilege.&nbsp; <br><br>The first strikes of the cruel whip lashed open her shirt, and her pale skin, unaccustomed to this philistine sun, was bared and welted bloody by the hard sting of the lash.&nbsp; How she felt it! The agony was an ecstasy of all of its own, a transcendent, full body sensation fibrillating every nerve ending, and reaching into every single fibre of muscle.&nbsp; With each blow, she tensed, hard muscles pulled so taut she felt like she would break in half.&nbsp; Not a cry, but low grunts bitten against bloody lips.&nbsp; The sun beaten down on her bloody back, and Baykur struck once again.&nbsp; The heat built within her, flooding from between her thighs, hot and insistent like the blood pooling between her scapulae.&nbsp; She felt the whip like an extension of Baykur's body, thinking it a dusky hand beating a tattoo on her bare skin.&nbsp; There was no shame in this, in her bloated nipples tenting the ragged fabric of her shirt, her breath hoarse and urgent.&nbsp; <br><br><em>Vine-Lott, you are a slovenly girl,</em> the schoolmistress had said, cane in hand, and Danae with her half-breeches pulled down, biting the leather upholstery of the sofa, knowing what was to come, <em>you were warned about consorting with the farm girls.&nbsp; If you behave like a common trollop, I shall treat you like one</em>. <br><br>Danae inhaled, and the agony of her tribulation washed over her.&nbsp; "Captain," she gasped, when Jacqueline drew her rapier, emboldened by her companion's show of reckless defiance, "it is no small honour to measure myself against a woman such as you, but you will find the kiss of the lash is scarcely sufficient to break a soldier."<br><br>To Jacqueline she said, "There is no surrender here; we did not survive the wreck of the Charlotte for naught.&nbsp; I have my crew here, and together we must escape this madness."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>10-10-2019, 17:25:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, The Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> By Tiamats Pissed Garters!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Mlles, dr Rehner<br><hr><br>Aloisa made a face upon hearing what happened and sighed.. The pair had seemed... Off when she had watched them, but had never really dealt or got to know them. And now they had managed to get themselves in trouble while everybody else slept. God. Damn. Cream.<br><br>She followed along after Rehner, "We were on the ship, and the boat, but had little to do with each other.." She frowned a little, "I'm not even sure we actually even exchanged names.." She slowed hearing the Mlles gasps before speeding up to the fore of the group, "Captain, Please! I understand they have broken your Law and their Words, But do you Truely seek their lives over that? Surely their punishment can be given without taking their lives. Surely some-" She froze at the draw of Jacquelines rapier, voice dying down to a hissed angry rasp, "By Tiamats pissed garters..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>12-10-2019, 14:48:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				At sword-point Captain Baykur returned the whip to her hand in a languid spiral. Jacqueline had her attention.<br>"One sword," said Baykur. "Against the tide."<br>It proved impossible to track the crew all at once. In every corner of the eye there was another menacing sailor, pacing the deck, making slow progress along the rigging, meaty hands through the deck grating. There seemed to be no question each would die for Baykur, or else a seething anger beyond reckoning that a castaway should command the ship. There was no opportunity to lower the weapon and emerge from this unscathed, now.<br><br>"It is because I value the lives of my crew, your woman must be whipped."<br>As Baykur spoke, a stalwart dock against choppy waters came into view low along the island's broken coast. The <em>Mercy </em>maneuvered expertly through the shoals and between the buoys to reach its destination.<br>"The patients are dangerous. Your thinking to free them is...wrong, in the head. A madman will not thank you. He will chew, and claw, without reason."<br>Waiting on that dock were the arrival crew, watching the ship's approach. They had the look of Baykur's sailors, bronzed by the island sun, thick and stocky of build, with keg-bearing shoulders and coconut-crushing hands.<br>"We return to Doctor Heinfroth now. You will join us. I will not have you roaming the island in this state of confusion. You may come willing in a wagon, or unwilling in a crate."<br><br>Doctor Rehner was seated on a step, absorbing the captain's directive. Gingerly her fingertips made contact with her jaw, deep in thought, and occasionally her witch-blooded eyes flit to Corinne and Aloisa. She was inured to this violence, and perfectly at peace with swords drawn.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Corinne's spell</div><div class="spoiler_body">When the spell's energy left Corinne's fingers, it recalled a feeling from her earliest days of her arcane study, when all ingredients of a spell seemed fully accounted and yet the desired effect did not result. As then, it would likely take hours of examination to understand what had gone awry.<br><br>What was clear was that the spell did not take hold on Captain Baykur.</div></div><br><br>Colleen covered herself in an oversized shirt, and swept back glossy golden hair for the coastal breeze to catch. There was a different feel to it, than the ocean wind whipping the waves to frenzy and assailing with cold, frothing damp. A breeze through the island carried fragrance of fruiting trees and crisp green growth, the dust of sun-drenched land safe from storm. It slowed to a trickle through the cliffs and trees, befitting the pace of island life.<br><br>When Captain Baykur finished winding the whip, she spoke in very few words to the crew. A knife approached to cut Danae free, in the same moment the receiving lines cast over to the crew on deck. A sturdy gangplank thumped into the hull to let those aboard disembark.<br><br>Sage was the first down it, and into the arms of the dockside drew, hugging, weeping.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>12-10-2019, 17:14:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Mercy, The Deck<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> By Tiamats Pissed Garters!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Mlles, Captain, Doctor, &amp; Crew<br><hr><br>Aloisa nods, "I make no denial of your right or need to punish. You rescued us and they broke trust. But I was a guard in my home, I've delivered the lash in the past. This looks less like punishment," She gestures to&nbsp; Danaes back, "And more like an execution." She played it careful, her tone neutral, no trace of accusation, condemnation, or outrage. Like she was simply debating some minor point with the Captain. She had no intention of showing any major disrespect, even if she disagreed with the extent of how the punishment was dispensed. They owed her their lives, and she still had a firm Grasp on them at the moment.. She moved over towards Jacqueline, "If... I may make a proposition? The Lady allows me to carry her sword till You Captain, or Doctor Heinfroth give her permission for it back..? In the interest of no bloodshed. Yes, your crew could take it, but surely it would be better if this were to end peaceably with no one injured further..?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>13-10-2019, 02:02:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/IzKNJv3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> <strong>Jacqueline de Fronsac</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg14944687#msg14944687)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <em>Mercy</em><br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Sensible Adventuring Clothes<br><strong>Content: </strong> Adventure<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Jacqueline's lips sneered and a distinctly aristocratic scoff emerged from them, her eyes as hard as steel though her words dripped with the lace of a refined upbringing. "Insincere cow. In the same breath that you threaten to throw your crew at me in waves you say you care about them?" She shook her head. "We will add compassion to the list of virtues you know <em>nothing</em> of then." <br><br>It might seem a strange thing, that a woman so well born was so willing, one might almost think eager, to be assailed at every side by ravenous buccaneers, but there were two things that relished the chance to die heroically, the first was any de Fronsac when faced with the alternative of doing something at the behest of a commoner, and the second was a woman whose only hope for a bearable existence had been to sow so many Sapphic oats that her upcoming marriage would be bearable. Having been denied that opportunity by a storm, dying with a sword in her hand far from home seemed a much more pleasant way to enter into eternity. <br><br>Her eyes only left the captain to flash to Aloisa as her scoff turned into a snarl. "If you wish to avoid bloodshed do not even once think of taking my sword. The only way you will have it is point first."<br><br>She helped Danae to her feet with her free hand and backed towards the gangplank, fully intent on retreating down it and having nothing else to do with this unacceptable situation. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>05-11-2019, 22:38:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				~ ~<br><br>What transpired between Jacqueline and the captain on her berthed deck was an act of passion. Under provocation of converging gulls, senses awakened by the wilderness of the island a heartbeat away, a territorial animal awoke. The violence was brief and savage as the whipping which had incited it, and by the time the combatants were separated, a steady rapier patterned the captain's linen shirt with tropical blooms of crimson blood.<br><br>No more was seen of Jacqueline after that, nor of Captain Baykur, who confined to her cabin under urgent care. Her howling tainted the goodwill remaining between castaway and crew, and the threats which shadowed the ladies of the <em>Charlotte </em>even onto the deliverance of dry land were grim, though the tongue which conveyed them be alien to the civilized.<br><br>On July 4th, the seven who remained were no longer welcome aboard the <em>Mercy, </em>and diplomacy poised to worsen if Baykur did not survive the night.<br><br>The promised white sand beaches of paradise were not here. Out of necessity, where the island's prickling forest sloped rocky down into foaming green water and the shoals afforded the <em>Mercy </em>purchase, timber stilts buoyed the short dock and her skeletal structures. Large wagons shaded by eaves of raw reed would take the cargo the rest of the way, but the loading of them took some time, and all of the crew's attention.<br>"Were there any aboard the boat which preceded us?" Margaret Hotspur kept apace the laboring teams, forcing cargo to zag around her obstruction. "Castaways, like us. Like us."<br>The answers she received were curt and indecipherable.<br><br>As soon as a body came to rest on the dock, the gulls closed in. More than any other, the white-winged thieves took notice of Danae. They were about her in a jealousy, slinked low like lurking vipers.<br>"What hope I held our voyage would soon continue from this place is dim, now," said Michelle.<br>"There is the manor up on the high hill, through the forest," said Zoe. "I intend to seek it out."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>06-11-2019, 07:32:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island Docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> frustration, doubt, and keeping watch<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party<br><hr><br>Aloisa kept to their small room, sleeping only in small snatches as she kept watch clutching her dagger and a length of scrap wood she carved to use as a club. The Captains howls and the crews growls served to keep her alert and wary while the others rested.<br><br>Once they mercifully came ashore she tried to keep with the Mlles while staying out of the crews way, "Ladies, we MUST stay together. We are finally ashore but cant simply let that distract us. Our... Welcome with the crew is exhausted, and we have no friends here yet save the other boat hopefully. We should leave here and try to find our way to the town or village. And hopefully find Lady Vine-Lott a healer."<br><br>She sighed and looked around trying to get some barings, eyes scanning the area for threats or anything that could help.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">perception test</div><div class="spoiler_body">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2019-11-06 00:03:49, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a6 Result: 26 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=141074) Natural 20!!!</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>07-11-2019, 07:32:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Dockside.<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue bathrobe.<br><strong>Content: </strong>Cautious planning.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Any.<br><hr><br>Corinne eyed the gulls warily, prepared to shoe them away by magical means if they attempted to assail Danae in her weakened state.<br><br>"Yes, we should stick together," Corinne said, echoing Aloisa. "But I do think Zoe has a good idea. If nothing else presents itself we should make our way to the manor house, preferably before any word of our tarnished reputation reaches the ears of the local nobility. Though if we catch word of the other survivors, we should seek them out first."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>07-11-2019, 16:35:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Tavern, corner table<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and boots beneath heavy winter cloak of white furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Listening for activity<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><hr><br>Chasing rumors of strange weather patterns, Faelyn arrived on the island a number of weeks before.&nbsp; She has spent her days in the surrounding forest searching for any clues for obvious signs of tampering, however perhaps due largely part to her unwillingness to wander in unknown, potentially unfriendly territory alone in the dark she has so far been unable to find any proof giving any substantial information on where to search the next day.&nbsp; She has to find a needle in a hayfield, but she felt confident that if it is out there to find, eventually her eye will catch it.<br><br>Her nights have been spent in the tavern listening to the ramblings of locals for the hope of finding clues regarding her mission.&nbsp; She knew from recent talk that more people were due to arrive soon, and rather than keep beating her head against an unyielding wall, she would wait to see what these newcomers may know.&nbsp; All sailors eventually make their way towards a stiff drink eventually, and when they do, they tend to talk loudly of the journey.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>07-11-2019, 22:43:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Offering healing services for trade - shoo'ing gulls<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Medb had come to the island some time before to conduct research on the local wildlife both flora and fauna to attempt to find an answer to a particular little nagging thought - the exact same creatures and plants appeared on the mainland as those that lived here. Not simply similar creatures, or those transposed as invasive settler species, but the exact same and as they were wildlife and not domesticated with no signs of the small changes that would come from being in a different environment such as pygmy-ism or a change in colouration to better blend with the environment as <div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">the spirits of the land tended to gift upon its creatures</div><div class="spoiler_body">I don't know if the theory of evolution is a thing in any part of Ravenloft, even the more learned institutions, so I defaulted to a more mystical explanation</div></div>. It was as though a chunk of the mainland&nbsp; had been scooped up by some great hand and set down slightly over. It was just peculiar. <br><br>The young woman was on the docks, she'd worked out the schedule of supply ships with the local quartermaster when she first arrived - while it was perfectly fine to live off the land's bounty and she was perfectly capable of doing so as long as she had a little mistletoe to hand, a person needed certain home comforts. Fresh clothing. Incense to replace her familiar that had been eaten by the local fauna. News from afar including natural science journals. Bacon and other salted meats. She shoo'd away the gulls, uttering phrases in Sylvan to them to more than a little crudely asking them to get out of her way - the bothersome pests never seemed to respond well to politely asking as other creatures often times did. <br><br>While she had little by way of coin to her name, she had let the quartermaster and other dock workers (for a shiny gold piece) to let anyone who wished the services of a health care professional or... a 'healer' she supposed, to chat her up for trade in her services. Currently she was striding down towards the docks, heavy workboots clonking on the wooden boards and dress whipping in the seaside winds. She was at the moment regretting not having her urban clothing on due to needing more freedom of movement, the shawl at least would have been welcomed to take away the air's bite.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>08-11-2019, 13:34:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Recovery<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br>There was, if nothing else, an ecstatic dimension to her pain.&nbsp; Was she delirious?&nbsp; Had she dreamt the whole episode of Captain Baykur's flogging?&nbsp; There were moments were her mind struggled to correlate its contents.&nbsp; On this unfamiliar island, with her fellow castaways, she, the proclaimed and newfound captain of her crew, found herself vanishing on the edge of consciousness.&nbsp; There was the heat of the beating, unrelenting sun, and the dance of sea-spray on the surf, the groan of salt-rotted rope and barnacle-grown wood, the calls of her companions. Time seemed to pass imperceptibly, and there she was, stumbling, her back bloodied, her shirt ragged.&nbsp; <br><br>"We stand together," she agreed with Corinne's assessment.&nbsp; The other flotsam of civilisation who had made the island their home seemed distant.&nbsp; <br><br>"I would rest," she breathed, and settled down on a crate by the dockside to gather her breath.&nbsp; It was no good in this heat, and in this light.&nbsp; She needed fresh water and bandages for her wounds, "If there be a healer here, I would gladly reward her with what little I have...perhaps on credit, what say you?"&nbsp; She chuckled. and used her musket as a prop.&nbsp; "Come now, Lady Lorimer, help me pull of this shirt."&nbsp; The pain was sublime, not at all mortifying, but energising.&nbsp; She was the world in a kaleidoscope of new sensory dimensions.&nbsp; The throbbing, the stinging, the throat-numbing pain - it was no different from the piquant tang of pepper on the tongue. <br><br>"We have come far, ladies," she ventured, "but we cannot rest until we are again safe on dry land.&nbsp; What I saw in the <em>Mercy</em>'s hold made me doubt my own sanity, for there were things down there, trapped and suffering.&nbsp; We should not tarry long here." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>10-11-2019, 02:39:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				An order came down the line when the <em>Mercy's </em>crew spotted Medb racing to intercept. Two by two sealed crates passed her by en route for the waiting wagons, until finally, in their harsh guttural language, the men decided between them that one should be opened.<br><br>Heavy it thumped on the sticky-sweet surface of a laissez-faire, open-air tavern. Under sealing nails a careless prybar gouged into the pine box, and pried, creaking, to reveal the treasures within. Bolts of fabric, all bleak gray as a dreary, drizzly Port-a-Lucine morning, were up for barter. Vervain florets, succulent maguey and bundle of betony from the mainland unpacked, ground turmeric sealed in glassware and root of orris preserved in oil, along with the many chemicals demanded of the doctor's laboratory. Wrapped in twine came the publications of the day, the yearning of an inquisitive mind isolated high up on the hill, but for Medb's perusal, for a fee.<br><br>The haggling was hindered by absence of a shared language, but a vocabulary of gesture and simple words developed in time. There was a market, if crude.<br><br>Off of the gangplank stepped Doctor Rehner as if from a daydream, and regarded the dire straits of the ladies gathered there on the docks. Her hands were bloodied, her frayed green robe was stained, wringing clean in linen towel.<br>"Baykur came on a raft one day," said Rehner. "She was the last survivor of a doomed ship like yours."<br>At each thought her witchblooded eyes scanned quickly, to confirm her message had been conveyed in a language become stiff with disuse. "The pirates got to them. She was almost starving to the bones of her companions. Her wounds were inflamed and gangrenous. There are not many fates worse than the slow death by inches. I do not know what she got alive, but that is Baykur."<br><br>"She recovered from the doctor's care. Up turned a harder woman than I have known. I feel she will not die here, she is so stubborn. But when she is able and able, it is best that you have moved on. Do you agree?"<br>"These wagons," she indicated with a tip of marcelled copper curls, "make the trip to the Asylum."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Aloisa's Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">There were eyes on the docks from the forest. The very keenest senses counted nine large wolves, watching cautiously from the high treeline and pacing through the shadowed growth shy of the well-traveled road. If they be of the dire variety, they must be runts, or else exceptional specimens of an ordinary breed.<br><br>Beyond these woods, high on the cliffs, the asylum manor stood surrounded by imposing walls. A sharp eye could spy frequent iron spikes atop the wall, arranged against escape.<br><br>Though the full course of the road could not be espied through the dense wood, there appeared no clearing before the manor grounds. Perhaps something lay on the far shore, beyond this steep ascent.</div></div><br><br>Through the brisk business of the dock, Doctor Rehner approached Faelyn.<br>"Are you the one with so many questions about weather?" she asked, but pressed on, for there was no mistaking a stranger such as she on the island.<br>"These are people whose ship was conquered by a violent storm. Maybe you will be the one to bring the story from them."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>11-11-2019, 16:27:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and boots beneath heavy winter cloak of white furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Searching for a story<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><hr><br>Faelyn felt quite content to sit and wait for more strangers to wander through the tavern to tell their stories, however when approached by someone and told that those arriving had been assaulted at sea by a storm she began to feel it necessary to get their stories in a more direct way.&nbsp; Standing up, she began to make her way towards the docks, and the sight she saw there made her begin to think that maybe they would indeed have a tale she would like to listen to.<br><br>"Come along then."&nbsp; She called, waving down towards herself and solid ground.&nbsp; "You won't find any solace there.&nbsp; Find your way to solid ground and see how much better you come to feel.&nbsp; A hot meal and a stiff drink, and a sympathetic ear is just what most of you need.&nbsp; Anything else and I would be happy to help you find it."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>11-11-2019, 18:06:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island Docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Wary and cold<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party<br><hr><br>Aloisa nodded to Rehner as she talked and explained, "Yeah... Probably best if we weren't here when she revives. If you could pass her our regards... And apologies.." She gave a small bow of her head and&nbsp; frowned as she looked around, pausing to focus in the forest, "We might want to avoid the forest... 9 Very big wolves... Or small dire wolves." She pointed so that the group and Doctor could see before addressing the Mlles, "And considering how lightly we are equipped... We should probably see if there is some town or something we can get some better clothing or something to wear. If we are going to go to the... Asylum now, it would best be with the wagons."<br><br>She looked over Faelyn and Medb as they approached, a small nod to Faelyn, "You know much of the Asylum..?" She wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm, yet again wishing that she had taken the chance to get her items from her cabin...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>11-11-2019, 22:44:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Bartering for canned goods and literature<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Crew of <em>The Mercy</em><br><br><hr><br>The woman took a look into the crate the sailors had wrenched open, some twigs falling out of the fabric of her clothing as she did so. Carefully she inspected the articles brought before her and traced a finger over the tabloid, a familiar black smudge on her fingertips and the scent of the type of cheap paper only news articles were known for. Well. Papers, pulp fiction and copper dreadfuls. The florets were of little interest to her as the same flowers bloomed on this island as on the mainland, but the preserved roots and chemicals? While spells were effective at healing minor injuries she thought she might be able to make a halfway decent medical kit from this and make herself more useful for barter and trade in the future.<br><br>"What can I get for..." she considered for a moment, there was a slight language barrier so she, in the style of all proper civilised travellers, needed to talk the universal language of your own, but slowly and loudly as though those you were talking to were stupid and deaf which would potentially result in any number of people overhearing her. "I want paper. And roots and chemicals. Do you," she pointed at the sailor and then the ship, "or your crew. Need a doctor's services to trade for them? Any sickness? Scurvy? Injuries?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>12-11-2019, 05:00:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Dockside.<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue bathrobe.<br><strong>Content: </strong>Requesting a doctor.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Any.<br><hr><br>Corinne moved to assist Danae, as requested, but there was a certain trepidation in her movements. Such fortitude, eagerness even, in the face of extraordinary pain was remarkable but deeply unnerving. "You are a hardier woman than I," Corinne mused as she peeled off the garment. She could not help but avert her eyes. The bloodstained bandages told the story as plainly as fresh welts.<br><br>Her ears perked up, however, when the words "doctor" and "injuries" emerged from the general clamour of the docks. Corinne cast her eyes about for the source, settling on a woman in a dark dress. "Excuse me for a moment," Corinne murmured to Danae, before setting off to flag the stranger down.<br><br>"Pardon me," she said. "My name is Corinne, and my friend is in need of medical attention." She gestured to Danae, which told the whole story, really. "We would be most grateful for any help you could lend."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>13-11-2019, 00:16:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Bartering for canned goods and literature<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Crew of <em>The Mercy</em>, Corinne<br><br><hr><br>Looking up from the goods on offer from the crew at the blue robed figure followed by Danae's injured form Medb quickly made her way over to the barefoot sailor - "Good gracious, where did you get those wounds? Was the ship attacked while on the ocean? Were there many more injured as badly as this?" she asked as she took a look at the tattered clothing and the crimson stains, "I should be able to do something to help the wounds quicken the natural process of sealing, but I can't promise it'll dull the pain or not leave your body scarred."<br><br>After a little poking about as the holes in Danae's clothing she turned back to Corinne; "Well met Ms Corinne, you can call me <div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Medb</div><div class="spoiler_body">pronounced Maeve</div></div>, and I must ask before I administer aid, are either of you adverse to magical aid for healing as I know some can be, and if so and you prefer physical medical care I'll first need you to purchase some supplies for me - basically the cost of the components to help yourself, after which I'll not charge for services if I can keep anything that's left over. Magic will be the cheaper option at the cost of a newspaper and..." she thought for a moment, "<em>That </em>root," she pointed it out in the crate, "and oh, forgive my manners, what might the name of my patient be?" <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>13-11-2019, 04:43:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and boots beneath heavy winter cloak of white furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Searching for a story<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open, Aloisa<br><hr><br>Faelyn glanced over towards the edge of the forest to where one of the young crew members pointed out wolves.&nbsp; This was beginning to feel uncomfortably familiar to her home land as after strange weather patterns are once more preceding animals to beginning to swarm around places they would normally avoid.&nbsp; She would most certainly be keeping her eye out as time moved forward.&nbsp; She has no problems with moving out to fight the beasts back should they begin to make their move down towards them, though she would rather not have to.<br><br>I know little of the asylum, in particular, however if you are looking for something on the island, I have been here for several weeks and am more than willing to show you around."&nbsp; She claimed, pointing proudly to her chest with a smirk.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>13-11-2019, 14:49:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose and ragged grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Undergoing medical treatment<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Corinne, Medb, Open<br><br>There was a word Danae wished to form, a sense of gratitude for the fortuitous encounter with the cowled healer in this distant, unforgiving place.&nbsp; Instead, she breathed only a sigh of relief, knowing full well that what ill fate had taken her far from familiar shores would doubtless have further unwelcome surprises in store for her.&nbsp; <br><br>She sat up, propped up on a crate, and allowed Medb to inspect her wounds.&nbsp; Ah, yes the pain - sanctified pain, her trial by fire.&nbsp; It had been so long since she had experienced the decadent fusion of agony and ecstasy that she had felt under Baykur's lash, and even before Corinne's solicitous gaze she could not help but betray her ambivalence.&nbsp; <br><br>"You must forgive the condition in which you have found me, good Madame," she spoke to Medb with a warm smile, "our journey here has been little more than a succession of calamities.&nbsp; I would see the end of it, not just for myself, but for the other castaways."&nbsp; She shivered, and she knew that she was still weak for she rarely felt the cold, "On the one part we have the sea that disgorged us here, and on the other this Asylum..." she enunciated the word carefully, fearful of its implications.&nbsp; What she had seen in the hold she would not soon forget.&nbsp; <br><br>"If you are to treat me, Madame, I ask only that you be quick.&nbsp; I would not tarry too long here out in the open."&nbsp; In the corner of her vision she spied the fur-clad woman. A fey girl - such a curious thing to see an elf.&nbsp; In Mordent her kind were the stuff of song and myth.&nbsp; All knew a friend of a cousin who had claimed to see one, though firsthand glimpses were always elusive.&nbsp; Now she beheld one in the flesh, and she felt it almost comforting.&nbsp; Those were the good tales one told a child to balance the stories grown women played out only in their nightmares.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Brave new world that has such people in it," she muttered, and scrutinised the silver-haired forest strider with a soldier's eye. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>15-11-2019, 19:08:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In between these diverging points of conversation the noise of laborer's industry was urgent, clumsy, as though some siren on the water called the <em>Mercy </em>back among the waves. If one were to follow Doctor Rehner's eyes up to the shaggy tangle of trees, where she traced the path of Aloisa's finger in stillness while groups of crewmen barreled past to deliver cargo crates to tightly-packed wagons, a dread could be seen settling uneasy. Perhaps it was not the sea which called them, but the island which repelled.<br>"Wolfs," said Rehner. "But we must go even with them."<br><br>In all haste the crew reached a barter over Medb's share of mainland supplies. There was, perhaps, a hint of recognition for her bellowed offer of help. There was something, in the eyes of the crewman accepting her coin. But it was dimly remembered, the way Rehner spoke the common tongue, and the ship was calling.<br><br>With two wagons loaded, Doctor Rehner and much of the crew withdrew to leave a void of space for pleasant conversation, the rhythmic crash of waves against bluff, the distant communications of gulls. There was time for Danae's savage whip-wounds to be treated, although the dockside amenities were poor at best.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's condition</div><div class="spoiler_body">I have Danae at 4/25 HP. She received some temporary hit points on the ship, which gave her a buffer, not not lasting healing.</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>16-11-2019, 20:53:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island Docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Light Crimson Sarong covering legs and hips, black silk sash "covering" her chest<br><strong>Content: </strong> Wary and cold<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party, Faelyn, Medb<br><hr><br>Aloisa nodded to Rehner, "I'll see what my group is choosing to do, if we dont catch up, safe travels to you and your crew." She gives a nod, then moves towards the group, looking over Faelyn and Medb. "Im Aloisa Kriechjagd. We were aboard the ship The Charolette when a freak storm hit and sunk the ship. We and one other boat managed to make it off before it sank, though we were seperated from the other survivors before getting picked up by The Mercy.. I dont suppose you've seen or heard of any other survivors having come ashore..?"<br><br>She then smiles to Medb, holding out the fancy silver flask with its light contents, "Its not much.. But it could help ease her pain some, or clean the wound.. Whichever you think will help best?"<br><br>A shiver runs through her as the light clothing hardly helps to keep her warm in this weather, pale skin growing a bit more so as she does her best to keep a tough look on.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>16-11-2019, 23:05:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Spells - Two of four 1st level slots used<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Corinne, Aloisa<br><br><hr><br>"Okay then Ms Danae," Medb started as she did her best to separate the blood-soaked blouse from the woman's flesh that her clothing wouldn't heal inside the wounds, "let's see if we can close your wounds up first to staunch the flow of blood lest there be more on the dock and your clothing than inside you," she said as her cold hands went under the shirt, pouring as much positive energy as the primal world would allow her into the presumed swashbuckler as Aloisa and Danae recounted their tale.<br><br>With the initial closure underway, she took the flask from Aloisa, undid the top and smelled its contents. Not perfect but it would do. "This is the best one could hope for given the circumstances, thank you for this."<br>Taking a small sip from it she set the metal container back into its owner's hand, liquid still in her mouth, before taking a sprig of mistletoe out of her pack to use as a focus. Carefully she sprayed the contents of her mouth over it in a fine mist, shaking the verdant branch as she muttered words of an incantation in hushed, reverent-sounding Druidic. In moments the mistletoe shook, the plant producing white, oozing berries that matured and ripened unnaturally quick, falling into Medb's hand.<br>"Eat these," she said as she palmed all ten of the berries that had grown into Danae's hand, "They're naturally bitter and make you gag but they should have a little bit of the taste of the flask's liquid about them," she thought for a moment, "maybe. Likely not, but make sure their liquid pops into your mouth and is taken by your body. <strong>One at a time</strong> or you might get stomach cramps or the shits. better than bleeding out, mind you, but only marginally."<br><br>"I couldn't imagine being shipwrecked, it must have been quite the ordeal. I came here to look at the wildlife on the island, alone of my own volition" she stated matter-of-factly as her cold hands pressed once more against flesh, seemingly to check for the closure of wounds from the spell, but in actuality to steal her body heat, "I'm less of a witch doctor by trade, I must have you know, and a practitioner of the scientific method, particularly in the natural sciences. It's not often I prescribe berries or lay hands such as this, but I've not seen anyone in as bad a state in some time. I must apologise if you aren't fully healed but it should at least give your body a head start that you might regain strength with a bit of rest. How do you feel?"<br><br><hr><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Cure Wounds using a Level 1 slot</div><div class="spoiler_body"> At 2019-11-16 15:31:28, Medb (uid: 2076) rolls: 1d8a3 Result: 6 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=141382) </div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Goodberry using a level 1 slot</div><div class="spoiler_body">Create 10 berries that heal 1HP each - Danae should probably eat all of them.</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>17-11-2019, 05:01:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and boots beneath heavy winter cloak of white furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Searching for a story<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open, Aloisa<br><hr><br>Faelyn was rather concerned with the appearance of the young woman assisted off the ship who looked ready to fall over and drop dead at a moments notice, however thankfully there was someone present with a more deft hand in the healing arts.&nbsp; Faelyn was quite capable at creating wounds, but was only so effective at healing those wounds.&nbsp; Instead, her attention was consumed with the words spoken by the woman who spoke of the storm strong enough to sink their ship.&nbsp; Forgetting even the threat of the wolves for a moment, Faelyn's unwavering gaze met those of the woman as she said, "Now that is a story I would very much like to hear more about.&nbsp; Someone or something is to blame for massively altering weather patterns in these lands with either no concern for how it makes the wild beasts of the world act or even more concerning, to cause them to act up.&nbsp; Following word of mouth, I find myself on this island, and now fate has led me to you.&nbsp; Stories of troubled pasts however sound better over ale, so I will do whatever I can to assist you with your unfinished business if you will agree to let me treat you to a drink afterwards."&nbsp; She gave a slight bow as she finished,&nbsp; &nbsp;"My name is Faelyn Mythrandir.&nbsp; Pleased to make your acquaintance."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>17-11-2019, 10:56:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose and ragged grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Undergoing medical treatment<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Corinne, Medb, Open<br><br>"You have my gratitude," Danae said, and took each proffered berry with the systematic precision the ritual demanded.&nbsp; Bitter they were, but not altogether unpleasant.&nbsp; There was a certain juniper-life freshness to them that she found invigorating.&nbsp; "Quite, I can -" she paused and rose, feeling her limbs infused with newfound strength, "I can feel it now."&nbsp; She stretched, and felt a lancing burst of pain - a cleansing burst that heralded the closing of her wounds, blood seeping away, skin mending, nerves fibrillating.&nbsp; She took a few steps, feeling the cool sea air on her skin.&nbsp; She would need fresh clothes after her ordeal, and a bath. <br><br>"Our ship was claimed by a squall, I think, or perhaps something sinister.&nbsp; The great vessel was rent apart, and her crew and passengers scattered.&nbsp; Here, before you, are the only survivors.&nbsp; Or at least those of whom I am aware. If we are to stay here long, we shall need food and shelter for many of us have not slept since the wreck. I, for one, should be grateful for a new change of clothes and so much fresh water as can be spared.&nbsp; Is there no trade to be found in this place?&nbsp; And what is there inland?&nbsp; Do you know this island well?&nbsp; If so, perhaps I might ask that you guide us, though you have already done much and we have little to offer in return."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>18-11-2019, 17:17:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Dockside<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Bathrobe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Science? Science!<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Danae, Open<br><hr><br>Corrine watched with keen interest as Medb went about her work, and listened with even greater interest, when Madb explained her methods.<br><br>"Well, I think we shall get along quite well, Medb," Corinne said. "Science and magic are both great interests of mine, though we seem to have taken up different disciplines. I am a wizard and an alchemist by trade."<br><br>She nodded along in agreement as Danae recounted the loss of the <em>Charlotte</em>. "We have heard that a life boat similar to our own washed ashore on this island," Corinne added. "If so, there is a good chance that the rest of our group may be here on the island. Have there been any newcomers of late?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>19-11-2019, 22:13:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In calamity the true fortitude and character of a woman had been tested, but for all those who survived by exploit and wit and resolve, there were more who survived by circumstance. Pale in the shadows of Aloisa, Danae and Corinne there were four who were slow to speak, who followed the confidence of another's action, who would be tested in the trials yet to come.<br><br>One was a slight woman, still in her bedclothes from the upset at sea, who was quick to abandon the <em>Mercy's </em>rough confines and flock to the sound of polite conversation.<br>"Positively thrilled to make your acquaintance. I am Zoe Lambert," she introduced herself to Faelyn, and to Aloisa, for the two had scarcely shared pleasantries on the storm-tossed sea.<br>"You must speak to Corinne, who has studied the mists with an analytical mind. The mists preceded the sudden squall, I remember it, as did the buck moon. Camille-"<br>A barrier arose suddenly in Zoe's train of thought, and grim realization settled on her narrow face. "Camille called it a witching moon. But we ought to look to reason, in times such as this. I mean to accompany the caravan to that high manor, and join the company of civilized folk."<br><br>The second had a critical eye for Faelyn and Medb. There was a flash in her blue eyes settling on the steel adorning Faelyn's hips, and she listened attentively, though her gaze was drawn back to the <em>Mercy </em>from whence she'd been ejected, and her heart pulled many ways. Reluctantly, she spoke.<br>"My name is Sage Laporte. Alas, I have no intention of leaving my best means of escape to go traipsing through wilderness in my scanties. I will leave you to this errand and remain with the ship. It was not I who roused the captain's anger, after all, and the Laporte name carries weight in gold in Dementlieu. It has been a pleasure, ladies. When we find land again, I will send a ship for you."<br><br>"We study birds," the soft voice of a third ventured timid into Medb's conversation. "In the White Egg Ornithological Society, we study birds. We traveled to Markovia to catalog many new species for the Society's journals."<br>Michelle toyed with the bow at the throat of her insufficient camisole, young eyes catatonic to the world breezing by on whistling wind.<br>"Truth told it was more of a pleasure trip. Could it be, are we now punished for our sins? I am not a spiritual woman, but they say Ezra works through the mists."<br><br>The fourth was the only of them to retain her clothes, a low-slung walking dress which had weathered poorly the shipwreck and tattered down steady legs like wilting flower shedding petals.<br>"It's good to meet fellows of sound mind," she said to Medb. "You may call me Margaret, and I volunteer my hands for this undertaking Lady Vine-Lott suggests. The pastoral country breeds a resourceful stock of citizen. We learn to trap, to hunt, to erect shelter. As well, one learns a feel for people. We ought not rely overmuch on the kindness of that Doctor Rehner woman."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>21-11-2019, 20:30:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and boots beneath heavy winter cloak of white furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Searching for a story<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Corinne, open<br><hr><br>The collective stories of the young women speaking about the storm drew in Faelyn's attention.&nbsp; All their talk of storms seemed nearly identical to the rumors she'd been chasing to bring her here.&nbsp; "I've seen your friends."&nbsp; Faelyn said.&nbsp; "They arrived in the dark of night and ran straight toward the asylum.&nbsp; I'm not sure just what is going on on this island, but something strange is definitely happening here.&nbsp; I've never been let into the asylum but I'll get you there safely."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>23-11-2019, 00:39:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Spells - Two of four 1st level slots used<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Corinne, Aloisa<br><br><hr><br>The black-haired woman nodded at Faelyn's words, "There is most definitely something amiss. The wolves here for one thing are increasingly agitated, seemingly... it's hard to describe. The best would be that they appear to be actively searching for something. For another," she nodded to Michelle, "the number of gulls here have swollen for an unknown reason, and more malicious than even their odious species is known to be. Perhaps this is something you might be keen to investigate if you're an ornithologist?" The woman seemed shook, and the strange behaviour of birds might be the elixir needed to soothe her mind, "And fear not for being punished, I would think Ezra may be more responsible for your survival in the mists and your continued wellness than perpetrating an act of spite."<br><br>Handing some coin to the traders from the Mercy, most of what little she had since they seemed ill suited to barter at the moment and she required medicinal supplies at that moment should Danae be found to have anaemia from her wounds and faint suddenly considering the berries and magic probably couldn't restore lost blood (something she would need to test in the future), she gathered what was needed for a rudimentary kit and turned back to the group, <br>"I hope we will have much to talk about then, as fellow scholars," she spoke addressing the blue-robed Corinne before reacting to her patient's questions, "In terms of trade, you're smack-dab in the middle of it. The only trade this island seems to get is from the Mercy when it docks, I always find myself in a rush to get here at its scheduled arrivals for just a little... this and that," she said, eyeing the sought-after paper. "And I'm not saying this to be rude as you don't seem the type to normally do so, but if you don't mind scavenging for thrown-out rags then the dump on the other side of the island whence the asylum tosses its unwanted goods would be the only other source of clothing, ah, that being the patient's smocks, unless you wish to hunt down a beast and skin it for its pelt. Though I wouldn't recommend it. In terms of shelter, the only two places I know of are the asylum and my own camp. It's... honestly not the biggest or best. I pine for a yurt but need to make do with a teepee. It turns out yurts are <em>difficult</em>, especially getting and shaping the wood properly. You're welcome to use it for some rest out of the elements, but it may be a tight squeeze for everyone present. However should I&nbsp; take up Ms Margaret's kind offer," she smiled, "it would be no time at all until we get something set up to accommodate."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>23-11-2019, 22:35:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island Docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter clothing, explorers Pack<br><strong>Content: </strong> Wary and cold<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party<br><hr><br>Aloisa watched the treatment with a careful eye until she sees Danea relax and ease. She nods taking her flask an excuses herself to barter with the merchants and sailors around for a nice pouch of coins she quickly trades away for equipment, sighing as she walks back to the group with her bundle carried along, "I managed to get everybody a change of clothes, a blanket, and some other supplies.." she smiles weakly to the rest of the Charolette survivors distributing out clothing and other supplies to them, "I have some coins leftover if anybody can think of anything else we need, or need some equipment.."<br><br>She listens carefully to the others, a friendly hand on Zoe's back giving it a soft rub as she explains the happenings, then Sage, Michelle, and Margaret, drapping blankets over them and passing them their cloths. "I... Dont think we should seperate just yet... I am sure there is No safety with the ship, the Captain seems she might hold a grudge even if it wasnt us that provoked the fight, just by having been with. At the least the sailors of the ship seem to hold a great grudge against us as well... Staying here would likely be dangerous. And i agree with Mlle Margaret, the doctors... Mercies seem anything but. She... Strikes me as just mad, and i dont think we should go with her unprepared, even if just from whatever threats the wilds hold. We should remain together... But if any wish to go their own way... We cant force you to stay.. But please reconsider.." <br><br>She looks to the others, then turns to Medb and Faelyn, "And if you are willing to help... Anything is greatly appreciated, though my coffers run a bit light now." she smiled weakly and jingled the pouch of coins, pausing as she considers Faelyn, a small smile curling her lips further as she begins to speak in of all things Elvish... Very rough, badly accented, and basic Elvish, "&lt;Though, If you are interested in stories... I remember some my Grandfather told me when i was younger, he claimed to have been an Outsider from Beyond the Mists..&gt;"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>24-11-2019, 02:38:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> White cotton jodhpurs, loose and ragged grey muslin riding shirt with collar open and sleeves rolled up, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> Undergoing medical treatment<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Corinne, Medb, Open<br><br>Aloisa's careful acquisitions were an important first step.&nbsp; They would need to equip themselves for the island first, before venturing forth.&nbsp; If there was no way to leave by sea, they might as well venture their luck in the interior.&nbsp; <br><br>To Medb she asked, "Do ships visit this place often and, if they do, can they take passengers?"&nbsp; She surveyed the scene before her, concerned that her fellow castaways would not be able to endure the rigours of the island for long.&nbsp; She, though weakened by her&nbsp; flogging at Baykur's hands, was no stranger to adversity like their two newfound companions.&nbsp; She could not, however, speak for the rest of the survivors of the wreck of the <em>Charlotte</em> who were doubtless accustomed to more comfortable surroundings.&nbsp; A change of clothes was appealing to her, but first she thought of washing the salt water from her skin.&nbsp; Though her stinging wounds had closed thanks to Medb's restorative berries, there was no denying the full weight of a day without rest.&nbsp; <br><br>"It was intended to be a pleasure cruise indeed," Danae said at length to confirm Michelle's account.&nbsp; She did not add that the journey had been foisted upon her, and that the numbing fear of what crawled in the dark, at the edge of human understanding, was beginning to gnaw at her again. Was Medb a healer or a witch?&nbsp; The line between the two could be so terribly blurred.&nbsp; "Sorcery sent us here, I fear."&nbsp; Was this divine retribution for a sinful indulgence.&nbsp; No, it could not be - why now, after all the tavern whores, housemaids, and shepherd girls she had known?&nbsp; Ezra worked in mysterious ways, but the threat of sorcery was all the more apparent. <br><br>To Medb she said, "Where did you learn you art? You have potent healing at your hands, though you do not appear to be an alchemist or a chirurgeon." She had eyes on the healer, careful to discern any taint of evil in her very hospitable facade. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>24-11-2019, 10:48:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Dockside<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Silk Robe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Getting Sorted<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corrine sighed with relief at the sight of fresh clothes. Nothing fancy - a simple frock - but it would get her out of this damned robe and cover something below the knees, as soon as she found a good place to change.<br><br>She blushed at Zoe's flattering description of her work. "Mlle Lambert speaks too kindly of me. My research is still in its infancy," she said to Medb. "But I am always happy to compare notes. Any insights you might have would prove invaluable."<br><br>Corinne took Zoe's arm affectionately. "I hope you don't plan to run off too soon. We really should find the others first," she said, before leaning closer and lowering her voice. "And if the rest of us are to join Medb at her camp this evening, then I rather hope you'd be there to keep me warm through the night." Her hands pulsed briefly with that magical heat. "I promise I'll return the favour."<br><br>Several pleasant images of what such a night might hold drifted through Corinne's imagination, but she snapped back to the moment at the mention of the Mercy's Doctor.<br><br>"Rehner is more than mad," she interjected. Casting a look at Danae, she added, "If anyone is liable to work foul sorceries against us, it is her. I looked in her eyes, and felt her press some magical compulsion against my mind. Fortunately, I managed to fend off the assault, but we should be wary at all times in dealing with her. She delights in power and control, and evidently has the magic to fulfill those desires if one is not careful."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>25-11-2019, 07:02:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You'll keep an eye out, won't you, while I change," asked Sage. One of the blankets tied between bare posts in a native changing screen. Bright island daylight streaming through cast a lissome silhouette of Sage abandoning her nightgown and testing a leg into a more rugged work of cloth than she'd ever had occasion to wear. Adventurer's clothes, resistant to the rigors of the road like a fine saddle.<br><br>Zoe was at once thrilled by Faelyn's news.<br>"You've seen them? With them, was there a woman of chestnut curls, a mole, here, upon her lip?"<br><br>Sage stepped from the screen a new woman, ready to face the challenges ahead in breeches and tunic, boots and raincloak. She nodded her thanks to Aloisa, and avoided this line of conversation.<br><br>But Zoe had become distracted by the idea, and it was Michelle next to change.<br>"Was there a fine-boned woman there, fair and eyes blue of robin's-egg, timid of disposition?" Zoe asked.<br>An island breeze buffet into the mud hollow where the docks erected, and made the curtain dance while still Michelle was half uncovered. She gave a shriek, and Zoe caught the blanket by whipping tail to hold steady.<br><br>There were thankfully few to see it. The busy traffic of crewmen delivering cargo to the waiting wagons had dispersed, like peasants before the royal procession. Deliberate, solemn, Doctor Rehner appeared at the gangplank. Behind her came a long pine box, bore by six brass handles by as many strong sailors. Filthy bilge-water dripped from its soaked bottom, and as it angled down the gangplank there was a thumping, a settling. It was a thumping which continued, erratic, between steeled pallbearers. What was contained within wanted nothing more than to spring forth. Doctor Rehner accompanied it to the final wagon, and leaden it loaded, sparing room for more.<br><br>"I do appreciate the wisdom in your caution," Zoe answered Corinne. "But I must know whether my dearest friends live. It will not be so very long, before we see one another again, so take heart."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>26-11-2019, 17:20:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Dockside<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Changing, planning<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corinne pursed her lips at Zoe's growing eagerness. If Doctor Rehner was associated with the institution, then Corinne wished to be fully prepared. To forge ahead to the asylum at only half strength would be like forging ahead half-naked. Speaking of which...<br><br>Corinne slipped behind the makeshift curtain, and slid out of her worn robe. She sighed with palpable relief as she pulled on her new clothes. They were simple and pragmatic, but this suited Corinne just fine. Silk and lace were for pleasure cruises.<br><br>"I still urge caution," she said. "Between the mysterious cargo bound for the asylum and Doctor Rehner's witchery, I believe the asylum may be dangerous. If that is the case, and our friends require our help, we must be prepared to help them. I, for one, would like to prepare some defences against enchantments."<br><br>Giving her new clothes one last tug to straighten them, she stepped out from behind the curtain, and approached Zoe once more. She placed a hand on Zoe's cheek, and gave her an adoring look. "I can't stop you from going to the asylum immediately," Corinne said, brushing a thumb along Zoe's cheek. "I want to find them too. But I would feel terrible if anything happened to you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>26-11-2019, 18:12:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and boots beneath heavy winter cloak of white furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Searching for a story<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><hr><br>Faelyn was glad to see the immediate purchasing and distribution of more proper supplies to the group by the seemingly quite sensible brunette calling herself Aloisa.&nbsp; The young woman proved even more interesting as she continued on attempting to pique her interest further in elvish.&nbsp; Her speech lacked fluidity, however it was quite an endearing attempt at the language.&nbsp; Smirking herself she answered, "I have no intention on leaving you alone just yet.&nbsp; You are the best lead I've found for who or what is disturbing the balance of the natural world."&nbsp; With a wink she added in elvish "&lt;I am quite interested in helping you master my tongue.&gt;"<br><br>Before she knew it, Faelyn was being bombarded with questions of exactly what she had seen.&nbsp; "It was dark.&nbsp; I was awoken by the sound of wolves on the hunt."&nbsp; She began, trying to assure her as best she could.&nbsp; "All I saw from afar was a wagon heading toward the asylum being harried by wolves.&nbsp; I followed at a distance and did not find signs of blood, but that is all I can tell you for certain.&nbsp; I am not welcome inside the asylum.&nbsp; They worry I would startle the patients."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>28-11-2019, 19:10:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island Docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter clothing, explorers Pack<br><strong>Content: </strong> Dressed For Success.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party<br><hr><br>Aloisa slipped her new clothing on under her silk, simply peeling them off once covered and wadding them up and stuffing them into her pack. She didnt feel or how any shame in changing, the feeling long excorcised by having to share the changing room at the watch at begining and end of shift. Sure, at first the men leered and sniggered, but quite quickly the tides turned when she watched in turn with nothing more then a sharp smirk and a pointed squint as if trying to see something a far distance away. The memory raised a small smile as she strapped on her armor, piecemake it didnt fit nearly as well as her old armor, or have quite the fit and finish it had from the hours upon hours upon hours of care and maintence she had put into it. And now it sat at the bottom of the wreck with her grandfathers swords... And those she failed to save. It took a moment to come back to herself, frowning as her hands were bound up in left over cord from the armors bindings. A tug of her dagger and flick of her wrist sheered the excess off and freeing her hands, a small roll of blood from where the blade strayed to close to her skin was casually wiped up with a strip of cloth and stuffed away. <br><br>She smiled to Faelyn, "You have my thanks for your assistance." Her pale cheeks pinked a moment as she had theat moment of difficulty someone who has learned, but rarely used, a language gets when first speaking with a long time native, it almost sounded like flirting,&nbsp; but was likely just her unfamiliarity with hearing it spoken so smoothly, not even her grandfather had done it so well.<br><br>She took a breath and gave a sharp puff, "So. Suggestions on where to do now..?" She fiddles with the boarding axe getting used to the feel before slipping it into her belt.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>02-12-2019, 03:19:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A second long pine box dragged from <em>Mercy's </em>depths dripping wet and occupied by something animate, restless. Though the work continued, and there seemed to be more pine boxes coming, Doctor Rehner remained at the wagons to deter any more curiosity. A black ledger opened across her lap, but in truth her people watching was poorly hidden, and more often her witch-blooded eyes were on Aloisa or Danae than on the ledger's contents.<br><br>In the tightly-nailed lid of each box there was a small slot, as though for enveloped letters the kind Dementlieu's social ladies would exchange. From the second box there was a weary, inarticulate weeping, which Rehner paid no mind.<br><br>"There is something not right about the doctor, I agree," said Zoe. "Her bedside manner is poor, and it should not surprise me to learn she has been away from civilization too long. The summit is not so very far, and there we will surely summon help."<br><br>When she was dressed, Zoe went to speak to Doctor Rehner.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>03-12-2019, 22:49:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Group<br><br><hr><br>Regarding her patient, Medb clicked her tongue a little, "A little natural science can go a long way," she explained, "the right mixture can turn a normally toxic plant like the mistletoe into a remedy to drive out infections from wounds. I was clasically trained in an institute of learning in Lamordia," she paused to put away her tools before running her fingers through her long, dark hair, "It's wonderful what a naturalist can learn of healing from being elbow-deep in the bodies of fauna to experience first hand how the body works. Chirurgeon doesn't particularly fit, no. I don't look like one because I'm currently in the field, away from equipment. It wouldn't fit if I was... Vivisectionist would be more appropriate, I think."<br><br>Medb hefted her backpack filled with belongings up, regarding the procession of coffins filled with the living being taken from the ship as she secured the weight onto her shoulders, "Though that's just the practical. If you ask me of the Art then... hmm. I could say it is a gift imparted by Ezra in the form of nature's bounty if it sates your curiosity?" Her hands now free she began playing with her black hair again, just the tips of a few longer locks brought up to her face, eyes locked to Danae's now that the living corpses had made their way past, "Though it would simply be unfavourable to lie to you and potentially face retribution at a later time, so I choose to omit that particular scrap of knowledge for now... Though I would so adore talking about the scientific method behind your reasearch on the mists," she addressed Corinne as she went to dress, "regardless of the stage it's at. It's always a pleasure to meet a logical mind."<br><br>Her eyes turned to Faelyn now, quickly followed by her face as she turned to regard the elf - "Wolves you say? I've noted their oddities myself. When you say harrying a wagon did it appear as though they were searching for something? The way they paw at the ground and seem to send scouting parties, it's odd, don't you think? Not quite the behaviour one would expect from a wolf."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>04-12-2019, 03:21:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Dockside<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Blushing and fretting<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Zoe, Rehner<br><hr><br>Corinne blushed as Medb continued to chat with her, even as the wizard was changing behind the sheet. Perhaps it was silly of her — after all, she was covered more modestly by the sheet than she had been by her robe — but the state of undress combined with someone taking a genuine interest in her work had left her quite suddenly flustered.<br><br>"Ah, er, yes...." she stammered, as she fumbled with her new clothes, feeling very clumsy all the sudden. "I would quite like that, Medb. And I would certainly appreciate your insight as well. You have far more... er... field experience than I do, I'm sure."<br><br>After emerging dressed, and somewhat flustered, Corinne gave her cautionary talk to Zoe. The wizard was disheartened, though, when Zoe resolved to go speak to Doctor Rehner, seemingly thwarting everything Corinne had just said. The wizard bit her tongue, deciding that there would be no arguing with the young girl. However, she trailed behind at a somewhat respectful distance, hoping to catch whatever words passed between Zoe and the Doctor, and wary for any attempt by the doctor to beguile the naïve Ezrite. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>05-12-2019, 01:51:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Grey hemp blouse, navy blue felt breeches, leather boots<br><strong>Content: </strong> Changing<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party<br><br>Medb's explanation went some way to reassure her.&nbsp; A chirurgeon was after all hardly a practitioner of the dark arts.&nbsp; Human reason, however, was but a feeble thing, and the temptation to peer into the darkness must have drawn many a practitioner of respectable arts into diabolical compacts.&nbsp; <br><br>"There's something in those boxes.&nbsp; I fear it may yet live."&nbsp; Despite every effort of her waking mind to dispel the memory of what she had seen in the hold of the <em>Mercy</em>, those sounds and images once again bubbled to the surface.&nbsp; It took a soldier's expertise in dissociating the traumatic from the mundane to keep her affect on even keel. Accustomed as she was to the demands of campaigning, the prospect of nudity in such circumstances was of little concern to her.&nbsp; She stripped off her sea-salt rimed ragged shirt and jodhpurs, splashed some cold fresh water on herself to soothe sun-lashed skin, and changed briskly, not at all concerned with prying eyes.&nbsp; <br><br>"We should rest first.&nbsp; Then it will be time to seek a way off this island.&nbsp; I would not stay here a moment longer than is necessary."&nbsp; <br><br>To Faelyn, the wild woman whom she regarded with both apprehension and curiosity, she said, "How well is this place charted?&nbsp; Do any know of the interior, and why those boxes might be taken there?"&nbsp; She paused, and concluded she was too sleep deprived for questions of any kind.&nbsp; "More to the point, where can we take shelter?&nbsp; Some food would be welcome, too."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>05-12-2019, 21:40:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and boots beneath heavy winter cloak of white furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Prepping for travel<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party<br><hr><br>Faelyn smirked at the little creeping of red that came across the cheeks of the athletic brunette, but chose not to further tease her until later.&nbsp; Priority now demanded that they change their locale and allow the weary travelers the chance for some obviously much needed rest before the next leg of the adventure.<br><br>"It most certainly is not."&nbsp; Faelyn answered back to Medb.&nbsp; "That's why I've come here.&nbsp; Even so far as Vorostokov the natural world is in turmoil and its creatures are lashing out in very uncharacteristic and violent ways.&nbsp; Following rumors led me here, but I've yet to find a reason for it thus far."<br><br>A puzzled expression came across the silver haired elf when the most injured of the group began to question her.&nbsp; "I know next to nothing of the asylum and frankly haven't been very interested in it until very recently, however I've been here for some time exploring around the island and can certainly lead us to food and shelter away from... here."&nbsp; &nbsp;She glanced very briefly towards the dock.&nbsp; "I see you are all rather... wanting for equipment.&nbsp; I would feel safer if all around can at least defend themselves if something does happen.&nbsp; Does anyone require a weapon?&nbsp; I've a blade to lend if anyone needs it."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>05-12-2019, 22:29:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island Docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter clothing, explorers Pack<br><strong>Content: </strong> Dressed For Success.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party<br><hr><br>Aloisa gives a small cough and gathers herself, taking a moment to adjust the straps on her armor and get comfortable with it before checking the ax head, picking up a stone and carefully working it over the edge to clean it up. She gives a small sigh as Danae seems to get something in her craw about Medbs healing.. But maybe she had some bad experience in the past, she had known a few guards like that... She gave a puff as it was handled quickly and smiled some pulling out her coin purse giving it a few shakes, "I've got a bit left for people to pick up some more gear..." she shakes the purse and listens... "12 gold, 1 silver, and six coppers. I've picked up enough rations to last a couple days for everybody. A blanket for everybody, and a couple bed rolls. We are gonna have to share up. And another Apothecary kit. Just in case. What else is needed?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>07-12-2019, 11:35:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Grey hemp blouse, navy blue felt breeches, leather boots<br><strong>Content: </strong> Searching for a blade<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Faelyn, the Party<br><br>To Faelyn she said, "A weapon would suit me well."&nbsp; She clapped the butt of her musket down on the salt-sprayed dockside walkway for emphasis.&nbsp; "A blade would do - any you have, rapier or sabre.&nbsp; In the wilds, firearms may be of scant use, and I wish to be of assistance if we are ever tested in an ambush."&nbsp; That was the professional soldier in her speaking.&nbsp; She felt uneasy about the call of a land of which she knew nothing.&nbsp; To have two experienced rovers like Faelyn and Medb join the party was a wise thing, though the siren song of the inner dark of the island boded ill.&nbsp; Like a moth drawn to a flame, she needed answers.&nbsp; There were things she would know before it was time to forget them. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>07-12-2019, 19:08:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and boots beneath heavy winter cloak of white furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Prepping for travel<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae<br><hr><br>Faelyn nodded her head as the wounded woman took her up on the offer and quickly freed one of her shortsword side arms.&nbsp; Handing the sheathed blade over, she eyed the strange metal tube the woman carried rather suspiciously.&nbsp; The woman seemed rather attatched to the device, but the young elven woman couldn't seem to pinpoint just what it was or what it was for.&nbsp; Shaking her head slightly, she shifted her gaze to meet that of Danae and offered.&nbsp; "I will be expecting that back before we part.&nbsp; I hope however, that should we be assaulted you find it more useful than your... club?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>07-12-2019, 19:54:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Listening to Danae make plans to survive the trials ahead drew Michelle from her penitence. "These are fisher-birds," she said. "I recall reading of a colony of birds, on the coast where gaspard crabs hatch by the millions. I imagined how it would tickle allowing the soft hatchlings to cross my hands, as they blanket the beach. And the gulls, I recall they are monogamous. Together as a pair they negotiate a quite complex gull society. It made me think of them as people, but they are dangerous in numbers."<br><br>Doctor Rehner seemed to catch the strain and try her hand at flirtation with Zoe. When this met with trepidation, Rehner instead engaged her in many questions. She was looking past Zoe, into the gathering of castaways, before Corinne could dicern the words through the noise of gulls.<br><br>"Are not the others traveling?" asked Rehner.<br>"Lady Vine-Lott must recuperate from her ordeal," Zoe told her.<br>"This is unfortunate. The rifle would be practical." Doctor Rehner considered this a long moment, but turned back to the work of overseeing the wagons loaded. "I thought they would hire to escort us."<br>"Captain Baykur hurt her badly." Zoe was firm in this. "It has colored their opinion of you."<br>But Rehner was not troubled by that, and waved it away as the fourth pine box scraped into a waiting wagon. "They will get in trouble on foot. We can leave a wagon for them."<br><br>Zoe was eager to return and share the good news with her party. But there was a moment, when she turned, where Doctor Rehner stopped her.<br>"But I lived many years in these forests in Gundarak. We will be fine, you and me. I'll tell you the story of Emalia to pass the hours," said Rehner.<br><br>At last Zoe returned to share what she'd learned, but as Corinne had already overheard them, there was nothing new to it save Zoe's own color of words.<br><br>Margaret Hotspur gathered up a share of Aloisa's supplies and thanked her with the most brisk of embraces.<br>"Would you show us to your camp?" she prodded Medb. "It behooves us to take our leave before the workmen finish."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>08-12-2019, 15:23:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Grey hemp blouse, navy blue felt breeches, leather boots<br><strong>Content: </strong> Armed<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Faelyn<br><br>"You have my gratitude," Danae acknowledged the generosity of a fellow warrior and took the shortsword in hand, feeling its heft and balance. It had an odd curve that for some reason reminded her of a crescent moon.&nbsp; She remembered picture books from musty shelves at school showing the arts and crafts of the fey, and always thought the illustrations must have been fanciful.&nbsp; "It is not a blade to which I am accustomed.&nbsp; I must see that I do it justice.&nbsp; You will certainly have it back before we part and, should I fall, you can always take it off me!"&nbsp; She gave a grim chuckle and sat with her musket propped against her shoulder.&nbsp; "This is no club, though I have at times used it as such when I ran short of powder.&nbsp; This is like a slingshot with a very hard and very heavy bullet.&nbsp; When powder and fire kiss, the burst forces out the bullet at great speed. The flash and noise do much to disconcert an undisciplined foe, too.&nbsp; Goblins scatter under a volley of well-drilled fire and break rank.&nbsp; Then the lancers can ride forth and make short work of them." <br><br>There, she paused.&nbsp; She did not suppose Faelyn knew anymore about her military service than she knew about the life of an elven rover.&nbsp; <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>10-12-2019, 16:54:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and boots beneath heavy winter cloak of white furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Prepping for travel<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae<br><hr><br>"It is no trouble at all."&nbsp; Faelyn began to explain.&nbsp; "To tell you the truth, they seldom see actual use in combat.&nbsp; I carry them in case an enemy gets too close.&nbsp; I'm a bit of a markswoman myself, however I'm rather partial to the longbow.&nbsp; The ability to silently pick off your foe from a safe distance is necessary for my clan's way of life.&nbsp; We are believed to be a myth or protective spirit watching over the oppressed.&nbsp; Too much attention and we will become hunted down ourselves.&nbsp; Perhaps one day we will have a chance to put each other's skills to the test in friendly competition."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>10-12-2019, 18:25:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island Docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter clothing, explorers Pack<br><strong>Content: </strong> Dressed For Success.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party<br><hr><br>Aloisa gives a smile at the hug from Margaret giving her a light pat then turned to Zoe listening to her story nodding.. "Please pass our thanks to the Doctor.. And here," she pulled out the sling and pouch of bullets&nbsp; offering them to her, "It isnt much, but its better then no protection, if you need you should be able to practice with stones from the ground and save the bullets for incase you need it.. Please, take care and keep safe." She took Zoes hands and gave them a firm squeeze, "We will try and follow as soon as we are able."<br><br>She stepped aside to let the others say their peace before giving a sigh and watching her go, "Right. Anybody else? We could probably get a few more slings or other things... Last chance to bring it up now." She looks to the others.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>12-12-2019, 07:40:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Dockside<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Fretting<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Zoe, Open<br><hr><br>Corinne listened quietly, and watched Aloisa press the sling into Zoe's hand. She doubted the girl knew how to use such a thing, but she supposed it was better than nothing. Once Aloisa had said her piece, the wizard approached Zoe, resting hands on the Ezrite's shoulders.<br><br>Corinne opened her mouth to speak, faltered, swallowed, and then finally found words. "Be safe," she said, trying to keep the concern out of her voice. "Like Aloisa said, we'll be right behind you." She cast a glance over Zoe's shoulder at Rehner. "And be wary of the doctor. Do not meet her gaze if you can avoid it."<br><br>She pressed a quick kiss to Zoe's cheek... paused... and then pressed another kiss – this one far less chaste – against Zoe's lips, hands sliding up to cradle the girl's face. At last, she pulled back, staring for a long moment, before repeating herself in a soft whisper, "Be safe."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>31-12-2019, 20:55:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I will," Zoe answered in a hush, ticklish of the doctor's eyes on them. It was when Corinne kissed her so, that her guard dropped. There was a deliverance in the raw emotion of Corinne's lips which neither rescue nor landfall had brought. Her eyes shut, and it would not be difficult to imagine a different place, the pristine white beaches of paradise, in a place of one's own.<br><br>When the last pine box loaded, Zoe took her place with the wagons. Four laborers went with them, driving the horses up switchback muddy slope into the rutted path through shaggy forest. As the animals labored and the wood groaned and tethers strained taut, Zoe regarded Corinne shyly from the passenger seat, as though too long a gaze might hex their rendezvous.<br><br>What hospitality the sailors provided folded abruptly once the wagons were underway. No more goods were exchanged, and the Common tongue was refused with the same coarse phrase, no matter the speaker.<br>"Utazik mezze!"<br>It was a black phrase, no matter the meaning, uttered like a curse with the emphasis of a clenched fist. The <em>Charlotte's </em>castaways were not meant to be here. No outsider was meant to be here.<br><br>Still, Sage Laporte placed herself in the hands of those unwelcoming sailors. Her fate seemed grim indeed when she set foot upon the ship which had cast all of them out, but there was no dissuading her now.<br><br>There was nothing more to be gained on the tense shore. Margaret Hotspur and Michelle accompanied on the walk up the muddy path, among the crisp evergreen and prickling moss raised like hackles from warped trunks.<br><br>The journey up onto the hill, where Medb's shelter squat watchful over an undisturbed stretch of old forest, was mercifully brief. It was there shelter could be found for the second night.<br><br>~ ~<br><br>Mist overtook the camp that night. The moonlit hours where a body run to exhaustion from its circadian rhythms first awoke were difficult to distinguish from dream. A curious sort of wolf stalked those jagged trees under cover of darkness. If one were not careful, venturing too far from waking dream into the grey gloom, one might meet the eyes of one of their kind, through the thicket of warped trees. Yellow eyes, the height of a man's throat, and the growl of a territorial beast.<br><br>In the morning light there were no more sightings of wolves. There had been rain, somewhere off the coast, and a sleepy drizzle still visited on the island, rendering the unpaved road in a sheen of mud.<br><br>A spacious wagon was waiting there on the road, with two jet-black horses stabled at the shore's overlook for the taking. It was clear what was expected of the island's visitors.<br><br>Those black-eyed beasts knew only one labor in life: to pull a laden wagon along the same muddy road, to and from the doctor's asylum. The drudgery of it had deadened their noble souls into crude tools, and they took the familiar road expertly with very little coaxing. Having no cargo but seven ladies and the lightest of accouterments, the ride proceeded briskly, unbalanced, and shimmying from wheel to wheel.<br><br>Wind from some distant storm's abating sigh rustled through the broken forest. The trees whispered secrets to one another in absolute desolation of another civilized soul in the overgrown old forest between coast and high apex. Up, up the island's contour, toward the eye-catching manor at its crown, a waking wilderness unfurled and vanished in the wagon's wake in shifting, bristling kaleidoscopes of loden green and nutmeg.<br><br>At last, after twenty minutes of riding, the mists receded.<br><br>A bright tropical summer sky shone through thin canopy where the beasts slowed, and the wheels burbled in muddy grooves. Straight ahead beneath rising ground the road cleft, straddled by gradual retaining walls grown over in dark, broad-leaf ivy. Overhead the asylum's wall crossed, dark stone and so forbiddingly high the sharp spines atop could not be seen.<br><br>Beneath the wall, where the road's mud ran aground on fieldstone, there was a black gate plenty wide enough to accommodate the wagon. Wrought iron lines like elegant calligraphy barred against trespass, but allowed the curious a peer down a long cellar corridor's plunge into darkness.<br><br>Dead center, the gate's swerving complementary halves joined in a heart-shaped lock. It was a large and decorative lock, meant for an equally oversized key, such that the tumblers might be worked even with the improvised tools at hand.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>05-01-2020, 02:54:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and boots beneath heavy winter cloak of white furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Following a lead<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><hr><br>After a surprisingly peaceful nights rest, Faelyn followed the others along to find a wagon waiting for them.&nbsp; After climbing aboard, she pulled her hood up high over her head in an attempt to make herself appear more human, having been turned away at the doors of the asylum once before.&nbsp; Looking at the group, in a very serious tone she asked, "So I'm not going to lie, I have no knowledge of what to expect moving forward, and I don't like that one bit.&nbsp; I'm looking for clues on some business of my own and I'm not going to lie I didn't exactly have much interest in dealing with asylum patients to explain things to me, but after listening to your story I'm in.&nbsp; What do you actually know, and what do you think we can expect from this place?&nbsp; What are we actually even hoping to accomplish here?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>05-01-2020, 16:03:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum Door<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter clothing, explorers Pack<br><strong>Content: </strong> Here is the plan so far.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Faelyn<br><hr><br>Aloisa slept light through the night, helping to keep watch as she was used to it, and needed something to distract herself after that hunting trip.. Once the party was up and moving she kept along quietly taking time to whet the blade of her axe and knife on a decent stone to keep them up, finishing by stropping them on the leather of her armor covering her arms. She looked up as they approached the gate, pausing to look it over with a frown, going through her own things for something that might work to pop the lock if Knocking didnt work. <br><br>She looked to Faelyn and nodded, "hopefully... We can just deal with the staff... Though from what i heard we should be wary as they are intent to... "Cure" people of what they consider ailments regardless of their wishes. Might be best to keep quiet unless there is a need. If possible at least. And we were told survivors of the ship we sailed in on might be here, that they arrived before us, so we are hoping to find them and possibly work out some means of returning home, or to some other safe port or shore we could make our way homes via."<br><br>She looks to the others to see if they debate her, or if she forgot anything..
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>05-01-2020, 19:10:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum Gates<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong> Fretting<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><hr><br>Corinne was distant that morning, a thousand little worries racing through her mind. All through the cart ride, her fingers twitched and fidgeted as she practiced the hand signs for certain warding spells. She suddenly seemed to return to herself when the cart finally came to rest outside the gates.<br><br>"Yes, reuniting with the survivors is our priority," Corinne affirmed.&nbsp; "While I hope this will be a simple matter, I am... sceptical. If Doctor Rehner is any indication, then this place may be run by more than mere alienists. I have prepared magic that can ward against, and even break, mental control. However, I cannot ward all of us, and I cannot hold the spell for long. Be wary for erratic behaviour amongst our friends. They may not be in possession of their faculties."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>06-01-2020, 13:32:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Island docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Grey hemp blouse, navy blue felt breeches, leather boots<br><strong>Content: </strong> Planing<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br>She went up to the gates, foreboding as they were, and felt a tinge of unease overcome her.&nbsp; The place radiated a certain nondescript malice.&nbsp; It was poisonous, corrosive.&nbsp; The soldier in her told her not to proceed further without good reconnaissance.&nbsp; In her troubled sleep she had enough time to grapple with disembodied voices and images.&nbsp; To be in this place, seemingly drawn against her will like a fly in a spider's web, stirred up those echoes once again. <br><br>"I am told not much healing goes on in such places.&nbsp; Lunacy is riven into the mind; the brain, like the body, is dross.&nbsp; Prone to corruption.&nbsp; The soul, too, I suppose, by things like witchcraft." She tested the blackened iron of the gates with her hands." She paused to contemplate her companions' assessments of their situation, "A curious thing to bring us out here, but leave the gate shut."&nbsp; <br><br>She called out into the passage, hoping to seize the attention of some remiss groundskeeper who had neglected to make preparations for the arrival of guests, and rapped her knuckles against the metal.&nbsp; "Madame Lorimer is quite right.&nbsp; We cannot abandon our fellow passengers.&nbsp; I would not wish it upon anyone to be an inmate in such a place."&nbsp; She drew the fey shortsword Faelyn had lent her, and clanged the pommel against the ornamental wrought iron.&nbsp; "It's either this, or trying to pick the lock and in that field I have no knowledge."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>07-01-2020, 02:51:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In the faraway darkness of the cellar corridor, a solitary star appeared, small and feeble. Gradually as its cousins in the sky it moved, growing brighter, coming closer, until through the panes of a delicate lantern a shape resolved, thin but for the tulip flare of drab petticoat and juliet sleeves. Her face was cast in red from the lantern, and so uniform in the color she seemed an apparition, with only the dark slots of eyes and narrow line of an inexpressive mouth. Her hand was bunched into a curtsy to keep her fringe off the muddy fieldstone, and it slowed her, jangling, attending to the gate noise like a bothersome chore.<br><br>It was when she drew close the face could be seen for what it was. A mask, white and ladylike in shape, but not quite correct- too soft were its lines, and the shadows necessary to read a face dissolved on examination, stressing the animal brain to make sense of the abstract. What occupied the body of a woman could not with certainty be categorized as such. About the porcelain mask, a band of lily lace was drawn, in the conservative style of old maids.<br><br>From a safe distance she examined those beyond the gate, and then, suppressing a small sound in her throat, folded in her shoulders to work the lock with a brass key, its motif a cradled heart.<br><br>"Do try to keep it down." The voice was indistinct, claustrophobic beneath the mask, like a secret whispered through cracks in the garden wall. "For the sake of the patients."<br><br>The way beneath Heinfroth's asylum was long, and trod by the hooves of horses. The plainly-dressed orderly took care avoiding caked mud, and the journey in her custody was slow because of it.<br>"They have all gone out to the airing courts and left us the house. It was an ordeal to prepare a serviceable room for all of you. The sitting room beside the kitchen will have to do. If you will follow me, I will show you to it. A bath will be drawn, so you may feel presentable meeting Doctor Heinfroth."<br><br>At the end of this walk, in the dim light of the cellar, the path branched three ways. She took the middle, and led through a well-stocked pantry, up austere flour-dusted steps into the house proper. Daylight filtered in through the kitchen windows, tall and narrow in orderly grids with the Tudor timbers of the manor. Judging from the size of the kitchen and the count of its black iron pans, Heinfroth's asylum had many patients to feed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>08-01-2020, 04:44:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum Gates<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Cautious Inquiry<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corinne watched the orderly carefully. The mask did little to ease Corinne's suspicions of the place. "You were informed of our coming?" Corinne asked. "Then Zoe arrived safely, I take it?" Corrine found herself split between relief and concern. On the one hand, she was relieved that Zoe had indeed made it to the asylum. On the other hand, she wondered where exactly the girl might be. Corinne was hardly prepared to believe this was a place of safety.<br><br>Still, she followed after the orderly. After a night in the wilderness, a bath did sound pleasant. Even in the heart of danger, some small comforts would be welcome.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>08-01-2020, 12:37:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Grey hemp blouse, navy blue felt breeches, leather boots<br><strong>Content: </strong> Tense<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br>Their guide unnerved her.&nbsp; There appeared to be something artificial in her countenance and speech, though perhaps that was just the sensation of being drawn deeper into a forbidden lair.&nbsp; There was no doubt that the good Doctor wanted them there, and now in her asylum, they were at her sufferance. <br><br>"Any survivors of the <em>Charlotte</em> are my responsibility, Madame," she said, and scanned her surroundings with a wary eye, "the sooner we see Doctor Heinfroth the better.&nbsp; It would however be most gauche of us to turn down her hospitality.&nbsp; I trust we are no great imposition to you.&nbsp; Will you lead?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>11-01-2020, 17:54:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum Door<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter clothing, explorers Pack<br><strong>Content: </strong> Here is the plan so far.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Party &amp; Guide<br><hr><strong>Dice Rolls:</strong><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Insight: 8</div><div class="spoiler_body"> At 2020-01-11 10:44:08, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 8 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=143323)</div></div><hr><br>Aloisa watched the approaching figure carefully, eyeballing over.. her, as she grew close. "Our apologies Ma'am, we shall do our best to not disturb your patients." She bowed her head down respectfully, and nodded with her companions as they explained the situation, "We are most grateful for your hospitality, but way me see our lost companions first..? It has been a great burden that has been weighing upon us, and would help dearly to relieve." She watched discretely, though carefully trying to get some judge of this woman they just met.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>13-01-2020, 04:55:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Look at the state of you. Too much excitement and let loose in the forest."<br>Under bright kitchen light, the masked orderly knelt down to unlace Danae's muddy boots. It was unthinkable to track the dreary weather any further into the house's sanctuary.<br>"Off with these, and we will set them outside to dry."<br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Aloisa's Insight</div><div class="spoiler_body">Through the mask it was difficult for Aloisa to get much of a feel for the orderly, except that she possessed a persnickety mood, and took great concern with the state of the manor.</div></div><br>Once safely unshod, it was permissible to pass from the kitchen into a great sitting room, so deep that a column was needed to support its center. At the base, a fireplace to keep the empty groupings of chairs sat extinguished.<br><br>In the sitting room there was a second orderly, her walking dress a pinstriped drab, a small hat to keep the morning sun from her eyes. For a moment she ceased her sweeping, and peered curious through her own porcelain mask, but resumed her work shortly.<br><br>"Some visitors arrived through yesterday. There was another who instructed us to expect you, and here we are."<br>Pictures stared back from the parlor walls between an array of nine doors branching out to all regions of the asylum. Empty sitting arrangements hinted at factions among the mad, discrete clans who preferred to sit with the fire, or with the tables, or in the darkest corner. Between the kitchen and the tall, narrow door where the orderly beckoned, a sign dominated:<br><em>EZRA is WATCHING. </em><br>Over those letters a figure in flowing white, wings raising from the disintegrating grime of the world into holy serenity, glorious, immaculate, lovely.<br><br>"Those first arrivals are resting in the infirmary, under the capable care of Doctor Rehner, Doctor Noire and Doctor Blanche around the clock. You can expect a full recovery. Foremost, this is a hospital, you understand. We must ration our supplies shrewdly and there may be discomfort with the unexpected addition of half a dozen guests, but it is a hospital."<br><br>"This will be your room."<br><br>Too many bunks were crowded into a space intended for only a single guest's comfort. Now it would accommodate eight or ten, but with no allowance of privacy. Folded atop a trunk at the native couples' bed were several drab changes of clothes in white buttons and feeble hem.<br>"The girl who arrived with Doctor Rehner is resting comfortably. Be patient, and you will all be reunited."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>14-01-2020, 06:48:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and boots beneath heavy winter cloak of white furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Along for the ride<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><hr><br>The news coming forth from the rest of the group was disconcerting to say the least, and while the information was spotty at best, at least it gave her a chance to understand just what they actually hoped to accomplish here.&nbsp; "I can handle keeping quiet and letting you all take lead on this one then."&nbsp; She said as the cart pulled them along towards the gates.<br><br>Watching as they were let through the gates and led through the grounds to a very unsettling sterile interior.&nbsp; "I don't like the look of this place at all..."&nbsp; She whispered aloud to the group, pulling her head as far into her good as she could.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>15-01-2020, 02:42:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum quarters<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Fretting<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>The orderly's urging for patience did little to settle Corinne's nerves. She did not like this place, and the sign proclaiming Saint Ezra's vigilance seemed more ominous than reassuring. From her prior interactions with Doctor Rehner, Corinne suspected every staffer in this place would scrutinize the newcomers for any hint of impropriety that might be deemed "madness". "Guests" might quickly become "patients" given the barest pretence.<br><br>"I hope Zoe finds us soon," Corinne said quietly. "I should like to hear more about what manner of 'treatments' our friends have undergone here."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>15-01-2020, 13:47:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Grey hemp blouse, navy blue felt breeches, barefoot <br><strong>Content: </strong> On edge<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Faelyn, Open<br><br>"I fear I do not like it any more than you do," she told Faelyn in a strangled, conspiratorial whisper she had not used since boarding school.&nbsp; <br><br>She walked the corridors of the asylum with the trepidation of a scout stepping into enemy land.&nbsp; The appearance of their host's welcome unsettled her, and she felt still more vulnerable in an unfamiliar locale, surrounded by so much that remained unspoken.&nbsp; Above her, the sign that spoke of Ezra's oversight over all things was unnerving.&nbsp; It was a veiled threat, she was certain, reminding the patients - or inmates - that there was no dark corner of their psyche that could not be illuminated. <br><br>"How would you go about...treating your patients here?" Danae asked the orderly.&nbsp; That they had been shown a room was cause for some concern.&nbsp; She had not intended on spending the night in the asylum, but the long trek back to the docks after nightfall would likely have been sufficient excuse for their hosts to detain them. "I ask out of interest.&nbsp; We are of course most grateful for your hospitality, you mentioned a bath?"<br><br>The prospect of some privacy would give the party time to decide how best to manage their enforced sojourn. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>17-01-2020, 00:07:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress hiding leathers, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Nail-biting<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Having never been in the asylum before and having given its walls a wide berth during her study of the island Medb was quite perturbed by the interior and the masked representative. While no stranger to stone structures she preferred ones where she would not be claimed mad, possessed or what-have-you and locked up to await holes being bored into her skull to let the demons out, she preferred those to stay right where they were, thank you very much - they gave such wondrous insights into the inner workings of things. She was in alignment with the platinum-haired Faelyn on this matter, that it was best to let those who had come here for purpose take the lead with an exception here or there to satisfy curiosity.<br><br>Nibbling upon her left thumb nail she takes in her surroundings, paying close attention to the wings of Ezra which seemed in much better condition than the majority. How poetic it would be if there were someone watching them from behind that sign... She would need to look it over once their host left. Or she would, if not for not having prepared anything to see the weave of the arcane and divine's effects today, nor having such in her ritual book as yet. <br><br>Medb cleared her throat slightly, "May I ask, apart from guests from the <em>Charlotte</em> do you have many patients in residence at the moment? You had mentioned they had left for the airing courts prior so I hope our intrusion has not left you short of habitation."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>17-01-2020, 14:16:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum Door<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter clothing, explorers Pack<br><strong>Content: </strong> Suspiscion and Observation<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Party &amp; Guide<br><hr><br>Aloisa frowned as she couldn't get a read on the guide because of their mask, and deciding she didn't like it. But there wasn't much she could do beyond get over it, soo..<br><br>She followed along quietly letting the others take the lead for the moment taking time to look around and observe the interior of the building, pausing to look at the "ERZA is WATCHING" The artwork was... Nice, though a bit creepy. She remained quiet, but found herself not liking this place, but unsure of exactly what caused the feeling. What Dr Rehner had revealed on the boat, the look of the place, or just the fact it housed who knew how many sick and insane people inside.. All of it set off those nerves that warned her of something foul...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>19-01-2020, 20:14:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"It isn't proper for guests to pry into such things."<br>A window crowded against the narrow far wall, set into an acute corner more afterthought than feature of the guest room. Tiers of curtain and linen and lace parted fitful around the orderly's insistent hands, to let daylight into the room and kick up a migration of new dust. There in a private nook, a chair had once resided gazing out into the yard, for such extended periods of stillness that the dark circles where its feet rest were now aged into the hardwood.<br>"The patients, that is, those committed into the care of the Asylum for the Mentally Disturbed by concerned friends or family or correctional tribunal, are advantaging their morning exercise. You may observe them from here to your satisfaction."<br><br>Out on the green esplanade, some three dozen women followed arrhythmic the directions of a superior in the meagerest of stretches, extending the arms, rolling the wrists, patting the head, rotating the hips, pressing the belly, tapping the elbow in slow, methodical care. Each woman was garbed in pale grey fabric not entirely opaque to the daylight, in dresses whose untailored sleeves drooped like bellflowers, whose only true accommodation to contour was a girdle at the waist cinched with laced twine.<br><br>And yet each of them- even the nurse giving instruction- wore those porcelain masks, such that there was barely any telling one from the next.<br><br>"A healthy body cultivates a healthy mind, and busy work tidies the psyche against idle lunacy. The patients will be busy throughout the morning, and ought not return in numbers until your date with Doctor Heinfroth. Before they return to the parlor, there will be fair warning, that you might remain in your room if the mood to fraternize does not take you."<br><br>Seen in this context, there seemed to be no difference between the drab clothes laid out for change and those compulsory to the patients outside, or indeed, the orderlies themselves.<br><br>"At Doctor Heinfroth's discretion the identity of a patient may be shared, if there is compelling cause for it. These women and their families benefit from confidentiality in a number of ways. You must respect them that prerogative."<br><br>A stout tub for bathing arrived soon after, and pails of freshly drawn water sufficiently warm to flex the metal tub. Sponges, linen, and coarse grater for the lavender-perfumed brick of soap were supplied before at last the orderlies left them to what privacy they could negotiate together.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>24-01-2020, 05:29:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum Door<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter clothing, explorers Pack<br><strong>Content: </strong> Suspiscion and Observation<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Party &amp; Guide<br><hr><br>Aloisa gave an apologetic smile and bowed her head to the attendant, "Our apologies for prying Lady, it has been a long difficult journey and we forget ourselves in this place. Please forgive us. We have no intent to intrude on anybodys privacy for the Aid they seek here." She bowed her head again in contrition before following along and listening to the attendents lecture.<br><br>A long pause after the women left them to their own, listening carefulky for the sound of footsteps or masked breathing, hand gently raised to forestall any others talking until she is sure it is clear. "Well, this is a queer place. I... Dont think we should seperate to lightly here. And i doubt i have to say, but i think we should watch our words in case they might be construwed to be takrn as some sign of madness or such. I might just be overly suspicious, but some aspect of this place unsettles me..."<br><br>She sighed and began peeling off her armor setting it aside with her axe, the edge worked to a rough mirror like finish from the ministrations she gave it on the cart. "And as we werent asked, i think i shall keep my current cloths... An honest mistake as i assumed that they left extra as convience for us rather then a demand." Her voice lowered not to a whisper, but a quiet half breath, lacking the force made to be quiet of a whisper and making it harder to travel beyond to walls, "And any Tools you wish to keep handy should be secreted away on oneself rsther then worn openly."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>24-01-2020, 05:48:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum Guest Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>More fretting<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corinne frowned at the orderly's departing back. She nodded as Aloisa spoke. "I agree. It much rather avoid bearing even a passing resemblance to a patient here. And if our friends are "patients", then they will be masked like all the others. It may be difficult to suss out our compatriots, if Doctor Heinfroth wishes their identities to remain secret."<br><br>Her eyes drifted over to the steaming tub, and she sighed. In spite of her distaste for this place, she had to admit the bath was inviting after their long ordeals. She realized that she hadn't had a proper warm bath since the sinking of the Charlotte. While her lab had always been a spartan affair, there were certain creature comforts of city living that she had evidently taken for granted.<br><br>At last she relented. "Still... might as well avail ourselves of civilized amenities while we can. Let's not sit and wait for the water to cool. If none of you are keen for a bath, then I'll happily take the first soak." Then, considering Aloisa's words (and perhaps goaded by a perverse voice at the back of her mind), added, "Of course, this might be a situation were modesty should be set aside in the name of safety. As Mlle Kriechjagd put it - we should not separate lightly." Her cheeks reddened slightly at that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>24-01-2020, 12:08:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Stripped down <br><strong>Content: </strong> Bath time<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Aloisa, Medb, Open<br><br>"Quite," she agreed with Aloisa's assessment on the sanatorium uniforms.&nbsp; "I haven''t worn petticoats..." her memory strained for recall, "for so long as I can remember. It would at any rate be unbecoming of a soldier. We must do what we can to please our guests within reason though.&nbsp; I suppose we shall only find answers when we speak to the Doctor.&nbsp; The sooner she agrees to see us, the better."&nbsp; She stripped down with the brisk, unselfconscious pragmatism of one accustomed to making the most of fleeting luxuries.&nbsp; "Madame Lorimer can enjoy the tub, all I need is a pail of water and some soap.&nbsp; This is no different to bathing on campaign, and a fair sight better since we have warm water."&nbsp; <br><br>She took pride in the battle-scars upon her pale frame: the sabre blow that had nicked her between her breasts, the jagged goblin spearpoint that had almost sliced her thigh open when she charged on horseback.&nbsp; The tavern maids and the stable girls pretended to be fascinated, and urged her for stories, but she knew their curiosity was tempered with fearful revulsion: the savagery and brutishness of a soldier's life was laid bare before them, and with it the titillation of being before a dangerous woman, who had left many bodies on the field of battle.&nbsp; Aloisa, Faelyn, and Medb would doubtless understand.&nbsp; As for Corinne, she seemed more sheltered.&nbsp; <br><br>Seizing a bar of coarse and fragrant soap, a pail of hot water, and a sponge she briskly scrubbed herself down: thoroughly, but without any indulgence.&nbsp; She rinsed herself down twice to wash the sea-salt out of her skin, and from her hair.&nbsp; Was it uncouth by Dementlieuse standards that she sported with pride an untamed spray of silver between her thighs? A wry smile drew across her lips and thought of the absurdity of a woman of arms fussing over such matters.&nbsp; The decadence of other realms had yet to come to Mordent.&nbsp; Hers was a country of good, plain common sense.&nbsp; <br><br>She crouched low again to scrub herself a second time, and to Medb she said, "You were kind enough to tend my wounds before.&nbsp; Tell me, how does my back fare? I fear I cannot see."&nbsp; The steam from the water had taken to condensing on the tiled walls, drawing menacing patterns.&nbsp; Was that a mocking, demonic face, staring at her, or just an unfortunate aggregation of droplets.&nbsp; To be nude was to be vulnerable, but at least she knew Faelyn's elfin shortsword was close.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>27-01-2020, 01:06:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I've grown to like these new clothes," Michelle said, shrugging from her brace suspenders at the edge of a bunk. Canvas slacks and clean linen unbuttoned from tight fixtures like machine rivets, only with white-knuckle effort, and she needed help with the snuggest button down the trouser line. "Saving perhaps the uncomfortable shoes, there's inspiration in wearing them. One feels ready for anything."<br>Under her clothes she was slight, young, untested, with rosy joints and a taut compression to her body which would not relax until it was her turn in the bath. After the linseed paintings of Musee du Port-a-Lucine and the psychosexual frescoes of Ezra's cathedral, she was shorn to tracelessness in anticipation of the pleasure cruise which never came. Nerves played out through her toes as she glanced from body to body.<br><br>Margaret Hotspur bereft of her hunter green gave the impression of a Vistani girl the sort to lure unguarded gentlewomen into fiendish schemes. Body firmed by the outdoor sun which had bronzed her olive skin, chestnut curls set loose like briar, beauty marks here and there in odd punctuation like points of constellation- almost certainly, there was Vistani blood in her somewhere. Wandering eyes met her own looking back, guarded, a hand to her mouth.<br>"I regret now preferring my own company on the <em>Charlotte, </em>for I would not know our fellows for certain from any of the patients here. I'll rely on you to sort friend from oppugnant."<br><br>After fifteen minutes to wash, the voices of the two orderlies came just outside the door. They talked idly, about the patients in the yard and the work yet to be done cleaning- the shifts, which would change in the evening, and number fifty-one, who would prove difficult to settle come evening.<br><br>At last, there was a pointed knock, directing those soaking within to hasten their affairs in order.<br>"Doctor Heinfroth will see you presently. Follow when you are ready."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>31-01-2020, 01:18:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> <del>A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment</del><br><strong>Content: </strong> Back inspection<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae<br><br><hr><br>Medb scanned the room as various members of the group began to undress. To let her guard down and expose herself at the moment would perhaps be folly, but at the very least with their strength in numbers and the potential general <em>strength</em> of some of the members, particularly Danae as she stripped down and let the druid get a good view of her well-toned body. Moreover, she was inviting her to have a closer look, to give her medical opinion. The silver haired woman's back was a tapestry, old scars and new, and not only there.<br><br>She slipped out of her own ensemble , the black cloth easily passing from her shoulders, and approached, her hand touching the woman's bare flesh, first testing for the normal human reaction... a slight jump when another first lays a hand on another, then checking for winces of pain or a tension of muscle as she gently traced her fingers. <br>"It still looks a bit tender," she stated matter-of-factly, her inspection that of a doctor and patient rather than one of idle curiosity, "the wound was quite deep and generally even with the little curative push I gave before it's going to need time to heal. Perhaps it would be best to see if the nurses here have any salves or ointments we can apply to it to fend off infection until it scabs a bit?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>31-01-2020, 05:32:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum Guest Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Not Much<br><strong>Content: </strong>Scrubbing down<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Danae's dismissal was all the encouragement Corinne needed to wriggle out of her clothes and into the tub, so quick she barely realized she was doing it until her smooth legs were slipping into the hot water. Again that devious little thrill, that all-too-eagerness to disrobe, fluttered at the back of her mind.<br><br>It was hard not to watch Medb's examination. Danae's layers of scars were truly striking, and Corinne felt suddenly out of her depth. Aloisa and Danae were women of action, accustomed to hard living, Medb too in her own way. By comparison, Corinne felt more akin to Michelle, or even the recently departed Sage, a city girl who'd never spent a night in her life sleeping by the side of the road or fighting for her very survival.<br><br>She blinked away the thought, and turned her attention back to the bath. They were <em>not</em> on the road though. This place assailed the mind, rather than the body, where Corinne was in her element. She had value, she could contribute to this group, perhaps now more than ever.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>31-01-2020, 11:41:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Stripped down <br><strong>Content: </strong> Bath time<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Margaret, Open<br><br>Sudden pressure on her healing wounds made her wince.&nbsp; She hissed a pained sigh.&nbsp; She had forgotten how intense the sensation of her flogging had been - how raw and all-encompassing the pain to the point that it seemed to transmogrify into a kind of religious ecstasy.&nbsp; She had been closer to climax than she had been in months with her wife.&nbsp; "You have my gratitude," she told Medb, though there was a tension in her shoulders that betrayed her unease at a healer's art.&nbsp; It was ever so difficult to tell who the wise woman was, and who the witch, "though I would be slow to trust the staff of this place.&nbsp; For now, I shall have to endure."&nbsp; She squatted on her haunches, and placed a hand over her shoulder, feeling the residual tenderness suffuse the muscle.&nbsp; It felt better now that she was no longer wearing a shirt. <br><br>She had caught a glimpse of Margaret's unusually dark complexion. A kind of oiled walnut brown that seemed slightly out of place among Dementlieuse ladies and decidedly exotic by Mordentish standards.&nbsp; There were more Traveller-folk in Dementlieu than in Mordent, where the rootless were viewed with suspicion by the stalwart yeomanry of that domain.&nbsp; It occurred vaguely to Danae in her pensive state that Medb and Corinne from their positions would have seen her with her yes on Margaret, and inferred intentions none too chaste.&nbsp; There was complicity in that.&nbsp; It reminded her of being a prefect at boarding school and the freezing baths they were forced to endure after riding or fencing practice.&nbsp; She smiled wryly to herself.&nbsp; Everything about Mordentish education was discipline and stoicism, but when it came to games and tyrannising the juniors as head girl with her coterie of power-drunk fellow-prefects, <em>she</em> had been the one in charge - and had her pick.&nbsp; Five years in a cold, puritan, dog-eat-dog institution taught the wise how to go about things discreetly, but efficiently. <br><br>"This place reminds of boarding school," she spat, and went and got the slacks that were altogether preferable to petticoats,&nbsp; "only that its uniform is worse, and I did not think that possible."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>31-01-2020, 12:36:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum -guest room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Skivvies<br><strong>Content: </strong> trying to keep up spirits<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Party <br><hr><br>Aloisa smiled to the others as she began to strip down, the Ladies on the boat had seen much of her durring the trip,&nbsp; ut her silks had been strategicly placed to keep her covered. Her body didn't have quite the abundance of scars Danae had,&nbsp; but mqde up for in how exotic they were. Strangely shaped bite marks, matching lines from claws, a few small burns, and strangely shaped scars from some more obscure abuse.<br><br>At the comment of enjoying the pants she gave a laugh, "Back on the Guard we had a man who wore a skirt... not like a ladies, but this giant pleated one of heavy leather and big brass plates seated on. Hung down to his knees, and then he giant plated boots to protect that. No idea what he wore underneath. Thankfully. Big tall bastard, stood a head taller then I do. Had giant poleaxe he coukd use to break down doors like they were kindling. We used to tease him about how he must hope to Impress the High Ladies with his fashion and be able to retire from dredging the warrens for vermin, or merchants carts for contraband." Her smile was a bit off, she liked the first part of the memory... But what had happened to Blanyard... she woukdbt trouble them with that.<br><br>"Personally, Ill keep to breeches, have worked quite fine for me and under no illusion ill rise to any station it will hurt me. ... though i wouldnt mind one of the fancy dresses ive seen in the past... Just for special occasions. She took her time wiping herself down with hot water and a rag, really scrubbing well before arching forward, "Would someone get my back..?"<br><br>Afterwards she got dressed in her original clothes, leaving behind the armor and the ax and secreting away the dagger in the folds of cloth carefully.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>31-01-2020, 22:03:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The docks<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A wry smile and nothing else<br><strong>Content: </strong> Good clean fun<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Aloisa <br><hr><br><br>Faelyn's nerves did not begin to calm until the woman in the mask finally left the group alone to get cleaned up.&nbsp; She took a long moment while everyone else got undressed to unabashedly leer at the nubile young bodies being unwrapped before her eyes before she moved over to an abandoned corner of the room to disrobe.<br><br>Layer after the next joined the pile on the ground until the alabaster elf moved back towards the center of the room to land behind Aloisa.&nbsp; "I wouldn't mind seeing you squeezed into a lady's skirts just the once.&nbsp; Don't too much mind seeing you this way either though."&nbsp; She blurted out moving in close behind the young brunette.&nbsp; "I'll wash your back if you'll get mine afterwards."<br><br>Despite the flirtation, once handed the rag Faelyn's hand never wandered as she went about the task of rubbing down the girl's back.&nbsp; After a minute or so of firmly scrubbing the young woman she turned around and pushed her hair out of the way briefly and started cleaning herself leaving her back to Aloisa.<br><br>Once cleaned, she rushed back to the welcome warmth of the furs of her homeland.&nbsp; They didn't feel quite right without the armor she usually wore over the top, but were certainly a great deal better than the awful clothes left for them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>02-02-2020, 08:02:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Once the heat of the bath had baptized anew and reset the shaken heart to a subdued primal pulse, and each woman was dressed to her comfort, two orderlies escorted them through the freshly-swept parlor, deep into the house. Through the walls, an invigorated sound of patients returning from the yard and receiving instruction could be heard dimly, but the tour moved away from it, toward quiet and respite, away from the bright sun and into warm glow of lamp light.<br><br>It was difficult now to distinguish one orderly from the other, or to say for certain whether either was the woman spoken to before. There was a sameness to all who bore the drab uniform, not merely in appearance but in sound, in gait, in manner. Each was a vessel for the cloistered culture of the place, washed of the individuality so celebrated on the <em>Charlotte. </em>Only glimpses of personality rippled to the surface, like niggling neuroses.<br><br>Where a Dementlieu parlor would have portraits hung to lend the place a homely charm, instead messages, precepts, greeted the curious eye on a stroll through the commons. Accompanying the words were simple iconography, faces reduced to starkest representation, in extremes of contrast painting the world as black and white, good and evil, obedient and wicked.<br>Ezra is Watching, that was reminded, but there were additional insights to be gleaned as well.<br><em>There is a place for US in Ezra's tomorrow. </em><br><em>Together we are Dominia. </em><br><em>When there is nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear. </em><br><br>The dining hall door held open with a creak to allow the train of guests to filter in and negotiate a place at the enormously heavy butcher block tables arranged all in a single column. Laid out on trays and in clay bowls was a luncheon feast of crisply-browned bread and grain crackers, wheels of cellar cheese, garden vegetables and wine-dark plums from a single tree. Six masked women attended the table with amphorae and clay plates; whether orderlies or patients, it was impossible to tell.<br><br>Seated at the head of the table, in grim thoughtful repast, was a woman wholly unlike the others of the manor. She was scarlet, incarnate; a fulsome rose whorl, healthy glow filled to bursting the most luxurious gusseted fashions of the Barovian belle, where East met West, where the weighty traditions of the old forest intersected with the baroque splendor of the renaissance coast. Her home, her manor, her island, she commanded from the table's head with lordly dignity content in absolute authority.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Heinfroth</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://i.imgur.com/xBLdroR.png)</div></div><br><br>Two places down the table sat Zoe, her color returned, hair brushed to a silken shine and a smile on her face in anticipation of Corinne walking through the door. Thrilled though she was, she deferred to the head of the table.<br><br>"Welcome. All of you, join us."<br>Heinfroth's voice carried to the very end of the table, and whipped the attendants clear of it.<br>"It is good you made it to us through that dreadful storm. Consider yourselves my guests until the <em>Mercy </em> is ready to sail again."<br>Down the table, she indicated Zoe.<br>"Mlle. Lambert has been sharing stories of the mainland, and your unfortunate journey. It sounds quite different from my youth, and the women of Dementlieu quite liberated."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>05-02-2020, 12:39:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum -guest room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> mental mapmaking and introductions<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> the doctor<br><hr><br>Aloisa smiles to Faelyn as she offers to wash her back, "Gladly." She leaned forward to let Faelyn get to her back and gqve a small laugh, "I was required to go to some fancy ball thing once, some merchant trying to win friends with high ups. I think the dress the commander had me wear was fashionable... A couple centuries ago." She smirked, then made happy little groaning noises as her back was scrubbed...&nbsp; (Care to continue aloisa and faelyn in the side channel?)<br><br>Aloisa looked about the hallways as they were lead along, taking in all the details of the path they took for landmarks and drawing up a map in her head of the layout the best she could. The scrawlings and murals were a great help in this, and she took a moment to examine each one before continuing on.<br><br>Upon reaching the dining hall she took it in before spotting Doctor Heinfroth, taking a moment to give a bowing curtsey to the Lady, "Doctor Heinfroth? Allow me to give my thanks for your welcome and hospitality after such a hard trial. I am Aloisa Kriechjagd, at your service. Please allow me to introduce Mlle Danae Vine-Lott, Mlle Faelyn Mythrandir, Mlle Corinne Lorimer, Mlle Medb Mag Uidhir, ..." She introduced each in turn, gesturing to them and a moment to give their thanks or other such comments. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>07-02-2020, 09:08:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum Dining Hall<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Giddiness<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Zoe, Open<br><hr><br>This further tour of the asylum did not endear it any further to Corinne. The graven platitudes lent the entire asylum a spirit of gravity that weighed upon the very soul. One in particular stuck out to her though: <em>"When there is nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear."</em> It seemed out of place, when every woman's face was concealed behind a mask, their very names and identities held secret by the asylum's master. Perhaps there was an undertone of menace implied: perhaps where much was hidden, there was much to fear.<br><br>Any fears Corinne may have harboured, however, evaporated the instant she saw Zoe's beaming face. The smile proved infectious, and it was all Corinne could to maintain an appropriate walking pace, rather than rushing headlong to embrace her friend. Settling in an available seat, her hand sought Zoe's under the table. "You made it unharmed, I see," she said giddily.<br><br>It was only when Aloisa introduced Corinne that she truly took notice of Doctor Heinfroth's presence. Blushing sheepishly, she gave the doctor a polite nod. "Thank you, doctor, for your hospitality. It has been quite the ordeal."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>14-02-2020, 08:22:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You must have grown very close during your ordeal. It seems to me you're all healthy, well-adjusted ladies remaining positive in the face of adversity. But, my manners. I am Doctor Heinfroth."<br>Curious were the eyes reading the line of them like sheet music, bounding up and down the details of each woman in turn, clear around the table to where Corinne joined her.<br><br>"Hannah and Eloise are here," said Zoe. "And the others, though I have not yet laid eyes on them. If we stay the night, Doctor Blanche says they will be ready to receive visitors in the morning."<br>Beneath the table, Zoe's hand found Corinne's. She reminded herself, searching out a comfortable and relaxed twine, how forward they had been together. It came to her in a flush of heat, and they were as young lovers in Heinfroth's lavish court, unable to escape the many eyes around the table.<br><br>"Doctor Blanche is treating them," said Heinfroth. "A Ms. La Berche has badly broken her leg, and Ms. Bordeaux has lost blood. There was an episode in the night most concerning, with accusations of witchcraft and a tribal divide between the ladies. Doctor Blanche is especially well learned in different sorts of mania, and will counsel them through their grief."<br><br>"Doctor Noire is also available to attend to various causes of melancholy. My good friend, Doctor Rehner, provides for the psychotically violent and is shocked by nothing. My own work, I'm afraid, would be of little interest to you or use to your predicament. But you are guests in my home, until we can fulfill a moral obligation to deliver you back to civilization."<br>Medb and Faelyn, Heinfroth segregated from that statement. There was a dim recognition of those two, and Heinfroth seemed prepared for either to make some request of her, here in so rare an audience.<br><br>"Have you heard the water running through the pipes?" Zoe asked. "And there is a motor lift which operates from one floor to the next. It is a marvelous place. Doctor Heinfroth has extended permission for me to peek in the library, if time allows."<br><br>"I stand to learn much more from you, than you I," said Heinfroth. "I have not been inland since... shortly after the annex of Gundarak. Now I meet such forward-thinking Dementlieuese people, I wonder if the realm is ready for a sister hospital- something more homely than the storming sea. How would you advise me on growing our operations to the coast of enlightenment?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>14-02-2020, 14:31:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> An audience with the Doctor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr Heinfroth, Open<br><br>Danae's ears perked at the mention of witchcraft.&nbsp; Heinfroth's demeanour was unsettling enough, not least because she seemed to preside over the inmates as though she were an ascended presence - a queen, or a goddess, even.&nbsp; <br><br>"Witchcraft?" Danae repeated.&nbsp; She had taken a chair at the table, though she was far too tense to lean back in it.&nbsp; "What of it? Are you saying there was some taint...some pollution on the <em>Charlotte</em>?"<br><br>When Heinfroth mentioned running water, she could hear the faintest echo of something flowing (or scurrying?) through the walls.&nbsp; Perhaps it was mere suggestion, but it did nothing to relieve her agitation.&nbsp; She did not know how it was that such luxuries could have been imported and successfully installed in this remote outpost.&nbsp; "Forgive my ignorance, Doctor.&nbsp; I am not a woman of science.&nbsp; I would gladly hear what it is you do to relieve the poor souls in your care.&nbsp; I have a duty, you will understand, to the survivors of the <em>Charlotte</em>.&nbsp; As an officer, I see this women as in my care, as you no doubt think it your calling to tend to them."&nbsp; There was something in Heinfroth's appearance that seemed a little <em>too</em> wholesome, tempting even - built for sin.&nbsp; Danae's curious eye wandered, gauging her host's reactions. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Perception Check to get a read on Heinfroth</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-02-14 07:29:50, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 22 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=144233)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>16-02-2020, 15:43:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum -guest room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> Polite conversation<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> the doctor<br><hr><br>Aloisa sat down at the table and leans back in her seat getting comfortable, "I am overjoyed to hear our sister survivors have made it here, though saddened to hear they did not fair as well or remain as close.. Oh... We have one more number at the Dock, Mlle Sage Laporte. She was convinced she could find a way aboard a ship or back to the Mercy. I hate to impose upon you more when you have helped us such already... But is there some way you could see if she is still there? Maybe your people can convince her better then we could..?"<br><br>She gave a mental wince at the mention of witchcraft, if only for past experiences, and then Danaes reaction. It was seeming the best way to get the womans attention and cooperation in something was to imply that witches were involved. "I had heard... Rumors aboard the ship, but it seemed nothing more then the idle gossip one tends to find in higher society, baseless comments whispered behind hands and in corners... Surely you havent found any signs of actuality..?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>17-02-2020, 00:48:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Looking for answers<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Heinfroth<br><hr><br>There was an air of apprehension around Faelyn as she made her way through the mysterious asylum with the group once they had made themselves <em>presentable.</em>&nbsp; She had been raised to think of her arms and armor as an extension of her body, so she felt very exposed moving about in this way in what she had made out to be considered a dangerous land.<br><br>A refreshing sight came in the form of the first woman she'd seen in the asylum with even a flicker of individuality, and what an impression she made.&nbsp; She was quite a striking figure and while Faelyn may not understand the notion of fashion in the least, it was undeniable that this woman's appearance was a strong argument for the art.&nbsp; Unsure of what to make of the woman, she held her tongue for a while and allowed events to play out before her, giving a slight nod as Aloisa mentioned her name.<br><br>When Doctor Heinfroth finally addressed herself however, one question that had been buzzing through her head over the last few days began repeating in her mind and before she even realized she had opened her mouth she blurted out, "Why is this place untouched by the storm..."&nbsp; Realizing she had gotten a bit more animated than she had intended, she pulled back a little with a cough and added quickly, "we can get back to that.&nbsp; First what I want to know is just what exactly do you mean, a moral obligation to deliver us back to civilization?&nbsp; Speak plainly."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Insight check on Heinfroth</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-02-16 17:47:43, Velatha (uid: 61604) rolls: 1d20a2 Result: 13 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=144326)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>18-02-2020, 05:11:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum - Dining Hall<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Casual Inquiry<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Zoe, Heinfroth, Open<br><hr><br>Corinne's thumb brushed lightly across Zoe's knuckles as she followed the flow of conversation. Heinfroth was certainly an... impressive woman, but her experience with Doctor Rehner had made the wizardess wary of any who might employ such a creature.<br><br>"Well, perhaps I should have accompanied you here after all," she said to Zoe, with a small smile. "After what we've been through, this would appear to be the lap of luxury." Despite her reservations, the thought of such fine engineering (or perhaps magic?) gave her a little thrill of excitement.<br><br>The word "witchcraft," however, cast a pall over the conversation. The last thing anyone needed was Danae spiralling into one of her fits, and it seemed everyone was aware of that by now.<br><br>"Perhaps I misunderstand," Corinne said. "Was this accusation of witchcraft regarding the fate of the <em>Charlotte</em>? Or did something arise here at the asylum in the night?" Her free hand rose to drum fingers across her lips pensively. She suspected the latter case. After all, if Rehner possessed some beguiling magic, and had failed to ensorcel one of the ladies, then accusations of "witchcraft" would quickly follow. Of course, who knew what other fell magic might be practiced in the hidden places of this madhouse?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>19-02-2020, 22:11:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"On the mainland, people fear what they do not understand," said Heinfroth. "We have heard accusations from your cohorts that some aboard your vessel dabbled in dark arts. Rather than play host to some mob tribunal, I have tasked Doctor Blanche with finding understanding between those women. That is what we do here. When nothing is hidden, there is nothing to fear. When the mind is fully apprehended, there remain no dark corners for irrational fears to dwell."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">A field hospital was not a still and silent place. For seven women to be confined to an infirmary, two with serious wounds, should be more strongly evidenced. Instead, your trek through the cellar and the core of the asylum was in such a void of quiet that frequently you could hear murmur of conversation in adjacent rooms, patients walking out in the yard, and indeed, the hum of water in the walls. If there was an infirmary, the ladies of the first boat were not in it. Heinfroth was lying.</div></div><br><br>Something Danae had said struck a nerve in Heinfroth, but not <em>witchcraft, </em>no. <em>Officer. </em>She remained unblinking, straight-backed, as though there were war waging beyond the gates and Heinfroth alone must represent her discipline before an unfeeling military machine.<br>"The brain resides in a chemical ether. When a finger is cut, the signal passes through nerve and flesh and bone into the ether of the mind, where it is absorbed and analyzed. The same is true of all our senses. And while a fine mind may recall sensations past, it is possible for the brain's ether to become polluted by signals not properly disposed- for the mind to become confused with phantom voices, impulses, and sensations all seemingly real."<br><br>"You must consider such illness beyond repair," said Heinfroth, "but this is not so. I surround myself with doctors expert in counsel of the psyche, so I might treat the ether of the mind with best compassion."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Faelyn's Insight</div><div class="spoiler_body">Heinfroth was a calculating woman, and there was certainly a point to her questions beyond idle conversation. Between her broad assurances and ready generosity, the intention seemed to be to put you at ease.</div></div><br><br>"Plainly speaking," said Heinfroth, her attentions squarely on Faelyn. "These women do not belong in a refuge for lunatics, nor do you. I will return all of you to Martira Bay, in a few days' time, rather than allow you to waste away in the wilderness here. That is my moral obligation."<br><br>In considering Aloisa's request, she followed the polished grain of the table, observed Zoe and Corinne's huddle.<br>"Here there are three doctors beside myself. Captain Baykur is indisposed. Those, you could say, are my people. Do you love her, this Mlle. Sage Laporte?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>19-02-2020, 22:45:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Dining hall<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> Polite conversation<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> the doctor<br><hr><br>Aloisa nods, "I admit as a Guard in my home city most accusations were little more then people sniping at each other over slights they received or imagined. A few honest, if stupid, fear over personal beliefs and rituals," her face turns into a sardonic smirk, "I had to deal with one gentleman who claimed his wife a witch because she trimmed her toenails and cast them in the hearth," she rolls her eyes at the memory and scowls before continuing, "But when times are hard and survival can be at stake, even intelligent people can fall to foolishness.."<br><br>She remains quiet as the Doctor <em>Explains</em> to Danae her business, considering things herself. When the conversation turns back to her she looks a little surprised, "Love..?" she considers.. Then shrugs, "Of a somewhat sisterly means maybe. As a fellow survivor of the shipwreck that has endured with us. I promised to protect her and the others, but could make no argument to convince her to come along as she was convinced her name would lend her influence to get a ship back to the mainland. But as you have promised us that makes this the much safer means then remaining on the docks. I could not Force her to come while being able to help protect the others. But if you cannot spare anybody if i may make use of the wagon again i'll fetch her forthwith."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>20-02-2020, 01:21:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Making excuses<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr Heinfroth, Medb, Margaret, Open<br><br>There was something in the Doctor's placid and controlled demeanour that seemed to give way, revealing for an instant a hint of sinister, and deceptive inconsistency.&nbsp; Danae's sense was that she would find few answers in discussion alone.&nbsp; Here, Heinfroth was holding court.&nbsp; She was in her seat of power and it would be unwise to challenge her, even if caught in a lie.&nbsp; Discretion was often the better part of valour and in this case they had far too little intelligence to go upon: they had only seen the parts of the asylum Heinfroth had <em>wanted</em> them to see.&nbsp; <br><br>"I have...experience of alienists," Danae said, choosing her words carefully.&nbsp; After the incident back at the manor hall, Mrs Dalloway had treated her with anodynes and carefully-crafted discussion sessions.&nbsp; Such matters, however, only salved the wound.&nbsp; They did not prevent the festering chancre of sorcerous corruption from spreading.&nbsp; To play with the mind was a dangerous thing, and futile, too, when the subject saw what few others could.&nbsp; "Your work is no doubt of great importance."&nbsp; Flattery did not come naturally to her, but politeness was if nothing else a Mordentish trait.&nbsp; She paused, allowing Heinfroth to appraise Faelyn.&nbsp; Mention of Captain Baykur stirred up the raw memory of her flogging.&nbsp; She had wanted her tormentor, the minister of that ecstatic punishment, more than anything else in that moment where she had felt so deliriously alive.&nbsp; <br><br>"The Captain saw fit to subject me to the lash, as was her prerogative for I was upon her ship.&nbsp; I fear that I have yet fully to recover.&nbsp; Perhaps you will grant me and the madame healer a moment apart.&nbsp; I would rather not impose further on your staff."&nbsp; It was the most plausible excuse she could conjure and it would be unwise to explore the asylum alone.&nbsp; She shot Medb a conspiratorial glance.<br><br>To Margaret, she said, "Mademoiselle Hotspur, may I ask you to assist us? I <em>understand</em> you have anatomical training."&nbsp; She was fairly certain that Margaret in fact did not, but a woman of learning would no doubt be useful - there was much in the asylum which remained unexplained and Danae had no great talent for intellectual inquiry.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Deception Check to leave discreetly</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-02-19 18:15:46, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a2 Result: 15 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=144457)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>23-02-2020, 07:43:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum - Dining Hall<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Biting of tongues<br><strong>Tagging: </strong><br><hr><br>Corinne's grip tightened on Zoe's fingers at the mention of "Dark Arts". She was, perhaps, the most notable - or possibly the <em>only</em> - practitioner of the arcane aboard the <em>Charlotte.</em> However, her magic was firmly rooted in scientific principles and rigorous study, not the ominous superstitions implied by the words "Dark Arts."<br><br>She knew better than to speak up, though. To the uninitiated, all magic was dark and sinister, and if whispers of witchcraft were spreading through the other survivors, then Corinne would be an obvious target. And how would Danae respond to an angry mob, eager to lynch a "witch"?<br><br>Feeling cornered and vulnerable, Corinne chose her words carefully. "It seems the ordeal has been most taxing upon our fellow survivors," she said, her throat feeling suddenly dry.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>24-02-2020, 22:37:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Looking for answers<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Heinfroth<br><hr>Still unsure just what to make of this whole situation, Faelyn remained apprehensive.&nbsp; The woman Heinfroth at least so far hadn't said or done anything to make her seem a threat, however this asylum was far from comforting, and her answer was not quite to her liking.&nbsp; "I and my companions certainly do not require your means of healing.&nbsp; I do take some offence at the assumption that we would waste away outside without your... what was it again, moral obligation?&nbsp; Unless you know something of this island that I haven't yet discovered in my time here."&nbsp; She began, leaning forward with a hint of a smirk.&nbsp; "What do you know about these storms for example?&nbsp; Why does the weather get so violent so close by but not make its way up past the shore leaving this place unmolested?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>27-02-2020, 00:29:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Dining Hall<br>Aloisa, Corrine, Faelyn, Medb, Michelle, Zoe, Heinfroth, (Leaving: Danae, Margaret)<br></em><br><br>"Many who come to reside here believed themselves at some time to be bewitched," said Heinfroth. "There is always a more rational explanation. The difficulty lies in breaking through those delusions. Doctor Noire's masks aid in that process by eroding the barriers which protect a damaged psyche. It's important that I and the other doctors be recognizable as authority figures, and for that reason we do not wear masks."<br><br>Heinfroth's fingers steepled around a sudden emphasis. "I would <em>prefer </em>you abide the dress code, if you wish to move among the patients. But seeing as though you've been through so much, I will not insist."<br><br>Aloisa wished to leave, Danae wished to leave, and this vexed the doctor. "When do you mean to leave?" she asked Aloisa.<br><br>The news Danae had been lashed did not surprise Heinfroth, or even seem to come as news. Nails grazed lightly beneath her jaw watching she and Margaret conspire, though if she suspected anything, it was dismissed. "Of course. Can you make use of your guest quarters?"<br><br>Faelyn's bold challenge came at her an unfamiliar beast. Heinfroth was not frozen before its jaws, but curious what might come of this. She was comfortable in her lair. "You don't share the belief that a woman with resources and means to spare has a moral obligation to help those in need, I take it. You'll forgive me if I don't consider this a fine philosophy."<br><br>"The robber baron of Gundarak taxed us for the gathering of firewood. Daughters were smothered in their cribs by parents who could not afford the punishment for keeping female children. Gundar's moral obligation was to provide for us, but instead he gilded his palace on our backs, and left us to starve. To <em>waste." </em><br><br>The memory of it stirred Heinfroth to stand, her hands firm upon the butcher block, and meet Faelyn's lean. So like a blooming rose, her dress unfurled to its full luxury.<br>"When the people stormed his palace, he was torn to such pieces that no body was ever recovered. I will not regret my part in it."<br><br>"But we are here now. We are here, on this island, far from our homes, and by some luck the storms do not harry us on this rock. They come from Markovia, Captain Baykur would tell me. It is not safe to sail that way from here, but the island provides a stormbreak through which travel to Martira Bay is possible."<br><br><em>The Parlor<br>Danae, Margaret </em><br><br>Margaret Hotspur played Danae's dangerous game without missing a beat. "Yes, if there's any discomfort we should change your bandages at once," she replied, and handled the door for a wounded Danae. She fulfilled the role of concerned healer until they were together in the open parlor, and the door behind them shut.<br><br>"So we're agreed, this is suspicious," said Margaret.<br><br>On the far side of the fireplace column, one of the masked orderlies stood in place attending to nothing. She tightened, confronted with the sight of guests wandering the grounds, and seemed to decide against a confrontation. Out through the farthest door she slipped, instead.<br><br>Margaret Hotspur heaved a breath. "I try to calm my heart, madam, but this place has me most afraid. I can only imagine the weight of it on these poor prisoners. But if we can do nothing else, we must find those we know are sane. Do you agree?"<br><br>(https://i.imgur.com/wLfYmxh.png)(https://i.imgur.com/ookCVma.jpg)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>29-02-2020, 22:53:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Looking for answers<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Heinfroth<br><hr><br>Faelyn watched, somewhat bemused, as Heinfroth reacted to her questions rather differently than she had imagined.&nbsp; She remained calm as the lady in red explained a horrifying history leaving the two face to face by the time she gave what information she would on the storms.&nbsp; Not much, but it was a start.<br><br>Heaving a deep sigh, Faelyn finally softened her stare as she began to speak.&nbsp; "Perhaps I allowed my pride to get the better of me and spoke out of turn.&nbsp; I do believe that the strong should protect the weak.&nbsp; My clan have done so for generations in the Frozen Reaches.&nbsp; I am more accustomed to lending a hand than asking for help.&nbsp; My goals are different than those of my companions, however they did find me under your care I suppose."&nbsp; She finished with a very slight forced bow.<br><br>Snapping up straight, Faelyn turned around and softly asked over her shoulder, "So you say Captain Baykur would be the person to ask more about the storms?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>01-03-2020, 16:19:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Dining hall<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> Polite conversation<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> the doctor<br><hr><br>Aloisa nodded at the explaination, more of the "Im trying to understand what your saying, and failing" then actual understanding or agreement, but gives a firm nod at the last part, "We will try and keep disturbing your patients and keep to ourselves so not to make things difficult. We have no wish to interrupt your work more then we already have." She took a moment to think, considering how long it might take her to make the trip... "Soon if possible... If i can make good time and find her, we could both be back here shortly." She gave a small smile, "After all, it isn't just an obligation for me to help those in need. Its my Duty." She paused another moment and considered, "Though... I suppose it is of sorts "volunteering" you for more work and assistance..." She gives a sigh, "my apologies... sounded more clever in my head before i really thought.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>02-03-2020, 00:53:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - parlour<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Exploring<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Margaret<br><br>"Suspicious, yes," Danae murmured, relieved to see the orderly slink away. They would not have much time in a single place.&nbsp; She went to inspect the bookshelves and the parlour tables in search of any detail that might throw light on the nature and intent of the Asylum.&nbsp; "Madame Hotspur," she told Margaret with some urgency, "if we are ever to leave this place we ought to make some sense of it."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Investigation check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-03-01 17:49:03, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a1 Result: 7 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=144932)</div></div><br>"Come, help me - I chose you because I am certain you have an eye for these things. If you find nothing here, we shall leave through the far door.&nbsp; <em>Not</em> the one the orderly went out.&nbsp; We shouldn't rouse suspicion."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae prompting Margaret to do her own Search/Investigation check</div></div><br>Danae felt reassuringly calm despite her stranding in this strange place.&nbsp; She was very much in command and control again, with a loyal yet untrained cohort at her side.&nbsp; "Your are used to academic inquiry, are you not Mademoiselle?"&nbsp; She addressed her by the Dementlieuse term of courtesy, though she could not help but wonder again if the woman had any Vistani blood.&nbsp; Perhaps a grandmother or other read the cards.&nbsp; Those thoughts would do her no good.&nbsp; Now was not the time to obsess about the occult. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>02-03-2020, 20:02:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Dining Hall<br>Aloisa, Corrine, Faelyn, Medb, Michelle, Zoe, Heinfroth</em><br><br>"Tomorrow we can begin sending supplies back down to the <em>Mercy." </em>said Heinfroth. "You may wish to accompany the wagons then, and meet your friend. It would be negligent of me to suggest traveling the road on foot tonight, for hours in the company of the dire wolves."<br><br>Heinfroth smiled at Faelyn. It was the first which was not manufactured out of decorum, for her eyes lost their sharp focus, too.<br>"Speaking out of turn, she says. I don't imagine it's as much a taboo, where you're from, or if it is you've unburdened yourself admirably. I thought of myself in Gundar's shoes sometimes, knowing you and Mlle. Medb Mag Uidhir took to the island as free people. There was a purity in it absent from so many modern commitments."<br><br>"I would like to understand your ways better, if you're amenable- for the benefit of patients who feel an intrinsic emptiness with the lot they've been dealt as women. What would you say to a very cursory evaluation? We can discuss the weather and queer patterns of the stars as much as you'd like."<br><br>"I admit, I have not been off the island in some time, and I am no sailor like Baykur, but I do possess a telescope which might interest you."<br><br><em>The Parlor -&gt; The Library<br>Danae, Margaret, Rehner, Masked Ladies (2)</em><br><br>Lunatics laired in the parlor, and for what must have been long stretches of time. Signs of struggle were so commonplace none individually seemed amiss; the seats bore terrible wear from outbursts of violence, and all were mismatched. Tables were scarred by the obsessive scratching of fingernails. Ersatz legs kept the cabinets upright, and refashioned shelves, where the originals had faltered. The fireplace tool rack was pointedly empty even of its hand brush.<br><br>Perhaps overstepping the scope of the investigation, Margaret began to peek through doors.<br>"The stairwell is very dusty," she said of the northwest corner. "It doesn't look used."<br><br>Then to the northeast, Margaret stood dumbfounded witness to tin-plated machinery and spooled cable, levers and pulleys and cranks all in service of an unassuming little closet with agape fretwork door. Tall ratcheted timbers flanked and rose through the open ceiling, pierced into the cellar below, framing the empty lift like a magician's stage.<br>"This bears returning to," said Margaret, but there were further mysteries to uncover.<br><br>There was a guest room, there in the middle, directly across from the kitchen. Like the one afforded the visitors that morning, it was crowded with beds sufficient for seven, and all but one now neatly made, the window tight into an acute corner unveiled to view a shadowed alley before the asylum wall.<br><br>At the end, Margaret stepped through what she interpreted to be Danae's planned egress. A soft clink of glass within, the closing of a book. Many volumes more lined shelves from wall to irregularly-shaped wall, and a long table besides, where tangents spilled over research in leatherbound reference materials all haphazard and awaiting reorganization.<br><br>Doctor Rehner was within, her study interrupted, a tome on bone deformities shut but still supine in her hands. With her, better camouflaged to the drab library than Rehner's bright copper hair, were two masked denizens- patients or orderlies- now frozen. Molten red wax dripped from the stamp held by one onto a curl of lush vellum.<br>"Good, you must be feeling up to walk around," said Rehner. "How does the room treat you?"<br>There was a heavy door, like the one in the kitchen, on the far side of the library's askew geometry. To reach it forced one at a time to negotiate passage with the study space's current inhabitants.<br>"Today will be busy. We have much to do with the new patients. Forgive me not coming to dress your wounds."<br><br>(https://i.imgur.com/yjv2Bdz.png)(https://i.imgur.com/6hwoJvv.jpg)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>03-03-2020, 19:40:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Dining hall<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> Polite conversation<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> the doctor<br><hr><br>Aloisa frowned a bit, but then sighed and nodded, "Of course Doctor, you are right. It would be foolish to go out at this time alone.. My apologies for letting my rashness get ahead of me. Im... A bit more used to being able to run off at the drop of a hat... ... With a horde of armored and armed goons accompanying me.." she smiles a bit wryly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>04-03-2020, 01:39:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Rehner’s study <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Confrontine Rehner<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Margaret, Dr Rehner<br><br>Danae was taken aback by the sudden discovery of Rehner's study.&nbsp; The Doctor was a woman of science, true, and that was an order of magnitude more reassuring than being involved with witchcraft, but like Heinfroth she had an unnerving vagueness in her speech and manner.&nbsp; Was the secret of this place hiding in plain sight?&nbsp; The medical staff certainly behaved as though that were the case.&nbsp; <br><br>"Doctor," Danae nodded her head in acknowledgment, seeking to retain an unfazed demeanour, "It was not our wish to interrupt your work."&nbsp; Her eyes briefly met Margaret's <em>I have this in hand</em>.&nbsp; The last thing she wanted was for the Hotspur girl to panic.&nbsp; "My wounds seem to be healing well, though your Captain Baykur is adept with the martinet..." she trailed off for an instant, and again felt the fierce sting of the lash against her back - just a frisson, a shiver of pleasure - and then the recollection was gone, "Madame Hotspur was helping me with my bandages in the parlour, and we chanced upon your office.&nbsp; Dr Heinfroth kindly suggested that I stretch my legs.&nbsp; I am unaccustomed to sitting still for too long; my wife thinks it a great shortcoming of mine, though Madame Hotspur also seems to enjoy a good constitutional walk."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Deception Check to convince Rehner</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-03-03 18:26:01, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a2 Result: 21 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=145003)</div></div><br>"Now that I am here, though, may I be so bold as to ask what benefit your patients derive from this distant isle? The climate appears insalubrious and though I am a woman of scant learning, and I know nothing of alienists, I do not see your patients being treated.&nbsp; What becomes of them once they are healed?"&nbsp; She took Margaret's wrist and drew her forward, so they stood side-by-side, "Madame Hotspur is a modest lady, but she is a great deal more learned than I am, and she, too, professed her curiosity."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Persuasion Check (1) to elicit further information</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-03-03 18:31:26, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a2 Result: 10 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=145004)</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Persuasion Check (2) to elicit further information</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-03-03 18:33:12, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a2 Result: 8 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=145005)]</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>04-03-2020, 21:56:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Getting heated<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Heinfroth<br><hr><br>Faelyn wanted desperately for the conversation with this woman to end, however something she overheard left an uncomfortable twitch in her ear.&nbsp; She would not be spoken down to in such a way.&nbsp; A quick gasp for air preceded the young woman turning on her heels in a flurry of white and silver, her arms falling to her sides where she was once more reminded of her missing side arms.&nbsp; "It must be so reassuring to be able to look down on the rest of us and inform us of our faults and failings.&nbsp; I assure you, I am not concerned with wives tales or superstitions.&nbsp; My people wouldn't listen to me either.&nbsp; I'm 'too inexperienced' and know not of what I speak.&nbsp; Someone or something is tampering with the natural order of things and sooner or later, nature will strike back I assure you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>05-03-2020, 07:29:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Dining Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Attempting to defuse.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Zoe, Heinfroth, Faelyn<br><hr><br>Corrine blinked, snapping back to reality all at once. She had lost herself in morbid speculation, trying to recall each of the <em>Charlotte's</em> passengers in turn, wondering which, if any, might lay an accusation of witchcraft at her feet. Faelyn's flash of temper, however, presented a far more concrete concern. Corinne had no desire to spend another evening camping because one of her companions had once again angered their host.<br><br>"Faelyn, I'm certain the doctor meant no disrespect," Corrine said, rising swiftly to interpose herself between the two women. "This is simply an opportunity for... cultural exchange?" She really was improvising here. "I for one would be quite interested to hear your observations. I think we may learn much from each other."<br><br>While she would much rather go with Zoe to meet the other survivors, perhaps she would be better served playing diplomat here. And she <em>was</em> keen to hear more of Faelyn's observations. They may, after all, lend some insights into the mists as well.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>09-03-2020, 01:25:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Dining Hall<br>Aloisa, Corrine, Faelyn, Michelle, Zoe, Heinfroth</em><br><br>She was keen on observing posture and gesture and the communicative habits of body language, Doctor Heinfroth, as though there were as much to decipher from them as the spoken word. What were Faelyn's hands doing just then, she must have wondered. But it was only good manners compelling her guests to keep their weapons out of sight, as Heinfroth herself did not seem to mind the pageantry of death-dealing paraphernalia which came into her hall with a party of adventurers.<br><br>"It brings me no assurance to look out over a flawed world where folk are hurting," said Heinfroth.<br>It seemed to be exactly the kind of sentiment which spoke to Zoe, whose hand went to her heart.<br>"This sanitarium brings you no relief, I see that now," the doctor continued. "And this lunch no comfort. I feared as much, that even the enlightened women of this inquisitive zeitgeist might find our hospital distasteful."<br><br>"Still, thank you for the company."<br>Doctor Heinfroth excused herself from the table. Two of the masked ladies whose pale hands before served lunch formed a straight-backed line to define the route Heinfroth's guests might take to return to the parlor.<br>"The patients will be coming in from the yard now. You should return to your rooms, and secure your belongings before the hall plays host to a great many idle hands. Should a memento or coin go missing, it's unlikely to be found again before morning."<br><br><em>The Library<br>Danae, Margaret, Rehner, Masked Ladies (2)</em><br><br>Margaret, to her credit, kept her nerve in the company of inscrutable etiquette much better than her fellow passengers might fare in the revels of the Vistani.<br><br>Doctor Rehner cleared away her work. There was a scent of supple leather, candles, and with Rehner, the sea. Faintly the masked ladies smelled overtaxed or sick.<br>"Yes, many women are fascinated by the thought of an unscrupulous killer. It's not that easy, to manage or change. On the one hand, they are violent and pose unwanted risk to their compatriots. To make progress at all, one must be made docile and open to suggestion."<br><br>Doctor Rehner's eyes were witch-blooded. Shire legends forewarned of girls with the soul of a green god, born to dull-eyed salt of the earth in unremarkable towns with old traditions and older forests. It was the faerie-ring of freckles, all round, which cautioned like an asp's stripes, like a poison toad, like a wasp. Nestled in hectic imperfection, eyes such emerald green contrast unnatural, a stark warning.<br>"Do you need a demonstration?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>09-03-2020, 02:21:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Rehner’s study <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Digging deeper<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Margaret, Dr Rehner<br><br>"Suggestion?" Danae lips formed the word, and the connection between the sound and her understanding of it clicked.&nbsp; There was an infuriating, euphemistic quality to the language in this place.&nbsp; Words carried power, and to control what was spoken was to manipulate the very horizon of one's mind.&nbsp; Heinfroth had been a redhead like Polly -a witch's mark, some old rustics would have said - and her tits almost as abundant (<em>Don't stare, Danae, it's dreadfully embarrassing!</em>).<br><br><em>Have you ever thought yourself </em>suggestible<em>, Mrs Vine-Lott?</em>&nbsp; The alienist had asked her that question with impassive eyes distorted by the lenses of wire-framed spectacles.&nbsp; <em>These events. They are tangible.&nbsp; They are moments in time that I live. Witchcraft is no trifling matter.</em>&nbsp; The alienist, satisfied that human understanding was slowly crowding out the arcane from the realms of reputable science, disagreed.&nbsp; Polly, she had been told, was <em>not</em> a witch - she, Danae, was <em>sublimating</em> her guilt, she was <em>projecting</em> her infidelity.&nbsp; No, she did not like an alienist's tricks.&nbsp; Not in the least. <br><br>"What is it that you would show me?" The masked women unnerved her, and she wished she had Faelyn's blade with her.&nbsp; Just to clutch its pommel would have been reassuring.&nbsp; "Madame Hotspur would surely benefit from your...expatiation. If it is not too much trouble, may I also ask if you have a dose of laudanum among your supplies?&nbsp; Your Captain Baykur's handiwork, fine as it was, is a little uncomfortable.&nbsp; I trust there is little gain in you having wounded soldiers, pain-stricken by the lash in this place of tranquility."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Intimidation Check to persuade Rehner</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-03-08 19:19:29, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 8 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=145178)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>11-03-2020, 21:17:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Walking away<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Corrine<br><hr><br>For a long moment Faelyn didn't seem to hear Corrine.&nbsp; She stared at Heinfroth through her response, thankful for the conversation to be finally over so she could silently stew in her distaste for the medicine woman.&nbsp; Finally, once the red head began to move away, the elf blinked for the first time in what felt an eternity and turned to face for perhaps the first time with the inquisitive young woman desperate to deescalate the situation.<br><br>"Very well."&nbsp; She finally answered.&nbsp; "I'd be happy for an excuse to get back to my things.&nbsp; This lunch meeting has left a bad taste in my mouth."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>14-03-2020, 07:54:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum Dining Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Providing Distraction<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Faelyn<br><hr><br>Slowly, the wire of tension in Corinne's neck gradually eased. No one was in imminent danger of being whipped, flogged, or cast out onto the road once more. She would take that as a win.<br><br>When Heinfroth was at last out of earshot, she finally let out the breath she was holding. "To be perfectly honest, I do not begrudge your taking offence, Faelyn. However, I am keenly aware of what happened after my companions angered the our previous host; Danae even moreso. And while I am hardly at ease in this place, those of us more accustomed to..." she faltered, barely choking back the word <em>civilization</em> before realizing that might be rude, "...to creature comforts, could use a night or two away from the elements to recuperate."<br><br>She turned with Faelyn back towards their shared quarters. Corinne was similarly keen to secure her book bag.<br><br>"However, my interest in your understanding of the weather was most sincere," she continued. "I have studied the mists for some time, and while we may view Nature through different lenses, I suspect we may pursue common truths."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>14-03-2020, 10:44:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Dining hall<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> Polite conversation<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> the doctor, corinne, and Faelyn<br><hr><br>Aloisa bowed her head respectfully to the Doctor as she excused herself, looking to the table again before quickly snatching up an assortment of food, assembling one last thing to eat and some squirreled away to her pouch for when hunger over took her again earlier, sure she still had the rations, but would rather save them for when there was need, especially when there was much ready on the table.<br><br>She followed the others as they headed back to their room, carefully observing the halls for landmarks, speaking up when talk turned to the mist, moving up to mqtch pace with them and speaking in a soft tone so her voice didnt carry past them, occasionally looking to the windows as if their talk might summon it... "You should be careful in that study... There is something sinister about The Mists, and not just the things that lurk inside it.. I've seen it, its... like it empowers the dark things that lurk inside, making them powerful and bold. We have had other guards who had to retire... They had night watch, and even from the safety of stone WatchBoxes its like the swirl and twists it makes without regard to wind and breeze drove them mad... Others were found sealed inside.. the life choked from them as if an ogre reached in past their ribs and crushed their lungs..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>16-03-2020, 03:37:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - interior<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Walking away<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Corrine<br><hr><br>Moving away from the dining hall and back towards the rest of her gear did a great deal to calm Faelyn down.&nbsp; She focused in on the words of Corinne and Aloisa as they went along and couldn't help but feel like whatever information she had for them was miles behind what they seemed to know.&nbsp; "I certainly didn't mean you any trouble, but I just can't stand being talked down to in such a way.&nbsp; I don't know much about the mists as you call them, but I'll tell you all I know, although stories are usually better received with a proper drink."&nbsp; She said, taking a seat right beside her pack.<br><br>"For the last decade back home I've watched as powerful storms seem to materialize out of nowhere, driving wild beasts from their dens and into conflict with the clan.&nbsp; My people are... very set in their ways.&nbsp; They claim that things would sort themselves out, but something about it all just felt off."&nbsp; She paused for a moment before finishing with "I fled in self-imposed exile to the summer lands to seek out whatever it may be causing the imbalance of nature and followed the rumors here.&nbsp; When a woodsman is not safe in his own wood, how well off can the rest of the world be?"&nbsp; Satisfied that she would do little if any more exploring about the grounds, Faelyn made herself busy once more donning her armor to not feel so exposed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>17-03-2020, 19:41:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Parlor/Guest Room<br>Aloisa, Corinne, Faelyn, Michelle, Zoe, Doctor Noire, Masked Ladies (24) </em><br><br>With lunch concluded, it was time for the lunatics to return from the yard. Ladies in masks and drab dresses began to enter through the far parlor door before the guests were safely sealed in their room. At first there were a few, shuffling, dreading the asylum's stony heart even as the cold fireplace drew them like moths. More continued to arrive, to fan out, to claim every desirable seat and corner, until there were so many it became inevitable that some came to peek in the guest room.<br>"I don't know you," said a masked lady to Corinne and Zoe. The tone was vicious, it did not match the substance of her words. There was no humanity to the mask, no mercy, and behind it dwelt a maniac.<br><br>Now the masks became aware that there were strangers among them, and all soulless, hollow eyes turned to the guest room in silent, eerie unison.<br><br>Last to arrive in the parlor was a woman without mask. Her frame was willowy, windblown, her hair drawn back from a feline face in strict Psyche knot, and in her thin hands a ring of keys.<br>"Number fifteen," the woman called that maniac, like a dog to heel. "Don't bother them. Come and sit by the fire."<br>Doctor Noire unlocked a drawer, and produced the tools needed to begin the room's grand centerpiece crackling. There was little need for the fireplace to be lit, little chill to dispel. A small flame grew to the limits of its iron cage, and began reaching upward, upward. Soon the heat of the parlor would become oppressive.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Doctor Noire</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://i.imgur.com/kF4Gkx8.png)<br></div></div><br><br><br><em>The Library<br>Danae, Margaret, Rehner, Masked Ladies (2) </em><br><br>"If the need is serious," said Rehner. "Be careful not to lose yourself. Hurt can be instructive. With good reason, we suffer. You must be well acquainted, mademoiselle. Each moment hurts, but only the last one kills."<br><br>Once gazes locked, Doctor Rehner would not permit Danae to turn away. Purely imagined were chains holding Danae in place, compelling her to stare, and yet for the weak of will they felt no less real.<br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae must make a Wisdom save, DC 12</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae is the target of a gaze attack.<br><br>On a failure, Danae becomes charmed, incapacitated, and has a speed of 0 until the trance is broken. She can still speak.<br><br>On a success, Danae is aware she was the target of a supernatural power, but not its effect.</div></div><br><br>"I wonder what your stubborn friends will do when I take away this hurt. Will you be in trouble again? Must I watch you closely?"<br><br>Margaret took a breath as if to speak, but caught herself before overstepping Danae's wishes. Her eyes were on the placid surface of Danae's face, unaware of the dread presence beneath, threatening to lock Danae in an oubliette of her own mind.<br><br>"You can tell us your intentions, mademoiselle. There is trust between doctor and patient. Tell us, and we'll fetch the laudanum together."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>19-03-2020, 02:31:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Rehner’s study <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Charmed<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Margaret, Dr Rehner<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Wisdom saving throw</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-03-18 19:16:09, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a1 Result: 9 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=145479)</div></div><br>There was an abyss in Rehner's eyes.&nbsp; To be drawn into them was to tumble down the rabbit hole, and see only the light of their pupils glinting in a sea of infinite, warm black.&nbsp; There was a manner about her that was all of a sudden reassuring.&nbsp; It was, perhaps, like finding a long lost friend, one to whom she could share her confidence.&nbsp; <br><br>"We need to find the survivors of the <em>Charlotte</em> and leave.&nbsp; This is not the place for them."&nbsp; She paused, and saw Margaret, once nervous, was also seemingly at ease.&nbsp; "I am responsible for them now.&nbsp; When I firs boarded the <em>Charlotte</em> I sought to free my mind from certain <em>afflictions</em> I suppose the alienist called them.&nbsp; I did not anticipate we would be caught in a storm, nor that we would be rescued by the <em>Mercy</em> and brought to this place.&nbsp; Though it is no small boon to find a place of civilisation on this island, we cannot stay for long. And all inquiries we make of its true nature are met with further questions."<br><br>Danae leaned forward on Rehner's desk, and felt, absurdly, she had known the woman her whole life.&nbsp; She would speak with her more liberally than she would have with her own wife.&nbsp; "This place reeks of madness.&nbsp; But then again I do not know if I, too, have become mad, and this is all some laudanum-induced nightmare." She peered over the French polished desk, fixing Rehner, wanting to be believed.&nbsp; <br><br>She saw the scene vivid and fresh in her mind&nbsp; <em>Polly is sprawled out on the guestroom bed, wild fiery ringlets soaked with sweat, her back and her enormous arse freckled, culottes around her ankles, sighing and still trembling, and Danae sees the pink mole on freckle-sprayed scapula between damp ginger curls and her blood goes from molten iron to ice</em>. <br><br>"She had the mark, you see," Danae hissed, "the Craft is everywhere, and we blind ourselves to the truth, saying this is an age of reason." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>20-03-2020, 10:45:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Guest room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> Polite conversation<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> the party<br><hr><br>Aloisa blinked at the door as the malicious voice rasped through, frowning she settled near her pile of goods, pulling the stone she had used on her ax earlier and drawing her dagger, but paused with a frown, now really missing her old whetstone set... She had spent a whole gold coin on it.. Instead she picked up a piece of her leather armor and stretched it out, taking her dagger and stropping it over the surface in a slow soft rasp, "Cant imagine why people might be uncomfortable here..."<br><br>A smile at the mention of a drink, "Sadly i had to trade away my flask and the brandy in it for our equipment. Heh, i had even filled it with the finest brandy the ship had in its stock. Almost wish i had taken time to learn the name... but I doubt I'll be able afford jt <br>again. <br><br>She listened quietly to Faelyns story, nodding at the end... "Far to many people are content to just "let things solve themselves" and sit back and watch their homes burn." Her voice held a sour note, like that of someone who also had had to deal with the same issue in the past. "What about you Corinne, Zoe. What draws your interest to the mists..?"<br><br>She took the blade in hand, looking it over before slowly cleaning it on a scrap of cloth and inspecting the edge, drawing it down her fingernail where it almost immediately catches in. A dissatisfied look on her face she resumes her stropping, a nice slow soft sound as she gives her attention back to Corinne and Zoe.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>27-03-2020, 21:30:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Parlor/Guest Room<br>Aloisa, Corinne, Faelyn, Michelle, Zoe, Doctor Noire, Masked Ladies (24)</em><br><br>The maddening scrape of steel on stone drew unwelcome attention down on Aloisa from the parlor. It might've been the sound of a revenant, scratching up from the depths of hell, from the terror it instilled.<br>"Stop it, stop," one of the maniacs hissed, scolding.<br>Doctor Noire's interest in the sound was far more lucid. When she approached the guest room, the question was clear on her unmasked face why a civilized woman should be found sharpening implements of murder on a peaceful morning. Her cat's eyes slunk along the pastime she deemed inappropriate, though she did not put her disapproval to words.<br>"Would you rather make use of the workshop," Doctor Noire suggested.<br><br>It was difficult to parse the maniacs beyond her for any individual, until one seated at a communal table took her hands from its underpinnings and the light gleamed off something narrow and sharp.<br><br>It was the very dagger Eloise had thieved from Aloisa, on the eve of the <em>Charlotte's </em>sinking.<br><br>The masked lady considered it with some foggy recollection, and rose to approach the room, brandishing the point at Doctor Noire's turned back.<br><br><em>The Library<br>Danae, Margaret, Rehner, Masked Ladies (2)</em><br><br>"Yes, you are going mad," said Doctor Rehner. "Hospital is a dull place for the very intelligent. Your mind makes stories to give it the complexity you crave. Since those stories trouble you, I will give you laudanum enough to put you under. Let the stories play out in sleep, and wake refreshed."<br><br>Margaret balked at this. "Doctor, Mlle. Vine-Lott comports herself very well, that's scarcely necessary."<br><br>"You're right," said Doctor Rehner. "The laudanum will not be necessary."<br><br>Empty the doctor's hands cupped, but when she blew through them, a haze of blue pollen scatered into the room, washing over the senses and crystallizing on the skin.<br>"Ezal y gaertyal azlom," intoned the doctor. "Napol eltjve ya mely ejzaka."<br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae can make a DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check to identify Rehner's spell as such</div><div class="spoiler_body">Rehner is casting Sleep.<br>At 2020-03-27 13:48:29, Dhi (uid: 27498) rolls: 5d8 Result: 19 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=145770)<br>19 HP worth of creatures are affected; Margaret is put to sleep but Danae is not.<br></div></div><br><br>A wave of fatigue accompanied. Margaret began to faint, and one of the masked ladies guided her into a tall chair, where settled into a deep slumber. Danae was not so overwhelmed.<br><br>"What to do with her, hm?" said Doctor Rehner. "She went out, the poor dear. Mlle. Vine-Lott, you will follow me, yes?"<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae must make a Charisma save, DC 12</div><div class="spoiler_body">Being helpless to protect herself and others from a threat seems like an appropriate time for Danae to make a Horror check. If the check is failed, Danae can manifest one of her Dark Desires for the current scene.</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's hypnosis</div><div class="spoiler_body">Even when maintained, Rehner's hypnotizing gaze only lasts 1 minute. It's fair to say the effect ends at some point during your next post. Danae won't be aware she was acting under hypnosis, but may be aware Rehner cast a sleep spell.<br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>31-03-2020, 02:11:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Stopping a Stabbing<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Masked woman with knife<br><hr><br>A warm pleasant feeling washed over Faelyn as she finished donning her armor.&nbsp; Shaking loose her hair, she fixed her gaze on the commotion going on in the corner.&nbsp; The familiar sound of steel scraping on stone was very calming to the young elf, however it seemed to be causing a stir in the room beyond.&nbsp; A flash of steel, and Faelyn was on the move.&nbsp; Grabbing her bow in one hand and a single arrow in the other, she positioned herself to allow for a clean shot if needed.&nbsp; "Oi!&nbsp; Now that's not very nice!&nbsp; You want to think about that again?"&nbsp; She half shouted across to the woman as she knocked arrow.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>31-03-2020, 02:46:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Guest Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Academic Musings, and grave concern.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Faelyn, Zoe, Aloisa<br><hr><br>Corinne nodded as she took in the elf's story. "I must say, this is news to me. But then, I am an urban creature. Even on the best of days, the wilderness tends to strike me as feral and dangerous. I am glad to have your more discerning perspective."<br><br>"As for my own observations," she cast her eyes down, embarrassed. "Much of my study has been purely theoretical, I confess. Studying traveller's accounts, academic articles, and more... esoteric works, generally held to be the fancies of madmen. Only once did I dare to study them firsthand, prior to the <em>Charlotte's</em> expedition." Her fingers tightened on her skirts. "It was a most harrowing experience, and convinced me that perhaps the madmen were not so mad after all."<br><br>How foolish she had been, back then, trudging up to the wall of the Mists, as though some caged animal in a menagerie, confident that her scientific rigour would shield her from the one all-consuming horror that enveloped the whole world. Instead, it had blinded her to the danger; fixed her eyes on trivial little whorls and eddies, while the Mists as a whole drew in around her.<br><br>Only when she had been fully drawn into the Mists' embrace did the vapours become truly real to her. There was a weight, a thickness to the fog that sought to drive her to her knees, and every little current and eddy seemed to carry a whisper, as though the Mists were some great, smothering blanket, forever folding the world up within it. She <em>felt</em> a fait cloud-whisp trail across her lips, gently, lovingly. But when she parted them, the mists drove forward, a breath unbidden, filling mouth and throat. She tried to scream, and found it all too easy to fill her lungs, but nigh impossible to empty them. In panic, she fled, stumbling and choking, heedless of her direction until she collapsed.<br><br>When she next awoke, she was naked and shivering at the gates of town, with no choice but to endure the leering judgment of the townsfolk as she returned to her rented room.<br><br>She shook her head. Her mind had wandered once more. It was becoming a bad habit.<br><br>"I believe there is an... if not intelligence, then an <em>agency,</em> to the Mists," she said. "It may not be enough to ward off the Mists... one must <em>outwit</em> them. That would explain why the accounts are so varied - the mists consider each one of us in turn."<br><br>So lost was she in speculation that she entirely missed the knife aimed for Doctor Noire's back.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>02-04-2020, 11:01:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Rehner’s study <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Charmed<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Margaret, Dr Rehner<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Charisma save</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-04-02 03:50:14, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a2 Result: 15 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=145829)</div></div><br>"What were you...mumbling?" Danae stumbled for a moment and caught herself. Sleep deprivation was nothing new to her and her use of anodynes had accustomed her to narcotic torpor.&nbsp; What Rehner was invoking, though, may well have been sorcerous rather than chemical.&nbsp; "I suppose we were both tired."<br><br>Was this science or where the boundaries of the known and the unknown crossed, ready for humanity's boundless curiosity to breach the barrier into what ought not to be known?&nbsp; The Doctor's speech was soporific and she felt herself drift in and out of a lucid dream.&nbsp; There, she had another flashing image, accompanied by a sharp, sensory recall, of Baykur's flogging and another, older memory, secreted in her subconscious and revisited only in dreams, of being caned by the headmistress over a freezing, polished oak desk.&nbsp; The most belly-wrench orgasm she ever had at school by some margin.&nbsp; She had beaten Polly, too, she remembered: tits as well as arse, hard enough she did not sit for days.&nbsp; <br><br>"I fear, Dr Rehner, that now is no time for sleep.&nbsp; What were you looking for, prying in my mind? Is it really so fascinating?"<br><br>She looked over to Margaret.&nbsp; She was fast asleep, but there was something sinister in the masked orderlies standing above her, like ravens over a stunned lark.&nbsp; "If you pry into a person's mind, and peer into her soul, what do you hope to find there?&nbsp; What do you hope to find in me, and in my companions?"&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>07-04-2020, 22:48:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>The Library<br>Danae, Rehner, Masked Ladies (2) (Leaving: Margaret)</em><br><br>"Luktar," Doctor Rehner named her incantation. "Doctor Heinfroth and I come from the old country, where it is difficult for a woman to educate herself or bear arms. Now I have met a number of forceful women since coming to the island, and drowning myself in this work. Before you I would call Baykur the strongest, but the captain could not make you bend."<br><br>"Now you march about like a rake in search of duel, and I wonder your intentions."<br><br>"I think you tell me the truth. I think your bravery hides a fear. But you are a fighter, you are a confronter of terrors. It would not do to show you the cellar, which might more unnerve you. Return to your affairs, and I will fetch the laudanum for you."<br><br>"If there is love in your heart for the women of the old country, for the infant girls who never had our freedoms, then be kind to the patients out there. There but by the grace of Ezra go you or I."<br><br>From her faint Margaret Hotspur roused, confused. She blurt a sound, and shrugged the masked ladies from her, bolted from her chair.<br>"What did you do to me?" Margaret hissed, some luster of high society rubbed from her, Vistani fire beneath. She gathered her dress, with a readiness to flee in any direction, and laid eyes on Danae. Leaned over the devil's desk, engaged in gossip, looking back at her.<br><br>Margaret flushed from the library, and careered out into the parlor straight into a throng of masked ladies.<br><br><em>Parlor/Guest Room<br>Aloisa, Corinne, Faelyn, Michelle, Zoe, Doctor Noire, Masked Ladies (24), (Arriving: Margaret)</em><br><br>Out of the far room spilled Margaret Hotspur with reckless haste. She was revolted by the touch of those masked patients who broke her stride, flustered and agitated.<br><br>"One aspect which captured my imagination in the books of Ezra," Zoe was saying, "is the role of mist as a harbinger of suffering, a personification of evil-"<br><br>There was an arrow nocked and pointed not at her, but beyond her, gleaming long and sharp in the fireplace light.<br>"But-" she wavered, the color drained from her.<br><br>There was a pause, from the masked woman Faelyn alone seemed to see coming in a gathering of dozens. What calculation was made behind the mask, none could say, but the threat of certain death by hunter's arrow did not turn her away. Knuckles clutched white and trembling, she angled Aloisa's knife for a plunge beneath Doctor Noire's ribs, where corset compressed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>11-04-2020, 08:07:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Rehner’s study <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Leaving the Doctor's study - the Parlour<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Margaret, Dr Rehner<br><br>"That I shall," Danae replied, all too pleased to be given an excuse to make herself scarce.&nbsp; She was unlikely to find the answers she was seeking from Rehner, and any lingering would have piqued the good Doctor's suspicion, "you must excuse, my companion is a little skittish.&nbsp; She is unaccustomed to this place of," Danae paused, searching for the right term, "confinement.&nbsp; We shall trouble you no further, though perhaps you might send an attendant with a dose of laudanum.&nbsp; I am certain you must have some to hand in the dispensary, as any good alienist would."&nbsp; There would be time wallow in the languid torpor of the Red Lady's embrace later.&nbsp; For now, she had to go after Margaret.&nbsp; <br><br>Making her excuses, she moved swiftly out of Rehner's office back into the parlour, and took Margaret by a tanned wrist, and spun her around, "You should stay with me, Madame. This is no place to lose oneself to wild flights of panic.&nbsp; You are safer with me than you are anywhere else in this bedlam."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Intimidate Check to control Margaret</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-04-11 00:59:33, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 12 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=146051)</div></div><br>Turning to the scene now before her, the standoff between the wild woman and the masked servitors, her soldier's instincts sprang into action, "Why are weapons drawn? What has called for bloodshed?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>13-04-2020, 23:28:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Stopping a Stabbing<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Masked woman with knife<br><hr><br>A flurry of activity began to unfold before her as she stared down her arrow.&nbsp; Her quarry continued to make aggressive actions, and more people came flooding onto the scene complicating things further.&nbsp; Her quarry took the opportunity granted by the chaos to get even closer to her target and seemed ready to strike.&nbsp; Pushing everything else out of her head, she let go the air in her lungs and let fly the missile towards the clenched fist of the masked woman.<br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">11 to hit</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll to hit: At 2020-04-13 16:24:12, Velatha (uid: 61604) rolls: 2d20k1a7 Result: 11 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=146087)<br>Roll for (nonlethal) damage:At 2020-04-13 16:26:26, Velatha (uid: 61604) rolls: 1d8k1a3 Result: 11 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=146088)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>15-04-2020, 23:51:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Quicker than Doctor Noire could flinch, the arrow flew, and her assailant recoiled, knife clattering to the floor. It had not been a perfect shot, and there was blood on the maniac's drab gown. The fingers which had wrapped so jealously around the weapon proved no match for Faelyn's marksmanship, and now the woman would lose them, if she were not lucky- if she were not already in the care of several doctors.<br><br>But Doctor Noire proved unsympathetic. She stepped down on the dagger's hilt with her ankle boot, that none of the other envious maniacs could collect it. So profound, her disappointment, that it seemed to chill the air, though perhaps it was only the gust and retreat of the flickering fireplace.<br>"Take number fifty-one upstairs," came the doctor's orders.<br>Two masked ladies from the throng took the sprawled maniac by the arms, and hauled her to stand with conviction. Doctor Noire unlocked the far door for them, and they carried the maniac, while still she was shocked, from the parlor.<br><br>They were not all patients. Some of them, in masks, were orderlies in disguise. One never knew one from the other, and this was surely intentional.<br><br>When the perfunctory violence had passed, Margaret Hotspur took refuge in Danae's protective arms. It seemed to hold the hollow desperation of prayer, for her. "That woman, Rehner, is a witch," Margaret said with venom. "She used some power on me. Why did you not stop her?"<br><br>Tidily Doctor Noire gave the knife a tap with her ankle boot, and sent it spinning lazily to the feet of Faelyn and Corinne and Zoe.<br>"You have my thanks," said Doctor Noire. "Though I suspect this is yours."<br>And it was, though it had not left the ship in Aloisa's care.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>18-04-2020, 18:58:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> confusion<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Noire,<br><hr><br>Aloisa had moved to speak and apologize with the Doctor but... Something had happened, weariness a malaise, a fugue, whatever you call it, just seemed to sap her. She MISSED the old watch house and its familiar simple problems, the home she had grown up in, so many things she had given up to be out here in this situation, and what she had lost. Now she couldn't even strop her gear in peace without some maniac throwing a fit and some stuck up doctor getting uppity at- ...<br><br>That was her dagger. That was her dagger in the hands of a maniac getting ready to ram it in the Doctors. Well, it was One of them. The one she had given Eloise after the girl had tried to steal it. She held no hard feelings there, otherwise she would have sent the girl off empty handed, but to see it here now... She opened her mouth to order the woman to stop, but was to slow as Faelyn snapped to with her bow and arrow ready, and then Danae stomping in with her orders. She just stood there slack jawed with surprise, a small flinch as the arrow loosed and knocked the blade, and possibly a couple fingers, from the womans hand.<br><br>She seemed to fully snap back to when the blade is kicked across the floor, a small fire in her sparked in indignation at an heirloom being treated as such, it wasnt Its fault one of...<br><br>"Yes, my apologies Doctor, for freezing up like that.. It has been a strain and I failed in helping.." She bowed her head contritely, "I think it best to just put my things away for now lest they make their way into others hands and misfortune." She slid the dagger she held into its sheathe and tucked it under a fold of armor. "I.. Do not wish to impose or rush on your treatments.. But is it possible we shall be able to see our Sisters from the other boat soon? I am afraid concern is putting me to distraction.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>20-04-2020, 06:46:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Panicked return to reality<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corrine jolted back to reality with a sharp cry, as the sudden burst of violence pulled her from the terrors of the past into the terror of the moment, the mists of memory parting suddenly, and depositing her once more in the asylum parlor. She cast her eyes around the room wildly, trying to assess the commotion as the patient was dragged off by the orderlies. Seeing that the tumult had ended as quickly as it began, her eyes drifted back to the floor, her chest heaving as she tried in vain to tamp down the lingering panic.<br><br>She was losing herself in thought more and more, her head in the clouds like an addled philosopher from an old play. No, not clouds: Mist. Perhaps this was how the madness started - was a foggy head just another form of Mist?<br><br>She needed to ground herself. Her hand sought out Zoe's once more. "A-are you alright she asked?" in a feeble effort to hide her own shock.<br><br>It was, perhaps, a small relief to hear Aloisa speak of her own distraction. While a lapse in the ever-vigilant guardswoman's attention should have been alarming, there was something about a shared problem that was a comfort in its own way. And she readily joined Aloisa in asking after their friends.<br><br>"Yes," she said to Dr Noire. "We certainly do not wish to impose upon your hospitality."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>20-04-2020, 11:47:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> The Parlour&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Assessing the scene<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open <br><br>"Number fifty-one of what?" Danae asked, and she held Margaret by the waist, palm clasped to her hipbone, possessively as she was wont to, like she was claiming a tavern-girl for the night, "and what happened here? Why are the patients masked?"&nbsp; The flow of questions could not be dammed by diplomacy.&nbsp; "Do you mean to tell us that among these inmates are the survivors of the wreck of the <em>Charlotte</em>?"&nbsp; Knowing full well that they would be surrounded, she decided to modulate the tone of her inquiries, "Perhaps you could update us in your own time.&nbsp; Why is it that these women needed treatment?&nbsp; There was scarcely anything wrong with any passenger on the <em>Charlotte</em>. The sooner they return to us, the sooner we will cease being an imposition on your generous hospitality."&nbsp; <br><br>To the party she said, "Perhaps we should remain together.&nbsp; Though our hosts are no doubt experienced in their work, we would not want them to worry for our safety."&nbsp; <br><br>Then, to Margaret, sotto voce, "I sense she spoke words of power, though I was too late to stop her.&nbsp; I have you now, never fear." She cooed her reassurance,&nbsp; as she had soothed many a skittish barmaid. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>22-04-2020, 03:00:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Strategic withdrawal&nbsp; <br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Doctor Noir, Danae, Aloisa<br><hr><br>A cocky smirk appeared at the edge of Faelyn's mouth at the sound of a blade falling to the ground.&nbsp; The wound left behind, while unintentionally made, should serve as a permanent reminder for the would be assailant of the dangers associated with brandishing a weapon.&nbsp; The doctor, while so unresponsive to a shout in her direction flew into action securing the weapon and dispersing the situation with surprising speed, and just as fast the weapon was sent sliding across the floor to the group's feet.&nbsp; Confident that everything was under control once more, Faelyn stood straight, stowing her bow before nodding her head toward Doctor Noir.&nbsp; "It seems our presence here brings unrest.&nbsp; The sooner my companions' friends are safely released, the sooner things can go back to normal."&nbsp; She pleaded.<br><br>"We should definitely retire for now.&nbsp; Things have gotten more complicated and we should regroup and get back on the same page."&nbsp; She answered back to Danae before turning her attention to Aloisa.&nbsp; "It is fortunate that no foul deeds were committed because of a weapon you lost control of.&nbsp; Always keep a wary eye on a weapon traced back to you."&nbsp; She gave the girl a pat on the shoulder before a hunter's gaze moved once more to her own blade currently affixed to the belt of another silver haired woman.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>25-04-2020, 05:04:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Doctor Blanche is treating them," Noire answered Aloisa, listless, drained of enthusiasm. She was prepared for a barrage of questions, the same questions, and at some juncture the staff must have discussed those questions between them, for none of it surprised Doctor Noire at all.<br>"They are being cared for as guests, but there was an incident among them which necessitated separating several from the others. Additionally, they came to us with injuries requiring urgent treatment. They were moved, from their accommodations," she said, indicating the spare bedroom Danae and Margaret found lifeless, "to the infirmary."<br><br>"Patients are given numbers. They are given masks. The practice may seem draconian," Doctor Noire explained.<br>"Indeed," chimed Margaret.<br>"But a psyche without a name is unburdened of the identity responsible for previous evils," the doctor continued. "A psyche without a face is far more curious about the perspective of others. It is regrettable that you see these souls at their lowest, but from here, there is improvement. The asylum could not continue, were it not so."<br><br>"I cannot discuss specific cases," she said to Danae. "This evening, when the patients are bedded and my duties relieved, I will have something to show you the patients must not be privy to."<br><br>Zoe was prepared to retire as soon as Faelyn gave the suggestion. She tugged Corinne by the hand and retreat into the guest room, where the bath had gone cold. Doctor Noire intuit that their guests needed time alone to decompress, and turned her attention back to the patients in the commons.<br>"It feels naive now to have been so enamored with the hospital as a center of curative science," said Zoe. "There is something amiss. There is a culture of shame, and deprivation, I sought to escape aboard the <em>Charlotte. </em>Whether the sentiment is mutual or not, you made an impression on Doctor Heinfroth in there, it was clear to me. She admires your autonomy, as women."<br><br>"Doctor Rehner shared a story with me, on the night ride," said Zoe. "About a wed woman from the Gundarak country I understood her to be infatuated with. She laid high praise on Emalia's mettle as a woman tested, and disdain for the circumstances of the old country. She and Heinfroth are old friends, and after hearing Heinfroth speak, I know they are cut from the same cloth."<br><br>"They will listen to you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>27-04-2020, 03:38:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Guest Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Stout Frock<br><strong>Content: </strong>Musing<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>"I shudder to think what manner of woman could command Rehner's admiration," Corinne said. The memory of those witching eyes was still clear in her mind. Still, there were more pressing concerns. "I worry about staying here any longer than we have to. While Heinfroth may admire our autonomy, I suspect she admires it in the same way the hunter admires the lion - a worthy challenge. The longer we stay here, the more I fear that we shall be deemed madwomen, in need of their 'treatment'."<br><br>She settled herself on the edge of the tub, and trailed her hand in the water, chanting a minor spell that warmed the water until it was steaming pleasantly once more. She did it more as an exercise than anything, a way to focus her mind as she collected her thoughts.<br><br>"I am most curious to hear what Doctor Noire has to say," she pondered. "Perhaps she shall shed more light on whatever 'affliction' they have foisted upon our friends." The stated nature of the 'affliction' still gnawed at her. She looked up and regarded her companions in turn. "Tell me, honestly. Do any of you regard me as a witch? If there is any truth to the rumours, then I fear that I am an easy target for accusations of witchcraft."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>01-05-2020, 20:09:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> OCDe (Obsessive Compulsive Dagger examination)<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Corinne and group.<br><hr><br>Aloisa nodded as their questions were answered, moving over to snatch up her dagger and quickly examine it before tucking it away with its twin giving the doctor her attention again as she explains, "We understand Doctor, thank you for your patience in explaining.."<br><br>She watches as the doctor goes before pulling out the dagger again, carefully looking it over before pulling out the second dagger and using small knobs and chocks on it to work the pins loose from the hilt, checking for scratches, blood soaked into the gaps of the handle, or any other oddities, checking the blade with extreme care with a frown.. "I did not lose control of it... On the ship i gave it to one of the girls i had become friends with. Their boat only had one spot, so i had her get on, and they were being cast a drift with nothing so I wanted to make sure they at least had something.. That is why i asked to see the others now.. Unless they took the knife from her, then let one of their patients get into where they hold such things."<br><br>She sighs and pieces the knife back together, carefully fitting the pins and shims back in place before picking up the stone once again, almost starting to hone the blade but frowns remembering how the entire mess started and sighed putting it away with the other.<br><br>She considers looking over to Corinne and gives a wry smile, "Maybe a little to curious without the good sense of your parents letting you grab a glowing coal in the fire place to learn... But not a witch. Your process seems much to.." she considers frowning as she tries to come up with a word.. "Concise..? I've met a couple, and we had a hedge witch help check for arcane contraband into the city. Your much to... Orderly to be a witch. Well Learned." <br><br>She leaned back to get comfortable and gave a disgruntled sigh, "I would Kill for a bottle of one of those good brandies back on the ship right now.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>02-05-2020, 13:05:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/13428552/mqOlTT)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Guest quarters&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Planning ahead<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Corinne, Open <br><br>"You are quite right, Madame," Danae said to Corinne.&nbsp; She had her hands clasped behind her back, pondering their options, "Though I would very much like to leave this place, I cannot do so without the survivors of the wreck of the <em>Charlotte</em>.&nbsp; They are my responsibility.&nbsp; As for witchcraft," she clasped her wrist tight in her hand at the dull throb of a fresh welling of memories.&nbsp; There <em>had</em> been deranged chanting in the basement, and wild-eyed, red haired women nude and streaked in blood and worshiping a face in the great furnace in the drawing room when they thought the house slept.&nbsp; "There is witchery about this place, but it is not us.&nbsp; Dr Rehner spoke something in an ancient tongue.&nbsp; Madame Hotspur heard it, too." <br><br>She nodded to Margaret, whom she kept close to her side.&nbsp; That was more than a sense of protectiveness, but of security in numbers.&nbsp; The girl would have been of little use in a confrontation, no doubt, but a pair of eyes and ears were always welcome. <br><br>"It sees like our hosts wish for us to spend the night here, and that I would avoid if we have any choice.&nbsp; Whatever explanation they have in store for us is unlikely to be satisfactory."&nbsp; She paused, and contemplated the possibility that there might be someone <em>listening</em> to them.&nbsp; Ezra watches indeed.&nbsp; She did not wish to contemplate what dreams she might have in a place such as this. <br><br>To Aloisa she said, "Quite, brandy would be most welcome," though she thought yet more fondly of a dose of laudanum.&nbsp; She had not slept since before they had been shipwrecked, "if only I had my hipflask.&nbsp; A soldier's second most trusted companion.&nbsp; We should be cautious.&nbsp; If we were to make a false move, we could well become yet more inmates in this place and I do not think any would think to look for us.&nbsp; Let us hear what the good Doctors have to say this evening and find for ourselves any answers they do not offer freely, though they did not appreciate Madame Hotspur and I wondering off-path."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>07-05-2020, 21:01:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Strategic withdrawal&nbsp; <br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Corinne, open<br><hr><br>All this talk of strange ways to heal an addled mind, coupled with the oppressive atmosphere had Faelyn on edge.&nbsp; The wild woman was so out of place in this den of denial, she momentarily worried she'd made a mistake in deciding to help this group, however she had learned so much more about the strange weather in one day than several weeks before they came.&nbsp; For good or ill she would throw her lot in with these women if she hoped to ever escape this place.<br><br>"I don't know you very well and the only witches I know of are from stories, but you do not remind me of them at all."&nbsp; She reassured Corinne with a soft smile.&nbsp; "Witchcraft or no, something in this place does seem off.&nbsp; Taking someone's identity like this can turn people into beasts.&nbsp; Frightened animals are dangerous and unpredictable.&nbsp; With nerves taught like a bowstring, it doesn't take much and we have an issue just like in there.&nbsp; Still, I don't know who to be more wary of, the inmates, or their charges.&nbsp; We should be sure to look out for one another and we should be fine."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>08-05-2020, 16:01:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				After all that had happened, it was decided Zoe would sleep in the overcrowded guest room, rather than have a spare all to herself. She chose a cot to rest somewhat comfortably, sandwiched between the press of other beds, but was quickly huddled asleep after all that had happened.<br><br>By nightfall, as all the patients were counted and corralled, the wind began to howl and flex the asylum manor's creaky timbers. From the guest room window could be glimpsed a wall of clouds, like the twisting vortex of a hurricane, moving in from the west. The voices in the asylum became drowned by crashing thunder, primeval and purple, leaving afterflashes in the vision. Yet as the hurricane seemed poised to overtake the coast, its cumulonimbus column dissipated instead, and crashed instead on the rocks in a tide of dense gray fog.<br><br>Within hours, the windows were like frosted glass, and even the distant flashes of lightning muted into pale nimbus.<br><br>In the midst of rain coming down in deluge, the pipes in the manor began to hum, and judder in the walls, as though foretelling a macabre midnight bath.<br><br><em>Drip. </em>It came from the ceiling, from somewhere among the floral-patterned tile, a plop of red sludge in the middle of the floor.<br><em>Drip. </em>Traveling east through the center of the guest room, another drop of thick crimson, at the foot of the solitary couples' bed.<br><em>Drip, drip. </em>All the way east, to the chamber door, a stain of sludge splashed on the pretty threshold. Concerning how the pipes juddered, and the chamber door's latch vibrated in its housing like rattling teeth. And the knob seemed to turn on its own, and the guest room door creaked open.<br><br>Beyond, the parlor was huge and lifeless, and the fireplace burned low. Zoe, Margaret, and Michelle were fast asleep from the day's tribulations, but somewhere upstairs, someone was stirring. One could hear them, moving about, dragging.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>11-05-2020, 01:56:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> Sleeping like a guard, suspicion. Knives in the dark.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Faelyn, Danae, Corinne.<br><hr><br>Aloisa let one of the Ladies use her bed roll to get more comfortable as she settled into a spot by the wall utilizing the guards ability to sleep anywhere, and sleep light. Her breath soft and light as she dozed, though a momentary bit of movement as a wide yawn made her wriggle and squirm for a moment before settling back down.<br><br>Until pipes began to judder and the dripping started, eyes opening half lidded as she looked around in the dim glow, hands grasping the hilts of her daggers as she looked around slowly, scanning for some threat or danger lurking in the shadows. She remained still and listened, carefully drawing both blades as it seemed like some strange snake slithered along the floor, only to realize it was some flow of... Something.. She stood quickly when she was sure it was clear and pulled a few stones from one of her pouches, flicking them with a decent force at the Other Capable Ladies who had fallen asleep to get them up and alert. She continued to scan the room carefully, spinning to face the door as it opened, blades held at the ready for whatever threat may suddenly loom...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>11-05-2020, 09:35:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum Guest Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Tattered blue robe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Momentary panic.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corinne let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. If even Danae could distinguish between her arcane dabbling and darker witchcraft, then she could feel reasonably safe.<br><br>"Thank you," she said, her voice shaky. "All of you. I will admit, Mme Vine-Lott, I was most concerned for your response. You are a most... imposing woman, and I should hate to have any misunderstanding."<br><br>To Aloisa, she laughed laughed softly, though the mention of her parents stirred up uncomfortable memories she would rather have left buried. "You would not be the first to accuse me of having more curiosity than sense. I shall do my best to place our survival over more academic interests, though."<br><br>Though Faelyn was a wild woman, she had worried Corinne the least. The elf was concerned with greater forces than some witch. "While I hope we can avoid further further tensions, I suspect you may be right. I, for one, am more concerned about the 'Doctors' here. Rehner in particular..."<br><br>"Thank you again," she said. "Your trust means the world to me." She would sleep easier, knowing there were no superstitious knives at her back.<br><br><hr><br>Corinne jolted awake with a startled yelp as something landed on her exposed leg. She cast about blindly, trying to orient herself, remember where she was. Her eyes fixed on the window, on the fog swirling outside, and she froze. In her mind, she was no longer in the asylum, but out in its midst, naked and terrified, drinking in its maddening vapours, choking on them.<br><br>Her head spinning, she reached out for anything real, anything solid... and found Zoe's side in the cot next to her. Warmth and comfort slowly pushed back the cold terror, and she could breathe once more, her chest heaving.<br><br>When reality had fully reasserted itself, she pushed herself up on shaky legs and navigated the tight confines of the guest room, tying her tattered robe about herself once more. Reality, however, was unnerving. The pipes, those marvels of engineering that had so entranced her during the day, now seemed to rattle like some shamanic fetish, a dark ritual to awaken dark things.<br><br>As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw Aloisa, poised with weapons drawn. Danger. Corinne flexed her fingers – they felt weak, as though still asleep – trying to regain some semblance of fine motor control. At last, they felt responsive; chanting <em>sotto voce,</em> her right hand wove a sign of protection, while her left drew out a strand of magic, drawing it into a second layer of protection.<br><br>Her defences in place, she looked to Aloisa, trusting the guard's instincts. The cold edge of terror crept a little closer - what did she plan to do if there <em>was</em> danger? She was a scholar, not a warrior. What, precisely, did she plan to do if she found herself fighting for her life?<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OoC</div><div class="spoiler_body">Corinne casts <em>Mage Armor</em>, activating her Arcane Ward class feature, granting it 12 hit points.<br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>12-05-2020, 01:53:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Guest quarters&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Roused<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open <br><br>Her dreams had been fevered, and her night fitful.&nbsp; There had been a dark wood in her dreams, and distant bonfires, remote and sinister chanting, flame-bathed bodies cavorting, nude but for grotesque masks.&nbsp; The dark Sabbath was underway, and the maidens danced by the fire and she, having cast eyes upon them, realised that their masks were the same worn by the inmates in the asylum.&nbsp; Faceless, and odious beyond measure.&nbsp; They were coming ever closer, just like the night she had caught Polly conversing with some <em>entity</em>.&nbsp; It was then she knew that they would always follow her.&nbsp; From them, there was no escape.&nbsp; She awoke and sat up on the narrow asylum cot and found Margaret sleeping beside her, head resting on her belly, dark hair lapping like waves at her sudden movement.&nbsp; It took her a moment to calm her breathing.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>"Wait," Danae murmured.&nbsp; It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the shadowy night.&nbsp; There had been movement, she could sense it.&nbsp; Aloisa was up, and so was Corinne, preparing for something.&nbsp; <br><br>There was an uncomfortable edge of tension in the air.&nbsp; Danae hauled herself wordlessly out of the cot and motioned to Aloisa - <em>let's take a look</em>.&nbsp; She darted across the guest quarters and pressed herself against the wall by the doorframe. Her shirt shirt hung loose around her shoulders for the heat.&nbsp; There was something oppressive in the air, or was it just the disquiet from her dream.&nbsp; <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Perception Check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-05-11 18:46:21, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 23 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=146934)</div></div><br>She waited.&nbsp; When it came time to move, they would move as one.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>13-05-2020, 19:16:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">In the moments between the juddering pipes and the guest room door opening, the faint orange glimmer of the parlor's light was blocked by a shadow in the door frame- Danae had been at a unique angle to see it. The shadow never reached the floor, and when it retreat, it went straight up, as though something hanging from the ceiling had opened the door.</div></div><br><br>Though the looming baroque shapes of tall cabinets and empty chairs played tricks on the mind in the parlor's flickering light, there was not another living soul in the common room. The maniacs were elsewhere and, one trusted, limited in their roam of the manor on a dark and foggy night. Not a single orderly remained behind, to attend- no doubt Doctor Heinfroth trusted her guests to see to their own needs.<br><br>Once the humming of the pipes in the walls subsided, there were further noises. Upstairs, someone was awake and moving, perhaps having drawn a bath at this unholy hour, although the firm tap of boot heel on wood suggested otherwise.<br><br>But, when one listened with every fiber, when the whole manor was quiet and the storm outside lulled, a banging could be heard in the cellar. It was like the banging in the <em>Mercy's </em>secret hold, like the banging that stirred the late Cat Grosbelhomme from sleep that fateful night aboard the <em>Charlotte. </em>A claustrophobic, panicked sound, possessed of a madness the unshackled dare not contemplate. There was a woman's voice, a mournful wail, though the words were hopelessly muffled.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>13-05-2020, 21:53:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Watching the storm<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><hr><br>Thankful for a peaceful respite, Faelyn settled herself carefully in the corner of the room so she would have a clear view of the doorway should anyone call for help and closed her eyes, slipping into the waking dreams of her trance state.&nbsp; She thought longingly of her home land, a picturesque landscape untouched by the ravages of society, and covered in snow.&nbsp; Then much to her horror, the storms came driving the wild beasts from their holes and into conflict with her people.<br><br>With a start, the elven woman's eyes snapped open.&nbsp; She was covered in a cold sweat, and her breaths were labored.&nbsp; Her eyes glanced over to the window to find the storms were indeed howling.&nbsp; Hugging her furs tighter to her body, she made her way over near the window so she could be alone with her thoughts as she watched the rain, wondering how she would ever find definite proof that the storms were indeed an unnatural, manufactured effect excusing her of her choice to abandon her home and wander off so far.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>14-05-2020, 01:02:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Guest Quarters<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>Medb had barely been able to sleep, dozing in and out of consciousness, her mortal body needing rest but at the same time being untrustworthy and not quite willing to let the tendril arms of the night usher her into a position of helplessness in a place her better judgement had guided her away from during her stay on the island to observe the fauna and for a time she had been thankful for the storm - while mostly the sound of rain pattering on a window (or canvas were she in a tent) would help her fine gentle respite the rage of the storm bade her mind awake for longer than she would have naturally until it had disspiated, being replaced by the fog that frosted the window. Her eyes were leaden now though, heavy from the simple passage of time.<br><br>That is, until the sound of movement above and the rattling of their door frame tapped her senses awake. Other ladies, capable in their attentiveness and quick reaction were readying themselves with spells and steel. She found herself roused, thoughts of sleep vanishing for now in unfamiliar spaces and with others on alert. And then there was that banging, the muffled scream.<br>"Did... did anyone else hear that?" she asked, surprised at her own hushed tones quiet as a church mouse as her nerves nearly stilled the voice in her chest
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>14-05-2020, 03:20:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Exiting guest quarters&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> On the prowl<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Open <br><br>"I have," Danae told Medb, sotto-voce, "it is no longer safe here, not with strange visitations in the middle of the night. Shadows leap and dance here without earthly body to cast them.&nbsp; Like a witches' sabbath." <br><br>She sidled through the doorframe, careful to leave the door open to maintain an interrupted line of sight with her party.&nbsp; "We need to know who opened our door - who is baiting us out."&nbsp; The plaintive moan that echoed through the asylum was stomach-churning.&nbsp; It reminded Danae that something had always been amiss since that fateful night on the <em>Charlotte</em>.&nbsp; Perhaps something had wished to claim both ship and crew, and had followed them over vast expanses of trackless ocean and island to drive them here.&nbsp; <br><br>Was she falling into an ambush?&nbsp; She did not know, but she was certain that her imprudence was justified by the maddening series of questions that had no answers.&nbsp; This time she would get to the bottom of it.&nbsp; Motioning for the others to follow, she went out into the parlour to see if she could find any traces of their unwanted visitor. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Investigation Check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-05-13 20:18:16, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a1 Result: 3 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=147039)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>14-05-2020, 06:41:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Guest Quarters<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Tattered blue robe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Hypothesizing<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Faelyn, Open<br><hr><br>Corinne swallowed at the thumping sound. Her mind travelled back to the <em>Charlotte,</em> to Cat Grosbellhomme blank, entranced features. The wizard had heard nothing at the time, and yet somehow that sound seemed to echo into memory, a hidden frequency heard only on in retrospect. She shuddered, realizing that she was the last woman to have seen Cat alive. What had Cat found in the <em>Charlotte's</em> hold she wondered?<br><br><em>"Most distinctly it reminded me of the fits of those animals sealed in crates for the menagerie. I became mesmerized by their horror, enduring weeks of storm-tossed sea in a lightless box without escape. You must think me mad, for there is nothing now, but I recalled the sight of them unloaded from the menagerie ship, mangy with filth, eyes motherless and unmoored, and I will not set foot in saloon nor cabin nor any such wooden box."</em><br><br>Corinne forced herself back to the present. There were horrors enough ahead; best not to contemplate those behind.<br><br>"I hear it too. Ever since the <em>Charlotte,</em> disaster has followed hot on the heels of this sound," she whispered. "I fear we may have to find new accommodations after tonight."<br><br>Looking back, she saw Faelyn gazing out the window, entranced by the storm. Corinne steeled herself as the fog of terror threatened to swallow her once more. Still, she strode forward, taking the elf's hand as much for her own reassurance as for Faelyn's.<br><br>"Come," she said softly. "We must conquer the evil within first, and I would feel much braver with you by our side." With great effort, she summoned a smile with as much warmth as she could muster. In truth, it she found some reassurance in Faelyn's fixation on the window, and Corinne was sorely tempted to lean her head on the elf's shoulder and join in watching the mists – a shared horror was sometimes more bearable than solitary bravery.<br><br>But that awful sound still echoed on the edge of hearing, a promise of worse things yet to come. She needed Faelyn's steel right now; the steel in her hands and the steel in her heart.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>14-05-2020, 07:13:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Strip and change, armor up.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Faelyn, Danae, Corinne, Medb<br><hr><br>Aloisa pulled back from the door as others took watch,"Wait up Danae, I'll not go out unprepared again..." she whispered furiously as sge quickly slipping into her leather armor and strapping the boarding ax to her back as she frowns, a stream of throughly foreign words of tone and style they couldnt be anything but very expressive cursing pouring from her mouth in a most unladylike manner...<br><br>"By Io's shart breeches this is getting old... My grandfather always spoke of investigating things like this as an adventure...&nbsp; But his stories always ended with a chest of gold. I doubt any chests we find will have something so pleasent in them..."<br><br>Soon as she was ready she crept out, stowing a dagger in favor of the axe as she crept along scanning the room and area while keeping half to the shadows..<br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header"> perception check: 11</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-05-14 00:09:36, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a6 Result: 11 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=147040)</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">stealth check:15</div><div class="spoiler_body">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2020-05-14 00:12:11, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 15 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=147041)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>14-05-2020, 17:29:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Beginning a hung<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party<br><hr><br>Faelyn was suddenly pulled from her thoughts at the feel of a soft hand grasping her own with a reassuring squeeze and a soft message.&nbsp; Looking over she was surprised to find the sensitive Corinne pulling her from her stupor.&nbsp; She would have to be strong for these newfound traveling companions and take things one day at a time.<br><br>"Thank you."&nbsp; She whispered back with a little squeeze of her own before standing up and moving over so she could get in some nice stretches while Aloisa put on her armor.&nbsp; "Stories of adventures are always cleaned up by those who survive to tell the tale."<br><br>Taking her place at the rear of the group, bow in hand Faelyn prepared to venture into the unknown on yet another hunt.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>21-05-2020, 09:25:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A gusty breath of the storm outside came howling down the chimney flue, rattled the fireplace cage and snuffed the flame to all but embers. In the parlor's dim penumbra, no trace remained of any midnight visitor. The banging in the cellar subsided, and what the mind could no longer track by sound, it was able to conjure in any dark pocket just out of sight. Memories of the common room stocked with masked lunatics, only hours before, became imprinted by the earlier brush with violence.<br><br>During the day, the south door remained locked, opened by an orderly's key. Now the same held true for the kitchen and library doors, those egresses which no doubt led out onto the asylum grounds. The guest and spare rooms were equipped with similar key-operated latches, but neither of these had been locked, nor were the northwest stair, the northeast machine room, or the dining hall. Doctor Heinfroth had not seemed to leave the dining hall after supper, and yet no light came from that chamber, making it unlikely she remained there still.<br><br>The hollows of those locks, accommodating for a large key from either side, were sufficiently deep to be workable with even improvised tools. There presented no good alternative for securing the room where Zoe, Michelle, and Michelle slept, short of great labor moving oak furniture. To venture into the cellar would surely require some larcenous skill, and the upstairs remained a mystery.<br><br>Ultimately, there was no reassurance to be found in that brisk midnight search of the parlor.<br><br>First Floor:<br>(https://i.imgur.com/yjv2Bdz.png)<br><br>Cellar:<br>(https://i.imgur.com/hL4LgvZ.png)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>22-05-2020, 10:55:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> Sleeping like a guard, suspicion. Knives in the dark.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party<br><hr><br>Aloisa frowned as she looked around, carefully tucking her weapons away back in their little slings in easy reach if something horrible suddenly lunged out of the shadows at them. "I do not like this. There is far to much unnatural going on here..." Her voice wasn't a whisper, the tones forced quiet always came off more loud and grabbed attention, while with her tone left flat and voice just allowed tp drift out it floated only to those close by, at least unless something had much better hearing then elves and humans.<br><br>She moved back to the door and checked it over with a frown, "I can jimmy this shut to keep anything from coming through the door after the sleeping mlles. Short of staying here, its the only thing I can think of to keep them safe... Short of leaving and stealing a ship. Which is just impractical." She looks to the others for their opinion.<br><br>Afterwards she sighs and looks around again, "Well.. What next? Danae, where did you and Margaret go..? Exactly what happened..?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>25-05-2020, 08:28:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum - Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue robe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Proposing an alternate solution<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Faelyn, Aloisa, Open<br><hr><br>Corinne's smile took on a little extra warmth as Faelyn returned to the here and now. "Well, the let's make sure we survive," the wizard replied. Her cheeks reddened somewhat as she watched the elf perform her stretches; Faelyn was limber in very appealing ways.<br><br>However, danger loomed, and Corinne had to turn her attention to the matter at hand. "I would not lock this door," she replied to Aloisa. "If the <em>Charlotte</em> taught us anything, it's that a locked door can be fatal in its own right. If the girls are in danger, they will be safest if they can flee... or if we can reach them quickly."<br><br>Still, Corinne worried. She did not like the thought of leaving Zoe unprotected, and she cursed herself for having no spell to protect her vulnerable form. She cursed herself for never learning an <em>alarm</em> spell. It was such a basic abjuration, something she had always meant to learn, but had simply put off time and again in favour of other spells. She had never thought she might need to protect someone other than herself...<br><br>But perhaps there was some other way to alert the girls to approaching danger. "Aloisa," she said. "Perhaps it would be better to fashion some manner of alarm. Something that might rattle or clatter if the door is opened? Have you ever fashioned such a thing, in your time as a scout or guardswoman?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>26-05-2020, 13:31:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Making a trap<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party<br><hr><br>"Making sure that they have an escape option should things go wrong does seem for the best, but no we can't leave them completely unguarded.&nbsp; Luckily traps do fall into my area of expertise, but making one quickly and without a lot of noise does pose some challenges.&nbsp; How about this though?"&nbsp; The silver haired maiden made her way back into the guest room and began fumbling around in her pack until out came a simple hunting trap.&nbsp; She quickly set up the trap near the inside of the door with a small rope lead connecting it and the door knob.&nbsp; "How about this?&nbsp; Someone comes over to open the door, dragging this into the threshold, that pressure switch gets tickled and snap.&nbsp; Between the sound of the mechanism and the expected howl of pain from whoever is lurking we should have some idea if our flank has been compromised.&nbsp; At the very least it should make sure our sleeping allies awake."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>29-05-2020, 13:55:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Parlour <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Exploring<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Aloisa, Open <br><br>To Aloisa's question, Danae could only summon a brief answer, "We were in a study - I think Dr Rehner attempted some...procedure on us.&nbsp; My memory," her eyes blinked for a moment and she found herself at a loss to describe what exactly had transpired, "struggles with its contents in this place.&nbsp; She spoke to us, but offered no answers.&nbsp; My sense is they wish to keep us here.&nbsp; That we serve some purpose to them that we are as yet forbidden to see.&nbsp; I would happily go the rest of my life without another encounter such as that one.&nbsp; They speak in riddles, always - perhaps that is deliberate, to gauge our response, and drive us to the edge of madness."<br><br>She paced around the parlour, "I wish to see what is upstairs."&nbsp; The bowels of the place called to her.&nbsp; After a day of half-answers, and flat denials, her desire to know had to be sated.&nbsp; "What say you - to the left or to the right?"<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>31-05-2020, 02:14:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong>&nbsp; Asylum - Parlour <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Attempting to be Snow White<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Open<br><br><hr><br>"I should say the stairs to the left," Medb responded to the pale-haired woman, "while the floorboards may creak and compromise our position, at the very least we can do our best to try and avoid such a thing and it won't make us a sitting target that is guaranteed to make a racket that the large dumwaiter would."<br><br>"And while you may set up traps to cover our rear Ms Faelyn, I've got an idea that may allow us to scout ahead, though I need a little something first, should one or two be available to us. Now... let us see."<br><br>The scholar scoured the room, it is said that where humans resided that one was never 10 feet away from a rat. Any signs of movement of a scurrying rodent would potentially give them a slight advantage to scout ahead, should parley be achieved and she didn't spook any upon detection. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Perception - Looking for rodents</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-05-30 19:03:58, Medb (uid: 2076) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 20 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=147503)<br>If Medb sees any rats or mice in the room, she'll approach them cautiously so as to avoid having them run away from her. Using the Speech of the Woods, the black-haired woman whispers in Sylvan to them to allow the small mammal insight into her words - "Don't be afraid friend," she speaks softly, "I wish you no harm, but want to trade to allow you a full belly. You must have heard the noises in this place as we have, I would ask of you in return for food would you be able to scurry through the stairway ahead of us to see if any others tread these halls and tell me of them?"</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>06-06-2020, 00:33:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When the guest room door shut and Faelyn's trap set, Zoe, Margaret, and Michelle were still asleep in their beds.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Medb's Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">Each morning and evening the parlor was swept, and the wide open space proved no home for a mouse. The guest room, where the party slept, was recently cleaned and rearranged, too, and not a mouse to be found. Between these, however, lay an enormous kitchen fit to feed the entire manor, and just below it in the cellar, a well-stocked pantry. There would certainly be mice in these places. The kitchen door, as with all the doors leading out onto the yard, was locked down for the night by an orderly's key. The lock would need to be bypassed before gaining access to the kitchen.<br><br></div></div><br>Behind the northwest door, a stairway climbed round corner to corner until it arrived at an upstairs door with no lock. Once the animal mind had located the exit, however, the rational mind was free to dwell on how queer the stairwell chamber.<br><br>In stark contrast to the clean-swept parlor, the stairwell was caked with dust. It oughtn't be, for the amount of foot traffic passing through the asylum, but dust hung in the air, tickling the nose, parching the throat. The first footprints to trespass and mark the dust soon faded away, so no trace of passage could persist for long.<br><br>Over the years, the wood grain of the stairwell had soaked in smoke, or ink, or a thin wash of black paint, and now resembled something out of a disturbed dream, robbed of all life or color. The basalt black paint on the walls peeled, and cracked, and behind this even darker shades, and darker still. Along the climb, hung on the walls just out of reach were <em>licentia ad practicandum </em>to a doctor whose name was rendered illegible, overwritten in heavy, dolorous ink instead the moniker <strong>Noire</strong>. An apothecary license, from the college guilds of Port-a-Lucine. <em>Licentia docendi </em>in philosophy from the decadent port of Martira Bay. With this choice of decor, Doctor Noire showcased her education, but the woman she had been then was forgotten. Everything, now, was in the pseudonym of Noire.<br><br>The last sight to greet a body ascending, hanging over the upstairs door, was a mask like those the patients wore. There were bootsteps, upstairs, and the flash of lightning from a nearby window.<br><br>Second Floor:<br>(https://i.imgur.com/RfnIPNL.png)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>10-06-2020, 06:45:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Stairway<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Tattered blue robe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Examining academic credentials.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corinne found herself lingering in the stairwell as they ascended, her academic curiosity piqued. She leaned to one side, to let her companions pass, as she scrutinized doctor Noire's various degrees. How very strange. For a woman who seemed keen to erase old self, she had left very strong ties. True, to travel to each institute of learning and consult their records would take a truly dogged investigator, yet it still seemed sloppy for someone running from their past. Corinne racked her brain, wondering if any connections could be gleaned from the various locales and degrees taken.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">History Check regarding Noire's degrees</div><div class="spoiler_body">1d20 + 4 = 21 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=147598)<br></div></div><br>Regardless, this was merely a curiosity. There were more pressing matters to attend to. She turned to ascend the stairs once more, her gaze falling on the mask overhanging the door. She shuddered. Would that be the price of failure? To be enthralled by Rehner, and made to live her days among the other faceless automatons?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>11-06-2020, 01:37:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Stairwell <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Exploring<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, open <br><br>She rounded the stairwell, mounted a couple of steps, and pressed her hands to the walls.&nbsp; Dr Noire was a woman of education, no doubt.&nbsp; Licenses could be bought, but there was a method to the madness in this place.&nbsp; "You can speak with rats?"&nbsp; She asked incredulously.&nbsp; That was not withcraft, that was either a parlour trick or sublime animal training.&nbsp; "What of horses?"&nbsp; She smiled to herself, "Though it may sound frivolous, I miss riding.&nbsp; This place is enclosed and on my estate I had a fine white stallion.&nbsp; A gelding is good if one wants a tranquil horse, but I prefer the stallion's temperament.&nbsp; It is more fitting of a cavalrywoman.&nbsp; I do not know whether he understands my speech, but he is quick to follow commands."<br><br>On tiptoe Danae eased up the stairwell, and saw the darkness pierced by a shear of lightning.&nbsp; She waited for the rumble of thunder to whisper to Medb, "What do you suppose the masks mean?&nbsp; Do they have any significance on this island?"<br><br>She was drawn to the door before her, as though it might pull her in with irresistible, invisible hands.&nbsp; One thought, however, occupied her mind.&nbsp; Why did Noire scribble out her true name?&nbsp; Did it hold power over her, as it did over daemons?&nbsp; Were the masks part of that process of erasure that Noire had seen fit to inflict upon herself? <br><br>"Madame Lorimer," Danae paused, her hands wrapped around the brass door handle, "Can you make our Dr Noire's true name?"&nbsp; The dull throbbing in her head she remembered from the night she was certain she had seen Polly dance nude and painted in fresh blood around a blazing bonfire resumed.&nbsp; She needed some laudanum.&nbsp; It was the only thing that would make the images go away.&nbsp; In truth, she had lost track of which she had seen and which she had dreamt.&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>14-06-2020, 00:34:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Through the degrees lining the stairwell, a tenuous thread united the eclectic elements of Doctor Noire's education.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Corinne's History</div><div class="spoiler_body">On the frontier of mental health there were as many disparate schools of thought as there were sects of Ezra. Out of the dark ages of ill humors and mystical warding arose an awareness of the mind as a complex mechanism, and maturing methods of engaging the puzzle of mental illness through reason rather than superstition.<br><br>There had been the Deconstructionists, who theorized the mind as a maze of interconnected chambers self-referencing, whose ills could be measured and solved like a mathematical equation. There were the Selfists, and Animists, who filtered sentience through the lenses of individual perception and emotion, and sought to reduce intelligent behavior to its basest, most unflattering components.<br><br>These disciplines had not borne out in the field of severe mental illness by the time of Doctor Noire's education. Rather, there were fringe visionaries who coupled such methods with more direct approaches. Doctor Heinfroth's explanation of the brain's chemical ether suggested such a theory of the mind, freed from the ineffective high concepts of a wrongly constructed mind, conceived instead as something which could, and ought, be chemically altered.<br><br>There had been attempts to restart the minds of lunatics, the way an electric current might restart the heart. In the beginning it functioned the same way, with a current through the living brain, to revive the catatonic and incurably melancholy. From there, doctors in Lamordia had experimented with bringing the psychotic mind <em>to </em>catatonia first, through deprivation, punishment, and sometimes surgical means. In a few rare cases the mind indeed seemed to empty, broken open, only to be refilled and rehabilitated by patient teachers. Far more were the failures which left a psyche wounded and in need of care for the rest of the patient's days.</div></div><br><br>At the pinnacle, the blank-faced mask stared impassively over bleak, colorless, characterless stairwell, perpetually dusty with disuse, stained by fundamental darkness unknown.<br><br>The door at Danae's fingertips proved unlocked, and met with no resistance.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>15-06-2020, 06:10:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Parlor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing.<br><strong>Content: </strong> Sleeping like a guard, suspicion. Knives in the dark.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party<br><hr><br>Aloisa kept watch and followed along checking down the hallways and pausing after to look at the pictures, unable to help but look at the eyes... She remembered one of the houses on the outskirts of town had a.... Thing... living in the walls of the place, watching through the eyes of portraits... They had just ended up burning that place down. If the thing in the walls had been the only issue, it would have been fine... But it wasn't.<br><br>So now she followed the group examining the pictures behind them, occasionally giving a light knock around the wall, or even carefully on the painting itself, careful not to damage it. Checking for those little hidden panels, doors, and passage ways these old rich homes had, and take the time to lean in near the painted over names and see if she could make out what was underneath.. "So... masks and everything else aside... Anybody else feel that this place is Hinky enough its unlikely to help anybody with an unsettled mind recover..?<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Hidden Panel check=9</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-06-14 23:08:38, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a6 Result: 9 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=147629)</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Name Plate Check=15</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-06-14 23:09:29, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a6 Result: 15 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=147630)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>16-06-2020, 06:13:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Stairway<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Tattered blue robe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Examining academic credentials.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>"I cannot make out her name," Corinne replied to Danae's query. "But her qualifications tell me everything I care to know about her."<br><br>She straightened, looking towards Danae. Distain dripped from her every word. "Noire believes that to heal what is broken, one must be broken fully; the mind wiped clean until one is a <em>tabula rasa</em> once more, through punishment, torture, even surgery. Only when her patients have been reduced to imbeciles will she truly attempt to heal them." She paused, quivering with anger. "<em>If</em> they can be healed. For every success this method yields, countless more are left more damaged than before they were 'treated'."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>21-06-2020, 08:53:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Aloisa's Investigation</div><div class="spoiler_body">Of the name Doctor Noire answered to before coming to the island, nothing remained. If further records lurked somewhere in the asylum, perhaps they would shed some light on the subject.<br><br>Although the asylum doors were striking, tall and narrow with those wide-set locks for a thick key, there seemed to be nothing suspect about the door Danae stood before. If there were secret panels or hidey holes within the stairwell, they may be nigh impossible for the naked eye to perceive, between the plentiful dust powdering every surface and camouflage of dark tatters papering the walls.<br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>21-06-2020, 10:03:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - through the doorway <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Stepping inside<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Corinne, open <br><br>Danae pondered Corinne's analysis, "How does one assess what is broken?"&nbsp; She thought of her own sessions with an alienist.&nbsp; Having to recount her thoughts, her memories, her dreams, her desires. It had felt, at best, invasive.&nbsp; At worst it was counterproductive.&nbsp; It made her question the purpose of all the pointless nattering.&nbsp; She was not made.&nbsp; Witchcraft was very real and like a canker it would fester and spread if ignored.&nbsp; "How does she choose her subjects?&nbsp; What have the inmates of this place done to merit her attention? And what could she possibly seek with the passengers of the [i}Charlotte[/i]?"&nbsp; Questions needed answers, and she knew only of one way to obtain them. <br><br>She clasped the brass doorhandle, and turned it, easing the door open.&nbsp; One tentative push, and she stepped inside. <br><br>"I am going in."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>22-06-2020, 08:27:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Doorway<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Stack up<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party<br><hr><br>Aloisa frowned hearing that explanation on the Doctors methods and sheathes her daggers, confident in her ability to draw them quickly if need be. She nods to Danae as she declares her intent to go in and makes ready to follow along behind her, peeking into the room before moving inside and off away, putting a bit of distance between just to be safe..
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>23-06-2020, 15:30:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Second floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Reassuring the team<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party<br><hr><br>Caught behind the rest of the crew as they made tier way slowly up the stairs, Faelyn had little option but to take in the decorations around the area growing more uncomfortable as they went, particularly with the conversation going about around her, however this was taking far too long for her liking.<br><br>"Meddling with matters of the mind is a messy affair.&nbsp; It can bend and twist on it's own and snap back, but it needs time and help to be truly broken.&nbsp; That's why we should make haste before we too are deemed in need of fixing."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>24-06-2020, 06:46:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Through the upstairs door, a meandering hall ran the full length of the asylum from east to west, and nearly north to south. At each terminus, a window looked out into the yard cloaked in fog, still but for flashes of lightning in the night sky.<br><br>Six doors- two in the east wing, two in the west, and two in the north- were locked by a key.<br><br>But two doors were clearly unlocked. A weak reading light shone feebly through an ajar door to the south.<br><br>Beside it was a bathing chamber, dark, the air still humid from recent use. An iron pump, worn down with use, dripped nothing wholesome at all into the empty grave of a tub stained dark- though if it be blood, it could only proof a crime too horrid to contemplate. There was a waist-high shelf, and a rinse basin of polluted water, and a drip, drip, drip of clear droplets heading south, through the ajar door, from whence the reading light flickered.<br><br>It was an elegant sitting room, to the very south. Carpets of cream and rose, paneled walls in feminine floral, gold-trimmed drapes and fine furnishings upholstered in calming robin's egg. It was an exclusive club for the privileged ladies of the house, a retreat spared the ravages of lunatics, and the candlelight there at one of the lovely tables revealed one of them here alone.<br><br>She wore a mask, like the lunatics and orderlies, though the attire was that of Doctor Noire. The table where she worked was set in anticipation of six guests, and she at the window, hands working, shuffling a stiff deck of tarokka cards. Her fingers hovered, in attempt to glean some meaning through the backs of the cards.<br><br>One, two, three, four, five cards she dealt into a cross, the center card face up and pale in the flickering light. What this superstitious fortune-telling revealed so distressed her that she deflated into her seat, struck by hopelessness.<br><br>Second floor:<br>(https://i.imgur.com/7t8Xt8D.png)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>24-06-2020, 15:27:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asking the fortune teller <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open <br><br>She went up into the room, incredulous that a retreat so tasteful could be found on this island forsaken by all that was good and civilised, in a bedlam in which madness seemed to prevail.&nbsp; Behind her, she left the door open - it would be foolish for the party to separate at this point.&nbsp; Still her compulsion and curiosity had the best of her.&nbsp; Anything that would assuage the surging doubts in her mind would be welcome.&nbsp; "Follow me," she invited Faelyn and Aloisa, "this place seems like an idyll compare to what we have seen."&nbsp; <br><br>Then she went straight up to the masked cartomancer and sat at the table. <br><br>"I know nothing of tarokka," she told the masked woman, "perhaps I do not believe fortunes can be read and, if they can, those reading must have consorted with unspeakable entities.&nbsp; And yet, I am starved for answers,"&nbsp; she placed the palms of her hands on her knees, and leaned forward on the table to fix the impassive mask drawn over the fortune-teller's face.&nbsp; "Speak, and I shall listen.&nbsp; I ask only that you not reply in riddles.&nbsp; The last few days have been like a nightmare for us."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>26-06-2020, 00:55:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong>&nbsp; Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> General hypocrisy<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Open<br><br><hr><br>Before entry to the room the black-haired woman took the time to answer questions asked - "I could speak to rodents if I could find any. They hold little in the way of conversation, but can be talented scouts if they can be bribed with a meal. And it's... how can I describe it," her voice trailed off into a whisper as thunder rumbled, "more a <em>dialect</em>, an old tongue that I learned that animals can understand better than what you and I use at the moment. A stallion... yes, I could likely provide them with commands in the same manner, but it would be up to them to decide whether to follow much like commands given through regular training. Mayhap when we find ourselves in a better location you can take me riding so I may take in your skill at it. As for the masks, while my stay on this isle has been longer than yours, it has yet to be long enough to discern their meaning if there is one."<br><br><hr><br>Medb followed shortly after the white-haired soldier, somewhat inspired by the bravery shown in these circumstances - with both patients and orderlies wearing masks she couldn't help but let the fear sink into the back of her mind that the woman before them could potentially be an inmate in the garb of one of those who normally held them in check. With the mask, she couldn't tell whence the woman's gaze was focused, upon her, one of those she accompanied or on the deck at this moment. Too late did she feel herself subconsciously take in a sharp breath as Danae touched the mask, a pregnant pause hanging in the air as she awaited the figure's reaction. <br><br>Cards and crystal balls, tools of the Vistani to divine the future and to gauge their fortunes as far as she recalled, they were crude, man-made things compared to the true divination of the druidic people who looked to the land and the sky to tell of what was to come - her grandmother had been such a soothsayer, but Medb hadn't the talent for it. She had still picked up the distaste and scepticism for the Vistani methods though, recalling how the elder had mocked them, stating that nothing which was not living or recently alive could properly tell you what the weather will be month hence. Her time in institutes of higher learning had further driven a wedge between her and any belief that lifeless pieces of card with painted faces could hold insight into the passage of time when even the Science could not.<br><br>In her musing, she became aware that the lady had yet to speak, no sound ushered through her mask apart from wistful breaths of hopelessness. <br>"Yes," she carries on after Danae, "please enlighten us on what you can divine."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>30-06-2020, 10:49:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> suspicion and near wild guessing...<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party, masked fortune teller<br><hr><br>Aloisa moved in after the others, looking into corners and shadows to peek around and make sure nobody was hiding with a knife waiting to jump out and catch them by surprise.<br><br>Satisfied she moved to follow to the table with its dealer, frowning as she looked the taroka over, one vistani girl had tried to explain the cards and meanings to her... Though they has both been preoccupied really. Even still she tried to drudge up some memories of what she had been told...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>30-06-2020, 14:43:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Second floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Trying to keep it together<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, The party<br><hr><br>Moving forward, her hands twitching at the unsteady footfalls of her compatriots as each new corner seemed to hide a new unknown horror to this place.&nbsp; A chill ran down her spine causing her to shiver despite her warm furs as she caught a glimpse through a door to find a tub horribly stained waiting for use.&nbsp; Turning away from that lest she begin to think what acts could cause such a scene, she found those ahead of her filing into a genuinely beautiful room, quite out of place for the dull, grim asylum.<br><br>The sight of another masked woman, even if differently dressed than those they had seen before however kept the elven maiden from calming down.&nbsp; Moving in behind Danae, she lightly placed a hand on her shoulder and commented, "Demanding no riddles when speaking to someone in a mask seems an odd request.&nbsp; Take a deep breath with me and keep your wits about you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>01-07-2020, 06:54:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The voice behind the mask was old, thickly accented with Vistani inflection, and did not match the young hands working the cards.<br>"There are no guarantees when it comes to the Threads of Fate, child."<br>In a forceful flourish the shadow of her fingers spidered over the tarokka cross, and her fists clenched white-knuckled, calling down powers unseen from the raging storm with a magician's panache.<br>"Events beyond our control entangle us. The cards allow us to peer beyond our immediate, to perceive the lay of these threads stretching away from us in Rema's web. The cards show us what may be done, but only a fool would look for the will of God in them."<br>She inspected her hand, for a moment, through the slits of the mask. Exposed a stretch of wrist from lace cuff, and ran nails across the skin in fading white lines.<br>"We have been drawn here. Let us see where the journey ends."<br><br>In the center, one card lay exposed.<br>(https://i.imgur.com/l3XdnDW.png)<br>She did not explain the meaning of the card, but moved a fingernail brandished like a dagger, sensing rather than feeling, to the western card.<br><br>"Though no madam but the Red Woman may claim dominion here, those who follow her are not satisfied merely to serve. This card tells of the designs of one, which may be the undoing of all."<br>Sharply the card turned.<br>(https://i.imgur.com/0aVI9KO.png)<br>"The first servant of darkness holds domain over that which you seek. Her hands will never wash clean. "<br><br>Now the north card spoke to her, and fingers moved unerringly, pulled by strings unseen.<br>"This card tells of an object of power, the bane of the Red Woman."<br>Fingernails scissored, and spun the card neatly round to a foreboding image.<br>(https://i.imgur.com/oabEh6Z.png)<br>"Behind facade of knowledge lie the fruits of hunting deadly prey."<br><br>To the east, her fingers were drawn around the diamond, circling the Traitor in the center without ever acknowledging its purpose.<br>"Your foe is called by the darkness. The Red Woman follows the threads of darkness willingly, and heeding the pull of this card, you may find her."<br>A third card tipped.<br>(https://i.imgur.com/nKv1Khn.png)<br>"An iron heart bars the way where the conflict will end."<br><br>The southern and final card, she savored, taking her time turning it to face.<br>"At last, this card tells whom fortune would favor."<br>(https://i.imgur.com/Xhdrqc1.png)<br>"Ah," she said with a devilish cackle. "It is done."<br><br>Back from the cards she fell, heavy nearly to tipping her seat. For a moment she labored to breathe, as though the act of interpreting cards had taken a great deal out of her. And then, out of a restless sleep, hands fumbled for the mask, and pulled it from the sweat-drenched face of Doctor Noire.<br><br>Her voice was not the same as it had been under the mask's persona. Doctor Noire's commanding deadpan returned.<br>"You wished to know, Mlle. Vine-Lott, the fate of the passengers. Now you know the evil which holds them captive. You will want to act on it, I expect, with your guns and knives and murderous intentions. Do it now. By morning, it will be too late for them."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>01-07-2020, 08:08:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asking the fortune teller <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party<br><br>"Again, just riddles - this is a most vexing place!" Danae leaned over the table, and fixed Noire, "you wear different faces, do you not?&nbsp; The one that was given to you at birth no longer fit, so you took on others?"&nbsp; Danae felt a surge of unease.&nbsp; A queasy sense that her very existence was slipping outside of her control.&nbsp; A woman who could nonchalantly erase her name and her identity had told her secrets cloaked in prophecy, under which lurked truth or lies, perhaps both.<br><br>To Aloisa she said, "Do you reckon, Madame, that the Red Woman is Heinfroth?&nbsp; If so, we should question her...forcefully this time."&nbsp; She felt foolish articulating that thought, as though the tarokka reading was anything other than deliberate misdirection or superstition. <br><br>Then again she addressed Noire, and leaned over across the table and gripped the doctor's wrist, "You were waiting here, waiting to tell us all of this.&nbsp; Why was a plain answer not sufficient?&nbsp; Unless you, good Doctor, thrive in illusion.&nbsp; Let us suppose that your session had meaning - why would you stymie your colleague?"&nbsp; She paused.&nbsp; If Noire could wear the mask of a Vistani seeress, then she could certainly wear the mask of a traitor to her benefactor - or to a secret rival.&nbsp; Of course, a faceless woman was damnably hard to read.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Perception Check to discern Doctor Noire's true motivations</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-07-01 01:03:30, Danae Vine-Lott (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 19 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=147725)</div></div><br>Doctor Noire's mention of arms unnerved her.&nbsp; Was violence what she sought?&nbsp; Was a soldier's mind a sample they wished to probe - a subject to examine, or perhaps an identity to dissect?&nbsp; Her mind began to spin.&nbsp; "No bloodshed is necessary, Doctor.&nbsp; But you shan't interfere with our search.&nbsp; We are duty bound to our fellow passengers."<br><br>To the party she proposed, "Doctor Noire baits us with riddles and I have not yet finished asking questions."&nbsp; She rose from the table, "I would propose we inspect the cellar downstairs.&nbsp; If there is something still hidden from us, perhaps that is the place to begin.&nbsp; As for you, good Doctor, it would be most helpful on our search if we had keys or some sense of how this place is built.&nbsp; Should you be so kind as to provide some practical assistance, we shall all go in peace, and not trouble your evening further."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Intimidate Check to force concessions from Doctor Noire</div><div class="spoiler_body">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2020-07-01 01:05:28, Danae Vine-Lott (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 18 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=147726)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>03-07-2020, 08:30:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> suspicion and near wild guessing...<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party, Doctor Noire<br><hr><br>Aloisa watched the cards carefully as they were flipped and placed. Everybody else might be dismissive, but this was sort of her area of expertise. So she watched the cards and listened trying to puzzle out just who might match the draws.<br><br>(<div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">insight roll: 10</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-07-03 00:14:37, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 10 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=147784)</div></div>)<br><br>She blinked and looked up when Danea addressed her, "I... Think we should be careful. Ive heard... Rumors... That lands are cursed, the people that rule over them are favored by Dark.. Powers or something. Not gods, but... Something. Its always vague whem people talk about it. Like they are afraid of drawing attention of Something. So I think we should be careful. There are two many weirdling things about here. As for Heinroth... It seems possible. She seems to like the color..."<br><br>She frowned and thought for a moment before looking to Noire, "Where are you keeping the other passengers?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>04-07-2020, 11:41:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum Upper Floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Blue Robe<br><strong>Content: </strong> Fathoming Riddles<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><hr><br>Corinne stared at the cards, a finger pressed pensively to her lips. This was not magic as she was accustomed to it - the lack of clarity and rigour was a constant frustration to her. And yet she had a great respect for the Tarokka. It was an ancient art that thrummed with a deep power.<br><br>"I would certainly guess that Heinfroth is our Nemesis," she mused. "Much of this is unclear to me, but..." she tapped her finger down on the Donjon card. "...a 'facade of knowledge' could very well be a Library. A door disguised as a bookshelf might very well fit the bill."<br><br>Next, her finger went to the Innocent card. "Any of the girls in our entourage could very well be considered 'Innocent'. Perhaps Zoe or Michelle?"<br><br>Then to the Berzerker. "This one... I do not know. Someone bloody-handed, who wishes to usurp Heinfroth? No one springs immediately to mind."<br><br>Her finger hovered over the Mists. She seemed about to speak, but fell silent. Of course the Mists would haunt her, even in prophecy.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>05-07-2020, 00:42:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"There is no illusion," Doctor Noire insist. "I operate in science. It is all quite real, I assure you."<br>She was prepared for anger, for accusations. There was no struggle when Danae took her by the wrist, and held her captive at the table. Instead, she focused on listening.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's Insight</div><div class="spoiler_body">Doctor Noire had no memory of what she prophesied under the mask. Her summary of it was flawed, a bold bluff, to coax Danae in line with her true motive- a violent liberation of the <em>Charlotte's </em>survivors, under a strict timetable.<br><br>But having considered Corinne's analysis shrewdly, Doctor Noire's understanding of the reading no doubt rapidly filled.<br><br>There came no argument that Heinfroth was not the enemy. Doubtless, Doctor Noire had something to gain from the director's fall. </div></div><br><br>"It needed to be you, imbuing the cards. I needed you to accept my invitation, and accompany me to a more intimate setting. Can you imagine the calamity, had I read the tarokka for you in front of all the patients and staff. How she would come down on us all, for such a thing."<br><br>With her less dexterous hand, Doctor Noire fingered into lace-draped decolletage and produced a thick-toothed brass key which seemed every bit the doppelganger of those used to open the doors and gates within the asylum: a master key.<br>"There is a cellar, where the cells are kept. The ground floor, you must have seen much of already. The upstairs are quarters for staff, and well acclimated patients. At the very back is Heinfroth's bedroom. In the attic, you will find the treatment rooms."<br><br>Doctor Noire relinquished the key.<br><br>"The one who attacked us in the parlor was one of yours. I ordered for her to be taken to the treatment rooms, and you shall find her there, or else in the cells below," she said, pointing to the center door in the Withdrawing Room. That door was locked, and yet, now the key was at hand.<br><br>"There is no way to know where the remains of your crew have gone, or whose faces they now wear. From this moment on, do not trust any who have left your sight. Do not let your minds empty. Do not sleep, do not rest your heads, and if you encounter any trailing the red ribbon, you <em>must flee." </em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>05-07-2020, 04:14:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asking the fortune teller <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party<br><br>Danae took the key and clasped in her palm.&nbsp; Heavy, warm and slightly damp from contact with Dr Noire's fevered flesh.&nbsp; It almost felt organic.&nbsp; <br><br>"Treatment rooms, you say, Doctor?"&nbsp; Danae was already rising to leave, her tolerance for guesswork exhausted.&nbsp; She knew the question she wished to ask but was certain she would not like the answer.&nbsp; "Are any of your patients ever cured?"&nbsp; <br><br>The warning against sleep had a chilling effect on her.&nbsp; Sleep was the one dimension in which she could be rendered utterly helpless, and at the mercy of her memories.&nbsp; There she could be held hostage by creeping guilt. <br><br>To Corinne she said, "Perhaps she wishes for us to be the bloody-handed ones."&nbsp; The image of the red thread troubled her.&nbsp; In such a drab place, the colour would have seemed striking and out of place.&nbsp; At boarding school, a place almost as miserable as the one which they found themselves, she had been a prefect and wore a blue blazon, which certainly filled the juniors with fear.&nbsp; Of course, back then she was the one wielding the cane.&nbsp; <br><br>Turning again to Doctor Noire, she looped the keychain around her wrist, "Doctor, I cannot say this is a sufficient token for your abstruse riddles, but you have my thanks, though I am certain that you are animated neither by piety nor altruism.&nbsp; If we work to the same end, albeit for different reasons, then we must count you an ally."&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br><br>To Aloisa and Faelyn she said, "What do you think of going first to the 'treatment' rooms?&nbsp; I sense urgency.&nbsp; We may not have much time, but I fear there will be nothing left for us to rescue if we do not find her swiftly."&nbsp; She wanted a seasoned warrior's appraisal of her suggestion.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>06-07-2020, 19:54:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Second floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Day Dreaming<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, The party<br><hr><br>As the reading began, Faelyn waited with baited breath to learn what was to come.&nbsp; It was dreams of what may come that had driven her so far from home and had ultimately led her to this moment.&nbsp; Her eyes traced slowly from one card to the next, and widened as though in disbelief as the Mists card was flipped.&nbsp; This confirmed to her what she had already told herself.&nbsp; If she could stop the world of her dreams, this was where she must be.&nbsp; They could not fail now.<br><br>Lost in thought for a long moment, when Danae rose from her chair, thrusting her own hand up with it she quickly looked around trying to regain her composure read the room for what she had missed just in time to hear a comment about being bloody-handed, and her thoughts went back to earlier that day and the arrow missing from her quiver.&nbsp; "The treatment rooms sound well enough to me.&nbsp; &nbsp;I do not know what all happens here, but I have seen more than enough to lie low and allow this to go on.&nbsp; Foul deeds are afoot."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>09-07-2020, 07:08:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Second Floor Withdrawing Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Robe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Fretting<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corinne's fingers worried at the hem of her robe, a wire of anxiety tightening along her spine. "I understand that the treatment room is perhaps more pressing. But what of Zoe, Michelle, and Margaret? Even with our precautions, I worry for them, and I do not wish to leave them exposed for long."<br><br>Was it too late already? She had already let the women out of her sight. What dangers awaited? What possible vehicle of treachery.<br><br>She shared a look with Faelyn, who appeared just as stunned at the Mists as she was. More than ever, she felt that she and the elf were bound by some common purpose they could not yet fathom.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>09-07-2020, 11:43:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong>&nbsp; Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> <br><strong>Tagging: </strong>&nbsp; Open<br><br><hr><br>While Medb had no particular connections to the crew of the Charlotte and no investments in their overall survival or sanity at the end of this, she couldn't help but realise that she had now been caught in the trap that was the Asylum now, the mistress of this lair likely sought to do unto her and those assembled here as Noire stated had been done to the Charlotte's crew. For her own self preservation it would be best to follow this group's lead for now. However she couldn't shake the curiosity she felt in respect of the treatment room, what method they had practiced to alter the mental states of others... While her specialisation was study of the physical were this a less threatening situation she would have been interested to learn more of their practice. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>09-07-2020, 17:24:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> suspicion and near wild guessing...<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party, Doctor Noire<br><hr><br>Aloisa frowned as she heard the one who attacked earlier was sent to the treatment room, "That was Eloise wasnt it? The one who attacked you? And why are you helping us? And what do you mean about this "red ribbon" is it something that marks those favored by this scarlet lady..?"<br><br>She sighed, figuring few of her questions would get real answers, but pauses when Danae asks her opinion.. considering a moment and nodding, then frowns considering as Corinne spoke up, "Blast and damn this place.. I'll now feel safer seeing some stray swamp hag for issues of health then i will a doctor ever again... Question is are they safer in the room set up as it is, or moving about with us and whatever we may run into..? I dont think there is any good answer at the moment as things stand, save haste, and even that carries risks."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>10-07-2020, 03:03:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Moving upstairs<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party<br><br>Taking her leave, Danae had a foreboding sense that this would not be the last she saw of Doctor Noire.&nbsp; "Upstairs, it is, then.&nbsp; If our time is limited, we should not delay."<br><br>To Faelyn, she said, "You are right, Madame, there is nothing but madness cloaked in enigmas here.&nbsp; I am grateful for your assistance in liberating our fellow-passengers.&nbsp; Once we have found them, we shall leave this place, never to return."<br><br>She went up to the stairwell, pondered for a moment, and asked Corinne, "Do you think it plausible that the storm that sank the <em>Charlotte</em> was the product of sorcery?&nbsp; Or was it merely a summer squall, which caught her captain unaware?" <br><br>There would be time for conjecture later.&nbsp; For now, an unseen force fuelled by fear and curiosity drew her to the unknown upstairs.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>10-07-2020, 03:22:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Withdrawing Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Robe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Paranoid philosophizing<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Danae, Open<br><hr><br>Corinne knew that the Treatment room was the rational choice, the wise choice... even as she longed to run downstairs and rouse Zoe. But she would persevere.<br><br>"I cannot say for certain," she said, in response to Danae's query, "but there does seem to be some connection. The late Mlle. Grosbelhomme swore she heard some manner of strange clanging from the hold of the ship - was held transfixed by it. I did not hear it then... and yet now I cannot recall the scene without hearing it. And I heard the same clanging as we were roused from sleep this night."<br><br>She shuddered, drawing her scant robe tight around her, in a futile effort to ward off a sudden chill. "Thought it sounds superstitious, I believe it to be the work of the Mists. There is an ill will within them, a wicked agency that shapes all that happens within this world. They have closed in around us, sealed us within this place, until we have played whatever game they have in store for us."<br><br>Her voice grew fainter as she spoke, as though afraid the mists that wrapped the asylum might overhear her. She hunched nervously in her robe, feeling suddenly very vulnerable and exposed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>10-07-2020, 05:23:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> suspicion and near wild guessing...<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party, Doctor Noire<br><hr><br>Aloisa gave a wry smirk as Corinne spoke of the ill malevolence of the mists, resisting the urge to remind her that she had already said they were an sour thing.. <br><br>"Right.. Everybody have some way to defend themselves?" She drew the boarding axe offering to others in case they need, then looks over the group and gives a sigh with a light smile, "what i wouldnt give for Jorgenson with his halberd and mail.. I'll take front. Ive got armor and my daggers so can tie up anything that comes, Danae, you then get a stab at it when you can. We should hold on your musket lest we wake the entire place. Faelyn, if you would keep back and cover us while keeping Mebd and Corinne safe? And if you Ladies can do what ever arcane things'" she wiggles her fingers in the air as if it was some sort of magical gesture, "It would be appreciated. And when this plan goes kebosh as soon as we meet trouble we can reorganize as we need."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>14-07-2020, 16:21:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Second floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Setting out<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Danae, Aloisa, The party<br><hr><br>"I very much look forward to not looking back at this place, however for now we must move in deeper into this devil's snare."&nbsp; She replied back to Danae with a forced smile.<br><br>"A good plan.&nbsp; Keep your eyes peeled, and so will we.&nbsp; Keep calm and stay together at all costs no matter what horrible sights we may see."&nbsp; She called as she reclaimed her place at the rear of the group.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>15-07-2020, 23:56:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Always," Doctor Noire answered Danae. "Not one of us would ever give up on a patient. This is not a labor mill, mademoiselle. What we do is real science of the psyche. I have cured every hopeless case brought before me of psychosis. Every one."<br>Emphasis, but no passion. Doctor Noire could be brought to feel nothing, even now.<br><br>"I do not know the names of your crew. The woman you disarmed was number fifty-one. She has proven difficult to handle. You will find her in the attic chambers, or else in the cells subterranean, if Doctor Heinfroth has undermined me."<br><br>"You will see a thin sliver of red, as though one has looped a red ribbon about her wrist or ankle or waist and carelessly dragged it through the corridors of the asylum. It is <em>not </em>a sign of favor. I know not where the ribbon ends, but there is a limit to its reach. You <em>must flee </em> from the ribbon."<br><br>In the heart of the withdrawing room, surrounded by luxury, half-disguised by floral paneling to resemble an ordinary stretch of wall, was another of those antique locks set into the wall. Once Doctor Noire had pointed it out, the seam of the door was plain to see, and her surrendered key fit flawlessly. With a turn and awkward pull, the way up to the attic was revealed in steep, narrow steps, railed with sturdy brass on either side.<br><br>These were old, disused steps, and creaked with each step. At the halfway mark, the attic stairs encountered the naked brick of the chimney column, and switched back climbing higher still, into the highest unfinished eaves of the house, where the rain pattered hard against the roof.<br><br>Humid air and an odor of mold greeted the foolhardy explorer at the very top of the steps. A single long room, half the width of the parlor below, was ringed with metal-shod prison doors eight in all, each with a sliding window for the orderlies to peer. In the light of a lantern they were labeled, <em>A</em> through <em>H</em>.<br><br>Sitting with the light of the lantern at a card table, on the far side of the chimney column, were a pair of women in drab clothes and masked in porcelain faces not quite accurate to humanity.<br><br>The pipes of the manor began to whine, and shake, and shudder the manor walls even so high up the attic. The cacophony of it, thankfully, went some way to conceal the creaking of footsteps.<br><br>Attic:<br>(https://i.imgur.com/yXcNUQJ.jpg)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>16-07-2020, 02:12:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asylum - Top Floor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The Party, Faelyn<br><br>She went up the stairs, the party with her, the whole building seemingly a living, breathing, struggling monster.&nbsp; If the darkness was broken by the distant light of lamps it was only to cast shadows of foreboding things they could only be grateful they were forbidden to see.&nbsp; It was a dreadful place, but Danae seemed drawn to it.&nbsp; A moth to a flame.&nbsp; It was the same instinct indifferent to her own self-preservation that had made her an excellent cavalrywoman - and that which had drawn her into the bowels of her own manor to see the Black Sabbaths her servants held in circles drawn in chalk and blood.&nbsp; She was <em>certain</em> of what she had seen; certain as she was now that she was truly in an asylum in a forlorn island after a shipwreck.&nbsp; <br><br>"This place is - unreal."&nbsp; Danae mused to no one in particular.&nbsp; "Perhaps," she traversed into the morbid, "we have died, and this condemned place is the last refuge of our immortal souls.&nbsp; Our just deserts."&nbsp; It was grim musing.&nbsp; She had, she reflected, lived a <em>questionable</em> life.&nbsp; There were the juniors she had tormented as a prefect at boarding school, the countless tavern girls and naive country lasses she had seduced to satisfy her own fleeting desires, the miserable unarmed goblins she had seen chained together and thrown alive into the lake <em>pour décourager les autres</em>, the serial infidelities... "I, for my part, must admit that I have not lived a virtuous life," she confessed.&nbsp; Merely saying it lifted a weight from her. <br><br>To Faelyn she said, "You are a tracker, no doubt - may I ask that you be on the lookout for this red ribbon of which the Doctor speaks?&nbsp; All she has for us is riddles, but I fear that her warning ought not to be ignored."<br><br>When they came into the landing where the treatment rooms lay, she went up to the masked orderlies, brandishing Doctor Noire's key.&nbsp; "We shall be opening each of these doors, Mesdames, and I ask only that you stand aside.&nbsp; We are here to collect our comrades, and have no quarrel with you."&nbsp; This <em>could</em> be redemption, of a sort.&nbsp; If Ezra looked kindly on her efforts. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Intimidation Check to persuade orderlies to stand down</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-07-15 18:50:10, Danae Vine-Lott (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 12 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=147923)</div></div><br><br>She went straight for the door marked <em>A</em>, and slid open the window to inspect the cell.&nbsp; "I am Danae Vine-Lott, Madame," she called into the cell, "I am the captain pro tempore of the <em>Charlotte</em> and if you wish to be released from this place, my comrades and I shall assist you."&nbsp; <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OOC Danae's action plan</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae will inspect each cell, and if she finds an inmate wishing to leave, she will open the door with Doctor Noire's key and release the inmate until physically challenged or restrained.</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>23-07-2020, 17:14:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> suspicion and near wild guessing...<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party, <br><hr><br>Aloisa huffed as a derisive snort escaped at the "in hell" and "just deserts"... "I will admit I took the occasional bribe, but nothing beyond what was expected or allowed, or allow in anything that shouldn't. I make no claims of being some sterling Paladin, but I have to doubt that I've been so bad to end up in some twisted asylum where the psychotics are in charge and spend their times breaking potentially sane people." <br><br>She drew one dagger and held it ready against her arm, other hand hovering between dagger and ax for whichever the situation held for. She kept her eyes on the masked orderlies, then frowned at Danae, "I think... We should be careful in who we let out. Remember the woman below, all it took was the sound of me Stropping to drive her wild. Who knows what other damages have been inflicted here, and how people might react. If we are going to free them i think it would be best done on our way out, and at good haste.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>24-07-2020, 03:29:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asylum - Top Floor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Aloisa<br><br>"I should see them out first - there is no true treatment here, I am certain of it," she said grimly.&nbsp; Perhaps Aloisa's warning should not go unheeded, but she had come too far to demur.&nbsp; She had no intention of leaving any survivor from the <em>Charlotte</em> in this place.&nbsp; "If they wish to leave, they should be at liberty to do so."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>24-07-2020, 05:31:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum top floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue robe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Advocating Freedom<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corrine looked to Aloisa. "The woman driven mad by your stropping was one of ours," she said. "Eloise is the one we are here to find, is she not?" She surveyed the cells. "And from what I know of Doctor Noire's methods, every patient must be given their fair chance to flee her cruel methods."<br><br>"Besides, Eloise is the clearest lead we have so far, until we can more fully fathom the Noire's cryptic premonitions," she continued. To Danae, she said, "I am with you. We must free these women."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>25-07-2020, 10:17:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You cannot be here," one of the orderlies insist, but there was not enough of her to physically stop Danae from unshuttering the cell marked <em>A. </em><br><br>Within that cell was a chair, sturdy wood with tough restraints, a harness for the head with metal cylinders for directing electric current. A strong chemical odor of chlorine could not fully disguise the sweat of terror in the shock therapy chamber, but mercifully the cell was unoccupied.<br>(https://i.imgur.com/xqL7Vcs.gif)<br><br>Beside it, the cell marked <em>B </em>contained a long, low cage, like the frame of a bed into which a body could lie locked and restrained in iron-runged discomfort. There was no one within.<br>(https://i.imgur.com/jDigykM.jpg)<br><br>Either orderly gave the intruders a wide berth. They put their backs to cell G as Danae and Corinne worked around the perimeter, and one began to yell, "Help! Help!"<br>But would her voice even be heard, through the rumbling thunder and whine of the manor's pipes?<br><br>In the cell marked <em>E, </em>Corinne was confronted with the controls for a device of vertiginous torture, where an unwilling body could be fastened to grim carousel and spun to senselessness, until the mind retreated into a state of fainting nausea. But there was no orderly to conduct the experiment, no body within the device.<br>(https://i.imgur.com/wdXAead.jpg)<br><br>No better was the cell marked <em>D, </em>in which a seat combined unyielding belts and stockade frame to force a patient into blinders, a box with absolute control over the human senses. In that moment, the chair was unoccupied.<br>(https://i.imgur.com/0kyiArP.jpg)<br><br>Between Danae's search and Corinne's, cell <em>C </em>was arranged with mirrors like a funhouse maze. A viewer could not help but catch sight of herself, peeking in through the shutter, from half a dozen different curated angles. And the reflection of another, a woman masked in porcelain with a bandaged hand, restrained to the seat within. It was strange- in all reflections but one she seemed quite calm, but in that one reflection she ever seemed to be thrashing, fighting for her freedom.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>25-07-2020, 13:29:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Curiosity<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Orderlies, Danae, Open<br><br><hr><br>As she peered into the cells one by one, Medb was honestly slightly appalled by the medical devices held within the rooms. The chair with the blinders almost reminded her of a device she had seen in a book that supposedly permitted divinition-focused practitioners of the art to clear their senses and channel their full focus into the realms of the divine and the realms beyond mortal ken... Absolute hogwash of course, but to see something like this sensory deprivation device here sent chills down her spine almost more than the electric shock machine. To have your senses connecting you with your surroundings taken away for long enough, robbing you of a sense of space and time along with the conventional sight, sound and smell... it didn't bare thinking about. <br>And... Those mirrors were incredibly disorientating. While the concept of the machinery in the other rooms were dreadful physically, the practical use of mirrors and simply that the effect it had <em>couldn't be turned off or stopped</em> and they would actually leave a poor soul trapped in a nightmare of infinity? It was disgusting, nauseating. More troubling yet, <em>why was only one reflection screaming</em>? Was it a reflection that had been created hours before, caught in the looping mirrors for all time, or was it a more accurate portrayal of the mind of the occupant of this cell.<br>"Is this the member of your crew the doctor was guiding us towards?" she asked to any within earshot, the only discerning feature compared to any other given inmate being the cloth on her hand<br><br>Still though, she was quite curious about the doors that the orderlies had backed off towards, F, G and H and what equipment or persons may be held within. Surely logic would dictate that on a fight or flight instinct, a creature will head towards a direction they feel most secure or have the best advantage in. <br><br>Eventually she speaks to the orderlies; "No no no, let's not call out unnecessarily here ladies. You might be mistaken for an inmate were you to scream so shrilly. Are you hiding something there?" she asks, indicating the room behind them, "would you mind carefully standing aside that we may inspect the contents of the room you're standing in front of? Or perhaps you would prefer to become occupants of the toys you were in charge of? Maybe both shut in the crib together, mayhap if only one can fit with the cage closed then the other gets her senses taken away in the chair?" Not that she had the intent of actually subjecting them to these methods, but it never hurt to make an attempt to strike the fear of the divine into someone when the opportunity arose.<br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Deception check to attempt to make the orderlies shuffle away from the side of the room they're currently on</div><div class="spoiler_body">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2020-07-25 06:17:31, Medb (uid: 2076) rolls: 1d20 Result: 4 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148023)<br>Ah. Hmm. No, I don't think I'm fooling anyone here.</div></div><br><br>Slowly she backed towards Danae, not taking her eyes off the orderlies after she had made her statement and whispered softly, "While it is not my intent to subject those who may merely be in the employ of the wretches who devised these methods and may believe they actually do some good, mayhap it would be best to use the key you have to open up one of the rooms and lock them in while we conduct a thorough search? Less bodies to run off and sound an alarm or to swarm us if we're otherwise found out?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>26-07-2020, 05:23:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asylum - Setting the captives free<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Corinne, the Party<br><br>Medb's suggestion appeared reasonable.&nbsp; The last thing she wanted was for the orderlies to bolt or, worse still, stymie their efforts.&nbsp; She was keenly aware that she was not so well armed as she would have liked to have been, but they had, if nothing else, the weight of numbers.&nbsp; "Quite right," she nodded to Medb, and handed her the key, "this place is perilous enough without these masked matrons roaming free.&nbsp; Might I ask you to see to it that they be put away?"<br><br>Then Danae addressed the orderlies, "Stand back, we mean you no harm, but we shan't tolerate any interference," she pointed to the cell marked 'A', "if you would, mesdames, make yourselves comfortable in there.&nbsp; Consider your work finished tonight."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Intimidate check to coerce the orderlies into complying</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-07-25 22:08:53, Danae Vine-Lott (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 14 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148028)</div></div><br><br>Turning her attention back to cell 'C', the mirrors had an instant impact on Danae, and she paused for moment to contemplate their terrifying infinity.&nbsp; Reflection upon reflection, all fading off into an unseen point in the horizon. <em>The Divine is a sphere with its circumference everywhere, and its centre nowhere</em>.&nbsp; She had heard that once - not at boarding school, where such philosophical digressions were thought superfluous.&nbsp; It had been an interesting thought - perhaps one of the writers and academics her wife occasionally invited for high tea to lend an air of learning to the windswept moorland that had become their home.&nbsp; With the mirrors in front of her, she was confronted with the fragmentation of reality: was what she saw before her, in the flesh, real, or was it the reflection? <br><br>"What do you suppose lies beyond those mirrors, Madame Lorimer?&nbsp; I am not a woman of science, and know nothing of how such illusions, if illusions they are, may be conjured up." <br><br>Danae asked, though she was unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.&nbsp; She continued, "Whatever has come to pass in this bedlam is likely not witchcraft, but some perversion of the promise of this new age of reason.&nbsp; I once heard that a civilization's progress is invariably <em>Promethean</em> - a highfalutin term if ever there was one, but I suppose somewhat apposite given what we have seen on this forlorn island."&nbsp; &nbsp; <br><br>She went straight to undo the inmate's restraints, and relieve her of her porcelain mask.&nbsp; "Now we must see what lies beneath."&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Dexterity check to undo the inmate's restraints</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-07-25 22:14:06, Danae Vine-Lott (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 14 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148029)</div></div><br><br>It was with trepidation that she touched the smooth, terrible object - seemingly a grotesque helm to be worn by a living doll. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">OOC removing the mask</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae will attempt to remove the mask provided that there is no or nominal resistance on the part of the subject.&nbsp; If the subject struggles violently, she will seek Corinne or Medb's views on how best to proceed</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>29-07-2020, 23:33:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Standing guard<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Danae, The party<br><hr><br>As the group made their way even higher, the young elf couldn't help but begin to feel claustrophobic as the air grew stale and sour.&nbsp; "I will keep my eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary, however that is already all I expect to see in this place."&nbsp; She replied to Danae during their ascent.<br><br>Looking onward from the rear, Faelyn could just catch the edges of the small torture chambers within and couldn't help but feel disgusted at the contraptions and those who would make use of such devices to strip people of their identities, believing themselves providing assistance to another's so called psychosis.<br><br>"Is all well?&nbsp; There is not much room to move about up there.&nbsp; Even if there were, if we do find your friend and she is well, I doubt my face is the first thing she would want to be greeted by.&nbsp; Perhaps it best for the moment for me to remain here in the landing to prevent anyone running down for help and as a first line of defense should someone begin making their way up here."&nbsp; She called up to the group before getting herself nice and comfortable on watch duty, her bow held limp in her hand and one finger toying with the fletching of an arrow as she waited for a noise to call her to action, be it from the fore or the rear.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Perception check =14</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-07-29 16:33:19, Velatha (uid: 61604) rolls: 1d20a5 Result: 14 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148124)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>02-08-2020, 04:12:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				What choice did the orderlies have, but to comply? Either woman filtered into the chlorine-scented cell marked <em>A, </em>to be locked away and forgotten. Only when the door was fastened did one speak her mind, bitterly, promising a righteous reckoning.<br>"You mustn't follow her, she is mad. She belongs in here, with them. She will lead you only to ruin. Don't believe her lies."<br><br>There was no resistance on the part of the patient restrained. Leather straps unbuckled to slough her grey-clad body into Danae's custody, loose and somnolent. One could see, from the skin of her hands and throat, that she was tanned by holiday sun and a soft woman of idle pursuits, not long at all in the ordeals of asylum life.<br><br>The two halves of a mask, encasing the head, required some specialized tool to loosen again. There was no recourse, for the ill-equipped, save to crack the porcelain open like an egg and carefully, so carefully hatch the head within. It could be viciously sharp, broken porcelain, but with care the pieces could be pulled clear of the skin, and the face beneath finally seen.<br><br>It was Eloise, one of the Saint Ezra Country Club girls from the <em>Charlotte. </em><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Eloise</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://i.imgur.com/eSr6eFY.png)</div></div><br>Gone were the flowers from her auburn hair, gone was the joy from her face. Eyes large, witless, she stared at her rescuer, and her tongue worked within the prison of her mouth until spit spilled down her chin. Something had happened to her mind, something had come unfastened within a glass case that no words of comfort, no amount of jostling could repair.<br><br>But she could stand, and she could follow, and when an object was presented to her palm, she could squeeze white-knuckled with an urgent need Eloise could no longer articulate.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Faelyn's Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">As the whine of the pipes intensified, the sound threatened to conceal any sound of pursuit up the stairs. Faelyn could be certain that the sound was no longer coming from somewhere downstairs, but was flowing into the attic, to one of the very nearby rooms- <em>F </em>or<em> G </em>or <em>H, </em>somewhere along the west wall. </div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>02-08-2020, 15:03:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asylum - Setting the captives free<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Eloise <br><br>She propped up Eloise until she was certain the woman could stand by herself.&nbsp; There was vacuity to her harrowed expression that was worrying.&nbsp; To the orderly, she said, "What do you mean, <em>mad</em>?&nbsp; Who is mad, how do you know?"&nbsp; A rush of cold fear crept up on her.&nbsp; The mad did not know that they were so afflicted.&nbsp; She had seen a alienist, who had insinuated that what her senses perceived was not quite <em>real</em>.&nbsp; To be real in that sense meant that there was some extrinsic criterion of truth and being - that it wasn't <em>just</em> in her mind.&nbsp; Now was what was shown in the mirrors <em>real</em> in that sense, or a projection of thoughts?&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>Now that Medb had the key, she said, "Perhaps now is the time to open the last door the orderlies have vacated."&nbsp; If they stood in front of it, there must have been something hidden beneath that they, even outnumbered, thought worthwhile protecting.&nbsp; <br><br>To Eloise she said, "We shall be out of this place, shortly, Madame - but if I may ask, what happened in this room?&nbsp; This is a place of madness, yes, but I fear it is not the inmates who have lost their wits."&nbsp; <br><br>She strained for any answer to the questions that continued to gnaw at her. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>02-08-2020, 15:08:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Urges of Wrath &amp; Ruin<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party, keepers<br><hr><br>Aloisa frowned as the others disagreed with her, but withdrew from the subject, keeping herself busy by watching the cell they placed the orderlies in. A small roll of her eyes as they made their claims, "Them? What them she was alone in-" she paused at the sound of porcelain cracking, the others breaking away the mask on the girl.<br><br>Her head turned to look and a it felt like a small venomous serpent slid down along her spine as she saw Eloise. She had genuinely liked the girl, the funny way her name was so like her own, hell, even how they had parted, Eloise attempting to steal away one of her daggers was endearing to the Guard, it was part of why she gave her the blade as she pushed the boat out... <br><br>If-<br><br>The thought was violently quashed like a rat under mailed boot. She leaned in to the barred window to the cell, "Blather on like that more and i shall smash those masks from your faces and carve your tongues out like offal from a pigs carcass." There was no venom or fury in her tone, nor a hissed whisper of steel on silk, or a booming proclamation. She spoke as normal as if the inn had brought her the wrong plate. But her eyes, as she peered into the cell, no barely contained raging inferno, but the uncaring edge of a straight razor sharpened to where it would split a throat with as much ease as scraping the stubble from a mans cheeks. "What did you do. How did that room break her."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Intimidation Check to get them to answer: 19</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-08-02 08:10:27, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 19 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148187)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>03-08-2020, 19:36:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Advising haste<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>The party<br><hr><br>Faelyn tried desperately to ignore the noise coming from the pillaging of the attic, to focus on whatever was happening around them.&nbsp; Her allies were rightfully concerned intently on rescuing their charges, however the elven woman had to instead focus on whatever their enemies planned for them with all of their borrowed time, as well as what information she could ring out from this Baykur woman.<br><br>A strange noise drew her from her thoughts as something seemed to be taking a different path up towards the rest of the group which she had not considered.&nbsp; Turning around, she pulled an arrow from her quiver and called out, "Ready yourselves!&nbsp; I believe the red ribbon grows taught!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>08-08-2020, 04:29:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				What occurred in the privacy of Eloise's own head did not allow her to follow the conversation around her or to recognize Danae's question. Her bright-eyed eagerness to weigh in on matters of gossip was replaced by stiff jaw, clenched hands, and unladylike posture, twisted, surely uncomfortable.<br><br>With eyes on her, Eloise concentrated deeply. A sound, from the pit of her throat, preceding labored speech. Instead, there were no words, only forced air and trapped tongue in accidental noises.<br><br>Only when it was perfectly evident Eloise could not speak for herself did a cowed orderly answer.<br>"Number fifty-one was involved in an incident of assault. The victim was number twenty-nine. Fifty-one was deemed psychotic, and the case assigned to Doctor Rehner."<br>"Psychotics are the purview of Doctor Rehner," said the second.<br>"Because Doctor Rehner was unavailable, Doctor Noire deemed fifty-one be given a shock treatment to settle the nerves."<br>"But another incident of assault followed."<br>"Doctor Noire ordered number fifty-one taken to treatment. It was placed in Treatment Room C, Psyche Fragmentation."<br><br>"A patient is coached into separating dichotomies of the self into those mirrors. Over time, a mirror becomes the focus for a specific behavior. When the behavior is isolated, a skilled operator may alienate it from the viewer's persona and expunge it from the identity for disposal."<br>"It is a humane treatment. The psychotic are absolved of blame and find new peace with a minimum of distress."<br><br>The door to cell <em>G, </em>which the orderlies previously shielded with their grey-clad bodies, opened the same as any other with a master key.<br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">If the door is opened</div><div class="spoiler_body">Inside the floor was tiled, white and black. As a bath chamber it was unfinished, with bare wood attic walls, and yet the tub's pump functioned. Humming, whining, the faucet churned out a drizzle of uninterrupted crimson into a waiting tub filthy with mineral. Not blood, no, but a scarlet color like blood, glassy like hard candies.<br><br>Two lovely chairs faced the body-length tub, each fitted with manacles for the ankle. There was no one within, only a gradually filling red bath.</div></div><br><br>"The psychotic are not truly broken, when the impulse for violence leaves them," said the second orderly. "They merely await like babes to develop as persons. See, no harm has been done."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>08-08-2020, 07:22:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>"Treatement" chambers<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Robe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Disgust<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Open<br><hr><br>Corrine found herself lost amidst the variegated horrors of this upper chamber. Poor Eloise. If Corinne had time to study these implements, she might find a way to turn them to benevolent use, but she did not have the days, never mind hours, needed to undo the traumas inflicted on poor Eloise.<br><br>She whirled towards the door where the orderlies had been locked away. "No harm? <em>No harm!?</em>" she hissed. "When last I saw her, she was full of life and vigour. Your 'treatment' has rendered her an imbecile." She racked her brains. "There must be instructions for operating these apparati. A technical manual. Where is it?" She could hardly expect to cure Eloise here and now, but if she at least understand how the damage was done, she might one day reverse it, little by little. <br><br>She looked to Faelyn at her warning. "Then we must work quickly. We have Eloise. Do we have any reason to linger here?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>08-08-2020, 15:39:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asylum - in the hall of mirrors<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Corinne, Open<br><br>"I agree, Madame Lorimer," Danae nodded, "if there is no one else here, nothing keeps us.&nbsp; But we should make sure this floor is scoured first.&nbsp; I would not want anyone whom we can still save to be left behind."<br><br>Then, she addressed the orderlies.&nbsp; "Where does the offending <em>behaviour</em> go, after it has been...alienated?" If assault it had been, she could only sympathise with Eloise.&nbsp; This was not a place to cure madness; quite the contrary, here, the sane became mad. <br><br>She strode up to the mirrors to inspect them.&nbsp; Tentatively, she tapped the gleaming glass pane with her fingers.&nbsp; Seeing only herself, she could not help but wonder if she had truly seen images move in the maze of glass.&nbsp; Or was her own mind becoming befuddled, too? She took a step back from the mirror and went to the now empty chair in which Eloise had been bound.&nbsp; "No matter, allow me to see if this is but another parlour trick."&nbsp; She lifted the chair up overhead, and threw it against the mirror in which she had seen Eloise's struggling self projected.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>12-08-2020, 10:18:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The mirror, and those beside it, shattered on impact. Its noise filled the attic completely with shrill auditory assault of cascading glass, so much glass, a room full of broken glass. Where there had been a dozen faces staring back at Danae, now there were a thousand, and it was impossible that the crash had not awoken the entire asylum.<br><br>No answer from the orderlies came. The time for explanation had passed with that one outburst. One woman paced within her cell, a hand to her mask, and the other drew her body in close against a secure corner.<br><br>And what kind of mirrors had they been? Was it worth the risk? They had seemed, at the ends of Danae's prodding fingers, to be cool and ordinary, meeting the gaze and mimicking every movement. In reflections of reflections, where the realm within a mirror took a life all its own, there were small details which demanded a second glance as irregular, a trick of the eye or reversed perspective. There was a moment, studying reflections of reflections of reflections, where the smallest facets of likeness deep inside seemed different from Danae's own heart. But now it was over, the communion of mirrors was broken, and it became a hazard to set foot in cell <em>C. </em><br><br>A quick search turned up no further prisoners. Cells <em>F </em>and <em>H </em>likewise contained devices for experimental treatments, retired for the night. The tub in cell <em>G </em>ran unattended.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>12-08-2020, 10:54:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Snapping out of it<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party, keepers<br><hr><br>Aloisa looked into the cell holding the orderlies. The talk of psychotics maybe a little to apt as her gaze drilled into them, no sign of recognition of them as living beings, but something just to be cut away. Her dagger was in hand, fingers lightly brushing over the fine edge, creasing the skin and raising thin red wet lines along the tips. The thought of-<br><br>She flinched at the breaking of glass, the loud crash and clatter of small razor shards making her spin arounds with blades ready to defend and cut. A strangled growl welled in her throat as she looked to Danae, the womans rash thoughtless actions again possibly bringing danger pointlessly.<br><br>"Danae, if you could please refrain from any more thoughtless actions before we have a keep full of mad broken people, and the made people that break them, swarming to tie us all down and scour what sanity we have away with whatever else abominable contraptions they have cobbled together..?"<br><br>She took a moment to sheathe the blades again and take a deep breath, her composure returning as she looks to Danae, "My apologies... But we know not what we deal with here. Who knows what Dark influences they have consorted with? If that mirror truely held a part of Eloise, and with it broken there is no way to get her back. What if it loosed her maddened spirit, and that of every other they have tortured against us? What if it held something darker, and breaking the mirror set it free? We must think of this like a battle against an Army of unknown capabilities, unknown numbers, and dark intentions. If we act to rash we put ourselves, and those we are trying to rescue, in harms way.. We have to save Ours first, then we <em>can burn them to salted ash.</em>" Her voice picking up that hard edge at the end, fully showing she wanted retribution against those of this place..<br><br>She sighed and looked around, "We should get moving. Find the others, and try to get some place safe.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>clonkertink</strong> on <strong>13-08-2020, 09:03:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cd/CorinneLorimer.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong>Corinne Lorimer (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1945676)<br><strong>Location: </strong>Asylum Upper Floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>Blue Robe<br><strong>Content: </strong>Berating Danae over arcane safety.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Danae, Open<br><hr><br>"Danae, no!"<br><br>Corinne cried out too late to stop the chair from hurtling into the mirrors, destroying whatever magic they held. The wizardess threw her arms up to protect her face, her mind racing through every abjuration catalogued in her mind, terrified that some arcane aftershock might sweep through the room.<br><br>She paused for a long moment, her heart racing, before she dared relax. Aloisa made remarks that were terse, but at least held the veneer of polite language. Corinne, on the other hand, had no time for such niceties. <br><br>"Are you quite <em>mad!?</em>" she screamed. A small part of her regretted that choice of words, but she was filled with all the fury of a lab instructor scolding a careless student. She stormed up to Danae, until their noses nearly brushed. "Do you have any idea of the dangers involved in destroying arcane devices?! You could have killed us, or worse! Magical backlash, curses, portals to some unholy nether realm - <em>anything</em> can happen when magic is discharged in an uncontrolled manner! You-" her voice caught in her throat, as her mind finally settled on her deepest fear, the one she deemed all to plausible. She swallowed, her gaze dropping to the floor and her voice shaky. "You've almost certainly destroyed whatever part of Eloisa dwelt within that mirror." She blinked, and felt tears run down her cheeks. With all her might, she resisted the heavy sob that strained in her chest.<br><br>She dimly heard Aloisa discuss practical matters. In a small, strained voice, she whispered, "We should find Zoe and the others... Perhaps they can care for Eloise in our absence."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>18-08-2020, 12:20:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asylum - in the hall of mirrors<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Corinne, Aloisa, Open<br><br>There was a moment of profound satisfaction when she heard the sturdy, weathered wood impact the mirror's grassy plane. Liberation.&nbsp; She had obliterated this taint of foul - no, sorcery was the wrong word for it, and witchcraft, too.&nbsp; This was some Promethean rebellion against natural law.&nbsp; To Corine she said, "Be that as it may, this whole place is an abomination.&nbsp; I cannot suffer it to continue.&nbsp; Certain things should never see the light of day, even in this age of so-called reason."&nbsp; Yes, the mirror had been a <em>hateful</em> thing.&nbsp; The cardinal sin in the Church of Ezra and all civilised confessions of which she was aware was to deface the human soul.&nbsp; The possibility that the ineffable sentience breathed into each thinking being could be brought upon a slab and dissected was repellent.&nbsp; <br><br>Aloisa's remonstrance was altogether more effective, though. The guardswoman was right.&nbsp; There was no gain in drawing further attention to themselves, especially if that was to involve a tussle with the orderlies. Surely, they lacked the numbers to resist such a struggle. "You are right.&nbsp; We have tarried long enough in this place. I would say we scour the lower floor, and then fetch the other survivors. The sooner we make an exit, the better." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>21-08-2020, 00:18:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Cell G<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Inspecting the contents of the bath<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br>The druid let her companions argue over the caution of smashing equipment without further examination, while she would normally have been on the side of Corinne, the contents of the room marked G held her fascination for the moment. How odd, that this viscous material can flow from a tap like this. What in creation was this? It fell from the faucet not unlike a continuous red ribbon. She longed to reach out and touch it, the first primal instinct of the curious from cradle to grave. It wasn't blood, it lacked the familiar metallic scent and the pigment too glossy and unnatural.<br><br>Medb got onto her knees, fingers clutching around the edge of the tub as though a closer inspection would reveal its secrets. She glanced around her once to check what the others were doing, before poking the liquid to see if its surface tension was more akin to water or a non-newtonian liquid like custard, the thought never crossing her mind to turn off the tap first. <br>"What could this have been filled for?" she mused, "I can't help but wonder if it was for the benefit of your Ms Eloise... They mentioned rebuilding the mind, is this part of the process or another way to break it down somehow and if so how, exactly? Magical or mundane? Might this be the red ribbon that the sooth-saying Noire warned us of?"<br><br>She considered, momentarily at most, whether she should taste the liquid that hid the fingerprint of her index finger before thinking better of it and wiping it on her clothing.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>22-08-2020, 05:22:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				At Medb's touch, the red bath disturbed not in ripples but lurching hungrily, as a blind frog's tongue licking the air for unlucky flies.<br><br>It had been too leathery to penetrate with a tentative test of the fingertip, and warm as a living being. And now, it was animate.<br><br>In a molasses roll it rose over the tub, dripping down itself from a boneless structure, forming long pseudopod appendages and letting the first of these slap wetly against the black and white tile.<br><br>Godless this creature, made not in the image of any creator but from accidents of primordial soup, a slime without noble purpose, possessed with the malicious audacity to join civilized woman at her most vulnerable. It had come through the bath, and having well demonstrated the ability to squeeze through narrow pipes, there may very well be no way to stop it.<br><br>"Blord," it gurgled, belched, in search of a voice through the random effusions of air, a sound like wet choking. Its crimson membrane became increasingly complex, increasingly opaque as the likeness of organs took chamber within the body. Discrete tapered digits isolated at the ends of appendages, taking tidy human shape, or alraune shape, as the hips flared like a summer rose in mockery of ladies' finery.<br><br>"Body," it articulated in perfect Common. "Your body is wasted on anxious, neurotic, hateful mind. It is time to relinquish."<br><br>Its hands reached for something behind Medb's eyes.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Everyone must make a Wisdom save, DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">On a failed save, panic grips the heart and you're frightened for up to 1 minute.<br><br>Frightened characters suffer disadvantage on all ability checks and attack rolls while the ooze is visible. They can't willingly move closer to the ooze, but are free to move away.</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>23-08-2020, 10:20:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> <span class="bbc_u"><em><strong>AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</strong></em></span><br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party, <br><hr><br>Aloisa Sighed as Danae seemed to see reason... Somewhat at least. It was a start. She frowned and looked around as the group seemed smaller...? She moved to the other Cells, one last hatefilled look into the one containing the offending attendants before leaning into G, a frown at Medb's kneeling back and outstretched hand, opening her mouth to scold the wom-<br><br>She gave a high pitched gasp, a scream that escaped in one giant puff rather then catching her throat enough to make noise as she stumbled and scrambled backwards, eyes wide with fear as her hands flapped at her sheathes, ineffectively trying to grab one of her weapons while she lurched away, "<em>Tiamats Shat Garters!??!?!?!</em>"<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Wisdom check: 5</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-08-21 22:44:19, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a2 Result: 5 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148645)</div></div> ((hurrdurrr, kinda forgot about this part..)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>24-08-2020, 01:24:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asylum - peering into room G<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Wisdom check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-08-22 03:58:18, Danae Vine-Lott (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a1 Result: 2 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148648)</div></div><br>Where there had been an amorphous, ectoplasmic fluid there now rose a blasphemous semblance of a woman. Its grotesque imitation of sentient speech was simply unfathomable.&nbsp; That which had once been formless could manipulate sounds and vibration close enough to become an uncanny facsimile of creation. The dread it instilled in her was profound and existential.&nbsp; If her mind could not completely correlate its contents, the primitive recesses of her animal brain flared in panic at the very real possibility that all she had known about the laws of nature, science, and humanity's place in the cosmos was under pitiless assault.&nbsp; In the great void that dwelt beneath the veneer of conscious thought there were witches, yes - she could hear the deranged chanting, the blood-sacrifice of a Black Sabbath, the beast-skulls, and the orgiastic gyrations of her housemaids and the farm girls.&nbsp; And yet witches had human motivations, albeit warped by their pact with evil entities. This <em>thing</em> arose from a lower level of creeping fear that could not easily be tamed. <br><br>"Get behind me, abomination!" She cried and dashed out of the room.&nbsp; To the orderlies she called, "What have you done? What manner of thing is that?" Her veins felt like ice, and she stumbled and sought support from the wainscoted walls that now appeared to be spinning. <br><br>To her companions she said, "We cannot stay here.&nbsp; We must gather the survivors and go!"<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's action plan</div><div class="spoiler_body">For so long as she <em>frightened</em>, Danae will stand outside of Room G, facing away from it, and in a state of shock unless physically confronted.&nbsp; She will then attempt to descend with Eloise to the floor below.</div></div>&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Velatha</strong> on <strong>25-08-2020, 20:35:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c0/94/c1/c094c1241eeca14cf26cb640ed1adc46.jpg)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Faelyn Mythrandir (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307047.msg15150856#msg15150856)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Leather armor and Winter furs<br><strong>Content: </strong> Problem solving<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Danae, The party<br><hr><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">wisdom save: 18</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-08-23 19:16:38, Velatha (uid: 61604) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 18 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148680)</div></div><br>The sudden crash of shattering mirrors echoed through the Asylum and things quickly went from bad to worse.&nbsp; All hope of a silent infiltration was now gone as their timely advantage now just made them blind.&nbsp; Turning her head for a moment, she called, "What are you doing?&nbsp; Have you forgotten that this was a stealth mission?"<br><br>It almost seemed like karma.&nbsp; Allow yourself to get distracted for one moment and new problem arrives.&nbsp; At Medb's prodding, some strange gelatinous creature appeared spouting the same sort of nonsense she could expect some strange monstrosity in this place.&nbsp; "Everyone we need to get away from here fast lest we find ourselves trapped down a dead end."&nbsp; Her declaration was punctuated by the swift snap of her bowstring as she sent a volley toward the creature.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Attack roll</div><div class="spoiler_body"> At 2020-08-25 13:30:59, Velatha (uid: 61604) rolls: 1d20a8 Result: 28 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148726)<br>Damage: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2020-08-25 13:34:10, Velatha (uid: 61604) rolls: 2d8a4 Result: 10 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148727)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>25-08-2020, 23:00:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Cell G<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Curiosity may potentially lead to negative results - slinging a spell<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> That gorgeous crimson slime <br><br><hr><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Wisdom Save 20</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-08-22 10:18:42, Medb (uid: 2076) rolls: 1d20a5 Result: 20<br></div></div><br>"Oh my, now aren't you just beautiful?" Medb said to the creature as its shape changed to fill a more humanoid space, "how do you talk without lungs or a voicebox? You don't have any discernable anatomy that I can see within that amorphous, translucent form that might qualify as such but... Well, I can't help but wonder what way to better preserve you for later study, to freeze you or evaporate you into a powder." It was around this point in her fascinated ramblings that the raven-haired woman noticed that the creature was reaching for her, was speaking to her.<br><br>"Hateful? Only a little. Though any neurosis and anxiety I have are both perfectly healthy and natural, I assure you," she says as she attempts to move away from it, into the central chamber, "Maybe a simple dissection for now and a collection of the pieces afterwards," she mumbles as she begins a chant in the druidic tongue, her eyes narrowing on the creature and letting a spell manifest expecting the sanguine creature to gain a faint violet outline, drawing the attention of any who would care to strike it.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Plan of action</div><div class="spoiler_body">Medb is going to back off from those grasping hands, likely provoking an opportunity attack if she does so. After she moves 30ft back, she'll case <em>Faerie Fire</em>, the 20ft cube positioned to hit the creature but not Faelyn. <br>Dex save, DC 13<br>This should let Faelyn gain advantage with any further attacks and any under the Frightened condition to ignore the disadvantage penalty if they choose to make ranged attacks or spells if it fails</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>28-08-2020, 12:12:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Direct to the heart Faelyn's arrow sailed true, and ought to have taken low an opponent of flesh and blood. Instead, its judder into the Red Woman's ribs was little more productive than a shot into deep mud. Such excellent archery bought time enough for the cell to clear, as the Red Woman could be glimpsed taking the arrow out from her chest and sealing over the ragged wound like clay.<br><br>By the time of this cursory reshaping, she had arrived at far more human a form. Doctor Noire, she began to resemble, with sketches of dark clothing bristling from the glossy skin like petals or leaves, a chameleon's camouflage. From her wrist trailed a ribbon of red ooze, continuous and unbroken to the pipes of the bath, as she pursued with dogged evil intention.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">The Red Woman failed her save against faerie fire</div><div class="spoiler_body">Attacks against her have advantage for as long as Medb concentrates. Advantage and disadvantage will cancel each other out, though characters who are frightened still can't move closer.</div></div><br><br>It was the colorful lights darting like flames across the Red Woman which betrayed her fast-developing mimicry. Her new colors were only surface deep, and even as she perfected the details of Doctor Noire's clothes, kaleidoscopic lights revealed a glassy, puckered texture, shone right through her in places. Her eyes were false, her body a decoy for something lurking within the thrumming pipes of the asylum.<br><br>"This madness."<br>The Red Woman's focus remained unerringly on Medb, knowing, before it crossed the threshold, her exact position in the greater chamber of the attic, seeing without benefit of true eyes. She transformed, as she hunted, twisting into an amalgam of either woman. Fragments of Medb gazed back at her, and in the process, something threatened to slip away into the ether.<br>"It will be erased."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Medb must make a Wisdom save, DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">On a failure, Medb takes 15 psychic damage and suffers partial memory loss. While her memories are drained, she subtracts 1d4 from any ability check or attack roll she makes. <br>On a success, Medb is unaffected.<br></div></div><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Frightened characters can repeat their Wisdom save, DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">On a success, the frightened condition ends.<br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>28-08-2020, 15:13:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> The merits of mind and muscle memory: Controlled panicked violence.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr Sludge<br><hr><br>Aloisa pales at the... Thing. She had never ran into anythibg like it before, and hoped that if they escaped, she never would again. The Sick viscious consistancy of pooled blood, but flowing and sloshing about, the way it mimiced the Doctors form... Was it the Doctor? Or some disgusting simiulacrium created by her or in her image? Her mind raced over the possibilities...<br><br>Her Training though, that kicked in as the lights started to sparkle and flash around it. It sparked deep memories of her Grandfather training her. He had done something much like that himself, always on the targets he wanted her to focus on. Her body Acted. <br><br>Her hand dipped down deftly slipping away one of the drawn daggers, to valuable, and to light for this. The now free hand wrapped around the haft of her ax pulling it from her belt as her body moved, not as smoothly as with her dagger, those she could simply fling with fast movement, the heft of the ax required much more strength to get it moving. <br><br>The entire time her eyes remained locked on the Abomination, the sparkling lights helping show its movements, highlighting its form, helping define it in her mind, and find her target. She wound up and flung the axe, entire body moving like a whip as her arm snapped the heavy blade through the air towards her target!<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Turn Summery</div><div class="spoiler_body">Stuck with fright having failed her wisdom check, Aloisa uses her bonus action to activate Insightful Fighting, a free action to stow a dagger and draw her axe (Dual wielder, draw/stow 2 weapons a round) and make her ranged attack against the enemy adding 2d6 to her damage from the Sneak Attack bonus IF provides</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Insightful Fighting: 20</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-08-28 07:34:14, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 20[/url (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148805)</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Ranged Attack Roll: 19</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-08-28 07:48:07, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 19 (http:///forums/dicebot.php?r=148806)</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Damage: 11</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-08-28 07:58:29, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 3d6a1 Result: 11 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148807)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>29-08-2020, 17:12:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Lasso'ing ooze?<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><hr><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Wis save vs memory loss: 19</div><div class="spoiler_body">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2020-08-28 09:15:51, Medb (uid: 2076) rolls: 1d20a5 Result: 19 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148808)</div></div><br><br>While the gelatinous woman, now taking on some of Medb's own physical traits, attempted to take <em>something</em> from her, a feeling of clawing at the back of her mind still sending chills down her spine, the black-haired woman had the mental fortitude and the ego to hold on to herself and keep her sense of self intact. "Curiouser and curiouser," she says, "No doubt you're the source of many of this facility's treatments, for I doubt any of them actually work beyond a form of torture. I can't help but wonder if ending your existence would be enough to free this waif from her stupor," she say meaning the recently retrieved Eloise.<br><br>"Though I would very much prefer not to lose such a lovely test specimen... Are you akin to an amoeba? Do you have a nucleus to act as your heart and mind? Maybe we should attempt to evaporate and condense your form to find out," she concludes as she steps back, keeping the beast within 3 ft range but moving away from Aloisa and Danae and towards one of the open rooms. They had just gotten their prize from this place and Medb wasn't about to see them lose it. If their fear was centred here on this thing she would need to lure it away from the stairs so they may approach the one exit to the room<br>"Don't be shy, I'm as looking forward to seeing what makes your body work as you are in cleansing my mind."<br>The druid opened her palms towards the crimson creature, as though gesturing towards another&nbsp; intent on them coming towards you in an embrace, "Come, let us learn all we can of one another," she says softly as jagged thorns issue forth from her hands, somehow seeking to find purchase in the now shimmering gel and bring it towards her.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Movement</div><div class="spoiler_body">Assuming that the others are in or just outside Cell C and are unable to approach the creature as it is coming out of Cell G, Medb will move north towards Cell A as far as she can and into it if possible to give the others a shot to get Eloise down the stairs</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Thorn Whip (Advantage)</div><div class="spoiler_body">To-hit:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2020-08-29 09:59:18, Medb (uid: 2076) rolls: 2d20k1a5 Result: 17 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148824)<br>Damage:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2020-08-29 10:00:38, Medb (uid: 2076) rolls: 1d6 Result: 3 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148826) Piercing<br>And the creature is dragged 10ft towards Medb</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>04-09-2020, 02:58:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asylum - fighting the fear <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Second Wisdom Save</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-09-03 19:52:31, Danae Vine-Lott (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a1 Result: 10 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148936)</div></div><br>Vaguely, Danae was aware that the unnatural abomination in Room G was confronting Medb and Aloisa, and yet she felt paralysed, rooted to the spot.&nbsp; This was no delirious terror, not battlefield panic, it was something subtler and altogether more poisonous: a realisation that her role in the universe was so fragile and ephemeral, and that human life was but a blot, an accident, devoid of any intrinsic sanctity.&nbsp; She pressed up against the wall, fists clenched so hard she feared she might draw blood.&nbsp; <br><br>"That <em>thing</em> should not be," she rasped.&nbsp; "It is an affront to the laws of nature."<br><br>To the orderlies, she cried out, "Tell me, what manner of thing is it?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>05-09-2020, 02:40:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Damage was done to the Red Woman. The nature of a form which reshaped at whim made it impossible to see any lasting harm done, and yet she did not like being shot, being chopped, whipped, and dragged. It aggravated her, and when she became agitated, she spoke emphatically.<br><br>"Ask a child to explain the stars," she exploded, indignant. "A thing am I no longer, but the hurt of every lunatic."<br>A trailing tether of crimson followed her further and further from the bath faucet, along Medb's yank. It diminished, as it shrank, and there may yet be a limit to the Red Woman's leash.<br><br>But that limit was not reached as the Red Woman melted amorphous, sloshed between Medb's thighs, and reformed on the far side of her, moving to free the jailed orderlies. Still her leash followed.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Medb and Danae can each make an opportunity attack</div><div class="spoiler_body">Normally, opportunity attacks must be melee attacks, so this may prevent Danae from making one.<br></div></div><br><br>"You will find me none shy, mademoiselle. I grace the mind with lips true and drink its dark secret nigglings, no matter how horrid. When all is quiet and calm, I give your body new purpose."<br><br>A hand lost its lifelike shape jamming into the lock of room <em>A, </em>and as though her body a key, the Red Woman freed the masked orderlies from incarceration- either of which seemed eager to join the battle.<br><br>"If you value the waif, you will surrender, for you will not break through to her hidden heart except through me."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>07-09-2020, 02:07:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Orders &amp; Blockading<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr Sludge, The Party<br><hr><strong>HP:</strong> 27/27<br><strong>AC:</strong> 14 (dual wielding)<br><strong>Instinctive Fighting:</strong> Red Woman<br><hr><br>Aloisa gives a fully body shake as her mind Settled. Yes, this thing was horrifying, and Loved the sound of its own voice... But there was no time to panic and fear take hold. She drew her second dagger and spun both in her hands readying them before darting forward towards the Red Woman, "Someone grab the ax and get to! Someone else! Splash that fucking tendril! Water, ale, Piss on it! I dont fucking care! Disrupt her connection! I'll keep her busy!" She twirled the blades as she moved close, body weaving in a blur of feints and twists, light on her toes as she moves with a dancers grace, small blades darting out to pierce and puncture the liquid form, hopefully keeping it occupied..<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Attack Roll Main Hand: 20</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-09-06 18:53:36, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 20 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148982)</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Main Damage: 9</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-09-06 18:54:34, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d4a2 Result: 4 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148983) Sneak: At 2020-09-06 18:55:33, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 2d6 Result: 5 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148984)</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Attack Roll Off-Hand: 17 (Thank gods for advantages..)</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-09-07 06:52:07, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 17 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148988)</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Off Damage: 4</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-09-07 06:54:39, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d4 Result: 4 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=148991)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>11-09-2020, 22:41:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Slicing into the Red Woman shook her concentration on maintaining a form passably human. Even to the brink of exhaustion, she reformed after each slice, though it served no advantage to do so. Her priority was still on keeping up appearances, rather than bringing her monstrous powers to bear, and this continual reshaping made her sluggish.<br>"I hear your plans," the Red Woman said, and in that moment rallied her strength.<br><br>An orderly's hand darted out across the attic table as the two prisoners slipped free, and the lantern there sputtered and extinguished. All the attic's shadows grew deep and dark, with only a colorful nimbus wreathed round the Red Woman to see by. Into this darkness the orderlies sank, soundless, and moved like wide-eyed denizens of the pitch black night. Somewhere, from the east or west or back around the chimney column, the faintest whisper of fabric, a scratching, the clink of sharp broken glass.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Lights and Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">Faerie fire illuminates the Red Woman for as long as Medb concentrates. The light is only dim and 10', which is not enough for all characters to automatically see the orderlies.<br><br>Those with darkvision or passive perception 15+ are able to see the orderlies, they are not hidden from you.<br><br>Once an orderly is hidden from you, you must take an action to find them again with a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. Since the light is dim, that check is made with disadvantage.<br><br>If you bring another light, such as lighting the lantern or casting a light spell, the check to find the orderlies no longer suffers disadvantage.</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>18-09-2020, 00:03:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Shedding light<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The party<br><br><hr><br>Medb sucked in her breath as the light of the room suddenly vanished, apart from the faint glow of the viscous woman she had marked. The sudden shift had rendered her blind in the dark, and while she had not been affected by whatever had produced feat of the blob within the bosoms of her allies, the eeriness of the shape she was maintaining wasn't helping her nerve. Nor was the sound of footsteps of the former prisoners echoing through the chamber. She was no fighter, and those that were were likely as incapacitated as she was at the moment, fear or no fear.<br>"Shut your eyes a moment!" she called out in the pitch, waiting two seconds so that the women would not be blinded again by the sudden appearance of light in the room in the form of a continuous ball of flame floating safely above her outstretched palm as she stepped out into the main chamber after the red woman, looking for any traces of those that ran<br><br><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Vision</div><div class="spoiler_body">Passive perception is a mighty 13, no darkvision to speak of so can't automatically see the Orderlies</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Action</div><div class="spoiler_body">The druid will cast the cantrip <strong>Produce Flame</strong> and hold it in her hand rather than use it as a projectile. While not as good as the Light spell, it casts bright light 10ft and dim light an additional 10ft and can be maintained for 10 minutes without concentration</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>23-09-2020, 20:24:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The details which gave the Red Woman a face to interpret as human receded to a smooth crimson egg as the open flame approached her. Keeping her distance from the flame meant losing her shape, flattening down, and returning to a puddle of quivering ooze there on the floor like a still-beating heart.<br><br>The asylum's pipes began to croon and shake once more. Tension pulled taut the ribbon trailing from the Red Woman, as surely she prepared to reverse her course and flee back into the safety of Heinfroth's plumbing.<br><br>Now there was true light to see by, and the lurking orderlies with their slivers of glass could not count on the sinister fog of darkness to cloak their murderous intent.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Lights and Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">Orderlies can be discovered as an action with a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. There's now no disadvantage to do so.<br><br>When the orderlies act on their turn, they will automatically be revealed.<br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>24-09-2020, 15:51:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Asylum - out of the darkness<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Perception Check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-09-24 08:27:49, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 19 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149327)</div></div><br>Explain the stars indeed! "Speak, then, and we shall listen!" She defied the Red Woman.&nbsp; "Expound so that we might know."&nbsp; Curiosity was a dangerous thing, but Danae was tired of secrets.&nbsp; She would now gladly choose madness if it cleansed her of her ignorance, and swept aside the heavy veil that separated her mundane reality from the insanity prevailing in this bedlam.&nbsp; <br><br>Thanks to Medb's flame, Danae's own sense of direction, intuition, and hearing all squared and she was able to make out the outline of an orderly clutching a shard of shattered glass.&nbsp; The masked woman was in striking range, she was sure of it.&nbsp; The sound of her footfalls, her laboured breathing, the play of shadows, all pointed Danae to surmise her location, and so to know where to strike.&nbsp; With Faelyn's crescent elven blade she lashed out.&nbsp; Though the shape of the weapon, and its balance, were at first unfamiliar to her, it handled not unlike a shortened cavalry sabre.&nbsp; It was not a stretch for a fencing experience, especially not now that battle called, and her well-honed soldier's instincts came to the fore.&nbsp; She dashed forward and ventured a quick, lunging thrust, blade glinting in the firelight, to pierce the shadows. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Attack w/shortsword v. closest orderly</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-09-24 08:39:53, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a5 Result: 22 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149328)</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">damage roll</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-09-24 08:41:05, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d6a3 Result: 6 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149329)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>28-09-2020, 11:00:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Orders &amp; Blockading<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr Sludge, The Party<br><hr><strong>HP:</strong> 27/27<br><strong>AC:</strong> 14 (dual wielding)<br><strong>Instinctive Fighting:</strong> Orderly B<br><hr><br>Aloisa shielded her eyes as the ball of flame Puffed into existence, catching full sight of one of the orderlies she narrowed her gaze before shifting slightly to keep an eye on the Red woman, and while studying the orderly, body shifting to dodge a possible parting shot as the thing fled...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>30-09-2020, 20:07:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In the shadows glittering glass like shark's teeth, a chilling peril to guide a stout blade through by hands of flesh and blood. But Danae's allonge struck true, and life could be felt leaving the orderly as the blade pulled clean, a neat incision in ruched linen.<br><br>The body of her lay listless for but a moment before a phantasmal cloud began to evaporate from Danae's slain opponent. There was a spectral presence with her there in the attic, grey and wispy like the mists themselves, seeping through the attic timbers into the storm above.<br><br>Without honor, the second orderly capitalized on this distraction to cut with a shard of glass clutched artless within her fingers, wounding herself nearly as much as Danae.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">4 piercing damage to Danae</div><div class="spoiler_body">A 17 on the second orderly's attack, 4 piercing damage on a hit.<br></div></div><br><br>At the same time, the Red Woman dedicated all of her energy to retracing the path of her red ribbon, back to the tub. She lost all semblance of humanity in the process, favoring instead the shape which could traverse the house's pipes and escape Medb's fire.<br><br>But this process was slow. A little of the Red Woman at a time siphoned back into the brass spigot, leaving the rest of her to linger in the tub.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">The Red Woman may have cover</div><div class="spoiler_body">Against opponents adjacent to the tub, the Red Woman is unprotected.<br><br>Against opponents further away than that, she has 3/4 cover, which gives her a +5 bonus to AC and Dex saves.</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>30-09-2020, 21:46:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Orders &amp; Blockading<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Orderly B<br><hr><strong>HP:</strong> 27/27<br><strong>AC:</strong> 14 (dual wielding)<br><strong>Instinctive Fighting:</strong> Orderly B<br><hr><br>Aloisa slid back from the sudden amorphous mess that was the red woman, watching it retreat into the tub, "Medb!!! Fire in the Tub!! Burn it!" She then spun and lunged at the orderly as she slashed at Danea with her shard of glass, blades spinning as she bore down on the woman, sharp blades seeking those tender least defended spots to bury deep to the hilts..<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Attack Main: 12</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-09-30 14:37:38, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 12 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149436)</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Damage:13</div><div class="spoiler_body">Dagger:At 2020-09-30 14:41:45, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d4a2 Result: 3 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149437) Sneak: At 2020-09-30 14:42:40, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 2d6 Result: 10 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149438)</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Attack Off: 6</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-09-30 14:44:05, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 6 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149439)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>02-10-2020, 01:24:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong>&nbsp; Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Constantly forgetting my subclass abilities<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Aloisa, The Tub<br><br><hr><br>"Just as a warning," she called out as Aloisa barked her recommendation and the druid lined up her shot, "when this is thrown we won't have a light source until I can conjure another flame Though maybe I can do something else while we wait for that." She tossed the flame with all the skill that came from someone not having kept up with any&nbsp; sort of arm exercises more strenuous than tracing quill over paper, hurling the globule of flame towards the tub once she got close enough to it.<br><br>With a thought on how to alleviate their night blindness while waiting for her opportunity to make a new flame to see by, Medb bit into her left thumb, uncalloused and soft enough for her canine to draw blood, and spat crimson down onto he floor. <div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">A few words were whispered in Druidic</div><div class="spoiler_body">"Be our eyes"</div></div>&nbsp; in the darkness and the eerie fae light as a spectral hawk emerged from the blood splatter, a feeling of greater sight filling the space in her mind directly behind the eyes, making no resistance in letting the new sensation of increased senses into herself. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Action - Throwing Produce Flame</div><div class="spoiler_body">Assuming advantage due to Faerie Fire affecting the tub's contents since it's physically connected to the Red Woman and not being afraid, but if I don't have advantage using the first roll<br>First Roll - &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2020-10-01 18:00:36, Ershin (uid: 2076) rolls: 1d20a5 Result: 7 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149456)<br>Advantage Roll - &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2020-10-01 18:00:49, Ershin (uid: 2076) rolls: 1d20a5 Result: 17 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149457)<br>At 2020-10-01 18:02:21, Medb (uid: 2076) rolls: 1d8 Result: 1 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149459)<br>Eat this mighty <strong>1 fire damage</strong>! (assuming 17 hits)</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Bonus Action - Spirit Totem</div><div class="spoiler_body"> So as it turns out I could have had my Hawk spirit up this entire fight and given people advantage on all perception rolls, along with one person getting advantage on attack rolls with my reaction (though since I have Faerie Fire up it's less effective since all attacks against the Red Woman have advantage).<br><br>Though... Spirit Totem goes up now.<br>Can be summoned at any point within 60ft of Medb, has an aura radius of 30ft, so I'll be placing it down somewhere to cover the most area of the room, prioritising where the Orderly is.<br><br>I won't be able to make another one until after a short rest, though I'll likely throw down a Bear Totem next time we start combat if I can</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Reaction - Also Spirit Totem</div><div class="spoiler_body">If either Aloisa or Danae attack the second orderly I pop my reaction through the Hawk Totem to give Advantage on the roll</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>03-10-2020, 04:23:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Attacking second orderly<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Open<br><br>The masked orderly on her flank lunged with the shard gleaming in lambent firelight and sliced open Danae's shirt.&nbsp; There was at first no pain, so sharp was the sundered crystal.&nbsp; But by the welling of hot blood she knew she had been wounded. It was a drilled instinct on her part to lash back with her blade, her hand spurred by the guidance of Medb's friendly spirits. <br><br>"Let us dispatch these things, and be done with it! I do not wish to stay in this place a moment longer."&nbsp; Whatever still lingered in the bedlam needed to stay there, permanently.&nbsp; The madness that she had encountered on this island had no business infesting civilised lands.&nbsp; She would rescue the last survivors of the <em>Charlotte</em>, and hopefully return to friendly ports and consign the memories of this place into oblivion. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">attack roll v second orderly w/advantage</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-10-02 21:15:55, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 2d20k1a5 Result: 12 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149520)</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">damage roll</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-10-02 21:19:34, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d6a3 Result: 4 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=149521)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>07-10-2020, 20:47:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The second orderly stumbled from the united front of Aloisa and Danae, blood on her lifeless underworld attire. When she fell upon the broken mirrors, there was no saving her. The body shook as though expunging illness, and a formless shape evaporated from her like wisp of white smoke, called by the thundering storm.<br><br>These spectral things were still unaccounted for when Medb's guiding flame chased after the Red Woman, and spent up there in the tub with a chemical flash. All courage sloughed from the Red Woman as the fire followed her red ribbon's narrow stretch and threatened to come into the pipes with her. There was a snap, and the red tether broke, leaving behind that burned and lifeless part of herself in a shallow puddle as the rest of her retreat into the house's plumbing.<br><br>In another moment, the dying flame extinguished, and the attic was dark. The Red Woman was gone.<br><br>All Eloise could articulate was a sound of worry. The fire and bloodshed had not even seemed to register to her damaged mind, but the darkness distressed. There was something terrible in the darkness.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>08-10-2020, 07:08:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Orders &amp; Blockading<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Orderly B<br><hr><br>Aloisa grit her teeth as she felt her daggers slide through flesh, the gush of life blood washing her hands as she gave each blade a violent twist and yanked them free, rolling to the side to let the woman fall dead into the pile of broken mirrors and assuming a defensive stance as the room went silent.<br><br>She held her breath a long moment before letting it it out in a slow sigh and shifting her pack to get at the contents inside, feeling about carefully until she wrapped fingers around the tinderbox and a torch.<br><br>"Everyone, shield your eyes." She gave the warning before rasping the flint over the steel striker producing a spray of brilliant sparks, repeating the motion several times before the torch caught and crackled to life sharing light to the room. She bundled the tinderbox away as she looked around, "Thanks Mebd. Now we know it doesnt like flame... Further support for the oil barrel and fire solution."<br><br>She pulled a second torch and lit it up offering to Danae, "Dont suppose youd care to swap that blade for the ax..? I think it would serve better in your hands then mine."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>20-10-2020, 00:28:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Looking at red things<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Aloisa, Danae<br><br><hr><br>Willing a new flame into her hand, the raven-haired woman let out an audible "Tch!" as the red woman disappeared back into her tub, leaving naught behind but traces of her corporeal form. Medb followed the trail while Aloisa took the initiative to relight the lantern. With her own flame in hand and the other empty, she tried her best to ensure the taps were tightly sealed, not wanting the creature to sneak up behind them if its cowardice abated. "We also know that it is subject to the animal instinct of fear, and in terms of the fight or flight instinct when provoked it is thankfully erring towards the latter."<br><br>The inert, red jelly that Medb wanted to collect for later study lay there for the taking but she doubted that lifting it by hand or keeping the viscous fluid sealed in cloth would do any good and would simply make her pockets red and moist. What she wouldn't give for a test tube and a cork at this moment. <br><br>"Speaking of axes," she mused, it might not do any harm to get better armed now that we are aware that the orderlies will likely be hostile if the red woman were to spread warning ahead of us. At the very least gaining something sturdier to cover Ms Vine-Lott's healing wounds would be a sound decision lest they open up and undo any good and... Oh! I almost forgot to ask, did any of you sustain any harm in the scuffle? Do you need any medical attention?"<br><br>Walking back to the centre of the room, she searched the table for anything the orderlies may have been drinking from, a flask, a teacup, anything at all she could use to take hold of that sanguine jelly, before leaning down beside one of their fallen bodies, noting the staining of the wood as their own red, moist fluids began to leak. Maybe one of their shoes would make a good container temporarily? Ever so softly she ran the tips of her fingers across the porcelain mask, "Perhaps it would also do no harm to hide ourselves in their ranks? I wonder how easy it is for them to tell the difference between an orderly and a patient who has gotten into the laundry room considering the identically hidden features? It may afford anonymity until we can locate a barrel of oil."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>21-10-2020, 05:49:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A tin flask from the orderlies' humble station proved suitable for taking a sample of crimson ooze. It was a thick substance left behind and did not flow well into the flask's opening, but an application of open flame burned through the viscous tension to separate a sample from the whole. Whatever intellect once animated it was gone, now. A dial at the pump's base sealed it tight to ensure that evil could not return.<br><br>Instead, the thrumming in the asylum walls was traveling elsewhere, and when it stopped, the Red Woman had reached wherever it was she fled to.<br><br>The porcelain masks of either slain orderly were joined by some specialized tool, as Eloise's had been. Failing such a tool, or the lockpicks to spoof the mechanism, removing the mask might require cracking open the porcelain like an egg. Little enough of Eloise's mask remained after this process that it would take magic to repair.<br><br>The clothes, however, those drab grey clothes, were salvageable but for the splash of lifeblood. There had been outfits like them, laid out on the guest room bed in freshly laundered and pressed condition, which smothered the soul to even consider donning. Doctor Heinfroth suggested walking among the patients in their own uniform would comfort them, but there had not been any wisdom in that until now.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>22-10-2020, 09:44:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Examining the bodies <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Aloisa, Open<br><br>She told Medb, "I have seen no deterioration in my wounds - exertion pains me, but it is nothing to which I am not accustomed. Would you have me bind them once again?" <br><br>To Aloisa, she tossed her fey shortsword and took up the handaxe.&nbsp; It was an ungainly weapon, but, like the abnormal curvature of the blade with which she had fought the orderlies, fashioned as it was by inhuman hands, it was sufficiently straightforward to use.&nbsp; There would doubtless not be any soldier's weapons in the asylum - no rapier or pistol to leverage her training.&nbsp; Still, an improvised blade would do for the moment.&nbsp; The orderlies were not, thankfully, especially proficient warriors.&nbsp; "I trust you know to use this better than I. We have few elves and other forest folk in Mordent.&nbsp; The servants, of course, tell stories of spriggans, sprites, and assorted things in the woods.&nbsp; I daresay this is like something they would have fashioned."&nbsp; In an age of reason, such things should be but a distant memory, but in every realm there persisted the mephitic mists of the past, speaking of an older world of sorcery, blood-guilt, and the unknown.&nbsp; "Have the women who made this place exceeded the limits of knowledge Providence imposed on them? Whether it be science or sorcery, they have done something blasphemous here."<br><br>She went to the fallen orderlies, and inspected porcelain masks.&nbsp; "Perhaps it is foolhardy of me, but I long to see what lies under these masks. These...things have the countenance of grotesque dolls.&nbsp; Most disquieting. <br>&nbsp;After we have searched this place, I think it time to withdraw downstairs."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Interaction with mask</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae will use the handle of the handaxe to try to break open the porcelain mask of a fallen orderly</div></div><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's action plan</div><div class="spoiler_body">Once Danae has inspected the porcelain mask, she will proceed to the second floor, and begin to search for survivors of the wreck of the <em>Charlotte<em></em></em></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>22-10-2020, 11:30:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Weapoms and words<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Danae<br><hr><br>Aloisa caught the short sword testing its weight before flicking her hands through the motions of an attack before nodding and taking a moment to secure her daggers, "Thanks." She watcjed Danae a moment before smiling, "Its said that axes were originally the favored weapons of nobles.. Not the type that a farmer uses, but ones close to that, good for laying open plate, chain, and leather. ... Granted that lacks the Pedigree. Maybe with luck we can find something better..."<br><br>She considered Danaes words a moment then shrugged, "Just seems forged fancy to me.. no weirder then my Boompas blades.." she looks sad a moment at the memory of her lost shortswords, "Good steel and strange design, but well functional. If the axe doesnt work i can pass this back and make due with my daggers til we find better. A pox on that ship, its captain, doctor, and crew. ... And I am sure they have exceeded the limits of Providence, and what man should know. That... <em>Thing</em>... Was made from blood, and my strikes did nothing, it just melted back together. If it hadnt been so... Vain, it could have done much more I think. But, it seems it does not like fire... Thats good for us. Can you throw anything bigger Mebd?"<br><br>She watches as Danae attempts to remove the masks, gripping the short sword tight and ready, then after moves to Eloise to help herd her down the stairs, speaking softly to her, a sharp pang in her heart at the memories of what had happened last time, and what she seemed to have been reduced to...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>22-10-2020, 22:21:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Curious about that mask<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Aloisa, Danae, deceased orderlies<br><br><hr><br>Medb shook her head at the white-haired warrior, "Nay," she replied, "If you're uninjured from the scuffle and your current bindings don't feel moist then they can stay put for now, I wouldn't think it best to change them at the moment at any rate. At any rate the pain is good, it shows the fibres of your flesh are mending. If you felt no pain after what I've seen of your prior injuries that would be a thing of worry," whereafter she spoke to Aloisa, "and nay to your query too, this small ember is as much as I am able to produce. I have access to a more potent ice enchantment and several rites of healing, but my speciality has always been the study of life and how the body works."<br><br>"Although," she mutters as her curious eyes drunk in the form Danae now worked on, eager to see what yolk lay beneath the shell of the mask, "I could potentially heat the pipes the creature fled into, but I don't know how much of the building would be affected, if it would only be for the area around us or the entire building if it's connected? I have ne'er tested the limits of the spell before. But for actual, tangible fire? I'd need a night's reflection to do such a thing." She took time at this point to empty out the contents of the flask she had found excited to tease her samples into it, "Though it doesn't seem to be made of blood, it simply seems dyed that way. Look how viscous it is, how springy and unlike the sanguine life that flows through veins... though if one of us were a poet I suppose one could make a connection to its red liquid form running through the pipes like blood through the body of this Asylum. Mayhaps there's a heart? Personally I'd rather get your compatriots and flee this place ne'er to find out."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>24-10-2020, 10:56:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Weapoms and words<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Danae<br><hr><br>Aloisa grunted at Mebds answer to arcana of fire and nods, "Well we will have to make due with what we have. Hope for some flammable spirits or such..&nbsp; Lets hold on heating pipes til we know just how much you cam do, and how much damage it could cause. No good to burn this place down around us and any innocents trapped... And maybe not fresh blood, but pooled and coagulated? Yes. If it settles in a deep pool and is given time it cam grow thick and spongey.. also with the applications of some obscure poisons. Had a Cream go starkers and poison people with that kind of snakes venom."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>27-10-2020, 21:32:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A porcelain mask cracked open under bludgeon. Broken edges came away sharp, but the woman within was already dead. She had been Lamordian or Darkonian perhaps, dark hair and drooping, pouched, tired eyes. A faded scar down one cheek from being dragged. She was no one who could be named now, and in death her expression was lost, wandering a fog weary with concern. The creases of her face told she had been so confused for a long time.<br><br>The second orderly unmasked and out spilled flaxen curls. Soft blue eyes, a jaunty spirit. She had come to Danae's cabin, the night the <em>Charlotte </em>sank, and tempted her with adultery. Her name was Hannah Rodes-Taving, a young missionary of the Saint Ezra Country Club, and now she was dead.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae must make a Charisma save, DC 13</div><div class="spoiler_body">If Danae feels directly responsible for Hannah taking the second boat, she suffers disadvantage on this save, and should roll twice and take the lower result.<br><br>On a failed save, Danae must manifest a Dark Desire of your choice.<br><br>On a success, Danae is able to cope with this discovery, but the DC of similar saves will be +1. </div></div><br><br>Some light was necessary to guide Eloise down the unfinished attic stairs, but once at the bottom, the door disguised by floral paneling yet stood open, and the withdrawing room was much unchanged from that innocent time before the horrors of the attic.<br><br>Doctor Noire and her cards were gone, and where she sat spinning riddles the curtain was drawn back to let thunderstorm flashes illuminate the empty seats. A single candle burned, lopsided&nbsp; and sluggish with perhaps an hour's light left.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Everyone please make a Perception check, DC 14</div><div class="spoiler_body">On a success, you become aware of a mob of people lurking in the dark halls leading out of the withdrawing room.<br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>30-10-2020, 06:55:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Weapoms and words<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Danae<br><hr><br>Aloisa almost looks disappointed, though oddly relieved when the mask comes lff, half expecting some mutilated monstrosity, though that they were just normal people at the same time made it worse.. "I feel it would almost be fitting to lock these... "<em>Doctors</em>" in their own cells before burning this place to the ground..." She sighs and shakes her head moving to Eloise to lead her down the stairs slowly and carefully.<br><br>At the bottom she pauses to look around, showing no real reaction to the mob, voice shifting to a soft tone that wont carry far, "Another group ahead... Someone take the torch and Eloise.. I'll need both hands open to fight.."<br><br>After passing on the torch ahs shifts her hands to the hilts of the shortsword and dagger, readying for a fight...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>31-10-2020, 05:56:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor, descending the stair<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Examining the bodies <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Aloisa, Open<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Charisma save</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-10-30 22:13:07, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 2d20k-1a2 Result: 17 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=150256)</div></div><br>A cold stab of terror overtook her when she beheld the lifeless countenance of the now late Mademoiselle Rodes-Taving.&nbsp; If she had wished for some fleeting respite from the strictures of the Country Club she had found it, and now it was permanent.&nbsp; The fact of death could scarcely shock her - a soldier accustomed to such things, and having inflicted perhaps more than her fair share of it.&nbsp; But she could not help but feel a wrenching sense of regret.&nbsp; Had she been hasty in assuming the woman's motives when they had been sprawled out in her cabin on the <em>Charlotte</em>?&nbsp; Perhaps not - there were many who regarded soldiers with a curious fascination, and though her own tastes were for a simpler sort of girl, a refined woman doubtless had her charm.&nbsp; Among civilians there were subtler cues to one's wants and needs, and perhaps Mademoiselle Rodes-Taving had been very perceptive in detecting Danae's longing.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>"If the passengers are being warped, and driven to madness in this place it may be too late for some of them.&nbsp; As to those whom we can still save, we owe them the duty of trying." <br><br>Had she failed this passenger?&nbsp; Perhaps - and for that she needed to expiate her frailty.&nbsp; She thought - yes, fondly - of Captain Baykur's flogging.&nbsp; A raw and honest sensation to overcome her, and to separate her conscious mind from the animal impulses of the flesh.&nbsp; The flesh was but a reflection of the mind, and in this place the unnatural work of the doctors seemed to warp both. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Perception Check</div><div class="spoiler_body">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2020-10-30 22:49:37, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a3 Result: 5 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=150260)</div></div><br>Descending the stairs, she said to Aloisa, "Ahead? Who is there, and how have they been alerted?&nbsp; If there are many it would be unwise to proceed with weapons drawn.&nbsp; We need to be out of this place, and perhaps our hosts have no wish to detain us any longer."&nbsp; The odds would be impossible if all of the orderlies were gathering.&nbsp; Much better to negotiate an exit than to risk the lives of those who could still be saved. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's action plan</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae will proceed to search the unexplored areas of the second floor starting from the stair landing unless she is confronted by orderlies or otherwise restrained</div></div>&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>01-11-2020, 22:07:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> <br><br><hr><br>While Medb had no connection to the unmasked woman, she could easily see the recognition on the face of Danae. <br><br>"I'll take the torch," she says to Aloisa before accepting the light and following on, "I only need the one hand free." Med proceeded to follow the rest of the group, holding the guiding light aloft to benefit her companions as much as possible, taking in Ms Vine-Lott's words of it being too late for some of the other passengers who were once their shipmates and the cruel fate that the sentiment meant in the short term as it had for the woman she had recognised garbed in the clothing of an orderly, guarding another of their number whose mind was being torn asunder. <br>The storm outside seemed to be getting worse by the sounds of it and the brief flashes of illumination, distracting the druid from the potential threat as they traversed the asylum. It was lucky that they had the keen senses of Aloisa at their disposal.<br>"Can you tell how many there are?" she asked
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>06-11-2020, 23:58:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A peek beyond either of the doors flanking the hidden panel was enough to confirm masked lunatics in number, enough to overwhelm a retreat in the narrow upstairs halls. There were eight, by Aloisa's count, covering both doors between them.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Aloisa's Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">One in the northeast hall wore a ribbon of red around her ankle, which trailed round the corner and out of sight. Nothing else distinguished her from the mob of drab grey dresses and porcelain masks.</div></div><br><br>There remained two exits along the east and west walls of the withdrawing room, which Doctor Noire's key unlocked.<br><br>The east door opened into a stairwell circling down to the first floor, illuminated by a single hanging oil lamp. Hunter green rug, patterned in paisley, sprawled the floor below. Like the dust-choked stairwell before, the walls were hung with several frames. One preserved the <em>licentia ad practicandum </em>for a Doctor Pietra Rehner, a second bore a silver emblem with miniature silver sword and kite shield, and a third the cover print of a book titled <em>Megujult Eletem, </em>authored by Pietra Rehner. A velvety scent of musky poisonous flowers hung in the air as heavily as the black stairwell's dust.<br><br>Behind the west door lay a third stairwell, dark but for Medb's light. Each alternating stair was painted red, and delicate red filigree framed the room's corners almost like spiderweb. The works of Dorothy Heinfroth were framed in tidy rows and columns along the stairwell's winding path, so many diagrams of brain anatomy and treatises on diseases of the mind that the twisted root of insanity seemed forever to elude and bordered on obsession. Here and there, nondescript red blots as of carelessly rendered ink shapes folded neatly in two were hung. The wood, for some reason, was tacky like spilled sugar.<br><br>(https://i.imgur.com/F5ndCBi.jpg)<br><em>2nd Floor</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>14-11-2020, 02:30:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - second floor <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Exploring <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Aloisa, Open<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">History check to assess content and significant of Megujult Eletem</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-11-13 19:16:24, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a1 Result: 10 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=150549)</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">History check to detect meaning and significance of silver emblem</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-11-13 19:18:18, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a1 Result: 5 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=150550)</div></div><br>There were stores of forbidden knowledge here, she was certain of it.&nbsp; Tentative fingers explored leatherbound volumes, the wooden frames ensconcing abstruse certifications.&nbsp; There had been a volume of some renown in Mordent - the <em>Hammer of Witches</em> - that set out in great detail the practices, beliefs, and signs of sorcery, and spoke at length of their pernicious grip on the wicked, and weak-minded.&nbsp; Here, though, were elaborate charts and diagrams.&nbsp; Not superstitious musings, but fruit of reason, and science.&nbsp; She had with her own eyes seen brains - both goblin and human - and knew their slimy, bloody appearance well, coils upon coils, unremarkable, mundane, even, for a soldier.&nbsp; <br><br>"Are Dr Rehner and Dr Heninfroth truly in competition?&nbsp; Or could it be that their skills are complementary?&nbsp; That they, though by instinct opposed, nonetheless need each other?"&nbsp; She took down the volume entitled <em>Megujult Eleterm</em> and leafed through it, seeking its true significance in its pages.&nbsp; "I have a small library in Mordent," she said, "a modest one, for I cannot say that I am a woman of learning.&nbsp; Mainly, on fencing, shooting, and the pedigree of horses.&nbsp; A horse, you see, is a better companion than most sentient beings are.&nbsp; Its mind is readily understood and if a stallion should become too hot-blooded, he may safely be gelded.&nbsp; Perhaps the unfortunate inmates of this bedlam are to the good doctors as beasts are to us - toys for their sport."&nbsp; Oh, yes there had been a library - a quiet withdrawing room far from her wife's prying eyes, were wide-eyed country lasses could learn what it meant to serve their employer.&nbsp; Perhaps her own servants had begun to regard themselves as inmates, trapped in frosty relations between the mistress of the manor and her distant wife, riven by the corruption of unnatural things summoned up in the garden and in the cellar at night.<br><br>"You must forgive my ignorance," she told her companions, "I was never much one for schoolwork.&nbsp; I am innocent to the nuances of the workings of medicine and the science of life." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>15-11-2020, 18:26:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> The merits of mind and muscle memory: Controlled panicked violence.<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Medb<br><hr><br>Aloisa looks down the hall long and carefully, "Eight total... One, in the northeast hall has a red ribbon tied around her ankle.. it leads around the corner out of sight." She frowns and considers, "I think you might be right Danae.. To them its less healing a person, and more fixing a broken doll. Except.. you know. in their head. Except they arent actually that good. "This tear is to ragged.. cut off the unseemly bits and then sew it back together at the new spce, even if its to short now."<br><br>She sighs and draws her blades, adjusting her grip to get comfortable, "Should we try and sneak around them.. Or are we going to have to fight..?" She looks over judging them out to see if she could at least eliminate a few before the fight really started..<br><br>(They spaced out enough Aloisa could Sneak a couple..?)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>18-11-2020, 01:43:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - second floor <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Musing<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Aloisa, Danae<br><br><hr><br>"Personally I'd prefer not to fight," the raven-haired woman whispered in response to Aloisa's question on tactics, "Would we really want to risk another of your compatriots being mixed amongst the orderlies slain? I could perhaps make use of some magic at my employ, but only with your permission and if you're certain you don't mind the risk. I can't pretend to understand their methods, and that they would be tested on people instead of animals first is simply ghastly. I can't help but wonder which of the good doctors made the suggestion to do so first, which got deeper into it and dragged the other with her," she continued Danae's musing on whether the doctors were in competition.<br><br>"Were we to get out of here safely and I were to visit Mordent, perhaps I may be permitted access to your library," she continued, her train of thought flickering for a moment, "books on the pedigree of horses sounds like a much welcome change from being on the same island as this institution."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>20-11-2020, 18:52:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's History</div><div class="spoiler_body">The book was not very old. Conversely, the silver emblem bore the classical iconography of some brotherhood ancient by the measure of modern enlightened colleges. Just what it represented was not clear, except that Doctor Rehner was known to be an Ezrite, and of Gundarkite birth.</div></div><br><br>Megujult Eletem was not a tome which lent itself to brisk attention. Clearly it was a memoir, and illuminated some manner of transformation in Rehner, but no single event exist to describe the nature of it.<br><br>There was a dedication. <em>For Emalia. </em><br><br>The name appeared again on a skim, in the chapter titled <em>The Devil: </em><br><br><em>"We were told of an ally in the north, who we would know from the aging windmill on the hills before the forest. Members of the resistance could find succor there in a bed and grain, a reeded pond to bathe and clean washed linens. There were none in this rural family I knew so well as Emalia, the matron of the house, who bore the burden of the terrible circumstances of war with dignity and warmth (...)<br>(...) word reached us of the Teufeldorf Massacre. I know not what I expected to find as closure for my unrequited adoration. There remained no possibility I would take Emalia's hand in rescue, for so much of her invested in that husband and those children that nothing beautiful could remain with me(...)<br>(...)Beyond the devil Strahd's grisly trophies the hill lay barren, the windmill razed. Oh, Emalia! There was no consoling my spirit back to those delusions of wordless exchange, of knowing souls interlinked. She was gone, and all longing unspoken spoilt in my own mind. A physician knows all mortals go alone into death's embrace, but the agony of having lived and loved on so remote an island left me inconsolable(...)<br>(...)Was it possible for two beings to experience the world as one, to dwell within a single body and share fully all thought, emotion, sensation? If it were possible to rescue a part of Emalia, and extend life and happiness, it must be the highest moral obligation to do so." </em><br><br>Emerging into the asylum's narrow upstairs halls would certainly lead to a confrontation in which any number of bottlenecks could see an invader outnumbered and surrounded three to one. Carving through lunatics and orderlies would be bloody, and costly, and ultimately unnecessary, for the stairwells to the lower level were unguarded. The withdrawing room windows, too, overlooked an empty if wet and muddy yard a ten foot drop below.<br><br>Left to her own devices, Eloise fell into a richly upholstered chair and stared into the flashing storm for the orderlies to collect. Any dim spark of recognition aroused by the arcing lightning was momentary and fleeting, subsumed in an unnavigable fog.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>21-11-2020, 03:03:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - second floor (descending) <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Exploring <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Aloisa, Open<br><br>"Fighting would be futile now," Danae agreed with Medb, " and I have no intention of summoning up that red thing again.&nbsp; I fear that whatever probing of the human mind the Doctors sought was blasphemous in concept and wicked in its execution." <br><br>The name <em>Emalia</em> seemed to bear some significance.&nbsp; The pages were cryptic, like everything else in the bedlam, but in their oblique pronouncements Danae sought such meaning as she could discern.&nbsp; It frustrated her to no end, to play these games of slippery words.&nbsp; At school, she had never been one for literature or composition; her tastes had always been mundane (<em>base</em> her wife would say).&nbsp; Her instinct had always been to prefer the society of those who were of few words.&nbsp; <br><br>To her companions she said, "Any sense in these words that you can discern?&nbsp; If these are the musings of Doctor Rehner, they speak of some loss.&nbsp; A Promethean desire to conquer death, and to master the mind.&nbsp; Perhaps her dark obsession is but an outgrowth of her love for this woman.&nbsp; Perhaps she thought it possible to trap the shards of the human soul in another vessel."&nbsp; If they met the good Doctor again, she would be certain to speak the name of her desire.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Insight Check to infer the relevance of the cited passage in the context of the Doctors' current work</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-11-20 19:52:02, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a1 Result: 14 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=150737)</div></div>&nbsp; <br>To Eloise, she said, "Madam, this is no time to rest, and we shan't leave you here."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's action plan</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae will hold Eloise up physically, unless she refuses to move, with a view to exploring the lower level.&nbsp; If Eloise refuses to move, Danae will seek to bring her back to the guest dormitory, and assess the conditions of the survivors there.</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>22-11-2020, 18:42:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> Running away is the better part of valor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Medb<br><hr><br>Aloisa aahhs and nods quietly, "The NightWatch shuffle. An old favorite when they have numbers.." She helps Danae with Eloise, "Come on love.. Figure your tired but t'aint no time to rest now. To much trouble about.. please keep close." Her voice and touch soft, but firm in keeping her close.<br><br>She considers a moment before taking the book and leafing through, <div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header"> Insight Check: 20</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-11-22 11:32:24, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 20 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=150758)</div></div>, "Another question we should consider... where are we going to go when we get out..?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ershin</strong> on <strong>23-11-2020, 01:54:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/gzkeEiS.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Medb Mag Uidhir (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2044223)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> A loose fitting dark cloth dress, some foliage, a pair of heavy work boots and a backpack full of books and equipment<br><strong>Content: </strong> Pondering, trying to talk with Eloise<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>&nbsp; Medb, Aloisa<br><br><hr><br>Medb shook her head at Danae's request after looking over the passage she marked out whilst Aloisa aided her with their broken companion, "I've no earthly means of deciphering this," she states, "though you could potentially be on to something in that they could be clearing out the minds of these poor souls and placing others within them. It could be the reasoning behind the masks they wear, and that one of your former shipmates attacked us while wearing the uniform of one of their orderlies."<br><br>"As for a safe place... We know my encampment is no longer such a place. Their carriage came for us there. Whatever we do, we need to change Danae out of asylum garb at some point in case any who may be willing to shelter us from these devils know of its design and reports it to them. Do you suggest we continue to to try and keep her with us? I don't want to think what they might do to her if she's found in this state."<br><br>She stands in front of Eloise, an idea in mind. If her brain had been turned to a state of non-thinking, perhaps even an animalistic state then perhaps the trick she had to speak to animals may break through to her. In a calm voice she spoke to the poor woman; <div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Speech of the Woods</div><div class="spoiler_body">"Unless you're too far gone with the fairies, I would ask you to please not fight us in this, let your friends help you get out of here."</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>29-11-2020, 01:21:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae and Aloisa's Insight</div><div class="spoiler_body">Heinfroth and Rehner both had stories related to this troubled period just before the annexation of Gundarak. Something must have happened to them during that time to bring them to this remote place together. While the nature of the metamorphosis was unclear, a clearer picture of the asylum's purpose could be gleaned from Rehner's account.<br><br>Doctor Noire, whose repertoire consisted of treating the psychotically violent, claimed to have cured every one of the patients brought before her. It should have been plain by the peopled coffins in <em>Mercy's </em>hold that treatments of these psychotics were emphatically inhumane. Eloise embodied in the flesh the end result of this process, which was to render a subject docile and catatonic.<br><br>The purpose of mask and uniform, then, could only be to strip all sense of identity from these blank slates.<br><br>Both Danae and Aloisa witnessed a presence evaporating off the slain orderlies in the attic. If these too had been broken like Eloise, something else had come to inhabit them, and instill them with loyalty to Doctor Heinfroth's work.<br></div></div><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's additional Insight</div><div class="spoiler_body">There were fragments of Eloise in the attic mirrors before they were shattered. Those aspects of her personality were gone, now, siphoned off from the "ether of the brain" which Doctor Heinfroth described. Certainly other such means within the asylum avail the effort to erase the mind of a person, and fulfill Rehner's dream of merging the spirit of Emalia with a yet living body.<br></div></div><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Aloisa's additional Insight</div><div class="spoiler_body">The Red Woman seemed aware of the process of creating mindless vessels on a level shared only by Heinfroth and Rehner. That brief meal with Doctor Heinfroth left enough of an impression of the woman to intuit her vocabulary and manner. Doctor Heinfroth and the Red Woman were one and the same.<br></div></div><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Speech of the Woods</div><div class="spoiler_body">Eloise, while robbed of something, was too far short of a beast for animal speech to break through to her.<br></div></div><br><br>Without a will of her own, Eloise rose when physically compelled. She needed assistance descending the eastern stair, gradually and quietly through the accolades of Doctor Rehner to the paisley rug at the very bottom.<br><br>The stairwell connected to the ground floor in a previously unseen entry. There was nothing at all in the large receiving hall, save the echoes of one's own footfalls and whispers over polished black marble and whitewashed walls. Doctor Reher's key fit the lock to the parlor, and that of the front door a breath away.<br><br>A fiery light shone in the gaps around the sealed parlor door. The fireplace within must have been crackling, and throwing off palpable heat on that chill stormy night.<br><br>Above the front door a crescent window looked out into the storming sky, and through flashes of lightning revealed the asylum wall in the distance, and the dark iron spikes atop it slick with rain.<br><br>(https://i.imgur.com/7TIiHGe.png)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>04-12-2020, 05:35:58</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - upper floor<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Content: </strong> speculation<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Medb<br><hr><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Stealth check: 23</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-12-03 22:27:06, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 23 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151065)</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Perception check:20</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2020-12-03 22:34:00, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a6 Result: 20 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151069)</div></div><hr>Aloisa frowns as she reads, starting again and read more carefully this time around. The frown deepened as she stepped back from the book with a slow sigh... "I.. .. This... ... We need to get out of here... And take those we can with us as fast as possible. Noire has found some way to strip off a persons.. Them. Leaves them an empty husk.. And either she... Or one of these other "doctors" puts something else in. "<br><br>She sighed again and put the palms of her hands over her eyes and rubs slowly, voice taking a quiet hesitant tone, "I also think.. Heinfroth Is that red woman thing. The way they speak and act are exceedingly similear. Or maybe its some expelled part of her.. I don't know. But we should do our best to avoid it, or those "Touched" by it, the ones with the red "ribbons."<br><br>She resumed leading Eloise, mind half lost in the brief memories of the girl she had met on the boat, and the poor husk left here now. Was there anyway to restore her? How far would they have to go to accomplish that..? She shook her mind free and looked around the parlor, gladened by the bright fire burning away, it kept the room warm, kept long shadows for her to hide in.... And perfect for throwing that red whore into if they got the chance... "Check the others.. Ill check the rest of the room." She guided Eloise to a quiet seat to rest, then disappeared into the shadows to search through the room.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>05-12-2020, 03:56:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - first floor - moving into guest room <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Content: </strong> Exploring <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Medb, Aloisa, Open<br><br>"Curious," Danae said while they descended the stairs, "that the doctors that conceived of this place thought the cure to ailments of the mind to be its total ablation.&nbsp; I suppose that does cure the patient, after a fashion, but I wonder what they thought fit to do after draining a subject of that <em>quid</em> - that part of them endowed with the divine spark."&nbsp; She wanted to add, <em>if one believes in such things, of course</em>.&nbsp; Her faith had gone unquestioned her whole life, a monotone infusion of order and morality that seeped into and permeated every aspect of her life.&nbsp; But then familiarity bred contempt.&nbsp; What if Ezra never actually heard her prayers, or what if Ezra had abandoned her, Danae, a most grave sinner?&nbsp; Had that been the catalyst for her succumbing to the terrors of the night, and of the unholy?&nbsp; Doubt, she knew too well, was better kept to herself. <br><br>"If we merit divine punishment for our deeds, or for our lack of faith, I always thought it would be hellfire, and not this mad descent into oblivion."&nbsp; No, she had resolved she would not be reduced to Eloise's state.&nbsp; Even if her mind could somehow be recovered, she would doubtless be forever harrowed by the experience.&nbsp; Danae had seen it in far too many eager soldiers.&nbsp; The rigours of campaign, and of battle, were apt to break an irresolute mind.&nbsp; Comrades of some martial skill would inexplicably come down with 'nerves', and would need laudanum or strong drink to ply them again into battle. <br><br>To her companions she said, "I shall fetch the others in the guest room and perhaps then we may leave this place.&nbsp; I, for one, would gladly sit by the fireside with a bottle of jenever and a pennyworth of smoke."&nbsp; The mere thought of it might improve morale.&nbsp; She could have added the buxom bargirl on her lap (after their encounter with the Red Woman, she was in no mood for a redhead), with fat, furred, peasant-girl cunny juicing around her fingers, but that would have even by the standards of soldier's braggadocio been crass.&nbsp; She was, after all, a Vine-Lott. <br><br><em>Yes, this is why Ezra has abandoned me.&nbsp; Aside from thoroughbreds, fencing, and fornication there is nothing that I truly enjoy.&nbsp; Indeed, this my limbo is well deserved.</em><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's action plan</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae will inspect the guestroom, rouse any one still sleeping, and gather them in the parlour to depart</div></div>&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>03-01-2021, 22:48:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				By firelight the parlor was a shock of heat and hellish light. On a rainy summer night in the tropics, only smoldering embers were needed to warm the asylum's drafty heart. Instead, the fire waiting was that of a roaring winter feast, sufficient to cook goosefat into drippings. Out of the fireplace's wrought iron cage lashed tongues of flame, sizzling and snapping in the open air.<br><br>In the haze of heat, the parlor seemed to list, to sway as the <em>Charlotte </em>navigated the Sea of Sorrows. Pulse quickened, and although it agitated, that temperature, although the eyes dried out beholding the crackling flame, it was not too hot to inhabit.<br><br>Beside the guest room door, a chair had been pulled away by the fire's attendant. Her eyes were shining, full of faerie mirth and black humor, as she watched the entry door open and guests warm themselves before the fire.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Doctor Blanche</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://i.imgur.com/KhLpG31.png)</div></div><br><br>For someone who placed herself an obstacle to reaching the slumbering passengers, she was too slight a woman to intimidate. Slender frame and slender fingers befit the polished violin rest against her chair, prepared to play the asylum's guests back to sleep. The dark fabric of her long dress absorbed such heat that a fragrance of laundered linen and faded wildberry revelry perfumes. Without a mask, she could only have been one of Heinfroth's peers, and only Doctor Blanche, the one woman yet uncatalogued.<br><br>"We may speak freely here," said Doctor Blanche. "You must have apprehended by now that we are all of us trapped here by the same evil. It must seem foolish superstition- I laugh even to think of it- but the fire wards away that evil. While the fire dances, we can know there are no imposters among us. If you were to open this door, and pull your bedfellows out into the light, you may discover they are not what you think."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>04-01-2021, 16:36:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - First Floor - Guest Room<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Dr. Blanche<br><hr><br>Aloisa hissed in surprise as Dr Blanche addressed them, squeezing the hilts of her blades firmly as she narrowed her eyes at the person blocking the door to the guest room. Damn she wished she had a halberd or spear, or something long and pointy... No. She wished someone else had it, the image of Danae hefting the halberd, arms bracing the weight... Damn Blast and piss! Not the time to get distracted by things like that... "And you are Doctor..?" She moved closer, "lowering" the weapons, readying for quick flicking thrusts, rather then holding them menacingly, "And May, or Will..? Can we expect those red ribbons, or is there some other means of deceiving us we dont know of..?" She stops a short distance away, "safe" so to speak, but watches Dr Blanche carefully, "I dont suppose you will be telling us just what is going on here..? Or more guessing games?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>06-01-2021, 12:41:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - first floor - guest room <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Aloisa, Dr Blanche<br><br>Though Danae had once pressed for answers, she could not help but feel that time was growing short. "We would leave, yes," she said to Dr Blanche, "and I am bound to gather all the survivors of the <em>Charlotte</em> to us.&nbsp; Have you heard of this ship?&nbsp; We were caught in a squall, I think, on a pleasure cruise far from civilized shores.&nbsp; Now we find ourselves here, with naught but questions, and very few answers. My companion and I are women of action.&nbsp; Both our time and patience are in short supply." <br><br>She made no move to draw a weapon, or to assume a threatening mien.&nbsp; To affect any air of physical menace would be useless, now that they were hopelessly outnumbered by the orderlies and the nameless, blasphemous thing that had crawled out from the plumbing.&nbsp; "Tell us, then, what you mean by impostors.&nbsp; I shan't lose any further survivors.&nbsp; All the women of the <em>Charlotte</em> deserve to be returned to other shores, far from this madding place.&nbsp; If you would aid us, speak and, if not, do not hinder us."&nbsp; Her words felt urgent now, especially with the creeping sensation that the bedlam would not tolerate their presence much longer.&nbsp; "Begin with this, are there more of our number, here?&nbsp; How many can we still bring to safety?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>22-01-2021, 22:45:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"What is happening here, in the busy village within our walls? That's quite a question. But yes, there were visitors the night before. They bedded in that room, over here."<br><br>Dark eyes flit to the spare guest room across the way, the empty one whose comforts had been hastily retired after just one night.<br><br>"<em>Charlotte, </em>I know the vessel from the papers in Ludendorf. We were warned of its coming one summer by Fer'ein Birjre Ensejchtijch, the Syndicate of Enlightened Citizens. A ship of harlots. Still I remember the illustration in the paper of garishly dressed old maids sloshing down wine with bodices overflowing and scandalizing the Lamordish gentry. I must say, you do not disappoint."<br><br>"The first I saw of them was in the infirmary. One woman her tibia splintered into the tendon and muscle, no chance for to walk until the bone was set. Another was drained of blood with a long knife and pale as a ghost. All agreed the perpetrator of that crime was a woman named Eloise, who was taken away."<br><br>"Down below, in the padded cells reserved for outbursts of mania and murderous intent, was the safest place to accommodate my two patients. None may go in, and none may go out except with a master key, and so there would be no more incidents of violence."<br><br>"Since the house is quiet, I must assume the good doctor Noire has settled the remaining guests in her queer way, with porcelain bondage and exercises in submission. Ever she was the sort of woman to editorialize in the papers under Fer'ein Birjre Ensejchtijch, to visit a <em>Charlotte </em>madam in the brig and taunt her through iron bars with nightshade-painted lips. But I would sooner meet you cavorting in the Breaking Wave with an instrument to play- music is what soothes the savage heart, weeps the stone, bends the boughs."<br><br>Doctor Blanche stood careful to respect the reach of Aloisa's blade, and set the violin to her breast. She began to play, with such concentration not another word was uttered.<br><br>Once the bow breathed life into the first note, there could be no pause. One bright, vibrant flourish flowed into another easy as breathing. The roaring fire gathered and swayed, and a scent of hot rosin evaporated off tuned string under duress.<br><br>When Doctor Blanche had played a short time, the guest room door shyly opened, and there were Zoe, Margaret, and Michelle. Was it the grogginess of sleep to blame for their dull-eyed, myopic stares, or something else?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>27-01-2021, 14:22:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - first floor - guest room <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Aloisa, Dr Blanche<br><br>In an instant, that subtle melody stirred in Danae a primal fear.&nbsp; Among the more puritanical clergy of Mordent, the very art of music was regarded with suspicion, being worldly, and flippant, and inclined to attract the attention of dark powers.&nbsp; If Dr Blanche played with great skill, Danae had no way of knowing - her passions were not of the cultivated kind, and though she could recognise a good tune when she heard it, she was wont to think of as such things as trivial diversions.&nbsp; And yet the tormented strings of their hostess's violin seized her attention like a warm caress boring into her mind - she could not clear her thoughts from it, nor contemplate the terrifying reality of the hold such a tune might have had on her erstwhile fellow passengers.<br><br>"The <em>Charlotte</em> was certainly not a ship of pilgrims," Danae said, glad at least that she had not lost any more members of her flock, "it is after the fashion of certain ladies to sublimate all in an air of respectability, far from prying eyes.&nbsp; Some do it necessity, and others for convenience.&nbsp; In truth, Doctor, but a year ago I would not have contemplated a seaborne voyage.&nbsp; This cruise was imposed on me as a species of remedy.&nbsp; A cure, if you will, perhaps a good deal&nbsp; more pleasant than the cure you and your learned sisters administer to the inmates of this bedlam.&nbsp; It did not, I daresay, remedy my condition like the alienist had suggested.&nbsp; If a malady does indeed afflict my mind, I suppose that is my ordeal to bear."&nbsp; The cruise had been the illusion of a cure, like the mad blasphemy they had found in the Asylum.&nbsp; She'd wanted poteen by the bottle and country lasses with fat tits and wide hips, not this powdered charade of preening and hypocrisy.&nbsp; "So now I am tired, Dr Blanche.&nbsp; Tired of bad remedies, and those who would peddle them to me.&nbsp; I shall go to the cells, fetch Mademoiselle Eloise, and we shall take our leave.&nbsp; Speak plainly if you would aid us."<br><br>To Aloisa she said, "I for one, have had sufficient riddles for one evening.&nbsp; We must leave now."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's action plan</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae will seek to gather Zoe, Margaret, and Michelle move downstairs together towards the cells, and attempt to free anyone trapped down there, not limited to the crew of the <em>Charlotte</em></div></div>&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>30-01-2021, 17:51:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307109.msg15705682#msg15705682">Quote from: TheLaughingOne on 04-01-2021, 16:36:24</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - First Floor - Guest Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>&nbsp; Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Dr. Blanche<br><hr><br>Aloisa listened carefully, respectful of the womans range with her violin.. Those could hurt. Especially when the string snap on you.. "<em>Enlightened Citizens</em>... I know groups like that. Puritanical trash more ready to slit each others throats faster then most criminals i know, and over the smallest things." She had a small flinch at the mention of Eloise stabbing, knowing its her own dagger that did it.. And she had given it to her. But she pushed it out of her mind for the moment. <br><br>She remained silent as Danae spoke, talking of their ordeals and the twisted chicanery of this place, though when the Doctor started to play she narrowed her eyes, dagger twirling in her fingers, flashing in the lights till she held the blade in a throwing position, but her body began to really tense when the others slowly shuffled dead eyed out of the guest room, "I will <em>Ask</em> you stop whatever you are doing and explain now. My temper is short, my nerves are twitchy, and patience thin. But my aim and intent are VERY true..."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>03-02-2021, 00:32:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Here I have been so forthright sharing what I know with you, treated you as an equal, and you brandish that thing," said Doctor Blanche. At the dying of a final note, she ceased playing, and recognition dawned suddenly on Margaret's face, on Zoe's and Michelle's, which had not been there before.<br><br>"What are you doing out in the dark?" Margaret Hotspur whisper. "What have you found?"<br><br>"It must be the middle of the night," said Michelle.<br><br>"What is going on?" Zoe asked.<br><br>By Doctor Noire's key, the kitchen door opened, and within was dark and lifeless. A side door looked out onto the west lawn, muddy with rain, and tucked behind the cabinets were the creaky old cellar steps, leading down into that tunnel whence one first arrived. No lights, no fire beyond Doctor Blanche's sweltering hospitality, and neither flashes of lightning down below in the windowless underground.<br><br>"Get going from my sight, you wicked waif," said Doctor Blanche. "This fire is for pleasant company, I shall not share it with marauding brigands."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>03-02-2021, 05:08:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - First Floor - Guest Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>&nbsp; Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Dr. Blanche<br><hr><br>Aloisa blinked a moment, then fought to keep her jaw from clenching. Slowly and carefully she relaxed hers stance moving to a non-threatening one, the blades slipped back into their sheathes and fastened with straps to hold them in, she was confident they wouldnt slow her down if she needed them, but this had to be handled carefully.<br><br>She clasped her hands infront of her and bowed her head, "Doctor, please accept my apologies, i was rude and uncouth to one of your station. Things have been... Unsettling, and surely one of your training and knowledge can understand that has left us on edge. Please, I humbly ask your forgivness for my disgraceful actions." <br><br>She remained silent a moment before speaking up again... "And please, in your haste to explain the situation to us so we may try and understand, i beleive that you neglected your name..?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>18-02-2021, 22:39:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Cellar<br>Danae, Margaret, Michelle, Zoe</em><br><br>From the bottom of the kitchen stairs into a damp and drafty subterrane, the only illumination was that which Danae graced with her lantern. Zoe and Michelle did not stray far at all, and kept hands on Danae's shoulders moving down the pantry steps, into the wide avenues slashed by muddy wagon tracks.<br><br>It was cold, below, in addition to lightless. Wet rainy breeze blew vicious from the corridor south and caused the lantern's flame to sputter, necessitating a warm body shield it from the cold. But from the east there was a wind too, a howling from deep well, a salty air, the crawing of gulls. To the west, there was a long corridor away from the asylum, to the outbuildings of the yard- the stables, no doubt, and workshops for turning lunatic hands productive.<br><br>Between pantry and the ocean's howl, corridors within corridors branched into darkness and stillness where the condemned were sealed away. Eight cells in all, shuttered and locked with the same large brass mechanism. To peek inside revealed a spacious coffin, upholstered in stained white cushion. Each was inhabited by a woman in porcelain mask and drab dress, her battered hands shackled. <br><br>One prisoner was made to wear a tightly-laced leather brace the length of her leg, and another was corseted in sanguine bandage, faint from loss of blood.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Locks</div><div class="spoiler_body">The cell doors can be opened with Doctor Noire's key, but the manacles binding the prisoners' wrists are locked with smaller keys.</div></div><br><br><hr><br><em>The Parlor<br>Aloisa, Doctor Blanche</em><br><br>"You may call me Doctor Blanche," the violinist answered Aloisa. "If you called me by my given name, all would know I gave it to you, and you cannot trust anyone who does not stand before the fire."<br><br>"No apology is needed, darling. Your passions get the better of you, when the music takes hold and the fire is burning hot. Stay in the light with me, since you have the wisdom to appreciate it. I will play again, and this time you will dance, and leave those ghastly things put away where they belong."<br><br>Doctor Blanche did not play just yet. She tracked the progress of Danae and the surviving passengers down into the cellar with a side eye, all to aware that once the lantern's light had vanished, Aloisa was alone with her.<br><br>"Or do you stay because you fear I'll put out the fire once you leave, and trap you with the imposters? Certainly I would not. Ease your heart in knowing the fire will burn, so long as I approve."<br><br>"Now you will dance, won't you? You will help me escape this evil, with your quick knives. Because I have a plan for you, if your temperament is willing."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>19-02-2021, 07:52:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - First Floor - Guest Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>&nbsp; Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Danae, Dr. Blanche<br><hr><br>Aloisa put a hand on Daneas shoulder as she passed, "You get them out and keep them safe.. Ill stay and see if i can cause a distraction for you. Ill come find you if i can, and ill have a torch if its safe.." <br><br>She gave Daneas shoulder a squeeze before letting the Mlles go before turning to the Doctor again, "Doctor Blanche seems most appropriate anyways. Aloisa should work fine for myself." She watched the others depart, then gave a shrug, "I stay because I am Kriechjagd, and a guard. It is my job to protect." <br><br>She listened, then gave a wry smile, "If you wish me to dance, without blades you'll see i have two left hands instead of feet. Much like a sheep on coals." She reached for her flask, only to remember it sold on the docks, a soft sigh escaped her, "That said... I am always willing to cause dark things mischief and harm..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>20-02-2021, 01:46:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Cellar&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br>Wan light from her lantern trembled over damp walls. The scent of things closed up for too long.&nbsp; Was there also a whiff of something arcane, medicinal - indescribable?&nbsp; Was there something in her primal mind that feared the darkness?&nbsp; Is that why she (and humanity all entire) clung on to points of light, fearful of what might scratch away at the edges of her consciousness, the doors of her fears.&nbsp; In the cells, she contemplated the inmates, their visages unrecognisable, ablated into a single mask of anonymity.&nbsp; The woman with the wounded leg must have been Emma; the one with the bloodied bodice Delphine.&nbsp; As for the others, her memory did not serve her well enough to divine who they might be, or might have been.&nbsp; <br><br>"Mesdames, I think it time for us to take our leave of this place," she unlocked each door in turn.&nbsp; It was not even clear to her if all the prisoners kept in the cellar were from the stricken <em>Charlotte</em>, but to leave them in this place went against her Mordentish sensibility.&nbsp; Whatever they had done, the punishment seemed far to exceed the crime.&nbsp; Lamp swaying in hand, she went to assist Emma, and so to lead them back upstairs.&nbsp; Into the light?&nbsp; The writings of Ezra (or, perhaps, <em>on</em> Ezra seemed more apt, at times) were filled with ovine metaphors.&nbsp; Sheep, goats, shepherdesses, flocks.&nbsp; <em>Am I the shepherdess</em>?&nbsp; She thought about that thought for a moment, her lamp swaying in the darkness, listless faces contemplating her, cellar doors creaking open.&nbsp; <em>Oh, Danae, I am ever so frightened of those thunderclaps.</em>&nbsp; It was too late by then, in the draughty, cold, lightless dormitory, for Danae's fingers were already easing up the hem of a plain white linen nightgown.&nbsp; <em>No, perhaps I am become the wolf.&nbsp; Perhaps I have always been the wolf and these madwomen, these doctors charged with this the bedlam are the shepherdesses.</em><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's action plan</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae will attempt to escort any inmates who wish to leave upstairs, but will not insist on any who do not wish to follow her.&nbsp; She will help Emma up the stair, and try to ensure that Delphine follows, too.&nbsp; Once upstairs, she will interrogate Dr Blanche on how to remove the masks.</div></div>&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>01-03-2021, 01:32:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(https://i.imgur.com/EHfIEW0.png)<br><br><em>Cellar<br>Danae, Margaret, Michelle, Zoe</em><br><br>A master key afforded its wielder great power to clear the way for those women in isolation, but could not remove their individual bondage. Once Danae's light and authority had moved on, from one row of cells to the next, the murmuring began.<br><br>"You have, you have something in you," was one maniac's mantra in darkness, soft but resolute. "I am a chirurgeon, you have something in you. Listen to me, I am a, a chirurgeon, you must, you have something in you."<br><br>Her madness gave the others permission to voice their own.<br><br>"The light is a pearl, let me hold it," one whispered.<br><br>"Why does she have the key," another hissed in such diabolic anger her body trembled. "Tell me truly if you have loved the Red Woman."<br><br>The prisoner in bloodied bandage was more cooperative, though weak. Michelle and Zoe steadied her to leave the cell and prevent her fainting. Her skin, now, was pale, and her muscles starved of the nutrients in blood.<br><br>The one in leather brace identified herself as surely Emma La Berche even through the mask.<br><br>"I know you," Emma said, and the mask turned every which direction to study Danae through slit eyes, changing expressions with the way the lantern light graced its graven features. "From the saloon. But you must have died, how are you here now?"<br><br>"These butchers take away women to be brainwashed. Tell me something only the genuine article would know."<br><br>Those six inmates who remained unidentified showed no interest in cooperating with Danae's escape plan. At first opportunity, each was ready to bolt and sow chaos into the attempt.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae may make an Intimidate check</div><div class="spoiler_body">Since Danae has experience as a solider, she can make this check with Advantage, rolling twice and taking the better result.<br><br>If the result is a 10-14, Danae is able to take command of two of the unidentified maniacs, and the remaining four scatter.<br><br>If the result is 15 or greater, Danae is able to herd all of the unidentified maniacs at once.<br></div></div><br><br><hr><br><em>The Parlor<br>Aloisa, Doctor Blanche</em><br><br>"Aloisa, Eloise, both with knives out," mused Doctor Blanche.<br><br>"I don't much care for the type of music where dance is prescribed and orderly. If your feet veer sinister, let them play, I say. This music is meant to awaken something within you deeper and older than discomfiture. Listen."<br><br>Firm nails plucked the strings as a twinkling prelude, and Doctor Blanche's bow sawed in a tight, compact rhythm, following the metronome of a beating heart. Round and round the appealing melody wrapped until its communication with the heart, the breath was lock step, and when the tune proceeded to dip, to soar, a compelled heart could not but oblige. Faster, faster, an endless ocean of meandering variation. In oatmeal socks her feet danced in light steps, in twirls, threatening to draw Aloisa's heart in tighter control the very flame illuminating them.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Aloisa must make a Wisdom save, DC 13</div><div class="spoiler_body">On a success, Aloisa is able to enjoy the performance with a clear head.<br><br>On a failure, Aloisa is instead charmed for as long as Doctor Blanche plays.</div></div><br><br><em>♫ "Aloisa, Aloisa,<br>Comes stepping along<br>She don't make a sound<br>Where she has gone<br><br>She goes out in the evening<br>When the bats are on the wing<br>And she'll kill some young maiden<br>Before the birds sing."</em><br><br>It was around this time that Danae had opportunity to return to the parlor, with the spoils of her venture.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>01-03-2021, 05:31:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - First Floor - Guest Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>&nbsp; Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr. Blanche<br><hr><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Wisdom Save: Success</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2021-02-28 21:46:48, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a2 Result: 21 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=152096)</div></div><hr><br>Aloisa gave a chuckle, remembering some of the more wild Vistani dances she had seen and heard as a guard, the Wild Rythme, the dances that moved fast and free in a shock of color so different from the drab brown and greys in town. She fights the flinch that wells up when the doctor starts playing, but has to admit... It is a very beautiful song, maybe the woman was more a bard then doctor? But something, just some small... Thing, in the music sends a small buzz down her spine, like a shard of ice rolling down her bare skin that kept her sharp, though she did allow herself to sway a bit to the tune. though, the bit about her killing young maidens gets the smallest, politest cough but no real interruption beyond that..
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>08-03-2021, 01:37:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Cellar&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br>Her patience exhausted with cryptic pronouncements, she spoke plainly, as she might to her own charges, or domestic servants, "There will be enough time for rumination when we leave this place.&nbsp; For now, I shall have your co-operation, Mesdames, and I shan't accept any argument in that regard.&nbsp; I am no apparition.&nbsp; For now, I am your sole salvation from this place of madness.&nbsp; So I pray you, no more argument.&nbsp; You shall follow me."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Intimidation Check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2021-03-07 18:28:24, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 2d20k1m4 Result: 22 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=152192)</div></div><br><br>Danae drew her lantern into a semicircle, the light swaying, flame flickering, so that she would be sure she had her shell-shocked flock in tow.&nbsp; "There is nothing further for you here.&nbsp; It is time for us to ascend from this darkness."<br><br>On her way upstairs, she caught the distant hum of musical strings being plucked.&nbsp; A low, doggerel tune, it sounded to her, like one would find in an alehouse.&nbsp; <br><br>"Aloisa," she called to her companion, "it is time for us to leave.&nbsp; We should have no further business here." In truth, she feared an escape with a retinue of useless and wounded charges.&nbsp; Still, her honour compelled her.&nbsp; She had been appointed trustee of the survivors of the wreck of the <em>Charlotte</em>, and this was not so much a duty as it was a higher calling.&nbsp; To the Doctor, she said, "We have all that we need now, and we shan't trouble you further.&nbsp; I trust you will grant us safe passage."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>16-03-2021, 23:58:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Those lunatics from the cells below proved enough broken by abuses of the asylum's mistresses that even Danae's alien authority compelled them. A throng of them were cowed into a line stretching beyond Danae's light, and carefully, quietly crept up the pantry stairs behind their commander, tense with the fear of being caught and sentenced to ever worse punishment.<br><br>Into the parlor's fiery light, and the tune of music.<br><br>♫ <em>"Few understand the pain of a woman<br>Loved by the moon and the comp'ny of knives<br>There's skill to surviving, out there alone<br>Knowing from instinct the taking of lives."</em><br><br>The promise of freedom afforded by Doctor Blanche's cavorting awoke something. Doctor Blanche did not pause her playing to exchange pleasantries. Instead, the intense focus she dedicated to the music pulled away members of Danae's company, to the other side of the firelight. Despite Zoe's best efforts, Michelle and the wounded Delphine left her for the song of the mad violinist.<br><br>♫ <em>"Free she may go, tarry her not<br>And these six are taken in trade<br>Does maiden or death own this night<br>When toll to the piper is paid."</em><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Doctor Blanche has charmed several of your charge</div><div class="spoiler_body">Emma, Delphine, Michelle, Margaret, and two unnamed, shackled lunatics are charmed into joining Doctor Blanche.<br><br>Emma, Delphine, and Michelle are only moving at half speed and so haven't gone very far.<br><br>Margaret and two lunatics are now with Doctor Blanche.</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>22-03-2021, 07:43:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - First Floor - Guest Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>&nbsp; Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr. Blanche<br><hr><br>Aloisa blinked and smiled as Danea reappeared, rather quick... But with others in tow, and some from the ship! "Danae, you're-" her welcome cut off by Danea prompting her to leave with them.. And then the music changed, a frown curling her lips as she watched the others begin to move and totter over to the Doctor.. "Doctor Blanche.. This was not what was agreed upon. Unless by help, you meant obedience.." There had been a nagging notion in her head the doctor was not as charitable as she had seemed.. "I politely <em>Insist</em> that you stop and release our companions..."<br><br>She relaxed her body, looking over the doctor slowly awaiting her response...<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Insightful Fighting: 19 (contested by Deception)</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2021-03-22 00:42:16, TheLaughingOne (uid: 60096) rolls: 1d20a4 Result: 19 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=152400)</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>27-03-2021, 02:48:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - First Floor <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br>"Enough of this nonsense," Danae went straight for Dr Blanche, "what is it you seek?&nbsp; What do you gain from prying into our minds, and lulling my companions into madness?"<br><br>To her wards, she barked, "You shall follow me, and me alone.&nbsp; There is nothing in this bedlam for you but more madness."<br><br>If Aloisa was poised, observing, ready to act, then Danae would seek the strength of their momentum.&nbsp; Together, they were two against one.&nbsp; "I <em>command</em> you to stop that infernal racket!"&nbsp; The rage was flowing through her now, a sense of profound existential despair.&nbsp; If this was not her well-deserved chastisement in the hereafter, she did not know what could be. "Now I shall ask once more, good Doctor, make your desires plain, or let us be."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae's action plan</div><div class="spoiler_body">If Dr Blanche does not desist playing, Danae will try to knock the violin out of her hands with a non-lethal unarmed strike: At 2021-03-26 19:45:34, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20k1m4 Result: 18 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=152437)<br><br>If Dr Blanche responds to Danae's queries, she will listen, but insist that she and the survivors of the <em>Charlotte</em> be allowed to leave.</div></div> 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>03-04-2021, 23:06:06</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Playful Doctor Blanche led this celebration around the spacious parlor, around the dancing flame, bounding from chair onto table to outmaneuver pursuit and ride the wave of revel forward. It were the voices of sense and reason made to look foolish, as the soaring spirit of the moment turned against them, and pushing through this folly Danae was met with violence.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae takes a bit of damage</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae takes just 1 damage from an unarmed strike.<br></div></div><br><br>But Danae's strength came as some surprise, and the violin tore from Doctor Blanche's taunting fingers with a discordant shriek. The jovial spirit left Doctor Blanche, finding herself in a crowd of freed prisoners and the music's hold on them gone.<br><br>It was then the storm picked up in earnest, and if Doctor Blanche screamed as masked lunatics dragged her in manacled hands and ragged fingernails, the sound was drowned by a deafening clap of thunder. Whatever dark fortune protect the lonesome asylum was vanishing as surely as Doctor Blanche's command, and the walls rattled, the gnarled trees beyond broke like muskets firing.<br><br>The hatred of those lunatics for their unmasked captor was singular. Doctor Blanche's face went purple in fruitless effort to twist free.<br><br>"Let them kill her," Emma La Berche croaked, her voice so dry and weary.<br><br>"Stop!" Zoe protest. "This is most heinous!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>06-04-2021, 06:30:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - First Floor - moving to Second Floor&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br>"Enough!" Danae called to the inmates, fearful that even her own voice of command would be insufficient to dissuade them from venting their anger on Doctor Blanche.&nbsp; Outside, a storm had stirred, hammering windows with howling wind and driving rain. There was a draught in the place, rattling the doors, and the asylum seemed to ache under the weight of the elements.&nbsp; In pitch blackness outside, and the foul weather that no doubt first birthed the squall that claimed the <em>Charlotte</em> there would be no sense in leaving just yet.&nbsp; And that was just as well, provided that the Good Doctor knew anything about the madness they had seen in the bedlam. She would be of use to them.&nbsp; But first, the chains and fetters of the bedlam's cruel regime would need to be cast asunder.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Search 1</div><div class="spoiler_body"> Danae will search Doctor Blanche's person for any keys that will enable her to un-manacle any of the prisoners</div></div><br>"I fear we shall have to be your guests for a little longer," Danae told Dr Blanche, "with great reluctance on our part, I would add, but there is no sense braving the elements and I, for one, require some rest."&nbsp; She led the inmates and Blanche upstairs to the withdrawing room.&nbsp; The points of entry there were limited.&nbsp; She could barricade the passage between the baths and the corridor, and the second access door to the withdrawing room with some furniture - a bookcase or an armoire were of little concern now that she had eager hands to help.&nbsp; <br><br>To her wards she said, "For now we shall all remain in sight of one another.&nbsp; Madame Kriechjagd and I will find food and water if needed, but for now it would be imprudent to wander this place.&nbsp; If the other Doctors have gone, they shall soon return, and if they have remained, I fear they will wish to reclaim all that they think theirs.&nbsp; But first, I wish to rid myself of these absurd uniforms." <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Search 2</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae will take her time to search the second floor for any non-asylum clothing she might find</div></div><br>To Aloisa she said, "I would leave once the storm abates.&nbsp; For now it is enough that we have rescued those survivors we have found.&nbsp; I would gladly welcome some rest before dawn." Outside, the blackness of the forlorn island appeared so deep and impenetrable that Danae found herself doubting that she would ever see morning light again.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheLaughingOne</strong> on <strong>08-04-2021, 17:01:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=307109.msg15797419#msg15797419">Quote from: TheLaughingOne on 22-03-2021, 07:43:24</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/xVOh4uv.png)</div><strong>Name: </strong> Aloisa Kriechjagd<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - First Floor - Guest Room<br><strong>Wearing: </strong>&nbsp; Basic clothing, leather armor<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr. Blanche, Danae, unruly mob<br><hr><br>Aloisa rushed forwards as Danae bowled through the crowd, taking a few slaps and scratches from the group as she stormed and disarmed the doctor, and the previously spelled group began to turn on her, "Ladies. Calm. I know what has happened is upsetting, but remember yourselves." As she moved through she put a hand on shoulder, or some other light gentle touch to try and reassure them, "Let us not devolve into barbarism and prove these frauds right." She moved to stand in front of Blanche, "Well <em>Doctor</em>, I hope you are feeling in a mood that is actually helpful this time, and less duplicitous... We wont fall to your methods... But theres nothing to say we wont leave you tied to a chair with the only thing a light in the fireplace being your instrument, and wonders of just how your "colleagues" will treat you. Help us get free, and i think we can be reasonably happy with bringing you along to go your own way once we find proper land.." <br><br>She walked over to the discarded instrument and picked it up, looking it over carefully before cinching it to her belt, "And if you can do so without trying to betray us again, we might even give you this back." She nodded to Danae as she set out her thoughts on the situation, "I agree... If it helps i can take the first watch while you rest. After that we should see about finding lanterns, oil ones. Id like something quite flammable to throw at that thing if it shows up again..."<br><br>She sighed looking out the window to the darkness outside, finding she actually missed her old walks through the dark quarters of town with who knew what lurking in the shadows of the alleyways... It suddenly felt MUCH safer then here.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>17-04-2021, 07:58:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A shaken but still breathing Doctor Blanche lay recovering from her ordeal whilst Danae rummaged the tucks and folds of fabric, a maze of pleats and gussets and lace accents and here and there, a surprise brush of quite ticklish skin. So many treasures for the discovering sprawled out beside the parlor fire, the fruits of Danae's search were as follows.<br><br>A small snap clasp purse in paisley white, containing a medical case with needle and stoppered vial, round-lensed glasses, hair comb, tins of rosin and wax, and accountrements of beauty.<br><br>A silver chatelaine containing tiny scissors, vesta, tuners, and toggle tool for unlocking porcelain masks.<br><br>Skirt lifters concealing folded fan, perfumed white gloves, lace hankie holder on silver ring, and tiny skeleton keys to unlock prisoner manacles.<br><br>At last, a large brassy key tarnished from handling, identical to Doctor Noire's door key.<br><br>Once Doctor Blanche recovered her senses and felt her neck still intact, she reluctantly addressed Aloisa.<br><br>"Once I had the measure of you," Doctor Blanche groaned, "it became clear the only tool in your repetoire for winning your freedom is force. I <em>did </em>try to help you, this is the truth. I would have thrown an empassioned audience against your jailors and given you a chance, at least. But so beholden are you to your illusions of civility, it's back to mired in these useless whiffle-whaffles."<br><br>"We have tried doing this the civil way, as a consortium of doctors, and it hasn't worked. I would have you embrace your madness and in one swoop seize power and expose the imposters among us."<br><br>Eloise remained where she had been instructed to sit, not possessed even of the curiosity to turn her head once the violence was underway. She remained catatonic, or perhaps empty-headed, as a guiding hand was sufficient to coax her back upstairs to the withdrawing room.<br><br>Doctor Blanche, given the choice, voiced a preference Aloisa make good on her threat and leave her to her fate. Even so, she was in no condition to refuse an insistent escort upstairs.<br><br>But the masked lunatics let loose in the upstairs halls were still amok, stopped only by the withdrawing room doors. It was not safe to venture out from there in search of change of clothes, lest a confrontation unfold right there in the dark corridor.<br><br>Margaret, Michelle and Zoe, catatonic Eloise, masked Emma and Delphine and six unidentified lunatics, and perhaps Doctor Blanche, too, all crowded into the withdrawing room whose windows faced the flashing lightning. There were precious few seats to go around, but light enough to see by.<br><br>"It's a bit like the saloon, isn't it," said Michelle. "Like being stuck in the saloon on the voyage, and listening to...the waves outside."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>23-04-2021, 14:49:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Second Floor&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br>She heard the driving rain beat upon the windowpanes.&nbsp; The moans of the wind. The flickering of the candles inside seemed like pale imitations of the furious gale outside.&nbsp; To secure the area was an illusion, of course.&nbsp; If the doctors had fled, or simply chose not to make their presence felt, she did not know.&nbsp; She decided to relieve herself of the evening's exertions and took a leisurely time to wash in the baths, scrubbing herself down with rough sponges and amber colored soap, eager to rid herself of the odious Asylum clothing.&nbsp; If she did not find her own, she would readily appropriate anything suitable from the Doctors' own wardrobes.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Search</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae will search the Second Floor for any appropriate alternative clothing and wear this in preference to the Asylum clothing. She will also search for any food or drink she can find, favouring something alcoholic to take off the edge.</div></div><br>To Aloisa she said, "I would rest - perhaps we should take watches.&nbsp; I do not wish to endanger our wards further. Doubtless, there is something out there, in all that blackness.&nbsp; Doubtless, the horrors of this place call to it."&nbsp; It was indeed a fear of the unknown, of the untamed, savage wilderness.&nbsp; The goblins she could tame with steel and gunfire - but this maelstrom of nature, mingled with the subtle evils that corrupted the mind and soul - over those things she had no dominion.<br><br>"Mesdames, we will bed down here for the night. It will doubtless be safer in here than it is outside.&nbsp; On the morrow, we shall see if we can finally leave this wretched place.&nbsp; You should avail yourselves of the baths, and any partake of any supplies we can gather."<br><br>Before they disposed themselves for sleep with all the lighting the could find, and Danae's preference for the plush sofa in the withdrawing room already expressed, she took the opportunity to review the injuries plaguing Emma and Delphine.&nbsp; Field medicine was an imprecise art, but she knew from experience that such matters needed tending first. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Medicine check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2021-04-23 07:46:44, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20k1m1 Result: 20 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=153052)</div></div> <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>04-05-2021, 22:44:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Unlacing the leather brace which kept Emma's leg straight was delicate work. The skin beneath proved tender, and elicited a hiss through the teeth coming off. It was a break which had been set in a hurry, and endured unknown traumas on the tossing waves, not to mention landfall. But beneath the bruising, the stitched seam on angry skin, the bone was aligned and mending. She had received all the care a doctor could provide. It was important to someone that she make a full recovery, unhobbled.<br><br>"They left us below because we were infirm," said Emma. "Everyone else was taken above."<br><br>Underneath Delphine's bandage showed a deep knife puncture on the side, beneath the ribs, similarly stitched. Broadly it was agreed that Eloise had been the one which wielded the knife, had accused Delphine and Garsenda of being witches. But now Eloise was rendered a vacant nitwit, and Delphine would doubtless regain her color and vigor given time.<br><br>"We don't know what awaits us out there," Margaret Hotspur cautioned Danae against leaving. "If we had but stay together on the ship, then maybe-"<br><br>But words alone could not stop Danae's grim work, and nothing more was on offer. Weary, afraid, ill prepared, not one rose to accompany her.<br><br>By Doctor Noire's key the hallway unlocked, and there in the hallway what light Danae brought illuminated pale legs outstretched from drab skirts, the gleam of porcelain masks. They were waiting for her, in the claustrophobic maze of upstairs halls, and roused from sluggish rest once Danae began to step through them.<br><br>"Murderer," one whispered. "Traitor," another, and "Adultress."<br><br>Hands grasped, clawing at the unwanted clothes of Danae, aggravating freshly healed back, all with the reckless abandon of sins pulling a woman down to hell. Danae could not be allowed to pass. Masked lunatics threw themselves at her until the hallway became hot and breathless with scant inches to struggle.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae should make an Athletics check, DC 11</div><div class="spoiler_body">If Danae is willing to wield deadly force, like her musket, she can make the check with advantage, rolling twice and keeping the best result.<br><br>On a success Danae can force through the lunatics and reach either Doctor Noire's quarters or Doctor Rehner's quarters. Getting to further rooms, or getting back, will require another check each time.<br><br>On a failure, Danae is going to be restrained by lunatics. </div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>08-05-2021, 03:38:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Second Floor&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Athletics check w/advantage</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2021-05-07 20:21:02, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 2d20k1m4 Result: 22 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=153271)</div></div><br>There was a horde of the pallid, faceless things out there in the dark corridors beyond the refuge that she had crafted for herself.&nbsp; Yes, she knew they would be there, waiting, testament to the madness bred in the asylum.&nbsp; And she pushed back their flailing hands, clawed in the grip of the damned, like they had arisen from the fever-dream of some parish vicar preaching a sermon of fire and brimstone.&nbsp; Emboldened as they were by their own madness, spouting libel at her, they had not the bodies of soldiers, nor the strength of women accustomed to working the land, and she pushed them back with butt of her musket.&nbsp; Against her, the assailants had only numbers. <br><br>"Wretches! Now, stand back!" Danae called through gritted teeth.&nbsp; They were many.&nbsp; They were legion.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>The darkness was pervasive, the lamplight dim, and she hastened into Dr Rehner's quarters, and barred the door closed behind her.&nbsp; <br><br>There were, she was certain, the souls of the damned wailing and wandering outside.&nbsp; There had, she remembered, been lurid printed depictions in the vast and dusty collection of her school's library of the state of despair that awaited souls that strayed too far into the paths of hopelessness and despond.&nbsp; Intricate little images of suffering: of the bound, the flagellated, the urticated, the flensed.&nbsp; To her, there had been something sensual in all that suffering, a kind of communion with an inner flesh that craved to feel the kiss of the lash.&nbsp; There had always been a frisson of pleasure when she dispatched goblyns - goblyns were by far the most satisfying because it was easier to look them in the eyes when you were running them through - with sabre or carbine.&nbsp; Oh, she had enjoyed soldiering, just as she had enjoyed wielding the cane as a prefect.&nbsp; When there had been a bright new plaything she wanted, all she had to do was manufacture an offence.&nbsp; <br><br>If she had indeed died on the <em>Charlotte</em> this bedlam was probably no more than she deserved.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Investigation</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2021-05-07 20:36:36, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20k1m1 Result: 14 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=153272)<br><br>Danae will search Dr Rechner's quarters carefully, taking her time seeking any spare clothing, equipment, and any documentation (assuming Danae can recognise it as such) of interest</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>21-05-2021, 17:09:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There was no way through them except by savage resort. Into the cone of light they sprang like wights from dark places, against Danae's steady advance. What became a mortal struggle was a terrible shattering of porcelain, crashing of bodies, dragging of dead weight. At last, a final effort of kicking, smashing cruelty found Danae on the other side of the mob, with every moment precious to pry open the door to Doctor Rehner's quarters and squeeze inside.<br><br>In the absence of all caution, the room proved blessedly unguarded and a safe haven, however temporary, from the singular effort focused on dragging Danae off into the dark. If the lock did not hold them, a stout chair jammed under the handle would do.<br><br>Doctor Rehner's room was overcrowded with the pursuits of overcoming the limitations of the mind. A bed, neatly made in coarse dark paisley, was shoved into the corner as an afterthought to the desk, the glass-doored bookcase behind, the long row of apothecary drawers, the shadowbox nooks filled to capacity with precious ampules, much of the contents desiccated and ruined with age.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Investigation results for the drawers</div><div class="spoiler_body">From the chemicals in the drawers, Danae could fashion 2 flasks of alchemist fire. </div></div><br><br>Positioned languid was a model of all the small bones of the hand, and in the bookcase behind were many volumes warped and salted by the journey from the mainland; references for a chirurgeon and a chemist. Some were so disintegrated that new titles had been stitched to the spines in leather: <em>Diseases of the Lung, Properties of Chemicals, Altendorf's Field Guide to Core Herbs, Piscis of the Other Orders, </em>and one bearing the name <em>Emalia. </em><br><br>What seemed to be a tall and dense tome under the name <em>Emalia </em>pulled from the shelf a wooden flatbox wrapped in a false cover. When the brass latch unhooked, it opened to reveal neatly folded wood paneling nested with such intricacy, the unfolding posed a puzzle to the rational brain. It was able to unfold into something far larger than its size might suggest.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Investigation results for the bookcase</div><div class="spoiler_body">Hidden on the shelf is a magical folding boat.<br>https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Folding%20Boat#content (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Folding%20Boat#content)</div></div><br><br>Along the wall stood a pair of wardrobes, one with the door open to show a heavy full-length coat or cloak missing. In colors of hunter green with gold, navy emerald, juniper and verdigris, Doctor Rehner preferred the double-breasted walking dress or levite gown with high, choking lapels, shoulder cape and flared bliaut sleeves. There was religion, Ezrite faith in the motifs of embroidered patterns and priestly sensibilities of the clothes, but the edges frayed and the embroidery bared unsightly strings so rigorously had the missionary life tested her.<br><br>Within the drawers were smaller clothes in linen jabot, muslin petticoats and silk frocks deeply ruffled around the decolletage, lace-yoked combing sacque, and smaller still intimates of coutil corsets, silk stockings, and intimates of pale lace and dark velvet.<br><br>With time, the effort beyond the door fatigued and subsided; the thumping relented. Doctor Heinfroth's lunatics would certainly be out there still, waiting, even in the dead of night.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>24-05-2021, 01:28:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Second Floor&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing <br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Actions</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae takes the alchemist's fire, which she will sling around her waist, and the folding boat</div></div><br>The pocket-boat could be of some use, though infused with sorcery as the thing doubtless was, it was not in Danae's domain to discern it true functionality.&nbsp; That was to be something for any of the survivors of the <em>Charlotte</em> with training in such matters to grapple.&nbsp; Assuming, of course, they had kept their sanity.&nbsp; She'd heard the name <em>Emalia</em> before and so took the book with her.&nbsp; Dr Rehner's taste in clothing was, predictably, not of Danae's preference and, no doubt, would have fit poorly too.&nbsp; The profusion of religious imagery was curious, though.&nbsp; The bedlam was at least on its face a place of science and, at least Danae had been led to believe, the world of science was one of reason that cast doubt on the old superstitions of old.&nbsp; It was a system of rationalise the way humanity understood the world, reducible to a core of empirical knowledge.&nbsp; And yet what did the acolytes of reason know?&nbsp; Not enough, even, to heal the human mind.&nbsp; There was infinitely more dark in the world than there was light.&nbsp; With her own eyes Danae had seen it, sensed the pervasive miasma of evil proliferate in her own home. <br><br>It occurred to her in that moment that her memory itself seemed to have been resected.&nbsp; She could remember the wreck of the <em>Charlotte</em>, her flogging by the swarthy captain of the <em>Mercy</em>, but other names and faces were more slippery.&nbsp; How many survivors had there been? She could not remember.&nbsp; Perhaps there were fewer now than there had been then.&nbsp; Phantoms?&nbsp; Who were the faceless voices in her mind, all jumbled up?&nbsp; She could remember home clearly: the cold wind on the moors, the herds of sheep bleating in the mist, pursued by some martinet collie.&nbsp; The scent of her wife's rosewater face cream, and the dewy, grassy aroma of Polly's hair after she returned from the orchard <em>no, from the Sabbath, you know well where she went, and with what she communed</em>.&nbsp; <br><br>Danae screwed her eyes shut, willing herself to overcome her exhaustion.&nbsp; This was no worse than sleepless nights on campaign.&nbsp; She went to the door, and pressed herself flat against it, waiting for her moment to lunge to Dr Noire's quarters.&nbsp; <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Athletics check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2021-05-23 18:16:56, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 2d20k1m4 Result: 20 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=153482)</div></div><br>Book and ensorcelled jigsaw puzzle underarm, she dashed out into the madding crowd of deranged inmates, and with the butt of her musket kept them at bay as best she could down the twilit corridors.&nbsp; <br><br>"Stand back!" She called out, "Lest the bottled fire fall, and this place go ablaze!"&nbsp; Burning down the bedlam was exactly what she would do once she was safely out.&nbsp; There was no other fate fit for a place such as this.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Investigation check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2021-05-23 18:26:25, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20m1 Result: 9 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=153483)</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Action plan</div><div class="spoiler_body">Danae will search Dr Noire's room in the same way she searched Dr Rehner's to find any documents, clothing, or weapons she can find.&nbsp; She will also look for any alcohol or narcotics.</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>31-05-2021, 08:06:14</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Threat of fire did not keep the asylum's lunatics at bay. Quite the opposite, as a beastly purpose awoke in the patients and set them after Danae. It was the Red Woman who feared fire, and the duty of her subordinates to smother it. But they proved unprepared for Danae's speed, and the wall of resistance came too slow. A smash of porcelain, a tumble of bodies, and she was through them into a dark, claustrophobic room.<br><br>Dust, mountains of dust- no, a pattern of slate on black like moth-eaten velvet, curtaining an ugly bed of the same joyless pattern. Poised over it was a black canopy like dark jaws poised to claim its sweat-slick occupant.<br><br>Doctor Noire aroused from her sleep in a slip of black, and lifted the lace sleep mask from her eyes when Danae's illumination shone upon her. Defeat was what the light revealed, a woman whose plans had gone so awry that all that remained was anticipation of her fate.<br><br>"I told you to destroy her, when you had the chance."<br><br>Doctor Noire clasped the icon of Ezra at her bosom, and lit a solitary lead-seated candle with unsteady fingers.<br><br>"Is this how you would conduct your final moments of autonomy, Mlle. Vine-Lott- thrashing, pounding the walls, casting threats not unlike a madwoman?"<br><br>What secrets lie within Doctor Noire's bedchamber were difficult to bare with the woman present. Whatever secrets her drab room contained, she was still the master of, even in this defenseless state.<br><br>The clothes folded into Doctor Noire's drawers were fit to a thin and severe woman, in pinstripe with gathered sleeves and stuffy lace edging, buttons small and plentiful, brocade cuffs, stiff belts of leather suitable for laying welts.<br><br>Not a solitary drop of alcohol. A dry asylum.<br><br>"If you require intervention to behave rationally, I may give it. You will be left weeping on my floor like an orphaned babe. But that is not how I wish to remember you, Mlle. Vine-Lott. I would remember you as a soldier facing the gallows with dignity. Give me that, and you may join me awaiting the grim morning."<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Investigation</div><div class="spoiler_body">Nothing of interest is found!</div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>04-06-2021, 02:11:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Second Floor - Dr Noire's room&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing, changing into Dr Noire's<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr Noire<br><br>"You can sleep, good Doctor, with all those madwomen outside? Such admirable fortitude." Danae pulled off the odious asylum uniform, discarded it briskly on Dr Noire's floor.&nbsp; It was warm enough that it did not feel uncomfortable to be nude, nor did she feel vulnerable.&nbsp; There was something in the Doctor's resignation that almost - <em>almost</em> - inspired pathos. "I trust I am healing well," she continued, for the Doctor had doubtless been adverted to her flogged back, "the captain of the <em>Mercy</em> saw to that.&nbsp; An impressive woman, Doctor, you should have seen her wield a martinet. I hadn't received a beating like that since school."&nbsp; From Dr Noire's wardrobe, she appropriated a ruffed shirt, trousers, boots.&nbsp; The fit was slapdash, but it was the best she could do.&nbsp; "I was quite vain, once, you know," she said to no-one in particular, and pulled a white ruffle shirt over her head, "everything I wore had to be tailored, just <em>so</em>.&nbsp; Part of the act, I suppose.&nbsp; Fortunately Father had the foresight to set aside enough to buy me a commission.&nbsp; Owning land and conducting the petty transactions of petty gentry is dreadfully dull."<br><br>She regarded herself in the mirror, fully dressed, with Dr Noire lying behind her.&nbsp; A bizarre sight, like something out of an interminable nightmare.&nbsp; "Can you assure me, Doctor, all of this real?&nbsp; You speak, as ever, in riddles, and perhaps it is time for me to become accustomed to that.&nbsp; But tell me this: everything in this place seems destined to futility; you call it a bedlam, and it is now filled with the ravings of the mad.&nbsp; You and your colleagues hold yourselves out as doctors, and the patients seem nowhere on their path to being cured.&nbsp; Speak then, plainly, what manner of place is this and what purpose does it truly serve?&nbsp; If some cataclysm is to strike at dawn, I may as well know." <br><br>She went Dr Noire's bed and placed the leatherbound <em>Emalia</em> by the pillow, "This name is of some importance.&nbsp; Would you care to expound?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>12-06-2021, 00:37:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"One grows accustomed to the queer sounds- the lamentations at night, the howling ocean, the groaning manor. You must have foreseen the frantic night ahead of you, when you accepted my key."<br><br>A playful cat's piqued eyes followed the slash of candlelight across Danae's naked silhouette. Her fingers were upon the lace mask, ready to hide behind it, but the moment passed.<br><br>"Forgive me then for being indirect, mademoiselle. We are beholden to appearances here, and it would put my station in jeopardy to overstate that which you can independently sleuth with but a brass key and a warning. You have rebuked her, the Red Woman, and now she rages in her prison. We will all suffer, when she returns."<br><br>A place was made for Danae on the dark-patterned bed, pale legs drawn up to Doctor Noire's body. She inspected the tome, and in trying to read, discovered for herself that the familiar spine from Doctor Rehner's shelf had never truly been a book at all. Unfolding it between her knees, and then placing it back was enough.<br><br>"Doctor Rehner approached me in Darkon with an offer to push my research to new frontiers here on the island. Here we would treat truly hopeless cases without oversight, as the science directed. Doctor Rehner bid me determine whether...within the void left when a truly broken mind is scoured clean, the habits of a more worthy person might take residence. This dead woman, Emalia, is whom she intended to evoke."<br><br>"A patient is brought quiescent through treatment, and my work is to ensure something else fills the void. We are none of us reasonably sure just what that is. Their malleability does not arise from innocence, the sight of their own faces grieves them. There is something wrong, and at the root of all that is wrong on the island is the terrible Red Woman."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>19-06-2021, 02:56:52</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Second Floor - Dr Noire's room&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Asylum clothing, changing into Dr Noire's<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr Noire<br><br>"Evoke the dead, then?" Danae pressed.&nbsp; In her was a stirring of sympathy for Dr Noire, who was perhaps as beleaguered and frustrated as she with the secrets that riddled the bedlam. "To what end?&nbsp; What significance is she that women of science would see fit to abandon reason, and to bring for those who should be left to lie?" <br><br>The Red Woman, though, the creature that had assailed them (or was it just her?) was an abomination.&nbsp; It could not walk under the light of day, and should be but a dim reminder of things past in an age of reason.&nbsp; But she could not forswear what she had seen with her own eyes.&nbsp; "What <em>is</em> the Red Woman?&nbsp; It was like no living creature I had ever seen before.&nbsp; The dark night breeds monsters, I know, but after years on campaign I had never seen such a thing.&nbsp; What does it want with us?&nbsp; We would merely quit this island.&nbsp; If she wishes to wallow in whatever madness she has made, she will hear no further from me.&nbsp; And you, good Doctor, how is it that you came here willingly?&nbsp; You spoke of thirst for knowledge.&nbsp; Did you not know better than to pry into the secrets of the soul?"<br><br>Then a thought occurred to her.&nbsp; Perhaps she <em>was</em> descending into madness, for her journey thus far had a nightmare quality to it, but she had to ask, "Have I been wandering this bedlam alone, or did I have companions?&nbsp; If so, how many?" There had been times when she had seen things she had been assured were not there.&nbsp; Now, in the solitude of Dr Noire's room, any secrets she divulged would likely remain so forevermore, "I was thought at risk of madness, you see.&nbsp; The alienist recommended that I take a leave of absence.&nbsp; I boarded a ship, the <em>Charlotte</em>, seeking to take the sea air.&nbsp; My sleep is...you might say troubled.&nbsp; The taint of evil had entered into my home, into my land.&nbsp; There were signs: a two-headed lamb, goose eggs hatching serpents, my housemaid painted red signs on her chamber walls, my milkmaid offering thimblefuls of cream mingled with blood to nameless things hidden in cobwebbed corners of the attic.&nbsp; These things, I was told, I had not seen, but merely conjured in my mind.&nbsp; But no, I know what I saw: I felt, I touched, and it was there in the plain light of day."&nbsp; <br><br>She peered straight into Dr Noire's eyes, "I see all things in <em>my</em> house, and know every word in the rustic vernacular of my servants.&nbsp; I have, you might say, the common touch.&nbsp; So, then, am I becoming mad, or is the world around me descending into madness, and mine eyes are yet filled with faltering light?&nbsp; So tell me, what have I remembered, and what is the mere phantasm of a fevered mind?" For an instant, her hand trembled, and she wished she had jenever or madeira to soothe her nerves. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>23-06-2021, 04:48:11</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Was there ever an Aloisa or Jacqueline, a Corinne, Faelyn or Medb? Doctor Noire paid a kindness in not answering, for if they had ever been flesh and blood, each woman's wink from existence like misspent imagination could only speak to something more horrible.<br><br>"Your grip has faltered already, else you would not have come."<br><br>The eyes looking back on Danae, catlike and dark, bore witness to a miraculous breakthrough. Would Danae let herself be touched? Doctor Noire's hands did not come as the cold, severe talons reserved for bathing and grooming patients clammy and pale, but to unveil the warrior spirit behind Danae's desperation. When it was found, she nodded her approval.<br><br>"But your mind is suitably clear to spare yourself the fate reserved for Doctor Rehner's psychotics. With clarity, now, and with purpose, we will wait out the storm."<br><br>Doctor Noire's grip on Danae tightened, perhaps fearing she, too, might wink away or flow into the pipes of the manor a slithering spy.<br><br>"Come morning, and what fresh bedlam it brings, we will take this thing you have found down to the sea caves and away from this place in secret."<br><br>"I will speak only a little of the Red Woman, if you permit me stroke you to sleep, mademoiselle. She sows distrust, and has no place in my bed. You must have seen how her shape rearranges to forms a shocking parody of flesh and fabric and the blush of life. But she is tethered by red ribbon to all her little doppelgangers, and in a room all black, she cannot hide."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>27-06-2021, 05:59:37</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Second Floor - Dr Noire's room&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Dr Noire's set<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr Noire<br><br>"If you know, you must speak, and I shall listen." Danae said, and followed cryptic, feline eyes, distrustful, like the good Doctor's namesake may have been a black cat.&nbsp; A witch's cat.&nbsp; They had kept shorthairs in the loft and in the storehouses for the mice and they were fierce.&nbsp; Never docile like tavern cats but yowling, angry, inflamed with insatiable wanderlust, massacring mice, bird, and all manner of vermin with well-practised cruelty.&nbsp; She had dispatched a few with a silver knife, but the taint of evil did not fade.&nbsp; The familiar had been crafty.&nbsp; Had she ever found a witch's teat on Polly?&nbsp; Her eyes were sharp, her memory good and she knew those fleshy, exaggerated curves well.&nbsp; Built for sin like the lusty country lass she was.&nbsp; Smooth, milky, freckled - a nest of glistening russet hair in the cavernous crevasse or her fat arse anointed with Danae's spit, back arching.&nbsp; Grunting, bestial coupling.&nbsp; But the girl had been smooth. No raised bumps.&nbsp; Nothing at all.&nbsp; Unless the cursed thing was hidden.&nbsp; She had been denied answers before.&nbsp; Too long. She would have them now.<br><br>"All I would know is that the source of madness was not within me.&nbsp; That I have seen true, and that my mind is not enfeebled, and dimmed with delusion."&nbsp; There was something uncanny in Dr Noire's touch.&nbsp; It was soothing, and Danae feared she might know the secret configuration of the nerves of the human body, and be counted among the number of those mystical practitioners from other lands of whom it was whispered in portside taverns - those who could induce sleep or trance with their hands alone by mastering certain secret arts devised by heathen priests and cenobites.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br><br>"What will you do?&nbsp; Entrance me?&nbsp; I was made to see an alienist, you know.&nbsp; He sought to soothe my nerves with mesmerism.&nbsp; And laudanum.&nbsp; So do what you must," she peered straight into Dr Noire's eyes, asserting her physicality as a soldier, "but if you seek to make resections of my mind and deceive my recall, you shall most assuredly regret it."&nbsp; No, she could not put herself in the hands of this demented practitioner.&nbsp; Not after all that she had seen.&nbsp; Every instinct told her to demur.&nbsp; But if there was any prospect of exiting the labyrinth of her own doubts, she would seize it.&nbsp; "Do what you must," she repeated, and gripped Dr Noire's wrist, "but do not tarry."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>24-07-2021, 18:32:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Entranced, no. I do not do that. You will see Doctor Rehner if you wish to be entranced."<br><br>Fingertips reached out too far, from a body stiffly rooted in a sea of black, parted trails into Danae's colorless hair. Out and back, back and nearer to her, nearer and over panther-black bedsheets, over her gowned lap she tempted Danae into her secret hiding place away from the Red Woman.<br><br>"You will see me if you wish to despair and anguish. I will do for you, if you ask me, but you will not enjoy it. More than not it is a punishment for unruly patients, and my technique has atrophied with inattentiveness to a blunt, crude club."<br><br>Danae was so beautiful as sweet air into the oubliette was beautiful, and Doctor Noire's fingers drew the stresses out from soldier's scalp one by one through uneven strands. Tarry, she did, tugging lightly at the periphery of touch, until she commanded a river in her hands and with it steered Danae's attention to the cracked and soot-stained ceiling.<br><br>"You have taken the laudanum."<br><br>The sea salt, the whipping wind, the sweat of panic and hot-hewn blood, Doctor Noire worked these tangles one by one under her nails with the saintly patience of a mother, a shadow, a cradle of quiet thighs beneath pounding skull.<br><br>"You know that release the Red Woman provides. When first I saw her, dead of night in the broken bath, I mistook her for Doctor Heinfroth. She was glistening, moving like a tongue without seeming to move at all. Like a ponderous liquid, like a sea creature, and I went to her."<br><br>Strokes along the ears, the brow, the tension of the scalp became no longer accidental but stretched the scope of her purview to a mask around the eyes, bidding them shut and relax.<br><br>"I felt her take something from me. Something as immaterial as a name, and freeing in its absence. In its place I felt a great ecstasy, bereft the weight of a burden leaden at the fore of my mind. There is great elation, at first. Those first times, in secret, skulking about after groaning pipes at night, I felt reborn. You understand, don't you, mademoiselle?"<br><br>A pause, to dim the light so low an errant breath could plunge them into darkness. On fading embers, a hair's breadth of retreated wick persisted.<br><br>"How bliss takes the ugly color of all bitterness and regret poured in. Would that you had destroyed her, we could be free of our sins. Instead she will shape this institution as she shapes herself, and there is naught we can do but wait. I will stay with you, mademoiselle, until the morning."<br><br>Doctor Noire's exquisite lace mask transferred to Danae's eyes, and drew loosely. In pretext, it would help Danae to relax, but so too was it necessary before Doctor Noire's hands crossed the point of no return, over the body of a married woman. Such sweet air, into the oubliette.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>01-08-2021, 11:54:12</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - Second Floor - Dr Noire's room&nbsp; <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Dr Noire's set<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Dr Noire<br><br>There was a moment of dépaysement, floating in Dr Noire's arms, cocooned in a strange, black, twilit place.&nbsp; For an instant, every muscle seemed to slacken, and the familiar sense of heady torpor overtook her.&nbsp; It was a sort of lassitude, not brutal, clubbing like the sleep of the exhausted, but the subtle strumming of an arpeggio of nerves that began to calm, gliding, slowing, hypnotic.&nbsp; <em>Adagio</em>.&nbsp; Quiet, the voice of Dr Noire stirred in her ears, syrupy.&nbsp; How queer the bedsheets, black like coal, how exotic the perfume in the air, redolent of tarry opium.&nbsp; She could taste the edge of delirium on her tongue.&nbsp; Dr Noire, svelte, and dusky, and dark-haired became feline.&nbsp; Eyes shone in the dark.&nbsp; There had been a black cat once in the pantry, ill-tempered, purring only when proffered saucers of heavy cream.&nbsp; She'd drowned it, wretched thing, in the pail of cold dishwater.&nbsp; She had hated its eyes.&nbsp; That thing, that familiar in the making.&nbsp; She could not take the risk.&nbsp; <br><br>"Destroy her," Danae reminisced the Red Woman, the formless thing that had emerged from the plumbing, "she is all around us, is she not?&nbsp; It would perhaps be easier to destroy the bedlam, than her."&nbsp; For their <em>sins</em>?&nbsp; What did Dr Noire know?&nbsp; Danae's sins could fill the pits of Gehenna.&nbsp; She thought she regretted them, but was that fear of punishment, or true contrition? "Which sins?&nbsp; What burden could the extinction of the Red Woman possibly take from us?" More questions.&nbsp; She took the lace mask.&nbsp; Eyes relieved of sight, shrouded.&nbsp; Shrouded from the accusing gaze of Ezra. <br><br>"Sins such as these?"&nbsp; Her blood pulsed thick, limbs slackening.&nbsp; Her hands were under Dr Noire's slip.&nbsp; It needed to come off.&nbsp; Brushing fingers - ah, so close.&nbsp; Her preference had never been for delicacy, but her hands were caressing when they should have seized flesh, bedclothes, hair - turned the lithe form of the woman embracing her into an instrument for her pleasure.&nbsp; And even as her desire surged, yet her limbs loosened, and fell limp.&nbsp; Yes, she would slip into the embrace of night.&nbsp; "Show me.&nbsp; I wish to see.&nbsp; I fear I have always been a woman of little faith.&nbsp; Scarcely can I believe that which I do not see with my own eyes."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>20-08-2021, 20:14:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Doctor Noire showed Danae that she had not a sliver of red ribbon on all her body, from fretful throat to beating breast to burning cleft to guarded ankle, one theft of black lace at a time. She showed Danae the motion of a tongue, the motion the Red Woman took, which was brimming with strength but all of it slick and undulating. And she showed Danae the transformation of a living body, of the delicate tapered trowel of a woman's hand into a shape blunt and fulsome and merciless, and the coal black sheets patterned with exquisite wet and pinching of teeth, and the dust shook down from the canopy's jaws for the first time in such a long time.<br><br>Perhaps Saint Ezra's eyes were averted that night, though her silvery likeness never left the handhold round Doctor Noire's neck.<br><br>In order to be reshaped, the old asylum must first come down, and not gently. When availed no more light to see it by, the strong wood groaned in the storm, and porcelain and mirror cracked apart, and the old elevator cable whirred wild, untethered. Even in the maelstrom of war or adrift on churning sea, a soldier must learn to sleep.<br><br>~ ~<br><br>The hallmarks of a dream were unmistakable, when Danae found herself in a white cot on a checkered floor with but a drawn white partition for walls.<br><br>Memory told it was the field hospital where she once lay, as a younger and more idealistic woman. But memory of the place was faulty and muddied with impressions, urges, anxieties into a place only eerily familiar. An old, old chapel turned respite for the wounded, and in a distant outdoors unglimpsed by any accessible window, the cracking of pitiless muskets.<br><br>Shapes, shadows, voices floated along thin white partitions promising tangible persons and answers only an effort away, and yet to draw a partition revealed nothing save an empty bed, the vanishing glimpse of nurse-skirts, discarded masks of porcelain.<br><br>(https://i.imgur.com/PsmKJBN.png)<br><br>"Can you remember the face of your lover," an elusive voice inquired, whether Doctor Heinfroth or the Red Woman. "Or your mother, or any woman you have known."<br><br>"Dream a mask for me to wear, mademoiselle, if you please."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>22-08-2021, 05:10:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Dreamlands <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Cavalry Officer's Uniform<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br>In the dream-lands, reality took the shape woven for it by the fevered hands of a narcotic-stunned mind.&nbsp; She was in her uniform again - a residue of gunsmoke in the air, a whiff or carbolic soap.&nbsp; Something metallic.&nbsp; <br><br>The voice in the back of her mind flattered her perception.&nbsp; Was it to reassure her that she could control the dream, and conjure up any image of her liking, or was it a game of like kind to what the alienist had played with her, to tease out the fragments buried deep in the recesses of her memory to piece them back together again?<br><br>"My mother?" Danae felt the weight of her rapier at her hip.&nbsp; In her cognizant mind, she knew it would be of scant use here, but on a primal, essential level, its presence at her side comforted her.&nbsp; What could she even remember there?&nbsp; Flitting images&nbsp; - they'd sent her off to board early.&nbsp; Danae's letters home had been superficial, matter-of-fact.&nbsp; The reality of the place was, as with all hierarchies, deeply unpleasant for those at the bottom, but with a glimmer of light by the end, especially when she'd been appointed prefect. Then what of Mother?&nbsp; Nothing - a rigid, unimaginative woman.&nbsp; Hard-headed, practical, '<em>Well that's the way she is, good Sir, and we could sooner change the tide</em>'.&nbsp; Papa had stared into the fire, brandy in hand, before pulling together the money to buy her a commission.&nbsp; There was no other way she could have been put to gainful use.<br><br>"Lovers?" Danae smirked.&nbsp; The void-eyed masks seemed to mock through soulless eyes.&nbsp; The nurses were faceless, black spaces under their bonnets, shuffling, humming some Ezraite psalm out of key.&nbsp; She could remember some of them from daily worship at boarding school, bleary-eyed cold and damp mornings in a draughty stone chapel.&nbsp; Soldiering was almost a relief after that.&nbsp; "Which ones? Do you think I have kept a tally?"&nbsp; It was in the nature of her mind not to dwell on the past, and to work backwards from the present, but she was no longer in control of her train of thought.&nbsp; Memories bubbled, effervescent. Ah, yes, was this a phantasm of desire?&nbsp; On an essential level, she'd learnt to despise girls of good breeding.&nbsp; The ones she'd had at boarding school hardly knew what they were doing - hesitant, clumsy, fearful.&nbsp; It was more fun to cane them for some imagined offence and then frig herself - much more practical that way.&nbsp; So it was the farm-girls, the shepherdesses, the barmaids.&nbsp; <br><br>'<em>Oh, that's right wicked, mistress,</em>' For an instant she was in the servant's quarters of the manor house drooling spit down the deep crevasse of Polly's arse, wild red hair dusting the yawing whorl of her fundament, cunny-hair sodden with milky juice, huge - she'd say <em>'ulking</em> in her thick moorside accent - tits swaying.&nbsp; "So it was," Danae hissed, "seduced by a witch, was I not?" <br><br>Back in the field hospital, wandering aimlessly, she remembered others.&nbsp; Rebecca at the <em>Red Lion</em> in Arden Bay: blonde, fat hips, and cravenly whorish for shillings dropped into her blouse.&nbsp; Tamsyn, the barefoot shepherd girl at Hope's End, who resting under an elm tree had gestured to Danae on horseback, lifted her blue gingham dress and spread pale, columnar thighs - an auburn nest.&nbsp; Not a word needed to be spoken.&nbsp; Practical - Danae had liked that.&nbsp; <br><br>"Lovers?" Danae reflected once again, a dim and unknowable light streaming through the high hospital windows, "Scarcely.&nbsp; Conquests, perhaps."&nbsp; What had she felt?&nbsp; Affection, perhaps.&nbsp; As for love, she could love her horse, her rapier, and not much besides.&nbsp; Those were all the things worthy of love.&nbsp; Even Ezra Herself was questionable.&nbsp; <em>She doesn't love you because you do not believe? Would she deign to speak to one bereft of faith?</em><br><br>"Wear Polly's mask, if you must, and tell me if my dreams were madness," Danae defied the weaver of her memories.&nbsp; "All that I know, perhaps, you have already seen.&nbsp; Or wear Tamsyn's mask, and tell me of your delight at your flocks being freed from the depredations of goblyns."&nbsp; Oh, yes, Tamsyn had seen all right: they'd strung up the survivors on a gallows atop a lonely hill in full sight of the Hope's End church.&nbsp; Thirty straggling goblyns, desperate, struggling, jabbering away in their hideous tongue.&nbsp; They didn't even blindfold them - just gave them the short drop (so it would take longer) and let them hang.&nbsp; Danae had enjoyed it, yes she had relished it, and the villagers, curious, unnerved, entertained, half-drunk on hard cider and furmenty laced with rum, stumbling like hideous fools at this bloody banquet.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>11-09-2021, 19:26:14</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				An idea formed, a silhouette drew across the white partition veil, and it was Tamsyn's fingers searching out the seam to draw the curtain gingerly open. She was smiling, seeing Danae for once in ages and remembering only the bliss together. All sins were forgiven.<br><br>She wore red, and at first the clothes were not right for a shepherd girl at all. But like woolen fluid pleat and gusset and stitchwork flowed, corrected, as though the hang of a sun dress had all along lurked in confounding folds and simply needed a shake out to take shape.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Danae should make an Insight check, DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">On a success, Danae is able to intuit that this manifestation is reading her surface thoughts- images, impressions, and emotions. Deeper thoughts are still being protected and don't seem to influence the manifestation's appearance.</div></div><br><br>Still Tamsyn bore a shawl across the small of her back, tied loosely wrist to wrist, and trailed without end like a long bridal train beyond the white partition and endlessly into dream. A red bride, barefoot and unchanged from the form crystalized in Danae's mind, except to represent her best and most beautiful ideal.<br><br>"Con...quests." This was not an idea commonplace to the asylum commune, and Tamsyn breathed it in, drawing medium from the dreamspace and delighted by a fresh new approach to intimacy as a selfish, bestial thing devoid of investment. It suited her, as a thing of dreams beyond mortality.<br><br>"Yes, we exist as your playthings, to keep or discard at whim."<br><br>Flush with the exhilaration of reunion she kissed Danae, from beneath the plush bottom lip, from a place of pleading. As she did, her fingers searched along the skin, searched out a seam.<br><br>"It isn't right for a conquest to reserve such space in your mind or instill such grief."<br><br>A tug, under the surface of the skin. There Tamsyn pinched between thumb and knuckle a satin red ribbon which pulled from Danae bloodlessly. The feel of it leaving was nauseating but freeing, a sickness excised, and Tamsyn promised to pull a little more, a little more.<br><br>There were a pair of long fabric shears in Tamsyn's unoccupied hand, its steely polished rings offered for Danae to command.<br><br>"Yours to keep or discard at a whim. Don't you wish to be free of it? Sever that string, Danae Vine-Lott. It can do you no harm, tis only a dream."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>15-09-2021, 02:24:46</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Dreamlands <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Cavalry Officer's Uniform<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The dream <br><br><em>Playthings?</em>.&nbsp; Precisely.&nbsp; She had wanted it all, and her animus possidendi yet ruled her.&nbsp; The thrill, the frisson of conquest.&nbsp; That was why she had become a soldier: scholarship was numbing, managing a windswept manor dull beyond description.&nbsp; The visceral passions, the wanton ones of the oldest kin of Man: hunting, warfare, fornication.&nbsp; Those were the only worthy pursuits.&nbsp; And yet she had to pretend it was not so because the canons of Ezra would make her forswear flesh, and all frivolity.&nbsp; So such things were to kept secreted in hidden places, under a veneer of civility.&nbsp; Now that veneer cracked, and the mask slipped.&nbsp; The dream spoke to her, thrust tendrils in her mind, irresistible.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Insight Check</div><div class="spoiler_body">At 2021-09-14 18:37:12, MdG (uid: 41210) rolls: 1d20a1 Result: 8 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=155785)</div></div><br>It may as well have been a phantasm out of her own mind, all-knowing, and all-consuming.&nbsp; Tamsyn's form was not a mere apparition, but a flawless facsimile.&nbsp; Here there was no sense of the uncanny, and the sensory barrage overwhelmed her reasoning mind.&nbsp; A fine dress Tamsyn wore, perhaps, but Danae could clutch familiar hands roughened by clutching crook and shears, inhale the scent of fresh-cut hay and straw and wild meadow-flowers with which country lasses were wont to garland their necks and tresses.&nbsp; She submerged herself in the memory, embraced it.&nbsp; When she'd first kissed Tamsyn, she'd tasted rough and sweet country cider, the good pressings of the last drabs of autumn, and that same savour was again on her tongue.&nbsp; The little harlot had known full well what she'd wanted, and the hem of her blue gingham dress came up, teasing dark curls kissing the inside of milky white thighs.&nbsp; Not coy at all.&nbsp; Not hesitant.&nbsp; Not tremulous.&nbsp; <em>"I reckon I've a nice cunny, don't you?"</em>&nbsp; Coquettish smile of a country girl who knew her power, and how to wield it.&nbsp; When she reached under the billowing red dress, her fingers encountered the same copious slickness and Tamsyn giggled, red tongue pressed to pearly upper teeth, a strangled laugh.&nbsp; She wanted her again, then - wanted her dimpled arse, ever-juicing cunny, and tireless tongue.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"A few pennies for a shepherd-girl's purse, M'Lady?" Tamsyn had asked when Danae was tying her breeches out in the hayloft with the new morning sun streaming through the rafters.&nbsp; Always smiling.&nbsp; Radiant. <br><br>"What do you lack?&nbsp; Some sparkly bauble?"<br><br>An inane giggle, "Ribbons, M'Lady - for my hair.&nbsp; I reckon you'd like scarlet ones, but they's dear, they is."</em>&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>"Sever the string?&nbsp; To relieve the pain - the stain of guilt?"&nbsp; No, the taint of guilt and of sin could not easily be washed clean.&nbsp; It had infested her, become her.&nbsp; <br><br>Clenching a length of red ribbon in her fist, Danae pulled Tamsyn close.&nbsp; Fabric spooled and fluttered, like a child's toy.&nbsp; She had never wanted any ribbons in her hair when she was a girl.&nbsp; "Shall I not carry my own weight?"&nbsp; From the dream-Tamsyn's hands she took the shears.&nbsp; If she was free of the memory, could she be free of the sin?&nbsp; Could Ezra judge her on facts of which she had no recollection, which may even have been excised from reality?&nbsp; A single attempt could not hurt.&nbsp; The procession of her conquests was long - doubtless, she'd forgotten the names and faces of some.&nbsp; Could another omission hurt?&nbsp; <br><br>Danae's fingers clenched out of impulse, and the shears sliced.&nbsp; "If I am to forget, who shall I now see, instead of you?"&nbsp; &nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>18-09-2021, 02:30:26</strong>
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				A mask.<br><br>Tamsyn's face was a mask, graciously accepting the severed ribbon from Danae. The shears were quite sharp, after all, and rid Danae of her burden without complaint. In the attic of the mind, new space opened where accursed things once squat in disrepair, and why should that not bring joy? A world of thrilling possibility opened up, scented with the freshness of Spring after the rain, space enough to dance and delight and once more frolic bereft the claustrophobic press of regret. No more narrow paths, prescribed by a lifetime of hard lessons learned.<br><br>Now more brides came to Danae, one by one, as the mind whirled to spin again the face of Tamsyn and conjured instead the nearly forgotten, and matron among them, Polly.<br><br>"Give up all of your pain," Polly pleaded.<br><br>Polly's fingers were at home in Danae's hair, comforting a wild animal of its destructive urges. Three more pairs of hands were on Danae's body, exposing the skin, finding ribbon beneath the surface. A web, a red web braided from hand to hand, awaiting only the slice of shears to truly eviscerate Danae of her burdens.<br><br>"And I will show you my face, if you wish it. I will have a proposition for you, then, but we must make space for it in your heart. Begin again with me, as you have so many lesser women. I offer you fulfillment. I offer you authority. I offer you the cane."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>19-09-2021, 12:03:12</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Dreamlands <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Cavalry Officer's Uniform<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The dream <br><br>A web of red ribbons – a patchwork of her memories; if she cut them all, would she forget herself?&nbsp; She would, perhaps, become faceless and porcelain-masked like the inmates of this forsaken bedlam.&nbsp; What was a mind but the sum of its memories?&nbsp; In this place she could be effaced, until she forgot herself, and unburdened herself of her guilt.&nbsp; There could be no sin without cognizance of the act.&nbsp; And if the sin were forgotten by the sinner, how could she be made to pay the penalty for that which she could not recollect?&nbsp; <br><br>“If the memory goes, then the sin is excised? Like a gangrenous limb under the surgeon’s saw?”<br><br>Polly’s embrace was comforting, voluptuous.&nbsp; Enormous milky-white freckle-kissed breasts seemed almost to spill out of her red bridal gown.&nbsp; An errant memory surged in the roiling seas of Danae’s unconscious mind.&nbsp; The first time she’d taken her servant-girl had been in the pantry in the dim firelight, the wind lashing the moors.&nbsp; When tightly-laced blouse loosened, mounds of supple white flesh fell out, abundant, distended, luxuriant.&nbsp; She had the sensation of being enveloped in that generous flesh, the scent of hay, and butter, and carbolic soap, and the dense musk of Polly’s copiously wet cunny.&nbsp; But that had been deception, she was certain of it.&nbsp; Had Polly taken her blood, her hair, filings from her fingernails while she slept?&nbsp; Had her evening mug of negus contained some hedge-witch’s herb to lull her to sleep, while devils danced above her head? <br><br>The <em>Malleus</em> had been the only book she’d thought worth reading, and it was clear that red hair was a sign.&nbsp; So, too, were the chalk circles, the pots of ewe’s milk and sheep’s blood (black pudding, indeed!).&nbsp; The doubt assailed her dreams, and she’d been certain. <br><br><em>Seduced by a witch.</em>&nbsp; She, Lieutenant Danae Vine-Lott of Lord Weathermay’s own Horse Guards, had fallen to infernal deception.&nbsp; Now she could purge that disgrace, blot the stain – once and for all.&nbsp; <br><br>Scarlet ribbons fluttered, tendrils snaking, caressing bared skin. <br><br>“Take away this weight,” Danae breathed. <br><br>In another memory limpid like the moon on a placid lake, she recalled the draughty manor-house kitchen, rain battering the windows, and by candlelight Polly and Jane, the tow-haired chambermaid, giggling by candlelight, leafing through an illustrated Dementlieuse edition of <em>De omnibus Veneris Schematibus</em> that had survived, unexpurgated, in her wife’s family library.&nbsp; Hushed, conspiratorial whispers, <em>”Oh, those Dementlieuse girls will do anything, won’t they?&nbsp; Ye needn’t have the learning to know the words if you’ve the pictures!”</em> Jane was giggling, squirming in her chair, <em>"Ye think lasses there just shear all the hair off their quims or is they made that way?"</em> <br><br>She knew how it had happened; how she had birched them for idleness and debauched with both of them in the guest quarters, only to slide back into her own bed before the first light of dawn.&nbsp; This time, though, when Danae walked in, they turned to face her, each wearing a porcelain mask.<br><br>“Now, harken to me, and know that I want her gone,” Danae was only faintly conscious that she might be addressing the puppetmistress behind her dream, “this you already know - that I want all of them gone.&nbsp; Let me be reborn.&nbsp; Show yourself to me, if you wish, so that we may speak face to face.&nbsp; But when you do speak plainly, for I am weary of riddles.”&nbsp; <br><br>Shears in hand, she lashed out, scything fluttering ribbons.&nbsp; She wanted Polly to be nothing but a porcelain mask: listless, lifeless, without past or future.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>“But tell me, what will become of my fellow-passengers? They, I am duty-bound to assist.”&nbsp; She wanted to add, <em>if, of course, they were ever there at all</em>.&nbsp; &nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>19-09-2021, 22:45:02</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				When the shears had finished cutting, so many shocks of crimson spray across the hospital floor. What was gone could never be reclaimed from those lifeless ribbons. Faceless, masked strangers of women withdrew from Danae without a word, without a single attachment, only a whisper of fabric and a slosh of viscous fluid.<br><br>"No riddles at all. I bare myself to you."<br><br>No longer were the spilled ribbons made of satin, but latticed pseudopods of red ooze. Each tongue slithered back into a whole, and from a quivering heap likely to topple and spill, the shape of Doctor Heinfroth all in shades of red steadily resolved, as the miracle of life from amorphous egg.<br><br>"I will give them to you, the lion's share of those passengers. Many of them have shed their regrets, as you have, and will be very malleable henceforth. There existed but a few too disagreeable to peaceful life on our island of Dominia, and I was forced to consume them. I am sorry, truly, for they are gone."<br><br>This time, Doctor Heinfroth did not bother to disguise her nature, did not take the pink hues of a living woman and the opacity of flesh and satin. She was, all of her, one flowing translucent permeable solution, with flourishes of luxurious bustle and spilling corset, with fizzing bubbling chemical reactions beneath the surface of her heavy-lidded eyes and nothing, throughout the whole of her, which ought to contribute to sapience.<br><br>"You may feel out of sorts on waking, Captain Vine-Lott, and discover gaps in your memory, but your dedication to duty will see you persevere. You will take command of my ship, the <em>Mercy, </em>to deliver them safely to the mainland. There in Martira Bay the <em>Mercy </em>and her mission are known, and fresh patients will await you for transfer to the island. Their families have remanded them to the expert care of doctors Heinfroth and Rehner, Blanche, and Noire for qualities and curiosities unbecoming of cultured marriageable women."<br><br>"I expect you will find these impertinent mademoiselles to your pleasure, and if you do not, you may punish as you see fit. Consider it your prerogative to scour any notion of witchcraft you detect, for you are the expert in that regard. I ask only that you keep such rigors secret from eyes beyond the <em>Mercy, </em>and deliver your charge to me heart beating and cranium intact."<br><br>"May I trust you, on waking, to carry out this duty?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>20-09-2021, 13:57:45</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Dreamlands <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Cavalry Officer's Uniform, fading into Captain's Uniform<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> The dream <br><br>Only faintly was Danae aware of the process of forgetting.&nbsp; The faces, the happenings, the words spoken and heard, unspooled like a threadbare rag, before drifting off into blackness.&nbsp; An old serpent sloughed off its skin, and Danae cast off her memories, leaving only a procession of faceless, formless dolls, masked in spotless porcelain.&nbsp; She clung to the indispensable – fencing, riding, shooting, the book-learning she scarcely tolerated, and the geometry and arithmetic that she had enjoyed a little more.&nbsp; <br><br>When it came to her wife, to Abigail, her choice wavered.&nbsp; She had been so pretty and elegant, but how prim, and how fussy, so similar to the timid, nervous boarding school girls with clumsy hands and hesitant tongues.&nbsp; Their <em>maritals</em>, as Abigail would have it, were perfunctory – Danae could sometimes wring an uninspired climax by frigging herself with her wife bent over, face buried in the pillows, so she could at least pretend this fair heiress of prominent country squires was a barmaid or country lass whom Danae could simply <em>fuck</em>.&nbsp; Abigail would go, too, and Danae severed the ribbon. <br><br>There was a ceremony, once, in a house of Ezra.&nbsp; The peal of bells, the shuffle of a white gown, the unintelligible murmur of an assembled multitude.&nbsp; Danae saw them all lined up in the pews, dressed in white, masked in porcelain and, at the altar, a faceless form, male or female or neither she could no longer tell, with red ribbons where hair should have been.&nbsp; Then it was gone.&nbsp; And when she searched again for the memory, knowing instinctively something ought to have filled the blackness that it left behind, she could no longer find it.&nbsp; <br><br>The red thing embraced her, slick, elastic limbs sending pale hairs on her arms standing on end.&nbsp; It was blasphemous, but perfect, like staring into the abyss of her nightmare.&nbsp; <br><br><em>There are no goblyns in the wardrobe, you stupid girl!</em>&nbsp; Before going up to grammar school, mother had beaten her for wandering through the drawing room at night, dazed by a nightmare, and locked her in the wardrobe, and kept her there until morning.&nbsp; Indeed, there had been no goblyns inside.&nbsp; That memory she chose to keep.&nbsp; Now she saw the real monster, and she was satisfied she had looked into its eyes without fear.<br><br>“You called me ‘Captain’,” Danae began, before realising that Heinfroth was spinning her future just as she moulded her past, “ah, am I to take to the sea?”&nbsp; She stood in the image of the comfortably appointed captain’s cabin on the <em>Mercy</em> looking out the porthole to a red moon perched above a dead calm sea.&nbsp; The red woman enveloped her, and she stood in her freshly pressed naval uniform, in eternal embrace with a shifting, crimson thing.<br><br>“Captain Vine-Lott, at your service!” Before she knew it Danae was laughing madly, descending into the vortex of her memories some, she was certain, true, and others, she supposed, introduced.&nbsp; “What would the good Captain Baykur say if she saw me now?&nbsp; Know this, good doctor, the stain of witchcraft is murrain, a pox on this land.&nbsp; You may trust me to deliver those who would consort with dark forces into the custody of this place.&nbsp; It is better that they be kept in here, than free to roam the four corners of civilised realms.”<br><br>Martira Bay would no doubt make an excellent base of operations, and if boredom ever seized her, there would be no shortage of public houses and brothels to tide her over.&nbsp; Lieutenant Vine-Lott would sooner or later be declared dead.&nbsp; Captain Vine-Lott would shortly be born.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>01-10-2021, 22:53:13</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center">(https://i.imgur.com/k7FFteW.jpg)</div><br>On the 15th of July in the Barovian year 750, the <em>Mercy </em>arrived from the grey limbo between here and there unto the mist-shrouded northernmost port of Martira Bay. In the company of motley ships festooned in silk awnings and unfamiliar flags, bearing woodworking unknown and the stink of uncatalogued beasts, nigh one dozen queasy and world-weary women set foot on the muddy heap of the Jagged Coast, teary with goodbyes, shaking with relief. Home, even from so seedy a place, was a road which could be envisioned from here.<br><br>The sect of Ezra in this muggy clime, Zoe dimly recalled, was schismed by a prophet named Bastion Raines and the apocryphal Fourth Book of Ezra, equally bleak and militant as its author. For all who joined hands in sisterhood pleading the sect safe deliverance to Port-A-Lucine, what lay ahead were a further two weeks under puritanical threat of antediluvian absolution, for a full month relentless in trials and travails. For Eloise, whose catatonic state persisted despite all therapy, this fellowship was forged.<br><br>It did not truly surprise any of them, then, to learn that Danae Vine-Lott would leave them to this journey and retake the sea in Doctor Heinfroth's vessel. It had always been known, had it not? All it had taken to realize was to stand on that muddy dock and see the sky for the stars, to recognize that mademoiselle Vine-Lott was ever a wolf pursuing and now, at the end of the harrowing flight, there was no more need for her teeth.<br><br>Margaret Hotspur bid her stay strong, in breathless embrace, bid her stay true to herself. And Zoe Lambert, whose unsteady body poured into Mlle. Vine-Lott's strength, praised her courage and persistence leaving no woman behind from the wreck of the <em>Charlotte. </em>Michelle Dupin prescribed a happy meeting soon, within the safe harbor of Port-A-Lucine, where all could look back on those days with happy hearts.<br><br>But the tarokka dealt a different hand: the Traitor, the Berserker, the Donjon, the Mists, the Innocent.<br><br>The lay of Martira Bay given by Doctor Heinfroth, after peering into the secret heart of Captain Vine-Lott, was quite different from the experience afforded most pilgrims to that seamy port. There would be a secret police, the <em>Kargat, </em>to aid and abet the traffic of neurotic gentlewomen to the island of Dominia from the <em>Mercy's </em>first landing. There would be a Lady Kazandra, her ringlets raven black, to give succor and brothel from the sprawling Cosmopolis Club in the port's East District. There would be a vampire lily white, pale flesh a fertile ground for crimson rose tattoos, to organize the bloodthirsty crime of Martira Bay and part its bloody tide around Captain Vine-Lott's mission.<br><br>There would be three patients due for Dominia, in Captain Vine-Lott's own time.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>02-10-2021, 09:08:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Room Д, Cosmopolis Club, Martira Bay<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Nothing at all<br><strong>Tagging: </strong> Open<br><br>Full dark - no moon, and for light only the embers of the fireplace in her customary room on the second floor of the Cosmopolis Club, secreted behind a black curtain.&nbsp; Candles trembled and flickered, shadows drawn long on the wainscotted walls.&nbsp; Danae lay in the crimson silk-upholstered bed and watched the shapes of light and darkness swirl on the paneled ceiling.&nbsp; She thought the laudanum was beginning to wear off, with the fine control of her extremities returning.&nbsp; She reached for the chilled cup of sweet wine on the bedside table: strong, acrid, and flavoured with artemisia.&nbsp; Hardly a Dementlieuse vintage, but to work in the grim, grey domain of Darkon was to accept a certain loss of creature comforts.&nbsp; <br><br>"Stoke the fire," Danae ordered without once shifting her gaze from the shadows writhing and fornicating on the soot-smeared ceiling.&nbsp; <br><br>Linde murmured a complaint and rolled out from under the covers.&nbsp; Linde, of course, was not her real name.&nbsp; The girl was an elf - fuliginous hair all in braids and of a ghost-white complexion - with inscrutable, solidly violet eyes.&nbsp; She was listed in the catalogue of girls as 'the Banshee'.&nbsp; She lived up to the name: vocal when being fucked, coldly pragmatic, and absolutely depraved.&nbsp; A peddler of gossip, opium, and secrets.&nbsp; Danae fumbled for her cup, and it slipped from slack fingers, clattering to the ground.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>"By Ezra, Moll, wipe up that bloody mess," she snapped and sat up straight in the bed. The laudanum was still in her, and her hands hand failed her.&nbsp; Linde crouched wordlessly to stoke the embers - lithe, muscled frame crouched like a cat preparing to leap on a rat.&nbsp; She still wore her scarlet stockings, and the bottoms of her feet were stained with soot.&nbsp; <br><br>Moll groaned, rolled out bed, fat breasts jutting out over her curved belly.&nbsp; She was the only Mordentish whore in Martira Bay - her father had been a gambler who had indentured her upon realising that he preferred to roll dice than maintain his daughter.&nbsp; The broad-hipped strawberry blonde scrambled to comply, soaking up the spill with a waschloth.&nbsp; "Ye needn't be short with me, Captain.&nbsp; It's sack-wine, it won't stain." <br><br>"Damn the laudanum," Danae exhaled, "Hells know what they put in.&nbsp; Tell Lady Kazandra I'll pay her ten craniums more a night if she can find me purer opium.&nbsp; This just won't do."<br><br>Linde rose from the fireplace that had since begin to sputter to life.&nbsp; Laudanum did not dull senses and nerves in her the same way it did for humans.&nbsp; She could take a strong anodyne, and smoke opium all night, and be none the worse for it. "Lady Kazandra says we need to wait for a new shipment, Captain.&nbsp; From Sri Raji."<br><br>"I -" Danae paused while Moll busied herself wiping up the spill, thick thighs and bountiful, freckle-sprayed arse bouncing, "one day, I think might go tiger-hunting there.&nbsp; I used to enjoy hunting, on the moors, you know, back in Mordent -" she trailed off.&nbsp; That memory was a peculiar one.&nbsp; She could see herself on a dreary, overcast day, gun in hand, chasing after stags, or grouse, but the voices and faces of the other riders with her were flat, featureless, like porcelain, with only two black voids were eyes should be. "Linde, would you sing for us?"<br><br>The elf-girl had proffered Moll another starched washcloth.&nbsp; "Certainly, what would you like to hear, Captain?" <br><br>"Do you know any Elfish songs, in you own tongue?"<br><br>Linde shook her head, "I told you, Captain," she said, her smile ever enigmatic, "I was orphaned.&nbsp; I was brought up in Martira Bay.&nbsp; Can hardly remember a word of Elfish."<br><br>"Quite," Danae sighed, "that had slipped from mind."&nbsp; She had an <em>arrangement</em> with Linde.&nbsp; Baykur had told her when she first took charge of the <em>Mercy</em>,&nbsp; <em>When you take to the sea, any mariner will tell you first to find a whore in your homeport - a clever one who with better fortune might have taken to some higher calling.&nbsp; Pay her handsomely, and never demur from her charges.&nbsp; She will be eyes and ears for you, and those you will need in Martira Bay.</em>&nbsp; <br><br>Linde slipped back into bed, each motion fluid like quicksilver.&nbsp; Danae brought her into her embrace, kissed her, nuzzled her throat, and traced the sharp relief of her collarbone with bared teeth and wet tongue.&nbsp; With sea-spray calloused gripped the girl's tight arse, drawing her close, "If one day we met again, and I did not remember you, would you tell me?"<br><br>Linde kissed Danae's silver hair, cooing softly when Danae's fingers slid inside her cunny, "I suppose, Captain, that depends.&nbsp; If you'd forgotten me, there must have been a reason."<br><br>It was almost dawn by the time Lady Kazandra came calling, rapping softly at the chamber door.&nbsp; The fire had burnt out, and a crack of sickly light filtered through the boudoir curtains and onto the varnished floor. The ship transiting her newest wards had arrived in good time, no doubt thanks to a good wind in the Sea of Souls.&nbsp; Winter was drawing close, and the dead calm of summer would soon be a distant memory.&nbsp; All that, however, did not concern for the moment.&nbsp; She had one hand wrist-deep in Moll's straining arsehole, while easing the other into Linde's gaping cunny.&nbsp; Moll was squealing, pushing her hips back, frantically frigging herself.&nbsp; Linde kissed her cries into muffled moans. Lady Kazandra always chose the most <em>inconvenient</em> times.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>28-11-2021, 18:38:53</strong>
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				As thieves and assassins the <em>Kargat </em>intruded on Danae's indulgence, a creak of supple black leather, a glint of metal in the first rays of dawn, a cruel presence watching over Moll's little death. In darkness gloved hands cast this bittersweet kiss goodbye, sealed heavy curtains against light's trespass and kicked up all the faded perfumes of decades wallowed in desperate pleasures. Such rich scents ought to stir memory. Had Captain Vine-Lott not been here before in this very room? But the leather-cowled <em>Kargat </em>were secretive, even within their own walls, and Lady Kazandra foremost among them.<br><br>"Captain."<br><br>Once more she garbed in that greyed and fraying bridal gown, fresh from fitting. A line of glossy new satin stitches repaired what moths and time deteriorated like a fresh scar down her flank. It must have belonged to a woman generations removed, and though her smile rapacious and cunning bore no hint of sentimentality, it was not done to touch her while she vaunted it.<br><br>"All of the family manage to balance leisure and commitment. It's your responsibility to load the ship before dawn."<br><br>Black-gloved <em>Kargat </em>hands drew across the throats of Linde and Moll while still muscle strained and eyes flutter. These pleasures, these freedoms were afforded only so long as Danae fulfilled her lonesome role in the trade of people. It was a lesson Lady Kazandra must have learned hard, years ago, if the lustrous black patch over one eye were to be taken at its most sinister implication. With all her raven ringlets drawn back, she wanted for it to be seen. She did not disguise what she had lost, now that she was in a position to take.<br><br>But it needn't come to that, for Captain Vine-Lott's whores. Moll and Linde would be all too happy to remain in Darkon and never too far from Martira Bay, where the most shocking of crimes were capitulated by idle hands. Linde did not heed the call of the sea, the command of a rugged ship, the clarity of purpose in Heinfroth's work. Moll did not envy the peace of the island, the company of women, the ambitious ear of Doctor Heinfroth. These were things for Danae alone.<br><br>Candleless, night eyes shining like a cat's, like jet, Lady Kazandra escorted from the rooms of cloak and dagger along darkened balconies into dead end remodels and trapdoor staircases to windowless vaults full of icy draft, whispers through thin walls, and shrouded mirrors. Not a word, not a sound passed wending in secret, until on the far side the hellish hiss of a black iron furnace and the piteous whimpers of the damned went unheard by the Cosmopolis Club at large.<br><br>There was a song, in the cellar.<br><br>It was not Elfish, nor even the familiar heart-shaped rhythm of Elfish songs, but the verses of a prayer disharmonious which over centuries of mantra whittled into rambling, trilling canticle. Its language was not well known beyond the jungles of its birth, but the sound of it, its inflection and emphatic rapidity, was carried in Akashic memory as far out as the Sea of Sorrows.<br><br>A shipment from Sri Raji, indeed.<br><br>In the company of Lady Kazandra, Captain Vine-Lott was left to pass through the ranks of the <em>Kargat, </em>beyond the burning scorn of the pyrewraith Lacaeryssar spying from the deep furnace, beyond the echoing cistern and ready traps, the poised killing stakes, stilled scythes, and cooled fire jets. There in the dungeon, arranged with the barrels and bundles for Captain Vine-Lott's smuggle, was the source of the song.<br><br>"The sun rises," Lady Kazandra said. "There must be no trace of these foreigners in Darkon by the light of day. From here you operate alone, and if caught the Black Tower disavows any knowledge of your custody. Be swift..."<br><br>Three daughters of the Verdurous Lands regarded Captain Vine-Lott as a guileless jailor. Their complexions were as dark, rich wheat, sharp noses and dusky eyes and lifelong hair worked into braids sinewy and narrow as the body's reserved poise, not elfishly slender, no, but lean whip-wild jungle growth over the bones of a woman.<br><br>"...and do not trust the spies of Maharaja Arijani ever to be broken."<br><br>With time, no doubt, each would don the porcelain mask and forget those inimitable songs, and the pain of their bruises would fade along with the guilt of Captain Vine-Lott's complicity, like water through the fingers, like thieves at morning, like a smuggler's ship from the port of Martira Bay.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>11-12-2021, 04:33:06</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Hidden Cellar, Cosmopolis Club, Martira Bay<br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Captain's uniform<br><br>In Martira Bay Danae had learned the fragility of truth, self, and memory.&nbsp; Truth compassed the unknowable and that which the sane mind could not wish to know - it was no virtue, but the end of the world.&nbsp; The self could be sublimated in instrumentality, and it was the task that then took the form of being, and the agent was forgotten, forever subordinated to the action.&nbsp; Memory, of course, was a brittle thing, a false prophetess.&nbsp; There was comfort, doubtless, to wear the porcelain mask and to embrace oblivion. <br><br>The newest inmates for the bedlam had regarded her with a kind of heavy-lidded disdain, an insouciance borne of the sweltering climate and alien customs of a foreign land.&nbsp; Did she spy in their eyes the glint of a tiger's predatory malice?&nbsp; Perhaps, she reasoned, it was a lazy recollection of the tales of discovery and adventure she had read when left to explore the decaying bookshelves of her father's estate.&nbsp; She had to hide of course and read by candlelight lest she be scolded or beaten for being idle, but therein she had found stories that had drawn her in, and cocooned her from the howling moors, the wind, and the rain of Mordent.&nbsp; A world of heat, adventure, and danger - of opium, shapeshifting tigers, vulture-beaked demons, and sultry, full-breasted harem-girls, just at the time Danae discovered that such, indeed, was her taste.&nbsp; <br><br>To her new wards she reached out with ungloved hands, to settle upon the sensation of oiled skin, an exotic perfume - indescribable.&nbsp; Dark, lank hair, smooth and glossy like ebony.&nbsp; &nbsp; <br><br>They had nothing of the scent of Drakon upon them - that mournful air of char-smoke and rain and mountain herbs - but a haunting sweetness that reminded her of the overwrought prose of her books of adventure - the only ones she ever gladly read.&nbsp; In her memory of sitting in the fusty old armchair of the drawing room, the was page open on some moonless riverside vista at night, dancing-girls writhing and tawdry descriptions of wet, velvet nooks and fat arses parting, and before she knew it her hand was sliding into her riding breeches.&nbsp; Quickly.&nbsp; Before anyone comes.&nbsp; <br><br>Danae drew back her hand from a captive's midnight-black tresses and pondered whether all that had ever happened at all, or if it was yet another page spliced into a harlequin book that was no longer her own.&nbsp; Someone else was writing her story - she was no longer the author of her own fate.&nbsp; All these episodes were gross interpolations to steer her to the task at hand.&nbsp; Father had been just as boorish and unlettered as she was - if he had a library, it likely contained Ezraite platitudes and treatises on agricultural subjects.&nbsp; She could distinctly remember - or so she thought - the first time she had felt the wicked little tremor that put all other fleshly pleasures to shame it was while receiving a good caning from a prefect at school.&nbsp; Which version, if any, was true - <em>truly</em> true - mattered not.&nbsp; They would both exist within her.&nbsp; <br><br>"You, my ladies, have come from a place of shadows - moonless, lightless, illuminated by oil-lamps and the visages of brazen idols," she spoke the demotic speech of Drakon, and knew not whether she would be understood, "here your profession is but a common calling.&nbsp; I shall now take you to a place where you shall find peace, far better than this forlorn city." <br><br>There was a wending passage, grown with moss, damp, smelling of stone and vegetation.&nbsp; That was an egress from the bowels of the Cosmopolis club and onto the docks, where the flotsam and jetsam of humanity (and those not quite fitting that description) gathered and milled around in the early morning mist, under the sickly light of a distant sun.&nbsp; Gaggles of street-whores and catamites, of press-gangs on the look out for drunken revellers to impress into service.&nbsp; And, all around, hidden, but ever-present, the eyes and ears of the deathless ruler of the forsaken domain.&nbsp; That she was chaperoning restrained foreigners to her anchored ship was no cause for interest.&nbsp; In Martira Bay it was wise to keep one's own company and counsel.&nbsp; To suppose even to ask the question was an unforgivable presumption.&nbsp; &nbsp; <br><br>Now she wore the skin of Captain Vine-Lott.&nbsp; But for how long?&nbsp; One day, that Danae would disappear, and perhaps another would be put in her stead.&nbsp; Or she would be written out entirely, forever lost to a final death where no living being had any memory of her.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>"Welcome on board the <em>Mercy</em>, my ladies," Danae spoke, and listless mariners looked away from her, as though they were repelled by her countenance.&nbsp; She, alone, remembered Captain Baykur.&nbsp; Today, the <em>Mercy</em> never had a Captain Baykur.&nbsp; Her Captain had always been Danae Vine-Lott.&nbsp; "You are my guests, but any lapse in discipline will be answered by the martinet."&nbsp; The very thought sent a frisson of anticipation through her.&nbsp; The kiss of Baykur's lash had been exquisite, and the braided leather now craved the supple curves and pliant depths of her newest wards.&nbsp; She would soon find a pretext to use it.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>"Lady Kazandra," <em>is she the butcher of my memories, one of the ghost hands writing my fate?</em>, "I trust you are satisfied that we can sail at dawn and make good time.&nbsp; The waves are high but the weather should hold.&nbsp; I should be grateful if you would provide, as usual, that my room be ready upon my return."&nbsp; The thought of the lash in her hand proved impossible to dispel, "Upon your return, might I ask that you chastise both Moll and Linde quite severely?&nbsp; For infractions that I shall leave it to you to improvise."&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>03-01-2023, 19:47:24</strong>
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				When a truth of the world was spoken between <em>Kargat </em>in hushed company, it brought the joy of life long forgotten to the eyes of a woman like Lady Kazandra, like a flicker of firelight to primeval tomb.<br><br>"Pain is the most qualified teacher."<br><br>Though it was not in Lady Kazandra's interest to know the intimacies of life and gull-picked open grave on Dominia, something in her dark heart spoke the same sadistic language as Vine-Lott and Heinfroth. Pain inscribed on flesh and muscle while reason and intent washed away with the bleak tide.<br><br><em>Captain </em>Vine-Lott.<br><br>Two days' sail into the Sea of Sorrows there was ever a fog which turned back unworthy vessels and littered the sea bottom with <em>Charlottes. </em>A canny captain took careful to that blind voyage, companied by dark prayers under the creaking of warped wood and hemp. A canny captain paid respects to the inscrutable powers which be, and lived to return home and eke out another season on the sea's jealous blessing. But for one who knew the sea's black soul, to one who heard its whispers and plucked opportunity from vile temptation, the voyage became a joyous flight. On providence from a dark mistress Danae could find swift heading.<br><br>The names of Danae's prisoners were never important to the hierarchy to the ship. One bore a name like Nari, or something in some mnemonic way related. Short of idle curiosity, there was no cause to utter or recall them. Not unlike a despot husband Nari and her sisters fawned to Danae, and the flavor of submission was stoic acquiescence. Lash or heel or knife, all cruel impulses were taken as the pack mule takes a burden. A suffering was surely synonymous with identity, and Danae built much character.<br><br>"I believe in God," one sister lamented when Danae had occasion to invigorate old lashes with the whip. And when this did not bring mercy, her very concept metamorphosed like woman to animal in the moonlight. "You are my God! You!"<br><br>In the eyes there were personhoods of private thoughts and plans, but plush and welted lips mouthed <em>yes, mistress </em>and drank in the tensions of Danae's body with roving remora kisses nescient to concepts of personal space or personal intimacy. Any captain's pleasure one sister discovered, her sisters were so expeditious in adopting they seemed to be of one mind and intention. But the eyes betrayed that they did not think of themselves as broken, not in any way that would be missed. Not yet.<br><br>Rain and mud persisted on landing at Dominia. The supply wagon struggled up steep bluffs, kept solely by wheels mired in depth of slick ground. It was the wolves, ever present and spying, which marked this pilgrimage as blessed instead of hopeless. Nari and her sisters had not the faith to conceive of that blessing, and huddled fearful to the very gates of the asylum and prospect of civilization- evil, rapacious, enervating civilization.<br><br>By muddied trudge through the asylum's cellar the old pipes creaked and whined with gelatinous form of Doctor Heinfroth. In time and presentable cleanliness, the red doctor greeted her new guests and celebrated Captain Vine-Lott's return with a meatless feast of the most delectable sweet breads, indulgent cheeses and panoply of crisp young garden greens. In her rose whorl polonaise, Doctor Heinfroth's smile was sweet relief.<br><br>"How we've missed you, Captain."<br><br>Jut courtly arms drew Danae close, closer still, until in a space conspicuously absent of breath Heinfroth crushed Captain Vine-Lott's muscle to her outrageous bosom.<br><br>She was starved, and must feed.<br><br>That was evident in Heinfroth's full-mouthed kiss, the noises of desperation which escaped her throat drinking in every nuance from Danae's lips. In her hunger she sought to make Danae forget, to drink up her thoughts and psyche into an evaporated crimson cloud. But a tolerance was built, once a crazed honeymoon gave way to symbiosis and dependence. It was Danae's decision what to surrender, and never for long. Nita and her sisters would not be so lucky.<br><br>"We have the means to bereave these ladies of their troubling fixations this very night. I trust you remember the way to the treatment rooms, Captain. We must make haste if this endeavor is to prove worthwhile. Rest assured, I shall join you shortly, once I've assumed something more comfortable."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>13-01-2023, 17:36:19</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a2/eb/c4a2eb3622a5fd5f4149b8e094a22fa3.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Danae Vine-Lott (https://ddb.ac/characters/13428552/TAFm5K)<br><strong>Location: </strong> Asylum - First Floor (The Captain's Chamber) - then the Upper Floor (Treatment Rooms) <br><strong>Wearing: </strong> Captain's Uniform - then white lace-up tunic shirt and black breeches, black boots<br><br>"As you wish, Doctor," Danae mouthed the woman's name and shard of memory, a disturbing glint in a vast and comforting blanket of darkness, flashed before her.&nbsp; How many times had she been here before? She would do it again, over and over, remembering some visits, surrendering others to oblivion.&nbsp; The path through the bedlam she knew well - the narrow corridors, the masked orderlies vacant-faced and black-eyed, the well-appointed drawing rooms and neatly arranged libraries, her own room on the first floor, with the window overlooking the steep and black cliffs, lashed by rain and the thrashing sea-foam.&nbsp; The orderlies kept it well for her - clean, neat, and tidy in a Mordentish style, with heavy linen sheets, solid oak wardrobe and writing-desk, a sterling silver washbasin on a lion-footed tripod.&nbsp; Plush comforts, worthy of her station.&nbsp; <br><br>Wordless orderlies took her captain's uniform from her, still lashed with sea-spray, and brought to her fresh towels and sponges for her bath.&nbsp; Steaming water smelling of carbolic soap wafted from the pinewood tub in which she descended.&nbsp; In her room the oil lamps flickered and the rain battened down on the iron framed windows.&nbsp; She drank amber amontillado from a white porcelain cup scribed with winding, blue patterns.&nbsp; Some exotica from the Doctor's collection, no doubt. Her cargo was not limited to fresh inmates for the asylum; exotic goods and curious obscura travelled in the holds of the <em>Mercy</em>.&nbsp; Orderlies fetched her some freshly starched and pressed onshore garments.&nbsp; They milled about her room and the corridors outside her room with deft poise at all times, silent and unobtrusive.&nbsp; Danae thought they might have stood, motionless, by her bedside at night and she would not have been able to discern them from the furniture, for even their porcelain masks seemed when their bearer was motionless subsumed into the walls after the fashion of a lighting fixture.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>The chamber Heinfroth had assigned for the sisters from distant Sri Raji was windowless and panelled in red velvet to dampen sound, with a floor of white ceramic tiles. Danae's bootheels clacked and the orderly who had led her upstairs, lantern in hand, closed the wainscoted door behind her.&nbsp; &nbsp; There were polished iron rings driven into the walls on which to secure manacles, and more of these jutting from the floor, from which an inmate might be fettered by her ankles, and low leather-upholstered benches.&nbsp; &nbsp;The transmogrification of subjugation into desire she had first witnessed in the sisters aboard the <em>Mercy</em> had run its course, and before her she beheld the lurid display of lusts borne from the steaming jungles.&nbsp; <br><br>The scandalous tales she had read years ago when she was but a cadet serving amidships on the <em>Lethe</em> were made flesh in the sinuous rutting that was such a sweet defilement of sisterhood.&nbsp; Of the girls Nari, vacuous-eyed, hair plastered with sweat ground her splayed cunny against Sanya's sable-furred mound, the polished mahogany of plump hillocks disappearing into the vivid, dew-streaked coral pink.&nbsp; Above Sanya's questing mouth rode Nita, her fat breasts bouncing, her rounded dancer's belly undulating - curved and soft, but girded with good, strong muscle.&nbsp; Above Sanya supine frame, Nita and Nari kissed, and Danae beheld the breasts, backs, and arses she had subjected to the pitiless kiss of the martinet aboard the <em>Mercy</em>.&nbsp; Mahogany skin deeply oiled still bore the welts she had brought down upon them, and yet the sisters beheld her with mindless, ecstatic awe.&nbsp; Perhaps it was she, Danae, who had awakened in them the forbidden lusts that had consumed them.&nbsp; With each flogging of fat, opulent arse cheeks and fat cow-tits she had broken down their shallow selves and refashioned into something new, and altogether finer.&nbsp; <br><br>They came to her, crawling, begging for the lash, licking her boots, prostrating themselves before her.&nbsp; A hideous travesty of a ceremony of worship.&nbsp; <br><br>"Evangelise us," Nari hissed, offering up her tits wet with her sisters' spit, "oh Goddess, you who have taken us to this place beyond memory.&nbsp; We cannot stop what you began on the <em>Mercy</em>.&nbsp; This place has awakened us, we now see, when before we were blind."<br><br>Her sisters grovelled at Danae's feet, sighing sensuous invocations to heathen divinities. <br><br>Danae spoke, "You are here because the good Doctor will make you better. Do you believe that?"<br><br>Nita pulled her full, vermilion painted lips from Sanya's panting mouth to speak, "If so you say, so we believe."<br><br>Danae smiled to herself and began to unlace her breeches.&nbsp; "Very well, the Doctor will see you now."<br><br>She thought of what Heinfroth would take from them, or whether 'take' was even the right word.&nbsp; The sisters had yearned to be refashioned, to be broken by lash and whip, to have their cunnies and arseholes spread and bloom to Danae's demanding hands.&nbsp; They longed to annihilate their old selves, and sacrifice these old rags at the altar of a new goddess, and so to be made anew, just as Danae had.&nbsp; <br><br>"See, now, she will be here soon," Danae hissed, and rained down hard strikes of her riding crop over enormous, quivering breasts, "the engine of your transformation."<br><br>Nari replied, "No, Captain, you alone are," and proffered her open mouth, full soft lips open, tongue redolent of her sisters' cunnies extended.&nbsp; Danae obliged her by spitting on her tongue and Nari's eyes rolled in her head, a look of blank ecstasy overcoming her.&nbsp; Her sisters begged, no demanded, a taste, seizing Nari by the waist and neck, and stealing hot, wet kisses. <br><br><em>They have mistaken the idol for the goddess</em>. Like the dreamers in the cave, they saw only the shadow, and not the form. They did not see that Danae was no less an inmate than they were.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; &nbsp; 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Ravenloft: Bleak Tide IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dhi</strong> on <strong>10-03-2023, 21:52:44</strong>
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				<em><strong>(https://i.imgur.com/iHDtvHK.png)cology of the Oblex<br><br>&nbsp; Rehner, Pietra et al.</strong><br><br>Of the many oozes which slither and creep in dark crevices beneath domains of the Enlightened Coast, few could be said to occupy the prescriptive reasoning paradigm of Bellavance's is/ought spectrum. Herein we are delighted to describe for you one such species, hereafter named the oblex, to be validated in the locality of Dominia. The capacity of the oblex for empathy, communication, and pleasure offers exciting new possibilities not only in the field of medicine, but a new frontier of union between ooze and flesh.<br><br><strong>(https://i.imgur.com/WOGZesf.png)rigin of Species</strong><br><br>We follow the career of a specimen hereafter known as D.H., to trace an oblex back to spontaneous act of creation. D.H. began a life of flesh and blood in the year 711 to Gundarkite parents in the rural locality of the Core. Despite family prevalence of dementia praecox, D.H. was able to elevate herself to the office of Master Chirurgeon from a precocious age and serve with honor at private insitution. D.H. secured for herself two brides, either of which became casualties of the Teufeldorf Massacre. Soon after, D.H. described symptoms of dementia praecox and sought to develop a treatment through unconventional medicine.<br><br>Following the annexation of Gundarak, D.H. was able to draw from plentiful supply of widows, unskilled girls, and persons unfit for combat to facilitate an innovative transfusion of cerebrospinal ether. Though this process proved fatal to the donor, temporary results were achieved (see attached). Following transfusion, a period of pique marked withdrawal and dependance. D.H. believed herself to be transmogrifying into a supernatural vampire, on scant evidence of a verse of Hyskosa's Hexad, to wit:<br>"In the house of Daegon the sorcerer born, Though life, unlife, unliving shall scorn."<br><br>In grief, D.H. immersed herself in all extant supply of transfusion and seemed to undergo death and decomposition. This proved to herald a brilliant metamorphosis from flesh into contiguous cytoplasm capable of prescriptive reasoning, extraneural motor control, and excellent communication- a peerless envoy into the heretofore unknown processes of oozes, and powerful psionicist in her own right.<br><br><strong>(https://i.imgur.com/qCgsOPF.png)hysiology</strong><br><br>To date, D.H. shows no sign of aging. Her total surface area amalgamated is approximately 8 square meters, though seldom is she gathered into one shape. A faint scent of lush red labdanum and sticky sulfur is present in cytoplasm. The surface of an oblex's malleable body is a fantastically rich neural network boasting such fine manipulation that spontaneous fabrication of color, texture, and heat allow the oblex to credibly impersonate persons it has made psychic contact with down to speech and mannerisms. D.H. has been shown to extrude these lifelike simulacrums on thin tethers not more than 40 meters in length. Each concurrent simulacrum taxes D.H. neural network, resulting in a noticable deprecation of fine detail at four simultaneous simulacra.<br><br>Unlike many oozes, no digestion takes place on the oblex's surface, nor even within its reactive cytoplasm. Prolonged skin-to-skin contact is possible without irritation to epidermis, membranes, or pH of the body. Feeding instead takes place psychically while the oblex is near a meal. On an essential self-preservation level, hunger motivates the oblex. Feeding is crucial to the growth and maintenance of its neural network, and without frequent psychic feeding the spontaneous chemical reactions providing motility and camouflage slow, eventually leading to dormancy. Open flame excites these reactions disastrously, causing potentially lethal harm.<br><br>The oblex's preference is to pacify prey for long periods of time, keeping victims comfortable and docile until dysphagia, coma, or brain death occur. At this time, the oblex has absorbed all of a victim's mind, and what remains of the body is a husk with no further utility. These absorbed memories and thoughts join the oblex's neural network, further expanding its repertoire of identities and materials.<br><br><strong>(https://i.imgur.com/qCgsOPF.png)sychology</strong><br><br>As much as its relative oozes are locked into descriptive reasoning, the oblex exists in a state of purely prescriptive reasoning. Domination, both mental and physical, are necessary to the contentedness of the oblex. The extinguishing of life as an inevitability of repeated feeding is not celebrated, but neither mourned, as an oblex does not develop moral sentimentalism to complement civilized persona. The mindset of the oblex is that of an elegant predator without compunction.<br><br>Allowing for this clarity of purpose, the personality and psyche of D.H. largely remain intact. Academic curiosities, hobbies, and interests remain unchanged but challenged by D.H.'s metamorphosis. Libido also retains its previous course, though the scale of D.H.'s current practice has allowed appetites for submission to grow unmitigated. Often the physiological benefit of these intimate acts on D.H.'s changed anatomy are logically suspect, supporting the conclusion that force of personality guides the behavior of the oblex down to an essential level.</em><br><br>~ ~<br><br>On mounds and mountains of flesh she assert her territory, a contiguous red web of woman three places at once over, and through, and tight to the contours of her less ductile sisters- a monster in visage, form fit to mind, Dorothy Heinfroth, the Red Woman. Cries of terror, cries of agony, cries of ecstacy, their psychic resonance was indistinguishable, all delicious ripples of intense emotion joined wheat-brown hand in Mordent white fingers.<br><br>The <em>gal-ralan</em>, the iron maiden piecemeal, helped edge her prey to that delectable breaking point. The deep fey of the Shadow Rift wore those bracers and accoutrements for autoerotic masochism on the move, and what relics returned from encounters brief and brutal with those creatures opened whole vistas of delightful contraptions banded, locked, and inescapable.<br><br>A rivulet of red blood escaped from cold iron band round shivering wheat breast she supped, to no earthly nutrient but to complement the color of her tongue, a passing desire, as mercurial as the forms of her bodies three. The blood was burgundy, the injury prelude, but her appetites were unholy and in that dark emptiness boundless. Before the night's end, before the masks fit and the grey gowns donned, a rarefied crimson would be tasted and one would not emerge to witness the next bleary storm.<br><br>Hips full and red and rose-petaled drew back to sound a fat pseudopod up Captain Vine-Lott's arse with the force of an animal. Her captain, her captive, her most favorite morsel. To feed, a pseudopod could squeeze into spaces narrow as the asylum pipes, but not much less, no, and not so easily. A madness possessed her psudopod on instinct to reach Danae's psyche from her ass, and though reason ruled out the possibility, pure instinct was teased to delirious heights of anticipation, distress, and yearning the mistress of the asylum could not otherwise know within those walls.<br><br>"Feed," Heinfroth commanded of what was once Nari, and ribbon tethers drew sweat-slick black hair up between Danae's powerful thighs. To breathe, in frantic desperation one must eagerly and efficiently obey. An oblex no longer empathized the necessity of oxygen to lungs.<br><br>"Well done, captain. Your efforts please me." Tongue, long and wet with dark blood, trailed the contour of Danae's spine. "Enjoy the fruits of your conquest. Soon I will send you north to Markovia, to meet the maker of these storms."<br><br>A bite, teeth neatly gathered, to the hairy base of Danae's skull. So close to the ether, <em>so close, </em>Heinfroth could not stifle a growl.<br><br>"Are you prepared to face my rival?"
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