Ghosts of Gauntcliff: Chapter Five

[Adam]

"This was who you were speaking of?" Benn said, his heart both sinking and hopeful that his boy had not had to face the exiled princes. "I'm sure there was some kind of misunderstanding. We're both far from home, and he can be rash at times."

[steveflam]

Benn turns regretfully, looking around the city. Every cell in his body says to go, get out of this dreamscape once and for all, but he can not leave his son behind. He is about to depart when he sees Juergin.

"Juergin, how did you come to be here?"

"Benn! I came through the same hole you did, remember? I can't talk in front of these monsters. But this place, well have you heard of Dodd's before?"

BENN AND JUERGIN-


The three voices speak all at once, ''The boy does not attack us now. "

"No I don't attack you now. Put yourself in my place, You captured me, treated me like shit and have even, of all things, taken a two year old boy
from his mother and father. What would you expect me to do? Shake your hand and congratulate you? All I want do do is to go back to Gauntcliff island with Benn and his son. And I expect a moment of privacy with Benn here and not tomorrow, not yesterday but right now."

[Adam]

"I'm not certain these fellows captured us, Juergin," Benn says as he rests a calming hand on the boy's shoulder, "Those who took us sold me to them, and I have worked off my debt since then. As a matter of fact, they have offered to take us home, though I'm not sure I can take them up on their offer until I've found Jonas. Have you seen any sign of him?"

[steveflam]

"I'm not certain these fellows captured us, Juergin," Benn says as he rests a calming hand on the boy's shoulder, "Those who took us sold me to them, and I have worked off my debt since then. As a matter of fact, they have offered to take us home, though I'm not sure I can take them up on their offer until I've found Jonas. Have you seen any sign of him?"

Juergin turns his back on the three weirdos. "I know where he is. I made some new "friends" here." The lad describes them to Benn. "Their chief is looking for Jonas because the little one was taken from his cell. I was in one too until I escaped. I promised to meet them back in where we were hiding until Dark One went to see if it was safe to come and he told me you were here."

He swallows real hard and then uncharacteristically hugs Benn and cries, happy to finally be with an adult. "I... I'm sorry... this has been terrible. I was so worried. I kept trying to find you and no luck. And I made these short one eyed men promise to find Jonas and keep him safe."

[ewancummins]

"No I don't attack you now. Put yourself in my place, You captured me, treated me like shit and have even, of all things, taken a two year old boy
from his mother and father. What would you expect me to do? Shake your hand and congratulate you? All I want do do is to go back to Gauntcliff island with Benn and his son. And I expect a moment of privacy with Benn here and not tomorrow, not yesterday but right now."

''We did not capture you, boy. We are not Dodds. We have taken no child. "

They turn their cowled heads towards Benn. He sees eerie blue lights like eyes flicker under the hoods.

"'Decide now."

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

The Abbey, The Pit

Dorgio dodges back fro the creatures grasp, more on instinct than anything else. Only as he's moving away from the creature does he start to realize what he faces. He feels a sudden chill, though he knows not whether that is from the monster's attack or from his own fear.

But the priest has no other choice than to swallow that dread, and he extends a hand in the shadow-creatures direction. "I know your works, spawn of the Dusk-lord!" The priest's voice is shaky, but the conviction is firm. "You've taken the innocents in their sleep, you play at people's minds like a harper! If you serve a perversion of the Morninglord, then the dawn-bringer himself will strike you for your sins!"


((OOC: Casting deific vengeance))

[ewancummins]

IN THE DUNGEON

The shadow-ogre crumples into a tight, quivering ball of darkness. The fiend shrieks in anguish.
''No! It burns, IT BURNS!"

Primeiro comes into the room with a glowing rod in one hand and a sword in ther other.

The ball of congealed darkness shakes on the floor between him and Dorgio.


Petrie is busy further back in the room, tearing shadow-paintings from the walls.

[steveflam]

"No I don't attack you now. Put yourself in my place, You captured me, treated me like shit and have even, of all things, taken a two year old boy
from his mother and father. What would you expect me to do? Shake your hand and congratulate you? All I want do do is to go back to Gauntcliff island with Benn and his son. And I expect a moment of privacy with Benn here and not tomorrow, not yesterday but right now."

''We did not capture you, boy. We are not Dodds. We have taken no child. "

They turn their cowled heads towards Benn. He sees eerie blue lights like eyes flicker under the hoods.

"'Decide now."

Juergin looks at Benn. "Gruz and Smezel can find Jonas for you, Benn. Excuse me sirs for my ignorance, but you have to put yourself in my place. These people I have met know of Jonas' whereabouts. Would you be willing to let us gather little Jonas then get us back home? I am sorry if I attacked you but under the circumstances I think it is understandable."

[ewancummins]

The creatures ignore Jeurgin, and turn away without even a word of dismissal.
One of them walks to the lefthand wall and pushes the key into the brick face, where a lockplate appears as if by magic...

[Ken of Ghastria]

IN THE DUNGEON

The shadow-ogre crumples into a tight, quivering ball of darkness. The fiend shrieks in anguish.
''No! It burns, IT BURNS!"

Primeiro comes into the room with a glowing rod in one hand and a sword in the other.

The ball of congealed darkness shakes on the floor between him and Dorgio.


Petrie is busy further back in the room, tearing shadow-paintings from the walls.

Primeiro looks at the shadowy paintings. Is this the workshop? he wonders. Ignoring the creature for the moment, he says, "Destroy the paintings! Destroy anything that it may have created!" He begins to slash at the paintings with his rapier. He realizes an instant after one such thrust that one of the portraits looks like... him?

[ewancummins]

The ball of darkness unfolds in a black flash and lashes out at Dorgio, striking him in the face.

The priest howls in mad fury and attacks the shadow monster, stabbing over and over again with his iron-tipped spear. The spear passes through the shadowy creature as if through a cloud of smoke, seeming to to no harm.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

"Strahd, Strahd you demon!" Dorgio lashes at the ball with his spear, a look of terrified hatred in his eyes. "You shouldn't be here! It's not time!" He sounds on the verge of breaking into mad laughter.

[ewancummins]

THE DUNGEON

"Strahd, Strahd you demon!" Dorgio lashes at the ball with his spear, a look of terrified hatred in his eyes. "You shouldn't be here! It's not time!" He sounds on the verge of breaking into mad laughter.

Dorgio stabs again, and this time the shadow creature howls in fury as the black iron spear point slices into its filmy body.


''Impossible, no weapon may harm me!"


The shadow creature turns to attack Primeiro, but brushes against his glowing sun rod.

''Arargghhh!"

The monster jerks back just as Dorgio moves to strike again and runs his spear clean through it--and right into the wall, a few inches from Primerio. The iron point becomes wedged in thick shadow stuff, and Dorgio jerks at it trying to tear it loose.
The fiend booms out in triumph--
''NOW I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"

Across the room Petrie gapes in horror and dismay at the sight of the only effective weapon left to the party stuck in the wall, useless.

[ewancummins]

GROUND FLOOR OF THE ABBEY RUINS


Eustace runs about madly, trips, gets up, and runs more. He swings his fists into the stone walls, bloodying his knuckles. The mad monk curses and raves.


Thom can see that Everline is hurt, but not mortally wounded. A big bruise over her right eye looks like it was made with brass knuckles, or maybe a sword hilt.

Eustace stops raving, he staggers over to Thom and Everline and looks down the the injured girl. He seems calm now, though he is breathing hard.

[Adam]

He awkwardly pats the boy on the back before extracting himself from his hug.

"I can not leave without my son," Bennedict regretfully sighs. "Safe journey, Lost Princes. If I can not convince you to wait for me, I suppose this is the time for us to split up."

He turns to leave, pulling the boy behind him. "Let's find these friends of yours. And let's hope there is a way home in that dungeon."