The Devil's Dreams, Chapter Five

[Adam]

If no one stops him, Benn opens Cirdan's former bag cautiously. He attempts to remove its contents, doing so in the fashion he recalled the knight using to retrieve items from inside.

"He was a friend of ours," he absently mutters to Eustace. "One we lost long ago." Benn's troubled expression clearly indicates there is more to the story, but he does not elaborate.

[RocEter]

Thom shakes his head at both Dorgio's and Benn's request. "The letter is a personal letter, address to Gauderic. More then likely from his mother. I didn't read the letter as I felt it wasn't my place to do so." he says. "I still feel the same, that is why I snatched the letter. I can tell you what I believe the contents are, and that Gauderic's reaction shows favor to them."

Pulling out the sketch and the lock hair, Thom walks over to Dorgio and hands them over. "I am fairly certain that Theophile is Gauderic's father and now the boy is either chasing after him or going back to the manor to kill Ferenc himself. I just hope this delay Alain has caused me doesn't cost the young lord his life." He says.

Thom looks at Everline " I will be going with you.. I leave Alain to the rest of you. He should be handed over to the sheriff immediately upon return."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"How's about handin' 'im over to a doctor, instead?" Everline suggests. "That devil-horn made us all go crazy in our own ways. Maybe he just didn't get the full benefit of the antidote yet. He has had the antidote, yeah? No one's skipped it?"

[Ail]

"How's about handin' 'im over to a doctor, instead?" Everline suggests. "That devil-horn made us all go crazy in our own ways. Maybe he just didn't get the full benefit of the antidote yet. He has had the antidote, yeah? No one's skipped it?"

"Hummm... I have yes. And as far as I know, Alain was the first one to drink it. Anyway, if Thom is right, things change considerably. I don't think Gauderic is in danger from Theophile, but a reaction of people so much distressed is totally unpredictable. At any rate, I still think some of us should return to the manor, take Lady Gennifer and explain to the sheriff what has happened. We also want to know what Ferenc will do and it is not clear that we should let him go away. Also, we don't have a clue what time it is already... at least, I don't. "

[Adam]

Pulling out the sketch and the lock hair, Thom walks over to Dorgio and hands them over. "I am fairly certain that Theophile is Gauderic's father and now the boy is either chasing after him or going back to the manor to kill Ferenc himself. I just hope this delay Alain has caused me doesn't cost the young lord his life." He says.

Thom looks at Everline " I will be going with you.. I leave Alain to the rest of you. He should be handed over to the sheriff immediately upon return."

"How can you know that?" Benn asks. "And if you had useful information, why keep it to yourself?"

[RocEter]

"At the time, you were all resting and gathering your strength to press forward." Thom says. "At the time it was necessary for action not explaination. I had no idea the resulting events would take place. At most I expected to spoken to in a firm manner once the situation was resovled." He says.

"As for your first question, well a sketch can speak thousands words."

Hummm... I have yes. And as far as I know, Alain was the first one to drink it. Anyway, if Thom is right, things change considerably. I don't think Gauderic is in danger from Theophile, but a reaction of people so much distressed is totally unpredictable. At any rate, I still think some of us should return to the manor, take Lady Gennifer and explain to the sheriff what has happened. We also want to know what Ferenc will do and it is not clear that we should let him go away. Also, we don't have a clue what time it is already... at least, I don't. "

"Alain was the first of us to drink the elixir. I felt fine immediately after drinking it and haven't suffered a halucination since. Alain attack with hositle intent, intent to kill me. I have no intentions of letting this pass so easily, I will see to it the law is enforced and justice is done." He says.

[Adam]

Benn examines the sketch, still absently fumbling with Cirdan's bag.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Law an' justice ain't always the same," Everline says, shaking her head. "Less' catch up ta Theophile an' Gauderic first, then snag Ferenc and find out what possessed Alain after that, yeah? For no..." Everline pulls a coil of rope out of her pack. "Less' jus' truss him up nice an' proper so we don't have more problems, shall we?"

[JMaytr]

"You are of course correct Dorgio...a blade to the back was not my best idea. I honestly didn't expect my attack to do more than scratch and distract the madman. A lucky shot...I just wanted the murderous attack on Thom to stop. I happen to agree with the bookseller: that letter was not addressed to us. I worked with the Delapores a long time before this recent...madness...but I do remember something about etiquette and privacy.

"When I got my wits I figured a dance might be a better option, but he shook that off as NO ONE has before. His mind has to be corrupted to be able to withstand such an elegant performance* So the blade was a good call after all."

Zandor begins to lay out Alain's belongings: the bag, some vials, its when Zandor searches Alains hands that he falls back with a start.

"His hands..those aren't human hands!." The bard has a look of horror on his face.

"He is a monster!"





*hmmmmmm

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"What's wrong with his hands?" Everline asks, and takes a better look.

[JMaytr]

"The fingers...they are too long, they have an extra digit in them! These are the hands of a demon."

Zandor has a sudden look of clarity.

"Maybe...I'm suffering from the madness poison...someone else check him! I cannot damn a man if I am ill."

[Ail]

"The fingers...they are too long, they have an extra digit in them! These are the hands of a demon."

Zandor has a sudden look of clarity.

"Maybe...I'm suffering from the madness poison...someone else check him! I cannot damn a man if I am ill."

Upon hearing these words, Eustace has all his witch/warlock alarms go up in his head. He examines the warlock and tries his best judgement, from his training at the monastery, at what Alain is.

(Or maybe there is nothing to see. Anyway:)

Kno. Arcana: 1d20+11 = 26 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3064090/
Kno. history: 1d20+9 = 11 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3064091/
Kno. religion: 1d20+11 = 24 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3064092/
Lore: 1d20 + 10 = 27 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3064094/

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

"I'm agreeing with Everline. I am not knowing what went through Alain's mind, but I am knowing what the 'law' of Richemulot is worth. I say we find out for ourselves what is going on..."

"The note, maybe it was addressed to Gauderic, but who is knowing what we risk by not opening it? Good manners should be taking a back seat here, I am thinking."

"I see what you're saying," but your sword has a hilt, yes? Sometimes a simple pop to the skull is all you need."

Instinctively he draws back when he sees the extra fingers. "He did say he was from a far realm...but a demon? Perhaps he is merely caliban..."

[ewancummins]

Alain's hands are elongated and subtly twisted. There's something unwholesome, something not-quite-natural about those hands. Everyone can see this. He does indeed have an extra digit on each finger (but not his thumbs). Rotwang and Toddlestone confirm this with a quick examination.

Rotwang says-

''I never noticed it before. That's very odd. This is no hallucination, I'm sure. Even those of us who were never infected can see it. I can touch his fingers and feel the extra joints. Was he always deformed like this, or has some change come over his body?"

Benn empties the bag. Out of the bag's mouth tumble a large collection of weapons, money, and sundry other items. Among these things are several items that Benn and Dorgio recognize as belonging to Sir Cirdan: his fine red cloak with his monogram, a perfume bottle of elvish make, an ornate dagger, and so on.

Neither Benn nor Dorgio ever knew what happened to the knight's property, including his magic bag. The party, in its sadness and confusion, never made provision for their fallen comrade's belongings to be returned to his rightful heirs. That was over a year ago.

Eustace spots something else in the pile- a vial of pearly liquid, identical in appearance to the medicine that Alain gave to the others.


Gennifer Weathermay kneels beside Alain's recumbent form. She looks over his hands. A flicker of revulsion crosses her pretty face.

''I saw his hands before- they were not like this. That's right, isn't it?"

She looks at Benn and Dorgio with a worried expression on her face.

''I gather that you two have known him the longest? Is this new? My uncle taught us, Laurie and I-"

-her eyes grow moist-

"that most deformed persons are simply the unfortunate victims of nature. They are to be pitied and helped, not hated and hunted. But some deformities have a deeper significance. In his research on fiends and on hags, our uncle learned that some persons are marked by evil forces, and the evil causes their bodies to change shape. If Alain’s hands were normal before, and have changed…..it could be some strange mutation caused by a curse, but it may also be a manifestation of inner corruption. “

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio shakes his head at Rotwang's question. "No...now that I'm thinking of it, his hands were not always like this. Those fingers, they are new!"

"And that cloak is Cirdan's! These are evil signs...we must leave this place and regroup, and find out what in the nine hells has befallen us."

He pauses a moment at the mention of Laurie. "I...i offer you my condolences. If we had arrived sooner...but we were driven back by the demons. The dwarf, he gave his life to stem the tide.

He grits his teeth and nods at her explanation. "Yes...I think I have heard that before. Alain, what have you let happen to yourself?"