Endurance, 97 Letum 1999
Vítday,
43 Autumn Colours 204 LE
After a hectic couple of days in Irongate, those party members
who need to rest do so while the tireless undead do their own thing.
Lord Revda leaves the safe house beneath the Foundling Fountain
and goes to his own hovel to collect Tallia, his zombified wife.
He wants to keep her close at hand for the promised resurrection.
The Scribe returns to Valdemar's shop in Northgate to apologise
for missing his appointment with his surveyor. The gnome, Ponkins,
will visit Mourngrim Manor on the Day of Leavening.
By the early evening, many of the other party members are starting
to awake. Jirokichi returns to his own home and the joy of taxidermy.
Gazahi heads out into the dark and seedy streets of Tharkis intending
to "find trouble" - it's not hard for him. Alarius meanwhile
takes the opportunity to practice his art.
Rather than taking Cornelius's advice and laying low, Alarius heads
into Oldgate, finds a nice tavern and begins plying his trade. He
performs, he makes money, but he is also looking for others of his
kind: other bards who might be willing to share a few secrets and
spells, in exchange for the tales Alarius can tell.
Lycaon has a mission of his own. There are things he would discuss
with his contact outside the city. The symbol on the handkerchief
of Rufus Bar: a serpent coiled around the body of a ferocious dog,
bordered by a ring of angels without faces; it is significant. It
is very similar to a certain vision that guided Lycaon in his current
predicament.
Eventually, Lycaon reaches his contact and raises the matter that
troubles him. And then he learns the truth: the truth that has been
standing by his side for the last week. The symbol is the coat of
arms of the Mourngrim family line: a line that is now dead, leaving
a mansion empty save for the undead. Mourngrim Manor is the home
of the Scribe of Tam.
Silence, 98 Letum 1999 GR
Terday, 44 Autumn
Colours 204 LE
Lycaon goes to Mourngrim Manor with the Scribe, voicing an historical
interest in the building and its history. Although surprised that
a feral barghest should take an interest in such things, the Scribe
obliges and show Lycaon into Mourngrim Manor. Lycaon encounters
a colony of ghouls in the overgrown gardens of the castle, but as
long as he is with the Scribe he will not be attacked.
The Scribe takes Lycaon to the library where he can research matters
to his heart's content. The Scribe explains that Lycaon cannot leave
the Scribe's presence unless he takes a complicated wooden knotwork
with him. Anyone holding this will not be attacked by the denizens
of the house.
Meanwhile, Alarius meets with Germane Soon - an extremely gifted
bard who is intrigued by what Alarius has to offer. They talk and
begin to barter stories for spells.
Irrelevance, 99 Letum 1999 GR
Zephday, 45
Autumn Colours 204 LE
The day before the Day of Leavening, and the tension in the city
is palpable. During this day, Gazahi continues his undocumented
activities on the streets of Tharkis and Jirokichi continues turning
the heads of Raegar Nerrimaen into a set of macabre book-ends.
Alarius pursues his mutually beneficial acquaintance with Germane,
and continues to perform with him in the upmarket wine-house he
finds himself in. It is during the afternoon that he sees a most
peculiar sight. In the audience watching his performance is his
grandmother, Leoian. There is no mistake the once beautiful fey
creature, her wings ripped to shreds by the cruel depredations of
his grandfather, Cruian. However, she soon disappears from few,
and after his skit, Alarius can find no trace of her. What can she
possibly be doing in Tharkis?
In the meantime, Lycaon has been making admirable progress on teasing
out the secrets behind the Mourngrim coat of arms. Every step of
the way, the feral nature of the barghest seeks to overtake him.
It is like another voice in his ear compelling him to tear all the
books in the library to shreds, break all the display cabinets and
then urinate in the Scribe's slippers. Fortunately, Lycaon's will
is strong enough to resist this temptation.
A serpent coiled around the body of a ferocious dog, bordered by
a ring of angels without faces. There are three components in the
image. From trawling through history books, Lycaon learns that the
black dog is the original symbol of the Mourngrim line. The serpent
was added to the image much later (although still long before the
events of Dark Day). It is the symbol of another family; the Archaelons.
The last surviving heir of the family was a young woman called
Cassia Archaelon. When she married into the Mourngrim line (she
married Karlton Mourngrim's great great grandfather, Barionix),
her family died and the images were united together. The ring of
faceless angels was added later by Karlton Mourngrim's grandfather,
Mírosh. As far as Lycaon can discover, he simply added them
because he thought they looked ominous.
All this is very interesting, but it is not explaining that link
that Lycaon is looking for. Why has he been pointed to this place?
What is the connection? He sleeps in the library of Mourngrim Manor
for a third night.
The Day of Leavening, 100 Letum 1999 GR
Caladay, 46
Autumn Colours 204 LE
Like most things in Tharkis, fear drives the need to party. Everyone
wants to be seen to be happy with Grelka's rule, and everyone turns
a blind eye to the horrors that Grelka commits in the hope that
those horrors are not visited upon them. There are a number of festivals
in the city, largely designed to aggrandise Grelka. The Day of Leavening
is the anticipated, and the most feared.
On this day the faithful are gathered unto Grelka. There are great
outpourings from houses all over the city, as people are forced
onto the streets by members of the Black Watch in great 'spontaneous'
declarations of support and subservience to their ruler. Preachers
and bards sing songs to Grelka's greatness, people imbibe drink
and pretend to have a good time. Anyone not inclined to get into
the spirit of things would be advised to lie low. Party poopers
are run through by the Watch.
The day of Leavening is an opportunity for the inhabitants of the
city to call upon the Justice of Grelka to bring down their enemies.
Scaffolds and daises are raised all over the city, and Hooded Tribunes
are seen in the city. Gifts for the Witch Queen are placed before
them, and from dawn until dusk as many as can reach the podiums
can state their respective cases.
Then at dusk, those people that Grelka has judged unworthy simply
disappear. No-one sees it happen, but everyone senses the hand of
the Legion of Horror in the proceedings. Of course nothing goes
entirely as planned, and the wise and the cynical know that Grelka
does nothing if it is not for her own ends. Often those who make
the petitions might be seen as seditious and vanish. More often
than not, Grelka uses the opportunity to thin out the chaff, and
remove the worthless and the troublesome even if they were nowhere
near a tribune all day.
Most members of the party are wisely lying low. Lycaon, Clara and
the Scribe remain safely within Mourngrim Manor. Revda is at Cornelius's
safe house and, in the hours before dawn both Alarius and Gazahi
join him there. Of the seven, only Jirokichi does not return, preferring
to remain in his own hovel.
However, there is activity in the city. Just after breakfast the
gnome Ponkins arrives at the door of Mourngrim Manor and rings the
bell. It takes the Scribe ten minutes to walk from the library to
the front door. The Scribe spends the next two hours showing Ponkins
around the establishment. He is a little concerned by all the undead,
and says that his concern will be reflected in the final bill. The
Scribe follows the clip-board wielding gnome around for hours. Every
time Ponkins pauses to inhale his breath sharply between his teeth,
shake his head slowly and write furiously on the paper, the Scribe
questions him concernedly. Ponkins leaves saying that he'll have
his full report couriered to the castle. It is evidently not going
to be cheap.
Gazahi winds his tired way up to bed, and crashes out. He awakes
somewhere around midday. A noise has awoken him. He sits up in bed
and see a young seemingly human girl, no more than eight, clinging
to his ceiling. She flips gracefully to the floor and speaks to
Gazahi in voice that reveals great age and maturity. "Greetings,
Seventh," she says.
Gazahi knows her. This is Third. A member of his order of assassins.
As he is seventh, she is higher up the ladder than he is. That is
good. If it was Eighth he could have expected an assassination attempt.
Of course, she may fear that Gazahi will try to kill her, but Gazahi
knows enough of Third to know that he couldn't take her. He is curiously
to her presence, however.
Third smiles and explains that she is on a mission. She has been
contracted to kill a two-headed drow warrior. Third knows that Gazahi
has been seen in the company of such a being, and it would be a
horrible coincidence for there to be two Raegar Nerrimaens in Tharkis.
Gazahi shrugs and tells her that the drow is already dead. Although
part of Third is pleased that she can pick up the money for this
assignment without the hassle of doing the job, a larger part of
her wanted the kill. She still needs proof of his death: in short,
she wants the body.
Gazahi says that soon of Raegar's heads were cut off and taken
by Jirokichi. Gazahi doesn't know where Jirokichi is, but a creature
like the nezumi can't be too hard to find even in Tharkis. Third
and Seventh (Gazahi) head out into Tharkis braving the Day of Leavening,
the crowds and the inclement weather. Tharkis is dripped in a torrential
downpour that shows no sign of abating.
By the time the pair find Jirokichi's hovel in the crypt of a collapsed
church, the mud roads of Tharkis have turned to bogs and the Hooded
Tribunals of the Witch Queen are soaked to the skin. Of course,
they dare not leave their posts. Jirokichi's home is badly lit and
smells worse. There are numerous badly stuffed animals, and a table
made out of a coffin. Over by the fire, a nezumi is warming himself.
The fact that Gazahi can tell it's a fire tells him that it is not
Jirokichi.
The nezumi starts and spins around to face the winged wererat and
the sinister child. His eyes bulge in fear. "Please,"
he says, "this is not my house. Please take anything you want.
I will help you search if you like." Third ignores him and
begins to pick around the place. Jirokichi never mentioned he had
any friends (or even acquaintances for that matter). Gazahi enquires
as to who this is before him.
The nezumi introduces himself as D'noffr'rin, an old friend of
Jirokichi - unless Gazahi is Jirokichi's enemy, in which case D'noffr'rin
hates the little weasel and would like to see him dead. Gazahi asks
where Jirokichi is. D'noffr'rin shrugs. "He went out this morning,"
he says. "He's probably making a petition to one of the Tribunals
- trying to get Grelka to kill one of his enemies: he's petty like
that."
Gazahi tells D'noffr'rin to get lost, and the nezumi flees into
the rain. He is instantly drenched and is last seen heading for
the cover of an abandoned wagon. In the meantime Third has found
two of Raegar's heads on Jirokichi's mantle place, she is waving
one triumphantly in Gazahi's direction. "So," she says,
"know anyone who can cast Speak with Dead?"
The pair arrive at Mourngrim Manor just before dusk. It is with
the sunset that the Legion go to work and, although Gazahi knows
that location means nothing to them, he would like to be off the
street when it happens. He rings the bell. Ten minutes later a flustered
Scribe opens the outer gate. He sees Gazahi and his companion and
wonders what is going on. When Gazahi tells him, the Scribe nods
and says that he had been meaning to speak to Raegar's corpse again
himself when he had the chance. Third says that she has a very specific
question she wishes to ask.
Lord Revda has been spending the day cleaning the safe house from
top to bottom. He has even replaced the rotten floorboards in the
hall and the place is shining like a new pin. He now sits in a comfortable
chair with a printed broadside to enjoy what is left of the evening.
He calls for his wife. No reply. Odd. He stands up and searches
the house for her. There is no one but him and Alarius.
Alarius suggests that Tallia has been taken by the Legion. She
has been "leavened". Revda thinks it unlikely. What threat
is a lowly zombie to Grelka? She has probably just gone a bit mad
and wandered off. He leaves the hovel and starts searching the nearby
dwellings in the Undercity. Being a death knight, he is not subtle.
Alarius volunteers to help. He notices the stunned looks that the
underdwellers wear, like a dark sky waiting for rain. These poor
wretches have had someone close to them taken by the Legion and
they do not know what to do.
Tallia is not to be found. Revda resolves to go to the Scribe and
compel him to scry for his wife. He doesn't want to lose her. Tharkis
is not safe for a young zombie wandering around with a chaperone.
Alarius is about to go with him when he notices his grandmother
out of the corner of his eye. She soon disappears. Making a polite
excuse, Alarius goes to look for Leoian. Revda summons his nightmare
steed and thunders off to Mourngrim manor.
In the library of Mourngrim Manor Gazahi is surprised to find Lycaon,
who is now wearing an antique pair of eye glasses. The eyes of a
feral barghest are not well suited for reading so many old books.
The Scribe takes one of Raegar Nerrimaen's heads and casts the Speak
with Dead spell upon it. The floor is give over to Third to ask
her question of the body. The question surprises the Scribe and
Gazahi:
"Why were you sent to Tharkis to kill Cornelius?" Third
asks. The corpse of Raegar slowly replies: "I wasn't sent to
Tharkis to kill Cornelius."
Third is vexed. "Well, why were you sent to Tharkis then?"
The answer: "I was sent to Tharkis to get close to Cornelius."
The obvious follow up question is "Why?" To this Raegar
reveals his purpose in coming to Tharkis. He was told Cornelius
was working for, or connected with Eligos. He was sent to get close
to Eligos and then kill him with the intention of replacing him
as a member of the Thirty.
The Scribe and Gazahi exchange looks. Cornelius is connected with
Eligos! This is not information they plan on sharing with Clara.
Fortunately, she is out partying with the ghost of Lyria Mourngrim
and is not present for these revelations.
Back at Cornelius's safe house, Alarius finally encounters his
grandmother. What is she doing here? She should be in Hadras, not
in Tharkis? Leoian says that there is no time for explanations,
that she is being watched and that she is in great danger. She says
that she has to talk to Alarius and his new companions. To make
sure that they take her seriously, she has abducted Tallia Revda.
She tells Alarius where Tallia is and urges him to come there quickly
with his friends. Then she leaves. Alarius shakes his head at a
plan that is four kinds of pants, and then hurries to Mourngrim
Manor.
At Mourngrim Manor, the doorbell rings. The Scribe sighs and hoists
his enormous ring of keys and goes to the front door. He returns
to Lycaon, Third and Gazahi twenty minutes later with Lord Revda.
After hearing Revda's tale, the Scribe casts a divination spell
and locates Tallia's whereabouts at an abandoned building in the
first undercity about half a mile from the safehouse.
Revda determines to go and retrieve her and the Scribe, Clara,
Lycaon and Gazahi say they will accompany him. Third takes her leave
of the group. She doesn't fear the spirits of Mourngrim Manor, perhaps
there is something undead about her.
As the party leave Mourngrim Manor they encounter Alarius coming
the other way. He imparts news of Tallia's location (but the Scribe
has already found that). He tells the party of Leoian and that she
an important message for them. Revda scoffs: he plans to run her
through for his cheek. Alarius says that he would rather the death
knight did not do that, but suspects there will be opportunities
to run something through before the end of the night. Leoian was
scared of something.
Soon after the party of six (with Jirokichi nowhere in sight) have
arrived at a broken down tenement in the undercity. They approach
with caution: the place is crawling in incongruous plant life, and
wild flowers sprout out of the broken rubble. None of these will
last long in Tharkis, but Alarius reflects that they are beautiful.
They enter into darkness, and before very long Revda has spied his
wife.
Tallia is simply sitting on the floor surrounded by foliage and
multicoloured blooms. She is staring vacantly into space, as is
the want of the zombie. Revda calls her to his side, and she immediately
falls under the dominion of her husband. But where is Leoian?
Suddenly, the image of a celestial appears in the air before the
party. This is not Leoian in the flesh, it is a magical message
left for them. The image glows with a brilliant light, and it says
the following:
"You are being played. Everything that has happened to you
has happened for a reason. You are each connected in ways you cannot
see and do not suspect. Find the truth, it is the only way to stop
them. This is their game, and you are their sport. Would that I
could give you their names. Do not trust anyone except each other.
Even your most trusted allies may have been deceived. There is no
such thing as coincidence."
There is another flash of light and the image has gone. The group
is just bemoaning the fact that the encounter has told them nothing
when Lycaon notices something. There is a crown left in a pile of
vegetation where Tallia was sitting. The barghest picks it up. He
recognises that it is made of celestial silver, a rare and precious
metal. He doesn't say anything, but the Scribe recognises it too
and conveys the information.
Alarius says that his grandmother must be taken at her word. There
is more going on here than they know. They must all decamp to a
safe location and discuss what has happed and try to tease out the
truth. The safe house gifted to them by Cornelius is no longer considered
safe, so the group heads to the still ruined Darkmantle Theatre
is an attempt to work out what is going on.
What connects these seven disparate souls? Eight if they also count
Raegar Nerrimaen. What do they have in common? The Scribe and Gazahi
were working for the Grey Minstrel. Jirokichi had met the Grey Minstrel
in the past and considered him a friend. Alarius was searching for
the Grey Minstrel. Revda simply liked his work. Raegar was told
to go to the Darkmantle theatre by his drow superiors. What about
Lycaon? Lycaon, while seeing the wisdom of sharing his secrets is
extremely unwilling to do so, much to Alarius's annoyance. In the
end all he says is an entity called Grexam told him to go and see
the Grey Minstrel, and that is what he did.
Then there is Eligos. Clara is obviously linked to the member of
the Thirty, but recent evidence points to the fact that Raegar was
also searching for him. What about Tenebrous - the god worshipped
by the Mourngrims. Could he be Eligos? Could he be Mortis? Could
that explain where Revda fits in?
In the end, the discussion is ultimately fruitless. By discussing
their backgrounds they discover a number of unsettling coincidences
but they do not have all the pieces of puzzle. If there is one commonality
that unites them all, it remains just out of reach.
Diligence, 4 Carnivale 2000 GR
Vítday,
1 Mizzle Month 204 LE
Lord Revda and the Scribe are returning from Valdemar's shop in
Northgate. Revda has acquired the 'indestructible' lance that he
commissioned two weeks ago. Suddenly, both undead creatures detect
something strange in the air. They turn back and regard the bustling
shanty of run-down dwellings and shops that sprung into existence
between Oldgate and the Northgate.
There has long since ceased to be a boulevard here. The obvious
route for visitors from the gate to Old Tharkis choked with paupers
and their homes. On this morning that changes. An unseen force moves
toward the dwellings. Homes shudder and collapse. It is almost as
though two giant invisible hands have entered the shanties together
and then swept apart flinging the buildings and the inhabitants
alike to the side of the road. This is the work of the Legion.
While the dust on the side of the road is still settling, while
the inhabitants of the hundreds of sundered homes are still dying,
the far gates are through open. An armed force is approaching Tharkis.
The silhouettes of vast bull-headed fiends can be seen in the distance,
along with smaller devils gambolling along in their wake. Six heavily
armoured men sit astride midnight mounts. Revda recognises other
death knights when he sees them. One nods at him in a gesture of
professional respect that Revda returns.
At the centre of the group is a man sitting astride a black unicorn.
His neatly coiffured hair and beard are long, and he is wearing
robes of brilliant vermilion and orange. Revda and the Scribe recognise
him from their adventure in Irongate, but this no automaton made
of blood. This is the real Mínaris: right hand of Karatath!
What can he be doing in Tharkis?
Mínaris and his procession march directly past the Scribe
and Revda. They traverse the newly cleared street and enter Old
Tharkis - evidently for a rendezvous with the Witch Queen herself.
Revda and the Scribe continue on their way. They later hear that
Mínaris spent but two hours within the city before leaving
again for the wastes beyond.
Silence, 8 Carnivale 2000 GR
Sharday, 5 Mizzle
Month 204 LE
For four days, talk of the arrival and the departure of Mínaris
has been a hot topic of conversation in the streets of Oldgate,
and the palaces of the great and the not-so-good in Old Tharkis.
Even the beggars and the urchins are of the opinion that this does
not bode well for the city. If a free Karatath turns his attention
here, could even Grelka hold onto the city she has ruled for so
long?
This speculation overshadows the enforced celebration of the two
thousandth anniversary of Grelka's coronation. When the Black Watch
are mobilised en masse and start dragging people from the streets,
many suppose that a lack of support for the compulsory holiday is
the reason. But there is more to it than that. The Black Watch are
being particularly choosy with whom they take.
The Black Watchmen on the streets are accompanied by prelates in
the service of Grelka. They grab people at random, and present them
before the prelates. Only a few make the grade and are taken away
as prisoners. The others are released. Alarius hears that Lucette,
the young woman he rescued from the altar in Irongate, has been
taken by the Black Watch. Following the trail, he discovers that
many hundreds of people have been taken beyond the wall into the
Black Watch controlled area of Oldgate. Here they are imprisoned
in great pens.
Alarius can see no way to get close and rescue Lucette. He cannot
even see her. Then he is attacked by the Black Watch and almost
captured himself. It seems that Alarius is the sort of person they
are looking for: the pure of heart.
And then the rumours begin to fly around the city: there is a force
outside the walls threatening to destroy all of Tharkis! No-one
is safe, not even Grelka or her Legion. Suddenly the members of
the city forced into the pens look more and more like hostages.
The Black Watch accompany a human rider to the gates of the city.
He leaves on a long and dangerous journey through the marsh that
surrounds the metropolis. The city seems to hold its breath until
he returns? What news?
And then the collective sigh of relief: it is good news. The danger,
whatever it was, has passed. The great power without has moved on
to exercise that power against another foe. But who had the might
to threaten Grelka? Was it Karatath? A choir of angels? Or was it
another, yet unknown player in the politics of hell? And was it
connected with the visit of Mínaris just four days earlier?
Speculation is rife.
Reticence, 12 Carnivale 2000 GR
Terday,
9 Mizzle Month 204 LE
On this day, Jirokichi, the Scribe of Tam, Lord Revda, Alarius,
Lycaon, Gazahi and Clara are summoned once more by the shadowy Cornelius.
Cornelius has much changed from their last encounter. He looks worried
and even more gaunt if such a thing were possible. He shudders and
sighs, and what he has to tell the party brings ice to the veins
of those that have them, and even give pause to those that do not.
"Word has reached my employer," Cornelius rasps. "Yesterday,
something happened. Something terrible has entered our land. It
is a virulent plague, a blight. Our sources suggest that it came
into existence roughly fifteen hundred miles to the east of here.
But it is spreading. Every creature that comes into contact with
this blight, be they living, dead or somewhere inbetween are destroyed.
It will come to Tharkis. It will destroy us all."
Obviously, Cornelius's employer is keen that such a thing does
not happen. The Blight must be stopped. The nature of the party's
next mission now seems obvious.
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