Mists over the Musarde, Chapter Four

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio helps Benn gather up the books, then joins Cirdan outside near the grave. He mutters a prayer over the mound, then crouches over it in contemplation.

"So this is the work of the Incabulite cult? I am sure Benn is right, Wolutha's memories may have been twisted by years of hate and undeath, but is there not a grain of truth? Had her father been trying to stop this?"

[Adam]

"According to my research, he was," Benn replies, pulling the mirror free from his pocket. "And likely was killed for his efforts. That drover her into a frenzy, persecuting the cult to try and drive it out, and eventually making her kingdom so terrible she ended up making the place vanish into the mists, presumably leading to it arriving here."

With that, he holds the mirror up, pointing it in the direction of the grave. "Let us see what there is to see now."

[ewancummins]

by the cairn, in the courtyard

Gazing into the mirror Benn sees a misty image resolve itself...


A night-scene...cold stars and a pallid half moon peak through a cloudy sky to reveal a gathering in the courtyard. A circle of dozen black robed figures wearing grotesque masks [well, they look rather like masks...] are gathered about a black pit. A very faint hum of voices reaches Benn, felt through the bones of his right hand[ holding the mirror] rather than heard with his ears.

The strange figures gesticulate and sway, raising unclean hands to the heavens. The humming sensation in Benn's right hand travels up his arm, now. In the mirror-world, two of the black-robes are now carrying a small, white clad figure to the edge of the pit- a child! The small child struggles, but in vain. The dark chanters hurl the hapless one into the yawning pit, which seems to widen slightly in that instant, like the mouth of a hungry snake.

Benn is jarred from the vision by a sudden burning pain in his left side. Something is crawling inside his shirt, biting or stinging him!


Benn's comrades simply see the scholar staring into the mirror, face rapt with the same weird look of fascination as before. Then, they see him flinch, as if in pain.

[ewancummins]

Wat's cabin

Wat rises from his nap.

''Ahhh... ''

He stretches his arms and looks about the cabin for Jon. Finding the boy, he says-


''Jon, we soon must go hunting or fishing, for I have not enow food in my larder to feed all your company.
First, let us attend to Alain.'' ''

The woodsman moves across the cabin to sit down beside Alain.

''Friend Alain, how are you? You still cannot see?''

[Adam]

"Aaaaghh!!!"

Benn looks away from the mirror, swatting frantically at his side to stop whatever biting insect seems to have made it into his shirt.

[steveflam]

Norzak moves quickly to Benn's side and helps him best he can. He moves Benn's swatting hand away and places his hand on the shirt. "Hope ye gots anuther, bub" is all he says. He rips the shirt and looks for Benn's assailant.

[JMaytr]

Jonathan nods in agreement to Wat's words.

"I think we should look for Norzak soon. I am growing worried about my friends."

[ewancummins]

in the courtyard

Norzak rips open Benn's shirt to find the remains of a four or five inch scorpion smeared across Benn's flank. The barbed tail still twitches, though the nasty pest cannot have survived the blows Benn had delievered to it just a moment ago. Benn's skin is raised and flushed in one spot that he and Norzak can both see.




in Wat's cabin-

Wat addresses Jon-

''Go see if your friends are well, Jon. I will stay and care for Alain. ''

The cabin's owner gestures towards Alain, who is sleeping fitfully on a low cot, mumbling to himself as he tosses and turns.

Wat adds-

''It is best that you should go and return before it gets dark...''

The light outside Wat's open window is already beginning to dim just slightly with the slow approach of evening.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio stoops to examine Benn's flank, trying to determine the severity of the sting, and whether he has anything in his healing bag that can treat it.

[ewancummins]

Dorgio stoops to examine Benn's flank, trying to determine the severity of the sting, and whether he has anything in his healing bag that can treat it.

Dorgio finds some balm that ought to help. The sting is obviously inflamed, but Dorgio doesn't think it's potentially deadly.

[Adam]

Bennedict unleashes a string of curses in Lamordian as Dorgio treats him.

"Well that was somewhat unexpected."

He looks in regret at the tatters of his shirt before removing it and wrapping it around the mirror. "Apparently this is not as safe and segregated as I had led myself to believe."

[ewancummins]

courtyard

The sun overhead is now slowly sinking towards the west, and it is already partly obscured by the half-ruined west wall of the castle. Long shadows cover the western end of the courtyard, and your eyes may detect hints of movement in the gathering gloom- yet ,when you look, there is nothing to be seen. The gentle, warm summer breeze picks up a bit, whistling mournfully as it drives from west to east, passing through the broken battlements of the walls. Dark clouds, no doubt pregnant with rainstorms, sweep across the dimming sky. Somewhere in the distance, an owl calls out three times.


Wat's Cabin- [Alain]

Alain is roused from his sleep by a rough, wet thing moving across his face. Hot, foul breath washes over his nostrils and mouth- a smell that carries the taint of blood and carrion.

[Lord Skybolt]

"Hey, what the hell !!" As Alain awakes from his fit full sleep of nightmares from the night before wondering if it was all just a bad dream .

[ewancummins]

"Hey, what the hell !!" As Alain awakes from his fit full sleep of nightmares from the night before wondering if it was all just a bad dream .

Loud barking fills Alain's ears as Wat's over-friendly hound reacts to the blind man's frightened shouts.

[Lord Skybolt]

"Oh I should of guessed it was one of the hounds ." Alain mutters under his breath . "Can some one please get me my Trail ration bag and my mug as I'm hungry and thirsty " Alain asks of his companions .