Legacy of the Silver Dragon: Chapter 1 (Chickens, Demons, and a Missing Girl)

[gambler1650]

Muzdin and Bosco

Elara smiles slightly again, though obviously genuinely, at the dwarf's words. "You at least understand the value of not keeping secret what cannot be hidden for long. This is... not the case.. with some others in your order." Muzdin can probably guess the names of one or two of the people she refers to, mid-level clerics who would probably refuse to admit that the sky itself is blue as if no one else could see it. She sighs softly, "I would talk more, but I think I need to return to the meeting. Pelor's views must be represented..." she says the last with a touch of worry, and then to the human, dwarf, and halfling, "I may have more questions later. Do what you will - Anna likely will sleep for some time, and I am sure her mother will be here soon to take care of her." With that she begins to leave the room.

OOC: If no one has any comments/questions for her, let me know what you would like to do now. Pretty soon I will tally up the XP for this adventure.

 

[gambler1650]

Antares and Stellan

Gregof listens carefully, eyebrows raising at times at the elf's more fantastic descriptions of the events. He looks to Stellan for confirmation once in awhile, and receiving simple nods from the young man, he keeps quiet until the end.

"Well. Quite the... adventure." He frowns, "I'm not sure what should be done. Do you think you have explored the full range of the tunnels?" Another frown and he continues talking as if to himself: "Probably not.. after all, those creatures had to come from somewhere..." He casts a troubled eye to the dead woman. "Wait. The burnt house.. She does look familiar. Could it be... Yes. This was the wife in that house. Quiet, both her and her husband. Hard workers, but I'm not even sure I ever knew their names. Was there any sign of a man that might have been him?"

He nods to Antares' last comments, "Sure. I'll send someone." He pokes his head out briefly and gives the request, and one of the members of the militia heads down the street towards Pelor's temple.

Gregof comes back inside, and looks expectantly at Antares, waiting the answer to his question...

 

[gambler1650]

Muzdin and Bosco

Given the time frame, we can say that the young man from the militia finds his way to you, and informs you as to Antares and Stellan's whereabouts.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Bosco begins figuring out how to spend all his money, including investing in safe and luxurious travel to a location without a creepy transmuting pool under his feet.

 

[Voda Vosa]

"Lets go to the elf then." The dwarf says, grabbing Bosco by the edge of his shirt, and dragging the dreamy thief outside, after the militiaman.

 

[Binder Fred]

Stellan and Antares

"Well. Quite the... adventure." He frowns, "I'm not sure what should be done. Do you think you have explored the full range of the tunnels?" Another frown and he continues talking as if to himself: "Probably not.. after all, those creatures had to come from somewhere..."

"True. Quite true," nods Antares in agreement. He had had the same thought! "We saw no signs of habitation, and at least three of the branching paths went unexplored this day: One the main tunnel out of the well, one the right branch of the Y after we encountered the gelatinous creature, the last a small crawlway in the first pool room where first we encountered Former-Anna..." And who knows what crevice and half-hidden path they overlooked in their quick foray? The White Ones can crawl up walls, after all... "I could draw you and your officers a map if it would be useful?" Dearly hoping not to have to return there himself...

OOC: Antares will draw a simple map if requested, looking a bit embarrassed when he has to borrow ink (and by the crusty red stains at the end of his quill).

He casts a troubled eye to the dead woman. "Wait. The burnt house.. She does look familiar. Could it be... Yes. This was the wife in that house. Quiet, both her and her husband. Hard workers, but I'm not even sure I ever knew their names. Was there any sign of a man that might have been him?"

"Sadly no... Unless he was one of the small ones...?" He swallows, a thought having just occurred; his voice goes somewhat squeaky as he voices it: "Or one of the two skeletons?" Somewhat horrifyingly, that seems the likeliest of possibilities. "The... gelatinous beast was... digesting a skeleton that might have once been a man of average height," he expounds when the bearded guard frowns his way. "And there was too a small pile of burnt bone chips and coins in a latter passagewa-" Ugh: gelatinous beast spoors?! He shares a horrified look with Stellan: that too seems... nauseatingly likely now that he thinks about it. He resists an urgent need to wipe/scrape his hands clean on robes and edge of desk, though he can't help holding them stiff and far away from contact with his person: "Perhaps water to clean ourselves?" he begs, eyes now even wider than usual.

<As he does so:
"Ah, I hesitate to ask, officer, but were not burnt bodies found in that house after the fire passed through that first time?" The rumours certainly talked of such. 'Charcoaled' was in fact the termed bandied about at the time...

<Response Gregof?>

"Too, we have this drawing of the runes," he says when he's feeling a little more himself, carefully drawing out and unfurling the parchment in question from the case at his waist. "This," a finger hovering over the central symbol, not touching even as emerald eyes look up, hopeful, "seems to be the origin, the pulsing center of it all... Is it at all familiar to you?"

<Response Gregof?>

"And then we have the... the goodwife's belongings, that she kept at her waist all this time... With your permission?" By the shine of his eyes he's caught in the excitement of the puzzle solving now, the show-and-tell of skillfully gathered disparate clues, the siren song of solutions calling from just beyond the next horizon...

OOC: I figure Muzdim and Bosco could come in as they are begining to look through the content of the purse?

 

[gambler1650]

Gregof frowns thoughtfully, "It's true. We did find two bodies in the fire. Both were severely misshapen and as you said, charcoaled. Size and shape were difficult to determine... but we assumed they were the couple. It appears that perhaps.." and he looks at the still body again, "we were mistaken."

He absently points over to a basin of water in a corner of the room. "I wouldn't drink from that, and it's probably not overly clean - but likely cleaner than where you've been."

When Antares pulls out the rune he frowns, and then shrugs, "No. Can't say I have seen that. You might check with wizards or priests."

In the meantime, Muzdin (and Bosco if he wishes to - otherwise let me know where you plan to go), arrives just as the pouch is about to be gone through. Mysthyr was accosted by Carlog as the others were about to leave, asking for help with a blessing requested of one of the congregation.

OOC: When he returns, he can rejoin the group...

The results are somewhat disappointing perhaps on initial viewing. 9 gold pieces, a small gem that has a translucent green appearance, and a small scroll of paper, about a finger's length and twice as wide.

 

[Voda Vosa]

"So" Muzdim says, taking his hands to his broad hips. "What else did ye find down there elf?"

 

[Binder Fred]

Antares and Stellan

He absently points over to a basin of water in a corner of the room. "I wouldn't drink from that, and it's probably not overly clean - but likely cleaner than where you've been."

That's likely a long list indeed, though it's the smell that most bothers Antares: he can barely perceive it *now*, but he's heard it said it's near impossible to get out of fabric once settled! "Our thanks, truly, from both of us." The imagined horror of the spoors he sets to rinsing from his skin, face and hair with considered gusto.

Gregof frowns thoughtfully, "It's true. We did find two bodies in the fire. Both were severely misshapen and as you said, charcoaled. Size and shape were difficult to determine... but we assumed they were the couple. It appears that perhaps.." and he looks at the still body again, "we were mistaken."

"Ah," the young elf looks even un-happier than he did before, if possible. He steps aside to give Stellan access to the water even as he wipes at himself with a rough towel, "Scuffles and lamps knocked over, two that were above brought below... Does that not seem to suggest some sort of -ah- concerted... attack, perhaps, officer Gregof?" He's distinctly uncomfortable with the idea. That the unknown might just reach up without warning and consume any that happen to stand above at the time, unknowing... (He'd somehow always imagined that Anna had fallen through, perhaps been found later? But what if the White Ones have been more... active in their recruitment than he thought?) "If I might be so bold, have there perhaps been... other disappearances in that area before? In other areas of fair Ascadar?"

<Response Gregof?>

When Antares pulls out the rune he frowns, and then shrugs, "No. Can't say I have seen that. You might check with wizards or priests."

Antares smiles, relieved: "So no one has reported this sign before?" That is, at last, good news, reduces the scale of that dread symbol to something they might yet be able to shrug off with basic precautions, now that they know? "And yes, if you will let us we would be most grateful if we could study it more fully? I- The Behenian Company knows of certain scholars that might give enlightened opinion on this very subject." Teacher Dysare, for one, and perhaps the high-priestess of Mysthyr's order?

 

[Binder Fred]

All save Mysthyr

"So" Muzdim says, taking his hands to his broad hips. "What else did ye find down there elf?"

"Hm?" Antares looks up from his avid contemplation of officer Gregof's desk and smiles wide upon seeing both the irascible dwarf and a pouting Bosco <I assume > at the door of the guard barracks. He hesitates for a moment, then strides out and hugs them both - his touch light, as usual - as if they had been parted for weeks instead of hours.

"So you survived after all," he says, looking down into Muzdin's dark eyes after he's straightened.