Mists over the Musarde [IC]

[Adam]

Bennedict watches the smoldering spot in the river where the flaming Druagr landed only moments earlier, shaking his head ruefully and thinking two things at once: one, that there was almost no chance that they had seen the last of that undead monstrosity, and two, that The Flaming Druagr would make a fine name for a pub. I must be getting tired.

Snapping out of his reverie, he turns in response to the conflict between Dorgio and Norzak. Waiting patiently for it to play out, he rests a restraining arm on Dorgio. "It is not worth the breath, friend. Norzak is a loose cannon, but only because he is passionate about saving the girl. You may be assured he would be equally viscious in his efforts to aid the rest of us were we in harm's way, and I have seen that there is good in him. You saw it as well, when it came to your little girl." Bennedict sighs, hoping that the words sounded more convincing than he actually felt. "As to your line of questioning, I wish I could answer you. It is possible that the creature wanted her "fresh," as he put it, because the Druagr feed on life energy. Any injury to her would likely sour the meal. Or perhaps there is something more that we are not seeing." The man's face twists in irritation, and he removes his spectacles, angrily massaging the bridge of his nose. "There are too many damned unknowns about this. We are losing time wandering around this city on one clue after the other, and getting no closer with any." He puts the glasses back on his face. "Come, let's go see to this boat."

[ewancummins]

Dorgio shoots Norzak a disgusted look when the dwarf strikes the prisoner. When Norzak mouths "pretend to hold me back," Dorgio gladly obliges, mouthing back, "I'm not pretending."

When the boy gets up to leave, Dorgio turns towards him. "Hold a moment! That...thing said he wanted the girl fresh," he says, remembering Norzak's words. "Do you know more about that?"

The young man lingers a moment, to answer-

''I guess I owe you for patching me up - so I'll answer your question as best I can. Renault told us that the girl had to be fresh and unhurt. I dunno why exactly, except it maybe had something to do with a mirror. Alright then, I've got to get out of this city now. Good luck getting the girl back safe. The boat was to pick us up at pier number five. I'm not going there, but you can find it by moving downstream on this bank of the river.''


With that he finally does leave, walking as swiftly as he can manage. Soon, he is out of sight, swallowed by the gloom.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

"Take the lesson with you!" he calls to the thug as he leaves.

When Benn puts his arm on Dorgio, he gives the scholar a harsh look, but it evaporates almost as soon as it appears. "Perhaps you are correct," he answers, "But the boy would have talked without further coercion. I'm not against a little rough treatment, far from it, but are there no lines? Is he passionate to save this Sancerre girl, or simply for an excuse to wet his blade?"

As he says this, images of his younger days fill his head. Images of him standing over the bloodied and broken boys of Barovian descent, of kicking them as they tried to crawl away, of laughing as they cried for their ill-bred mothers. He shakes the thoughts away, telling himself that it was a different situation in a different time.

The thoughts dispelled, he nimbly rolls a cigarillo. He draws his dagger and gives it a single, solid rap against the confiscated knife. A spark jumps from the blades and almost uncannily lands on the cigarillo's tip. He breathes deeply, wincing only a little as the smoke stings his burns. "Yes, let us find this Sancerre girl, then." Looking to the water, he continues speaking to Benn. "You think we're lucky enough that running water hurts that thing?" He gives a single, cynical chuckle.

As they begin walking towards the pier, he looks at Cirdan. "Holding up well enough?"

[steveflam]

Norzak watches the thug disappear into the night. Glad he was that he had. Else he might have slit the boy's throat! Wass' takin' 'em so long?? Bah! 'Umans 'n' half-pointy eared peeples. That Marcel wassisname's in for a rude awakenin'. Kidnappin' innocents. I'll show him tha error 'o' his ways, 'n' get lil missy back ta her da, I promise. When thass done, I wanna see tha lil gurl I near killded earlier. Make sure she's doin' fine..... Mebbe bring her a lil' somethin' to wet her appetite, lil dwarvish gift from tha bakery we stopped in where I got me fruitcake!

Norzak leaves his thoughts and turns back to the exit, voice loud and impatient. "Whutch' all doin'? Tain't we gonna take care 'o' this varmint Marcel wassisname? Get yer behinds in gear lads! The night ain't gettin' any younger! Hooss! Hooos! Move it! Move it! Me blades ache fer his blood, so less get a move on. Lil missy is countin' on us. Ye don't want her death on yer consciences do ye?"

[Adam]

Looking to the water, he continues speaking to Benn. "You think we're lucky enough that running water hurts that thing?" He gives a single, cynical chuckle.

"Unlikely. Given our luck, it will probably make him stronger. I doubt we've seen the last of him, in any case." He pauses, reflecting back on the prisoner's words. The mirror. She needed to be unspoiled for the mirror. They could only be speaking of the one discovered by Herr Sancerre, and that could mean that this is all being orchestrated by... Saphire eyes dance through Benn's thoughts, but he shakes the image away as Norzak's cry echoes through the night.

"If you are ready to travel, Herr Cirdan, haste may be called for. I think it is time we ended this."

[Le Noir Faineant]

Sorry, didn't get any new email notifications for this thread for some reason. So I missed all the fun!

Cirdan has spent the last few minutes fixing the rift on his breastplate, and
distractedly nods to Dorgio's and Ben's words.

"Let's go!"

[ewancummins]

After a hurried transit through the moonlit streets of the waterfront, the party arrives at pier number five.

Tied up at the far end of a long and rickety looking wooden pier is a small sailing vessel of the sort ordinarily used to transport passengers and small cargoes on the Musarde. She's pointed downtsream. A half dozen figures can be seen moving about on the deck, and one man stands alone on the wooden boards of the pier.

Drawing closer, you all see that one of the figures on the deck is struggling with two of the others. The combative figure breaks free for a moment and rushes towards the stern of the craft. It's a woman- a woman with red hair. She calls out in a familiar voice:

''Help me! Cirdan! ''

Two of the men aboard the boat grab Evangeline and drag her into the small cabin amidships, slamming the door behind them. The others look to be making final preparations to cast off!

The man on the pier turns to look in the general direction of the party. He is carrying a spear or gaff of some kind.

[Adam]

His jaw grimly set, Bennedict rushes down the docks towards the man, crossbow raised and levelled.

"If you value your life, you'll return the girl immediatly and without a struggle."

[Le Noir Faineant]

"IF you value your life, you end it yourself and spare me the mess!
EVANGELINE!!! HOLD OUT! WE'RE COMING!!!"

Cirdan will run on full speed towards the boat, and jump on it, shield and sword ready!

[ewancummins]

His jaw grimly set, Bennedict rushes down the docks towards the man, crossbow raised and levelled.

"If you value your life, you'll return the girl immediatly and without a struggle."

The man stares at Benn for a long second, then jumps into the river!

[ewancummins]

"IF you value your life, you end it yourself and spare me the mess!
EVANGELINE!!! HOLD OUT! WE'RE COMING!!!"

Cirdan will run on full speed towards the boat, and jump on it, shield and sword ready!

Despite the weight of his armor, Cirdan, driven forward with single-minded purpose, spans the gap in remarkably little time. His last, lunging step carries him off the pier and onto the deck of the boat. A man in a steel breastplate carrying a heavy crossbow comes rushing out of the cabin to meet him. Before the man can even fire a shot, Cirdan's sword smashes through his right shoulder, nearly severing his arm. The crossbowman drops to the deck, mortally wounded.

[ewancummins]

As Cirdan makes for the door of the boat's cabin, a dark-clad figure rises up from a pile of cargo on deck, just behind him and towards the stern. The man carries a long-barrelled pistol in his left hand, and is about to shoot the knight in his back!

As the pistoleer takes aim, Benn shifts his crossbow sights onto the man and fires , almost without thinking. The bolt catches the man in the side of the head, and he slumps to the deck without firing his pistol.

[ewancummins]

Norzak rushes towards the boat and scrambles aboard.

The cabin door is open. Moving sideways around Cirdan as the knight finshes off the crossbowman. Norzak sees Benn drop the heretofore concealed pistoller with one shot! The dwarf makes for the open door as fast as his short legs can carry him.

A tall man appears in the doorway with Evangeline. The stranger stands behind her holding a dagger to her throat. A lantern burns somewHere in the cabin behind them, setting an eerie backglow to the scene. The villain draws his dagger so close to her white neck that you can see drops of blood forming along the edge of the blade's upper surface.
Evangleine remains stock still, a look of terror on her beautiful face.

''No closer, or she dies!'' he shouts in a voice thick with tension.

[If you pause long enough to get a good look at him...he's a distinguished looking fellow with a well trimmed beard and mustache and locks of well coiffured gray-black hair. ]

[ewancummins]

[posting on Tarlyn's behalf, and under his direction]

Norzak makes a show of slowly lowering the short sword in his right hand. As he does so, he reverses his grip on the dagger in his left hand, held low at his side, and hurls it underhanded at the man holding Evangeline hostage. The knife spins through the air, shining in the moonlight....

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

On hearing the coiffed man's words, Dorgio begins to say something that might have been a negotiation, but then he sees Norzak's dagger fly through the air. Seeing that, his initial sound erupts into a scream of rage, and he charges the boat. One moment, the confiscated knife is in his hands, then it's in the air, flying towards the coward. In his mind, he silently prays that the man will focus on him and not the girl.