Mists over the Musarde, Chapter Eleven

[ewancummins]

The Court of Crows


A cold wind blows hard at your backs as you all walk across the square, whipping at your cloaks and tearing at your hair.

The Great Gallows, or perhaps something hidden from sight within its frame, groans loudly enough to be heard over the whistling night-blast.

Just now, your conjured lights reveal a strange mark on the paving stones in front of your party: a large sooty stain. The outlines of the mark seem vaguely human.

[ewancummins]

John Strange, in the house of Professor Mirabulos.

Your senses have returned to you. Looking about with some degree of confusion, you recognize your dimly lit surroundings as belonging to the parlor of Professor Mirabulos, but you cannot quite recall how it is that you got here..


Little light and less heat issue from the remains of the hearth fire, now reduced to a pile of ashy coals.

Mirabulos is nowhere to be seen.

Alain has fallen asleep in an armchair by the fireplace, a woolen blanket pulled up to his chin.

The timbers of the old house creak and the shutters rattle as the wind howls out-of-doors.

[steveflam]

"What am I doing here?" John looks around in the dim light. Not wanting to disturb Alain's slumber, he moves out of the room and searches for Mirabulos. "Mirabulos! Mirabulos, are you here?"

[ewancummins]

John Strange-

"What am I doing here?" John looks around in the dim light. Not wanting to disturb Alain's slumber, he moves out of the room and searches for Mirabulos. "Mirabulos! Mirabulos, are you here?"

Searching the dark, cluttered interior of the house, you come across an open door, behind which is a stairway that descends into darkness. You detect a faint, garbled voice sounding from someplace downstairs. Looking down the stairs, your eyes catch a flickering glimmer of light.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

"Thank you Karim."

When they get to the pile of soot, the priest smiles grimly. "Alain's work. My appeal would have been for nothing if he hadn't have stopped the assassins."

Then he stops, hearing the awful groan. He makes the Sign of Dawn and points his light toward the source...

[steveflam]

Strange descends the stairs as quietly as possible.


http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2716343/

27.

[ewancummins]

on the Court of Crows-

"Thank you Karim."

When they get to the pile of soot, the priest smiles grimly. "Alain's work. My appeal would have been for nothing if he hadn't have stopped the assassins."

Then he stops, hearing the awful groan. He makes the Sign of Dawn and points his light toward the source...

...and sees that the small wooden door in the side of the gallows platform stands slightly ajar.

The groan rises again.

[ewancummins]

John Strange, downstairs in Mirabulos's house...

Strange descends the stairs as quietly as possible.


http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2716343/

27.

Sneaking downstairs without making more noise than a creeping mouse, you enter the cellar- a room nearly as big as the parlor upstairs. The walls, floor, and low ceiling are all stonework. A wooden table stands in the middle of the room, and on the table is a cloth-draped humanoid figure. Two candles burn there, one at the head and one at the foot of the table, providing the only light to be had downstairs.

[steveflam]

John approaches cautiously and stops a few away from the table. "Mirabulos, that you? What are you doing lying on the table?"

[ewancummins]

John approaches cautiously and stops a few away from the table. "Mirabulos, that you? What are you doing lying on the table?"

A horrible, cracked, scratchy voice answers-

''Missss Evieeeeee""

[steveflam]

"M-miss Evie? What in the name of the bizarre? Holy Mother! Y-you're dead!" John backs away from the figure under the blanket. "What's going on here?" John grabs his dagger, nervous now. He won't turn his back on the table, afraid to do so.

[ewancummins]

in the cellar

"M-miss Evie? What in the name of the bizarre? Holy Mother! Y-you're dead!" John backs away from the figure under the blanket. "What's going on here?" John grabs his dagger, nervous now. He won't turn his back on the table, afraid to do so.

The thing on the table stirs beneath its shroud.

A voice behind you-

''Did a young man with red hair kill you?''

[steveflam]

John nearly jumps out of his boots and drops his dagger. It clanks on the floor in the cellar. "Holy Shit!" He moves away from the voice and the table, turning around to see who is speaking. He hopes to hell it is Mirabulos.

[ewancummins]

John nearly jumps out of his boots and drops his dagger. It clanks on the floor in the cellar. "Holy Shit!" He moves away from the voice and the table, turning around to see who is speaking. He hopes to hell it is Mirabulos.

You spin and find yourself face-to face with Professor Mirabulos.

''Silence, fool!"

[steveflam]

John doesn't say anything. He just moves away from Mirabulos and the table. He can not keep his eyes from the figure on the table and Mirabulos, however. This is some fucked up shit I am dealing with tonight.