III - Child Care

The passageway is cramped sandwiched as I am between a seven foot bugbear and the armoured bulk of an equally tall leonin warrior. Stairs lead upwards towards the attic and we creak, clatter shuffle and clang our way upwards in presumption that the remainder of the group are following.

At the end of the passage we emerge into an attic space under the sloped roof of the house. A number of closed doors present themselves to us but one stands out. Not only is it padlocked on the outside but from the room beyond comes sound so of children playing.

Spike and Lilly Durst

From nowhere another member of the group remembers a key they have found and I idly wonder how much else they have neglected to tell me. And in an instant the door is open.

The scene inside is enough t break the heart of the staunchest man - and I do not claim to be he. 

A child's bedroom with twin beds and toys scattered across the floor, the whole covered in the layer of decay I am sadly becoming accustomed to in this place. Playing quietly are a girl of no more than eight and a younger boy. The pair are translucent like the nanny we encountered earlier and lying in the middle of the floor entwined in each others arms as though huddling together to stave off hunger and cold lie two small bodies, reduced by age to little more than skeletons.

The group quickly identify the children that they had met outside, Lilly and Spike Durst and asked for aid. They have clearly been dead for sometime.

I hope that my words of warning from the nanny downstairs have been heeded, and that though they resemble children sense shall prevail and these foul creatures shall not be permitted to endure. Sadly despite my advice, both Cai and Derrumbe step into the room to engage the ghosts in conversation. I bite my tongue and hope that I will live to regret their curiosity.

The children are aware they are dead, they vividly remember being locked in their room to play whilst their parents went to the basement to see the monster. They do not know how long ago that was, but by the scenes of decay in their room it was many years, perhaps decades ago. They are frightened and I have to remind myself that these are not innocent children lest my pity be stirred and my defences lowered. I briefly discuss with Cai how we might lay the bodies to rest, but alas he and the group dismiss my assertion that the ghosts should be dispatched immediately. Instead they opt to find the resting place for the bones.

In the corner of the room is a child's doll house; a replica of the manor house that we occupy. A quick investigation of the toy - which for some reason necessitated ripping off the roof - revealed a secret spiral stair running from the attic down through the entire building. Perhaps this is how we get to the home of the monster in the basement?

Lilly Durst
Oil on Canvas
from memory
by the author

As the group gather up the bones and make to leave the room, the ghosts become more agitated, not wanting Cai and Derrumbes to leave. The ghosts cling to their hand and legs as though stopping them from moving but without material form the effort is meaningless and as the Celestial and Firbolg leave the room the children vanish.

Just as I thought the firbolg could not get any more annoying her whole demeanour changes. Gone is the innocent curiosity over every little thing, replaced by what I can only describe as a right little madam. Shoving the human sized members of our group out of the way the huge blue druid demands that we go downstairs, we have to find her parents. Bossy and incessant, she barely waits to draw breath at the end of one imperious demand before she launches into the next and strides off towards another room in the attic. K'Hevin is almost required to grab her by the arm to stop her rushing off and only the greater strength of the bugbear can keep the firbolg from vanishing.

I have already earmarked Cai as somewhat reticent to act after the incident with the ghost nanny, but his behaviour now is to become even more timid. Crying and pleading with Derrumbes not to leave him behind. He shakes and sobs and pleads until lazlo is forced to take his hand and calm him like a babe. It is obvious to me that the spirits of the dead children have possessed my two new compatriots.

It is at about this point that a more churlish man might have said "I told you so!"

Derrumbes-Lilly continually gabbling for the entire group to hurry up half drags K'hevin with the rest of us in tow into a larger storage room in the attic. It is strewn with half decayed boxes and dust sheets. Any attempt we might make to investigate the room is hampered by a third of our group bossing or crying and a further third trying to quieten and calm the 'children'. Lazlo makes a half hearted attempt to search a pile of boxes and recoils in disgust as his hand meets the long decayed bones of a human skeleton. From what is left of the clothing we quickly surmise that these are the physical remains of the ghost-nanny. Thankfully this time my warnings not to disturb the dead are heeded.

Derrumbe under the influence of Lilly Durst, presses a panel in the wall and opens a door to reveal a spiral stair plunging down into the dark. It will be a tight fit for a human - for the three seven foot giants amongst us this is going to be incredibly tight - I only hope we do not encounter anything on the way down.

Spike Durst
Oil on canvas
from memory
by the Author.

Derrumbe leads us dragging K'hevin - never ceasing in her gabbling bossy tone to 'Hurry up'. The rest of us follow with Cai sobbing and clinging to the Hand of Lazlo. Lazlo in turn sends his owl down ahead of us to 'scout out', immediately rendering himself blind to the location of his own feet. All six of us cramped into the steep narrow stair. Down and down we go, far deeper than the house is tall.

If it is possible to envisage a more bizarre and ill equipped company with which to go adventuring dear reader, then your imagination is better than mine.

At the bottom of the stair Derrumbe leads us one way with K'hevin in effective in restraining her. Lazlo sends his owl the other way and after a moment reports that he can see some tombs. Despite Lilly being adamnet that she knows where she is going I decide it is time to act and we must divest our fellows form the evil possession at our earliest opportunity. 

I take a moment to summon my ability to see clearly in the pitch black of the passegeways and share the ability with Lazlo instructing him to 'stay close', and i stride out purposefully in the direction his owl had taken.  Lazlo is forced to stay with me or be left in the dark with a sobbing and wailing Cai who has now taken to riding piggy back. With half the party setting off with purpose K'hevin finally has no choice but to get Derrumbe under control and follow.

Within a few dozen feet of narrow dank passageway we come across three pairs of tombs recessed into the walls. Lacking any ornamentation they first pair bare no label. the next pair are in the names of Lord and Lady Durst, and the final pair a few more feet down the passageway are for Lilly and Spike.

Reuben steps forwards with the children's bodies and for a moment there is confusion as to which small, sad bundle of bones is which. There is a horrid thought that the bones have become intermixed and will be near possible to identify and lay to rest but at least the Leonin had the presence of mind to keep the separately wrapped in blankets.

To the back drop of continual wailing from Cai, Derrumbes-Lilly realises what is about to happen and begs not to be laid to rest. With Cai out of action it falls to me to lay the bones to rest and say a short prayer to the spirit of the two long dead children. As their spirits are dismissed to whatever afterlife they have earned an eerie silence descends on the dark passageways.

Cai and Derrumbes return to what I can only consider to be their normal states of pestering questioning and pompous superiority and in the quiet of what we presume to be a dungeon we can hear the sound of chanting. Unable to make out the words and following just the rhythm of the noise we press forwards into a room that opens out a few feet from the tomb.

Finding myself at the head of the party due to my superior vision and prompt decision making as enter the room and my attention is immediately drawn to an alcove at one end. Writhing and uncoiling there is a tentacled and beaked monstrosity.

As I scan the room to consider what cover is to be had the monster senses our approach, turns its open maw towards the doorway and tenses to strike.

Next : Chapter IV - The Misplaced Axe