Café de Nuit

Alain looks for a way out of the vacant lot that does not involve going in any buildings or going back the way he came. He also attempts to take a mental note on where he is.

Concern settles over him, as does a fair amount of fear as he begins to wonder how he got in that building full of frightening child-like creatures. Whatever had taken him there surely had it's reasons for doing so, yet again, those creatures had plenty of time to harm him, yet had not.

Once more with a head full of unanswered questions and an unknown path before him, he began his trek back to the inn. And despite his clearer sense of awareness, he knew it wouldn't be a simple task.

In the house of the Baron of Marsember, Lord Hintar Ildool


''He's dead? Are you quite certain about that, Randall? ''

''Yes, my lord. Davos, your bailiff, confirms it.''

''I am most displeased. Delthrin never made trouble and he was so useful. Why should anyone kill him? Don't tell me, it was some religious zealot, wasn't it? Stupid. The Regent will be here in a few days. This matter cannot be allowed to ruin our plans to receive her. It is the last thing that I need, dealing with rogue watchmen and the murder of a nobleman...how embarassing. Make it go away. ''

''Of course, my lord. Zealots. Davos tells me that he has collected all he needs. You really ought to attend the trial, my lord. Delthrin was a prominent man, after all. ''

''Oh, I suppose so. ''

Militia HQ

Blaise and Watch-Captain Rask arrive to pick up a squad. While Rask issues orders regarding a squad to search the warehouse, Blaise is left alone.


Jamethon Moorkoft emerges from a nearby room. He waves at Blaise and asks-


''Blaise, any news? Have you seen the Captain?''

The Mordentshire man has a hairy dwarf in tow. This one is not Rardi. It looks male but that can be hard to tell with dwarfs...

Balzar eyes Blaise. So that be Blaise. Competent lookin enough, I suppose. If Rardi was working with him, then he's all right in my book.

Without waiting for Jamethon to introduce them both, the dwarf walks right up to Blaise and thrusts his hand out to Blaise "Well met, I be Balzar Ettinsmasher. Mistress Silverhelm wrote to me about you and a few others. I heard she's in trouble from Jamethon here. I am a close personal friend to her and Archedius. She wrote to me to come help her here in the city."

He finds the letter and hands it to the bard.

Rardi-gaol on Fishgut Rock

Rardi sleeps as best she can, given the circumstances. At least she has a clean room with a cot. The bailiff even thought to have a pitcher of beer sent to her. It's not bad stuff, for human brew. Off to sleep she goes...


Inovidil- gaol on Fishgut Rock

Ino has trouble sleeping at first, because she's very uncomfortable in the ill-fitting suit of armor. She does eventually manage to fall asleep, when her fatigue overcomes her discomfort.


Shana- common room of the Old Shell

Shana waits through the song about Mad Tom, then another song about a sinking galleon and a fight against pirates. The old man then lays aside his harp and approaches the bar with slow, measured steps.

''Nelly, give me a drink, lass. My throat is sore.''

''As you command, sire.''

Nelly pours the old man a mug of mulled wine. The smell of cinnamon and honey is quite strong.

Threan, the Old Shell

Threan observes the events in the common room of the Old Shell, without attracting much attention to himself. Shana doesn't seem to have spotted him.


Alain, someplace in the city of Marsember...?

Alain finds a narrow gap between two buildings, and is able to slip through that and onto a boardwalk. Below the boardwalk, running in front of Alain, is a trench whose bottom cannot be seen, for it is blanketed in mist. Muted splashing sounds come from the long trench, now and again. On the far side is another boardwalk and a row of decaying houses. This might be a canal, but Alain cannot actually see the water.

Out of the darkness and fog to Alain's left , a boat glides down the trench, seeming almost to be borne on the soupy mists. The boatman poles in silence, his face hidden by a cowl. Even as he draws near, Alain's light seems barely to penetrate the darkness under his cloak.

The boatman reverses his pole to slow his vessel as it draws near the spot where Alain stands on the boardwalk. He reaches out a pale, thin hand to Alain, opens his palm and waits...

Shana gives Nell a swift glance, and leans in close

"as you command sire"? I realise bards are respected in Cormyr, but that's laying it on a bit thick isn't it?

tarlyn wrote:Without waiting for Jamethon to introduce them both, the dwarf walks right up to Blaise and thrusts his hand out to Blaise "Well met, I be Balzar Ettinsmasher. Mistress Silverhelm wrote to me about you and a few others. I heard she's in trouble from Jamethon here. I am a close personal friend to her and Archedius. She wrote to me to come help her here in the city."

He finds the letter and hands it to the bard.

"Huh, what," says Blaise, momentarily surprised. "Yes, well met, indeed, Master Ettinsmasher!" He glances at the letter before continuing, "Any friend of Rardi is a friend of mine." He shakes hands with the dwarf, hoping that his relatively thin fingers don't get crushed in the process.

Looking at Jamethon, he says, "Yes, Rask is here - we're going to investigate this warehouse I was in last night. But..." He addresses both Jamethon and Balzar now. "I'm not sure if you've heard, but Rardi is in jail and Archedius is ... well, I suppose he's dead." He lowers his voice a bit so that only the two of them can hear him. "Delthrin's headless body was found alongside Archedius' corpse. The authorities say it was the work of a creature that Rardi and Inovidil helped free. Delthrin, necromancer that he was, was still a powerful man of nobility in this city, and there's an uproar over his death. They need someone to blame, and they've settled on Rardi. I think they mean to put her on trial. I'm sorry, Master Ettinsmasher, I know this must come as grim news.

"I've talked to Rask about it, but he doesn't have any political power. See what you can do to help, please. Maybe someone in Rardi's church...? As for me, there are too many mysteries about Delthrin's missing head and Archedius' supposed death. I'll try to follow up on those. Frankly, I'm not convinced we're heard the last of Delthrin."

Alain, someplace in the city of Marsember...?

Looking from right to left to make sure he wasn't followed, Alain stands shivering, part from the chill but mostly from the sight of the monstrous children-like creatures he had just fled from.

He re-sheathes his long blade, and suspiciously eyes the boatman as he makes his approach. It was an odd hour for a boatman to operate his trade. He couldn't imagine many people seeking passage over the waters at such an hour...whatever hour it was.

When the boatman stretches out his pallid hand, Alain recoils slightly, running his hands over his vest as if they were filthy and needed immediate cleaning.

Swallowing the massive lump which had lurched its way up his throat, he addresses the boatman in a shaking high tone.

"Excuse me, master boatman, could you please fill me in as to my current whereabouts in the city?" He waits a moment, uneasy at the thought of what the boatman might sound like when he speaks. "I am terribly lost, see?"

Shana, in the common room of the Old Shell-

Nelly answers-

''Oh, you don't understand- he's the king!''

She gives Shana a bucktoothed grin and winks.

The blind man says,

''Yes, I am Gondegal, King of Cormyr. ''

Nelly quickly adds,

''His grace is here to meet his subjects. Isn't that right, sire?''

''Yes, I must see my people, and they must see me. When the wars are ended.....I came to my throne amid strife, but I shall rectify the ills of the land. I shall unify the country, and what then can Cormyr not achieve? Noble palaces of learning to educate the people, argosies of white-sailed ships to match the fleets of Old Chondath and bring treasures from every land of the Inner Sea, a name of power such as shall be respected across Faerun; all these things shall be ours! Such glory...''

The old blind man trails off, seemingly lost in a world of his own imagination.

Militia HQ, Blaise and Balzar

Jamethon replies to Blaise,

''I see. That's rather more than I had known- and about as much as I had feared. I am saddened to hear about Archedius' death, I rather liked the old man. May his soul find peace beyond this world.''

Jamethon bows his head in silent respect for the fallen.

Alain-


The boatman answers in a wheezy, paper-thin voice,


''In the city, yes. Night and mists....you have lost the way..cannot find your home...take you now...pay the toll...''


The white hand flexes slightly.

Inovidil opens her eyes, she hoped that all was a bad dream, but no she finds herself in a cell wearing a splint mail and guards were around. Her whole body is aching. Sleeping with the armor is really uncomfortable. But since the other options is to be tied again, Inovidil prefers to keep the armor.

Ino-

An unfamiliar face leans over Ino, that of a young man.

''It's alright. Go back to sleep. First light is yet a few hours away. ''

By the light of the two lanterns hanging from the walls, Ino can see that the speaker wears a fighting-man's leathern jack. He sits in a chair beside Ino's cot, a three-foot sword laid across his knees. He's wearing something on his back, which Ino , once fully awake, recognizes as a shield.

By the door of the room, another one of the bailiff's men stands with a spear in hand, watching Ino as she lays in bed.

Ino can here movement outside the cell, feet tramping down the hallway.

Shana does not return nell's grin. She listens politely to the old man, and then for a moment looks as if she is about to weep. Then she pulls the cheerful face back across her features again, nods to nell, and returns to the celebration

Inovidil eyes the unknown man, he didn't seem one of the guards was like a fighter mercenary. While lays in bed says:

"Thank you. I'm really tired and with this armour is really difficult to sleep. Are you a guard or a mercenary paid to look at the witch who will cast spells at the first occasion..."

Her voice was sarcastic.

"If it's the second don't worry, I'm not planning to cast any spells. You can ask the guards I have never tried to use any magic neither here nor before when they captured us. I just want to rest and try to prove that I'm innocent, I don't intend to harm anyone or escape."

She tries to get more comfortable possible, but was hard to move with the armor. With a grown she says.

"Ok I'll get this thing off, you can tie me again if you want. I prefer to sleep with the chains instead of this! At least I can properly rest for some time."