Mists over the Musarde, Chapter Four

[Lord Skybolt]

Alain ask's "Did we dispel her for know ? If we did we need to find her bones or whatever is possibly allowing her to keep manifesting on this plane of reality . We need to destroy whatever keeps allowing her to come back . We don't know how long she will be dispelled so we needed to be quick about it though !!"

[steveflam]

"I bet they're in this keep 'ere somewhere. I'll send me shadow to look for em just as we should too. Is everyone awright? I hope Jon is safe. We need ta find him a cure I be thinking."

OOC: So do we take 20 to look for the bones or not? Better chance for success.

[JMaytr]

Jonathan comes into the group's view.

"I found Wat everyone! He was chained up in a cell. There are other cells up there too. I freed him from his chains. We'd better flee before that witch comes back!"

[ewancummins]

Wat comes limping along behind Jon. He is dirty and haggard, but manages to smile to see the rest of the party.

''Friends! Where is the Witch? ''

Wat's smile quickly fades. He looks about himself nervously, staring hard at the shadows as if expecting Wolutha to leap out and get him at any moment. Seeing what's left of Van Diecks, he says-

''The bad man- you have killed him.''

[JMaytr]

"We are all weakened from this melee. I suggest we escort Wat back to the camp and recover. We need to heal Alain's eyes!"

Jonathan puts his hand on Wat's arm.

"Lets go friend. Yes, we stopped the bad man. Let's get you back to your kin."

Jonathan leads Wat away from the party to leave the castle.

[steveflam]

Norzak is glad to see Jon, and even to see Wat. "I am unsure if tha bitch is dead. Alain thinks we be needin ta fin er bones an destroy em ta really kill er fer good. I sent me shadow around ta look fer bones an was actually gonna do tha same. Depends what e'eryone wants ta do though.

I be glad ta see yer okay tho. So, whut we doin then?" He turns to the others and awaits a response.

[Lord Skybolt]

"Well I think Wat should lead me out of the keep as I'm just hinderance to the party right now, but the rest of you need to find out what may be allowing her to come back to this world ." Alain says in response to Norzak

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

When the witch dissipates, Dorgio tumbles forward in pain. For a long while he is doubled over in pain, his world nearly white. Then there is a sound, a dry, raspy cackle.

"That is how are doing it!"

He grits his teeth. <i>The kiss of fire, it is a mark of the Morninglord.</i> He places a hand on his chest, and speaks a word of healing, sighing with visible relief as some of his burns close.

The priest even manages to smile when he sees Jon with Wat. "I am thanking you."

I be glad ta see yer okay tho. So, whut we doin then?" He turns to the others and awaits a response.

"We must be taking this opportunity to learn more of her. I am thinking we should be finding books, journals, letters, or anything else that would be telling us more of how she was dying."

That said, he kneels by Van Diecks' body, and begins his search.

[ewancummins]

the dungeons, near the teleport room , in the lower hall

The pistol Van Diecks used to shoot Cirdan , and its twin on his belt, are both quite obviously the same weapons that had belonged to Buckman. There is a pocketknife in the dead man's shredded coat. Dorgio also finds a big hunting knife among the dead man's things. He finds no notes or other written materials. He finds the hand mirror which was stolen from the party back in Richemulot, tucked into a slim leather case.

[ewancummins]

Jon, Alain, and Wat- leaving the Keep

While the rest of the party searches for clues, rests, etc Jon leads Wat and Alain out of the dungeon. Down the hall, up a short flight of stairs, past rows of cells, up more stairs you go. At the top of the stairs you see sunlight. You move through this last archway, and you're standing in the rubble-littered courtyard of the keep. It is warmer here than down below- much warmer, and more humid, as well. The surface portion of the keep looks much the same as when you first laid eyes on it- a tumbledown square fortress of ancient masonry, with only a single tower left standing among the four that once rose above the walls. The main gate stands open, the doors having long since decayed and fallen from the hinges. No one blocks your escape.

Down the withered hillside, through the field of dead grass, and into the cool shade of the woods goes your little band with all due haste. Wat leads the way to his cabin. Jon keeps a hand on Alain's right shoulder, guiding the blind man lest he trip on a tree root or a loose stone. Soon, the keep has vanished from view and there is only the sun dappled forest all about you.

Hiking through the woods, you reach Wat's cabin as the afternoon sun is beginning to dip low in the sky. The heavy tree cover tends to block out much of the light, so what must be only late afternoon seems more like the twlight hours. Wat is greeted by one of his dogs, which comes bounding from behind the house, barking with excitement. The animal looks well enough, although it could certainly use a good wash and combing.

''Eh, boy! Good beast!''

Wat opens the door, peeks inside, then enters. He turns and beckons,


''Come inside.''

[Le Noir Faineant]

Cirdan's voice sounds dull under his helmet.

"Anyone... Help me up? - Can't walk, can't.... Think."

The knight coughs and black blood drips from down under the vizor.

"My sword..."

[JMaytr]

Jonathan pats the dog on its head and pets the creature. The comforting warmth of Wat's cabin is relaxing after the melee of the day.

"Lay down Alain. Get some rest. How are your eyes?"

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

"Ha!" He holds the mirror for the rest of them to see. "Another piece of the puzzle." He then unsheathes the hunting knife, and examines the blade. He then does the same thing for the pocket knife. He looks for any signs of blood or any other distinguishing details. He tests their edges, applying his knowledge of the healing arts to try and make an educated guess about the kinds of wounds the blades could cause. <i>Could these be the blades that killed the women and Grigori?</i>

Before he goes to search the rest of the keep, Dorgio speaks a word of healing over Cirdan. "That was very brave, my friend. A shame about the sword, but swords serve to be broken. A little like us, I would be supposing. But not today, at least!" He smiles and claps the knight on the shoulder, then winces from the residual pain of the burns.

With that accomplished, he will continue his search.

[ewancummins]

in the keep-

Dorgio searches the rest of the small dungeon. Going down the passage away from the teleport room, he finds a short set of stairs. Up these and through an open archway, he discovers a long hall lined on either side with small, dark cells, just as Jon had described [where Wat had been held]. At the far end of the hall are stairs going up, and a glimmer of sunlight.

Once he makes a light for himself, he's able to search the cells in this hall properly. Most of the cells are empty of anything more than dust, vermin, and bits of rubbish. In one of the cells, he finds a mouldered, partially caved in, human skull. The rest of the skeleton is naught but splinters of yellow bone, just fragments and dust. Rusted manacles hang from the wall nearby. The position of the skull might suggest that it lays where it had fallen when the prisoner to whom it once belonged died chained to the back wall of the cell.

[ewancummins]

Wat's cabin-


Wat roots through his cupboard for a few minutes, and returns to the main room [where Jon an Alain are resting] with a small sack of foodstuffs.
He then distributes food to his guests: smoked fish, jerky, some dried fruit, and acorn bread.

''I'll fetch some water from the stream now. Give me your empty skins, if you have such, and I'll fill them. Hurry- I don't want to be out after dark!''