Ghosts of Gauntcliff Chapter Four

[Adam]

"Exiled Princes?" Benn says, "as it happens, finding lost things are one of my specialties. May I inquire as to specifics?"

He picks his notebook out of the bag along with a pencil, flipping to a blank page with his walking stick stuck under one arm.

[steveflam]

JUERGIN

Juergin attacks the smaller creature with his lock pick.

The steel pick twists in his hand as he stabs it into the creature's body.

''Yeeow! Me give up, me give up! Don't kill me, nice boy!"

Juergin stands up, kicking the thing. He reaches down and grabs it quickly. "Stand up! You hurt me why should I not kill you? And who says you were not going to kill me? I want Jonas the boy and his father Benn. Take me to them and I promise you I won't kill you. Tell me what is going on here ...... now!!!!!!!!!!!"

Juergin jabs the thing with his tool pick.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Goin' through the door's one idea," Everline says, "but this talk a' 'tha darkest road' made me think a'the caves unner the island."

[ewancummins]

BENN, IN THE CROOKED TOWN

"Exiled Princes?" Benn says, "as it happens, finding lost things are one of my specialties. May I inquire as to specifics?"

He picks his notebook out of the bag along with a pencil, flipping to a blank page with his walking stick stuck under one arm.

"We require the Silver Key. It is lost in a place we cannot enter. You will retrieve it for us. Its shape may have altered, but it will always be silver."

[ewancummins]

SIDE PARLOR

"Goin' through the door's one idea," Everline says, "but this talk a' 'tha darkest road' made me think a'the caves unner the island."

Denys says,
''Perhaps. We searched the nearest cave system and found nothing unusual. Of course, there are other caves and not everything is connected."

[ewancummins]

JUERGIN

Juergin stands up, kicking the thing. He reaches down and grabs it quickly. "Stand up! You hurt me why should I not kill you? And who says you were not going to kill me? I want Jonas the boy and his father Benn. Take me to them and I promise you I won't kill you. Tell me what is going on here ...... now!!!!!!!!!!!"

Juergin jabs the thing with his tool pick.

''Ow! Stop it! Me help. No kill. We sell. We sell child to the Dodds. He give us big man for slave, we gonna sell him too. We smart, good traders."

[steveflam]

Juergins eyes narrow. Which makes you worst than a pirate in my book, he thinks to himself.

"You have one chance only to live. You bring me to Jonas and then the man. Understood? NOW!"

Having a grip on the beast makes it a bit easier to use his other hand and with it, he removes the whetstone from his pocket. Balling his fist up around it, he reaches back and swings as hard as he can in an uppercut.

In a very even voice dripping with anger he says "Move now or next time I'll cut an ear off with my fish hook. Don't try me, because I've killed thirteen men. You're dead hide bothers me not."

[ewancummins]

Juergins eyes narrow. Which makes you worst than a pirate in my book, he thinks to himself.

"You have one chance only to live. You bring me to Jonas and then the man. Understood? NOW!"

Having a grip on the beast makes it a bit easier to use his other hand and with it, he removes the whetstone from his pocket. Balling his fist up around it, he reaches back and swings as hard as he can in an uppercut.

In a very even voice dripping with anger he says "Move now or next time I'll cut an ear off with my fish hook. Don't try me, because I've killed thirteen men. You're dead hide bothers me not."

''Ow, no hit more! Me help, me help."

The creature walks in total darkness, leading Juergin to...
someplace Juergin cannot see.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

"Hmm," Dorgio steeples his fingers as he considers Everline's words. "The caves...they are worth looking into. And there is something else about this Darkest road. The papers we found in the sanctuary, they mention a "Dusklord" Eustace and I, at first we were thinking the temple belonged to some faith that linked our gods together, but maybe it is the opposite. Maybe this Dusklord is a corruption instead? And if so, what is that telling of us our friends' fates?"

[RocEter]

The Side Parlor

"Interesting. I am thinking you may be correct Dorgio, about having to go through that passage. That seems to be the only logical choice left." Thom says about Dorgio's dream and his interpretation. "I have a theory about the attacks, but before I go into I have a question about the girl." He says. "Denys how old was the girl that died? Close to Everline's age or perhaps younger?"

''Everline is about, what sixteen? Maggie was twelve."

"I see, that explains a lot." Thom says. "It seems this creature, or entity, only attacks children." He says pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts. "Maggie was 12, and I assume the youngest of all your servants here on the island at the time. Than the first group visitors show up, the youngest being Jonas, Juergin and Everline." He says. Thom doesn't explain how he came to this conclusion, but Dorgio, Everline and Eustace can all vouch for Thom's ability to deduce things with very little information and with great accuracy. "Now this creature has Jonas, Juergin and Benn. I can't say who is in the greatest danger at the moment but I can say that unless we find and figure a way to destroy this creature, when those children come on the next boat they will be greatest danger." He says.

"Hmm," Dorgio steeples his fingers as he considers Everline's words. "The caves...they are worth looking into. And there is something else about this Darkest road. The papers we found in the sanctuary, they mention a "Dusklord" Eustace and I, at first we were thinking the temple belonged to some faith that linked our gods together, but maybe it is the opposite. Maybe this Dusklord is a corruption instead? And if so, what is that telling of us our friends' fates?"

"I don't want to sound rude but I believe you may be.. well wrong." Thom says. "I mean why would those monks go through the trouble to seal off and ward one cave, when this creature could escape or possibly had access to others?" He says. "No I am afraid our best choice is the entrance below the Abby, we all heard the thumping on the door, and I am thinking we will have to go there tonight." He says.

[steveflam]

Juergins eyes narrow. Which makes you worst than a pirate in my book, he thinks to himself.

"You have one chance only to live. You bring me to Jonas and then the man. Understood? NOW!"

Having a grip on the beast makes it a bit easier to use his other hand and with it, he removes the whetstone from his pocket. Balling his fist up around it, he reaches back and swings as hard as he can in an uppercut.

In a very even voice dripping with anger he says "Move now or next time I'll cut an ear off with my fish hook. Don't try me, because I've killed thirteen men. You're dead hide bothers me not."

''Ow, no hit more! Me help, me help."

The creature walks in total darkness, leading Juergin to...
someplace Juergin cannot see.

"Can you help the three of us get back to where we were taken from?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"But if we open tha door, who says we cin close it after?" Everline asks. "'Sides, 'tis warded wit powerful magics. No guarantee it can be opened."

The young woman lapses into a moment of silent thought before she speaks again. "Weren't this 'Dusklord' the one who were invoked ta close tha door? Dark 'n light aren't jus' enemies, lads; they're two parts of a balance. Dark cin be a blessin' as well as a curse, an' tha same goes fer light."

[RocEter]

"There is also no guaranteeing that it can't be open." Thom says. "Seems to me the ward is designed to keep something the creature from getting out not prevent some one from going in, but won't know until we try."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Also don' know as we cin get out if we go in," Everline says, her voice slightly ominous.

[Ail]

Eustace chimes in, after hearing all the others
"Thom, I'm all open to new ideas and suggestions, but I couldn't find in your arguments a reason or justification for opening that door. I confess I can't decide easily for one way or the other, but even your argument about the age of children has me a bit stumped. I would not consider Everline a childanymore... if puberty is the dividing line, then she should not have been attacked. As for Juergin, I'm not really sure where he stands, but he wasn't purposefully attacked so that does not count. And why the urgency of doing it tonight? Please, if you know something, tell all, don't just say it has to be this way or not."