Café de Nuit

As the creature wreathes beneath him trying to get free by all means, Zumba feels a moment of compassion fill him as the human nature in the beast comes to the front. But as it is once again overwhelmed by the broken side, he shakes his head in disappointment. Turning to the others, he asks

"What shall we do with this creature? There was a man here once, I think he is still inside, but I can't reach him well enough. I don't want to kill him, perhaps if we bring it along eventually it will calm down."

Zumba is convinced of the erstwhile humanity of whoever is still clinging to his soul (perhaps lost?) within a mangled body. He views only two options
It's endure him, or let him go he thinks to himself. Even if he attacks us afterwards, but we can't kill him. Perhaps the others will help.

He gets up, checking if the ropes can hold the beast without any furhter help. Then he notices the new arrival, and that the man indeed addressed him.

"Zumba, sir, Zumba d'Oxossi."
he says guardedly, but still offering his staff hand as a compliment.
"I thank you for your help. How come you are here? Can you give us any useful information?"

ARGH! The dreaded simul-post! Editing my post as follows.
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Before Zumba walks over:

"What the--? You saw that, yes?" Lucien asks in an astonished voice. Then he looks over at where Zumba is trying to communicate with the freakish eagle-headed creature. "What a foul mystery."

He turns back to Goren and Vincent, finally sheathing his dagger. "For a group that doesn't know its enemy, you certainly have succeeded in attracting his attention," he says with a wry smile. "Whether he loses every encounter with you or not, monsieur, he seems to know more about you than you do about him." He glances over at the corpses. "And that woman, whoever she was, wouldn't share your opinion. Who was she? Do either of you know?

After Zumba speaks:

Lucien extends his own hand to grip Zumba's. "Lucien Jetté. Under better circumstances, I'd say it's a pleasure -- you fight well. And as for how I came to be here, I've been looking into the cause of Souragne's drought. And yes, Monsieur Faussé, I've seen two other stones like this, back along the road.

"But don't be in such a hurry to shed your blood," he continues, referring to Vincent's dagger. "Based on what we've seen here, the stones may demand a hefty feast before they tell us anything."

He sighs, then wipes the sleeve of his shirt against his sweaty forehead. "Disgusting weather. I suggest we deal with that creature -- permanently if need be -- then burn the bodies as Goren recommended. After that, get something serious to drink and compare notes. Yes?"

I can not kill this creature, Lucien. It wouldn't be humane. If we can't bring him along, let's release him then, but don't ask me to kill him after I have given my assurance we wouldn't hurt him.

As Lucien mentions a girl, he opens his eyes wide.

A girl? What girl?
But he then remembers the strange flash when the rider started fleeing.
There was a sword, yes... and a beam... it went into a certain direction. Could there be someone there?

"Excuse me, I must see with my own eyes."

He turns his back to the group and goes into the vegetation looking for the girl the others speak about. He also hopes to confirm if the rider did drop his sword, as he had had the vaguest impression of that happening.

Zumba does, indeed, find the body of a human girl. She looks like a Souragnien native, albeit a member of the fair-skinned tribes that inhabit the land. Red hair lies spread around a pretty face, but is now plastered to the ground by a mixture of dusty earth and blood. Shock and pain have left a mark on the girl's face, and her green eyes are wide-open.

A silver longsword is stabbed between the young woman's breasts through her body and into the earth. A flute, apparently tumbled out of her belt pouch, lies at her side. The slender length of wood has been snapped cleanly in half. A light crossbow and a quiver containing eighteen bolts have managed to escape the girl's fall unscathed, as has a serviceable whip. A pouch containing all manner of oddities has fallen open, its contents strewn over the ground.

(OOC: Knowledge (Arcana) 10 to identify the nature of the open pouch.)

OOC: Cure Light Wounds on Vincent:

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2795363/

9 hp to Vincent.

Souragnien: "I... I d-dream of strange voice hissing Come to me, come to me more and more Come to me...... this voice maybe coinciding with the stones.... yes?"

Turning to Vincent he says Souragnien: "Thanks much, Vincent, for good words. I know I'm words funny and if you ha-ha is okay with me. Now do not moving, I heal you with thanks to Lathander." The priest places his hands on Vincents injury and expertly removes the arrow. Gripping his symbol with confidence he utters a few words to the Morninglord and blue energy flows through his fingers into Vincent.


Looking at Lucien then the others, Goren frowns slightly. He is noticing once again that everyone is sweating profusely, yet he is unaffected by the staggering humidity. Maybe one of them knows why he isn't affected so he choses to ask. Souragnien: "I no feel the hot as you do. You is all wet with body water and I no feel the hot. Does it maybe one of you knowing of the why? I confused why."

As the flies come down on the stone, Vincent feels uncomfortable. He controls himself and does not flinch. After seeing all the flies cleaning the stone Vincent clears his throat. He decides to use an little trick he learned ages ago. He looks at Lucien "No, I didn't see that" he says, keeping a straight face. "What is it that you saw monsieur? You seem distraught". He awaits answer.


"Laugh" he says at Goren "laugh is ha-ha". He relaxes as Goren heals his wound. He flexes his muscles afterwards. "Much better. Thank you Goren, I do believe you have a gift for this" he smiles.

"Now, as for the many questions everyone has for eachother I propose we start with the living and breathing kind. A question of morality and ethics." he sighs. "Zumba, I propose to put a quick end to it's miserable life" he says abruptly and without hesitation.

He looks in the direction where the woman died. "I do not think it's important who the girl was" he says, seemingly avoiding eye contact with the others. "I do believe she was here for a reason though. I suspect Zumba might know a bit more after his search."

He turns to Goren and looks at him from head to toe "You are one extremely lucky human being, for not having to suffer the dire consequences of extreme uncomfortable heat. Feeling filthy and downright poor. I think I'm getting jealous of you Goren" he says, looking at him intently "you might want to watch out at night, I might come and steal your body". He winks. "Simply said, I have no idea why that is, although you do seem to be the first priest who I have ever met, that doesn't know any geography of our great lands, at all."

Lucien raises one of his already-arched eyebrows at Vincent's comment that Goren doesn't know the geography of the Core. He says nothing, though, and he turns to follow Zumba.

"It makes no difference to me what you do with the bird-man, Monsieur Zumba, but the thought that you could reason with it? If you really believe there's an innocent soul trapped in that misshapen body, then be kind and let it free." He says those last words with a sympathetic but commanding tone.

He pauses at the corpse of the attractive red-haired woman. "A shame. She was quite lovely. And strangely you all act as though you've seen her, although you've never met her... what's this?" He crouches down to examine the spilled contents of her pouch.

_________________________________
Knowledge (arcana) check (1d20+10=29)

Souragnien: "No kill bird man. Maybe help him some way. Is rider do this to him maybe. I no sure, but seen red haired girl before. Dream?"

Zumba examines the things lying on the ground. He takes the broken flute, looks at it, shrugs but casts it away, as a toy that has no one to use it.
He then looks at the pouch more carefully. He's not the best person to identify it, but he still examines its contents to try and guess at its use.


OOC: untrained kno. arcana check: 1d20 + 0 --> 9
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2798400/


He then picks the crossbow and the bolts, waving them in Vincent's direction.

"Perhaps you can use this, Monsieur?"

He bites his tongue, this time. He had earlier let the word 'master' escape his lips. That wouldn't happen again, he was free now, he should act like that.

Getting up, he looked at the sword covetously. Gripping its handle, he tested it, and tried to remove it forcefully from the ground. This, he's not offering anyone!

If he manages to release the girl from her pin, then, he will let the sword rest on the ground, kneel and close the girls eyes, thinking of the most appropriate way to let her rest.


OOC: as a Souragnien, does Zumba know anything about the proper way to dispose of the dead?


Only after this, he addresses his companions.

"I'm not killing that creature. I think Goren is on my side when I propose we should bring it along with us."

Goren's healing spell goes off without a hitch, but something odd happens when the Cleric casts his magic. There is a soft rumble of thunder out of the direction of the swamp. Thunder without clouds.

Lucien has no trouble at all identifying the girl's pouch as a spell component pouch. By itself, the items contained within it are completely harmless.

Zumba knows that Souragniens leave their dead to lie in state for at least a day, in case the Lord of the Dead should wish to claim them for his servants. After that, bodies are placed in mausoleums raised a hand's width above the ground, traditionally to keep out damp and the less enterprising vermin. At no time do Souragniens burn their dead, for the Lord of the Dead frowns on such practices, and is known to punish transgressors in horrible ways...

Zumba is surprised by how easily the sword slides free from the dry earth and the girl's body. The blade is quite light, holds a fine edge though it does not seem to be made of steel, and has an excellent balance. The symbol of Ezra has been cast into the crossguard, and the weapon actually feels good in Zumba's hand! (OOC: In game terms, you are holding a masterwork silver longsword.) The blood of an innocent only slightly detracts from the weapon's stark elegance.

Zumba admires the sword as he takes it and makes a few swings with it.
"I'm keeping this" he says to the others.

Then, approaching Goren and the coachman still lying on the stone, he says pleadingly

"Please, I beg you, do not touch that body. Better leave it there for a day, lest the Lord of the Dead come claim it. The same with the girl. If there here tomorrow, we can lay them on a stone coffin.... If he's not... lucky us for not burying it, or the Lord of the Dead would take his revenge on us."


As an afterthough, he adds

"And DON'T burn it, by any means! That would be a sacrilege."

Lucien places the scattered items back in the girl's pouch. "Hmmm. She dabbled at spellcasting, so it would seem." He stands back up and ties the strings of the pouch around a spot on his belt.

After Zumba speaks about the disposal (or non-disposal) of the corpses, he nods. "Probably for the best," he says to the group. "Besides, your mystery foe clearly saw an opportunity to attack you out here in the open. Remaining out here longer than necessary probably isn't a wise idea.

"And I've changed my mind about it," he continues, indicating the bird-man. "Yes, bring it. As I said, you seem to know far less about your -- our -- attacker than he does about you, and if studying this wretched thing provides information that might even the scales, so much the better."

He moves toward the bird-man, ready to help Zumba drag the captive back to the coach.

Zumba keeps the sword in his belt, after cleaning it on some brush. Then moves to the bird-man and together with Lucien tries to take it to the coach. He double checks the knots, then says to Lucien a laconic
Thank you.

Vincent looks at Lucien and Zumba near the bird-creature. He understands why ZUmba and Goren choose to let it live, but he does not agree. He sighs, shaking his head. He's been through the trouble once and doesn't feel like doing it again. On the other hand, this is not the moment for any ethical discussions about life, suffering and relieving pain.
He looks at Goren "Shall we grab some cloth and get this heavy stone out of the ground. I want to get this over with." he says moody.

Goren nods to Vincent and proceeds to find some cloth with him to carry the stone.