Chapter 17

John wakes up early, feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead. He heads downstairs to have breakfast at the inn, enjoying a hearty meal that will provide him with the energy he needs for the upcoming investigation.

After breakfast, John gathers his belongings and makes sure he has everything he needs for investigating the abandoned mansion. He checks his lantern, ensuring it has enough oil, and verifies that he has the necessary tools and supplies with him.

As John finishes his preparations, he thinks about the best approach for exploring the mansion. He knows that he needs to be cautious and thorough in his investigation, considering the mansion's ominous history and the possibility of hidden dangers.

John decides that scouting the perimeter of the mansion would be the best course of action, as he hopes to find alternative entry points that might be safer or more discreet. He leaves the inn and heads towards the abandoned mansion.

As he approaches the mansion, John notices how the atmosphere seems to change. The air becomes colder, and an eerie silence envelops the area. Undeterred, John begins his careful inspection of the mansion's exterior.

He walks around the perimeter, examining the walls, windows, and doors. He notices that some of the windows on the ground floor are boarded up, while others are broken or cracked. John also finds a side door, partially hidden by overgrown vegetation, which appears to lead into the mansion's service quarters.

John decides that the side door offers the best chance to enter the mansion discreetly. He carefully approaches the door, pushing aside the overgrown vegetation to clear a path. The door appears old and weathered, but it doesn't seem to be locked. He gently pushes it open and steps inside.

The interior of the mansion is dark and musty, with a thick layer of dust covering everything. Cobwebs fill the corners, and the faint sound of creaking floorboards echoes throughout the building. John finds himself in what appears to be a service corridor, lined with a few small rooms that were likely used by the mansion's staff.

John begins examining the service corridor and the surrounding rooms for any signs of recent activity or disturbances. As he moves through the area, he notices a few footprints in the dust that appear fresher than the rest. John follows the trail, which leads him towards the main part of the mansion.

While the mansion has been long abandoned, it seems that someone, or something, has been here recently. This realization makes John feel uneasy, but he knows he must continue his investigation.

John decides to search the service rooms for any clues or useful items. As he carefully examines each room, he keeps an eye out for anything that might indicate the presence of the individual or creature responsible for the recent footprints.

In one of the rooms, John discovers a small, worn journal. Flipping through its pages, he finds entries written by a former servant who lived in the mansion before the tragic fire. The journal contains various accounts of the mansion's daily life, but also mentions strange occurrences and rumors surrounding the family's involvement in occult practices.

In another room, John finds an old, rusty key hidden in a dusty cupboard. Intrigued by the find, he pockets the key, believing it might come in handy later on.

With the journal and key in his possession, John continues his investigation, still cautious of any potential dangers lurking within the mansion.

John sits down and carefully reads through the journal, focusing on the entries that mention the family's occult practices. The servant who wrote the journal seems to have been troubled by the strange events occurring in the mansion. They describe whispers in the night, shadowy figures in the hallways, and bizarre rituals performed by the family behind closed doors.

One entry, in particular, catches John's attention. The servant wrote about witnessing a secret meeting between the family's patriarch and a mysterious cloaked figure. They discussed an ancient artifact, which the family believed could grant them immense power. The servant overheard the conversation but couldn't determine the artifact's exact nature or location.

As John reads through the journal, he realizes that the family's involvement in the occult might be connected to the scholars and the mysterious ritual he's been investigating. The abandoned mansion may hold crucial information about the artifact and the family's connection to the ancient scholars.

John decides to search for hidden passages or secret rooms that might hold more information about the family's occult practices. He examines the service room walls, running his fingers along the wood paneling and moldings, and tapping gently to listen for any hollow sounds that might indicate a hidden space.

After some time, John notices a small, almost imperceptible seam in the wood paneling. He pushes on it gently, and a hidden door swings open, revealing a narrow, dimly lit passage. The passage appears to lead deeper into the mansion, and John suspects that it might have been used by the family to move discreetly between rooms.

John cautiously follows the hidden passage deeper into the mansion, the dim light making it difficult to see. As he moves further along, he keeps in mind the need to check the path of the footprints later. The passage twists and turns, seemingly designed to confuse intruders.

Finally, the passage opens up into a small, secret chamber. The room is dimly lit by a flickering candle, and the walls are lined with dusty shelves filled with old books, scrolls, and strange artifacts. John recognizes some of the objects as being similar to those he had seen in the hidden chamber beneath the church. This must be Lord Ebon's secret chamber, where he stored his collection of hidden knowledge and artifacts.

John carefully observes the layout of the secret chamber, taking mental notes of the locations of various items. The books and scrolls are arranged in a systematic manner, with different sections dedicated to topics like the occult, Ebonshire's history, and ancient rituals. The artifacts are displayed on shelves or in glass cases, some accompanied by small plaques with descriptions.

John commits the chamber's layout and the item locations to memory, knowing that this information might be useful for future reference.