Morgam scoffs. "Think he was talking to me. You're dead for sure."
He shakes his head to clear the pulsing primal blood and starts to look around for his discarded pistol.
Sigmund flashes Morgram a quick grin.
''Yeah, I was talking to you Morgram. Dominic, you need a hand getting up? I managed to stabilize you, but you still need additional treatment.''
Sigmund then turns to greet the newcomer.
''Thanks for the assist stranger, without your help I might be dead and this one.'' He indicates Dominic with his foot. ''And this one would certainly be dead.''
He then heads over to where he dropped his double pistol and retrieves it.
"I have it handled, thank you."
Morgam finds his pistol has been kicked into a gutter during the scuffle. It seems alright but it'll need a thorough cleaning before it can be used again.
Morgam scoops up his pistol and tucks it away with a frown. "Let's all meet for a drink tonight when this is all over. But right now I don't think it's over." he declares, sounding tired.
"We lost track of a lot of those newcomers, and... did anyone else see the big guy with tattoos? He had a little girl with him, and this thing," Morgam paused to kick the dead beast, "Was one of 'em, until he just grabbed him by the neck and..." He shook his head. "I don't know. It was like he killed him, but then he turned into this."
"Then we need to find the man, and the girl, now. Which way did they go?"
Sigmund is taken aback by what Morgram has told them.
''Wait Morgram you're saying he touched this person and they just became a beast? This is crazy. Dominic is right, we need to find them now.''
"I agree, if what you saw is true we need to find him."
"That's kinda what I'm saying, but we can't just go runnin' after him." Morgam protests firmly. "That's what I did, and he turned this guy into a beast just to distract me. Now supposing we all come crashing in on him, and he's somewhere in public, with a lot of necks around..." Morgam rubs his own neck to press the point. "It's too dangerous, for everybody. And it's way too public. If this guy was here just to make chaos, he'd be doing it right now. I think he's up to something, and we need to figure out what, and bring the whole workshop down on his head before it's too late."
Morgam straightens his coat and wipes some blood splatter from his face.
"Least that's how I see it."
Sigmund rubs his chin thoughtfully.
''Hmm I suppose you have a point. Plus even we could catch up to him, I'm half dead and Dominic over there is practically dead as it is....'' He gives Dominic a pointed look. ''You're welcome by the way.''
Turning back to speak to the others.
''I suppose we should report back to the workshop and tell them what we've encountered thus far? Unless someone has a better idea? ''
The closest workshop outpost is above the Oedon chapel but there are others. Where are the hunters heading?
"Well then, lets get moving." Clothes handing in tatters from him and still bleeding in drips and drabs, Dominic begins walking towards the chapel.
Morgam nods and leads the way to the Oedon chapel, counting on his sharp senses to warn him of trouble before it should fall upon them.
Grim will follow the two to chapel as well.
It is fortunate that the Oedon chapel is open day and night to whoever needs it. The building itself is only three stories tall, nestled away near the commercial quarter. It was the first church built in Yharnam and it has history stretching all the way back to the cities founding. Now it does little more than mark the border between Yharnam and the growing cathedral ward, where dozens of churches and cathedrals many times its size are all being built at a feverish pace.
You are greeted by a lanky chapel keeper. His eyes are clouded over and his back is hunched, as if the weight of living alone would be enough to drive him to his knees.
You know that the chapel houses a workshop outpost in its upper floors so you could report in now, or you could disperse and wait to report back until later.
"Why don't you two get some ministrations while I take this guy," Morgam says, gesturing to the newcomer, "Upstairs with me to report."
Now that the fighting has paused and they've arrived at the chapel, it's easy to see that Morgam is covered in sweat and his left hand shakes a bit. But there's a hard determination in his eyes and he shows no desire for rest.
Sigmund nods his approval at Morgam's suggestion.
" Yeah, sounds like a plan to me." He turns claps Dominic on the shoulder, careful not to slap a wounded piece of skin. " Come Dominic, lets go before you fall over and re-open your wounds or something."
"May I ask what is the issue?"Grim says after Sigmund go's off with Dominic.
"It's just like I told ya back in the street. And you'll hear it again when we get upstairs. But first you can give 'em an earful of what you were up to when you saved us out there. Second time that kind of thing's happened to me." Morgam shakes his head. "Better set the record straight before I start thinkin' I'm good luck."
"I was just going out looking to see if I can find anything odd afoot and that when I came across the lot of you fighting that beast, which by the way you're welcome for."
Tomasz grunted and followed the other hunter.
"Won't hear any complaining from my end of it. Guess I am good luck." Morgam responds with gruff sarcasm.
Downstairs the chapel dweller leads you into a back room and motions for you to sit before going about a table of tubes that you recognize as a blood ministration station. Rudimentary, not something you'd find in a proper clinic, but thanks to your enhanced metabolisms it should be more than enough to kickstart the healing process.
Meanwhile the lift carrying Morgam and Grim stops in the upper levels, opening up into the workshop outpost. Among the workbench and tomes kept in the wall you see a curator, absorbed in some notekeeping near the outposts alter in the back. With him is one other hunter in the workshop. A woman and, by the looks of it, she's already seen her own troubles this night.
Morgam knocks on the wall to announce his arrival. Hunters can be a jumpy lot, and tend to well armed--not a good group to accidentally sneak up on. "Hell of a night, huh?" He goes on to detail the confrontation with the refugees, the escape of many of them, and the slaying of the two beasts. He explains the man and the girl and how they disappeared somewhere in the city. He also mentions the other hunter's heroic entrance. "Oh, I'm Morgam by the way. And... uh..." He peers at Grim, searching his mind. "I'll let you introduce yourself." He says to the mysterious hunter. He turns to the woman and concludes, "I guess we weren't the only ones shedding blood tonight."
"I do apologize, with all of fighting going on I had forgotten to introduce my self. The names Grim"
"Sybille," the woman nods to the hunters and gets back to the curator. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything else."
Sybille tips her hat as she passes Morgam and Grim. "Gentlemen. We can discuss tonight's events a bit later. I'd like to have some rest for now."
The curator takes particular interest in Morgams description of the man and the girl and stops his report to get a detailed accounting of the event and the two refugees. In the meantime he notes you stipends from the workshop.
In the dim shadows of the Blood and Water tavern, Morgam looks right at home in the far corner booth. It's clear by his mug that he's chosen "water", in this case an imported ale. He casually leans back in his seat, eyeing the others with smug satisfaction. He drums the table with the fingers on his left hand, the gauntlet covering much of his hand and forearm.
"So," he begins, "Name's Morgam, for those of you that didn't catch it. I used to be a trader, but came to the Workshop after a Hunter saved my life. Now Hunting is pretty much what I do. I prefer to club 'em or shoot 'em when I can, but it doesn't always work out like that." He says, pausing to survey his fingernails. "Anyway, that's me." He looks around the table for someone to ask questions or introduce themselves next.
Sigmund spends the first day acquiring a portable alchemist lab and a new cloak. The man who sold it to him told him it would offer him resistance against many ailments. He then spent the next two days in some dark corner of the worskshop mixing various chemicals and reagents together, working hard to create more blood vials and a couple other potions that should help him on his next mission.
When the other hunters he has met ask him to join them for drinks, he happily throws down his tools to join them.
****************************************************************
Sigmund sits to Morgam's left. He orders whatever counts as the finest ale they have.
When Morgam is done his introduction, Sigmund starts to speak.
''Well for those of you I haven't spoken to yet I'm Sigmund Von Strauss. Im pretty new to hunting, all things considered. My parents were both hunters but we left Yharnam when I was a kid. I came here to find my sister, but I haven't had much luck yet.''
Though not for a lack of trying.
Grim sits across from Sigmund, with a mug of water. Look as though he's very uncomfortable.
"Well to introduce myself again the names Grim. I'm a native to Yharnam and both of my parents were also both hunters as well. But I last them to the beasts many years ago."
Sybille sits near Grim, with a bottle of wine and a glass.
"I was in the other team, and there were only two at the workshop," she nods to Morgam and Grim. "So, an introduction is in order. I'm Sybille, born and raised in Yharnam. Been hunting for four years. Or has it been five already? Ah, doesn't matter."
She sips from her glass.
"I heard you were dealing with the refugee problem?" She asks the hunters. "They're just flooding the city - my team had a rough encounter with them too."
Dominic sips his own very, very dry wine with an elegance completely heedless of the ruin of his shirt and jacket. "Well, breeding is important. As for myself, I am Dominic and my family hails from colder climes. No hunters, alas, but hunting's proven coincide remarkably well with our traditions. Yes, we were dealing with refugees. Morgam, would you care to describe the man you mentioned?"
Morgam's hand shakes a bit at the mention and his face goes dark. He takes a drink and pauses a moment. Then he begins, "He was the one in front. He had blond hair and a tattoo on his face. When the fight broke out with the first beast, he made a break for it. I followed him a while but then he stopped and grabbed another man, a refugee like the others, and lifted him in the air." Morgam taps his fingers on the table nervously. "With just one hand, mind you. So then he says something to him, and the guy just dies. Except then he gets up, and he's a beast. That's when I lost track of the blond guy, having my hands full with the new beast."
Morgam looks around the table and lets the news sink in. His left hand has clenched into a fist by now. "So, somewhere out there, in our town, there's a guy who can lift a man with one hand, kill him with a word, and turn him into a beast at a whim. The way I figure it that means a whole lot more trouble than what we've faced before."
"Nothing good, that's for sure," Sybille shakes her head. "I bet they'll tell us to find the guy. And, after your description - I can't say I'm eager to face him."
"They wouldn't have to tell me, but I'll be glad to have some backup when I run across him next." Morgam says with a grunt. "But there's one other thing. He had a little girl with him. She seemed like she wanted to be there. I don't know what to make of that. Daughter maybe? Has me unsettled though."
Dominic shrugged. "I hardly see how it matters. At any rate, we should be reaching out to the workshops, mapping new beast sightings. Hopefully we can see where this mystery man is headed."
Grim speaks up after Dominic. "I second that as well. "
Morgam nods at Dominic. "They said you was a smart one."
He looks around the table. "In the meantime, I think we'd best stick together. Nobody should be out hunting alone the way things are. I don't want to have to clean up after hunter nor beast." He finishes his mug and drops it to the table. "It's been a pleasure. This is where I spend my off hours, so feel free to join me any time."
In the days following the refugee incident you've kept your eyes open and ears to the ground. There's been no reports of the stranged tattooed man having appeared in the city, though with the odds of finding any particular miscreant in the throng of bodies that make up Yharnams underclass it is to be expected. The number of unexplained disappearances have gone up, but with no beasts in sight such a thing is hardly a matter for the hunters.
Each of you receive instructions to meet with a workshop representative named Crox at the Frount Street Square just outside of the south market district. The meeting is set for the early morning and you're told specifically to arrive in plain attire.
'Plain' is, well, not something Dominic could do if he tried. He could dress in a beggar's rags and he'd still be the very picture of a noble above the petty concerns of where his next meal is coming from and below the even pettier concerns of where this stain came from. Still, he makes an effort, and if his clothes are better-cut than you might expect at least the lace is kept to a minimum and there's no gold embroidery.
Sybille puts on a common dress - dark blue, just above ankles - and simple shoes on low heels. It's certainly not the most practical for a Huntress, but it is a plain attire.
"I wonder why we're meeting in the morning, and not in the evening or at night?"
Girm shows ups wearing a more or less "plain" attire, still how ever wearing the mask.
"I wonder that as well, and why we were suppose to come here in plain clothing?"
Instead of his usual attire, Sigmund sports trousers and a shirt. Both are black and made of slightly nicer than his usual attire.
He offers his greetings to the others when he arrives and catches the tail end of Grim and Sybille's conversation.
"Doubtless they wish for us to appear as ordinary citizens. And if we are travelling in the day light, perhaps they don't expect us to find combat?"
He runs his chin thoughtfully as he speaks, considering all the various possibilities.
Morgam arrives in laborer's clothes, including a simple cotton outfit paired with heavy boots, work gloves, and a woolen vest. Notably absent is his morningstar, and his usual gauntlet is concealed by the long sleeves and gloves. But a keen eye might still detect the pistol under his vest, were it not for the draping of his cloak.
He's apparently in a sour mood and almost seems a bit hung over as he squints towards the light. "Let's get this over with. Where's Crox?" Morgam demands gruffly.
No sooner does Morgam ask the question than a man emerges from the crowd of shoppers heading towards your group. He's wearing a simple shirt, vest, and slacks and has a placid look on his face, but by the way he moves its clear he's been waiting for you. "I'm Crox" he says and without waiting for any introductions he jerks his thumb towards to the crowd "Let's get on with it then."
You follow as he quickly leads you through the throng of people milling about the mouth of the shopping district. As soon as the crowd starts to thin he starts to explain the reason behind the meeting. "Over the last few days there's been a fair number of disappearances in this area. Normally it's something we'd attribute to a beast but without so much as viscera left behind we've been unable to track down a culprit. Then, the night before last a patrolling huntsman found something:"
Crox suddenly ducks into a narrow side street that reeks of garbage and refuse. You all do your best to squeeze in after him without being seen. He directs you to an iron gate nestled into a slim archway, one that you hadn't previously seen from the street. "I've got the key here" he says, producing a ring from his belt. Beyond the gate is a set of stairs descending downwards and Crox heads down without a word. You've no choice but to follow after as the darkness swallows him up.
Fortunately as soon as your out of sight of the street Crox uncovers a lantern that had been hanging on the wall and once again you have enough light to see by. He turns leading you down the rest of the stairs which you are now starting to recognise as one of the many entrances to Yharnams sewer system. Foul smelling air wafts from below and dark ooze coats the walls and ceilings around you. You emerge from the disgustingly narrow stairway into a larger, but equally repulsive passageway. Two cobblestone footways lie along either wall while a sickly brown river of liquid flows through the center, only occasionally broken up by bridges that join the two walkways. "There" says Crox, pointing to a nearby section of wall. The masonry there has collapsed leaving a large gap. As Crox leads you towards it you see by the lantern light that the gap leads into a space beyond. The stone there is different, smooth and faintly blue laid out in coubtless neat bricks, compared to the rough hewn rock used in the sewer around you. The space is large and heads directly down, deep enough that you cannot see the bottom by the lantern's light. "Workshop has no idea what it is" Crox explains "These sewers were here long before Yharnam so there's not really anyone who could say what's truly down here. You always here rumors of folks stumbling on some sealed off chamber or some such down here. We figure that the masonwork here got too old and just crumbled on its own, or maybe some kids were having fun throwing firecrackers down the sewer grates during the festival last week and hit a pocket of trapped gas - who knows? Given the circumstances the workshop has decided to make an inquest - discretely, of course. Tonight you'll all be heading down that hole"
Morgam cracks his neck. Though his face his grim, his eyes smile. "I've done worse." He says simply. "But what was a huntsman doing down here?"
"And the dress is ruined." Sybille chuckles but then stiffens. "So we are to play archeologists and investigate this. Are we to preserve the place? If the combat starts, I don't have any guarantees - I prefer my life to any old trinkets."
Crox shrugs "They'll usually come down here every once and a while to clear out any vagrants or the like."
"That's if there's anything down there to preserve. Still, I know you aren't scholars. The workshop is taking this one because they want to keep it discreet I reckon, I doubt they're all that concerned about collateral. I'd say don't bother sticking your neck out if you don't have too.”