Nalthar 2025/09/27(Sat)23:43 No. 1114479 ID: fd169b
File 175904181950.jpg - (561.87KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 52 dont leave me.jpg )

You stand up and dust yourself off "Sir, it's been a pleasure, but we really must leave. We didn't bring food for an extended visit you see."

The deer immediately looks distraught. "Leave? No you- you just got here! You can't- " He lets out an odd keening, trembling hands grasping the sides of the shelf. "Its so still down here. So quiet. You can't leave me here!"

Poor creature is all lonely, pet it on the head and tell it that you will visit him the next day.

>>1114479
Tell him to please calm down, don't topple the shelf. You're not sure what you could do, aside from leave someone here and arrange for supplies to be delivered. You could try to pick the lock on his chains, but if he left this room it would raise an alarm, and he would likely be killed.

Try to arrange for some sort of compromise. You agree, it's bad to just leave him alone now that talking to him has freed more of his mind. Would it be fine if you promised to have someone visit regularly? Even if it's yourself? How often would he want to have company?

...hmm, if you brought a bunch of people here, freed the deer and waited until the master came down... the deer could help you take him down. All the deer would have to do is hold the master still for long enough for your ambush to slash the master's veins and bleed him out. You might even be able to deliver a weapon to the deer!

Thinking about it, the best thing to do is probably for one person to stay behind. Did anyone see anything edible on the shelves? Anything to drink?

Tell him that you understand, you don't like seeing him trapped down here, and you'll help him if you can; but you have other people who are depending on you, and you need to help them too. However, you'll tell everyone you can that he's down here, and this isn't going to be the last time your group comes to the basement. You're not just going to leave him.

>>1114482
I don't think the master comes down here. Only Gregor, one of the servants. We do want to break the deer out, but not right now. Not until we're ready to try to beach the top floor.

Leave one person behind to stay with the deer and the rest can go.

Nalthar 2025/10/04(Sat)12:14 No. 1114745 ID: fd169b
File 175960525086.jpg - (558.77KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 53 long term loss.jpg )

The box rattles and shakes beneath you. Lisel holds on tight. "Do not lose your faculties friend!" she cries "We shan't abandon you!"

Nimbly scurrying you leap to perch on the deer's hand. His unkempt fur is rough under your palms as you give him reassuring pets. "I promise, as soon as we get some food we'll come back."

The deer stills, the intact side of his face turned away, giving you an unsettling view of his skull. "I can't remember my name." he moans "I can't remember why I'm here. I can't remember what I did yesterday. What good is a promise I won't remember?"

>>1114745
What about a reminder? We could write it down, or leave something behind...

>>1114749
ohh i like that idea. perhaps scratch a symbol or message on nearby wood?

Weill if you can't remember your name I will call you Nerry Derry the dead deer.

If he can't remember any promise, then we're kinda off the hook. If we can just get away safely, we don't have to placate him, and we'll be able to come back later with him none the wiser. If we're able to tell him something that will let us get off of him and away to safety, then we can just bolt, and report the route to the basement and the coal stores.

Listen we are living things but you are not, we feel sympathy for what happened to you but we can't risk our life in order to make you feel less lonely.

Well, you can't stay with him forever. He's going to have to go back to the quiet sometime, and you have places to be. If he would forget your promise then he would forget you too, and be no worse off than when you found him.

I don't like the idea of leaving someone behind; it took all of you to fight the spiders off earlier, and whoever stays behind may well need to return to base on their own.

The best thing to do might be for one of you to stay with him and keep him placated until the others are clear, and then that one person catch up after. Sorrel would have the easiest time with this.

1/3 Nalthar 2025/10/16(Thu)00:27 No. 1115146 ID: fd169b
File 176059964841.jpg - (550.11KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 54 a tangible promise.jpg )

You keep stroking the deer's hand, and it seems to calm him. "Well lets make one you will remember then. Show me where you spend your time."

You are carried across the room, following the slack chains on the floor to where they feed through the wall. The deer seats himself where the dust is thinnest, slumping like a dropped puppet. "This is where I stay. They pull the chains taught before they come in so... no reason to go anywhere else, usually."

You motion to the wall, and he brings you closer. Drawing your long knife, you start carving lines into the wood. A rat's face to start, and after a moments thought you add a mouse with goggles. Thinking on what to write you look up at the deer, who is watching with rapt attention. "This would work so much better if I knew your name." you run through some good words in your head until you find one that might work. "How about we call you Ornery? Nerry for short. A good name to live up to."

He's just staring at you, eye burning into you in a way that makes you shrink back. After a minute he answers, voice cracking. "Y-yes that... that would... Nerry. I am... Nerry." His hand trembles under you as he draws in a shaky breath. Catching himself, he holds you steady again where you carved the wall. "Please, continue." he says.

The scratching of your knife seems to fill the air, as Nerry makes no sound while he watches. You add a few lines:
YOU ARE ORNERY
WE WILL RETURN
STAY STRONG FRIEND

"There, a promise you can't forget. Right?" Nerry sets you down and leans close to your message. He traces his finger over his name, whispering to himself "Ornery" He does it again, and then again, until it becomes a chant. You take this chance to slink away, not wanting to chance another mood swing from the hulking fellow.

2/3 Nalthar 2025/10/16(Thu)00:28 No. 1115147 ID: fd169b
File 176059969125.jpg - (515.50KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 55 a lifeline.jpg )

The others are waiting for you on top of the shelving. Lisel has her lantern banked so low you can barely discern them from dark around. Trying to keep quiet, she turns it higher until you can make out the hole you came in from, several body lengths above. You take out your chain knife and carefully hand it to Sorrel, who nods, then turns and dives off the edge. A few seconds later you see her swoop in and alight by the hole. She stabs the knife into the crumbling wood until it bites hard, then slowly unspools the chain.

The three of you waste no time taking the thin silver lifeline out of this tomb.

3/3 Nalthar 2025/10/16(Thu)00:28 No. 1115148 ID: fd169b
File 176059972478.jpg - (511.49KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 56 back under the floor.jpg )

Back in the underfloor it is dark, silent, and cramped. Yet somehow you feel less enclosed than in that musty air below. You give yourself a shake and move on.

"We saw the furnace." Sorrel says. "Its not going to be easy. We should get to the lounge to tell the others. I'm sick of these tunnels, I say we get above floors and hurry."

>>1115148
Agreed. We also need to report Ornery's existence, and how he could be our means of killing the master. We'll need a means of weakening his shackles in a non-obvious way(maybe we already have that- the acid?), such that when the master comes down they will look secure... until we spring the trap and unleash the deer. In the scuffle we can attack and administer a deadly toxin via needle, or enough hallucinogenic spores to drive them mad... or just keep stabbing, though I doubt raw damage will work-- most likely the master would retreat and tend to their wounds.

Regardless, we really do need to make good on that promise. Even if only for a little while every day. We can't leave him alone down there. Though... I wonder how long he'll stay sane? Now that we know how the wires work, next time we have a chance we can try cutting only *some* of the wires on a puppet. See if they gain that middle-of-the-road form of freedom like the deer has. If it works well, we could recruit one for non-invasive testing and examination, see if we can figure out how the music box works. Or alternatively, simply use them as a source of information on the enemy, like patrol times or whatever.

That drawing for the deer was soo sweet, a brilliant idea to keep us in his mind and with that we gained a new ally. Maybe every day one person should check on deer to see if it didn't go mad. Onwards we need to keep moving if we stop we are as good as dead.

You know... the basement is probably safer than anywhere else inside the house. No puppets. No patrols. Anyone who's down there will have warning when the master's servants are coming, due to Ornery's chains being pulled tight. So long as you can set up a good hiding place, you easily could station someone down there, or maybe even use the room as a sort of staging area or base camp.

And we definitely do need to find a way to liberate Ornery. Even if he loses his mind completely, letting him rampage through the house will make for a useful distraction when we decide to either attack the master or make a break for it.

For now, agree on getting above the floor. The patrols in the underfloor have been getting increasingly aggressive and it actually seems more dangerous than the main floor at this point.

seems like ornery likes his name!

>>1115149
i do agree on trying to use the acid to weaken the length of the chain a bit. not so much they'll break when they pull it taut tho.

time to head upwards and report the findings. retrieving coal is top priority.

1/2 Nalthar 2025/10/27(Mon)16:25 No. 1115607 ID: fd169b
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The party retraces their steps through the underfloors. Sorrel keeps ahead, listening for any approaching patrols. While you walk you ask Lisel what she makes of the deer's condition.

"You saw how the breaking wires sparked?" Lisel says "That's electricity. I've read of experiments where a shock can cause muscle movement in a cadaver. It would seem the other organs are also affected. I would theorize that the master experimented on Nerry because his brain is larger, so he would be able to apply the wires more precisely. It would explain why he can talk while the rats and spiders we've encountered have not."

"So how does this help us?" you ask "If we break the wires they'll be free?"

Lisel ponders. "I don't think it's that simple. The way those revenants we fought acted, it looked like the one whose control mechanism was cut kept trying to attack you, even when Sorrel was closer. Based on that and what Nerry said I would conclude that the wire carries a compulsion, and when the connection is cut the last order given is still in effect. Nerry might be able to resist that, as he clearly still has functioning higher thought, but the others seem to be operating at a more base level. I confess, my understanding of the thought organ is lacking. From what I've read even the humans have only the barest understanding of how it works. What the master has done is simply astounding, if quite evil."

You tap Lisel's acid tank "Regardless, I am not one to break a promise, even in times like these. How much of this would we need to break his chains?" Lisel shakes her head. "More than my thrower can carry, I'm afraid. I'm using carbolic acid, with a little extra kick, but it's much more effective on flesh than iron. Given enough time we might weaken those chains with a continuous application, but given their size, my estimate would be a week." She perks up "I intend to keep our promise as well, and to that end, there's something in the lounge I think might help."

2/2 Nalthar 2025/10/27(Mon)16:26 No. 1115608 ID: fd169b
File 176160758452.jpg - (428.61KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 58 a lone bug.jpg )

With Sorrel guiding you are able to avoid anymore encounters. The site of your previous skirmish bears stains and disturbed dust, but the bodies have been taken away. Things seem quiet until you near the chamber with the hole into the foyer. Sorrel raises a hand to halt you. Something is moving up ahead, something with scratchy bug feet.

Sneaking up to the corner, you chance a peek. In the dim noon light that filters down you can make out a beetle, one of Kh'khechil's comrades. He appears to be alone, and has an oozing crack in his carapace.

>>1115608
Hm, odd. I doubt the puppets have enough intelligence to use bait, so it's probably not like that. Nevertheless, use caution and stay quiet, peek into the room to see if it's clear before approaching and administering any possible first aid while asking what happened. Uh, damn, we don't have any way to translate do we? Nevertheless, our beetle companion should be able to carry the knowledge forwards.
I suppose we can play 20 questions as well. Did the base get attacked? Is there anyone nearby that needs help? Are there any hostiles nearby?

We should have Sorrel sound off here. That will quickly tell us if this is an ambush and what we're up against if so. The only reason we wouldn't do this is if she had y reason to believe there's a ghoul bat somewhere *else* in the underfloor.

If there's nothing chasing the bug or waiting behind him, then have Lisel try to tend his wounds while Kh'khechil talks to him.

>>1115702
agreed. tho maybe the beetles secretly have their own version of sign language going on if we want to avoid making noise?

1/2 Nalthar 2025/11/05(Wed)07:03 No. 1116393 ID: fd169b
File 176235499801.jpg - (484.31KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 59 an injured survivor.jpg )

It doesn't sound like anything else is around so you hiss a quick squeak to get the beetle's attention. He trundles over to you, leaving a few drops of ichor behind.

"What happened? Where's your party?" you ask. Lisel has already pulled a length of bandage and is using some kind of adhesive goo to cover the beetle's gash. He tries to pantomime a response, hampered a bit by the ministrations.

"This isn't working. Kh'khechil can you help?" You're a bit jealous of how well Sorrel was able to pronounce his name. Your beetle pulls out the map and hands it with the bit of charcoal to the other.

2/2 Nalthar 2025/11/05(Wed)07:04 No. 1116394 ID: fd169b
File 176235504772.jpg - (612.74KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 60 where it happened.jpg )

The beetle sketches out a scene of himself, one of the mice, and the half-squirrel rat being surrounded by spiders. He then adds a pair of rats holding a net, and crosses off his companions.

"Not dead?" you ask. The beetle shakes his head, a motion that moves his whole body. Considering what's happened to other guests of the house it might be better if they were. Sorrel is clearly thinking the same thing, as she is gripping her spear tight and grinding her teeth.

"How long ago was it?" Lisel inquires. The beetle makes some hand gestures but stops at you're clear incomprehension. He sets the map down on the floor and, dipping a claw into the ichor staining his chest, starts extending the map off the edge of the page. Looks like they were under the dining room when it happened. The beetle starts tapping from one side of a drawn chamber to the other. You don't understand what he means with this, but Lisel pipes up. "Ah! You mean to indicate the time it takes to walk across a room." He nods and executes a series of taps, repeating in one room then moving from one to the next.

"So it was only ten minutes ago?" Lisel rubs her chin "They might not have gone far. Should we go after them?"

...we really should, but we also have critical information to deliver. Can the injured beetle make it back? If so, they can deliver the scouting report while we go on the rescue mission.

>>1116394

We're relatively fighting fit. We've had a brief scrape, but come out from it very well. If this beetle can give us a trail to follow, we're obligated to at least try to liberate our comrades from a fate worse than death, and prevent ourselves from facing them later, when they will be worse than dead.

But be judicious in your adventures, and take no undue risks. If ever you run into unforeseen trouble, or you don't like your odds, abandon the engagement and retreat to safety.

for them to have a net means they were expecting/prepared to ambush them... we should still go for a rescue, but be very cautious of the surroundings.

also as morbid as it is, if we can't rescue them due to lack of ratpower, we can try to find out where they're taken and how they're processed.

>>1116444
This

Someone who knows where the coal is needs to go back to base. They also need to hear about Ornery.

>>1116406

If the injured beetle can make it back to base without an escort, AND if he can memorize the map, this would be the best solution. Otherwise we really have no good choices as to who to send back; we need Sorrel for scouting, Kh'khechil to keep the map updated, Lisel to observe if we end up watching ghouls being created, and of course Temerity to lead. Lisel is probably the best of bad options here.

>>1116444

I also agree with this approach.

Nalthar 2025/11/15(Sat)14:00 No. 1116986 ID: fd169b
File 176324405958.jpg - (604.37KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 61 splitting up.jpg )

You are loathe to stand by when there is a chance they could be saved. Still, they have information that needs to be relayed.

"Someone will have to take the map to the meeting point and tell them what we found. Sorrel what did you see?"

The bat sighs "I would have wanted to convey this in more detail in person, but in short there's a hallway, the furnace room to the southeast, and a room to the north east with a pit. I heard people in both rooms, and strange noises."

From where you are you know its just a straight shot down the hall to get to the lounge. One person should able to avoid the patrols and make it there undetected.
"Well no time to waste. Who's going to the meeting?"

>>1116986
Hmm. Send Sorrel. She's got the most information, and is the least effective in a straight up fight. We know where we're headed, so we don't really need a scout.

As before, if the injured beetle can make it back on his own, and he can relay the information for us, let him do it. He's in no condition to accompany us anyway.

Otherwise, I will change my vote to Sorrel instead of Lisel, since she seems to want to go. I had assumed she would want to be part of the rescue attempt.

>>1117028
This

agreed w/ sending sorrel.

Agreed. Fliers are hardest to trap. Lisel's firepower is worth more than her stealth. If the beetle can still be saved, then letting Sorrel shepherd him might be a good idea.

Sending Sorrel is the best outcome

1/2 Nalthar 2025/11/24(Mon)19:41 No. 1117610 ID: fd169b
File 176404211766.jpg - (598.08KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 62 Sorrel is stressed.jpg )

You hear something patter onto the ground behind you. Looking around you see a few drops of blood on the ground. Sorrel is standing very still, staring ahead. One hand is clutched over her face, her long fingers dragging gouges through her fur. Blood trickles down from the rents.

"Sorrel! Hey stop!" Lisel looks up at your cry and gasps. "Sorrel what are you doing?"
The bat snatches her hand away, blinking at the crimson on her claws. "Ah, no I... sorry I just. The thought of being caught. trapped." she looks from one of you to the other in a panic. "B-but I can't falter here! Can't be useless again. I won't fail you. Like I failed my m-" Sorrel chokes. Tears mix with the blood on her cheeks as she clutches her spear to her like its the only thing holding her up.

You move to steady her, her lanky body surprisingly light. Lisel takes her other side, though she isn't tall enough to do more than let the bat lean on her. "You're no failure, Sorrel." the chemist says "You've been most helpful to us."

Patting her on the back in what you hope will seem comforting you add "Go to the meet Sorrel. You need to tell them what you saw. It's important. And you need to see this injured fellow back to safety."

Sorrel takes a few deep breaths and nods. "Right. I'll... go on ahead." She steps away, stance growing a little more sure with each step. The injured beetle follows her. Just at the edge of the lantern light she turns back. "Come back, you three. I'll be waiting." Then she slips into the dark.

2/2 Nalthar 2025/11/24(Mon)19:44 No. 1117613 ID: fd169b
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With no time to waste you run down the corridor. The trail of yellow ichor is easy enough to follow as you transition into the dining room underfloors. According to the beetle's map they were ambushed not to far in. You don't see any branching paths on the way.

And indeed, at only the third chamber in, you turn a corner and find the site. Several spider corpses are still on the ground, while their more mobile fellows are clustered around them. It looks like the fallen are being dragged away.

In total, five spiders' eyes still shine in the darkness. They don't seem to have noticed you yet.

>>1117613
We're outnumbered. Can't fight this. Sneak around!

We don't have time for this. If I'm reading the map correctly here we should be able to head further east (?) and try to find a way around. Don't engage the spiders if we can avoid it.

If there truly is no way to go but through, then I would say that this is a good use case for a grenade. Do we think our flashbang would blind them long enough for us to kill at least a few? Or would we be better served by having Lisel wade in and spray acid into their eyes?

Can you all try to climb on the walls in order to avoid getting the attention of the spiders?

avoid engaging as much as possible. it may be tedious to find an alternate route, but stealth must be prioritized. altho.. maybe we should follow from a distance and see if they're going to the same place...

1/2 Nalthar 2025/12/02(Tue)21:19 No. 1118327 ID: fd169b
File 176473918898.jpg - (647.11KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 64 consider sneaking.jpg )

You take a moment to reorient your mental map. You have entered the dining room underfloor at its north west corner. Based on what you remember of the house map your quarry is likely being taken to the south, where the kitchen and dumbwaiter are. The chamber in front of you runs to the south.

"Think you could sneak over them?" you whisper to Lisel.

"Well, yes, but I would have to move slowly." She waggles her arm so the contents of her hidden pockets clink and slosh. "Wouldn't want a bottle to fall on them. If that's how you want to do this, you two should go ahead and I'll catch up."

You consider if the flash bang might help. Perhaps if it were thrown as they start climbing, it would both disorient and distract the spiders. But there's one other option you want to check. "There was another passage behind us, lets quickly see where that goes."

2/2 Nalthar 2025/12/02(Tue)21:20 No. 1118328 ID: fd169b
File 176473921186.jpg - (544.50KB , 800x600 , cadvere2 65 the dining room.jpg )

A hole in the east wall behind you leads to a dead end chamber, or so it seems at first. After a moment your a faint light catches your eye. There is a hole up in the corner leading to the dining room. You scrabble up to take a look.

Thick curtains block all but the thinnest rays of sun in the musty room. The scent of rot hangs thick on the air, no doubt emitted by the fungos you can see distantly glowing on the ceiling and walls. Their work is evident by the squared spiderwebbing of cracks above, which leak warm yellowy light and muffled talk. The combined pinpricks of illumination is enough for you to make out the bulk of a clothed table, its high plateau hosting glinting peaks of silver and crystal. Around it chairs are strewn haphazardly.

The floor is a ragged mix of half-chewed carpet, fallen plaster, and crumbling wood. It appears the rot has gone far enough to provide a number of rough holes, one of which might allow you to get the drop on your allies' captors.

Although, you recall, weren't you warned to stay particularly quiet in this room?

They're probably being taken to the dumbwaiter. Traveling through the dining room should let us get ahead of the kidnappers, which means we can set an ambush. So yeah, despite the risk, I think we should sneak through the dining room. Make sure Lisel's stuff doesn't clink while she walks and we'll be ok. If necessary, the other members of the group can carry loose bottles during the sneak. Or we can leave behind non-essentials.

>>1118338

Agree. Leave behind anything we can afford to and go through the dining room. They're not expecting us to go that way. That said, if we make noise it sounds like the master may hear us personally, so that is something to avoid at all costs.

Don't leave behind anything useful in combat, though. If that means Lisel has to move more slowly, so be it. We're not going to be able to come through this room with ghouls in hot pursuit, so we're almost assuredly going to have to fight our way out once we free the captives.

This is, you are in the belly of the beast. Be quiet, scout out your area, and not just the floor, look at the ceiling. Proceed onward with caution. The whole situation feels like the calm before the storm, and when that happens, be sure to have an umbrella ready.

Retreat. Cut the losses. There is no sense piling risk upon risk in an attempt to play rescuers. Traveling through the most dangerous room of the house in order to engage in battle is not a part of our mission today. It's worth more to return intact yourselves, with the knowledge you've gained and your abilities still at the disposal of everyone in the shed. This passage to the dining room floor may yet prove useful for transit or eavesdropping, but only if you can report on its availability, and be alive to use it in the future.