Clutches of Evil - IC: Chapter Two

[unleashed]

Keryth, Male Drakontos Cleric

“Excuse me for the intrusion ma’am, but I heard there was a miner here in need of healing...something about a leg injury,” Keryth offers, looking down at the woman kindly.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

The woman lets out a boisterous laugh, so hard that her sides shake with each laugh. "Ain't been a miner goin' down the shaft from this house since my husband had his accident ten years ago. Ain't been into the mines since. He did lose his leg, and they don't let you go into the mines on a wooden stick like he's got now. Who told you about that?"

 

[jkason]

Byntrou, roguishly sorcerous barbarian

Byntrou switches to his native giant dialect as he whispers to Bahruul, "

Spoiler

"Ten years? Do you think the man back there is just daft, or was he willfully lying to us?

"

 

[unleashed]

Keryth, Male Drakontos Cleric

“The man who’s set himself up in the temple, obviously he thinks himself a bit of a prankster or has no concept of time,” Keryth offers with a wry grin. “Well, sorry to have disturbed you for nothing, other than someone elses amusement.”

 

[Nonlethal Force]

The woman is a bit confused by the strange tongue of the boes. However, she snaps out of her confusion and answers Keryth, "Oh, you mean Markie. Markie's just a right bit to the insane side of life. The prisets there had been caring for him, although they were unable to cure his insanity. We're just a small outpost here, we've not got the healing powers of the larger cities you know. Anyway, unable to cure him, they looked after him. You've gotta forgive Markie, though. He's a kind enough fellow, but he has no concept of time or trust. He knows the priests well enough, but they've not been back for a time now. Some us us townies have taken to leaving food out at morning for him to eat. Other than that, Markie stays holed up in the temple - keepin' watch I'd suppose."

 

[unleashed]

Keryth, Male Drakontos Cleric

Keryth nods in understanding, as the woman speaks. “I’m surprised all the priests went, considering they had a charge to watch over...it must have been dire indeed, whatever drew them away. It’s good to hear though, that the folk here look out for him in the priests absence...I just hope Markie will let us inside to look around, as we’d like to see if the priests left any clue of what they went to face, seeing as we came to look for them. Oh, don’t forget you pie ma’am...”

 

[jkason]

Byntrou, roguishly sorcerous barbarian

Byn resists rolling his eyes as the woman reveals Markie's insanity, then he furrows his brow and, keeping his distance so as not to upset the human female, he asks "One moment, milady. Markie kept mentioning his woman as he spoke with us. Is she, too, a symptom of his insanity?"

 

[Nonlethal Force]

The woman begins to turn around when Keryth reminds her of her pies and then stops at Byntrou's question.

"Tru .... get the pies out of the fire or they'll burn!"

She turns back around, and a faint pattern of footfall followed by wood hitting stone can be heard echoing toward the back of the dwelling. "There, my husband will care for the pies, and they'll be far too hot for him to snatch a piece before I am finished answering your questions. Now, as far as Markie's woman - to him she is still alive. To us she died a number of years ago. Strange thing about her death. She had started down the path of insanity herself well after Markie was headlong gone in the mind. She cared for him like a sweetheart until she herself began to change. One day ... horrible story, I'm sorry to lay on ya ... one day the miners awoke to find her swinging from a tree - noose around her neck. Right outside the mining caves, too. Most people assume she couldn't take herself turning into what Markie had become and she didn't want someone to have to care for the two of 'em so she hung herself."

Her story ends abruptly and she wrinkles her eyes in thought.

 

[jkason]

Byntrou, roguishly sorcerous barbarian

Byntrou finds himself shuddering despite himself. "It's like it's contagious, this insanity of his..." he looks to Keryth, half afraid the healer might confirm that such things are communicable.

 

[unleashed]

Keryth, Male Drakontos Cleric

“Well it’s never pleasant to hear of anyone passing, but we did ask, so no need for you to apologise. I notice you said it was strange though...did some suspect her death wasn’t by her own hand after all?” Keryth asks, as Byntrou looks at him.

Placing a hand on Byntrou’s shoulder, Keryth remarks, “I wouldn’t worry too much, Byntrou. Even assuming it was contagious in the first place, which I don’t think it was, it’s likely not now in any case, otherwise the entire village would be suffering the effects by this point...”