Ghosts of Gauntcliff, Chapter 3

[Ail]

While walking around, Eustace can hardly miss all the commotion that soon stirs the guest rooms. He follows in Dorgio's and Primeiro's lead and overhears Juergin's words:

"I can write it down, boy. But I trust I can be more useful than that in other things too. Miss, what happened to make you look so haggard today?" he says with a visible display of worry on his face.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Everline gives Eustace a short, sour smile. "Attacked in my dreams, wasn't I? An' 'fore ye say 'nightmare'..." Everline raises a hand and holds it level with Eustace's eyes. A second has barely passed before it starts to shake. "This ain't natural," she says, her voice steady even though her hand starts to shake worse by the moment. "I'm messed up inside, an' not jus' me flesh. My head - my mind's not workin' righ'."

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

The cleric's dusky complexion pales noticeably when he sees the state Everline is in. "By the black skies, what happened to you? Are you needing healing?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Started out as a dream, but it was wrong," Everline says, her voice hesitant. "Saw someone I never met, in life. Only knew 'im from a paintin'. Then he turned inta dis huge bastard, wid a burned face. He... attacked me. We fought. I lost. Now I feel wrecked inside. So, yeah: I reckon as I need healin'. Bigtime. I jus' don' know what's wrong wid me. An' if I'm this messed up, just t'ink a' the state what some poor scullery maid would be in."

[Ail]

"Belenus help us all!"

the priest says quite alarmed, as his face goes a little pale.

That be work of feys, possibly. Or far worse! I have a few other possibilities, but let's not think about any of them. This is going to take far more than any kind of standard healing, I'm afraid. Please, allow me, miss."


He approaches the bed, touches Everline's hand, and looks deep into her eyes, as if trying to grasp some shadow, light into a different personality than the lady's he knew.

As he takes a small pocket watch from a fold in his clothes, he says.

"I'm still rather inexperienced in this, Everline. But I've learned some tricks at the University this summer. It's a new science they're putting forth, I hear they are quite adept at it in the North: in Port a Lucine;
Ludendorf too... and I hear some less reputable scholars from Egertus. It's called Mesmerism. Would you trust me enough to try using it on you, Everline? It might relieve you, it might make you stronger... but it may also make you suffer, old things repressed within you, if there are some. And there's no guarantee of success either..."

[steveflam]

"Miss Everline, do you remember that poem you recited? it wast very interesting. I also met up with Miss Eliana last evening. She was wandering the halls alone of all things in a very revealing acoutremnt to say de least. She wanted me to accompanyher toher room cause she said she felt unsafe. Though why she was wondering the halls dressed like dat, makes me wonder.

So anyways, she led me to her room. I came in and we chatted. I took my time to really uh look at her and I could have sworn she had really pointy ears and eyes like a female uh , fox? It was very creepy. I left afterwards. Also she is very messy. Clothes everywhere in her room. Miss Everline, is dere a reason why you do not seem to trust her?"

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio listens to Everline, his face a mask until he notices the halting pause before she mentions the ogre's "attack." He arches a brow at that but otherwise remains silent until she finishes. "Grim indeed. And you're thinking this has some connection to that poor woman who died? What painting do you mean? And what of you, are you wounded physically? I can be giving you any aid you are needing, but if the wound is mental, this may be...outside skills."

The priest watches as Eustace sits beside Everline and speaks of "mesmerism." That particular art was unfamiliar and strange to him, yet he looks on with keen interest, wondering if the new technique will prove useful in helping his stricken friend.

His impassive expression cracks a little more when he hears Jeurgin, as Dorgio draws his own conclusion about how Eliana's room had become scattered with discarded clothes. "She has elvish blood in her, my young friend. She is from Darkon, you are seeing."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I wouldn' know much about Elves," Everline says looking from Dorgio to Juergin, "but I been out in tha wild more'n once an' I've seen fox dens afore. Those beasts make a mess an' they reek. An' Juergin says this woman has fox eyes. I din't like the way she were actin' at table, me. Bit of a predator, that one."

She gives Eustace a slightly annoyed look. "I know about mesmerism, I was at the University not that long ago. I haven' gone dotty, this was real. Fairies or no', this happened. It's not 'cause I saw my Mum kissin' the neighbour when I was five, or some such rot."

Turning back to Dorgio, she says: "The paintin' was of the man I ne'er met. It's not important to this case, it's just a memory the creature used to make the dream. The poem is also not important, it's just somethin' I heard from a fellow traveller, a few years back. Poor sod. Lived in terror...
Anyway, I figure this attack's like what happened to the girl what died 'cause of somethin' the bastard said ta me. He said he liked it when I fought him. I got the feelin' he'd done this before, an' if me fightin' 'im was special enough fer 'im ta remark on it, then prob'ly 'is last victim din't know how ta fight him proper."

She lets this sentence trail into silence for a moment, then finishes with: "Most maids I met din't know how ta scare away mice, let alone fight off somethin' tha size of a Sithican ogre. Now: I don't know what's wrong wit' me. I need you to figure it out an' fix it, if you can an' if ye would." A brief pause, and Everline's voice is a bit quieter: "I don' like feelin' like this. I'm weak. Don't know if I can stand another dream like that if I'm this weak."

[Ail]

"There is more to mesmerism than only that, Everline"

Eustace replies slightly annoyed.

"I've seen report of it being used on people who had gone under a severe shock. I can at least try to invigorate your mental state. At any rate, if it doesn't work, and if you allow us, you need not spend the night alone. This "Ogre" must have some physical presence here before he enters your dreams. Perhaps we can fight it in groups."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Arright, yeah, it can be useful," Everline says, and hangs her head with a weary sigh. "I know that. But I 'unno, I just 'unno. It's no' jus' me mind, it's me mind an' body both."

[steveflam]

His impassive expression cracks a little more when he hears Jeurgin, as Dorgio draws his own conclusion about how Eliana's room had become scattered with discarded clothes. "She has elvish blood in her, my young friend. She is from Darkon, you are seeing."

"I have never seen an elf, but I hear that they have ears like donkeys and eyes like crows. Unt even some weird ones are as black as a piece of coal. Herr Eustace, if I was a boy I could never have survived what I did on my deceased father's ship unt enacted my revenge. Please. .. I am not ein boy but a young man, sir. I would much appreciate you seeing me and treating me as such. Thank you."

Juergin says nothing more and thinks about the events here. "Miss Everline, can you repeat the poem or it was not important? I think the others should hear it. Herr Gehrman might want to know what is going on here. I will go get him." From his place next to Everline he grips her hand lightly and then exits the room. He moves as fast as he can to Benn's room pronto. Once there he will knock on the door as hard as he can.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

(OOC: I do not claim any kind of ownership to the poem known as 'Jabberwocky'.)

"It's just a poem," Everline says. She sighs, then recited the whole thing:

"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought--
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."

Everline makes another feeble hand gesture. "See? Just a poem. Poor old sod. I knew him briefly, and he was afraid of every little thing. Nothin' in the world seemed to make sense ta 'im."

[ewancummins]

A servant ( one none of you have seen before now )appears in the doorway of Everline's room. The tall, thin, man announces-
"Ladies and gentlemen, my master bids you good morn. His custom is to take his breakfast on the terraces of the upper floor. He invites you to join him, if you please."

[Ken of Ghastria]

Primeiro listens to the conversation intently. As he had surmised back on the boat, Everline's "public" persona was a creation, but that matters little to him, especially at the moment.

His eyebrows raise at the mention of a painting, and he asks, "Madamoiselle, if you please... this painting, then, is not something that you saw here, correct?"

He looks at the other men gathered and asks, "Any of you... did you have similar nightmares? No? The only differences between us and Madamoiselle Vaughn is, well, she is female, obviously, and she stayed here while the rest of us went to the ruins."

He addresses Everline again, speaking softly, "Madamoiselle, was there anything unususal about your tour of the spa yesterday? Did you touch or drink any liquid during it?"

A servant ( one none of you have seen before now )appears in the doorway of Everline's room. The tall, thin, man announces-
"Ladies and gentlemen, my master bids you good morn. His custom is to take his breakfast on the terraces of the upper floor. He invites you to join him, if you please."

He turns quickly and says somewhat testily, "Tell your master than one of his guests is ill. Some of us will join him presently."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I last saw that painting over ten years ago," Everline replies. "An' no, I din't drink anythin' while I was down there - but I did breathe. It's pretty hot an' muggy down there, in the caves. Plenty of water in the air." She hesitates for a moment, then says, through gritted teeth: "Me bein' a woman was... relevant to the nature of the attack, aye. I'll say no more, an' I'll thank ye all kindly not ta ask abou' it any further."