Tanuchan

Yay for Gryphon!!

I will see if I can corner Merelas tomorrow and make him give an answer and a post. But I'm pretty sure he can use combat magic... at least a big firebal... see here I think anyone who can help us is already at the house. If no one else can help, I may have some ideas... if Mer gives me permission to 'use' his character a little bit. Yup, it *will* be fun

Tanny narrowed her eyes at Vanessa's reaction, frowning. Heinrich saw the doubt on Tanuchan's face, felt her uncertainty of him surrounding her like a palpable aura. And, suddenly, the powerful mind-touch comes again to Tanny. :The Death Guard do not "take possesion. It is a joining between demon and spirit, and only the most powerful are chosen for the joining. I must have been great in my former existance. Unfortunatly the joining between demon and and spirit is not perfect, even when performed by the Lord. Memories and former feelings of the spirit host are almost totally erased.: She made an unconscious gesture of denial at the forced contact, and felt in surprise the alien mind leave. The Death Guard looked at her, continuing with his peculiar, mocking overtone, "Lady, you asked what I knew, and I know this. The Vampire Lord has already taken over at least one town in this world of yours. The people have become slaves to his will, servants to his tyranny. When he first came to this land he was but one, now he is many. You may open up holes in the ground for eternity, but eventually he will succeed. Your chances of success will be greatly increased with the help of the Death Guard." Looking at Vanessa, now so sure of herself, then again at Heinrich, who waited in cold silence, Tanny finally nodded. "I... will trust you. At least... a measure of trust." Then, turning to the battlements, she also asked in a voice surer than her own thoughts, "Open the gates. I... agree with Vanessa." Slowly, in spite of some audible grumbling coming from above, the gates opened.

One more thing... Cryp, I think you're the one who's 'responsible' for the characterization of the Spirit of the Curse... So, I guess you're the also the most qualified to take care of the destiny of the Book I suggest finding a way to take it to the Libray at the Pen. There's a special warded room there, where dangerous books are kept. Yui is the responsible for the Library.

Gryph, I think the one who would help the most would be your ex-cannon-fodder-mate, Yui She's an Ascendant Mage (hm... Holy magic, basically) but she needs people channeling energy into her as she's a mage with very low mana reserves (but that can be dealt with, as Tanny and Celes are able to channel energy into others). I can PM her to see if she agrees on being 'used'; if she does, I'll link here a nice post of hers where she's seen using those powers against undead (from Hostel Fox) so you can have more ideas. Also, I think that Merelas deals with combat-magic as he's a fire-elf and controls fire completely. I'm PMing him also, but I'm not sure when he'll be able to post. The only other character who may be of help is Horace, Katzaniel's character who's also a demoness... I'm not familiar with her. I can also ask Katz... though I don't think she will actually have the time to post. I'm not sure what Finnius can do... but I'll suppose that, when Cryp's rune 'disembodied' the Spirit of the Curse, Finnius also was freed, wherever he was. It seems I'll be PMing rather some people... Oh, yeah... Gnarlitch and Merelas know about Vahktang's amulets. Gryph, if you can teleport Vahk, you can just mention one of them remembering that and letting you know about it. Then you can proceed to teleporting him. Once there, I'm sure he'll find a way to help us.

Tanny reacts quickly to the changing situation, altering her weaving pattern to enclose the hooded shadow while shooting a worried glance at Gwaihir. Merelas, using Chrissiania's Jewel, bends over his almost unconcious form. Feeling Gryphon's channeling to form a shield, Tanny looks at Celes, nodding, and feels the mage feeding her with a flow of energy that she quickly adds to hers. Her shield overlaps with Gryphon's, and she answers to his surprised glance, "Can you surrender just the shield to me... and still use your magic?" Her voice is urgent, strained with the effort to control different flows and merge them instead of having them crashing into each other and dissipating themselves. "I don't know right now how to fight this thing... but I can shield it for a while...." Merelas, still with Chrissiania's Jewel on his hand, notices Tanuchan paling and offers, "Add whatever I can give... if you can draw from me." Not arguing, Tanny reaches gently for her friend's energy, struggling for a while with fire's elusive and strange strands until she can make them the center of a thread made with her familiar earth energy. Forcing herself to concentrate just on the layers of shields over shields she's manipulating, she sends in mindspeech, :I won't drain you, and you're also free to withdraw when you need, Mer... *if* possible, just give me a second's warning. Tell the same to Gryph and Celes.:

Cryp and Gryph, you are on the other side of International Date Line *and* ahead of all of us much more than a couple of hours... For your reference, Cryp... your last post is marked Wed 10th, 07:27 AM in my timezone, and that's currently +3 EST. So, although I was up and ready to start working by that time, I believe most of people active in the thread were sleeping... lol I'm all okay with what you're planning. Hm... about fighting a wraith... well, I need more info about it, also. Tanny is a skilled hand-to-paws-&-fangs fighter in wolf form, but she can't fight *and* channel at the same time. She's skilled with knives and bow, and skilled enough with a sword if she needs to use one. And, for the party, she has just taken her throwing knives. Tanny's main ability at this point would be the channeling of any 'clean' energy she can get to weave something... she's able to Heal, Shield, and manipulate anything that can be related to earh/water energy in an offensive way (just need a bit of imagination for me to imagine how... ). I've talked briefly with Merelas; he can Heal using Chrissiania's Jewel, and his energy can be drawn, but he can't channel otherwise. So it seems that, at least currently, Tanny is the only one who could gather the energies from those mage-skilled. Merelas can do anything that involves fire, I believe. And he's a skilled sword-fighter. Add that in the recipe... I don't know how Celes' work, though... if she thinks she can do something, she'll be welcome to it I received a PM from Vahk, also. He suggests using his nice amulet (that was at the base of his Baning ability) to help throwing a barrier, but he won't go through that dark, damp, and haunted tunnel again. Anyone able to teleport him?? Edit: I think we'd better think of the mage-side of the group as a source of shielding/healing. Basically, Tanny is just trying to hold a shield around the Spirit of the Curse, giving time to the others to figure a way of fighting it. Her main source of energy there, earth, is tainted by the presence of the curse and she can't use it effectively. She took Celes' offer to channel energy into her, and there was a previous offer from Gryph to do the same with air energy. I don't know if he can channel into her and still work his magic, so I'm trying to take control of his shields to free him for fighting. If he can't, it's pretty okay -- just be sure to answer Tanny's question in the thread Hm... just as a final information, when Tanny finally lets go of all shielding (for any reason, including failing to keep the shields), and whether she chooses to do anything else or not (depends on how the RP goes), she *will* collapse. Very, very pale and unconscious, to use Cryp's words ~Tanny

"I am no mage... Heinrich" said Tanny levelly, hiding her surprise at him brushing Vanessa off. "And how one of the Abyss' Death Guard has got possession of the body and... mind... of one of ours?" Several questions pressed her mind, each one more urgent than the previous one, until she forced herself to focus on the exact words that the demon-turned-human said. Never taking her eyes from his, she continued carefully, "What do you know about the Vampire lord, and what's the interest of Lord Kharmask on him?" As Heirich sneered, Tanny cut in with another question, "You say also you are here to serve within your abilities and your Lord's guidelines." She stressed the last phrase significantly. "What are those guidelines?" Can we trust someone who comes as a demon? Is he still Heinrich or... some twisted version of him, who comes with his own purpose and won't stop at anything to succeed... even attacking his former friends?

Gryph, I'm having tons of ideas with both your assistance and Celes *grins* I've got a really really nice idea from Cryp in a PM and I asked him to post it. Gwai will be uncursed and we'll have to deal with the personification of the curse, what will be much easier as RP since we don't have to worry about hurting a friend After Cryp posts that, anyone can follow as they may. And I'm looking forward to see Gryphon in action It will be fun! ~Tanny

Merelas answers to the quiet knock on his door, smiling as he meets Tanny's eyes. "Tanny? What a surprise..." She invites him to a stroll, and soon they are in the forest, following a trail that winds among the trees. The soft breeze brings the scent of wet earth, and from time to time the last drops of the recent rain fall on them, disturbed by a bird or small animal hidden on the top of the trees. They stop at a forking. "Where are we?" "Somewhat to the South and East of the Pen; I have a hut about a mile this way," she points to the eastward path. "And there's a small lake a bit ahead this way." Picking the other fork of the trail, they go on for a while yet. The path opens quite suddenly into a clear lake, surrounded by the tall trees. Sunbeams play on the water, here and there glinting off rocks incrusted with some metallic vein. From time to time, the chirp of birds calling their mates is heard amid the soft rustle of the leaves. Tanny sits by the lake, motioning Merelas to do the same. "Earth and water... my Elements." She looks at him, smiling as she stresses the "elements" in a way there's no mistake in her meaning. "You mean you're familliar with earth and water magic? Elemental magic?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. "No, not magic... though the results may seem similar. The only magic I can use are the simple Illusion spells while in Tanuki form, but that's something that comes with the shape... a natural ability." Suddenly Merelas is looking into the mischievous eyes of a black-and-grey tanuki, who flickers her tail to create a small cloud of multi-colored motes that involve her completely. He blinks, all of a sudden having the impression that the cloud and the tanuki have just merged into a wavy rainbow. As he blinks, Tanny reappears giggling. "Simple illusion, as I said. I cannot hold on to this one for long, but it's fun. Childish fun..." she grins, remembering some pranks she used to play on her friends when she was a child. "That's why my childname is Tanuchan. Little, mischievous Tanuki." Merelas laughs as she tells him about the pranks and how sometimes she got punished for them, and for some time they share childhood memories. As soon as Tanny notices a slight shadow threatening the elf's bright eyes, though, she goes back to his original question. "In any of my shapes I can channel the energy of earh and water. I work on them, with them... I can weave them following some patterns to help, protect, or heal." Merelas' attention is caught by a delicate chain bearing a single tear-shaped blue jewel that Tanny produces from a pocket. She keeps talking softly while looking for a light rapport with earth. "I have something to finish... " "What do you mean?" he asks. "First... I must apologize." Tanny rests a light hand on his arm, "One more thing you don't know... I can also pick the pattern of a person's lifeforce if they are open to me. I picked yours yesterday... I was quite unguarded, it just happened," she hastens to explain. "I became aware of it just after you left." "Pick the pattern of a lifeform? I don't understand..." "Every living creature has an energy of its own, as earth and water have... as fire has." Merelas continues to look at Tanuchan in puzzlement... "Fire has a lifeform?" Tanny giggles softly, shaking her head. "No, no... fire has a natural energy. That energy has a pattern. All Elements, everything, have that... their own energy. That's what we call Lifeforce." Merelas frowns, not willing to believe that he has missed this about the element that had reigned over him his entire life. "Tanny... I don't think you're right... fire is just a force... it's chaotic and powerful and consuming--but it has no energy of its own... it has to draw fuel from the environment around it." "Hm... no, I think you're missing the point. Think like... well..." She stops, trying to find the correct words. I should have paid more attention to my schoolmistress... Pausing for a moment, she tries again, "When you manipulate fire... what do you do? How do you control it?" "It's just a skill... I can create the fire... It's like moving for me... as though I'm moving a part of myself," he says slowly. He had never had to explain this before, and now that he tried, it was difficult. "Are you... bending your mind into it, like pushing it... changing it so that it does what you want?" Merelas considers this for just a moment, before shaking his head. "No... It's like... an extension of myself, sort of," he says, although not as certain of himself as he would like. Tanny gives up, laughing, and apologises at seeing Merelas' face. "Sorry, Mer... I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at my inability to put what I know in words. Would you trust me when I say that there's a pattern of energy in everything, including fire, and that you can compare that energy to strands, or particles, that you move with your will? As your brain does to your muscles?" Merelas raises his eyebrows and squints in thought for a moment, before shrugging and saying, "Ok..." She senses his doubt, and guesses also that he will probably come back to it later. However, not willing to go on right then, she nods, "Well.. then... that pattern of energy is what we call Lifeforce pattern. It is stronger in sentient creatures, and gains complexity according to the intelligence of the creature. My people are sensitive to this lifeforce." "How do you mean 'sensitive'?" "We can feel those energy patterns in our minds when we open ourselves to it. And you see... lifeforce patterns are quite unique, like fingerprints. They resonate in a completely individual way, also. It makes possible for us to actually identify a person." "So, you would know if a figure were simply casting an illusion over themselves to look like someone else?" he asks, curious. "Hmm... if I had previously picked the pattern of one of them, yes." "So... why did you apologize for doing this?" Tanny blushes slightly, continuing with an embarassed voice, "You're a mindspeaker, so you understand the concept of barriers to protect one's privacy, don't you?" Merelas nods, and she continues with a deeper blushing, "To pick one's pattern, we need in a way to touch their open minds. To do so unasked is breaking into one's privacy. And yesterday, I was unguarded and so were you. When you held me, I unconsciously registered it." There's a moment of uncertainty in Merelas and Tanny lowers her head, looking aside. A gentle hand touches her face, raising it and making her meet bright blue eyes. "It's all right, Tanuchan... I think it's just a difference of culture. If I objected, you would know," he says with a smile. With a somewhat shy smile, she lowers her eyes and touches his hand. Opening it, she puts the tear-shaped jewel on his palm then holds both hand and jewel with her own. Merelas looks at her curiously, as she asks, "Mer, can you open yourself to me?" Merelas bites his lower lip a little bit, considering. He isn't quite sure what she's asking but, not wanting to upset her more, he decides to try. Closing his eyes, he visualizes himself. Around him is a wall of flame in a circle. With a gesture, he dissolves it, and opens his eyes. "Like that?" he asks. She nods. Channeling energies, she carefully threads his pattern into the interwoven earth/water strands already in the jewel. As she finishes, she closes the elf's hand over it. "This jewel has the energies of earth and water interwoven in its structure... strength, healing, protection, cleansing. And now it's keyed to you. Whenever you feel weary, bend your mind into it. It will help you." Smiling at Merelas, she continues, "The wearier you are, the stronger the effect will be. It can't heal you physically as Chrissiania's Jewel does, or give you the same kind of skill. But it will strengthen your mind and give it what protection it can." Merelas opens his hand and looks down at the jewel. After a moment, he smiles and places the chain over his neck. He then slips it beneath his robes and arranges it with Chrissiania's Jewel. Before he can thank her, Tanny speaks again. "You are a dear friend, Mer. The proof is..." Touching his hand, she sends in mindspeech, ::... that you can understand me in this way.:: Merelas' eyes widen for a moment, before replying, :Yes... I can... I didn't know you were a mindspeaker...: ::Normally, just among my own people or when using my animal forms. However... you're a mindspeaker and I have your lifeforce pattern... and there's trust between us. Only under those conditions I can use mindspeaking while in human form... and it does depend on distance. I'm no telepath.:: She pauses, hesitating for just a moment before sending quietly a name. Merelas' eyes narrow, wondering, and looks at her questioningly. ::My True Name.:: She smiles. Merelas blinks, then also smiles. :Thank you... I know... what that means, and I can tell you that I will try not to lose your trust.: He leans in and hugs her then, holding her for a few seconds before letting her go. She looks at him deeply with her grey eyes, smiling warmly. He smiles back silently. ~~~~

lol Somehow I doubt Gwai will like your idea Anyway, go ahead and post whatever you want to. I know how it will end, but I do need some answers first... I can work with whatever is posted, so don't worry. ~Tanny

Congratulations to the Villagers, who won the game against three wolves in spite of having had some trouble in their numbers due to RL interference. Of course, Vahktang baning Gnarlitch the first night was very important, and the Seer was extremely effective on choosing to See Finnius and Gwai; congratulations also, Merelas! Now, would you help me to end the story? I left my post at a cliffhanger... And I'd appreciate if any of the players can come and post in the sequence, so we can wrap up that together (specially to avoid myself writing something *not* IC for your characters...) The situation is: I don't know if Merelas can help Gwaihir or not (I'm PMing him about that). Gwaihir is being shielded as strongly as Tanny can (which isn't that much, as the energy she can actually control there isn't 'clean') so he cannot use any spell or magic ability (his own or given to him through the Curse). He can move, but he's surrounded by Merelas, Ayshela, Gnarlitch, and Katz, all of whom are armed. Gryphon's also there (but I'm not familiar enough with his character to say what he's actually doing - your move, Gryph...). So, I pretty doubt Gwai will try to run away. However, that's Gwai's move... My idea is (yes, I changed it from what I intended at the beginning of the game, because Merelas' accusation post gave me an idea ): Gwai has been in the House right before the party, having found it by chance. He had contact with the Necronomicon (Celes is right, it must be found and locked in the Library at the Pen), and was cursed. The shadow figure that appeared when Cryp was 'freed' is the personification of this curse. Somehow Gwai got Cryp and Finn in contact with the book and the curse. Now... I'm hoping either Merelas or someone else can free Gwai. It's your move, really... Tanny can't, not alone. She has Healing skills, but freeing Gwai is above what she can do; she can however channel energy into someone else to help. If no one can help, I'll have a way to take Gwai back to the party and the Healers there, who will be able to un-curse him. All players are free to post at the game thread right now, even those 'killed' or 'lynched', provided that it's IC for them. Finnius is still missing, but I'll ask him not to help Gwai (consider that, somewow, Finn also has been un-cursed, or will be during whatever happens). Whoever posts, I'll come back to the thread to add The End as soon as I know whether someone at the House can help or not. Thanks!! ~Tanny Edit: clarifying who was the Seer

Surrounded by his friends, although in his mind he does not recognize them as friends at all, Gwaihir narrows his eyes and an uncharacteristic gleam appears. Ayshela has her knives in hands in a flash, and both she and Gnarlitch spread somewhat at Merelas' both sides, giving themselves maneuvering space. Celes, behind Gnarlitch and despite her weakened condition, gestures and gather energies for a spell if that's needed. Tanny, having been alerted by Merelas' light mindtouch some moments ago, arrives with whoever she could find in her way back to the hall -- Gryphon and Katzaniel following close behind her. Gwaihir laughs - not his normal, good-natured laugh, but one plenty of mischief and tainted with malice. "Do you think you can stop Us? We have got hold of his house long ago, and no one has been here to amuse us for a long time... " Merelas points the flaming Brillemire at him, as Celes casts a protection spell over them. To her surprise, however, the feels the spell twist and weaken, barely holding. Twisted energies... there's an awful amount of twisted energy here... Frowning, Tanny kneels to touch physically the ground with her hands, bending her mind into it. Ignoring the twisted, tainted threads she can feel, she grabs at last a strand of pure earth energy. Weaving it quickly, she shapes a shielding around Gwaihir. ::Mer, don't hurt him! He's not himself... there's something in control, remember Cryp!:: Her mind-voice is urgent, strong, boosted by the energy flowing into her. ::Can you help?:: ~~~~~~ OOC Congratulations! Gwaihir was the last prankster/wolf. Please check the OOC thread, as I'm inviting you to help me wrap the story

We can try and see By the way... have you posted at RoC saying who's your mage?

Tam, you can't be worse than a complete newbie (who's me) Hope to see you around at tR and RoC ~Tanny

It's a great short story, Joat! It has a feeling that reminds me of some great science-fiction short stories... not knowing what the 'addicion' is, and finding it later on, is a twist you deal with *very* well. Really liked it! *hugs* ~Tanny

Tanny re-enters the room with a satisfied look, having finally got the right gifts to Ayshela. She leaves the packages, one big and squarish and the other smaller and cylindrical, at the table with the other presents, and quickly locates her friend. *Weeeee!* Ayshela turns at the rapidly approaching steps, and finds herself dealing with a ball of black fur - a big ball with four legs, a wagging tail and a wet muzzle - who tacklehugs her, rolling them both on the ground gleefully. Tanny changes back into her human form, hugging 'shela tight then helping her to her feet with a grin. "There... Happy Birthday, 'shela!" She picks the packages, explaining, "There is a pair of soft but sturdy leather boots. I wove earth energy into them; your footsteps will be inaudible when on bare earth, and the endurance given by earth will flow into you in times of need. They'll still work on pavement, but the deeper, or farther, true earth is, the weaker will be their effect. I hope they fit... " There's a somewhat worried look in her eyes, "If they don't, let me know and I'll have a new pair for you. " The other package is indeed a parchment. As she unrolls it, words appear floating in a water-like background. Huntress and fighter, always seeking, deftly finding your chosen prey, dealing skillfully to make it harmless and take it out of your friends' way. Hunter of sadness, fighter of despair, tracking down darkness and the gathering shadows, bringing the softest of touches, and the brightness of a caring heart. Faithful friend, giver of support, for us you're precious and for you we are here. Needless to say, wherever you are, whenever you need, come to us... A home you have full of love and care from those whose hearts you helped to heal. Happy, happy, happy birthday!!! *huge hugs*

The wolf nods and shimmers back into a woman with raven-black hair and grey eyes, who smiles at him. "Hi, Venefyxatu... yes, you can say that I'm a resident. " He looks at her in a mix of surprise and curiosity, and Tanny grins, "I'm a shapechanger and I like roaming in my wolf form. And though I can understand people's talk, you must be able to mindspeak if you want to understand me in wolf or... tanuki form." She shimmers into a tanuki, then back into a wolf, settling down again with a friendly look. You can find more about me at the Piazza of Portraits Welcome to the Pen!

LIST OF PLAYERS (at the beginning of 5th day phase) At the Haunted House... Leif Lady Celes Nave => Papa Smurf Gwaihir Ayshela Merelas Gnarlitch => bitten by CheerMynx... it seems we have now a CheerItchy... Back to the Party... YanYan => for liking pranks too much... but innocent ones. (villager) Dean => too drunk, but not one for pranks... (villager) Degenero Angelus/Transe => caugh in a net... scary vampire, but not a prankster (villager) Cryptomancer => the first prankster Mynx => panic-striken, drunk, wereMynx... but an innocent one. (villager) Finnius => discovered, but now missing... where's the little blue man? (Second prankster Vahktang => caught in a trap... he was the Baner. MOD NOTES Day phase ends in about 48 hours. Enjoy the time! Listkeepers for this game: Katz and YanYan (that means they know who got all the roles and can act as backup mods if I go MIA) Edit: Sorry, forgot to add... Dragonqueen as bowed out of the game due to vacations.

Vahktang keeps on the outside, examining the headstones that are spread throughout the garden. As he nears one of them, there's a small movement that catches his attention. He approaches the headstone cautiously, circling it and never noticing a somewhat odd pile of leaves just behind it. Inside the house, all that Tanny hears is a muffled cry. But, warned by all the recent events, she's quick to call some of the others and dart outside. After sometime, Katz shouts for them, having found Vahktang unconscious at the bottom of a hole. Tanny climbs down carefully in tanuki form, noticing that the trap was cleverly made, with the first step making the earth crumble and send the victim headlong into the hole. She quickly assesses Vahktang, then asking someone to help carying him out. The words at the headstone read... Where is the body who here was buried Where is the soul that should rest in peace Where are the tears of a grieved familiy? Nothing shall you find here For the body was taken The soul fled And the family left. All that's here is what curiosity brings A new body to fill the emptiness A new soul to haunt the house And friends who wonder who will be next. ~~~~~~ OOC Vahktang was the Baner. It's Day Phase and you have about 48 hours to find the last prankster! List of players at the OOC thread. Good luck! Edit: typos

One more extension... 18 hours from now, or targets will be forfeited. *wonders where the players are...*

Intrigued by the sudden appearance of another... undead? ... a wolf follows the scent until reaching the Recruiter's Office. Seeing Black9 making company to the most recent applicant - who's apparently the owner of the scent - Tanny reads the application, curious. Then, having enjoyed the story, grins and sits down quietly -- but visible to anyone who enters -- waiting to see if more of its kind comes.

Tanny, now back to her human form, stopped so suddenly that Katz bumped into her. "What happened?" asked the tigertaur, seeing her friend frowning and raising her hand to her head. "Wait...." she whispered, straining to 'hear' the presence that kept hovering in her mind. A fleeting thought crossed her mind, unbidden, One's knocking... the other trying to break in... Amid the confusion of feelings that the mind probe imposed on her, Tanny seemed to finally hear a faint voice. "Heinrich...?!" Was Vanessa right? The answer came mixed in turmoil, drowned in a dark echo, almost unrecognizable. There was something in that contact that did remind her of Heinrich's self, but it also brought a heavy taint of something darker, dangerous. As the mind probe retreated, she sighed deeply, feeling suddenly weak and confused. Gathering her wits, though, she soon hastened to the gate, explaining quickly to Katz what she had just discovered. At the battlement, both YanYan and Brygad were shouting questions to Heinrich, clearly unwilling to trust him. Vanessa kept looking at him with almost vacant eyes, clearly lost. Tanny rushed in, going straight to the gates. "Open them, YanYan. I need to go out!" she asked, cutting his questions. "Trust me. I need to talk to... Heinrich." "You aren't going out! You yourself said we couldn't trust him!" His voice revealed shock. "I can't open the gates to someone who can be a demon!" "Well, so just throw me out of the gates!" Tanny retorted sharply, too tired to be diplomatic. "Protect the Castle as you wish, but I will talk to Heinrich if I have to... " "... fly." Vanessa's voice came somewhat unsteady, but she also called Malarasoth. "If you're going, so am I." Drowning YanYan's protests, soon both women were standing in front of Heinrich, Tanny holding Vanessa so she couldn't rush to him. Doubt and distrust were foremost in Tanny's mind, but there was also a wish to help if this creature in front of her was truly Heinrich.

Restless, some of the guests start once again exploring on their own. Celes, still in the Library, checks yet another stack of books, a whole collection of old manuscripts bound in midnight-blue leather with titles in silver letters. Something there intrigues her, almost as if she should know the previous owner of the book. Unnoticed to her, a small wisp of yellowish smoke comes from the stack of books right behind her. Vahktang, in the garden, looks curiously at a crumbling headstone right in the middle of what should have been a flower bed. A small movement under the bushes to his right catches his attention, and he looks around to see if there's someone nearby. Merelas, Brillemire drawn, examines some of the upstairs rooms, lighting a small fire in each fireplace he finds. In the last room, however, he frowns as the fire is repeatedly put out by an odd draft coming from the chimney. Leif, behind him, eyes the corners carefully, fingering Jorgen's Blade. At the main hall, Papa Smurf blithely ignores Ayshela's question, looking at the other blue man. Tanny and Katz join them, looking for the other members. ~~~~~~ OOC Finnius was the second prankster (=wolf). Congratulations! It's now Night Phase. Wolf/Seer/Baner, you have 24 hours to send me your targets. But... what happened to the little blue man ? Was he possessed, as Crypt? Can you find him, and help him?? Many thanks to Finn, who sent me his lynching scene! And great poem also... *hugs*

A black wolf pads into the room softly, lying down in a shadowed corner with ears perked up so as to not miss a word of the tale. She winks at the storyteller.