VAU: The Tale of Ivana Hoompalotte - Game Thread

[Cromenon]

Carlos stared at Erik, and then at Abel, and bowed respectfully towards them.

"Gentlemen... My respects. Especially to you, Erik. Now at least, we have more information in order to cast our votes." He smiled slightly, bowed again his head and clasped Ser Abel on the shoulder, before offering him his hand.

"Well done, Ser. Take your well-earned rest, this night it shall be me who will stay awake to patrol." He grinned and clapped the hilt of his experimental portable volley guns. "But don't worry, I will not be alone..."

Carlos went to the stairs and dashed to his room. He searched in his bag and among a lot of papers and clockwork devices he found what he wanted. He would set some basic alams in strategic places of the corridor. "Better this than nothing" He thought.

And so he started setting the alarms. This night would be long, long indeed...

 

[Nelganis]

Looking down at frederick's remains, Isaac grinned.
"For Gurter..." he whispered, before slowly making his way out of the hall to his room.

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

If any had managed to remain awake during the night, the sound of screaming that echoed through the ancient keep would have ensured they never slept again.

However, once again all slept as if under a spell.....well not all

"Dearest Lady, giveth me stre-ahhhhhhh!"

The shriek that came from Abel could have almost been lady like, echoed a moment later by mad laughter.

*****

Morning came, and downstairs the corpse of Abel could be found. Scratches on the floor could be seen where he was dragged from his room, a bloody trail suggestion it had not been done so without a fight.

Laying on the table, at first glance it was curious sight. Abel lay on his back, face to grimaced in agony. His shirt was ripped open and to one side metal bucket lay. More puzzling were the scorch marks on the bottom of the bucket and the imprints of the top of the bucket on the body.

Upon closer inspection the ruin of Abel's body became clear. A ragged and bloody hole had been scratched and chewed in the stomach area, from the outside in. Something that had decided that the easier way out was to eat through Abel's body, no doubt whilst he still lived. Looking further down, it was to be hoped that Abel had died from the stomach wounds, before whatever had eaten its way in had decided to eat its way out through his genitalia.

Such an horrific and painful death, and one that someone had clearly spent time in carrying out. A last final look reveals a now rather fat rat, still alive as sleeps in the crook of the dead man's leg.

[mod]Morning has broken! Day 4 has now started.

Abel / Wolfen has been killed by vampires, and has proven to be human.

Good luck![/mod]

 

[Malochai]

Alessandro came down the stairs as he'd woken suddenly. Stretching, all seemed normal, until his eyes focused on the ruin of Abel's body. He stammered, speechless, before shouting out, "Everyone! Everyone! Abel ... Abel is dead!"

He fell to his knees, startling the rat, and took the dead man's hand is his own, and gently laid it over the dead corpses chest, palm down, before doing the other; he then drew the Bretonnian's sword from his scabbard and placed it beneath Abel's hands, blade pointed towards his feet.

Standing, he whispered softly to the dead man, "I apologise for my accusation ... It ... It was obviously incorrect."

 

[Bravo_10]

The Masque dashed from her room and into the great hall once she heard Alessandro's shouts. She was still stlightly groggy from her strangely deep sleep, and her shock at the situation did not fully set in until she laid her eyes upon Abel's mangled corpse.

"No....."

Quick as a flash, she drew a curved, jagged blade from her robes and ran the engorged rat through. It squealed slightly, before she twisted the dagger violently, snuffing the last ounce of life out of it. She withdrew the blade, wiping it off on one of the table napkins before placing it back in its hidden place in her garments.

 

[Johnny-Crass]

Erik stepped through the doorway and froze as he saw Abel's corpse. He began to mouth words and then stopped as he began slamming his fist again and again against the stone wall until his knuckles were a mess of torn flesh.

Turning to the room with blood flowing freely from his hands and eye socket Erik growled "This just got personal"

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

As Abel's body was disturbed, his right had dropped off the side of the table, an object dropping to the floor.

It's was Erik's pipe.

 

[Malochai]

Alessandro looked at the pipe that had fallen to the floor, left eyebrow crooked with suspicion.

"Erik, do I not see your pipe? How, sir, would that have gotten into the stewardship of Abel here?"

 

[Nikos]

"Gah, that is truly horiffic!" screamed Wilhelmina "Now I will never have a chance to apologise for suspecting him."

 

[Nelganis]

Isaac ran down the stairs, hurrying to the scene as fast as he could. Upon seeing Abel's mangled body, he gasped.
"Abel...no, This can't be...but how?"
Turning to Allessandro, who had discovered the pipe belonging to Erik, Isaac's eyes narrowed and he glared at Erik.

 

[Feast4Crows]

Dr. von Ungeheuer enters the great hall and takes in the scene. "I'm afraid we've struck close to these monsters' heart. This is the vilest retribution they could deal to us. I'm truly sorry that my original impression of Abel had been such a suspicious one. He had proven himself a brave and honorable warrior."

Looking at Erik's pipe lying near to Abel's corpse he says, "It would appear these fiends look to frame you, Erik. Either that, or they think that planting your pipe on Abel will cause the other guests to suspect those of us that voted against you, Erik. Then again, it was my suspicions about your Nipponese herb that started the voting against you both, so perhaps they wish to draw attention to me..."

 

[Raizi]

After hearing the shouts and screams, Duality comes to the grisly scene. He wears his glove puppet on his left arm, and the right side of his face is rigid. Duality stops at the door to take a look at the scene and everyone at there.

"Oh no, poor lad. It shouldn't have gone like this. I imagine that when we managed to expose one of the monsters yesterday, it must've felt like a slap on the face of our hostess as Abel slayed him. I think she wants us living in the world of doubt again, taking from us this bright knight and framing the scene like this, planting the seeds of mistrust again."

(Looking around at everyone)
"Let's hope she does not succeed, I think we gained a lot yesterday, although I was taking the passenger's seat on our little three-seated-carriage."

After a short pause Duality continues:
"But it makes me wonder, did anyone see the dwarf yesterday or last night?"

 

[Feast4Crows]

Looks around the room for the dwarven brewmeister and then back to Duality. "Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing him about yesterday. Our hostess didn't see fit to make a spectacle of his death as she has with others who refuse to engage the group either. I wonder if we should check his room, though I rather dread what we may find."

 

[Nelganis]

"A good idea, Doctor. Perhaps this b!tch is using the less known members of our group for her eyes and ears. That way they see the major threats to their survival and can be picked off accordingly."

 

[Cromenon]

Carlos, sat in a corner in the corridor, opened his eyes suddenly. He promised himself that he would stay awake during all the night, but it seemed that the promise surpassed his abilities... He felt so frustrated... "Damn!" He muttered.

He checked all the traps he set up last night. None was triggered, what gave him the hope that nobody would have died this night. With this vain hope, he dazed to the grand hall.

Carlos froze, staring at the ruin that was Abel's corpse. He squatted next to the body and examined it.

"I don't understand the meaning of this bucket..." He muttered. He looked 'round if someone could dispel his doubts.
He then came next to Erik and clapped his shoulder. "I agree with Duality. I don't believe that you are the assasin, this seems so... evident... Also, the bond you shared with Abel was evident to us all."

He turned on his heels and took a banana from the table."At least now we are not so blind..." He whispered, looking thoughtfully at the distance.

 

[Nikos]

To Carlos
"The bucket has no significance as I can see it, it was merely used in the unfortunate Abels death. The rat is placed on Abel, the red hot bucket placed over the rat trapping it. Unable to escape the bucket, the rat takes the path of least resistance. That would be chewing its way out of Abel." grimaced Wilhelmina.

"The pipe does seem a rather blatant effort to plant evidence. It could even be awarning to who is the fiends target next. Still, I ignored the obvious yesterday and was wrong then. Can you explain it, Erik?"

 

[Zephyr]

Ysolda, just coming out her room, stared blankly at the scene before her. When she heard Wilhelmina explain the gruesome way Abel had been murdered she started to cough and almost retched.

"If killing us isn't twisted enough they have to use these increasingly gruesome methods too?!
The significance of the pipe, if there is any, might be just to make us accuse one another falsely. Remember how we almost condemned this poor soul to Morr's garden ourselves?
I am truly sorry Erik. I also believe we should give him some time to grieve instead of interrogating him so."

 

[Cromenon]

Carlos nodded slowly at Wilhelmina "I see..." He stared bleakly at the corpse and then addressed the crowd: "I think Abel's remains need to be tended properly." He grabbed a tablecloth and started to cover the corpse with it, as if with a shroud. "Could someone help me?"

 

[Malochai]

*To Ysolda*

"I understand that he may need time to recover, but we don't exactly have time, do we? Although, that may be part of the plan ... Keep us disoriented and grieving, forcing us into rash actions we haven't thought through ... "

 

[Feast4Crows]

"I think that may be their game again today, to keep us distracted. First, it was the gruesome scavenger hunt for poor Brand's organs. Now, they murder the only one amongst us who had been able to destroy one of these monsters. I think they are afraid that we may be able to reason out who another vampire is if we spend the day examining our suspicions as we did yesterday. I'll be the first to admit that my original questioning of Erik's intention with his Nipponese herb very nearly led to his death and it cast Abel in a doubtful light as well. However, because of that discussion, there were some amongst us who saw through Frederick's human veneer."

Dr. von Ungeheuer walks over to Abel's corpse and says,
"I will gladly help you prepare his body, but I believe we must not allow ourselves the luxury of grief as yet, since there are still monsters hiding amongst us.

Does anyone have any theories?"

 

[Duke Danse Macabre]

*Entering the room he makes his way over the the group gathered about the table*

Whats everyone looking....... *Sees able on the table, his exuberance from yesterdays vampire slaying dropping sharply away*
We should of known this would happen, when the host killed them they had a selection of us to be angry with who voted for them but to kill them himself, he made himself a target.....

*All the energy draining out of him he sees Carlos begin to try to cover the body, stepping forwards he lends a hand in doing so*

Let me help cover him up until the priest can give him his last rights.

 

[Johnny-Crass]

Erik stood there a minute, just staring at the corpse, oblivious to everything else. Then snapping back to reality he turned to stare at the pipe. "I had that thing in my coat this entire time. Only time I take my coat off is when I sleep and I sleep light. I fear we no longer have control over when we sleep or how deeply we do it..." Turning away from Abels body Erik continued.

"I believe that these beasts can enter our rooms no matter how well the door is barricaded. I thank you though for not believing it was me who killed this brave man. I owed Abel my life and I still intend to pay that debt by finding his killer..."

 

[Malochai]

Alessandro nodded grimly. "I thought as much ... How else would we have slept through ... This ..." he said, gesturing at the corpse of Abel. "Whilst I think it is an obvious ploy to incriminate Erik, I am not going to ignore the possibility that it could be a double bluff ... I must stress that I consider it only a possibility, and not a likely one ..."

 

[Cromenon]

Carlos thanked the doctor and the duke "Thanks" he muttered, thoughtfully.

When they finished, he stood up, cracked his back "Damn! My back hurts horribly..." he whispered to himself and looked at Allessandro.

"Do you now think it is so obvious? Moments ago you were prone to incriminate the fellow..." he said, almost casually.

 

[Malochai]

"Because, whilst I do not think him innocent, I do not feel he would be stupid enough to leave it behind as a clue, when we all saw it was his earlier in the week, and thus he couldn't deny owning it.
"However, whilst I think it is a clumsy attempt to incriminate him, it doesn't make him devoid of any part in this horror, by any means. Remember, it seems not all the vampires know who their compatriots are ... As such, he could still be a vampire and be being incriminated by another. Or, as I said, it could be a clever double-bluff, in that he thinks we would decide it is too coincidental ..."