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Ptolus: Midwood - "The Dark Waters of Moss Pond"
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<blockquote data-quote="Whizbang Dustyboots" data-source="post: 3946544" data-attributes="member: 11760"><p>Heath walks back to the stairs, and looks up. The wood is streaked with dust and rotting carpet clings to each step. He climbs the stairs resolutely, determined to ignore any distracting noises. That's the plan, anyway.</p><p></p><p>It starts halfway up: a low hum, just barely audible. Heath ignores it.</p><p></p><p>It isn't until he reaches the top of the stairs that he realizes hum is increasing in volume. He looks down the hall at the large wooden doors. Walking past the torn pictures lining the hallway, the hum grows in intensity.</p><p></p><p>By the time he reaches the door to the master bedroom, it's obvious the hum comes from inside. There is also a faint distasteful odor. Beneath and along the door's edges are the remnants of heavy curtains attached with twine through drilled holes, effectively sealing the door tightly. Heath stares at the door for a long moment before placing his hand on the door. Taking out one axe out, he opens the door.</p><p></p><p>Heath feels the moist heat first, and then stumbles back as flies assault his face. The hum has become an angry buzz. And with the flies comes the smell.</p><p></p><p>Heath bunches up his apron and holds it over his nose, trying not to retch. For a moment, he wonders if someone has gotten here before him, but then realizes it isn't a smell of rot. Heath had been on the frozen battlefields of Tulgey Wood when the last baron died, and this isn't it. It's close, but not quite. It's earthier, more like an outhouse.</p><p></p><p>Heath looks again and discovers he's right: Whatever decorations once covered, layers of caked-on fecal matter now obscure the walls. The bed has collapsed, perhaps from the weight of human waste deposited on it. The corners had piles reaching halfway up the wall. Yellow stains spread out on what's left of the carpet, and Heath catches the acidic tang of dried urine. The floor is also caked with dead flies. Dresser drawers are pulled out haphazardly, the clothes within fouled and rotting. Each of the windows is partially open, keeping the smell away from the rest of the house.</p><p></p><p>Heath closes the door again.</p><p></p><p>The bedroom hadn’t actually surprised him, he realizes with sadness. The smell was abhorrent, but somehow not out of place. Not here.</p><p></p><p>He drops his apron and rounds the corner in the hallway, revealing yet another long hallway. At the end of this hall is the west side of the house and what he presumes are the other bedrooms. His resolve ebbing, Heath wonders if the walk will even be worth it; maybe he had been had. This "Flower" is quite peculiar, but ultimately he is still a kobold, and a little lie like that was nothing for one of them. But the only motive Heath could figure would be some kind of complicated ambush, maybe to preemptively remove one of the town's defenders.</p><p></p><p>The possible threat to the town concerned Heath greatly, but he'd heard more disturbing rumors of the last few weeks: He'd heard Rogren Kem was back in town, and with a kobold seeing after him, no less. Older Bridgers knew of the Kems' fondness for mating outside their species, so it was at least possible. Heath was either about to be assaulted or he'd find Rogren. Neither prospect polished his apple, so to speak, but it was well past time to take care of things.</p><p></p><p>Axe in hand and arm extended, Heath makes his way down the hall, eyeing the portraits of the family patriarchs. Most of the other bedrooms in Kem House were unremarkable. One in particular was decorated with a somewhat more rustic sensibility than the others but was covered in the same dust as the others. Heath has started to give up on finding another sign of life when he comes to a bedroom with the door shut: all the other doors, save the master bedroom door, had been open.</p><p></p><p>Heath slowly turns the knob and pushes the door open. As he does, he hears a loud cough from the next room over. He knows it's Rogren, but it is too late; his actions are not under his control. He steps into the room and forgets the world outside it.</p><p></p><p>Mid-morning light streams through the windows. On the bed, Heath recognizes Priscilla Kem yawning, kicking her feet under the covers in a deep stretch. He starts to apologize for intruding on her, but no words come out. Similarly, his shocked expletive when he remembered that Priscilla Kem was dead also goes unspoken.</p><p></p><p>"Good morning," she purrs.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Whizbang Dustyboots, post: 3946544, member: 11760"] Heath walks back to the stairs, and looks up. The wood is streaked with dust and rotting carpet clings to each step. He climbs the stairs resolutely, determined to ignore any distracting noises. That's the plan, anyway. It starts halfway up: a low hum, just barely audible. Heath ignores it. It isn't until he reaches the top of the stairs that he realizes hum is increasing in volume. He looks down the hall at the large wooden doors. Walking past the torn pictures lining the hallway, the hum grows in intensity. By the time he reaches the door to the master bedroom, it's obvious the hum comes from inside. There is also a faint distasteful odor. Beneath and along the door's edges are the remnants of heavy curtains attached with twine through drilled holes, effectively sealing the door tightly. Heath stares at the door for a long moment before placing his hand on the door. Taking out one axe out, he opens the door. Heath feels the moist heat first, and then stumbles back as flies assault his face. The hum has become an angry buzz. And with the flies comes the smell. Heath bunches up his apron and holds it over his nose, trying not to retch. For a moment, he wonders if someone has gotten here before him, but then realizes it isn't a smell of rot. Heath had been on the frozen battlefields of Tulgey Wood when the last baron died, and this isn't it. It's close, but not quite. It's earthier, more like an outhouse. Heath looks again and discovers he's right: Whatever decorations once covered, layers of caked-on fecal matter now obscure the walls. The bed has collapsed, perhaps from the weight of human waste deposited on it. The corners had piles reaching halfway up the wall. Yellow stains spread out on what's left of the carpet, and Heath catches the acidic tang of dried urine. The floor is also caked with dead flies. Dresser drawers are pulled out haphazardly, the clothes within fouled and rotting. Each of the windows is partially open, keeping the smell away from the rest of the house. Heath closes the door again. The bedroom hadn’t actually surprised him, he realizes with sadness. The smell was abhorrent, but somehow not out of place. Not here. He drops his apron and rounds the corner in the hallway, revealing yet another long hallway. At the end of this hall is the west side of the house and what he presumes are the other bedrooms. His resolve ebbing, Heath wonders if the walk will even be worth it; maybe he had been had. This "Flower" is quite peculiar, but ultimately he is still a kobold, and a little lie like that was nothing for one of them. But the only motive Heath could figure would be some kind of complicated ambush, maybe to preemptively remove one of the town's defenders. The possible threat to the town concerned Heath greatly, but he'd heard more disturbing rumors of the last few weeks: He'd heard Rogren Kem was back in town, and with a kobold seeing after him, no less. Older Bridgers knew of the Kems' fondness for mating outside their species, so it was at least possible. Heath was either about to be assaulted or he'd find Rogren. Neither prospect polished his apple, so to speak, but it was well past time to take care of things. Axe in hand and arm extended, Heath makes his way down the hall, eyeing the portraits of the family patriarchs. Most of the other bedrooms in Kem House were unremarkable. One in particular was decorated with a somewhat more rustic sensibility than the others but was covered in the same dust as the others. Heath has started to give up on finding another sign of life when he comes to a bedroom with the door shut: all the other doors, save the master bedroom door, had been open. Heath slowly turns the knob and pushes the door open. As he does, he hears a loud cough from the next room over. He knows it's Rogren, but it is too late; his actions are not under his control. He steps into the room and forgets the world outside it. Mid-morning light streams through the windows. On the bed, Heath recognizes Priscilla Kem yawning, kicking her feet under the covers in a deep stretch. He starts to apologize for intruding on her, but no words come out. Similarly, his shocked expletive when he remembered that Priscilla Kem was dead also goes unspoken. "Good morning," she purrs. [/QUOTE]
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Ptolus: Midwood - "The Dark Waters of Moss Pond"
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