Café de Nuit

Shana looks flattered then settles into the boat. She nods to Blaise

"You've been there before, Blaise... I'll leave the directions to you."

She smiles at the boaatman, making sure to be looking especially admiring when he figures out where we're going. Wouldn't want any sudden cold feet...

Blaise says, "Certainly, m'dear! Let's be off." He gives directions to the boatman, and he takes advantage of his temporarily enhanced vision to help guide the boat past any obstacles in the darkness.

ewancummins wrote: ''It's true what you say- that two are safer than one- but I'm not sure who I'd go along with at night. Most of the decent folks I know are sleeping by the time I'm on my way back from the marshes. There are the nightsoil men....but the smell is really bad.''

A puzzled expression comes over Alain face. "Did you say nightsoil men? I am not familiar with the term. What line of work is a nightsoil man involved in exactly?" Alain pauses for a moment, "Do you mean gravediggers?"

He lets the comment from earlier wash over his thoughts from a moment ago. The young girl had lost a friend to the mists. He would have to question her about that, but wasn't quite sure that he should given her somber reaction.

Alain and Mara-

Mara giggles.

''Gravediggers? No, silly, nightsoil is what you leave in chamberpots. The nightsoil men take it away from people's homes in their carts. ''

the boat-

The fishermen steers his boat [with some help from Blaise, who seems to have no trouble seeing well enough at night] out into the bay and tacks sail to carry the little vessel towards Fishgut Rock.

The man perks up at the mention of the party's destination. A look of concern crosses his face and he lets his gaze linger on Shana for a moment.

''Got business on the Rock this late, eh? Well, watch your step on those narrow walkways. It's been drizzly tonight, and a body could slip and fall. Folks who live up on the Rock haven't seen fit to place anything sturdier for the ease of their visitors....I expect most of them don't much like visitors. They're a queer lot. ''

ewancummins wrote:
the passages beneath Blackpillars-

With help from her friends, Ino has bent the iron girll of the portcullis. There is now an opening wide enough for you to pass, if you go one at a time.

Someplace beyond the locked door at the other end of the hall, someone or something is screaming again. It's possible that the noise never stopped, but was simply drowned out by the racket of your recent fight.

Inovidil passes first from the opening. Concentrating on the noise she says:

"Lets move. Archedius can you please check the door for traps? Or if you prefer I can open it from distance as I did before."

ewancummins wrote: ''Got business on the Rock this late, eh? Well, watch your step on those narrow walkways. It's been drizzly tonight, and a body could slip and fall. Folks who live up on the Rock haven't seen fit to place anything sturdier for the ease of their visitors....I expect most of them don't much like visitors. They're a queer lot. ''

"Probably not, but it's a surprise party! Shhh," says Blaise, who hops off the boat and helps the others find their footing in the darkness. "Wait for us, please -- I promise we'll make it worth your time."

"I almost feel it would be better to open it from a distance."

Threan hops off the Boat with no stumbling at all and looks around for signs of guards and such . He doesn't seem to be inhibited by the darkness at all .

Inovidil nods and looks around.

"Ok then, take cover from what ever you can and I'll open the door."

Archedius goes back through the bars and drops prone on the ground.

ewancummins wrote:Alain and Mara-

Mara giggles.

''Gravediggers? No, silly, nightsoil is what you leave in chamberpots. The nightsoil men take it away from people's homes in their carts. ''

"Oh, nightsoil men. I understand." He allows himself a smile at the girls crude childish sense of humor before letting go a brief bark of laughter.

He allows the eerie silence of the city in the twilight hours to have it's piece for a moment or two before continuing. "Mara, perhaps partnering with one of these nightsoil men may not be a bad idea. Do you know any of them well enough to travel around with them in the evening?"

Fishgut Rock, the Eastern side

The fishing boat has reached the rocky shore of the eastern end of the island, where the cliffs are much lower the the western promontory [where Blackpillars is located].

Your pilot guides the boat, oh so carefully, near the edge of a natural rock walkway that extends twenty feet or so out into the bay. He belays the boat by expertly looping a line around one of the stones.

''This is the stop, then. Mind your step, those rocks are slippery. If you look up there-''

Here, he points towards a low escarpment about thirty feet inland,

''-you'll see a walkway cut into the bluff. That's the safest way up onto the Rock. From there, well, you'll see. Just mind yourself in town. Not all the locals will be asleep at this hour.''


The rough old fisherman smiles wistfully at Shana as she debarks.

''Mind yourself now, lassie. This aint no safe place.''

Once all passengers have gotten off the boat, the fisherman says-

''You folks mentioned needing a ride back. That I can do. You just flash a lantern three times from that bluff there-''

again, he indicates the low escarpment-

''and I'll be ready to get you back to the other side of the bay. I can hold till dawn, but after that...you'll be on your own. Fair enough?''

BigBadQDaddy wrote:

ewancummins wrote:Alain and Mara-



He allows the eerie silence of the city in the twilight hours to have it's piece for a moment or two before continuing. "Mara, perhaps partnering with one of these nightsoil men may not be a bad idea. Do you know any of them well enough to travel around with them in the evening?"

''Oh, I suppose so. Or...maybe you could walk with me some nights? ''


Mara smiles innocently up at Alain.

beneath Blackpillars-


The door swings open with only a faint squeak of it hinges. Beyond it , a narrow staircase ascends upwards and out of sight. The area is unilluminated, but for the light from Archedius' torch. The eerie screaming or moaning is louder now, and seems to be coming from someplace up the stairs.A smell of mothballs drifts out from the open door- like an old, neglected wardrobe has just been opened.