[RPG] Sword and Sorcery Play-by-Post

[SUCCESSOR]

Taking in the details I am all but certain the birds are an illusion. Where does it begin and end though? Is the whole room an illusion? The whole mansion? pretend to disregard the birds but I keep note of their behavior as I walk over to the desk and look through the notes studiously but in a hurry until I hear someone trying the door I just came through and finding it somehow locked. Strange. "Hello." I say in a normal voice but not too loud to project into the room where I just left the others talking not to them but as if someone else was in the room. I sit and look through the desk drawers as I talk."I see my presence hasn't gone unnoticed. My intrusion is not hostile, I assure you! I had hoped to take a little rest and maybe meet the Lord of the Manor. Perhaps some you have some spare staples. Or perhaps care to barter." Are my words actually reaching someone or have I grown paranoid I wonder?

While talking I drew out a long thin blow dart gun and shot a wad of paper that flies silently toward one of the birds whose eyes were not on me. I keep a close eye on what happens and what reactions the birds make of my sudden action. I wonder if their eyes even see or whom they may see for.

[CJC]

@TheDarkOne
Sancireph, you ask Malichor if he could possibly pick the lock with his magic, but he doesn't seem to hear you. In fact, he is positively enraptured by the door on the right. He wanders to it, hypnotized, turns the knob, and enters. You hear the door LOCK behind him.
You might be able to pick either of the locks if you had the PROPER TOOLS. Otherwise, the BIPEDAL RAT has disappeared through the last remaining unlocked door.
You hear muffled chat through the locked door.
What do you do?

@mrz84
Zataka, you ignite your blade once more. The warmth of the flames is somewhat uncomfortable in the stale air of the lobby. The rat has departed through the door it was approaching. As for the cloaked man, he's behind the locked door. But doors are flammable, and walls next to doorframes are structurally questionable.
What do you do?

@SUCCESSOR
Reven, as you read the notes on the desk you pick up on the general mindset of who you presume is the owner of the mansion. They're biology notes, specifically studying the magical capacity of each of the birds. Much to the writer's disdain, it seems the more colorful birds have less magical 'capacity' (as he writes it) compared to the more plainly plumed birds. The writer gripes about this, complaining that vermin have the highest magical capacity and also hypothesizing that the more bizarre or extravagant a creature's outward appearance, the more it strains on the plausible and so the less it can manipulate with magic.
As you talk, there is no response. You begin to feel paranoid. Using your blowgun, you shoot a wad of paper at the closest bird. To your surprise, it reacts as you would expect, distressing and crying out as it flies for safety. But when it perches, it does something unexpected. It gags at the sight of the slightly moist paper and tries to brush it off.
What is it perched on? Strange, you didn't notice that before. There are three STATUES in the room with you, each roughly fourteen feet high. One is of a WOMAN, one of a RAVEN, and one of a LIZARD. Each is clutching a CRIMSON ORB; the woman holds it in her hand with pride, the raven in its beak, and the lizard with it bursting from its chest.
What do you do?

@Xyvol
Malichor, drawn to the SONG which grows louder by the minute, you enter the door on the right. It locks behind you.
You are in the LIBRARY. A TUNING FORK sits on the desk before you, vibrating ever so slightly. Is it the source of the melody? Tomes cover the walls, spanning four floors total. There are ladders for the bookshelves, as well as stairs up and down. Such a wealth of knowledge is quite enticing.
What do you do?

[mrz84]

While I go over the situation in my head and several possible outcomes, I ultimately decide to use my flame enchanted greatsword to attempt to break through the right hand door and its suspiciously flimsy looking walls in order to free my comrade trapped within. The rat can wait for now. Once I am able to secure my comrade, I will attempt a similar strategy on the left hand door and attempt to find the cloaked man from earlier.

[TheDarkOne]

As I have neither the tools nor the knowledge to pick locks, I assist Zataka in his efforts to break through the door Malichor went through. Using the spiked wraithwood roots from my pack, I attempt to pry the door open with them while Zataka works on the walls surrounding the door.

[SUCCESSOR]

Perplexed as I am and probably very paranoid. The lack of a reply is good news. That gives me freedom to roam as I please. I still have a feel of being watch which is something I particularly dislike. Anyway something of more interest leads me, food! I make my way up the stairs.

[Xyvol]

D'oh! I blame bunnies. What will I do? Uh, probably never leave? This could hold the knowledge to greater power that I've been seeking! First though, I need to investigate that tuning fork and determine if it poses a threat. I focus my magic senses on it to discover what magic properties it has. If it doesn't require my immediate attention, I'll then search the room for any other exits.

[CJC]

@mrz84
Zataka, the walls are not suspiciously flimsy, it is just an architectural fact that while doorframes and doors themselves can be reinforced, people usually forget to reinforce the walls. You hack at the drywall of the lobby and sure enough, you are able to cut an opening between two studs you will be able to climb through. You see a LIBRARY, with MALICHOR examining a strange object on a table. Do you enter?

@SUCCESSOR
Reven, you climb the staircase and stop at the second floor, though the stairwell does go higher. This floor has only a catwalk around the room, going to doors on the EAST and NORTH wall. Wait, how do you know which way you're facing? Ah, there's a compass carved into one of the statues! You must have noted it subconsciously as you were looking at them. The EAST DOOR goes back to the Lobby, but since you're on this floor that would be another risky drop. You have no idea where the NORTH DOOR leads.
You hear FOOTSTEPS above you. What do you do?

@TheDarkOne
Sancireph, Zataka sends you to the other door so that he won't accidentally hit you as he is hacking at the wall. Using the Wraithwood roots as a pry-bar, you stab the frame of the door and push until it pops off its hinges. Before you lies an AVIARY with various exotic birds perched in the places you can see through the doorway. Do you enter?

@Xyvol
Malichor, as you stare at the tuning fork you hear whispers of PSIONIC MAGIC. It appears to be some kind of lure. There's no hint of hedge magic this time, so you take a scrap of paper from the desk, write "HUSH" in runes, and place it upon the fork. The singing stops. As you do this, you hear a CRASH from behind you. The SOLDIER has cut a hole through the wall. What do you do?

[TheDarkOne]

I place the wraithwood roots back into my pack and enter the aviary with my hands near my swords, ready to draw them at a moment's notice. Remembering this to be the room the cloaked man disappeared into, I scan the room for him as I enter.

[mrz84]

I call to Malichor, inquiring if he has any injuries. Once I am able to confirm his well-being, as well as anything he has found in the room, I'll suggest we find out the progress of our other comrade and the location of the hooded man. I keep my blade drawn and make ready to cast a fire enchantment on it if needed as we continue our efforts.

[SUCCESSOR]

Had I lost my bearing? I try to recall the direction I entered the house from to make sure the compass I saw was correct. It seems this place is meant to mess with the mind. To be sure I sketch out a quick layout of the rooms I have been in to keep track. I want to keep my pleasant solitude for as long as possible so I don't want to head up the stairs and find out who's tramping around. I head through the North door keeping my eye on the surrounds. Maybe if this place is designed to be disorienting then there may be some secret to it if I keep my eyes open.