The mayor looks alarmed, "That's how you plan to help?!"
The mayor looks alarmed, "That's how you plan to help?!"
Marcus is annoyed at the mayor's seeming lack of remorse at his self-inflicted plight.
Maybe you can offer the devil a few children's souls for a couple extra minutes to come up with a better plan?
Without waiting for a response, Braun turns to Aerik.
If it comes to it, I'll help fight this devil. But I want them there, too, Marcus points to the Mayor and Mrs. Tull as he speaks, 'case he can't be stopped unless the contract is fulfilled. Might not come to that, though. I'll say again 6 souls for 13 years luck is a terrible bargain, but the devil's doll did act outside the contract, least I think so--hard to say without reading it. Maybe Black will listen to reason, if we can contact him.
"I hate the idea of trying to reason with such an evil creature. This sort of fiend is clearly there to cause some great evil and I would be very weary of any agreement that is made with it. The only comfort that I am finding out of this situation is that the devil looked like a pudgy merchant. But then again, the last creature took the form of a doll. Perhaps this is no comfort in this situation at all."
"Aerik, you mentioned the prophecy. Do we think this devil contract has some connection to the rhymes found at the teeth?"
Jak looks doubtful about Aerik’s suggestion of a confrontation, casting a dubious glance down at his whip as well as the silver sword, both hanging on his belt. ”I agree with Marcus. If it comes to a fight, I’ll do what’s necessary, but damn me if I think that’s our best option.”
”This sort of fiend is clearly there to cause some great evil and I would be very weary of any agreement that is made with it.”
”She’s right. Look what the current deal turned into.” he pauses to shoot a dirty glance at the mayer and Mrs. Tull, seemingly unable to help himself. ”Some players you should just know you can’t beat. As to how it’s connected to the prophecy… who knows. I can’t think of anything from any of our other business that seems to shed any light on this current problem.”
He pauses as he considers, ”Though we may still hold a few cards. Mayor, Mrs. Tull, you said you tried the witch… Victahana first. What was her response? Did she point you in Black’s direction? Also, you said you’ve tried to use the rhyme before. Just the once? And when was that?”
"She’s right. Look what the current deal turned into." he pauses to shoot a dirty glance at the mayer and Mrs. Tull, seemingly unable to help himself. "Some players you should just know you can’t beat."
Having tolerated the team's heaps of self-righteous verbal abuse - including an open threat on her life - Glinnora Tull storms off before Jak gets much further than his last dirty look. The Mayor seems inclined to follow suit but he politely stays for Jak's final question.
"...you said you tried the witch... Victahana first. What was her response? Did she point you in Black’s direction?"
He replies, "She said she wouldn't twist the laws of nature to serve any man. She said only tragedy would result from 'subverting the natural order'. We asked about other powers that might be willing to help us. She refused to speak of them. She didn't point us to Black, he found us himself."
Before he has to endure yet more snide comments, rebukes, or death threats, he leaves to work on the mundane defenses of the town.
Jak turns on the retreating Mayor and Mrs. Tull, his face betraying more angry words, but he bites his tongue… simply watching them leave with a dark look. ”They didn’t answer my other questions,” he says as he looks over at the group, ”More covering their tracks or you just sick of us yelling at them?” Jak looks over at the town’s spiritual leader, ”Either way, it was information that might have been useful.”
He takes a moment to collect himself, though frustration still tinges his voice. ”Here’s the thing, Father Galt. I look around Albridge… at Mordecai… at the Pegason girl.. at Fletcher’s wife..” he squeezes his eyes shut momentarily, his voice halting as he dry-washes his hands once again on his pants, ”… widow, I guess. When I look around, I see the Drear. Just regular folk and families. Whether the mayor and his circle were really trying to help or not… it just seems a betrayal.” He holds up his hands, softening his tone, ”At the very least it’s damned reckless for people with other folk depending on them. Much as I think this is their fault, I don’t want them or anyone to die. Knowing when they tried to use the rhyme and how often may give us some clues. Do you mind asking them?”
Jak watches the mayor and Mrs. Tull walk away, and he turns back to the group, his half-smile having an angry edge to it. "Well, that went well, I thought."
He can't seem to keep his eyes off the thick, red mud on the ground near them as he catches the group up on his discussions with Mr. Fletcher and everything since.
"So, at least all that's out in the open. I can only think of a few leads at this point. They said they've used the rhyme before, but they didn't think it worked. I'm guessing it worked fine... just not with the results they expected. Finding out when and how often they tried could shed some more light on all this. Secondly, the witch. It seems all roads point to her if we want more information." He shakes his head in an attempt to clear it, "Don't tell the mayor or the Tulls, but I'm certainly not going to have a hand in killing them... at least not directly. In my opinion, this town's people are the greater good. If we can null the contract or prove it completed... great. If it comes to a fight we think we can win to save the town and it's leaders... great. If we're left with the only real option of inviting Mr. Black to come reap his due in a way that doesn't endanger the rest of Albridge... I can sleep with that."
He looks around, "I say we get Father Galt and Mordecai up to speed, see if we can get them to help us get answers about the use of the rhyme as well as convince the deal-makers that they need to quarantine themselves. Then we need to go have another chat with Victahana."
It's worth a try, I suppose, but I'd rather not waste any more time on those two. I think we should go see Victahana first, before Master Black discovers the fate of his doll and tries to send somethin' worse. Better yet, if you or the doc can bring Waveharp around, he might know more about how the rhyme works.
"I agree with seeing the witch. But I'm still concerned about Fletcher's wife. That doll came after the other's after Jannys was killed. She might not be in danger now, but we don't know for sure. This contract is like an illness we don't know nothing about. Cutting off the foot might slow it down, but we don't know we saved the leg."
The mention of Waveharp makes Jak’s eyebrows climb, ”That’s not a bad idea. We ain’t pissed him off yet. And if anything, he owes us his life. Maybe he’ll know when they tried the rhyme.”
He looks over at Ezekiel, ”I’m concerned with all these folks, Zeke, but we can’t be everywhere. I trust Galt. He seemed surprised by all this, and the townsfolk seem impressed by his contribution when they were killing those undead. And he certainly pulled his weight against that doll. I say we try to put him in charge of those who survived being close to the dead deal-makers. Hopefully he can keep them alive while we try to figure out some more options for dealing with Black.”
The party heads over to the Church to set things in motion with Galt and Mordecai. The priest sees the wisdom in their suggestion. The best 'quarantine' he can offer is bringing the families of the elders into the Church for protection. Hopefully the sanctified ground will stop Black or his minions from entering. He quickly leaves to gather the survivors.
To garner Mordecai's help requires some explanation... which confirms what he overheard (and heard over) Fruhand's body. The tenant farmer doesn't take the news well and the inside of the Church is treated to thoroughly coarse language. Mordecai, after he cools down, nods tightly and goes to see what information he can drag from the two 'pillars of the community'.
In reasonably short order, Galt is shepherding a small gaggle of scared people at the church: Rynn Pegason (already there), the widow Fletcher and her parents (just in case), the Mayor's wife and three sons, and two cousins of Waveharp who has no immediate family. Hugh Tull refuses to abandon his wife and is staying at their compound. To prevent unneeded suffering, Galt didn't disclose the full truth to the families. Rather, he tells them that there is reason to suspect they might be in danger and the church will provide sanctuary for them until the threat passes.
Mordecai returns less than an hour later. His face looks like a stormcloud. He pulls Galt and the heroes into a private conversation. He looks more pissed than he was previously. "They told me nothin'. All I could get was they tried to contact this Black fella twice after Philmore died, but before Jannys' family. That's it."
The team heads over to the Waveharp house, yet another nice house with a rocking chair set out front. They mount the steps and knock. No answer comes from within. Fearing the worst, they enter the house and step on a silver spoon sitting errant on the floor. Quick reconnaissance reveals there is no sign of Yenamro Waveharp but there are some disturbances in two bedrooms, a couple closets, the kitchen, and the living room. It appears someone quickly rifled through the mentioned rooms and stripped the places of some clothes and valuables... down to a taking most of the silverware. There is no sign of violence. At a guess, Waveharp has fled with whatever he could quickly pack.
Jak shakes his head at Waveharp's place, at this point getting used to being undermined by the people they're here to help. "Marcus, Aerik... what are the chances one of you can track the man? I hate to let him wander off and die within hours of saving his life." He picks up the silver spoon, spinning it in his fingers before setting it down on the nearest surface, "Then again, we can't go running off for who-knows-how-long.. time is likely against us and chasing Waveharp is likely not to produce all that much information."
He shrugs and looks at the group, "Victahana?"
Marcus crouches, searching for any indication of where he may have fled.
"The Damn fool." The anger in Zeke's voice makes it clear he wasn't intending it as a pun. "I have to agree. At least this way hopefully no one else will be in danger, though I doubt running will do him much good. Seems the only lead we have left is her, unless he left some clue behind." While Marcus searches for traps, Zeke takes a look around Waveharp's place, seeing if anything got left.
Jak helps Zeke, though he's unsure what he's looking for.
"We might be able to find him, but it sounds like he's already made his decision..."
Waveharp's tracks are easy to follow, once you leave the house. He skirted out the back and cut cautiously through the fields and light forests, making a loop down to the river. Once in the trench of the river he headed West (away from Victahana's place) and continued to skulk carefully. Once clear of the village proper, his stride length increase and his footprints in the mud become more pronounced. He took off at a run. Since he is racing along and in the river, his tracks become harder to spot. You doubt this was an attempt to avoid pursuit, rather it seems like he chose the river as the best way to get out of town unnoticed.
Meanwhile, at the house, Zeke and Jak do a preliminary search which doesn't turn up anything revelatory about the town's problems.
Our illustrious heroes follow the river east for a couple miles until they spy a rough mud and wattle hut clinging to the side of the ravine, just below the crest. Down at the river side is a middle-aged and wild-haired woman. She dances along the edge of the river and punctuates her hummed song periodically with a wild jump and a splash of mud. It seems she's been at the game for awhile as the lower half of her body is coated in mud.
"Fish, little fish,
Good on a dish...
But best in a atream
where other fishes teem."
Lyrica follows the others, keeping her thoughts to herself, but offering help where she may. When the company approaches the witch, Lyrica steps forward and says, "Good day, Victahana. We're sorry to interrupt, but we have returned and wondered if you would be willing to visit with us again. We have more to discuss with you if you are willing."
If the witch is agreeable, Lyrica will explain.
"We found out that a number of residents in town made an agreement with a devil for thirteen years of prosperity. The devil has already decided to start collecting souls. We were hoping that you could tell us what you know about that arrangement."
It is hard to say if Victahana is 'agreeable'. She keeps an eye on Lyrica and continues to play hopscotch in the mud. Lyrica's phrases are emphasized with a Splip... splorp... squelch from the witch's leaps.
Victahana ends her game and steps into the river to wash her legs and the lower part of her dress.
"Bloody debts are dearly paid,
when wolves are snared in traps well-laid."
She looks out over the corn fields and the trees near at hand and frowns.
Lyrica looks patiently to Victahana wondering why she might be playing hopscotch.
"Are you saying that the debts incurred by the town's folks were well laid traps that they had little chance to avoid? How much do you know about these traps, my dear?"
Jak watches the exchange between Lyrica and Victahana, doing his best to get a sense for the woman. He can’t help but add a clarifying question to Lyrica’s. ”Yah… what were the traps? The deal itself? Or were the traps what made the townsfolk need to seek help in the first place? Furthermore, the people who came asking you for help ended up making a deal with a devil calls himself Mr. Black. He ended up ’subverting the natural order’… what can you tell us of this Mr. Black.”
Sense Motive 16
"Are you saying that the debts incurred by the town's folks were well laid traps that they had little chance to avoid? How much do you know about these traps, my dear?"
The strange woman watches her skirt swish in the river. She picks up a long slender stick floating by.
"A hungry wolf will dare the trap,
His choice made, he awaits the snap."
Jak watches the exchange between Lyrica and Victahana, doing his best to get a sense for the woman. He can’t help but add a clarifying question to Lyrica’s. ”Yah… what were the traps? The deal itself? Or were the traps what made the townsfolk need to seek help in the first place? Furthermore, the people who came asking you for help ended up making a deal with a devil calls himself Mr. Black. He ended up ’subverting the natural order’… what can you tell us of this Mr. Black.”
Victahana hisses at the mention of Black's name and glares at Jak.
"Other powers than earth there are,
traveling farther than distant stars...
Demons come to spread their woes,
Never doubt how far they'll go."
"So how would the wolf avoid the snap? And why does the trap take their cubs, I mean kids and family?"
Jak—eyebrows raised at the glare from the strange woman—mouths the word ‘Demons’ as he thinks.
He listens for her reply for Ezekiel, but can’t help muttering. ”I’m not really sure she means the deal-makers when she mentions the wolf. She could be talking about Black.” He watches the witch for any signs that his observation has merit.
"So how would the wolf avoid the snap? And why does the trap take their cubs, I mean kids and family?"
The witch seems well pleased with Zeke until he falls from the analogy by saying 'kids and family'. She glances out at the trees again.
"Their season run, the trap is sprung.
There's no undoing what can't be undone.
The toothless wolf that fights its fate,
Will see its cubs taken - soon or late."
"So you're saying that cubs are being taken because the wolves are resisting?" Zeke glances towards the trees, trying to see what she's looking at.
He listens for her reply for Ezekiel, but can’t help muttering. "I’m not really sure she means the deal-makers when she mentions the wolf. She could be talking about Black." He watches the witch for any signs that his observation has merit.
From the woman's frown, Jak's speculation is wrong. At the mention of Black's name again, she pokes Jak with her stick and shakes her head.
"Sentinels stand amid the rows,
show care in words or be a feast for crows."
She waves her stick in the direction of an oak tree. Three crows sit amid the branches, silently watching.
Jak rubs where the stick struck, glowering at the woman as he mutters, ”Be a damned shame if you spoke plain, woman.” But the warning finally seems to have sunk in, and he shares a portion of his glower for the birds.
He puts words to the obvious, ”I’m confused. Mr… “ he catches himself, bracing for the anticipated stick-strike, ”… the trap-layer struck a deal with the wolves. Making deals isn’t something I’ve heard demons do… but you’re saying that’s what we’re dealing with here?”
The druid's eyes wander until the meaning hits him. He begins talking almost to himself.
"Rabbits. Rabbits is a better way to look at them. The mother will put its young in a hole, and never go home. Only very early in the morning to bring food. So predators can't follow her to her young. These rabbits, they are already dead. Nothing can be done for them. But they are frightened and hiding with their young. Leading the predators right to them. Fletcher was the only one who figured it out..."
Marcus listens to all of the rhymes and metaphors for awhile until the crows are pointed out. He gives them a long look, quietly contemplating drawing his crossbow and driving them off before deciding not to waste a bolt.
He approaches Victahana and joins the conversation.
I'm not much for riddles, but you seem to be, so maybe you should hear a few that were written about us, the big man clears his throat and recites from memory, with no flair or poetry in his voice.
North from the dark shroud - the Mourning Vale
Come the vengeful, bound by hate.
Snatch the black hand from the Pale;
Anoint the tools that sever Fate.
That was us, and these are the anointed tools, he says, slowly sliding his axe free and holding it out to her, blade down, to inspect, before continuing.
Ma'am, we understand this is dangerous, but we're supposed to be here.
Long upon a twisted course,
Albridge town in evil steeps.
The greater good must be sewn or
A bitter harvest shall be reaped.
Can you help us find this creature?
Then, to Jak:
Jak, will our weapons work against this thing?
Jak rubs where the stick struck, glowering at the woman as he mutters, ”Be a damned shame if you spoke plain, woman.”
He puts words to the obvious, ”I’m confused. Mr… “ he catches himself, bracing for the anticipated stick-strike, ”… the trap-layer struck a deal with the wolves. Making deals isn’t something I’ve heard demons do… but you’re saying that’s what we’re dealing with here?”
She taps Jak lightly on the crown of his head, 'knighting' him. It seems to mean 'yes'.
Jak keeps himself from recoiling from her touch, but the weight of her response seems to deflate him a bit. ”Well, damn. Nothing like realizing the card shark across from you is an actual shark…”
”Jak, will our weapons work against this thing?”
Jak unconsciously taps his whip as he thinks back to all the stories he’s heard, ”Maybe. Depends on the story, but some say some demons can shake off attacks by some kinds of weapons. Sometimes it has to do with the type of weapon. Sometimes it has to do with what the weapon is made of.”
”But it gets better. I was assuming we were dealing with a devil. They like their contracts. If our girl here is right, we’re dealing a demon. The stories paint them up as more a fan of wholesale slaughter… and I have no idea how much weight they’ll put on their word. Offering up the deal-makers may stop this thing… then again, the trap-setter may decide to bathe the town in its own blood... ya know, just for grins.”
"I'm not much for riddles, but you seem to be, so maybe..."
She scowls and pokes Marcus with her stick.
"I speak no riddles,
at start, end, or middle...
Rhymes are blessed, hold them dear,
Proof against the blackest ears.
Deafened as by church bell chimes
hide your words, in holy rhymes."
"Can you help us find this creature?"
Victahana jumps away and looks at Marcus like he's crazy. She glances at her little stick, wishing it were a log to beat him with. It takes a long time before she can manage an answer.
"Fate may guide your way...
But what role do you play?
No axe in Albridge stanzas can be heard...
The wise read warily the prophet's words."
"On the morrow, the demon comes, to collect his due.
You can't track him, but he'll find you."
"Jak, will our weapons work against this thing?"
"On the morrow, the demon comes, to collect his due.
You can't track him, but he'll find you."
"Well, that rhyme sounds perfectly clear. The demon will be coming tomorrow to collect payment whether we are ready or not. Tell me Vichtana, have you made any deals with this demon?"
"I guess that does take care of the when, now doesn't it?"
He looks at his fellow Drearians with a shrug, "Separate the wolves from the cubs, try to mitigate the damage, hope for the best, and prepare for the worst?"
Zeke struggles with what Victahana says. "So Blackest can hear, if rhymes...you don't hear?"