A Stitch in Souragne: The Siege of Lac Noir

[Ken of Ghastria]

"'Death rides with the rain'?" repeats Lucien with evident skepticism after both Papa Doc and Zumba speak. Don't get drawn into a futile argument, Lucien, Claude chides him privately. This sounds like an unprovable religious notion, and you know how poorly THOSE arguments go.

Lucien shrugs, and then says to Papa Doc, "All right, I'll try your restorative concoction, my friend. Pass the cup, s'il vous plaît."

Once the pewter cup is in his hands, Lucien quickly takes a swallow of the liquid before he changes his mind.

[steveflam]

Goren doesn't say anything but helps with the fire and nods a strict no for Papa Doc's drink with a smile.

[Ail]

Zumba looks directly at Vincent.

"You have asked that to me before. What is your interest in me? I haven't answered then and I won't answer now, until I understand and agree with your motives."

[Guzrath]

"You have asked that to me before. What is your interest in me? I haven't answered then and I won't answer now, until I understand and agree with your motives."

"Understand and agree with my motives?" he repeats laughing.
Vincent takes on an arrogant stance, his head high, straightening his back "I wish to know your weakness, what motivates you so that I may manipulate you in becoming my own personal black servant." he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh my" he says exaggerated, a hand on his heart as if hurting "the fact that I've had to do so much on my own, no man to serve me breakfast in bed, clean my clothes, ready my gear and weapons, carry my belongings" he exhales overtly and looks at Zumba his hand theatrically stretching out as if to symbolically reach out to him, his head hanging a bit sideways as if in grief "but you have discovered my evil plans and I will have to find another victim" he says dramatically.

He stands up and walks to Goren, crouching down besides him. "Tell me Goren" he says in a normal tone "you come from a land none of us have heard of. I'm curious. Tell us about your homeland while we are sitting here tending our wounds and before continuing our great expedition.".

[Rock of the Fraternity]

With an almost elegant motion, Papa Doc presses the poker against the wounds on Zumba's arm. The Capoeira's skin sizzles, and the stench of roasting human flesh wafts across the little island. Zumba feels hideous pain every time the poker touches him, but when it is over, his cuts look considerably less ugly.

(OOC: Ail, you gain 5 hp.)

Lucien finds the quick swig of whatever Papa Doc is drinking to be not much more pleasant. The drink burns going down, hits his stomach like a docker's boot, and lies there like lead. Strangely enough, once the wracking cough has passed and Lucien has managed to blink the tears out of his eyes, he does feel a bit better.

(OOC: Ken, you also gain 5 hp.)

Papa Doc cackles maliciously at the half-elf's discomfort. "When ye're my age," he says, "ya dring hard. If'n I din't, wouldn' know Ah was dringin'."


(OOC: Everyone, Listen and Spot checks, DC12, if you please!)

[Ail]

Zumba looks up as Papa Doc grips his arm and Vincent speaks.
With angry black eyes, he says


"I don't take kindly to that speech, Vincent! Watch your arrogant mouth, or next time you may find yourself croc-food. Companion or not, you have made it very clear many times you are not my friend."

[Ken of Ghastria]

Lucien continues to grimace, but he can't deny the restorative effects of the potion. "Yes... kaff, well... Papa Doc, I could introduce you to some associates in Borca who would love to sample your concoction. Kaff.

"And you two," he indicates Vincent and Zumba, "I do not particularly care whether your fascinating discussion on slavery and self-determination ends in bloodshed... as long as it does not happen today."

The red-haired man stands up. "Are we ready to continue?"

[steveflam]

Goren looks up and adds Souragnien Is not right momentum of disputed words, I thinking. And we together, not emenies, er enemies. Is pointless you squabble." Goren sighs and looks around, listening to the swamp.

[Guzrath]

"Dispute?" he mumbles half in surprise. "Do these people have any sense of humor or are they just too tense?" he thinks to himself. "Maybe they do not understand sarcasm and the like...... naaaah, they must simply be too tense."
Noticing he doesn't get a reply from Goren he sighs in disappointment. He gets up and walks to pappa Doc and sits down. "Well, time to do mine before we leave" and he lifts up his blouse to expose the multiple wounds.

He looks at Lucien. "How about you then Lucien? Want to share where you are from?" he asks genuinely.

"Pappa Doc, in which direction are we going next?" he asks quickly in between.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"We goin' da same direction as before," Papa Doc says with a shrug. "Joos' pause 'ere ta fix you boahs up a bit, den..."

The old man's voice trails off as he turns his head at a noise. You all hear the same noise; it's a sloshing sound in the middle distance, accompanied by coarse, guttural vocalizations.

The thing to remember is that the swamp's water level is lower than it usually is. Sandbanks that are usually submerged at this time of year now lie close to the surface, as do piles of flotsam, jetsam and downright muck. Without the drought, they would probably have gone unnoticed. But here you are. And here and now, you can all see and hear them.

Under normal circumstances, they would have marched under the surface of the water. They would not have cared; the dead do not breathe; the dead do not care about the nibbling of the swamp's tiny inhabitants; the dead do not complain about discomfort.
Zombies. A row of zombies is trudging past at about one hundred feet. There is no mistaking the tattered-looking bodies, the grey skin, the signs of rot. Worse, there are the infrequent noises they make, the 'Aaarrwww...' of a zombie without orders to be quiet. They trudge on with the implacable rhythm of the obedient dead, their bodies swaying and jerking, their upper limbs flopping lifelessly as their heads face rigidly forward and their rotting tongues loll from between their teeth.
Nor are all the zombies of the human variety; a dead deer, its slender legs now rigid and awkward, trudges at the back of the short line of obedients. Its guts trail along the ground and through the muck, the wound that ended its life a grisly, black-lipped slash in its stomach.

"Well," Papa Doc says in a quiet voice, and points a finger at the zombies. "We's goin' da same way 's dem, more a' less."

[Ail]

Zumba is frightened by the sounds but regains his composure. And when Papa Doc speaks, he simply says in a low tone

"Wel.... as long as THEY don't come in the same direction as I..."

[steveflam]

Goren observes the Zombie procession and his eyes narrow. His immediate reflex would be to grasp his Holy Symbol and try to turn away these foul undead. In the short time he has been in Souragne he realizes that this action would be at best useless. From what he knows about Zombies, they are mindless creatures at best. Unless someone is controlling them. He judges this to be the case. Unhappy about them having to go in the same direction, he accepts their fate.

Turning to look at Papa Doc, he smiles. Though the native was an old man he was tough as nails and his methods, though crude were in all actuality effective. Once the old man is done with his red hot poker, Goren will move motion to the old man to let him know he wishes to inspect the wounds with a practiced eye.

Speaking in a low voice, he says.

Souragnien "I thinks Zombies controlled ....... Normal Zombie not all one together and having no thoughts. Person controlleding them. I no want go same way but if we does, we keep safe distance. Me having much experience with undeath monsters such as Zombies. Not very successful here, but knows we not need tempting fate."

[Ken of Ghastria]

He looks at Lucien. "How about you then Lucien? Want to share where you are from?" he asks genuinely.

"Darkon," replies Lucien matter-of-factly. "Nevuchar Springs, to be ex--" The rest of his response is halted by the sight of the gruesome procession of zombies.

"Well," Papa Doc says in a quiet voice, and points a finger at the zombies. "We's goin' da same way 's dem, more a' less."

"That is fine with me," the half-elf says grimly. "Whether our path leads us to Chicken Bone or the bastard behind recent events, we shall get answers today, one way or the other. We'll follow, but at a distance."

[Guzrath]

Vincent observes the procession of undead, transfixed. The gruesome terrible sight does not leave him unmoved.
"Time to go I presume" he says grabbing his equipment and starts whistling the happy tone again, while his mind wanders tries to take grip on the scene he just observed.

[steveflam]

Goren turns to Guzrath as the raft advances. Souragnien " My land much differently from Souragne. Is huge continent. Moi raise in Eauprofonde,,, uh that WaterDeep. Is City of Splendid..... Splendors,,,,,,,,,, yes , Splendors. Much much citizenships there in hot months. In cold months is very cold and least people there. Many religions there too. Largest port in all of continent from what I readed somewhere in book. I orphelin so no mother and father there. I live at Temple, learn MorningLord ways and now Priest."