Mansion on Haunted Hill [Closed]

Rad looked around again at Deus' answer, it seemed kind of obvious now. "Old even before the war... Damn... I mean, we call the pre war stuff old, so for this to be somethin they would call old..." Rad then looked at Deus and saw she was staring at him, so he gestured around the room with a hoof, a grin on his face. "I wouldn't say theres none left eh?"

"There are some, but these may be them." She looks back at the relics. "Truly ancient."

Rad just kind of... Stared blankly for a moment, not quite understanding at first, but he eventually figured out what Deus meant. "Uhh... Yeah, shame we can't have some of them, reckon i'd look good in that pegasus armour."

Deus smiles a small smile, "We may have them yet, little pegasus." She examines the unicorn armor, which she regards with a similar attitude as her follower has towards the pegasus armor. The Others liked ancient things, and these things were truly ancient.

Rad noted the little smile that Deus gave, he was sure that was the first time he'd seen smile on her face. "What do ya mean? I don't think ol' Sooth Sights gonna let us have them, not for any price we could afford... Or any price at all." Rad let out a sigh. "It's a hopeless thought i'd think."

"Hopeless task through hopeless means. You'll never gain true power if you try to be everyone's friend. I can get you what you want, but you'll have to help out a bit. Can you handle it?" She looked at the pegasus, curious as to whether he'd make it through her plans.

Rad listened to what Deus said, he always tried to be everyones friend, though he knew it wasn't always possible, he wondered just what Deus had planned, and like a lot of other times he knew his curiosity wouldn't let him say no. He didn't know what Deus meant by true power, as power could be many things, but Rad didn't look for power, just friends and allies. He looked back at Deus. "What do ya need me to do?" For better or for worse, he was a part of this unicorns plans now.

Deus smiled her small smile a second time. This one would be useful. "The time will come, little pegasus. You will have your chance." She decided she would keep him.

Trails ignored the whole of the artifacts. Armor, no matter how ancient, was simply armor. Hanging it up and treating it like a precious treasure didn't change that. Still, at least their host knew well enough to keep the suits maintained, even if it was likely the achievements of his ancestors that brought it here. That was really the trouble the stallion had with the place, it was all just somepony showing off what somepony else had done and expecting him to be impressed with them. Well that, needless to say, wasn't working. Still, Trails held his tongue and followed.

Cuppa continued on with the rest of the group, taking a moment to look closely at some of the objects that were around, such as the flags, before she was back on her way to following behind Bane Silver.

Kestrel entered the overly extravagant room without a sound, moving much as the shadows in the hall had earlier. Fine china and golden silverware had been set out...strange. Kestrel had expected silver, appears the host was doing his damnedest to impress his guests.

Nothing Kestrel had seen yet had been truly impressive however. All of it was just too gaudy. If any of it had had a practical purpose the griffon might have found it all worth remembering.

As fate would have it however, something in this overly decorated room did catch the griffons eye. He'd only seen a few of them before, and they'd always been torn and tattered. A flag of the Kingdom of Gryphus. Externally Kestrel looked just as serenely calm and collected as ever, internally he was recalling all the tales his mother had told him of the great city, and its surrounding lands.

Unlike Equestria, The Griffon lands were not united under a single banner, instead being an amalgamation of separate kingdoms that, in most cases, got along with each other and formed the whole. Overall the GK, as it was nicknamed, was far larger than Equestria, but also far harsher in its climate, culture, and wildlife. The three largest, and most powerful of the Kingdoms were Gryphus, Asgard, and Niflheim. The latter two never gave out their flags, as they were rather...secretive cities. Gryphus however had been a Kingdom capital to rival even Canterlot in its beauty and size. A massive city that was by most ponies definition, the heart of the GK.

The Solid white flag with two dueling griffons upon its fabric, colored red and gold, was a strange sight to see for Kes. His mother had often talked about it, with an almost eerie accuracy to its description. Like she'd been there before.

Finishing his silent admiration Kestrel turned and proceeded along with the others further into the room towards Sooth Sight; wherever he was.

Dash looked over to Lightning, "You need to see these things, though, they're amazingly detailed." he said, "I wonder if this was what they actually looked like." He walked back to the group, "But yeah, if I ever saw thew real thing, I'd go crazy!"

"Ah, I see you all have arrived safely." a voice then said from the opposite end of the table. A cool pale blue-colored unicorn stallion rose up from his seat, "I had guessed as much when I saw the security alert. Bane Silver, dear?" The white unicorn mare made her way around the table and to her apparent husband's side, "Yes, dear they're here." she said. Sooth Sight smiled, "Thank you, my dearest." he then leaned forward and kissed Bane Silver. Sooth Sight seemed genuine in his affection, but Bane Silver seemed a bit like she wasn't actually enjoying it. The two parted and the mare stepped off to the side as Sooth Sight rounded to the table to the guests, "I welcome you all to my mansion. My name is Sooth Sight, the owner of this house and its many curiosities."

He looked around the group before him, the strong, the weak, the beautiful and the strange. It seemed as though the folk of Stableton were indeed a storied and diverse group, "I am the one who sent out the letter inviting you to my mansion to participate in a contest of endurance. You must all spend the night in my mansion, which, in case you haven't known, has an almost unending history of paranormal activity. Not very much of generally sits well with those who experience it. Which is why I called you all here not very long after the infamous Nightmare Night. When it seems as if the veil between this world and the world of spirits is at its thinnest." he monologues forbodingly, "Or perhaps I am just a charitable old man, who invited citizens of a depressed town to a challenge of which the outcome is obvious. And even, I might be harboring a dark secret plan for all of you... That is the nature of this challenge I have extended to you all."

Deus stares patiently while Sooth gives his speech, then walks right up to him, points at the griffon flag, and says "I want that." She looks very serious, and says nothing else.

Aquilinus walked in with the group, mulling over in his head what the night was going to have in store for them. As Sooth gave his speach Aqui sat and listened, nodding to himself every so often. At the end one thing was clear, he was going to have to keep an eye out for any kind of trap set in place.

Ale turned away from the case housing the armor to see their most gracious host, and to listen to him ramble on like old ponied tend to do. " Paranormal activity, veil between the worlds, pffft, yeah and i'm a buffalo. considering the amount of weapons in this place i believe "dark secret plan" is more appropriate." Ale walked up to the unicorn and asked, "Alright mr sight, simple question, if this place is haunted then why are you still here? If it's a case of "theres too much family history here" then let me tell you, history is not worth risking your life over." Ale would know about the value of family history and how it was nothing compared to living a safe life, after all that blood stained sign at ale's house was clean until he went to retrieve it and know he knew better than to go digging in the past.

Cuppa paused, looking over the pale blue unicorn curiously as he explained the situation and what he'd invited all of them here for. Someone distracted her for a second as another unicorn, a bizarrely white one with a strange cutie mark, said how she wanted one of the flags. "Ah'm thinkin' ya' ain't allowed it." She bluntly, yet quietly said to the white pony.

Once more, Cuppa's attention went back to the pale blue stallion hosting this little event. "Uhh... Ah dun mean t' offend by this, but ah dun believe anypony when they're talkin' 'bout ghosts an' spirits an' the like. It jus' dun make sense t' me. An' ah've seen strange things b'fore, but they've all had something that were real 'bout 'em." Pausing for a moment, Cuppa briefly continued. "But ah guess ah'll see fer muhself t'night, right?"

Kestrel's keen eye had locked on Sooth Sight the moment he had started talking, scanning him over as the other senses Kestrel possessed began to fall in line. Most of the others in the room were focusing on the speak of spirits or evil plans...but Kestrel had noticed something far more interesting.

Namely the intricate details of Bane Silver and Sooth Sights interaction. Sooth had seemed genuine in his affection, such a spark was nigh impossible to fake. But Bane...Bane seemed distant. Like she really didn't enjoy the affection...as if she was hiding something.

"Interesting..." Kestrel mused in his head, going back to watching. A mental note jotting itself down. He'd have to keep an eye on this one.

The strange white Unicorns serious request struck a rather deep chord in Kestrels chest. What did she know of his home? What had she done to deserve the right to carry the flag? The same could be asked of Sooth and Silver but they'd most likely earned the flag long ago, or their ancestors had. This newcomer, she had done naught but mumble strange things and act 'off' thus far.

Another red-flag for the unicorn, and another pony to watch.

His observations done for now Kestrel set back and let the others ask their questions, his mind idly pondering over the speech that Sooth Sight had just delivered. Kestrel, as previously stated, had never been one to believe in fully, or discount totally the idea of spirits or the supernatural. His mother had been the one to teach him about 'That which lay beyond'. The memories were slightly painful to recall but the sound of her long dead voice was comforting in a way.

"Never turn your back on the old ways son. Science is new and young, like a babe, and like a babe it cannot accept that sometimes, things dont have a natural explanation." the griffon heard in his mind giving an almost imperceptible nod. Sure the last 'supernatural' thing he had run into had been a group of ghouls in fancy stealth suits, one of which Kestrel still had in storage back in town, but that did not mean something beyond natural couldn't be going on here in this mansion.

As always however, only time would tell. As he finished that train of thought Kestrel felt a few nagging questions come up in his mind and soon, with his usual cold calm, he voiced it.

"Where will we be staying in the Mansion tonight, Mr. Sight? And are we permitted to roam?"

Inside, Dash had to agree with the skeptics on the paranormal activity that Sooth Sight was describing. The amount of effort that had gone into making the 30mm autocannon in the entryway almost invisible to the casual observer left the mind open to any number of possibilities for Sooth to exploit in an attempt to scare them. The colt in Dash's mind imagined all these mechanical monsters that could pop out of the floor or walls. Paintings that could magically change, and other special effects equipment set up in such a way that it turned Sooth Sight's mansion into the perfect haunted house attraction.

Soth Sight furrowed his brow slightly at Deus' request, "Well... I would offer it in exchange for your cap reward should you emerge victorious as well. But I'm afraid that it is far more valuable than a mere 2000 caps. And even if it weren't it is a relic that was recieved from an owner of my house long before the war. I'm not sure how or why, but I do feel like it would be insulting their memory to part with it so readily."

He then looked to Ale, "Ah, that is a curious question. Astute as well. This house has been in my family for a long, long time. There is that bit, but also, my late ancestor who owned this house during the war, modified the house to be his family's sanctuary from the bombs. He nearly bankrupted himself, but by the time he was done and the banks would have realized how in debt he was, the banks had been blown up. This was the perfect place to raise a family, safe from the more physical threats in the Wasteland. However, not many have ever visited this mansion over its long history, and legends tell that few are able to leave without a quite traumatic haunting. Others still, never left... at all.

One thing, however, that I am positive about, is that there is a negative magical presence that lingers here due to actions of some of the earlier residents. They practiced magic of sorts that the Princesses wouldn't have approved of. But I shall explain more about that on a full tour of the house."

He then turned to Kestrel, "You are free to roam the house until morning, barring escape attempts when the house is locked down. I shall present you all with keys to your guest rooms at the end of the tour."

Kestrel nodded at the answer he had gotten and readied himself for the tour. Sooth Sight was not as bad as originally thought, he at least seemed genuine in his mood. Though his purpose was, still, unknown.

At least he would be allowed to roam the mansion after the rooms were passed out. That would help in finding out more about the couple that had invited all of these Stableton natives here. Well all the Stableton natives and Kes...Kes was just around because of his father at this point.

Deus pays careful attention to the unicorn's response. Whether or not he gave her the trinket mattered not. This was interesting. She could have something great in exchange for the great sum of caps. She would seriously consider that point. She smiled a very small smile, one only she knew was there, at the thought of how the griffon would take her brazen insult to his heritage. He was by far the best equipped of the group, and would make a fine toy.

She listened to the owner answer all of the other inane questions, and perked up at the mention of negative magics. She would definitely be having fun with those. This was going to be a wonderful sleepover! Although Deus never had been one for sleeping...

Lightning simply rolled his eyes at Dash, snickering a little to himself. "Elements of Harmony are nice. A good little piece of pony history." Turning to face their host, Sooth Sight, the pegasus would remain quiet, letting the others speak. Simply nodding toward their host, he wondered what this pony was planning. Whatever it was, he was certainly being suspicious about it.

Ale pondered on something that sooth sight said,

" my late ancestor who owned this house during the war, modified the house to be his family's sanctuary from the bombs. He nearly bankrupted himself, but by the time he was done and the banks would have realized how in debt he was, the banks had been blown up. This was the perfect place to raise a family, safe from the more physical threats in the Wasteland."

If his family went bankrupt outfitting this house for the apocalypse then he's probably got one of those fancy pop out guns in every room of this place. "Great just what my nerves needed." But there was still the question of the hauntings, the amount of rumors surrounding this mansion was staggering. Hell in the short time ale had been in stableton he'd heard three separate stories about this old house. The funny thing about rumors is that they always have a grain of truth in them and for somepony to go out of their way to fabricate false ghost stories about anything would take a great deal of effort, not that sooth sight didn't fit the description of somepony who would go out of his way to fabricate false...you get the idea. But if the stories are false, then what does he hope to gain from them. Ale would need to see more of the house before he could figure anything out. "Welp i'm ready to start this tour if everypony else is."

Sooth Sight nodded to Ale when he said that he was ready for the tour. It seemed as if everypony else, and the griffon, were ready for the tour to begin, "Well, without farther ado. Let us begin the tour." He motioned around at the room they were in, "As you must have guessed by now, this is the Dining Room. It is the single largest room in the house. The two rooms you ventured through were the Entry Way and the Main Hall, in that order. The Entry Way door and the door to the Main Hall can both lock, seal, and reinforce. Making breaking into the house by means of damaging the doors that much harder.

In this room, there have been countless parties over the years, and plenty of ghostly activity. A few times in my time, the chairs have sometimes levitated into the air and rearranged themselves into a large mess. There have also been cases of there being ghostly galas hosted here. Music playing and spirits dancing in classical formal attire, not unlike the clothes you all wear now."

He then walked past the group to lead them back into the Main Hall. He then paused and looked back at Bane Silver, "Will you be joining us, dear?" he asked the mare. The white-coated unicorn mare brushed a bit of her silky mane away from her face, "Um... Yes, alright, I will." she said.

Kestrel listened intently to the older stallions speech as he began the tour. It was a curious thing, that the Dining room was the largest in the house. Kestrel, despite all the traveling he'd done, had never run into something like that. The largest room was always the main foyer or entrance hall typically, at least in places like this.

He idly wondered for the reasoning behind that decision as he made another mental note of Bane Silver's rather...reluctant decision to join them. Perhaps it was made the largest because it was closer to the center of the home? Easier to make the exterior walls thicker if that was the case, make the home more defensible.

Or perhaps Kestrel was just grasping at straws and had no clue; this outcome was the most likely at this point in time.

Cuppa listened to Sooth Sight and raised a brow. "Ah've never been t' a Gala, but ah'd say this is big enough fer one." She commented before lingering at the Dinner Hall for a moment longer than the others, but moving before Bane Silver was called out.

Better watch tha' room, see if there's a ghostie gala again, but they dun exist, so ah'll see nuthin. She thought to herself before following along with the others, smiling a little. "These are nice clothes, Mr. Sooth Sight, sir." She idly said whilst following, a bit more eager than before, she so wanted to be right about there being nothing supernatural here that it was almost funny.