Arcanis: Gonnes, Sons, and Treasure Runs (COMPLETED)

[talien]

Heart's Blood, Fire's Vengeance: Part 5 – Loose Lips Sink Ships

Evening was beginning to fall over the city. They were hunted, and the streets were dangerous to traverse openly.

“Well, that’s more blood on our hands,” said Sebastian. He shook his head, deeply concerned. “We have no allies now; not the cultists, and certainly not the Nierites.”

Kham put one finger to his lips. They pulled up short. He lifted a cocked pistol and pointed around the corner.

Kham counted with his fingers. One. Two. Three!

Kham spun quickly around the corner. A wounded cultist leaned against the wall.

“Don’t move.” Kham pointed a pistol at the cultist’s head. “Jessica’s feeling punchy today. Don’t give her a reason.”

Mercy! Mercy!” he whispered. “I beg you, spare my life. You have touched the Eye. I know it. Sarish’s eye has fallen upon you, and your destiny is forever altered. The Lord of Secrets knows you now.”

“Yeah, everybody knows us,” said Kham. “You’re not saying anything that doesn’t make me want to shoot you.”

“I have information that you can use! I know where the Cult of the Eye dwells. I can tell you, but you must swear by Sarish to do me no harm.”

“Fine, I…”

Sebastian put one hand on Kham’s shoulder. “Do not make such promises lightly. There are grave consequences for breaking Sarish’s oath.”

Kham shrugged him off. “As I was about to say, I’m not swearing to anything. Since Sebastian seems so concerned about keeping law and order around here, he can do the swearing. I swear enough for the rest of us.”

Sebastian took a deep breath. “I swear by Sarish that, should your information lead us to the Cult, we will not intentionally harm you.”

“Spoken like a true barrister,” said Kham with a smirk.

“As you well know, the Erdukeen invaded Canceri. They have imposed fines, levies, and a curfew. Needless to say, they have made more than a few enemies within the Theocracy and the people.”

“We noticed,” said Vlad.

“Well, some of those people decided to revolt. One man, Ralich is his name, called the faithful of Sarish together so that the Nierites might be purged from Nishanpur. The cult has a grand scheme that requires the Eye of Sarish. It is more than a relic dagger you see…it is a key.”

“A key to what?” asked Beldin.

“Please don’t say the grate to the sewers,” muttered Kham.

“Ralich intends to loose the ancient daemons of Sarish upon the city. While there are priests and clerics who can control daemons, what Ralich intends would take an army to withstand! There is no time to explain the details to the authorities. Now that he has the Eye, Ralich will begin the ritual soon. You must stop him!”

“Where is he?” asked Sebastian.

“The entrance to the ritual site is through his shop, Nishanpur Store and Supply. You should be able to find it in the back.”

“Why are you betraying the cult?” asked Vlad.

“Because Ralich is insane. I chose to help free my people from the Erdukeens. Nishanpur has always been a harsh place, but it was harsh because it had to be. Our faith demands it. I simply wanted to help my people. Ralich is willing to destroy the city and everyone in it just to strike at the Nierites. There is a difference between justice…and vengeance.”

Sebastian thought about that as they left him.

 

[talien]

Heart's Blood, Fire's Vengeance: Part 6a – In View of the Eye

The streets were empty save for a few Nierite patrols. Luck was with them as they arrived at Nishanpur Store and Supply without detection. Oddly, the door was unlocked.

Vlad kicked it open. The building housed a common general store with common everyday items.

“Over here.” Beldin pushed on one wall and a door opened.

The smell of age and torch fire filled their nostrils. A dimly lit spiral staircase led down into cold, still darkness.

After several long minutes, they came to the end of the stairs. The hallway opened into a cool, stone chamber.

A set of massive wooden double doors hung menacingly at the far end of the room. Huge symbols adorned with images of daemons and devils were carved into the doors. The wood itself seemed to breathe. Blue light streamed through the cracks, illuminating the room.

“Open it,” said Sebastian.

Vlad and Beldin bashed the double doors open.

A small cavern was on the other side. It was roughly hewn, but there was the touch of man upon the place. Ancient pillars that supported the vaulted ceiling were inlaid with intricate carvings, generations old. Chains dangled silently from the ceiling and were laid out on the floor in intricate patterns.

At the far end of the chamber was an emaciated old man resting cross-legged on the stone floor. Around his neck was an ancient symbol of Sarish. His right hand and forearm wore a green metal gauntlet; save a loincloth, it was all he wore. In his hands he held the unsheathed Eye of Sarish.

As Sebastian drew near, the old man raised an empty hand. He looked at the dark-kin with tired, sad eyes. “You’ve come to stop me, haven’t you?”

“Yes, Ralich,” Sebastian said softly. “Please put the dagger down. This is not the way.”

“Oh but it is,” whispered Ralich. “Those damn Erdukeen Nierities…” Tears welled in his eyes. “They wanted to search my shop for weapons. At the time, I didn’t have any. My boy resisted their unjust inquisition…and they killed him for it. THEY KILLED HIM FOR NOTHING!”

“I say we let him do it,” said Kham. “This whole damned city is a cesspool.”

“Would you say the same of Freeport?” snapped Sebastian. “What this man proposes is Armageddon! He isn’t providing a solution…it’s selfish rage!”

“Those bastards will pay for what they have done to us!” Ralich’s tears flowed freely. “For what they have done to me!”

“But so many will be harmed,” said Sebastian, edging closer. “If you summon an army of demons everyone will suffer, innocent and guilty alike.”

“We have lost too much to be thwarted now! Behold, the power of Sarish! See into his Eye!”

Ralich drove the naked blade of the Eye into the stone floor. It was at the center of a mystical circle carved into the very stone itself. For a moment, all was still.

But only for a moment.

The ground trembled. Just when it appeared the stone would crack, the tremor subsided.

“Uh oh,” said Kham.

Then, as though from a great distance, there was the sound like the wailing of ten thousand souls. The cavern wall began to glow a deep red behind Ralich. A sharp, burning wind tore through the room.

With a thunderclap, the stone exploded, flooding the room with light the color of fresh blood. Where the stone once was, there was an expanse of nothingness, pulsing with primal magical forces.

Ralich sat still, the eye in the middle of the storm. His gaze rose to meet Sebastian’s. There was pity, sorrow, and loss behind his eyes. And something else…regret.

“You cannot stop it now, my friend. The time for vengeance has—”

His words were cut short as several iron chains burst through his chest. Ralich’s eyes grew wide in shock for a moment before they rolled to the back of his head. He fell backwards, blood flowing freely from the fatal wounds.

Behind the body of Ralich rose a creature clothed in living chains. The chains swayed like iron vipers, waiting to strike.

The creature stepped into the room and somewhere, deep inside the darkest recesses of Sebastian’s mind, a voice was clear, cold, and final as death echoed.

“Flee, mortals. Turn away now and you shall leave unmolested from this doomed city. By Sarish, I swear this. Stay, and we will feast upon your souls!”

Kham turned around. “That’s it,” he said. “I’m out.”

 

[talien]

Heart's Blood, Fire's Vengeance: Part 6b – In View of the Eye

Saggy, hooting lemures hopped through the portal behind the chain devil.

“Can’t you close the portal?” shouted Beldin. He batted aside an animated chain.

“The dagger!” shouted Sebastian. He clawed his way towards it, battling wind and chains. The portal was a roaring maelstrom of fury, belching demon after demon. “Remove the dagger!”

Vlad sliced one of the lemures in two. It melted away into a nauseating pile. “I can’t reach it!”

Sebastian moved closer. If he could just grab hold of it…

Chains snaked towards him. Sebastian put up one hand. “Magis arma!”

A glowing field of force deflected the barbed chain. He rolled back towards the dagger and grabbed it with both hands.

“I’m not…” Sebastian gritted his teeth. The wind was so strong that he could barely see. Tears streamed from his eyes. “…strong…enough!”

“No one is, mortal,” the devil echoed in his head. “Look upon me and despair.”

Sebastian caught sight of the chain demon’s face. They parted. It was his mother’s face.

“Why did you abandon me?” she wailed from between the chains that wreathed her face. “Why should the people of Nishanpur deserve a better fate than I?”

“Stop it!” howled Sebastian.

“Let me try!” shouted Beldin. The dwarf hacked a lemure in half as he pounded his way over.

He skewered his waraxe into the ground and then got a solid grip on the Eye of Sarish. He pulled hard.

Nothing happened.

Sebastian was on his knees, the magical shield flickering as chain after chain lashed at him. His magic was the only thing keeping him alive.

“It’s in too deep!” shouted Beldin. The dwarf released the dagger and rolled, grabbing his axe as he did so. A lemure pounded at the spot where he had been standing. “Vlad?”

“Little…” Three chains danced around Vlad. One snapped around his shield arm, dragging him forward. “…busy!”

“That’s it,” said Sebastian. “Nishanpur is ruined.”

There was the sound of a bullet striking metal.

The chain devil’s head snapped up to look at the source. “Who dares?!”

Another bullet ricocheted off the hilt of the Eye of Sarish.

“No!” reverberated the devil’s cry. All the chains turned as one with feral intelligence to focus on Kham.

Two more pistols were in Kham’s hands. He fired both just as every chain in the room spiraled towards him.

Kham’s aim was true. The Eye of Sarish shattered.

All was silent as the portal stopped spewing its hellish fury. Then it reversed, as if taking a deep breath. One of the lemures hurdled backwards through the portal.

“I will not be denied!” snarled the devil.

The chains that wrapped around the devil shot outwards, firing through solid stone to anchor it in place. More dretches flew past it into the abyss.

Vlad fell on his back, sliding towards the yawning portal.

Beldin grabbed him by the wrist. “Got you!” The dwarf was nigh unmovable when he wanted to be.

Sebastian slowly rose to his feet.

His mother’s face was still on the thing. “I’m suffering in hell, Sebastian! Look what you did!”

“I’m sorry, mother.” Sebastian extended both hands. “Incendaries globus!”

The blast of flames exploded inside the portal, consuming the devil. It shrieked as its chains melted and snapped. The devil was catapulted backwards through the portal, roaring as it went.

With a sound like a tombstone dropped on concrete, the portal snapped shut. The air was still.

Kham holstered his pistols. “Okay, so I changed my mind.”

 

[talien]

Heart's Blood, Fire's Vengeance: Conclusion

Kham ducked into an alleyway. Sebastian was waiting for him there.

“Well?”

“It’s bad,” said Sebastian. “Very bad. The sketch artist has pictures of you everywhere. But there’s something strange about the wanted posters.”

“You mean besides the fact that I’m now wanted in two different cities?”

Sebastian nodded. “Oh I wouldn’t worry too much about Freeport. As far as anyone knows, you’re dead. That’s what happens when they can’t recover your body in all the chaos. And that’s what worries me.”

“Okay, now I’m actually starting to worry. What are you talking about?”

“Commander Von Grebel,” said Sebastian. “The man you said you shot in the head? His body is missing. The wanted posters that list you aren’t for murder. Not yet, anyway. If we can get to the body or ensure it’s never found…”

“Then I might just have a chance of getting out of here alive.” Kham shook his head. “Your hometown sucks.”

Sebastian smirked. “So does yours. But…”

“But we wouldn’t have it any other way.” Kham threw one arm around Sebastian’s shoulders. “I know, I know.”

 

[talien]

Chapter 39: Silence, Silver and Secrets - Introduction

This is a Year One Living Arcanis Nishanpur adventure, “Silence, Silver and Secrets” by Kimberly Wajer-Scott, set in the Arcanis setting. You can read more about Arcanis at Onara Online. Please note: This adventure contains spoilers!

Our cast of characters includes:

• Dungeon Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
• Beldin Soulforge (dwarf fighter) played by Joe Lalumia
• Sebastian Arnyal (dark-kin sorcerer) played by George Webster
• Ilmarė Galen (elf bard/fighter) played by Amber Tresca

Well, well, well. Where last we left our heroes, Kham had just shot a Nierite officer in the back of the head after escaping from prison. That was totally unexpected but not out of character for Kham, who was getting more than a little aggravated with the law.

Far be it for me to let such a thing pass without comment! Kham’s victim turns out to be a lot more important than he could have ever guessed. And the stakes are higher than ever, thanks to a little thing called, “whoever doesn’t show up to the game but was in the last session gets to be held hostage.”

Can I hear three cheers for railroading?

 

[talien]

Silence, Silver, and Secrets: Prologue

A purple-haired elorii strode into the Bone Market of Nishanpur, looking around in distaste. It had been no simple feat to enter the city with her weapons intact; the Nierite hang-up about Sarishan steel made it that much harder to smuggle her elven thinblade in. Fortunately, coins and her natural beauty won the day. The flirting, with humans no less, made her feel dirty. She scanned the Market for a place to bathe.

Her eyes lit upon a large, vaguely human-shaped scaffolding in the center of Bone Market. The structure was stuffed with twigs and straw.

One of the Swords of Nier caught her gaze. “Ugly, isn’t it? Looks like they’re going to go ahead with their Burning Man festival anyway.”

The elorii arched a delicate eyebrow. “Festival?”

The Nierite shock of red curls flexed as he shrugged. “Something the Nerothians do. We’ve repealed the curfew, but you should be careful tonight. A pretty lady like yourself shouldn’t be alone on a night like this; the whole week is a festival.”

Ilmarė peered at the Nierite out of the corner of her eye. It was a clumsy come on. She was about to respond when the scaffolding was lit. The flames leaped high into the dark sky.

Even the Nierite soldier appreciated the sight. “Not bad,” he rested one hand on the pommel of the wavy-bladed greatsword that all Swords of Nier carried with them. “Even the Lord of Flame enjoys a pyre such as this.”

Then the barrage began. Naked, ash-smeared figures emerged from the darkness. Armed with balls of snow and chunks of ice, they assaulted the burning effigy. The sizzle and hiss of the snow hitting the fire filled the air.

“What?” shouted the soldier. He whistled and pointed to other similar accoutered Nierites, who drew their swords and advanced on the naked Nerothians. “Stop them!”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Ilmarė made a mental note. The soldier was much more important than she thought.

The Nerothians began to pelt the Swords, as well as continuing to hurl ice and snow upon the burning effigy. In some hands, snowballs were replaced with rocks.

The captain nearest Ilmarė fell to one knee, clutching his bleeding head.

“They hit the captain!” shouted another of the Nierites. Military discipline turned to rage as the entire Bone Market erupted into chaos. The mob of Nerothians surged around the square, confronted by a growing number of Swords that converged on the scene to try and break up the disturbance.

Ilmarė backed away from the fracas and drew her sword.

As a few Nerothian worshippers were beaten down, the mob turned angry. Several Nierite soldiers were buried under a hail of ice and snow. Scrawny figures clad in sackcloth and ashes struggled hand-to-hand with Knights of the Red Fist in full armor. Several bodies lay motionless, reddish stains seeping through the snow.

The situation quickly turned into a general rout. The Nerothians’ meager missiles were no match for the Swords of Nier with their gleaming greatswords. The crowd dispersed, scattering back into the streets and alleys. The Swords stood in the Bone Market, bruised and bloodied, staring at the sputtering remains of the burning effigy.

Another soldier huffed up to the Nierite captain, who was still clutching his head. Although she was a safe distance away, Ilmarė’s keen hearing picked up their conversation.

“They broke Kham val’Abebi out of prison.”

 

[talien]

Silence, Silver, and Secrets: Part 1 – Violin

The streets of the Barren Hills Quarter were muddy and slushy with melting snow, but were somewhat cleaner than the streets in other portions of the city. Kham and Vlad had little difficulty in locating Bochin’s.

Bochin’s stood out from the buildings around it. Many of the other buildings of the city were decorated by typical Cancerese frescoes or bas-reliefs, but this one was unusual in that it was plain, with large windows that were draped with colorful hangings.

Inside, the floor was covered by skins and brightly colored woven rugs. The hangings on the windows tinted the light that managed to filter into the building in warm tones. Rather than the stark bench seating often found elsewhere in Nishanpur, the establishment had low tables, and the seats were draped with more skins.

They sidled up to the bar. “Hard to find a good place to drink around here,” muttered Kham. They were both already drunk.

“We haven’t had a drink like this since…” Vlad thought, staring into his mug, “since Sweet Savona.”

A large fire pit filled the center of the main room. A roaring fire was built therein, over which spitted animals roasted, filling the room with smoke and the smell of spiced meat.

“Yeah, well,” Kham downed his mug and ordered another bottle from the serving wench. “I’m down a vice, so drinking and women will have to compensate. Speaking of women…” he looked around.

Most of the patrons were paying attention to a clear area, where a man with the typical braided beard of a Hinterlander sat, quietly playing a large, two-stringed violin-like instrument. Though the man played quietly, almost reverently, his complex tune echoed throughout the room. He finishes his rendition as they looked on, and an unusual form of applause followed his performance, as the appreciative listeners gently clinked their utensils against glasses and plates.

Vlad’s lip curled in a sneer. “Nierites,” he growled.

Swords of Nier flanked them at the bar. They had been heavily involved in the tussle surrounding Burning Man, and most of them showed it, with large bruises on their faces and hands where they were pummeled with ice and hit by the Nerothians.

“That festival is ridiculous,” spat a particularly striking young Nierite. She had red hair tied up in a bun and sparkling green eyes. “It’s an insult the Sword of the Heavens.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t attack what you don’t understand,” Vlad muttered without looking up.

“You know what’s going to happen,” said the woman. “The Nerothians are going to use it as an excuse. With that criminal that they broke out of prison, the heretics are going to rebel, I just know it.”

Kham pulled his hood over his head a little lower. “The Burning Man festival is just a celebration of life over death.”

“Oh yeah?” sneered the Nierite woman. “I think it was a symbolic slaughter of Nier! And then there’s the fact that we can’t find the Commander’s body…”

Vlad nodded towards a poster to Kham’s left. Kham looked over to see a sketch-artist’s accurate rendering of his face.

“You know what Nerothians do with the bodies of the enemy?” asked another of the Nierites on the other side of the bar. “They animate them…make them…do things.”

“I’d like to get my hands on that son of a bitch who murdered him,” said the Nierite woman. “I’d string him up by his loins and light his guts on fire.”

At that moment, Kham and Vlad locked gazes. Kham nodded his head slowly. Vlad took a deep breath.

What the hell? There was no way they were going to leave the bar without being spotted.

In one motion, Kham grabbed the Nierite woman by her hair and kissed her deeply.

The woman gasped for breath as Kham let her go. “Wow,” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “She really did set my loins on fire!” He hopped up onto the bar.

Vlad turned and punched the nearest Nierite in the face. The man spun off of his bar stool in surprise.

“It’s von Grebel’s murderer!”

The Nierites reached for their swords. The woman shrieked in rage. Gauntleted hands reached for them…

Kham downed a potion and promptly turned invisible.

“Where’d he go?” shouted one of the Nierites.

Kham moved to toss another potion vial to his companion, but in his drunken state, didn’t remember that Vlad couldn’t see him. The vial bounced off the Milandisian’s head and shattered on the tavern floor.

Vlad went under in a pile of fists and curses as Kham slipped out of Bochin’s.

“Great,” he muttered to himself, “now I lost my Milandisian.”

 

[talien]

Silence, Silver, and Secrets: Part 2a – Lasher

The Velvet Glove was an innocuous-looking establishment in the Trade Quarter. Upon entering, however, it quickly became obvious that it was no ordinary public house. Beyond the bar was what looked like a fighting ring, a roped-off area whose floor was stained with blood and sweat. Around the ring sat a few benches, presumably for spectators. A match wasn’t taking place at the moment, though judging by the hardened appearance of the patrons and the way they were constantly sizing one another up, a bout could erupt at any time.

Beldin the Solani dwarf seated himself at the bar. He knew his way around a mug or two.

Seated next to him was a most unusual sight: a dark-kin. What made this particular dark-kin unusual was not his heritage, but rather his clothing, which was a close approximation of the uniform of the Knights of the Red Fist.

“I’m looking for a body,” Beldin ordered some ale. He and Sebastian had begun combing Nishanpur for Haron von Grebel’s corpse; without it, the Nierites would never stop hunting them. “Know where I might find one?”

The dark-kin looked over at him. He was a young man, not much above twenty years old. “Name’s Ayrus Dhat. And you are?”

“Beldin Soulforge,” said the dwarf. “You with the Knights of the Red Fist?”

“I am.” Ayrus nodded deferentially. “A mere stable hand, but I am honored to be a member.”

Beldin’s brows knitted together. He didn’t like talking to Nierites, especially about such a sensitive topic.

“You must be looking for the Commander’s corpse,” Ayrus said matter-of-factly.

Beldin took a sip from a mug the bartender provided. “I might.”

“You and the rest of the Nierite army. I wouldn’t try too hard though. Seems that they caught one of the murderer’s compatriots; nearly caught the killer himself, but he’s a wily fellow.”

Beldin nearly spat out the contents of his mug. “Oh?”

“Yeah, a val’Abebi, right? They caught his Milandisian friend. And the Nierites like nothing more than capturing a Milandisian after the defeat of Leonydas’ army. You know him?”

“I know of him,” Beldin said carefully.

“They think this Kham guy is the leader of a rebellion they staged. He’s obviously organized enough to coordinate a break out from prison; then there was the incident with the Burning Man…”

Beldin nodded. “I heard. You think he’s behind that too?”

“The Autocrat thinks so, and that’s all that matters,” said Ayrus.

“Hey!” shouted a gruff voice from across the bar. “Hey, you! Dwarf! You’re Beldin, right?”

Beldin turned around. “Who wants to know?”

A grinning dark-kin with pitch-black skin and bright white horns glared down at him. “Name’s Marekal. I heard about you. You came over here from de islands with a couple of Freeporters—“

Beldin hopped off the bench. Before the rival dark-kin could finger him as a compatriot of Kham’s, he shoved one pudgy finger into the dark-kin’s chest. “You looking for trouble?”

The dark-kin grinned a mouthful of jagged teeth. “Oh yeah, you’ve got to be de same guy. You’re de dwarf who beat Aggro! I fought dat orc. He’s one mean son of a bitch. But I beat him. And if I can beat him, I can beat you!”

Beldin handed his axe to Ayrus. “Hold on to this for a moment.” He turned back to big dark-kin. “I’m used to beating hunks of metal into something useful. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

 

[talien]

Silence, Silver, and Secrets: Part 2b – Lasher

Beldin flexed his fingers. Marekal bellowed and roared, playing up to the crowd.

“Marekal’s the bouncer for The Velvet Glove,” said Ayrus. “I’d warn you about this place but you’ve already challenged him to a duel, so it’s a little late for that.”

Beldin tied up the various ends of his beard into a single knot. “I can take care of myself.”

“I’m sure you can,” said Ayrus. “Just remember, he’s a dark-kin and you’re not.”

“I’m familiar with dark-kin too.” Before Beldin could continue, a bell rang. Marekal pounded towards him.

Beldin stood his ground and punched the bigger dark-kin twice in the gut. Marekal just grinned.

“Dat all you got dwarf?”

There was a flash of light as two punches connected with Beldin’s skull. He stood there and took it.

Beldin retaliated with a shoulder ram that knocked Marekal back a few feet. The dark-kin was big, but no match for a dwarf’s lower center of gravity.

“The Knights of the Red Fist spar vith me,” sneered Marekal. “You don’t have a chance. Dose fifty gold doubloons are mine.”

“It’s true,” said Ayrus. “He does.”

“Thanks.” Beldin put up both his forearms to block another hammering series of blows. He lowered his guard…

And got punched in the solar plexus.

Beldin coughed and retaliated with two more punches.

“Vhat?” Marekal looked genuinely surprised. “Dat should have stunned you!”

“I see you don’t box many dwarves.” Beldin put Marekal on the defensive.

Something slapped Beldin hard from behind. He spun, convinced that a patron had joined in the fight…

Only to see Marekal’s long tail whipping and snapping out from behind him.

“You know vhat I think? I think you’re friends with dat Kham guy,” Marekal whispered in Beldin’s ear as they grappled. Two more blows hammered into Beldin’s skull. “I think de Knights of the Red Fist vould be very interested to know all about it. A bounty on your head is probably vorth more den dose doubloons.”

The whip-like tail snapped down at the dwarf’s feet. It wrapped around one leg and yanked hard.

Beldin barely moved an inch. He reached down and grabbed the tail.

Marekal’s eyes went wide.

With a hard yank, Beldin pulled Marekal’s tail taut. The dark-kin yelped as his spinal cord was whipped about. The gesture brought the dark-kin right into Beldin’s waiting fist.

Marekal landed hard on the floor, unconscious.

Ayrus handed a pouch full of Canceri gold bhats to Beldin. “Try the Corpse Quarter. If there’s a body, vertical or horizontal, it’s probably shuffling around there.”

 

[talien]

Silence, Silver, and Secrets: Part 3a – The Witching Hour

When dawn finally broke on the City of Secrets, it was a different world. The usually busy streets were eerily empty. It was as if the whole city was holding its breath, awaiting some signal of what was to come.

Only a fraction of the usual traffic walked the streets. The people at the inns and markets were more animated than usual, whispering desperately to each other about the events. Many citizens were fearful; who knew what the repercussions of the Burning Man incident would be?

“Are you sure this is the place?” Sebastian asked irritably. Ilmarė had joined Sebastian and Beldin, having recently disembarked from the Bloody Vengeance.

Slogging through the dirty, narrow streets and alleys of the Corpse Quarter was an unpleasant task at best. Trying to find a single missing body among the surly inhabitants of the Quarter was like trying to find a match in a bone-bed.

“That’s what my sources said.” Beldin gripped his axe, equally aggravated.

Questioning the denizens of the Corpse Quarter didn’t help much either. No one had seen a body matching Haron’s description, and most of the shopkeepers and other public folks responded in a surly fashion.

“No sign of Kham either,” said Ilmarė. “And what of Vlad?”

“In prison, near as I can tell,” said Beldin. “They Nierites won’t even disclose where they are keeping him. I think they’re afraid of another rescue attempt like the one on Kham. He’s being treated as a political prisoner.”

“Vlad?” asked Ilmarė in disbelief. “Are we talking about the same human?”

“What about the Sextant?” asked Sebastian. “Any luck researching the ssanu archives?”

Ilmarė sighed. “Yes and no. The Sextant is a means to an end; it won’t open a portal to R’lyeh, it will just lead us to Hell’s Triangle to open the portal. We’ll need another artifact to do that.”

“Of course,” muttered Beldin.

“And that artifact is?” asked Sebastian.

“The Moonsilver Orb. I haven’t been able to find out much more about it other than the name.”

Sebastian stopped another shuffling, miserable citizen and asked once more if he had any knowledge of von Grebel.

“Why should I care about some lost Nierite? They are all lost to begin with. They interfere in Neroth’s worship, but not for much longer. They shall soon enough learn His truth.”

“What truth might that be?” asked Beldin.

“All things die. It is only a matter of time.”

“That’s really helpful,” said Ilmarė sourly. “Stupid human.”