Realms of Dread [IC] Chapter Three

[kintire]

Shana waits for the militiamen to pass by, and heads up onto the dock. Trying to look as nonchalent as possible, she heads through the streets back towards the Old Shell

[ewancummins]

the Old Shell

After an hour of walking [she's worn out from her ordeal and is really pushing to keep on walking] Shana finally trudges into the Old Shell.

The patrons stare at her. She must look rather peculiar. Her clothing is shredded, her hair is damp, and she's exhausted. People begin to babble and point.

Jamethon Moorkroft is at the bar, slugging back a beer. His eyes grow wide when he spots Shana.

''Shana! Are you alright? What the hell happened to you?''

[VAN]

"When Captain Rask reassigned us, we believed that something was wrong. So while we kept working to our new case Archedius, the leader of our group, Rardi the dwarf and myself decided to pay a last visit to Delthrin's house. In there we found a devil waiting us! Was a kyton if you may know. One of the cruellest existed devils! This so called respected Delthrin had a devil in his house and believe me whoever can bind a devil will not remain only to one ...for sure was able to get more devils or demons and could order them to do whatever he wanted...you would have never learnt about that before was too late..."

Inovidill shivers as she recalled the encounter with the fiend.

"This kyton attacked us and almost killed Rardi. We were lucky to beat it with powerful spells and send it back where it belongs. Soon after we reached Delthrin's laboratory and saw 2 beheaded bodies a male and a female and a cage with a strange creature in there. The scene was disgusting. The creature had a strange thing on his head and was clear that it has been used for experiments. In fact I have found in the lab many alchemical stuff that verified that. Archedius wanted to free the creature. Once we did that, Delthrin and many zombies appeared. Yes...Delthrin had undead with him...filthy undead creature ready to eat us alive...The creature helped us fight Delthrin and with the cleric's help we turned them away."

Inovidil makes a small pause and tries to bluff wanting to mask her thoughts. She pretends to recall be still under a little shock from the horrifying memory of the kyton and the mindflyer. But the truth was that she is trying to figure out what to tell next. Both Rardi and Archedius has told her to say that everything was her idea and indeed the dwarf was the one who insisted to let the illithid get Delthrin...But on the other hand Inovidil knew very well that if she blamed only the dwarf Rardi would have big problems with justice and that wasn't right for her. Since Archedius was the only one that wasn't captured and wasn't sure if was still alive Inovidil decides to save the dwarf and slightly accuse Archedius for the decision to give Delthrin to mindflyer.

The evoker sighs and was clear that for this time was uneasy with this situation and she is feeling guilty. She gets a deep breath trying to calm herself and clear her mind.

"After the creature disabled Delthrin it requested to get him. Despite mine and Rardi's many knowledges we didn't know what was that creature, what wanted him and of course what was capable to do. We figured it just wanted to interrogate him. So when Archedius told us to let it have him we agreed. Believe me sir, none of us knew that this creature was a mindflyer and Delthrin was in danger of life. All of us wanted to bring him to justice and nobody wanted him to have such a horrible fate. Infact Archedius decided to go with it, guess to be sure that the interrogation was safe. There would have been any chance to go with it if he would have known what was capable for!"

[ewancummins]

Suddenly, the rough looking guard, the one who'd said he'd burn Ino's spellbook, jumps into agitated motion. He shouts and rushes over to Ino's chair and grabs hold of it, spinning her to face him. He screams in her face, garlic breath filling her nostrils-

''I TOLD YOU NOT TO LIE TO US! DO YOU WANT ME TO BURN YOUR BOOK? WE KNOW IT WAS THE DWARF! STOP LYING!''


The calmer man, the one with the fresh breath, says to the angry man,

''It's okay, it's okay. Come on, I'm sure she's just getting confused. Can't you see that you are scaring the lady? Calm down, okay? Just go outside for a minute, please. Let me talk with her.''

The angry man storms out of the room. The others in the room remain quiet, but several look after him with concern evident on their faces.

''It's okay, Ino. He's a little crazy sometimes, but I won't let him hurt you. You've got to tell me the truth, though, or I cannot protect you. If I don't get the truth out of you, I'll be pulled from this case and ...well, why don't you tell me again about Blackpillars? The dwarf told you to leave the prisoner, didn't she? Did she hit him, Ino? Was she angry?''

[kintire]

"No, Jame: I am pretty damn far from 'alright'..."

Shana steps slowly forward, focussing on putting one foot in front of the other.

"I need a word... in private. Alain too, if he's around..."

Assuming they can find a private room with no evesdroppers, Shana will slump onto the bed and address Jame (and Alain if present) in a low voice.

"Ino and Rardi went to investigate Delthrin, Blaise and Threan the smugglers. Turns out Delthrin was behind the smuggling, and he was there. Threan said he overheard Delthrin saying inturders in his mansion had tripped an alarm, and we went out to warn them. It was grim. Ghouls... zombies... undead things like children... the place is a charnel house. The others say they met a fiend! a devil. Delthrin's dead, I think. He was torturing something called a... lithid... and when released it took him. But Threan betrayed us. He slipped away and called up some armed men. They've got the others... I barely got away."

[ewancummins]

''Ezra's holy name! This is very, very bad, you are right. ''

Jamethon frowns, spending a moment in thought.

''We could tell Watch-Captain Rask, ask for his help. The men who took our friends, do you know if they are city militia like most of our group, fellow watchmen?''

[OOC Alain isn't present]

[VAN]

OOC> Good cop bad cop!

Inovidil turns her face away from the first guard, that smell is one of the worst things in the cell! When he said about the spellbook again though she
turns to face him wishing she had her hands free to cast a spell on him!

She looks the other one and trying to get her confident attitude back.

"Yes Rardi hit him and she was angry. But was just because he had a kyton in his house, 2 beheaded bodies in the lab, he was doing experiments to humans while being alive, had kidnapped a child and did experiments to that too and maybe more things. Guess everyone would have been angry with him. But wasn't her idea to let him have Delthrin. Archedius told it and Rardi just agreed. I repeat she didn't know what would have happened to him."

[ewancummins]

Ino


The calm man stands up. He dusts his hands off on his pants.

''Sorry, Ino, I tried to help you. I guess I'd better go make my report.''

He walks out of the room without another word, but does spare Ino a pitying glance before the door closes.

Garlic-breath comes in a bit later, with a bundle under his arm.

He pulls up a stool and sits down. Another man enters and places a brazier next to the garlic eater. A small fire is kindled.

''My uncle Rufus used to clean house for an old hedge wizard. Rufus told me that wizards have to read their books every day in order to be able to use their magic. ''

The man casually flips open the bundle, revealing Ino's spellbook. He opens it, selects a page at random, and rips the sheet from the binding!
Crumpling the paper in his hand, he drops the wad into the burning brazier. A spell vanishes in the smoke of burning paper and ink.

[kintire]

Shana nods wearily

"I don't think they were watch, but they had some sort of official with them. "The Bailiff of the Rock" I think he said. Where I come from a Bailiff is a Lord of the Manor's representative when he doesn't live on that property, but the meaning varies depending where you are."

Shana looks a little doubtfully at Moorkroft

"As for Rask: well, its up to you but I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention my whereabouts. The last instruction with respect to me was 'cut her down! no quarter!' and something about ripping my heart out. Apparently, Illusions are a capital offence here, but necromancy makes you an upstanding pillar of society..."

[ewancummins]

upstairs room, the Old Shell


''Yes, it is strange that they tolerate the Black Arts being practised so openly in this city. Delthrin was widely known to have animated the dead. I checked- it is not illegal, so long as the necromancer procures the bodies by lawful means. ''

The priest frowns again.

''Why would they pursue you so ruthlessly? You didn't hurt anyone, did you, Shana?''

[VAN]

"Noooooooo!"

It's the only word that escapes from Inovidil's lips. Then all of a sudden bursts into an uncontrollable laugh. She has dedicated all her life in learning magic and she always believed that her magic could help her not only survive but do things beyond common. And now this man was tearing away the pages not only from her spellbook, but from her entire life. She knew that she will not be able to live like before and she will be traumatized for ever. She doesn't know why this terrible feeling provokes her laughter and not tears.

"Maybe I'm going crazy..." thinks as she tries to calm herself.

She needed a minute to gets back to herself. Her icy gaze fells on him and with a smirk says:

"Your uncle was right. You better pray, I don't ever go out of here."

[kintire]

Shana yawns deeply.

"No one. I didn't cast a spell on any living soul that can even possibly do any damage. They seemed very upset that Delthrin was dead: I guess they were his men, officially or otherwise. They may have been a bit spooked by the Glitterdust - and they seemed unusually terrified by any magic. Mind you, given the nature of their resident Wizard, I guess that's not so surprising."

[ewancummins]

Ino

Garlic-breath laughs right back at Inovidil. Then, he tells her,

''We found the bodies, you lying witch! Archedius Targaris and the Magus Delthrin are both dead. You know how they died? That monster, the one you trusted so foolishly, cut off Delthrin's head, slick as a fishwife with a boning knife! Either before or after it decapitated Delthrin, it ATE your friend's BRAINS. Rardi Silverhelm is responsible for their deaths- and so are you. We know about the Headsman murders- and we can be pretty damned sure you got the wrong man. Did you kill him, too, witch? Did you push that pathetic drunk to his death to make a name for yourself as an investigator?''

[ewancummins]

Shana-


''Hmmm...glitterdust? That sounds harmless enough. Well, maybe this Bailiff and his men are in Delthrin's service. I don't know. I'm going to tell Rask what has happened. I'll neglect to mention your exact whereabouts. I dislike lying, Shana. Perhaps I can arrange some kind of a deal for you? This would be easier if you'd taken the star, like the rest of us. As a fugitive civilian mixed up in all this, your position is dangerously insecure.''

Jamethon heads for the door.

''You'd better get some sleep and something to eat. I'll have Widow Callum send up some soup and a pitcher of cold lemon-water.''

[VAN]

"Archedius died!"

The news struck Inovidil as lighting.

Tears come to her eyes. Among her tears she swears:

"You were stupid Archedius, you saved and trusted a creature and that paid you back like that. May you soul rest in peace."

Looking at the guard she says:

"You didn't know Archedius that's why you say these things. He just wanted to make the right thing. You cannot blame ignorant people for what they don't know. None of us knew what a mindflyer could do, otherwise we would have killed it ourselves! Now Archedius paid with his life his decision to trust and go with it. Don't blame us though, you cannot get him back by spreading accuses to innocent people. We can avenge him though, if you let us go of course. And what is the headsman murder you said? Who was he, how he died and when?"