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AshenAmbrosia
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Post by AshenAmbrosia »

Cass' Tower



Standing in plain sight on a hill overlooking the fishing and farming village of Aelfisborough, a tall basalt tower stands like a foreigner amongst fields of golden wheat and quiet pastures of grazing sheep. Once home to an alchemist with limited social graces and an unfortunate enthusiasm for kidnapping villagers and transmuting them into insectoid abominations to pursue his research, the tower is now home to the mercenary sorcerer Cass, the previous tenant having been evicted by fire and sword. And also bullets.

Within the nearby vicinity of the tower, inside a wildflower-covered hilltop clear of the surrounding fields and pastureland, are a greenhouse and a pond, where once grew valuable plants for an alchemist's practice. Under Cass' oversight, the pond has been cleaned up and subject to significant landscaping, recessed and sheltered from outside view in an enclosure of decorated shrubs and a rock garden. The greenhouse has been converted into a sizeable workshop, containing a small forge, a large 3D printer, and several machines for metal and woodwork. The approach to the tower is a stone path, which cuts through a discreet ha-ha, leading up to the front door, with another path around the side splitting off to the workshop and the pool. The entrance to the tower itself sits well above ground level - a climb of nearly two meters vertically up a staircase that leads up to a sturdy wooden door. One gets the sense that whoever built this tower, they expected to be able to deny access to the tower as they please, though currently it seems easy enough to make the climb and knock directly on the door's prominent metal knocker, if they wished to do so.

The inside structure of the tower looks much the same on every floor - each floor consists of a single circular, open room with basalt walls and a wooden floor. Small windows dot the walls to let in some natural light, though for the most part illumination is provided by soft glowing magical spheres, which nestle inside small recesses in the walls and ceiling. The walls on every floor but the top and bottom are hugged by a staircase which spirals around the tower both up and down, granting access to floors both above and below.

First Floor

► SHOW SPOILER

Sub-Basement and Cellar

► SHOW SPOILER

Second Floor

► SHOW SPOILER

Third Floor

► SHOW SPOILER

Fourth Floor

► SHOW SPOILER

Fifth Floor

► SHOW SPOILER

Aelfisborough


The village of Aelfisborough, once a scant farming hamlet with a small handful of people eking out a meagre existence under the fearful shadow of the nearby tower, has undergone somewhat of a revival. Under the protective aegis of the wizard tower's new occupant, who had driven away the previous ownership and some of the surrounding monsters, the village has grown to encompass a population of a few hundred, including those residents of the farms and homesteads sprawling out over the surrounding miles around the western shore of Aelfis Lake. The village itself, clinging to the side of the lake, is about what you'd expect of a large-ish farming village, with houses and community buildings clustered around a large village green and market, including a small temple (shared and maintained by a pair of priests to Chauntea and Lathander), village hall, inn, post office, general store, apothecary, and smithy. Cass, for their part, has maintained a somewhat aloof, though cordial relationship to the village, visiting infrequently on market days for groceries, to collect mail, and occasionally to visit the smithy, in exchange for which they themselves are regarded by the villagers with a somewhat possessive pride and awe, for the 'local' wizard.
Last edited by AshenAmbrosia on Mar 07, 2023 4:37 am, edited 6 times in total.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

[Lunch at Cass' Tower]

It's a perfectly normal event. Usually.

Wenomir comes over, they eat lunch. They talk. They probably make out a bit. Or maybe a lot. Usually a lot.

But the point is, lunch at Cass' usually doesn't involve smoke rising over the horizon, pouring out of a lower window.

Or the door to Cass' tower blown ajar, cracked and hanging off a single hinge as if battered into by an angry rhinoceros.

The interior of the living room thrown into disarray as if hit by a localized tornado, drawers thrown open, lizard enclosure cracked (but miraculously, unbroken), books scattered everywhere, the likely remains of Cass and Wenomir's intended lunch fully ablaze on the stovetop.

Cass' clothes in an empty heap halfway up the stair, slightly scattered, with an angry black scorchmark burned into the top, a little hole just over where the heart would have been.

Oh.

Oh dear.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

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[Lunch at Cass' Tower]

A creeping dread climbs up Wenomir's spine as he sees the door and the smoke. What he sees inside turns the dread into bone-chilling panic. This was no accident, no magical mishap. The tower was attacked.

Wenomir rushes inside, the dagger he got from Koshal in hand. He scans the rooms, superhuman senses sharpened by fear, and quickly locates Cass' clothes. The burning lunch ignored, he picks them up, searching for any trace of the wizard. No, no, no, no. Not again, a part of him can't help but think.

What happened here? Was Cassandra completely disintegrated but their clothes survived? Were they kidnapped? His mind tenaciously clings to the second explanation, but he has to admit it's not very likely. He bitterly remembers the last time he desperately hoped someone he cared about had survived. He slams his fist into the stairs, with enough force to shake them.

"When I find whoever did this, there won't be anything left to bury!" he cries out to the empty house.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

[Lunch at Cass' Tower]

At the sound of Wenomir's voice, there's a sudden commotion upstairs from the study - what sounds like a frantic squeaking, a cat's hiss, and the clatter of several objects being knocked hastily to the floor.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

[Lunch at Cass' Tower]

What's that sound? A mouse or a rat? Or some other small rodent? Wenomir's thoughts are briefly pulled from dark and bloody places by an unexpected sound. Why is there a mouse in Cassandra's tower? Maybe one passed through the broken door. Otherwise the place is surely too secure for one to slip through (unlike the house of his childhood, which was invaded by the damn things every autumn). Still, there's nothing to be found downstairs, so Wenomir heads up to the study, moving quickly and steadily.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

[Lunch at Cass' Tower]

Wenomir will find that there's been somewhat of a commotion in the study. It's not the battlefield of the living area downstairs - the destruction has mostly been confined to small objects - books, mugs, inkwells - that have been knocked over, presumably by Darika, who is now perched on a bookshelf, peering intently through a gap between the books.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

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[Lunch at Cass' Tower]

Wenomir approaches Darika, slowly and carefully, then tries to peer above the cat and into the bookshelf. What's in there?
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

Wenomir will see a mouse with sleek black fur huddled in the way back of the bookshelf, wedged between two books, back arched in a defensive posture.

When it sees Wenomir, it squeaks and attempts to rush out towards him, only to be driven back by the sudden swatting paw of Darika.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

Why is the mouse running towards him? That's not mouse behavior. And this mouse does not look like a common field mouse. It looks like a pet.

Wenomir reaches down to gently pick up Darika and carry her out of the study, then close the door. This should keep her out long enough for the mouse to be safe. And for him to find out what's going on.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

When Wenomir returns to the study, he'll find the mouse already having liberated itself from behind the books, crawling into the shelf where it watches Wenomir.

It looks about as peeved as Wenomir has ever seen a mouse look peeves. If there were such a thing as irritated mouse noises, it's making them now, chattering at Wenomir in a distinctly vexed manner.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

This is definitely no ordinary mouse and it's trying to communicate with him. Wenomir tries very hard not to find it adorable. It helps that he's still worried sick about Cassandra.

"I don't understand you," he says. Hopefully the mouse understands it. "Can you communicate in some other way?"
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

The mouse seems to bury its adorable little mousey face in its paws, thumping its tail against the shelf in irritation, before it leaps down, plopping onto the floor with a little thump, and bounds up onto a nearby desk, grabbing a pen and awkwardly scrawling on the nearest piece of paper in clumsy fashion.

C A S S.
WS CURSD
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

Wenomir leans heavily against the desk as reliefs floods him and almost knocks him off his feet. Cassandra isn't dead, just turned into a mouse. The pile of clothes is where the curse struck and they had to get out from them. It makes sense.

"I thought you were dead," he says, blinking with suddenly glistening eyes. "I feared the worst. Now I can keep you safe until we can fix it somehow." He pauses. "But we'll need better means of communication."
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

The mouse crudely draws out what looks like a telephone handset, followed by a question mark.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

Wenomir peers at the drawing. Phone... probably best to bring Cassandra's phone here. It is a good idea; a mouse's paws can likely still operate it.

"I'll be right back."

He steps out of the room, being very careful not to let Darika in, and returns soon with Cass' phone, setting it down in front of them.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

The mouse taps on the phone with its little mousey paws, unlocking it and opening the notepad app, where it quickly starts a new note.

So uh...
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

"This is going to take a while." Wenomir sighs. "Maybe I can ask Koshal for help. He can talk to animals. This can presumably include sorceresses who were turned into mice. Might want to call Genevieve and Wren, too."
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

There's a frantic squeaking as the mouse jumps up and down, shaking its head. It slaps its little paw on the phone keyboard, mashing out a desperate NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

Wenomir pinches the bridge of his nose. Really, he should have expected this. Cass would not hear the end of it if Geneviève found out...

"Alright, alright. We'll make sure Geneviève doesn't hear a word. But Wren? He knows more about magic than I do." Granted, this applies to most people. "And we need to know where to start fixing this."
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

The mouse seems to stop and consider, then nods cautiously.

This might work.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

Without further comments, Wenomir picks up his own phone and calls Wren. Let's hope this works...
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

The phone rings a few times, before it's picked up and a familiar voice comes through from the other end.

"Vendui. Ah, Commander," says Wren, readily appropriating Cass' favored nickname for their lover, though with much less of the flirtatiousness. "How goes lunch with my dear sibling? I hope she's not giving you a hard time."
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

"Cassandra is not giving me a hard time, no." How does he even broach the topic... "But something happened before I got here. Come as quickly as you can and don't tell anyone yet. Cassandra isn't in danger, but we need your help." Best to reassure him a little bit so he's not nervous on his way.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

"...then why does it feel like Cass being in danger is exactly what's happened?"

There's a dramatic sigh on the other end.

"Very well, since it's you who's asking. I'll have to apologize to my own date. On my way."
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

Wenomir can't really argue. Being reassuring isn't his strong suit.

"Thank you. We'll wait here."
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

[Thanksmas Day]

This year marks quite an occasion. Commander Wenomir of Vigil has invited his partner, Cassandra, and their family, for Thanksmas. The plan is for them to stay for dinner, but they will arrive in the morning. The commander has actually festively decorated his house for the occasion.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

[A Mouseterious Occurrence]

As the call ends, and the wait for Wren to arrive begins, Wenomir will find the mouse that is Cass has begun to scamper restlessly back and forth across the desk.

[A Very VIGIL Thanksmas]

Cass had been in since the evening before, helping Wenomir with the finishing touches on the decorations late into the night, and after a brief trance had managed to be up and about at even the same time as Wenomir, though she had declined to join him for the morning run, quickly getting dressed (black halter top, leggings, and a large blue sweater that hangs off the shoulders) and resuming the preparations with a slightly anxious air.

As the time comes for their guests to arrive, she's currently fiddling over some contraption on the stove, filling the kitchen (and probably the rest of the house) with the smell of freshly brewing coffee.
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

[A Mouseterious Occurrence]

Wenomir will try to pick MouseCass up and give them a little pet on their little mousey head. Hopefully the gesture is appreciated.

"Don't worry. We'll figure it out. I don't expect it's a spell no one we know can break. And I'll take care of you until then."

[A Very VIGIL Thanksmas]

Wenomir is also anxious and not doing a very good job hiding it. Someone else might be fooled, but not Cass. He comes into the kitchen, wearing a sleeveless sweater turtleneck over a t-shirt and a festive red and green band holding his ponytail together.

"How do I look?" he asks. "This is my first time hosting a Thanksmas dinner for anyone."
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

[A Mouseterious Occurrence]

Cass gives a surprised squeak as they're picked up, and briefly attempts to wriggle free, before they're given pets, which seems to stun them into docility, as they give Wenomir a... very confused look.

[A Very VIGIL Thanksmas]

"I think your outfit has some charming qualities," says Cass, glancing over to very obviously appreciate Wenomir's arms. The chime of a timer draws her attention back to the stove though, which she'll turn off and remove the coffee device from, quickly pouring herself out a cup before pouring the rest into what looks suspiciously like an ordinary thermos with runes written on it in sharpie. That being, of course, exactly what it is.

She turns back and leans back against the counter, warming her hands on the coffee mug as she savors the aroma, peering out at Wenomir from underneath her bangs.

"It should all go fine," says Cass, not quite managing to sound convinced of the truth of her own words. "Wren, Lucien, and Geneviève all like you."
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Re: Cass' Tower + Aelfisborough

Post by Morty »

[A Mouseterious Occurrence]

Wenomir puts Cass down and clears his throat with the expression of someone who just realised he'd done something very strange.

"Anyway... we'll handle this."

[A Very VIGIL Thanksmas]

"Really?" Wenomir raises an eyebrow. "Wren and Lucien, yes. Children seem to like me in general. But Geneviève... liking is a strong word." He gets the impression that her opinion is summed up as "adequate for a human".
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