Realms of Dread, Chapter Four

[Ken of Ghastria]

Blaise doesn't hear or isn't paying attention to the conversation behind him. Instead he keeps staring at the water. "You know," he says finally, "I think I can spot the trickles of tainted water within... wait, I'll rephrase -- I think I can spot the trickles of necromantically tainted water within the greater stream." He starts walking along the edge of the waterway, against the current. "It's possible that I can track this back to the source. Anyone care to join me?"

[BigBadQDaddy]

Mara's little house


The rickety door creaks as it swings partly open, just a few inches.

Alain gets a glimpse of a human face, and then the door swings open all the way to reveal young Mara, barefoot and wearing the same much-repaired dress that she wore when last Alain saw her. A candle burns on a low table behind the pretty teenage girl.

''Oh, it's you! ''

Alain smile warmly and replies, "Good evening, Mara. This..." he begins, gesturing politely towards Shana, "is Shana. A fellow investigator, but of more of a freelance capacity. We were wondering if you had a moment or two to spare?"

[ewancummins]

Warehouse District

Blaise doesn't hear or isn't paying attention to the conversation behind him. Instead he keeps staring at the water. "You know," he says finally, "I think I can spot the trickles of tainted water within... wait, I'll rephrase -- I think I can spot the trickles of necromantically tainted water within the greater stream." He starts walking along the edge of the waterway, against the current. "It's possible that I can track this back to the source. Anyone care to join me?"

Jamethon replies-



'' Ino says that this unholy taint may be somehow connected with the missing children and their undead captors. It isn't much, perhaps, but it may be the best lead we have at the moment. As she says- the combination of events seems too convenient to be mere coincidence...Yes, Blaise, you track it and we will come along. All together now, and keep your eyes wide open, friends!''

[ewancummins]

Mara's little house-


''Well met, Shana! Come right in, both of you.''

Mara steps back from the door to allow Aalin and Shana access to her humble home.


The house consists of a single small room. The walls are clapboard. The single window is paneled with a sheet of thin and ragged cloth, nailed to the wall. No fireplace or chimney may be seen, but a small pit in the middle of the rooms shows traces of ashes and soot. The room holds only two items of furniture; a low cot and a small table. Atop the table is a fat candle that provides light enough to illuminate most of the scene, but leaves pools of shadows hanging about the edges of the room. Beneath the table is a wooden box. Near the cot rests a canvas covered wheelbarrow. Apart from these things, the place is empty.

Once you are both inside, Mara closes the rickety door and turns to face you.

''Would you like something to eat or drink?''

As she speaks, Alain notices that his host's right foot and ankle are dirtied by a thin smear of something dark red. His eyes moving up the trail, he spots two small side-by-side marks on Mara's lower right leg, visible just below the hem of her skirt.

[Ken of Ghastria]

''Yes, Blaise, you track it and we will come along. All together now, and keep your eyes wide open, friends!''

Blaise smiles. "All right then, everyone -- follow me. I'd leave a trail of breadcrumbs for you to follow, but in this neighborhood, they use body parts instead of breadcrumbs, so don't tarry." He maintains his concentration on the arcane trail along the waterway.

[VAN]

Inovidil gets the vial and sniffs it, she is almost sure that there was no tea... Without any comment she waves her hands and then directed telekineticallythe vial to the river and fills it with the water then concentrated on the cork of the bottle and uses the mage hand to tap it. With great attention swaps the vial with a piece of cloth without touch it with her hands and then puts it in one of her cloak pockets.

Then she waves her hands again and then with a smile says:

"I'm ready when you are."


OOC> Ino casted mage hand first and then stoneskin.

[ewancummins]

following the tainted waters

Blaise leads the party on a long walk across the margins of the warehouse district. The trail leads you off the main canal and down branching lines of open sewers and drainage ditches.

Soon enough, above the roofs of the warehouses and other buildings, you can all see the imposing battlements and lofty spires of the King's Tower, the grand citadel that is Marsember's seat of governance and the official residence of her ruling noble [although Lord Ildool has preferred to use a private mansion since his coming to power].


Leaving behind the warehouses and shops, the party arrives at the edge of a twenty-foot wide moat that serves as both defensive barrier and drainage sewer for the southern flank of the fortress.

To Blaise's vision, the dirty waters of the moat are crawling with necromantic magic. The trail of pollution seems to be flowing from a drain at the base of the outer walls of the citadel [across the moat]. Rusted iron bars cover the drain, which is just large enough for a man to crawl into on his hands and knees- if the bars weren't there to prevent entry. A little trickle of water, perhaps waste water from the castle kitchens of maybe just some rainwater from days ago that's not quite finished draining, seeps from this output into the network of the city canals. Blaise can see the flow of necromantic taint so clearly that the thin stream of dirty water resembles nothing so much as purplish blood, oozing from a wound in the city's body.

[kintire]

Shana smiles cheerfully at Mara

"Its an honour to meet you! Something to drink would be very welcome. Nothing potent: I don't want to fall asleep in front of you!"

[ewancummins]

Mara's little house-



The girl goes to the box under her table and removes two wooden cups, a wooden platter, and a knife. Setting these on the table, she stoops again to retrieve a full skin. She fills both cups from the skin with what looks and smells like very cheap wine. Next, she slices up a hunk of bluish-white cheese and breaks off a couple of morsels of stale bread.

If Shana or Alain peeks in the makeshift cupboard, they'll see that this is all the food she has.

[Ken of Ghastria]

To Blaise's vision, the dirty waters of the moat are crawling with necromantic magic. The trail of pollution seems to be flowing from a drain at the base of the outer walls of the citadel [across the moat]. Rusted iron bars cover the drain, which is just large enough for a man to crawl into on his hands and knees- if the bars weren't there to prevent entry. A little trickle of water, perhaps waste water from the castle kitchens of maybe just some rainwater from days ago that's not quite finished draining, seeps from this output into the network of the city canals. Blaise can see the flow of necromantic taint so clearly that the thin stream of dirty water resembles nothing so much as purplish blood, oozing from a wound in the city's body.

Blaise describes what he sees to the others. Then he spits on the ground, as though trying to get something foul out of his mouth. "This image is going to be seared in my eyes for weeks," he says. "This corrupted city needs a 100-foot-long mop and a gigantic bucket of divine bleach. I'm not surprised that it leads back to the heart of the city."

He looks at Jamethon, one eyebrow raised. "Do you still want to report this? Ildool's people are likely behind it! It has to be stopped, in any event."

[ewancummins]

Blaise describes what he sees to the others. Then he spits on the ground, as though trying to get something foul out of his mouth. "This image is going to be seared in my eyes for weeks," he says. "This corrupted city needs a 100-foot-long mop and a gigantic bucket of divine bleach. I'm not surprised that it leads back to the heart of the city."

He looks at Jamethon, one eyebrow raised. "Do you still want to report this? Ildool's people are likely behind it! It has to be stopped, in any event."

'' We don't know who or what is behind this. My only concern at the moment is finding the three missing children, or at least finding the creatures that took them. I've followed in the hope that this trail might lead us to them. Until we can use scrying magic to search for them, tomorrow, this may be our best lead.

[Ken of Ghastria]

"All right, then," says Blaise. "Then someone needs to get that grate open. Or find some other means of getting into the bowels of this place." He looks at his companions. "Any volunteers?"

[BigBadQDaddy]

Mara's little house-

Alain smiles at what Mara has offered him. "Merci, Mara. Thanks you." He then takes a cup and holds it in his lap for the moment. "Have you been out about on your rounds already this evening? It looks as if you took a wound. Bug bites? I could help you with that if you would like." He looks at her sincerely.

[ewancummins]

Mara blushes and shifts her right foot behind her left foot.

''Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine, thank you.''

[BigBadQDaddy]

Mara's little house-

Alain smiles and then continues. "We were wondering if you could lend us a hand in an investigation, Mara. The information we would require pertains to an individual you may have had contact with while carrying out your work." He looks down at his drink, not wanting to trouble the young girl, but being propelled by the weight of responsibility. A weight he usually would like to have shunted off upon some other rube. "Do you know anything of the man, who resides in the marsh district, called Humber?"