The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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The first week comes to a close, with the students getting progressively more involved in their lessons, discoveries and intrigues. George, arguing all the time he is not disturbing anyone and merely trying to carve a niche where he can learn, has nevertheless sowed a seed of change amongs some of the younger students with his examples. He easily becomes the most incongruent student in the school, and maybe against his wishes, the most well known. Slowly, but steadily, this inspires others students to more and more embrace their natural love for freedom and liberty that comes of their young age, and masters increasingly have to deal with more acts of indiscipline.

Often in the evening, as Fiachra sits in the staff room sharing a drink with the other masters and conversing about the events in the school's life, he hears complains that the current batch of students is proving harder to handle, and calls for stricter measures. Some of the masters, younger or kinder by nature, espouse the notion that children should not be too restricted in their ways to become healthy adults, but others counter that the students are not children anymore: they are nearly adults and should be taught the responsibilities of social life. Victoria vocally defends the last camp, but Emilia routinely tries to reach a middle ground. Niles, inspired by her, used his pastoral support to try to bring peace among the students. But as days go by, he notes that Victoria's dominant personality is imposing herself on the older sister and making full use of her duties in the school, she increases the vigilance in the school and the number of gypsy guards wandering the grounds, even during daytime.

The number of bullying cases also increases, and George finds himself the victim on a few cases. Previously high-profile students do not take kindly to his new fame, and try to bring him low, but always without physical contact. One student, Oswald Franklin, appears to be the shark at the top of the food chain, respected by some, feared by almost all. In the female halls, Georgina Sargant takes a similar role, haughtily demeaning her competitors and relying on her underlings to spread rumours and set the agenda of students' lifes in her stead. Christine is often a target, direct or indirect, of her contemptuous remarks. George and Christine find support in each other during these times, with George gallantly jumping to her defense whenever he's nearby, but he can't do anything when the deeds happen in the girls' dormitories at night.

All these tensions remain under the surface of everyday life, and don't come to the attention of the teachers, but Niles can not but notice an increase in the students who come to him asking for help with their anxieties, their studies or other matters. He seldom hears any direct complaint about violence: most commonly students will come to him with problems sleeping or eating, desire to speak to their parents or family, doubts about their ability to cope with the schoolwork. But in his contemplation at quiet moments, Niles can't help feel the undisguisable work of peer-pressure and that so many things are not being told to him.

"There is frustration in the halls", he tells Father Richard one night, "the students are restless and I can almost feel a cloud growing thicker as days go by". The elder priest gives him the best advice he can for Niles to use in his pastoral care, and promises to take the matter to the Headmistress, but Niles is not so sure of the effect, as he would prefer to avoid the harsh discipline that would surely be meted out by the masters. However, things soon take a turn to the worse.

Although it is still a shock, he recognizes he is not surprised when only two days later a gypsy boy is beaten severely out of school grounds by three students. A rift opens in the school's community, with disbelief at the act and worry as the gypsy guards raise their protest against the Headmistress and withdraw their guards from the camp. Niles leads an initiative to send a delegation to the gypsies, and supported by Christine and Emilia, with an excitable Frances in the front rank, this eases their demand for taking the three boys with them, if they are adequately punished.

Victoria agrees to do so: she has them locked at the top of the centre eastern turret for a few days. On top of that, she sends orders to prevent any student of leaving the camp, and even resident members of staff are cautioned to only leave on necessary business outside. More men from the surrounding villages are hired to take the place of the gypsy guards.

This is not entirely to the school's relief. Christine comments one night with Frances that although she fears her gyspy family feels rightfully wronged and might harbour thoughts of revence, so proper of the passionate temperaments of the sunny south where they come from, she reckons these new guards will not be as effective as the previous ones.

"Do you think we are in any danger?" Frances asked, looking vaguely in the direction of the dark trees to the south.
"Why would there be guards there otherwise, anyway?" was Christine's evasive answer.

After this incident, tensions seem to decrease in school, but with it effectively closed to the outside, the circus gets less and less visits and decides to move out after a few days. Coincidence or not, this occurs more or less about the same time that a mysterious disappearance happens: the three students in the tower are gone without any explanation. The police is called and investigates without intervention of the school's community, until they find three uniform jackets out of grounds. No bodies are found, and after further searches prove fruitless, the police offers the theory that the students have probably been kidnapped by someone connected with the circus, or that might have been travelling with them, and that their families might expect some ransom contact in the coming days. George, like some other people, prefers the theory that the boys escaped by themselves, leaving the school back. He can understand that if they are not motivated to learn, that the current environment at school might be a strong enough reason for such. Others say the gypsies came to get them, after all. These rumours do not please Niles, who tries his best to convince everyone of the little they know and that unfounded assumptions may be a dangerous road to intolerance.

Eventually, this has a dampening effect on the efervescence in the school, and for the following two months tempers become more subdued, with considerable relief for the Niles and the masters. Eventually, after some careful appeasements and promises from Emilia, even the gypsy guards return to the school.
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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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A couple of months have passed since the disappearance of the students in the tower. No news ever came of their fate, and people can only go on with their speculations. Life in the school went back to normal, and with the end of the Fall term approaching, students begin to focus on exams. School has a tendency to mould and shape people, and some students have inevitably been affected by the pressure of homework and the approaching exams. One morning, as Christine and George converse over breakfast, with Niles inevitably nearby, they are suddenly surprised by the arrival of a man, a servant of the school, that comes running and panting into the dining hall. Without asking for silence, he approaches the masters' table and says something in a low voice. There is a commotion at the table, Emilia goes a little pale, while some of the teachers begin to whisper among themselves. Victoria hushes them and tries to keep their tone down. She then gives permission for the students to leave the hall and go to their classes, a bit earlier than usual.
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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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As they exit the hall, George turns to Christine. "I wonder whut that were all about. Nuther student bin escaped or somethin, 'ave they? An I might of fergotten, but when I went to ask if I could read at tha table a while ago..." George explains to his friend the reaction that was had when he came near her.

"I find that weird. I ain' cold or nuthin. Why she shiverin like I am. Were like I was botherin 'er. Not me per se. Me personally or well, for a better word my presence? I dunno it were really odd."
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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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As the students disperse to their various classes, Niles joins the group of teachers to learn the latest disturbing news which has come in, and perhaps offer to help if there if anything to be done about it.
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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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Christine having been lost in thought for much of the meal notices a little of what is going on but mostly has been talking a bit between bites. So when they are told early to rise she is a bit shocked but when met by George fell into step beside him. Her voice was in a kind but level tone lacking the distracted.

"I don't know why George other than that I doubt it was you directly. She was probably just stressed out about it all. But with things the way they have been covering up it looks like this is another thing they don't want people to know about..." Still she looks up at him as they walked with a grin and a more confident smile with eyes shining behind her mended together glasses.

"Of course with you bringing all your books and avoiding conversation then did you learn anything new in your research? I vote we should investigate it ourselves. Their hiding something from us about all this. I just can't think of what but I bet these mysteries are connected somehow and the first mystery is the ruin!" This was the kind of puzzle she was good at. The kind that worked like a story. She just had to piece it together somehow.

The violence, the following disappearances, the strange way things just mellowed out. They would not talk about any of them. She had tried over the 2 months they had been working on it but with the violence and the conflict dealing with the gypsy boy being beaten she had been in a few too many fights. Violence was not a puzzle she was good at though.

She did not regret any of the fights though. She had fought at first only when assaulted or to defend others... Of course when she fought back even against men, it made the other girls more willing to go after her for some reason. The few times she had struck first they had been picking on others. Usually they came while she was away from George or her other friends. Usually to her room. It was worth it though she did only have this pair of glasses left but she could not give in. She would just have to fight better.

Now with things becoming peaceful again perhaps they would stop these childish attacks. She was tired enough with everything that looking over her shoulder was getting difficult. But she could handle it. She had handled worse.
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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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Although students are to be shepherded to classes, it is barely possible to contain the excitement and agitation that covers the school. Even the hall monitors are more interested in learning what happened than in going to classes, and with most of the masters also curious about whatever happened, it soon becomes evident that it will not be possible to keep it a secret.

The headmistress and the most senior staff leave the dining hall quickly and proceed in the direction of the forest, with Niles in tow. The remaining staff and students mill about in a disorganized state, with some trying to organize and start the day's classes and others, clearly, pushing to see what happened. Among these, George and Christine, don't waste time and go in the general direction the teachers took. They enter the forest close enough to keep the teachers in sight, and eventually reach the place where the latter had stopped.

Behind them, a few more students follow, but eventually the mass of students is contained some distance away, mostly outside the darker trees.

Under the heavy canopy, Christine, George and the others are given a gruesome sight. A young boy, a student, lies on the ground, bowels ripped out. His uniform is torn and open, letting a medallion, that he was wearing underneath, be seen against his neck and upper torso.
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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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George beside her Christine begins to push into the woods where the staff had entered. She was mostly looking for signs of any of said staff so they could retreat before being caught, but having just noticed the scene as she entered the area takes a step back and looks at the body with a sharp breath and a hand clasped to her mouth muffling some shock. Her other grasps for George upon his shoulder as he pushes nearby her into the area with the need to halt his motion.

Hesitantly she removes the hand from her mouth. "George?" The name is spoken with a nervous but collected tone as she leans against a nearby tree her small retreat moved her back into it.

She examines the scene with ghastly corpse along with everything else that she can see which makes her take pause. She begins trying to look over the scene and the body from a distance hoping to peace together and understanding the situation as best she can and if she knew the victim. But even as this happens she tries to focus past the sudden urge to act and think on what she should do. She had never really seen death nor violent death and the smell and appearance was enough to stop her from rushing closer to the body to check it was truly dead.

"We should get someone right? This has to be what their looking for?"

Looking to George she gives him a questioning look with some restrained level of fear but with a tone of focused inquiry in her voice shows that even she is morbidly curious about the scene. She waits at the edge of the scene by the tree looking for something to notice until her eyes fall on the glint of the medallion. This draws her gaze at which, she slowly walks forward carefully as to avoid stepping in or on anything while trying to get a closer view.

"What is that?" She points toward the medallion with her other hand bringing her handkerchief to her face as she neared the body.
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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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George leads Christine until they come upon the gruesome sight. George's first reaction is to recoil by gasping lightly. Only she hears him gasp, noone else. Quickly gathering his wits about him, he moves closer, now curious. He inspects the wounds closely, trying to see what might have done this to the student. "Cover me. I want a closer look at the medallion." George leans in and eyes it closely, averting his gaze to the blood and gore, concentrating. One hand reaches for a handkerchief
while he looks to see if he can somehow take the chain and medallion off. "Won't do 'im any good now, Christine. Might be a clue."
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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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As George moves to remove the medallion from the boys body Christine hesitantly stands and sets herself to looking for others approaching.

"If your sure its important George. But quick. I don't want to be found here if we can avoid it." Christine looks around as she keeps her handkerchief to her face and looked away from the body and deeper in the woods around them.

Even before this they had mysteries. About the ruined part of school, the increased violence of the strange students, the disappearance of some of said students and the withholding of information about all that had been going on from them and the outside.

They would have to find their own answers, but she worried even more that something was very very wrong with the campus. Something dangerous was going on they were not being told about and they needed to know.
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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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Led by a keeper, the Headmistress and Victoria, and some teacher in tow, head into the woods, but hampered by their number and the long dresses, they give a chance to George and Christine to overcome them, unseen. These arrive in sight of the scene, by intuition and luck rather than a clear sense of where to go, just ahead of the group.

They try to remain hidden from the approaching party, but close enough to see something of the scene. George spies the medallion, but from afar he can't tell any details. He makes a dash to try and catch it, while Christine moves to cover him from whoever might come.

George can make a Dex check to see if he has time to take the medallion, before Christine tells him to disappear. If he fails the check, he can still take the medallion, but they will both be in sight of the teachers.
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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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George isn't quite fast enough to reach the corpse and snatch the medallion before the teachers' party arrives. As he is about to stoop and take it, Christine starts signalling him frantically to move. The teachers spot Christine, but haven't yet noticed George. He can either hide, or take the medallion all the same, but the teachers will surely see him doing it.

Whatever his choice, George has enough time to get a rough look at the wounds.
He is pretty convinced that the wounds were caused by a large feral animal, probably a wolf. However, there was no intention to feed, they seem particularly cruel and purposefully inflicted to kill. The upper torso neck and face have not been attacked, all the damage has been done in the abdomen.

You can make a spot check for DC 20.

His forbidden lore tells him that wolves generally don't hunt alone and certainly not in the vicinity of the school. When they do, they also tend to be practical and do so for feeding, unless they're threatened or scared.

He can think of other less natural causes, though.

What is Christine's reaction?
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Re: The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

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Arriving on the scene with the other teachers, Niles is horrified to see the torn body of a student lying on the ground.

Turning away from the grisly sight, he is among those to catch a glimpse of Christine as she gestures to George.

Here is his Spot check:
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[dice]1[/dice] + 2
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