Welcome to the Halmae (updated 2/27/07)
- Thread starter spyscribe
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spyscribe
First Post
Part the Thirty-Seventh:
In which: we find an old friend, and carry out an unpleasant errand.
Having scoured the room in the sewers for any other clues, the party quickly hurries back aboveground. Anvil sends Dennis to the Temple of the Justicars to find Tenacious and bring him up to speed on recent events. The rest of the party briskly makes their way across the quad towards Professor Alexandra’s office, when suddenly, a familiar voice suddenly cries out behind them, “Hey! Where’re you going?”
There, standing in the middle of the quad, is Hue. He smiles and waves. The ferret, perched on his shoulder, eyes the wreckage suspiciously.
Hue smiles a little less when he gets within nose-shot of them. “You guys stink! Where have you been?”
“The sewers!” Lira replies brightly.
“Forget that,” says Reyu, “where have you been?”
“Oh!” Says Hue, as though he had quite forgotten that he had been gone. “I had to go. There was a purple squirrel migration.”
“A what?”
“A migration. Of purple squirrels.”
**********
some weeks earlier…
Thomas Wellsome thought he had found the ideal job in the reference section of the Great Library of Dar Pykos. The Great Library is the foremost research collection of the Darine Confederacy, and while it does attract scholars from throughout the Halmae, Thomas’ days are, for the most part—
“Hey! Would you like to read my book on squirrels?”
—quiet.
“No,” Thomas replies, “I’m really quite busy.”
The small man who has been—as far as Thomas can tell—living in the stacks for the last few weeks looks up at him critically. “You don’t look busy.”
“Well, I am.”
“With what?”
Thomas has been having some variation of this conversation at least twice a day for the last week and half. “You know,” Thomas finally bursts out, “I hear there’s a purple squirrel migration going on right now outside the city. You should check it out for your research.”
“Wow,” says Hue. “I’ve never heard of squirrels migrating before.”
“You could probably write the definitive work on the subject… Unless someone else gets out there to observe it first.”
The ferret rolls its eyes and buries his head in his paws.
Hue stares at the librarian in amazement. “You’re right… I better get going then. Thanks!”
With that, the little man leaves, and the reference section is quiet once again.
**********
“We didn’t find any though,” Hue says agreeably. “Maybe next year.”
The ferret rolls his eyes.
Hue continues undeterred, “You guys really do stink, you know.” With that, he casts prestidigitation and soon all traces of the party’s subterranean adventure have been erased.
While this is going on, Euro scampers off Lira’s shoulder and has a quick consult with the ferret. He comes back with a report:
Well Boss, he says that’s what they were doing… I mean, they didn’t see any purple squirrels, but… not for lack of looking, you know what I mean?
Lira nods, replying mentally, “I’ve never even heard of regular squirrels migrating.”
I don’t know from squirrels, Boss… I myself, have never felt the urge, not that… you know, urges yeah, but not migrating. Sure, we came South from Dar Henna, but that was a you thing, Boss, you know?
Lira merely nods, scratching Euro behind the ears. The weasel continues. Hey Boss, I bet… if it’d been you and me looking for those squirrels… we could have found ‘em Boss.
**********
The party (and Hue) has to wait a few moments before they can get in to see Professor Alexandra.
“You know,” says Thatch, “speaking of people we haven’t seen in a while, with all the time we’ve spent at the academy, it’s strange that we haven’t run into Edmund.”
“Or…” Reyu says with a meaningful look at Lira, “that he has not found us.”
Lira shrugs. “Don’t ask me.”
Dennis shakes his head. “I bet he’s still in his lab, trying to figure out who made that scroll Anvil gave him.” The party laughs a bit at the memory. “He probably didn’t even notice the fire,” Dennis continues, “he was just working away thinking, why is it so warm in here?”
Even Anvil cracks a smile at that.
“Oh, I—I’m sorry…” The party turns to find Professor Alexandra standing in the doorway of her make-shift office. Their smiles die away as they see her stricken expression. “I... I thought you knew. Edmund was trapped in the North Dormitory. He… He didn’t survive.”
The room is very quiet. Dennis feels his face grow hot. He’s not the only one.
“Oh.”
Lira shifts in her seat. She’s a little surprised at how neutral she feels at the news. She never wanted Edmund’s advances, but on the other hand, she never wanted him dead. Part of her wishes she were a bit sorrier.
“We’re sorry to learn that,” Reyu says.
The Professor nods in acknowledgement. “I don’t suppose you’ve come with any better news.”
Although Professor Alexandra is not happy to learn what the group has discovered, when presented with proof of Amelia’s necromancy, she has little choice but to allow Anvil to take her into custody. The party decides to try and convince her to go quietly.
Amelia is still clearing wreckage of the dormitory. For the moment, the work has paused as a slightly older blonde student buries her familiar, a small cat. Amelia shoots a quick glare at the party as they approach, but refuses to acknowledge them again until the last handful of earth has been laid over the tiny grave.
Work resumes and Amelia whirls on the party. “What?”
Reyu tries to put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, but Amelia flinches away. “Amelia,” she says, “you need to come with us.”
“I need you to leave me alone.”
With Thatch helping, Anvil begins to guide the group, including Amelia, away from eavesdroppers and towards the academy gates.
“What is going on?” Amelia demands.
Anvil comes forward, and speaks very low in Amelia’s ear. “We have been to the sewers.” He shows her the lion/skull-shaped brooch taken from one of the zombies. “You can come quietly or not, but you will come with us.”
At the sight of the brooch, Amelia’s bravado vanishes. Suddenly she looks very much like a very lost little girl. “Did… did you hurt them?”
“Hurt them?”
Amelia looks beseechingly at the party, “They were my friends.”
The stunned silence that greets that remark is finally broken by Thatch. “Ummm… They’re not your friends… They’re zombies!”
Her lower lip begins to quiver. “They were my friends.”
Reyu takes the girl around the shoulders. “Come now…” And gradually, Amelia allows herself to be led away.
In which: we find an old friend, and carry out an unpleasant errand.
Having scoured the room in the sewers for any other clues, the party quickly hurries back aboveground. Anvil sends Dennis to the Temple of the Justicars to find Tenacious and bring him up to speed on recent events. The rest of the party briskly makes their way across the quad towards Professor Alexandra’s office, when suddenly, a familiar voice suddenly cries out behind them, “Hey! Where’re you going?”
There, standing in the middle of the quad, is Hue. He smiles and waves. The ferret, perched on his shoulder, eyes the wreckage suspiciously.
Hue smiles a little less when he gets within nose-shot of them. “You guys stink! Where have you been?”
“The sewers!” Lira replies brightly.
“Forget that,” says Reyu, “where have you been?”
“Oh!” Says Hue, as though he had quite forgotten that he had been gone. “I had to go. There was a purple squirrel migration.”
“A what?”
“A migration. Of purple squirrels.”
**********
some weeks earlier…
Thomas Wellsome thought he had found the ideal job in the reference section of the Great Library of Dar Pykos. The Great Library is the foremost research collection of the Darine Confederacy, and while it does attract scholars from throughout the Halmae, Thomas’ days are, for the most part—
“Hey! Would you like to read my book on squirrels?”
—quiet.
“No,” Thomas replies, “I’m really quite busy.”
The small man who has been—as far as Thomas can tell—living in the stacks for the last few weeks looks up at him critically. “You don’t look busy.”
“Well, I am.”
“With what?”
Thomas has been having some variation of this conversation at least twice a day for the last week and half. “You know,” Thomas finally bursts out, “I hear there’s a purple squirrel migration going on right now outside the city. You should check it out for your research.”
“Wow,” says Hue. “I’ve never heard of squirrels migrating before.”
“You could probably write the definitive work on the subject… Unless someone else gets out there to observe it first.”
The ferret rolls its eyes and buries his head in his paws.
Hue stares at the librarian in amazement. “You’re right… I better get going then. Thanks!”
With that, the little man leaves, and the reference section is quiet once again.
**********
“We didn’t find any though,” Hue says agreeably. “Maybe next year.”
The ferret rolls his eyes.
Hue continues undeterred, “You guys really do stink, you know.” With that, he casts prestidigitation and soon all traces of the party’s subterranean adventure have been erased.
While this is going on, Euro scampers off Lira’s shoulder and has a quick consult with the ferret. He comes back with a report:
Well Boss, he says that’s what they were doing… I mean, they didn’t see any purple squirrels, but… not for lack of looking, you know what I mean?
Lira nods, replying mentally, “I’ve never even heard of regular squirrels migrating.”
I don’t know from squirrels, Boss… I myself, have never felt the urge, not that… you know, urges yeah, but not migrating. Sure, we came South from Dar Henna, but that was a you thing, Boss, you know?
Lira merely nods, scratching Euro behind the ears. The weasel continues. Hey Boss, I bet… if it’d been you and me looking for those squirrels… we could have found ‘em Boss.
**********
The party (and Hue) has to wait a few moments before they can get in to see Professor Alexandra.
“You know,” says Thatch, “speaking of people we haven’t seen in a while, with all the time we’ve spent at the academy, it’s strange that we haven’t run into Edmund.”
“Or…” Reyu says with a meaningful look at Lira, “that he has not found us.”
Lira shrugs. “Don’t ask me.”
Dennis shakes his head. “I bet he’s still in his lab, trying to figure out who made that scroll Anvil gave him.” The party laughs a bit at the memory. “He probably didn’t even notice the fire,” Dennis continues, “he was just working away thinking, why is it so warm in here?”
Even Anvil cracks a smile at that.
“Oh, I—I’m sorry…” The party turns to find Professor Alexandra standing in the doorway of her make-shift office. Their smiles die away as they see her stricken expression. “I... I thought you knew. Edmund was trapped in the North Dormitory. He… He didn’t survive.”
The room is very quiet. Dennis feels his face grow hot. He’s not the only one.
“Oh.”
Lira shifts in her seat. She’s a little surprised at how neutral she feels at the news. She never wanted Edmund’s advances, but on the other hand, she never wanted him dead. Part of her wishes she were a bit sorrier.
“We’re sorry to learn that,” Reyu says.
The Professor nods in acknowledgement. “I don’t suppose you’ve come with any better news.”
Although Professor Alexandra is not happy to learn what the group has discovered, when presented with proof of Amelia’s necromancy, she has little choice but to allow Anvil to take her into custody. The party decides to try and convince her to go quietly.
Amelia is still clearing wreckage of the dormitory. For the moment, the work has paused as a slightly older blonde student buries her familiar, a small cat. Amelia shoots a quick glare at the party as they approach, but refuses to acknowledge them again until the last handful of earth has been laid over the tiny grave.
Work resumes and Amelia whirls on the party. “What?”
Reyu tries to put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, but Amelia flinches away. “Amelia,” she says, “you need to come with us.”
“I need you to leave me alone.”
With Thatch helping, Anvil begins to guide the group, including Amelia, away from eavesdroppers and towards the academy gates.
“What is going on?” Amelia demands.
Anvil comes forward, and speaks very low in Amelia’s ear. “We have been to the sewers.” He shows her the lion/skull-shaped brooch taken from one of the zombies. “You can come quietly or not, but you will come with us.”
At the sight of the brooch, Amelia’s bravado vanishes. Suddenly she looks very much like a very lost little girl. “Did… did you hurt them?”
“Hurt them?”
Amelia looks beseechingly at the party, “They were my friends.”
The stunned silence that greets that remark is finally broken by Thatch. “Ummm… They’re not your friends… They’re zombies!”
Her lower lip begins to quiver. “They were my friends.”
Reyu takes the girl around the shoulders. “Come now…” And gradually, Amelia allows herself to be led away.
blackshirt5
First Post
My thought exactly.jonrog1 said:
I'm enjoying this immensely.
Fajitas
Hold the Peppers
Well, sometimes when you're alone in a strange city and, y'know, enslaved against your will, sometimes your zombies are the only ones who will talk to you. It's kind of like Lost in Translation, but with more undead.jonrog1 said:
By the way, the final fate of Edmund was an outcome I decided to leave up to the PCs. That is, I decided that if they inquired into his well-being immediately after the fire, he would have survived. If they didn't, then he died. It two whole sessions before anyone thought to ask what had happened to him.
spyscribe
First Post
Fajitas said:
Ah ha! So Lira's suspicions were well-founded. Speaking his name would have caused him to suddenly appear!
Also, for the arcane trivia files, this episode contains Euro's first in-game speech of any length. (Although the story was that he'd always been able to talk, hence his earlier speeches in the story hour.) His first actual words in-game were "It stinks in here, Boss." At that time, however, I was too surprised to have a familiar who talked like a cross between Peter Lorre and Cheech Marin to remember to be surprised that he talked at all. The migration speech was where Euro really came into his own.
KidCthulhu
First Post
Fajitas said:
Schrodenger's NPC. I love it. [tips hat]
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