RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter 3

[alhoon]

Outside Benn's house
Looking at the weird cloud, Raen makes a grimace. "I would say that going under a mysterious cloud raining ash, after the "barriers" of the world got thinner is not a good idea, but it's our duty to do what we can. My magic-detecting capabilities will be present for just a few more minutes, so please hurry Benn. I would like to take a look at that cloud directly."

[VAN]

Sara was silent when Norzak's shadow appears but she had her hand near her dagger happy to be armed this time. She followed the others at the rooftop trying to make sense of what they found out so far.

"Your informants were right Benn. Can you ask them when this strange ash first appeared? Then maybe we can check when the coffin the shadow mentioned got here."

[Adam]

A moment later the archivist hustles out, expertly slipping the last shoulder strap in place to put the breastplate into place. His crossbow dangles from a strap over his back, but he is still carrying his walking stick.

"If we see the Dark One again, I shall be sure to ask him," he says. "Shall we be off, then?"

He puts his bowler hat back into place and heads in the appropriate direction.

[Lord Skybolt]

BUG HUNT




Cleaning out the roaches may be a dirty job, but Alain has learned some tricks to deal with these horrid bugs. Light to deny them comfortable spaces. Cleaning the house, searching out leaks , clearing away any food, and so on.
Several common poisons have failed to work against these giant roaches in the past, but Alain knows of alchemical preparations that should attract and kill the creatures. The problem in that other city was not so much killing them as dealing with their endless numbers.
Does he have the skill to mix such stuff his own, or will he need help?


In his experience, some small predators will kill the bugs. Cats. At least, the alley-cats of that city, a mangy and feral breed, would not hesitate to slay and consume the fat roaches.

Alain leaves after making sure that what bugs are left will hopefully stay in what shadows he has left for them, while he goes out to look up the prospect of getting some cats and maybe some bug poison to kill them off . He also needs to look up a tailor as well . While doing these things he will look up Benn and Dorgio to see if they have any idea on who he should ask about the alchemical poison to use against the bugs . He needs to give him the presents he made for them in anycase .

ALAIN OUT IN THE CITY THAT MORNING

Alain finds a gray-haired, kindly looking woman displaying a box of kittens and their mother in one of the market squares. The creatures look healthy. The woman smells faintly of ginger.
The old lady tells him,
"I've got too many cats in my house. Ten. They ran out of rats, believe it or not, and are eating my food. My niece came by and told me I'd have to give some up. I want Madame Agathe and her cute little babies to go to a good home. You can have her if you promise me you will give her a saucer of milk regularly, and pet her, and maybe give her ribbons to play with. Please don't change her name. She likes her name. I haven't asked her what to name the little ones yet. You could do that."
She strokes the lazing, purring tabby mother-cat.
"You do like kitties, yes, monsieur?"

"Yes, I could take them all as I have some oversized pests I need to get rid of and the little ones could grow into keeping the anyother pests down at my home that may show up there in the future ." Alain says .

[RocEter]

Inside Benn's House

Thom listens quietly and observes quietly at all that passes in the parlor. He doesn't join the others as they rush out into the alley to investigate the "tip" given to them by the Dark One. Instead, Thom writes a note on piece of paper for Benn.

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Benn,

I will look into the lead about this boat and see if it has any connection to the case at hand. You, Dorgio and the others are welcome to join me at my home tonight for dinner, after which we can discuss what he discovered in our mutual investigations. I will send word a head of time to my help that I am expecting guests. It can also serve as a base of operations, if you feel your home isn't secure with Maytr running about the city.

Stay Safe,
Thom

After finishing the note, Thom tucks into Benn's gear and leaves out the front door...

[ewancummins]

LATER...


ALAIN SMYTHE



ALAIN stops by an alchemist's shop in the eastern River Quarter. He picks up a poison mixture that he hopes will kill or at least slow the hell-roaches.
The alchemist asks him if he knows anything about ''that mysterious ash-cloud befouling the Ghost Streets". The man himself seems to know little more than that--some kind of strange weather in a derelict section of the city, the home of squatters, feral dogs, rats, and -if legends are true-- house-ghosts.

Next, Alain pauses in a market to obtain a little milk and meat for his new pets.

BENN'S HOUSE


Burdened slightly by the box of felines and going a bit slower than his usual swift stride, he arrives at Benn's two-story brownstone in the afternoon to find that he's missed his old companion by about fifteen minutes.
Charlotte greets him and invites him within. She seems surprised to see him again after several years' time, but not unfriendly. Just distracted and worried.
Obvious preparations for travel show in the disordered household: luggage stacked in the front hall, drawers hanging upon, white cloths draped haphazardly over furniture.

''Please forgive the mess, Alain. Things have been crazy since last night. Something terrible has happened. A murder. I...I think you'd better speak with my husband about it as soon as you can. "

[ewancummins]

THOM THE PRINTER


Following the rumors and clues he gained earlier, Thom seeks out a certain abandoned two-story house that overlooks--nearly slumps into, in fact--- a muddy drainage canal.

Peeping through the cracks in the boarded up windows, he sees no light sources or apparent movement inside.
But around the back, he finds a door that isn't nailed and boarded shut.

Not locked, either, or so a tug of the wooden handle suggests...

[ewancummins]

BENN AND THE PARTY WITH HIM


Raen's magesight falters before they reach the Ghost Streets, as they must cross the river by bridge or gondola

But the wizard does

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get a glimpse of ash drifting by over the water, and notices that flickering redness within the black drift--just for a second.

Once across the river, they quickly pass through a rundown area of winesinks, the worst kind of brothels, and seedy outlets for what are probably smuggled and stolen goods.

Past that, a fence of twisted wrought iron topped with rat skulls cuts straight across a narrow covered alley that leads between warehouses into the Ghost Streets.

Quiet.

Cool, with the strange cloud overhead to shade and filter the sunlight. Colors seems a little bit leeched here, or tinted sepia and charcoal.

And the ash sticks all over-- adhering to the street cobbles and pooling in the potholes, smearing the walls and roofs of ruined houses.

The light and intermittent ash-fall melts as soon as it lights on Benn or any of his friends' flesh, but it stains their clothes.

A pair of identical milk-pale children peer at them through glassless windows of one old house.
They do not call out, or respond the greetings. Soon they vanish.

[RocEter]

THOM THE PRINTER


Following the rumors and clues he gained earlier, Thom seeks out a certain abandoned two-story house that overlooks--nearly slumps into, in fact--- a muddy drainage canal.

Peeping through the cracks in the boarded up windows, he sees no light sources or apparent movement inside.
But around the back, he finds a door that isn't nailed and boarded shut.

Not locked, either, or so a tug of the wooden handle suggests...

Thom opens the door and walks in.

[ewancummins]

THOM THE PRINTER


Following the rumors and clues he gained earlier, Thom seeks out a certain abandoned two-story house that overlooks--nearly slumps into, in fact--- a muddy drainage canal.

Peeping through the cracks in the boarded up windows, he sees no light sources or apparent movement inside.
But around the back, he finds a door that isn't nailed and boarded shut.

Not locked, either, or so a tug of the wooden handle suggests...

Thom opens the door and walks in.

Something crashes and shatters.

Thom, startled, pulls back before he steps on the broken glass now scattered across the threshold.

Sounds of footsteps come from the deeper darkness of the interior of the large room.
With poor light, Thom cannot see who else is in here, though he does make out a tangle of busted furniture and some crates heaped up in several places on the open floor.

"You bad? We kill you?"

The voice doesn't sound like Juergin as Thom remembers him. Too high pitched and the accent is all wrong.

[RocEter]

THOM THE PRINTER


Following the rumors and clues he gained earlier, Thom seeks out a certain abandoned two-story house that overlooks--nearly slumps into, in fact--- a muddy drainage canal.

Peeping through the cracks in the boarded up windows, he sees no light sources or apparent movement inside.
But around the back, he finds a door that isn't nailed and boarded shut.

Not locked, either, or so a tug of the wooden handle suggests...

Thom opens the door and walks in.

Something crashes and shatters.

Thom, startled, pulls back before he steps on the broken glass now scattered across the threshold.

Sounds of footsteps come from the deeper darkness of the interior of the large room.
With poor light, Thom cannot see who else is in here, though he does make out a tangle of busted furniture and some crates heaped up in several places on the open floor.

"You bad? We kill you?"

The voice doesn't sound like Juergin as Thom remembers him. Too high pitched and the accent is all wrong.

"No, I am not bad." Thom says. "A friend of Juergin, after last night I thought I would come by see how he was doing."

[Lord Skybolt]

LATER...


ALAIN SMYTHE



ALAIN stops by an alchemist's shop in the eastern River Quarter. He picks up a poison mixture that he hopes will kill or at least slow the hell-roaches.
The alchemist asks him if he knows anything about ''that mysterious ash-cloud befouling the Ghost Streets". The man himself seems to know little more than that--some kind of strange weather in a derelict section of the city, the home of squatters, feral dogs, rats, and -if legends are true-- house-ghosts.

Next, Alain pauses in a market to obtain a little milk and meat for his new pets.

BENN'S HOUSE


Burdened slightly by the box of felines and going a bit slower than his usual swift stride, he arrives at Benn's two-story brownstone in the afternoon to find that he's missed his old companion by about fifteen minutes.
Charlotte greets him and invites him within. She seems surprised to see him again after several years' time, but not unfriendly. Just distracted and worried.
Obvious preparations for travel show in the disordered household: luggage stacked in the front hall, drawers hanging upon, white cloths draped haphazardly over furniture.

''Please forgive the mess, Alain. Things have been crazy since last night. Something terrible has happened. A murder. I...I think you'd better speak with my husband about it as soon as you can. "

"It must be something important and dangerous if he thinks you should not be in Pont while he investigates it I assume . Well don't let me keep you . I will look for him after I drop off my new pets off at my house . They are to be my sentries against rondents and such ."Alain shows Charlotte what is in the box .

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

GHOST STREETS

Dorgio marvels at the ash. "Has his taint grown so foul that this is now we're he goes? He covers his mouth with his robes.

When the children disappear from their window, Dorgio approaches the house and knocks on the door.

[Adam]

"Well," Bennedict muses, "This is genuinely awful."

He scans about for anyone on the streets and/or to try and identify an epicenter for this foulness.

[ewancummins]

EXPLORING THE GHOST STREETS


No one answers the door for Dorgio.

He, Benn, and the others explore the area, poking into derelict houses if they dare, scouting along the silent alleys and shadowed lanes...

After close to an hour of searching, they have discovered signs of recent occupation in several houses, and along the streets and muddy canals: traces of small fires, the gnawed bones of rats and dogs, ashy footprints.

The ash fall thickens as they seek out the area under the center of the cloud, and the wind blows the stuff through the streets in shifting, swirling clouds. Not enough to obscure sight much, but just enough to hide and blur out distant details.

Now and again the explorers hear whispering voices in the distance, or catch glimpses of gray-robed, faceless figures hurrying between buildings and covered areas, but the inhabitants--if anyone does live here-- do not come out to greet Benn and his friends.
The ash-fall and the breeze blowing it about sweeps across trails in the open streets, making tracking more difficult.


As the search winds on into the afternoon, Benn and his party discover a section of freestanding limestone wall shaded by a dilapidated wooden awning, the remnant of a fallen structure at the edge of a small, overgrown vacant lot. Dozens of little stick figures drawn in charcoal adorn the wall at about the height of a dwarf or a child, in three uneven rows. The crude drawings depict people being impaled, hanged, cut apart, and in one image-dragged by horses. The little cartoons holding what seem to be spears or polearms do the torture and execution, and the others suffer.


Footsteps sound behind Benn and those near him.

A form emerges from a nearby alley and strides across the open street.
The stranger casts back his hood...

Benn and Dorgio

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recognize Alain Smythe, their old companion from those early days when Jonathon Matyr was part of their group, who adventured with them for a brief time after Jon's true nature was revealed by his murder of Evangeline Sancerre. Alain went mad under the Delapore Estate, after the group had been exposed to the mind-bending toxin of the Devil's Horn fungus, and had to be locked in a closet. He escaped. This is the first time they have seen him since.