The Painted Lady
Session Four of Blood and Water Campaign

Zephday, 31 Dark Days 204 [continued]

After a lengthy discussion it is decided that they can ill afford to wait until dawn to get moving on their theories. They have to look inside the coffin of Lupo right now. The Grand Mausoleum is open to the public, and finding the grave and opening it unseen, would not be problem for certain party members. Technically, however, they should ask the permission of the ranking member of the Watchers on the Cusp of Oblivion. Although the Grand Mausoleum is technically owned by the city’s corporation and not the church, the Watchers still have jurisdiction over it.

“We have to ask the Watchers,” says Elias. Jessica does not agree. She, like Ravenna, does not see why the Moon Faiths should dictate what she can and cannot do. “Aren’t we all followers of the Moon Gods?” asks Fallor amazedly. “No,” replies Jessica flatly. “Then you’re a fool,” says the Üganthé. Jonus says that in this matter he is willing to go against the church. They must look in Lupo’s grave and see whether the Painted Lady’s idol is in there, regardless of what the Watchers say – after all, Giacomo’s life is at stake. But surely they should at least ask them first.

As Elias makes ready to leave, Jessica and Torr whisper conspitatorially, and for a moment it looks as though they will head off to empty the grave without the rest of the group. Jessica is getting frustrated with the indecision. “One thing is sure,” she says. “There is no chance we will succeed if we do nothing.”

Misgon and Ravenna return to Treviso’s gatehouse to see Giacomo. Elias, Drasha, Jonus, Fallor, Mersuco and Gateman Manarthan head to the large temple of the Watchers in the city. It is the dead of night, just a few hours from dawn, and it is likely that they will be getting whomever they need to speak to out of bed. Jessica and Torr will not go with them, just in case the Watchers refuse the request, and they have to open the grave They hide in alley near to the temple.

The temple of the Watchers is much grander than they are used to. In Norandor Watchers’ temples are utilitarian affairs, box-shaped with a door in each end. This temple sports towers, minarets and a large dome, making it look more like an Hadradan Sun Temple than a shrine to Mortis. Inside, however, things are not too different. The pillar of black light crackles in the middle of a vast arched chamber, surrounded by rings of pews. At this time of night, the temple is empty. Jonus shouts for attention.

After a few minutes a young necress called Alia, walks over to the party. The party quickly tell her what they want, and they get the impression that without Gateman Manarthan making their investigations official she wouldn’t have given them the time of day. Alia tells them that the only person who can order a grave exhumed is the Archnecrotain, Solomec. However, she isn’t going to get him out of bed. As the party are stubborn, she wanders off and retrieves a superior who tells them the same thing. They can return at dawn, but they are not seeing the archnecrotain before that.

The party is actually very tired. There has been little sleep over the past few days. In the alley outside they talk to Jessica and Torr who agree to postpone their plans until after they have spoken to Solomec. Mersuco returns to his home where he will think more about what can be done to stop the Painted Lady, while the rest of the group adjourn to the Gatehouse for a few hours sleep.

Caladay, 32 Dark Days 204

Just after dawn Jessica, Torr, Elias, Drasha, Jonus and Fallor return to the temple of Mortis with Gateman Manarthan. It is much busier now, with morning worshippers all ready filing through the doors. Alia, who is evidently still on her shift greets them and leads them into an adjacent room. It is here, ten minutes later that they meet Archnecrotain Solomec.

Solomec is a short, rotund man who is still busying himself with breakfast during their interview. Ravenna, who did not accompany the party because of her feelings about the Watchers, could not believe that the church would be any help to them. Jessica is equally skeptical. Solomec sits and listens, and sighs. “Right,” he says, taking his cloak, “let’s get to the Grand Mausoleum shall we?”

Amazed by the fact that someone they ask for help is actually helping, the group follow Solomec across the awaking city to the Grand Mausoleum. Solomec does not speak during the journey, for he seems in great hurry. The Grand Mausoleum is makes a lasting impression on the group.

An enormous square structure, many hundreds of yards to a collonaded side, it boasts four entrances each rising into a dome sixty feet above the ground. The party walk up the wide marble steps, passing skilfully wrought statues of senators and fabulous creatures, and pass the elabourately worked columns into the darkness of the mausoleum and toward the light on the far side.

At the centre of this massive square, visible now through the columns is an enormous graveyard open to the elements and lit by the weak autumn sun. Gravel paths criss-cross literally thousands of plots, tombs and headstones arranged in military fashion. But this is nothing like the a Norandor necropolis. Each stone is intricately designed, inlaid with gold or wrought by the finest masons. Elias remembers the words of Captain Montague. Calclafans are obsessed with leaving something behind when they die – something to prove that they lived. But stonework is not the only mark they have left.

Solomec does not walk out into the square. Instead he turns left and strides into the candle-lit darkness. Within the cover of the building, hidden behind three rows of columns a hundred foot corridor runs around the square like a cathedral cloister. Within this corridor are rooms and antechambers, headstones and crypt. It is hear that the richest families are interred. Here, protected from the elements, enormous oil paintings and plaster busts of the dead line the walls. Candles continue to burn over graves.

To a party from Norandor, Tibrai, Kerikal and Salmaynak, the whole thing feels in bad taste. Fallor is particularly uneasy in this place. Solomec tells them that only the richest can afford a plot in the Grand Mausoleum. Most are buried in the Fields of Mortis beyond the city. All those buried here must pay for the privilege and continue to pay to remain within the walls. Elias asks, “If that’s the case, then who paid for Umaru’s child to be buried here? And who continues to pay?” Solomec does not know, but he will discover this for the party.

Eventually, they come to a square stone plug in the flagstone floor. Standing on it, as on so many of the flags, is an elaborate candle tree as tall as a man and wrought in black iron. The candles are burning and on one of the branches is a painting of a young boy of a most curious complexion. Not as black as a Mannenite, but definitely not Hadradan in origin. None of the party have ever seen such a skin colour except on the air cleric standing next to them. Jonus shrugs. He is tight-lipped about his past, but says that he doesn’t know where his family came from. It is odd that Lupo’s resemblance to him, does not give him any thrill, in fact the cleric does his utmost to play down the situation and move onto the matter at hand.

Solomec gives Fallor a crowbar and the he uses it to prise open the plug. It is extremely heavy, as the stone slab is several inches thick. Elias hooks his fingers around the stone to help, the crowbar slips and thuds back to the earth to the accompany snapping of eight fingers and Elias’s pained cry. Fallor deciding that the time has come to but aside the crowbar sings a simple open cantrip to remove the plug.

Elias sits back. His fingers are a bloody mess. No magic that the party have will be able to repair them. Drasha looks at him with an expression of concern mixed with mild amusement that is rather alarmingly reminiscent of Alessandre. “Come on,” she says, “I’ll get you to the Church of Life.” Raising Elias to his feet she helps him from the temple, leaving the others to investigate what lies within the tomb. Solomec makes no comment.

Fallor fishes out a stone casket, that when opened reveals only bones. It is certainly the bones of a child, and close inspection reveals numerous puncture marks in the bone where the nails that killed Lupo were hammered into him. There is no idol in the grave, and no other clue. After Jonus has cast a number of divination magicks, the casket is resealed and lowered into the hole. Solomec doesn’t seem bitter that it was a waste of time, and he still wants to help stop the murdering demon the party hunt. He asks them to wait while he speaks to the staff about who pays for the upkeep of the grave.

Meanwhile Elias is having trouble. He and Drasha have found the Church of Life, but it is current the dark of Vítaeous and therefore only the high priest has the power to restore Elias’s fingers. This requires a donation of 1100 crowns to the church. Drasha has no money (it’s all tied up in Umbria) and Elias hasn’t got enough. He gives them all he does have (770 crowns) and leaves them the sword Usslüs as collateral while he raises the rest of the cash.

His fingers restored Elias visits a number of dodgy merchants planning on selling the masterwork armour, shield and two-handed sword he inherited from Joseph Leston. Drasha isn’t happy about this. He shouldn’t go around selling these items just because he has a magical suit of armour he was given by the Saldarím. It belongs to Umbria. It is akin to selling the family silver. Elias does not agree. “Yes, husband,” Drasha says stepping into the role of the subservient wife, but Elias can sense he has upset her.

Sensing that he is being fleeced by the merchants, Elias goes to the Agiostic Church values the items (the armour has a Nightmare Beast horn-sized hole the breastplate), and then sells them to an approved merchant. He makes enough to that he does not have to sell the sword, and returns to the Church of Life to redeem Usslüs.

Meanwhile, Fallor, Joseph, Torr and Jessica have discovered that Lupo’s grave was originally paid for by a man called Augustine Ellesas, and that the upkeep continues to be paid from his estate. Augustine himself is long-dead but, the four go across town to visit the matriarch of the Ellesas family – an elderly woman called Amiah. After being admitted to her plush residence, they discover that Augustine was the last in a long line of gatemasters of the Ellesas family (before they went into politics). He investigated the murder of Lupo, and was so moved by what happened that he took it upon himself to pay for the plot and the upkeep. Even after ninety-five seasons his family continues to abide by his wishes.

It is now lunch time. Although Augustine Ellesas was obviously a good man, it does not bring the party any closer to finding a way to stop The Painted Lady from killing Giacomo this evening. Back at the gatehouse they report their findings to Ravenna and Mersuco. Mersuco has brought a large cylindrical device from the Tower of Fallen Wizardry. It is a magical recorder, which will analyse the Painted Lady when he materialises. He is hoping to learn more of her. He says, “The Painted Lady is a instrument of divine vengeance and we have a day to work out how to stop her, this will not be easy. You all have to accept that our chances of success are slim, and that your friend Giacomo is probably going to die. However, that will not stop us doing our utmost to try to save him. Should we fail, it is possible that the information I am able to gain from this may save the next of Umaru’s victims. Take solace in that.”

Elias and Drasha soon return and they must decide what to do next. Conversation turns to Sergenté. Fallor doesn’t trust him – he has a feeling. They talk to Captain Montague about Sergenté. The last known murder committed by the Painted Lady before the Bashardis was in the Spring, and Sergenté joined Montague’s vessel in the Spring! It’s all looking very suspicious to Fallor. Continuing to quiz Montague, they discover that Sergenté comes from Demdomin, and that the ship was last in Demdomin on 27 Gathering this year. This tallies with the story of the Bashardis. Jonus believes that any suspicion of Sergenté is blatantly ridiculous. However, he will go and talk to the youth if it makes Fallor feel better. Jessica says that she will use the opportunity to have a discreet look through Sergenté’s belongings. Ravenna thinks they’re behaving like nitwits and remains in the gatehouse discussing tactics with Mercuso.

Montague also announces (out of Giacomo’s earshot) that she has asked Simian Black to find three new crew members. She asks that, given the status of Ravenna and Elias as fugitives from the Norandon crown, whether they have a problem with this. They could manage without replacing the Bashardis, but the party would have to work on the ship. Elias says that he has no objection.

Back on board The Lady Jonus corners Sergenté and asks many probing questions. The lad is happy to answer questions and doesn’t seem suspicious on the cleric. Sergenté grew up in Demdomin, and has always had a keen interest in the stars, becoming an apprentice to renowned astronomer, Ranulph. When he was orphaned he was taken in by Ranulph and worked hard under him. As to why he left, well…. “Master Ranulph and I had some disagreements. I wanted to see more of the world and to put by studies to a practical use. He, and the rest of the Circle, are too mired in Theory.” Sergenté explains that the Circle of Astronomers is a group of independently wealthy men in Demdomin who get together to discuss the stars, expound their theories and drink wine. Jonus says that he wants to ask Ranulph about the star Dementer. Sergenté tells the cleric where to find Ranulph, but asks Jonus not to mention him. He and Ranulph did not part on the best of terms.

In the hold, Jessica feels rather guilty going through Sergenté’s belongings. Picking the lock on his chest she finds money, and many scrolls of sky charts. The only thing she notices that is odd is Sergenté’s copious notes about Dementer. The name “Esther” is repeatedly written in the margin. A clue, she thinks.

The group return to the gatehouse. They ask Giacomo if he knows who Esther is. If anything, Giacomo seems happy to be thinking about something other than his own impending demise. He has gone through despair and come out the other side. In actual fact he is remarkably chipper for someone who has just lost two brothers, and may only have a few hours to live. “Esther?” he replies. “Let me think. Oh yes, I remember Guiseppe teasing Sergenté about this once. He was a teaser. Of course, I would never do anything like that. She was the girl he left behind. Besotted with her in the sort of way that only a callow youth can be. Very sad. Not as sad as the fact that I’m to be ripped to pieces by 137 nails in a couple of hours of course. How’s that going by the way?”

Jonus and Jessica make hasty excuses and leave. They, Torr, Fallor and Elias are going to the townhouse of Master Ranulph in the hope of…. well, they’re not sure why they’re going, but they have to do something. Ranulph lives in an extremely plush terraced house in a good part of the town. A servant shows them in to a sitting room and soon Ranulph appears. Old, yet not wizened, Ranulph is a tall and extremely-wrinkled man with a short white beard and slight rheumatism in his left elbow. He doesn’t like being interrupted and demands to know what the party want.

Jonus begins by asking about Dementer. Ranulph warms slightly to them, as they are asking about his area of special interest. However, although he makes grand sweeping gestures and utters oblique phrases such as “It is an imbalance in the heavens!” it is soon apparent that he knows no-one than Sergenté does about the change in the star, possibly less. Elias bites the bullet and moves the subject onto Sergenté – immediately Ranulph’s demeanour changes.

“Sergenté? You have heard from him?” The party say they have not. “I would not want to hear from him any way! Such a waste! He had a talent, you know. The best apprentice I ever had! Orphan! I took him in, gave him a roof over his head and that is how he repays me!” Fallor says, “What did he do?” obviously hoping that Sergenté will be revealed as a some dastardly, rat-humping demon worshipper. However, Ranulph says, “Girls. Lost interest in his studies. Went out in the evening. He tried to hide it, but I knew. I could smell her on him!” – “You mean, Esther?” asks Jessica. “Yes, that’s her,” says Ranulph suspiciously. “I don’t trust girls. Nasty creatures.”

Ignoring the slight, Jessica continues, “What more can you tell us about Esther?” Ranulph thinks. “Not much, really. She was the girl who did the laundry. Married now, I think. Not to Sergenté. Mortis knows where he is.” – “Can we see Sergenté’s old room?” asks Elias. “Certainly not!” says Ranulph. “There’s none of his stuff in it, and it’s being used by Kiri – my new apprentice.”

At that point, a rasping voice can be heard from the other side of the door. “Ranulph! Where are you? We were discussing important matters, we…..” The door opens, and in walks a figure that Elias recognises only too well. Bent almost double and supported by two sticks is a man who is the epitome of ‘wizened’. It is Zerical, once the Astronomer Divine of the Norandor court, he was last seen fleeing the Uris in the night of 15 Suntask 204, when he discovered Raza was a godspeaker. Zerical takes one look at Elias, reaches for his heart and collapses.

He awakes a few moments later. Fallor has moved him to the settee, and Elias is sitting over him. “Get away!” says Zerical feebly. “Get him away!” Elias smiles. “It’s all right,” he says, “Raza isn’t here. Here’s still in Norandor.” – “No!” yells Zerical taking Elias’s sleeve. “He’ll doom us all. He has the mark! The black rose! The black rose will come for him. The end of days! The end of days!” Elias sighs. Even in Calclafique he cannot escape Raza’s madness.

Zerical is completely inconsolable. Elias can almost see him planning on packing his bags and fleeing this place as soon as possible. Ranulph is incredibly put out. Zerical is his honoured guest and has been for several months. He requests that the party leaves. They do so and return to the Gatehouse. On the way Elias explains who Zerical is, and why he is so frightened of Raza. By the time the group have returned to Treviso’s gatehouse it is dusk.

“I can’t believe that we have been at this for two days, and when the Painted Lady turns up this evening, we still have no better plan than ‘Get Her’!” says Drasha in disbelief. “You can’t believe it?” says the caged Giacomo, “You’re not the one who’s going to become a human pin cushion!” Jonus refuses to give up. He asks Giacomo if he knows who Esther was supposed to have married. “What? Why do you want to know that? Oh why not? What else was I planning to do this evening? I’ve got The Painted Lady on my list of evening appointments, but she’s not for a while yet, so I suppose I’ve got time. No! I don’t know who she married. Well, not unless his real name was Captain Bastard.”

“Hmmm,” says Fallor thoughtfully. “So Sergenté summoned The Painted Lady to kill Esther and Captain Bastard!” Ravenna stamps her foot. “No he didn’t! Sergenté has got nothing to do with this!” – “Ah, but the death in the Spring!” – “Had nothing to do with Sergenté! Mersuco told me that the victim was a fisherman called Clevio who three miles out to sea when it happened.” Fallor still isn’t convinced, however, Sergenté’s guilt is no longer the most pressing concern.

It is now night. Mersuco sets up his device in an empty cells and the party prepare themselves for the appearance of the Painted Lady. Treviso and his gatemen are ill-suited opponents for such a magical foe and are happy to leave everything to the party and Mercuso. But what plan do they have? Barring the magic missile spell, there is nothing that can harm Umaru while she is ethereal. They will have to wait until she is solid and then get her. This leaves a very small window.

Misgon, standing close to Ravenna, determines that he will not let a man die because he failed to act. He will use the powers of Narramac’s staff even if it means losing the staff forever. Ravenna is still worried about how the Painted Lady controls the mists from within the ethereal plane. It should not be possible. Also, so is feeling rather too hungry for this battle, and has to fight the urge to lengthen her claws. As a precaution they tie Giacomo to the bed. He seems to enjoy that.

They wait for one hour, two. Then the news comes from the gatemen that a mist is descending on the gatehouse. It is time. Giacomo twitches on his bed, and begins to rise into the air, dragging the heavy bed with him. His head is lolling just as his brother’s did. Misgon hastes himself and begins to cast see invisibility around the group, and soon she is visible. The Painted Lady steps through the wall and strides toward the floating Giacomo.

Torr, Mersuco and Ravenna let fly with Magic Missiles that lance toward their foe. This time Torr is surprisingly effective. He has studied the means to bypass the resistance of powerful creatures, and while the snake head unfolds to stop the other attacks, his missiles swerve and hit true. Misgon uses the greater dispelling power of the staff to try and free Giacomo. And it works! He is still held in the air, but he has come from his reverie! Now he is screaming.

As the rest of the party get into position, Umaru follows the exact same routine she employed to kill Wolfus. She drops the bag of nails, she begins to sing her mournful dirge. More successful magic missiles from Torr hammer into her. He is hasted now and letting fly with as much magic as he can muster. Yet Umaru is not retaliated. She has other more important things to do. The nails float up and surround Giacomo. Jessica races over and shoves her staff into Umaru’s intangible form. The Painted Lady enters this reality with the staff still within her. There is a crack as the staff explodes into shards, but the Painted Lady is wounded.

The fight happens all at once. The mountain tattoo intercepts all physical assaults. Misgon hammers greater dispelling at Umaru, but it is Jonus’s standard dispel that somehow penetrates her defences. It what can only be ascribed to luck or fate, Jonus uses the power of Zephyre to circumvent The Painted Lady’s magical defences and switch off her tattoos one-by-one. Gone is her spell resistance, gone is her mountain, gone is the ape. Suddenly they have more of a chance. Taking the Faithbane dagger in his hands, Fallor almost slices the Umaru in two with his assaults. Now Elias and Drasha are also in a position to harm her. And yet Giacomo is still seconds away from the death. The Painted Lady continues to ignore the party and concentrates on the nails.

Jonus is inspired. He throws a freedom of movement spell at Giacomo, removing the paralysis and then jumps forward. This time, he is free to cast dimension door and rescue the Bashardi. Seconds before the nails fly Jonus does just that. For a moment, Jonus meets Umaru’s eye. She looks oddly confused, as if she is searching for something in his face. Then he and Giacomo are propelled through a dimensional doorway that takes the air priest and his charge several hundred feet straight up. The doorway closes swiftly behind him.

The nails hang in the air for a moment. Umaru stares obliquely around. Fallor strikes her once again. Torr casts a phantasmal killer that she barely overcomes. She is grievously wounded and cannot be far from death. Jessica looks at the nails hanging in the air. She fears they will fly anyway and kill every member of the party. Then the nails fall impotently to the ground, and Umaru begins to fade. It appears as though she is walking away from they, although she has not moved. She gets smaller and smaller and then vanishes deep into the ethereal plane, and is gone.

Mersuco looks at them with wonder. They succeeded. They saved Giacomo! Were they terribly unlucky to let Wolfus die, or just stunningly fortunate on this evening? Elias thinks the latter. The question now is, what happens next. They have saved Giacomo once, but what will stop the Painted Lady coming for him again?

Sharday, 33 Dark Days 204

The discussions as to what to do next take most of the day. Mersuco analyses the data gathered from his cylindrical device and goes to his allies in the Arcanum Incognita. As some members of the party go shopping (Jessica buys a nice green cloak), others plan with the Arcanum Incognita what will happen should the Painted Lady return the following evening.

On this day, three new members of the crew are hired by Simian Black. Dugin Makara, who seems a younger version of black, the jovial pipe-smoking Rakmallion Singar and Masantha Illion. Masantha is extremely well travelled and can speak many languages, including Sorostraen which will be helpful on their coming travels. Sorostraen is one of the few holes in Elias’s lexicon.

Morday, 34 Dark Days 204

At dusk, Giacomo and the party gather at a temple to the Arcanum Incognita with Mersuco, waiting for the return of the Painted Lady. She does not come back. What can this mean? Is it that she is never going to return? Is Giacomo save now that he has escaped once? That doesn’t make any sense. Why would she give up just because of one set back.

Mersuco points out that Umaru is a spiritual force that might be working to some very precise rules that they do not understand. She may not be able to pursue Giacomo now he has escaped her. Jonus is not so sure. He remembers the intense look she gave him just before he saved Giacomo.

Sunday, 35 Dark Days 204

The party have delayed long enough in Demdomin. The next stage of the journey will take them on to Varosh, and hopefully Ravenna will finally have the answers of who she is and what her parents are up to. The sorceress looks west with apprehension. Misgon takes her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.

Giacomo will not be accompanying. The ship has some painful memories for him, and besides now he has new challenges. “I’m going to stay with Mersuco,” explains Giacomo. “I am told he knows how to get hold of pliable women. Also I will teach him the banjo. He will never be as good as me, but then a man cannot expect two miracles in his lifetime.”

Giacomo says farewell to the crew and to the party. He calls Ravenna, “a damn fine fisherwoman,” and to Fallor he gives Guiseppe’s banjo. “I’m sure you will do it far more justice than he ever did.” The parting words are Mersuco’s and he hopes they are a comfort. “None of you are relation to the murderers of Lupo. None of you have anything to fear from the Painted Lady any more. From the information I now have, I feel I may be able to take my fight to her in the ethereal plane, track her down and eradicate her. But that is my destiny. You have your own. Try to put this behind you. Your part of this particularly madness is over.”

The Lady sails on the afternoon tide. It is with mixed feelings that the party heads west. Great danger awaits them all, but for the moment it is Ravenna who is in the greatest peril. Misgon determines to stay close, even though only three charges remain in Narramac’s staff. Yet it is eighteen days to Varosh, and the party can afford to take a little rest.

It is well into the hours of darkness when Jonus awakes in his hammock. The sound of something heavy striking the floor has roused him from his sleep. It sounded very much like a bag full of nails. The hairs on his neck stand up as he sees the fully corporeal face of The Painted Lady standing over him. She runs a delicate, tattooed finger along his cheek, and in a voice of love she says “Lupo.”

Then she is gone.

The End of The Painted Lady
The Blood and Water Campaign continues in Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth
Raza de Luna next appears in Interview with the Vampire... of Sorgar

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