Ghosts of Gauntcliff Chapter Four

[ewancummins]

The Side Parlor, several minutes later...


Further examination of the old scroll reveals nothing Benn had not already learned (Whether Benn shared all that, and the others remember it--those are seperate questions).
It is written in an archaic dialect, but is decipherable through magic. The ritual it describes is a sort of clerical incantation that draws on the power of 'the Dusklord' to grant some kind of tiara or coronet to the speaker of the rites. This headpiece lends temporary authority over the undead.

[Adam]

"Well," he says, standing up and dusting off his clothes, "this is certainly different. The question, I suppose, is whether I just got closer to home, or further away."

He shields his eyes, scanning in all direction for some indication of where he is and what he may have been intended to do here.

[ewancummins]

BENN, BEYOND THE WALLS OF SLEEP

"Well," he says, standing up and dusting off his clothes, "this is certainly different. The question, I suppose, is whether I just got closer to home, or further away."

He shields his eyes, scanning in all direction for some indication of where he is and what he may have been intended to do here.

Benn spots a short, lean figure moving in the greenery to his left, about twenty yards distant from his current position.

[Adam]

Bennedict waves at the lean figure. "Hello there?" he shouts.

[ewancummins]

Bennedict waves at the lean figure. "Hello there?" he shouts.

The figure retreats into the thick foliage. Benn hears branches moving and twigs crunching, and then all is still and silent.

[ewancummins]

Juergin-

Juergin asks Grus and Smezel "Where are we? Are we close to the fat one?"

Gruz answers,"We in town. "

Smezel stops picking his nose long enough to add, "Town fat. Real fat. Lotta houses."

[steveflam]

Juergin looks at Smezel and giggles "My Grandmother used to ask me when I was picking my nose Are you digging for gold? Smezel you just reminded me of my grandmother. Thank you."

The lad looks around. He smiles at Gruz. "Gruz, can you lead me to the fat one now? His name is Benn, by the way and he is my friend. Speaking of friends, I hope I can count both you and Smezel as my friends now. I would like to think so. How about this. For my very special friends, I have a special handshake that we do when we are made special friends. Here, hold out your hand like this."

Juergin holds his hand out as if it will be shook by Gruz or Smezel.

"Okay, now, here is very important. We each spit in our own hands, like this."

Juergin hoarks a big spit in his hand and holds it out to Gruz first.

"You do the same, now, then you Smezel."

Once Gruz does it, Juergin grasps his hand in his gently in a firm handshake.

"There, we are special friends now."

He repeats the same procedure with Smezel.

"Okay, now we are three special friends. I like your town, by the way. I was wondering if you knew how to open the door back to where I came from?"

[ewancummins]

Gruz blinks.
"Get back?"

Smezel coughs.
"Uhhh....Iron magic no work. We gotta us the door in that house."

Gruz nods.
"Door in that house."

[steveflam]

Juergin smiles reassuringly at both Gruz and Smezel. "Okay. Can you lead me to that house or the fat one, Benn?"

[ewancummins]

Juergin smiles reassuringly at both Gruz and Smezel. "Okay. Can you lead me to that house or the fat one, Benn?"

Smezel bobs his head.
"Okay, we go now."

Smezel leads Juergin, Gruz, and Dark One through the winding streets of the town.

Now and then, the boy hears heavy footsteps following the party, but he never sees any pursuers. Neither moon nor stars show in the night sky, but the occasional flash of lighting throws the crazily tilted buildings of the town into sharp relief against the gloom. Juergin notices something odd; whenever he looks back the streets and buildings do not match his memory. It's as if the city is shifting, always just out of his sight. He passes a stone tower shaped like a corkscrew, and when he looks back he sees only a vacant lot overgrown with crawling purple weeds.

[steveflam]

The lad finds this very odd, and having no experience in these matters, wishes Benn or Dorgio were there to explain it to him. He goes the other route, and asks Smezel, whom he deems more knowledgeable in magic matters because he cast the spell.

"Smezel, why is it that I see a buidling. But when I look back, do not see it anymore?"

[Ail]

Eustace relates to the others what he found and goes on with his thoughts, but aloud so everyone can follow them:

"Domain over the undead... a repulsive power that has led many a greedy practitioner to doom. But it does suggest that these things are undead. And if that is the case, then none were at the abbey when we went a second time, or that heavy door blocks divine power.

The alternative, which is not an impossible one, is that this incantation really didn't work because these things are not undead... and that would explain, partly, the absence of survivours.

But I have yet another problem..."

he continues musingly.

"If this Dusklord is the deity of those monks, then how do we fit that with the inscription on the door that seemed to make this god so malevolent? There's something here I can not quite get."

[ewancummins]

The lad finds this very odd, and having no experience in these matters, wishes Benn or Dorgio were there to explain it to him. He goes the other route, and asks Smezel, whom he deems more knowledgeable in magic matters because he cast the spell.

"Smezel, why is it that I see a buidling. But when I look back, do not see it anymore?"

Smezel shrugs.

''Uhhh...dunno. Always like that."

[steveflam]

"Okay, Smezel, thank you." Juergin frowns and follows his two new friends.

"Dark One", the lad whispers "Is this another country like Mordent or Lamordia?"

[ewancummins]

"Okay, Smezel, thank you." Juergin frowns and follows his two new friends.

"Dark One", the lad whispers "Is this another country like Mordent or Lamordia?"

''Another country, yes, but not like Mordent or Lamordia. This place is different."