The Shattered City: Chapter Three

[Nerit]

"What do you mean by that?"
"Yes," Cyrus said, "What exactly are you talking about, restore death we once had?"

"Yes, listen to M. Boucher and M. Mauganson, they are not as dull as they look, you know." Nerit said this with a good-humored smile on her face, though it must have been dissonant to watch a nun make a joke in a graveyard.

"The reason I present this hypothesis is because I visited Anne-Marie shortly before she died. And despite her disdain for some of us, I made peace with her." Nerit eyed the group. "She told me the cult didn't start the problem, they were trying to fix it. And she told me, 'Beware of the bloodless slave with white eyes, and men with snakes upon their fingers.'" The nun paused, waiting for the words to be absorbed. "Perhaps she was more of an oracle than we could have known? Her indignation may stand out more to some, but her zealotry would make her a terrible liar, n'est ce pas?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia does not quite startle at Nerit's words, but she does give her a sharp look. "My goodness," she mutters. "That is certainly an interesting bit of information you have waited to share with us."

[DocBeard]

"We are but a few miles from the Leon Cemetery mon ami" Nicholas responds absently looking up whislt still plucking ominious chords from the instrument. "And there's enough dead there to make hundreds or at the very least scores of those things, which is a cheery thought nonetheless no?"

"And you're telling me no one would notice half of the national cemetery just getting up and walking away?" Tomas counters, avoiding the bit about the metaphysics because his head hurts too much to even try and work that out. "That still doesn't answer the question of the state of the corpses; all relatively fresh, if I recall correctly."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia clicks her tongue and shakes her head. "We need more information," she says. "We need to know whether anything has actually disrupted or affected Death, as the personification of the process of dying."

The Mage makes a face. "Certain elementals would be well-informed. Particularly necromentals. But the ones capable of speech are considerably more powerful than the ones growing so common in modern society.

The Fey would also be able to share a few secrets" -- Lia shares a quick look with Tomas -- "but they are... they have a different way of doing things and reasoning than we do. And if Death really has been terminated, the entities associated with death may have been altered, or at the least affected.

Last and least desirable are the undead. Elder ghosts might know, but getting coherent answers out of them would be beastly difficult in some cases. Grim Reapers would be the top authority, but they are hardly worth approaching unless one is eager to lose life and soul -- or has an overpowering desire to become one with the Legions of the Night."

Lia squares her shoulders and sighs. "But in theory," she says, "I am capable of contacting at least the first two of these three groups. If that is considered necessary. And I know a few scholars in the city who might be helpful."

[DocBeard]

"..." Tomas looks like he's biting his tongue for a minute, there, giving Lia a wary glance. "...if we're going to be consulting anything, I'd rather talk to an oracle. One of the priests, or a Vistani woman. At least they don't outright try to kill and eat you."

"But I think we are getting ahead of ourselves. The important thing about the goings on in the city is that this shadow cult believes they are able to seize some great spiritual opportunity. This lends insight into their actions, but does not address the immediate problem." Tomas admits, crossing his arms and frowning. "We assumed the hounds were behind the plague. Considering the scope of the epidemic and the lack of reports of elemental attacks, I feel that this hypothesis is faulty-they are clearly connected to the plague and capable of distributing it, but they cannot be the sole source."

"So, we have to go back to formula. We know that the plague is spreading wide, but we have no reason to believe it is easily communicable." Tomas pauses a few times during this, forming the words with his lips before saying them, "It seems to need to be applied directly to take hold; off the top of my head I'd say that clothing or food has been contaminated, but that is just a theory."

"So," Tomas looks to Thierri for a second, "What else do we know about this illness?"

[lostboy]

"And you're telling me no one would notice half of the national cemetery just getting up and walking away?"

"Ah touche herr Eisenwald, I concede the point." Nicholas says holding his chest in mock pain. It would of course have been more funny if he didn't have the pallor of fresh corpse himself and wasn't exhibiting a raging fever. Still the mind was working obviously.

"Then perhaps the answer may lie in the morgues of the fair city perhaps? If I were a bodysnatcher without scruples and with daring that would be my choice of venue. Not that I am though.." He adds quickly, obvisouly unaware of the ridiculousness of that idea.

'Beware of the bloodless slave with white eyes

"Believe me sister I already am, the tales told of the Marquis of Montmort, whom I believe you refer to, make that a moot point. Regardless of his position in society, death and misfortune seem to follow those released from his tender care, and Id rather keep myself at arms length from adding to those rumours. Still you do raise an interesting point, but then if the cult didn't start this then who did? These men with snakes on their fingers perhaps?" He looks around in the hope someone has an explanation..

Nicholas also gives Lia a quick and slightly worried look at her mention of Fey contacts, but otherwise (and for once) keeps his mouth shut.

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Opportunities..." Darius mutters, wiping his forehead and talking, it seems, mostly to himself. "This is a bad time for us. Governed by darkness. This is the day of the...I don't even know what you call them. If you even have a word for them. I think they are not to be found on this side of the Balinoks. Stagulf. And blakbakkeblom. Necromancy is strong and will get stronger until the...I don't know the word for that, either. Crisis. Breaking point. Four more days of evil before the alzabo is turned away and the dove takes flight."

He makes the sign of the Spear and Coils and shivers.

After a moment he glances at Nerit and says, "She warns us against the Marquis, and...some sort of esoteric brotherhood, or cabal? I am reluctant to give much value to the word of a murderess and traitor, but it is useful to know who the other players in the game are, yes?"

[NeoTiamat]

Cemetery on the outskirts of Troischamps, Midday of April 21st, 770
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"It seems to need to be applied directly to take hold; off the top of my head I'd say that clothing or food has been contaminated, but that is just a theory."

Katja stood up straighter as a thought occured to her, slowly turning away from the ground to look at Tomas. "Water," she suggested. "The hounds were active near the stream."

"So," Tomas looks to Thierri for a second, "What else do we know about this illness?"

"Removing supposition and secondhand reports? What we have seen for ourselves," Thierri said dully. "I state two things with confidence. First, that exposure to the gravehound's bite and breath is highly infectious. Second," he gestured to Nicolas, "that one of our number became sick without being exposed to either."

The magician lit another cigarette, looking annoyed at Nicolas for the theft of the first, but not annoyed enough to steal back plague contaminated tobacco. "If we are to stick only with what we know for certain, we cannot count out the hounds as the source in either instance. The former case is obvious. In the latter, a prolonged amount of time was spent in a heavily blighted area. To the best of our knowledge, the blight is cause by the hounds."

"Regardless of his position in society, death and misfortune seem to follow those released from his tender care, and Id rather keep myself at arms length from adding to those rumours."

"Given she spent her final days at Montmort, I have no doubt she would name M. Gauvain as an enemy." Thierri looked skiptical. He gave a small, idle cough. "You are aware le Marquis de Montmort is a derogatory nickname, yes? He is not actually a nobleman."

[Nathan of the FoS]

"You are aware le Marquis de Montmort is a derogatory nickname, yes? He is not actually a nobleman."

Darius turns to Thierri and raises an eyebrow. "Oh?" After a moment he half-smiles. "I see the jest, yes. Ruler of all he surveys. Did he rise through the ranks of the gendarmerie?"

[The Whistler]

Lia squares her shoulders and sighs. "But in theory," she says, "I am capable of contacting at least the first two of these three groups. If that is considered necessary. And I know a few scholars in the city who might be helpful."

“Why, Professor Mourneswaithe!” Celeste looked tickled pink at this particular list of resources—she seemed to take very well to being Lia’s Watson. “And I was under the impression that my little notebook was comprehensive! Ah, well; pride goeth before a fall, as they say…I am more than pleased to defer to your more expert contacts upon this matter.”

"Given she spent her final days at Montmort, I have no doubt she would name M. Gauvain as an enemy." Thierri looked skiptical. He gave a small, idle cough. "You are aware le Marquis de Montmort is a derogatory nickname, yes? He is not actually a nobleman."

"Ah, yes, I had forgotten that! That is reassuring, no?" Now you thought back, Celeste had seemed a bit nervous ever since Anne-Marie's prophecy was brought up, but this seemed to calm her apprehension almost entirely. Apparently, Celeste had not yet considered that Anne-Marie could have meant things metaphorically.

[lostboy]

Second," he gestured to Nicolas, "that one of our number became sick without being exposed to either."

I believe the good Dommer" he waves a hand at Darius "was also sick prior to the hounds appearance, which is what led me to surmise that it had somethign to do with the night of madness, but I will defer to a more authoritive opinion."

"You are aware le Marquis de Montmort is a derogatory nickname, yes? He is not actually a nobleman."

Nicholas returns Therri's annoyed look with a slightly mocking smile. "Some credit please monsieur, you may think me a useless drunk of loose morals but I'm not completely stupid. I was refering to the man's grasp on the reins of power in the city, he has already demonstarted the power he can hold over us should he choose to wield it. Besides I care little for the supposed virtues of noble birth, deeds define a man not lineage as far as I am concerned."

"But this is not time for fractious political debate , that can wait until we are seated in a warm cafe with good wine. For now what do we do next? "

[Nerit]

Nerit tapped her chin. "Yes, Le Marquis is quite pale and white. But Anne-Marie was not herself when she told me these things, like she spoke some prophecy, you see? She was more herself the ghost than the poor dying girl in Montmort. That is why I am willing to believe her now, though I didn't want to before." Nerit looked to Lia as she said this.

She listened to the others, and glanced briefly at Darius when Nicholas mentioned his assumptions.

The nun turned, the contemplative expression returning to settle on her face. "Mon amis, I am not sure if the madness and the pestilence has spread through the water where the necromentals spawn. Is there a way to test it more thoroughly?"

[DocBeard]

"He was?" Tomas frowns as his theory is weakened, shaking his head. "Nicolas, I'm not trying to be mister expert here-just, we need to look at things logically. The big metaphysical crisis that may or may not exist isn't something we can solve all at once, but we can stop this cult from profiting from this plague. 'Check out the river.' is a direction to walk in, yes?"

"But if you are telling me that the disease has a tie to that night in March, why didn't you or Darius tell us sooner? Or am I misunderstanding?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Yes, Le Marquis is quite pale and white. But Anne-Marie was not herself when she told me these things, like she spoke some prophecy, you see? She was more herself the ghost than the poor dying girl in Montmort. That is why I am willing to believe her now, though I didn't want to before." Nerit looked to Lia as she said this.

"Prophecy, or a warning from beyond the grave?" Lia replies with a shrug. "I imagine there are more vengeful ghosts lurking in the walls of Montmort than there are in all of the catacombs under Port-a-Lucine. Someone dying of plague probably has less ability to resist them if they attempt a possession."

"Mon amis, I am not sure if the madness and the pestilence has spread through the water where the necromentals spawn. Is there a way to test it more thoroughly?"

"If Monsieur Mauganson's abilities can not prove it, perhaps an intricate alchemical analysis might," Lia says. She shrugs again. "Silly me, but I seem to have forgotten to bring my laboratory with me. Unless this taint leaves arcane traces, I know I will not be able to help in this regard."

[yalenusveler]

"I can try...I can't gurantee I'll get anything conclusive" Kerrian said "But the water would be a good way to spread something like that. Do we have the things we'd need to test the water? And who are the men with snakes on their fingers?"

He then turned to Thierri "We..don't look dull, do we?"