Theo places a restraining hand on Dervak's shoulder.
Perhaps, we may tie a rope around you first?
Perhaps I should be the one to go... I don’t have your strength, but I am light on my feet.
Dervak pulls the lantern from Brenton's hands. He tries to hold onto it but he cannot resist the half-ork's might. As it leaves his arms what little nerve he had left drains from him and he starts bawling.
Too late the party sees a hand seemingly made out of dirty bed sheets, child's drawings, and empty syringes reach out from the darkness and touch Brenton's face.
The boy continues to sob but now he makes no sound. The limb retreats back into the darkness where the sobs of Brenton can now be heard.
"Brenton!", Mara cried. She reached out and pulled the boy back from the darkness; she had failed in her duty to protect him. "Debis, you hurt your brother!", she admonished the creature in the blackness.
"Sorry," Dervak said to the boy, "But I cannot risk you getting hurt. I will take the lantern to Debis. Mara, give Benton the knights. They will protect him."
Dervak takes the lantern and walks into the darkness.
"Debis, you can have the lantern. Take it."
Dervak enters the room with the shadow lantern and the darkness evaporates into a thin yellow mist and then dissipates entirely. The crying from the room turns from pain to relief as a disembodied translucent hand touches the lantern and then disappears entirely. The room is now silent.
No longer cloaked in darkness you see the room for the first time. As if an explosion tore this room apart, furniture, racks of blunt weapons, padded restraints, and glass lamps lay shattered to pieces and scattered to the corners. The walls are bare and the room’s center lies perfectly open. There is another set of double doors to the north.
The party also searches the side door which is a nurse’s office. In the desk the party finds a quarto wrapped in butcher paper with the words “confiscated” written on it, it is titled, Her Majesty’s Honorable Nightcap, by Charent.
Mara handed the toy knights to Brenton. When the darkness dissipated, she said to the boy, "Brenton, now your brother is at peace! His spirit needed to be comforted by your lantern. Let's go back to the chapel now."
"I'll take Brenton back to Winter," she told the others. She took the child by the hand and led him back through the corridors to the sanctuary.
Brenton's expression is one of confusion as he tries to talk through his tears. But no sound escapes through his lips.
"Some rest in the chapel may help. If not, Winter or Mara may be able to remove the curse in time."
Let's give Brenton his lantern back," Mara said to Dervak.
"Daddy, show me magic auras," she said, and looked at Brenton again, trying to figure out what was the matter.
Theophilus also casts Detect Magic.
Theo knows that the boy's voice was stolen. A successful dispel magic, remove curse or similar effect will restore it.
Mara was downcast at the bad news. "Winter's going to kill me — I promised her that nothing would happen to him! We better get him back to the chapel. I can't risk anything more befalling Brenton."
When they reached the chapel, she took Brenton to Winter. There was no getting around the disastrous tidings. "It was indeed Debis' spirit. Touching Brenton's lantern allowed Debis to go to his rest, but... in the confusion, he touched Brenton, and stole his voice. It's my fault; I should have been more careful!" She slumped her shoulders and looked down at her feet.
"Daddy says I should be able to lift the curse eventually, but I don't know how yet," she mumbled.
Well, I suppose that we need to get more experience somehow...
The gentleman doffs his hat.
Winter's lips form a thin line as she listens to Mara's words and a hardness coalesces behind her mismatched eyes. She lets loose an exasperated sigh, "If I wanted to trade in nightmares I would have listened to my mother's call. But the gods have called us to do the work others cannot. You're still our best hope for leaving this place. And I think we've both learned something from this. I'll talk to Tolman and Naysa to see what we can do for Brenton in the mean time."
This gigantic space might have once been a cafeteria or assembly hall. Now, it’s the village of a savage tribe. Wildly burning braziers stand amid yellow tents and scrap structures. Portions of the western and northern walls have collapsed, but ramshackle barricades have risen to surround them. To the east, two sets of wide stairs climb to the floor above. Around the stairs nearly a dozen bodies hang crucified upon the walls, dried crimson streaks below them, sacks cinched around their heads. Tendrils of yellow mist creep throughout the entire space, wisps endlessly lapping and fondling the bizarre encampment.
Upon seeing the group a small crowd forms brandishing mismatched and improvised weapons. They keep their distance and the more perceptive of your group, note that, while all of the strangers wear some bit of yellow, they don't all look like battle-hardened brutes or glassy eyed cultists.
Before things escalate, a man in the coat of a Briarstone doctor emerges and loudly declares, "Good! More come to gaze beyond, to serve the orpiment! Welcome, friends!" He approaches with open arms and empty hands.
Theophilus steps to within 30' of the speaker. The gentleman doffs his hat.
Well met, fellow refuges. We have been hoping to find others with whom this place has continuously caused callused citizens.
Mara warily eyed the approaching man in a doctor's coat. He seemed friendly enough, but the crucified bodies suggested that something sinister was going on here. Perhaps the man wasn't in his right mind. She was glad that Brenton was back at the chapel.
"Sara, stay behind me!", she urged the little girl in a low voice. In a loader voice, she hailed the 'doctor', "You wouldn't be Uther Zandalus, would you?"
The man smiles weakly and responds to Mara's question, "I am but a humble doctor that the great Zandalus keeps around to see to his flock's health. Doctor Wren Elbourne at your service."
He closes the distance between you quickly and desperately whispers, "Follow me if you want to live." The man starts walking to north nervously looking back to make sure you're following.
As far as anyone can tell he has no ill intent towards you and is trying to cover for your sudden arrival.
Mara raised her eyebrow at this unexpected turn of events. "Stay close to me!", she urged Sara, as she moved to follow Dr. Elbourne. She was very nervous leading Sara into such an unpredictable situation; she wished she could leave the girl at the chapel, but that didn't seem practical. She glanced around nervously, checking Sara's progress, and watching for trouble.
None of the cultists bother the party after the initial welcoming party disperses. Sara twirls and dances in the mist until ordered by Mara to stay close. Dr. Elbourne leads the party to a large tented area surrounding the partially collapsed set of stairs. Almost a dozen men and women lay here in various states of recovery from violence or the building collapse. "We became trapped here after the riot and tremors. I have Zandalus' trust, no, tolerance because I treat the wounded. I'm doing my best to make people comfortable until we have an opportunity to escape."
Theophilus points a finger at any patients that are not moving or conscious.
Dervak follows, but stays on his guard.
"You said to follow you if we wanted to live. Is that a threat? Or are you saying this rabble are the threat?"
Mara replied to Dr. Elbourne, "We've come from the chapel; it seems to offer more restful sleep than elsewhere in the asylum. There's a group of survivors there led by Winter Klaczka, a cleric of Pharasma.
"I have some healing abilities myself; I could ease some of your patients' wounds if you would permit me. It looks like you could use all the help you can get.
"Is Zandalus holding these people here against their will? We may be able to assist you. Can you tell me where Zandalus is, and something about his state of mind?"
”Are you threatening us?”
Wren stifles a chuckle, ”I’m the least threatening person here.”
”Can I help the injured?”
”If you have a means to do so please don’t let me stop you.”
”Is Zandalus holding these people against their will”
”Some of them have bought into Zandalus’ creed that his visions foretell the coming of great change, but most of them are just scared former patients who need treatment.”
"Where is Zandalus?”
”He and his closest followers keep to what remains of the halls upstairs. No one is allowed up there, though Zandalus’s thugs stand guard, but worse, that weird mist collects up there like a snake in a hole. Who knows what they do in that fog? But we all hear the chanting and screaming… even though we try not to.”
"What is Zandalus’s State of mind?”
”I hear he used to be a quiet artist who suffered from bad dreams. I don’t know how else to explain it, but something let his dreams loose. He convinced a bunch of patients that he’s some sort of prophet and that he can lead them to the land of dreams. That was enough to start a riot. Soon after, those strange mists rose outside and an earthquake caused much of the asylum to fall apart.”
"How can we help?”
”You seem like you might be strong enough to take out some of Zandalus’s guards, but there’s an army of them. Even if you beat them all, Zandalus himself is still locked away in that maze of fog upstairs. So, it seems to me, that the only way to get out of here is to get rid of that mist. And I have a hint of how.”
“Zandalus call his most devoted acolytes his oneirogens. Most stay locked away with him upstairs, but at least one watches over the northwestern tower. I don’t know what he does up there, but I think he’s alone. If you got to him, you could probably wring some of Zandalus’s secrets out of him, maybe even learn how to get rid of this awful mist. Once it’s gone, what you do about Zandalus is up to you.”
"You sounded like one of his disciples when we first met. Playing the part so Zandalus's guards don't come after you? I get it.
Oh-nee-i-ro-jen. Did I get that right? What does that mean? Never mind, who cares, I'll just kill them. Okay, okay, maybe we can try to get answers but they might be crazy.
What about the Shred-man? Or Tatter-man? Is he with Zandalus or is he just in dreams?"
The man smiles smugly clearly proud that his display worked so well. When he's asked about what the name means he blows past Dervak's request to not answer the question, "Well the word itself is traditionally used to refer to a drug that enhances dreaming."
"They say that the Tatterman works for Zandalus. A lot of people are having the same dream of a gaunt thing in yellow rags hunting them. They say if he kills you in your dreams, he reveals what you really are. Sometimes that's a corpse, sometimes it's something worse. Regardless, everyone is terrified of sleeping, fearing the nightmares. It's all the more reason not to defy him, lest he send his dream assassin after you."
Mara listened to what the doctor had to say. He seemed sincere enough, and offered a suggestion of how to find a way to dispel the awful yellow fog, which was surely of utmost importance. "I think we should try Dr. Elbourne's suggestion and question the oneirogen in the northwest tower," she said to the other party members, keeping her voice down to avoid announcing their plans to others.
"Do you know the best way to reach the northwestern tower, Dr. Elbourne? Through one of the doors in the other side of the main room?"
She examined the gathered men and women, and healed the wounded.
"Yes either of the doors on the northern side leads to the kitchen, on the opposite side of the kitchen is a door to an orderly station, through that station you should be able to reach the tower."
Many of the wounded are now fully healed, more yet return to consciousness shaken from their time asleep but not worse for the wear.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Theophilus begins taking notes. The poor fellow seems unable to put ink to pen to paper quick enough...
Oh my! Ok, now we have Mr. Whats-his-name working for Freddy Krueger; who has pimps working the tower; who we need some transactions from....hmmm...I think that I got it! Oh yes, how could I forget; fog, yellowman, death. Yes, just experienced that myself recently; oh not the death part. Not yet, not yet.
Theophilus smiles at the group.
Mara paid attention to Dr. Elbourne's directions. She got up and said, "OK, let's get going before our protections run out."
She weaved her way through the main room, making sure that her comrades were following her, and opened the northern door on the other side, which seemed like it ought to lead to the kitchen.
Wren says finally, "I can offer a bed or two if you need to rest."
As the group moves through the encampment they see past the barricade into the courtyard. A strong wind begins to pick up carrying with it the sweet scent of candy and blowing leaves that writhe and squirm.
Moving through the northern door the group enters the asylum's kitchen. A row of fireplaces stand among heaps of barrel-sized pots and cooking implements in this ruin of a kitchen. Numerous doors lead to the south, east, and west, while multiple corners of the L-shaped room have collapsed. A line of large rocks deliberately cordons off the westernmost door. In the farthest fireplace a cauldron with a lid rattles as if it's contents were boiling but the fireplace is cold.
Mara looked around for potential threats, and then advanced cautiously, stopping before the line of rocks. "What's going on with that fireplace, Daddy?", she asked her male doll as she cast a spell. She examined the fireplace from a distance, trying to understand what could be happening.
A strong wind begins to pick up carrying with it the sweet scent of candy and blowing leaves that writhe and squirm.
"That doesn't fit here..."
Dervak hefts the longspear and looks around warily.
Mara detects a magical aura coming from the cauldron but isn't skilled enough to determine what type it is.
She and everyone else does however hear several things beyond the doors to the south and east. To the south several people are trying to prepare some sort of food. To the east an inhuman voice speaking a language that makes the inside of your ears feel greasy.
"There once was a cat they called Kate,
And a human cohabitate,
Kate’s heart had affection,
But human, infection,
At least Kate ate and ate and ate."
Dervak recognizes the language and the words. He associates the tongue with horrors beyond reality...
"Something wrong is through that west door. Should we go kill it?"
”I’d like to take a quiet gander where people may be preparing food. I’ve learned not to assume anything in this wretched place. However, I will go with majority vote.”
"Okay, let's go south first and see what they are cooking."
Through one of the southern doors: Sizable cracks split the surface of the south wall, allowing the smoke of several small cooking fires to escape. Several doors exit the room, but two at the south end of the room have been blocked by waist-high heaps of debris. Four people adorned with yellow bits of fabric are attempting to boil potatoes. They have several implements that could be used as improvised weapons but aren’t using them or are using them to assist in cooking.
Mara could tell that the would be chefs didn't really know what they were doing, but didn't feel inclined to give them any pointers. "Let's leave them to their potatoes," she suggested.
After backing away from the door, she said in a low voice, "Our task lies in the direction of the disturbing voice. I would prefer not to fight whatever it is, but the choice may not be ours to make."
"Hold on... maybe we should ask these cooks why the line of stones is there. Why the west door is blocked off. And why there are piles of debris blocking the doors south from their room."
Theophilus nods to Dervak.
Excuse us, but might we inquire as to why the blockade?
One of the apostles glares at Theo suspiciously and looks like he’s about to say something when suddenly there is a banging and growling at the southern barricade. All of the cultists go for their weapons and watch the doors nervously. After a few rounds the disturbance stops. Another apostle wearing stained chef’s cloths says, ”Go on now back to the cafeteria. We’re working here. I’ll get you your cookie dough tomorrow.”
Everyone knows the man is lying and will not in fact give you cookie dough tomorrow. Everyone but Theo thinks he is trying to protect you by lying to you.
Theo actually jumps up excitedly.
I just adore cookie dough!
He moves toward the cafeteria.
"I think it's time we found out for ourselves," Mara whispered to the others. She clutched her 'Daddy' doll as she prayed for guidance, and waited for the cooks to turn back to their potatoes. She took a deep breath, stepped through the line of stones and moved towards the western door.
Theophilus turns an about face.
Oh, I nust love meeting new people!
The gentleman casts Mage Armor, then Guidance.