A Stitch in Souragne - La Rue des Tristepas

[Ail]

Zumba greets Lucien warmly and his eyes widen at the compliments he receives. Such a different character from the abrasive Vincent, he thought, but still wanting to know about my past..

"I agree with you", he says. "I have learned to mistrust authority and prefer to do things if there is a way to them, instead of waiting for rules and permissions."

As Lucien comments on his physical prowess, he nods
"I was very pressed up there. I did not know there were two, and I thought I was going to die up there. Fortunately, the old man appeared. But it is I who must thank you for weakening him in the first place. Alas... I could almost not hit him at all, and his sword was too much for me. Another blow like the one that hit me would have done me in."

When Vincent appears, Zumba's eyes show signs of strong approval and wonder. At length, he comments: "Well done, sir. You're an example to us."

And then the stone rises. He gasps speechless and makes a blessing sign of some kind while murmuring a prayer to Kurkva.

He keeps his distance from the stone, held by a superstitious fear.

[steveflam]

Goren turns to Sarosse speaking in Souragnien "Child live huts....... is elves of sea in swamp, yes? Why, why she fright of me healering her? I help, no?" He spies the white stone and frowns. "Pebble was being black, no? Now is white color...... this pebble evil? Is relate to evil white robed man in some way, yes?" Scratching the beard under his chin, he looks at the stone and then back to the others. "Maybe...... maybe stone is connect to swamp? I repeating again, I casted water spell and other spell and hear thundering in swamp at same time in moment. Not normal I think. Not......... naturally... yes natural."

[Guzrath]

Not getting any replies from the mademoiselle Vincent hesitates "I see you are very busy mademoiselle, I will leave you to it, my apologies".

He turns around and walks outside, where he is greeted by Lucien and Zumba. He gladly accepts his bag back. At Lucien's comment about bravery and foolishness Vincent draws a blank face, not seeming to comprehend what he is talking about. He wants to reply, but Zumba speaks of an example. He is taken aback for a moment, "example?" he mutters questioningly and confused. He opens his mouth to reply, but is interrupted by the stone floating up.

He stares at it and observes Lucien crouching nearby the stone to inspect it. He looks at Goren, then at Zumba and any other people who were courages enough to still be standing in the vicinity as if looking for something, but not knowing what. He feels like he is missing something important.
After Goren speak:"It's stone" he says "a pebble is very small" he adds using his indexfinger and thumb to give Goren an idea of the size.

"I agree with our red haired priest over here, that it's not natural. These people by the village look to me as innocent bystanders. Why they were afraid of your healing? I have no idea Goren" he says scratching his scarred ear. "But I can think of about a thousand reasons to be afraid of a priest...... or any other form of authority for that matter. What you said about hearing thunder, what was that exactly all about? What do you mean hearing thunder when casting a spell? Every time? Certain spells? Only water related? Or is it just a coincidence?" He asks

[Ail]

Looking at the stone, and hearing Goren and Vincent, Zumba says

"Perhaps these people know something about magic we don't. Perhaps they understand why spells that were cast on the zombies made them stronger. Perhaps magic here is not good to them."

He makes a blessing sign again.

"I don't like that stone. It should be destroyed if we knew how..."

[Ken of Ghastria]

"You may not like it," says Lucien, without looking back, "but it's also a substance that is completely resistant to the vile acid that could have liquefied us as it did to those horses. Disturbing or not, we'd be foolish if we didn't try to use it to our advantage." Lucien waits until it looks as though all the black liquid has evaporated, then he takes a kerchief out of a pocket and touches it against the white marble.

Once it seems safe to touch, Lucien says, "Now we have to figure out where to bring it, though. We can't leave it here, and we've lost the coach." He looks at Vincent and Goren, who were not present for the last converation. "Warden Sarosse suggested we stay at the Beached Alligator Inn nearby. I suggest we do so. We'll get little help from the withered popinjay Demarrier -- that's the fool who interrupted you, Vincent -- but Sarosse is a different story. I think she'll get us an audience with La Gugoine so we can get answers -- and hopefully very soon. The Erzaites and the Voudon priests are planning a massive ritual to restore water. Considering how every other attempt from them has failed, I fear that this could be like pouring oil on an already dangerous fire."

He looks at his clothing, ripped in spots and stained and partially eaten away by the ghoulish acid. "Hmm, this has seen better days. Excuse me, gentlemen...." He takes off the tattered shirt and wraps it around the white stone as best as he can. Vincent, Zumba, and Goren can see that his torso, while not particularly muscular, is well defined and has several apparently recent scars. A sparse coating of thin, dark brown hair covers some of his back and upper arms. Around each forearm is a metallic bracer, inscribed with strange runes.

"Shall we take this to the inn?" he asks, his green eyes silently asking for assistance. "The four of us still have notes to share about these events, I believe. First round of ale will be my treat."

[steveflam]

Goren listens and smiles. He moves forward and lends a hand to Lucien with the white stone. Souragnien
"I liking we share informations. I uh, " Goren blushes and looks down, embarassed about his financial situation, unsure if these men will understand the vow he has taken, no personal wealth and such, " Um I no permitted coins or wealthiness as of Oath taken.... with Morninglord. No items of magicness at all. I find, I give to those who is are neeeding. I can no keep anything valuing." He shrugs, hoping they won't judge him too harshly. "I want go see elf of the sea children near swamp though. Maybe tomorrow. I sure if they having shaman, maybe he can help us as well. Sometimes, um, those not human like elf or dwarf much much wise compared to humans. They living longer than we and more patient! Hahahah! So, um, I go with Inn to you. I have ration so can eat."

Goren pats a pouch at his waist.

[Ail]

"You want to bring that stone with us?!" Zumba exclaims alarmed.
"Why?! I don't see how it can help. Plus it's evil, it's all evil, I'm sure of it... if you ask me, it's a bad idea."

He is now visibly nervous.

[Guzrath]

"If you've got the first round Monsieur Lucien, I will take it to at least do the second one" Vincent says.
"Why so nervous Zumba?" he asks "you sat inside moping next to the stone and you are still in complete order" he says smiling.

To Goren he says "It might be they know something or not. Let's see tomorrow, shall we." he adresses the group "It's incredibly hot as usual, we've spent all day in some kind of trouble, our clothes are dirty beyond imagination, if we can still call them that." He says while walking to help Lucien with the stone. "I believe a little reprieve would be in order. A good meal, some fine wine and some good talk. Standing in the open between all these curious people, half naked, bloodied and playing with the stone of mystery for some reason makes me feel uncomfortable, but maybe it's just me." He helps Lucien with the stone.

[Ail]

Vincent's words calm Zumba somewhat, and send away some of the natural superstitious fear of the souragnien. It's true he came in the coach with the stone, but he hadn't clearly seen by then how bewitched it was. And now that he had seen the zombies walk to the swamp and considering the thunder Goren spoke about, he was sure the Lord of Dead was behind the spell on the stone, somehow.

Mumbling a prayer to the Maiden of the Swamp, occasionally saying aloud "the Lord of the Dead preserve us", he gives a hand to the other two in moving the stone.

Anyone looking at him will get the impression that while he's doing this he is actually chanting some protecting ritual formula.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

(OOC: A slight delay on Warden Sarosse's reply; je m'excuse!)

Warden Sarosse blinks at Vincent's question about a place to have his laundry done, but replies readily enough: "If you will go to the Beached Alligator Inn, they will take care of your clothes, monsieur. It is a truly fine Inn, and though they do charge accordingly, your stay there includes such service. As for baths... well..." Warden Sarosse looks a little embarrassed, but then hands Vincent a cloth bag filled with what appears to be fine, white sand. "It chafes a bit to ah, rub it on yourself, and you must be certain to get it all off or it will chafe horribly. But with the water shortage, it is the best alternative, and it does just as good a job of cleaning you as a hot bath would. You can get more such sand at the Inn, too."

The Anchorite smiles at Lucien's request to inform La Gugoine and nods. "Oui, monsieur. I will most definitely inform her as soon as she returns from the secret meeting -- ah! You must not tell anyone not of your group about it, please? You are friends, I can tell, but somewhere out there is an enemy."

The smile on Warden Sarosse's face dies a quiet death. "If you will now excuse me, messieurs, I have to... see about poor Jeremy."

You may well have forgotten about the Anchorite who was dissolved by the black goo, but it is clear that Warden Sarosse had not. Carefully, the hem of her robes lifted high enough so it will not drag through the slime, she makes her way to the place where her comrade stood before his gruesome death. She looks down sadly - at a spot that looks no different from any other touched by the vicious black liquid. "We may have to make a cenotaph marker if we can not... distinguish him," you hear the young woman sigh. "Poor Jeremy..."

So absorbed is Warden Sarosse in the conundrum of Jeremy's final rites, that she does not seem to register Goren's question quite right. "Hmm? Elves? No, no, no Elves here," she says. "The only Elf I know in all Souragne is Monsieur Greenleaf, from the Port d'Elhour Temple."

You have no trouble lifting the white stone from its resting place. It is heavy enough, but working together, sharing your strength, you can move it with relative ease. Only one thing disturbs you as you carry the stone through the streets of Marais de Tarascon and head for the Beached Alligator Inn.

Everywhere the bloodstains on Lucien's tattered shirt touch the stone, it sizzles. It is not unlike hearing bacon frying at a distance. The stone does nothing that you can see or feel, but it still sizzles. And by the time you arrive at the Inn, you can see that the bloodstains are quite, quite gone...

End Chapter.