Outside the new home of the Artiste...
Scott, now feeling quite unwelcome, dismounts from the horse and looks for some sort of glaring security flaw he could exploit in the place. He walks up to the raised gangplank.
He considers the gangplank. It seems to serve as some kind of barrier to the house, that much is true. Okay, so, a barrier here. But there should be a way through it, no? After all, they'd all have to leave at some point, and it wouldn't be clever to just leave it open. Therefore, when they come back, they should have some kind of mechanism to open the thing. Therefore, it should be possible to find and utilize in some way. However, since none are obviously in sight, the mechanism must be hidden in some manner. And the only good hiding place is the wall!
Scott immediately begins to yank on the steel bars in his immediate vicinity, then, when that turns up nothing, begins to knock on the blocks of stone, hoping to find a weakness somewhere. When that turns up nothing as well, he punches the gangplank in frustration, leaving a mighty dent and making something crack behind it. Huh.
The gangplank then falls right on him in all its heavy steel majesty.
[Endurance roll: 6]
Scott catches it with one hand, then steps out to safety. Well, the house is open now. He heads right up.
The inside of the house has completely changed as well. Now it looks more like a series of alcoves ordered in a manner spiraling upwards, with a few extra-deep alcoves at the bottom, one of which is emitting cold air rapidly. The entire interior has a slightly utilitarian and plain look, though each of the alcoves looks warm and inviting, and there are about 8 in total.
Scott notices Mark looking at him from a pit on the ground floor. It appears to be sealed at the top with very thick glass. Mark appears to be minding his own business, sitting in a comfy chair and perusing a book on divination very carefully. There is a bright, crystalline lamp placed next to him to allow optimum reading conditions.
There is the sound of people sleeping peacefully coming from the top alcoves.
At the home of some old people...
Sigmund looks on as Rubun gets mutilated by the dog and bunny.
"Your pet is not having a good time here, as a good owner, you should probably take him to another place. Why don't you take him in a hunting trip? I think that he will love it."
"Hmm. Well, what's the worst that could happen? Come, Rubun!"
Niklas goes up to the dog and tries to slap him most severely!
[Niklas vs. Dog: 6 vs. 6+2]
He slaps the dog straight across the snout. The dog gives him a dubious and bored look, then returns to killing Rubun again. Rubun, having had enough of this crap, starts to run away, getting a good head start on the dog. Wow, look at him go. And he even tricks the bunny into running into a wall when it catches up with him. Sweet! The bunny doesn't seem overly bothered by the high-speed collision, though, and neither does the wall. Must be a good building.
"Do you have pest problems in this neighborhood? A dog as stubborn as this certainly could be of help in such a situation."
"That would be true were it not for the fact that it isn't a dog. It's some kind of jerkass magical fey werewolf that can turn into a man. Not to mention that it tried to bite our faces off upon our first meeting. Not a trustworthy sort, all in all."
"Not to mention that it's far easier and more reliable to make our own pets, like the ones that have been successfully fending said jerkass magical fey werewolf off."
"And any pests we have, we can deal with ourselves, mostly. We are, after all, users of magic, and experienced ones at that. I remember that time I solved the local mole problem. Took some lithospheric reconfiguration, but it was worth it. Not to mention all the ash that the volcano produced really helped the local farmers. Miniature volcanoes used to be such fun before they were banned by the Black Circle."
"Yeah, before they laid down the law you'd get guys like Lightning McGee blasting islands out of existence because they felt like it."
At the docks of Shriekpot...
Morton looks for the source of the ornery-sounding voice, followed by an ever-vigilant Kevin.
"Hello? Where are you? Are you down below?"
"Yeah!"
"I'd like to inquire as to the availability of this ship for transportational purposes. My master is seeking a ship to take him to a location I assume to be far, and I was curious as to if this wonderful ship and its owner would comply. If you could give me an estimate of prices, I would be most appreciative."
"Wait a minute!"
There is the sound of a commotion down below. After three minutes, it shows no sign of stopping.