Mausoleum
Reprise
In the flickering
light of your torch, you can see the walls of this long chamber are lined with
large square holes. Some are empty some are filled with large square section
boxes. Slowly it dawns on you that this is the mausoleum, and that the boxes are
the coffins of members of the order. The wall areas between the holes, and the
coffins themselves, are decorated with sombre scenes of battles and the Norse
gods.
At the far end of the mausoleum a wooden screen separates off a
part of the chamber, although it is impossible to tell how much of the chamber
is cordoned off though as the screen reaches from wall to wall and floor to
ceiling. The woodwork is intricately carved and there is a crest in the middle
of one of the double doors and an inscription in the centre of the other.
And now
The air in here is still and musty, it clearly
hasn’t been disturbed for a long long time. As you look around the area more
closely all of you, who can read, can make out the inscription on the wooden
doorway in the screen dividing the room, as it is written in the common tongue.
It says :-
‘Here lies the body of Aston, 1st Lord Albermarle, son of
Count Richard of Albermarle and founder of this order. He died in service to
Galinia.’
The door appears to be closed with a simple metal latch.
The Document Store
Reprise
Peter is reading through the documents with Elsbeth and Zhiri in
attendance
And now
There are more documents than Peter
can read and he seems absorbed in their content ….
Rolf considers the written word upon the wooden door. He sighs, "Do any know
of Albermarle, or Aston, son of count Richard?" He waits a moment before
reaching for the door. But he merely rests his hand upon it and the other grips
at the token about his neck. "I have no wish to further disturb the rest of
those here." He turns and moves back towards the stairs, "I'll see if Peter
knows anything of these maters."
Rolf returns to the basement under the
lords tower and he speaks of what was found before asking after Albermarle,
count Richard and Aston.
Peter listens to the description of the mausoleaum and his forehead creases
in concentration for a moment or two.
"Aston was the founder of this
order. He fought in the first Galinian war with honour. Got given this land and
founded the order. Not sure what he died of in the end. I think one of his
great-grand children managed to get away from here with the remains of the
family fortune. Thats about all I can remeber about him at the moment." he
pauses for a moment, then continues.
" I wonder why they buried them
like that?" he muses, putting down the scroll he was reading and heading for
the stairs, clearly intent on seeing for himself.
He mutters "Excuse
me ladies" absentmindely as he passes Zhiri and Elsbeth.
In such matters, Rolf is happy to bow before Peter's superior knowledge and he falls meekly behind the sage. Before leaving, he looks to the two ladies, "Would you care to come and see?"
Peter hardly notices that he is leading the way back into the mausoleum - and
looks around the room in wonder as he enters it.
Moving from side to
side he examines the carvings and coffins - "Strange ..." he can be heard
to mutter to himself.
Coming to the wooden screen he examiners tha
carvings on theose, but shrugs his shoulders. Then standing before the door, he
asks "Anyone been in here yet?"
Elsbeth perks up. "Aye, I'd be liking that very much. T'would be interesting to see how such is honored."
Callum looks around, obviously not impressed by anything he sees!
OOC: Off to Barcelona, back on Tuesday
Mandrake follows the others “None have passed here yet, and though I for one
do not wish to dishonour the dead laid to rest here I am intrigued to discover
more.
“I would know if the same gnome honoured by the statue is buried
around here somewhere, behind there perhaps, or if this place is reserved for
the family of Aston.
“Did you find any mention of the warrior in the
notes?”
Sharing Mandrake's curiosity (though perhaps in the general, rather than the specific) Edgar's gaze follows the gnomes to rest upon Peter, his interest in what the sage has to say clearly evident.
Peter starts slightly as Mandrake's voice disturbs his musings, then responds " Er No. Its not a gnome. Well at least I don't think so. Its the body of Lord Albermarle, who formed the order here."