"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!"
"Where shall we three meet again: in thunder, lightning, or in rain? When the hurly-burly's done, when the battle 's lost and won"
It has been two weeks since Blackblight died, impaled on Heart's Edge, and her coven's and their dreams died with her.
It has been two weeks since three desperate changelings were saved by their own dark angel, who led them along a track which existed as barely more than imagination - avoiding the rampaging knights and paladin's in the process.
It has been one week since they arrived in their current home, a dilapidated barn on the edge of Longacre - a prosperous town many miles from the Chitterwood. The roof leaks and the weather has been foul - not fit for man nor beast, which is just as well since the few remaining animals were unwilling to leave the barn and the coven has eaten well from their bodies for days.
It has been almost an entire day since you last saw Ahreni - vanishing as she does on her 'scouting' trips into town. As the least conspicuous member of the little group she has been investigating Longacre, trying to establish the lie of the land while the rest of you wait in the dark and cold.
As the sinking sun casts long shadows across the untilled fields Ahreni slips back into the barn and eases the door shut behind her.
"Well, I've found something - or rather someone." She says, tiredly removing her cloak and shaking the water out of it. "Figure called Razelago. Heavy on the theatrics but he seems genuine enough. He wants people to do some jobs for him, jobs which he can deny if need be. I questioned him pretty close and he implied that he has access, the ear of someone with influence. He promised me protection, and some access of my own if I can get his work done. I told him I knew some people who might be interested - for the right price." Ahreni pauses to look at each of you in turn.
"I've been in Longacre all day trying to find out about this man - he's known, but not well. Rumor has it he is linked to the local Archbaron - doesn't make him popular. Longacre doesn't seem to like its leader much, and most of what I heard about our potential employer made it sound like he's definitely part of the hierarchy"
She shakes her head, dark hair flying for a moment. "Anyway, Razelago wants us to hit a business outside town. A tannery of some sort. Apparently the owner hasn't been paying his taxes - we're meant to get in and collect the monies owed. We get 100 gold pieces each if we do the job well and it sounded like Razelago didn't care much about what else goes as long as we get his gold..."
Once again she looks around, a lingering glance for each of you. "So, what do you think?"
"Tsk." Alyssa looks up from where she has been sitting on a straw bale, straight-backed as she cleans one of her knives, which was messy from preparing their supper: a few freshly-killed and skinned rats. Their small bodies are charring gently in the meagre fire they've been able to keep in the barn.
Leaning down, she turns them over on the embers, trying to get them to cook through, before looking up again at Ahreni. "Not paying taxes, 'tisn't respectable, dearie. Everyone knows ordinary hard-working folk have to pay taxes to keep safe. If they don't pay them, they can't expect to stay safe, can they?" (Alyssa has never paid tax in her life.) "Count me in. Sometimes people need to be reminded what taxes protect them from. When do we leave? Not before supper, I trust, dearie. You wouldn't keep an old woman from her dinner, I'm sure."
As if realising that the rats aren't going to get any more cooked in this wretchedly small fire, she delicately picks one up and bites into it. Mmmph. She's eaten worse. Producing a black lace hankie from one pocket, she delicately wipes off the blood where it was trickling down her chin. "Dearie me, where are my manners?" She proffers the partially-eaten rodent towards Ahreni. "Do have some, dearie. There's enough for everyone." Her eyes gleam with sharp amusement behind her spectacles (which are worn almost entirely for show) as she watches the woman's reaction.
Lavinia had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, off by herself, when Ahreni returned. She had a small makeup kit out and was busying herself trying to paint lips on her tiny snake, Khloros, while cooing sweetly to the reluctant little viper all the while. Ahreni had her rapt attention, however -- eager to hear every shred of news their little scout had brought. (Khloros, meanwhile, took advantage of the distraction to slither back into his private satchel.)
"We get to leave the barn and go someplace?" She asked, almost in disbelief. "We're going! I mean, we'll do it. Alyssa, can we please?" Her coven-sister's comments were a little perplexing, but the point was clear -- they were taking the job!
"We should go right after dinner," she said.
With a fresh exuberance in her step, Lavinia came over to the fire and sat herself down, taking one of the rats off the flame. She didn't bite into the charred meat; instead she set it on the ground and tore open its belly with her claws. With a bit tugging and tearing, and making a bit of a mess, she plucked out the half-cooked organs and ate greedily; enjoying the little pop each one made when she squished them with her teeth.
"A hunnerd gold 'd buy a lotta betta food, at least." Friday said, looking unhappily at her freshly cooked rat. "Na offense to ya cookin', Alyssa. Ya make dem rats as edible as is possible for dem t' be. I jus prefer a richer fare. Some pepper, at least."
In contrast to Lavinia, Friday ate hers on a simple stick, taking small bites and occasionally picking out the bones. She passed the gristle and organmeats to Lavinia.
"Doin' somet'in's betta'n sittin' 'round here another day. When d'we leave?"
"Dearie me, where are my manners?" She proffers the partially-eaten rodent towards Ahreni. "Do have some, dearie. There's enough for everyone." Her eyes gleam with sharp amusement behind her spectacles (which are worn almost entirely for show) as she watches the woman's reaction.
Ahreni produces a small knife from somewhere and cuts two delicate slices from the rat's flank which she eats with a straight face.
"The tannery is some way away, maybe an hour from here if we skirt the town. We'd best go soon."
The night is a truly foul one. Rain hammers down on the barn as the coven make their preparations along with regular crashes of thunder and lightning. As the four women make their careful way around the town they are all soaked to the bone until they reach the tannery when, with a final massive crash and a burst of lightning that seems to light the whole sky, the storm's rage subsides - leaving behind a silence that is almost more eerie.
Ahreni, crouched behind a small bush points to the squat structure ahead. "That's the tannery. There's a palisade with one gate, not sure exactly what's inside." A gust of wind brings an absolutely foul stench your way and Ahreni coughs slightly, "Apart from that!"
Lavinia usually liked the rain, but the night's downpour was too much. After dinner she had utilized her prestidigitation to clean up, but no simple magic would make her look presentable now. She tried to blow a few strands of stringy hair from her face, but it was a futile effort even after the storm had subsided.
She pinched her nose and gagged as the horrid smell of the tannery wafted over. "Are they really behind on taxes, or did the collector just want someone else to come collect them?" Lavinia joked, then pulled her scarf up, covering her mouth and nose. "I'll try to get a look through the fence..."
Maneuvering some to get a better angle and a closer look, she kept her eyes peeled for anything of note. Even Khloros poked his head out of his satchel, his tiny tongue testing the air.
Alyssa wrings out her shawl, before re-tying it over her head. "Shouldn't be out on a night like this, at my age," she mutters to nobody in particular. "The damp goes straight to these old bones."
That done, she strides purposefully over to the fence and walks carefully around its perimeter. Between the rain, the thunder and her black clothing, she's virtually invisible.
One she has done her sweep around, she looks critically at Lavinia, who clearly doesn't appreciate the smell. "Let's see what we can do about that shall we, dearie?"
Poking around the undergrowth, she looks for some pungent herb such as aneth-root, that they could use to mask the stink of the tannery. She remembers that the town noblewomen used to do something similar.
Where the idea of eating a rat had certainly bothered Friday, the stink of the Tannery apparently did not. The collar of her long coat was wide and turned up. Between that, her customary hat, and a scarf she was fairly well protected from the rain. She seemed to rather enjoy the rain, even when it was coming down in sheets.
She followed her sisters, letting them take the lead. The only clothing she had was a bit worn, but still far too fancy for the work they were currently doing. She was out of her element and she knew it.
Scanning the interior of the tannery as best she can through the cracks in the fence Lavinia sees a wide work yard, marred by cart tracks and disturbing stains. Most importantly however the yard appears to be empty.
Alyssa's quiet exploration also turns up something interesting. Near the gate is a section of palisade which appears to have been repeatedly rammed by badly aimed carts - this has opened a narrow gap in the fence and offers a possible entry point if desired.
The coven reconvenes at Friday's position and Ahreni rejoins a few moments later.
"The gate is just latched." She reports. "I can open it fairly easily but it won't be quiet - we might do better to look for a less obvious way in."
Lavinia made her way back to Friday and the others. "The yard looks clear," she said. She offered a slow, pensive nod at Ahreni's report. "How not-quiet do you think it'll be? Loud enough to wake a paranoid tax-evader too cheap to buy a lock?"
"If he's asleep." Ahreni responds. "There's a light on inside the only building. Someone is still awake inside, and I'd guess its the owner. If Alyssa can handle it we're probably best going over the fence."
Alyssa looks placid. "I don't believe in knocking on doors, dearie. It only encourages them." She does not elaborate on her slightly cryptic remark, but after a moment she adds: "There's a very friendly little gap in the fence down that way. In and out, quick as you please - and quiet." This last is said rather pointedly.
Lavinia smiled conspiratorily as Alyssa reported her findings. "Sounds perfect!" She whispered. Ahreni's mention of the light, and the likelihood of the owner still being awake, didn't dash her spirits any. "And you said our new friend doesn't care what happens to the guy, right? As long as we get the money, right?" Half a dozen dark possibilities ran through her eager, sadistic thoughts.
"I imagine killing him isn't what Razelgo had in mind." Ahreni muses. "Hard to get any more taxes from a dead man. Nothing said about what state he had to be in though..."
Friday followed the others to the break in the fence, wishing she had different boots. Still, this was exciting. "t least the rain drowns out sound and makes it hard to see very far. I doubt anyone will be able to hear us moving around in this."
Lavinia rolled her eyes at Ahreni. "Fine, no killing... Maiming optional, but leave him able to work." she conceded, but muttered sarcastically under her breath; "Anything else fun we should avoid?" Not expecting a response, she quietly followed Alyssa to the gap in the wall.
Squeezing through the fence, the coven finds themselves inside the tannery courtyard. The place reeks! Large, dubious looking tubs hold murky water crusted with unspeakable muck and grime.
This is not a pleasant place.
Trying to ignore the smell, Lavinia crawled through the gap in the fence...
...She wriggled and grunted at the tight and uncomfortable squeeze, quietly cursing herself for the noise she made.
Alyssa seems almost to teleport through the gap in the fence. Once on the other side, she wrinkles her nose in distaste at the smell.
Friday carefully squeezed though, suddenly glad she'd lost some weight since all the trouble started.
She didn't seem the least bit bothered by the disgusting tubs of filth. She looked around for a place to hunker down while Lavinia scouted around.
Ahreni slips through the fence quietly enough.
Lavinia has some trouble getting through the fence, but the distance, and the cover of the tanning vats seems to avoid anyone hearing her.
Ahead of you is the tannery office, where the light burns. In front of the door lies a large dog which appears to be asleep. There is no-one else present although the smell lurks like a particularly foul killer.
Lavinia tried to look around the yard, but her eyes began watering from the horrid stench...
...and she gagged horribly for a few seconds, feeling the rats coming back up with a vengeance. She managed to keep herself from retching, but the smell and her stomach's unease remained.
She noticed the crate nearby, and wasn't terribly concerned with armor -- it was too constricting. And itchy. And ugly. She pointed the crate out, specifically to Ahreni, and shrugged. If anyone was interested in armor, she guessed it would be their not-so-witchy ally.
Alyssa is not too concerned about the smell, and she easily spots the crate of leather armour. She watches Lavinia with interest and waits for the young girl to recover. "We should probably do something about that dog," she whispers.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Lavinia eyed the dog, seemingly already asleep, at Alyssa's prompting. She mulled it over for a few moments, then started to sway slightly, as if to music that she alone heard. Her hands waived and fingers twitched out a simple spell, while she whispered a soft lullaby into the night.
"Hush-a-bye doggie, go out to the shed,
Blow out the candle and go right to bed,
At night comes the woodsman to chop off your head,
Chipping and chopping 'till doggie is dead..."
Lavinia continued humming and swaying to the tune, and waved the others onward, ready to follow their lead and hope the dog kept dreaming...
Friday wasn't bothered by the smell. Her younger years were full of that sort of stuff. She giggled at Lavinia's song. "I'm not sure singing to it is what Alyssa meant by 'do something.'"
Ahreni rolls her eyes and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like "Witches..." before slipping away towards the dog.
She slips up to the dog and carefully puts a dagger into its neck.
The dog expires without a whimper, never emerging from its sleep. There is no sign of disturbance from inside.
Lavinia ignored Ahreni's comment, but kept up her humming and concentration while their little scout dispatched the sleeping pup. When the deed was done she stopped her song and let her spell lapse. Eager to get away from the awful vats, Lavinia crept her way over to Ahreni's position...
Alyssa tuts slightly as the dog is efficiently put down - although whether it's a dislike of the killing of a defenceless pet, or the fact it died too quickly, is perhaps best not questioned too closely.
"ooops a daisy, clumsy me..."
She is not terribly good at being sneaky: not so long ago, it was other people that needed to hide from her. She hasn't yet fully adjusted to the reversal of circumstances.
Friday managed to avoid bumping into anything or tripping, and kept to the shadows almost like it was something she was good at.
Inside the building Ahreni hears a sudden scraping noise as though a chair has been pushed back. She frantically waves the others back into the cover of the shadows as the door opens and a thick-set man holding a large crossbow steps out of the door, a second dog scampering at his feet.
"What the? Thieves! Intruders!"
Obviously jumpy the man aims his crossbow and looses at Alyssa, the bolt whizzing through the air and striking her cleanly in the chest!
His dog steps in front of the crossbow wielding man, barking loudly.
Alyssa winces as the crossbow bolt strikes her solidly in the chest. "Young man, be careful with your toys, or you could hurt this poor old woman. Have a care, please, and make sure your pet doesn't attack my friends."
Lavinia saw the bolt whiz by and strike Alyssa. Her mood went from whimsical to wrathful in one heartbeat... "Help her!" she shouted to Friday, stepping aside and in between Louslik's line of fire. Lavinia glared daggers at the man.
"A tisket, a tasket, you're gonna need a casket..." She said in a dark, sing-song tone.
Friday summons her own brand of magic and Alyssa winces as the bolt is pushed back out of her stomach, the wound closing as the bolt leaves - only bruising and aching ribs remain.
Lavinia begins to sing, trying to ensnare Louslik and the dog in her magics. The dog begins to sway slightly to her tune, but the tannery owner seems too focused on the 'intruders' to be distracted.
Ahreni slides out of the shadows by the door and jabs towards him with one of her knives, but her blow is foiled by the man's thick leather apron.
Louslik backs away from Ahreni's unexpected appearance and levels his crossbow at the rogue.
Unfortunately for him Ahreni is too quick and she ducks as the bolt flies past her. The dog trots forwards and bites at Lavinia, nipping at her ankles.
Lavinia grit her teeth against the dog's bite, wincing at the pain. She carefully plotted out where to cast her spell, and wove the magic gently trying not to provoke the dog any further.
Louslik aims his crossbow down at his dog, although the big man closes his eyes before he pulls the trigger. Fortunately for him Archie was already moving forward and the bolt sticks in the damp ground behind the dog.
At a loss for anything to do, Friday moved forward and swing at the dog with her cane.
She seemed surprised when the heavy head of her fancy walking stick made contact.
Seeing the confusion on the man's face at apparently having shot at his own dog, Alyssa takes full advantage. "Shame on you, what did that dog ever do to you? Should be ashamed of yourself..." she tuts.
First Alyssa and then Lavinia assail Louslik and Archie with their magics, and although the man shakes off Alyssa's enchantment neither can resist Lavinia's enhanced slumber spell and fall to the ground - fast asleep.
Friday - given the opportunity, strikes the dog on the head , slaying it with a single strike.
Ahreni nods at the coven and kneels by the unconscious man, her hands flying through his pockets and assembling a small pile of objects - a small shiny rock, a potion bottle, crossbow bolts and two keys on a ring.
"Get inside and see what you can find!" She says, tossing the keys to Lavinia. "I'll make sure he doesn't wake up too soon."
Inside the beamhouse is a small office, decorated with tooled leather tapestries and antique leatherworking tools. The only object of real interest is the small lockbox under the desk - which is opened with one of Louslik's keys and contains nearly twenty bags of assorted coinage, all neatly packed in bags and sorted by denomination. The lockbox is small and easily transported.
Just as the search finishes Ahreni appears at the door. "Quick - there's a cart coming towards the tannery - we need to get out of here before they see us! We can go over the fence at the back!"
Friday looked at the dog she'd just killed, not sure of how to feel. She liked dogs. It had fallen asleep, did she have to kill it? Did she mean to?
She didn't want to think about it, so she turned her attention to the task at hand. She dragged the dead over to one of the barrels of filthy tannery much and unceremoniously stuffed them in and out of sight.
Lavinia smiled as both dog and man succumbed to slumber. It was a little sad that both doggies had to die, though...and even sadder that they had to let the old bastard live. She held out an arm to help Alyssa along; her eyes shone with a genuine look of concern and sympathy for her injured coven sister.
She caught the keys, and went inside to scrounge around. The lockbox was easy to find, and her eyes went wide when she saw the numerous pouches, concealing the glittering goodies within. It was a shame they couldn't keep all of it, but a deal was a deal... Lavinia brought their prize outside, but frowned when Ahreni heard the cart approaching. She thought about staying for a few moments, but without any idea of who they were or how many people it carried, she shook her head. "Alright, lets get out of here," she said, ready to follow Ahreni's lead.
Alyssa nods at Lavinia, acknowledging her assistance. "Thank you, dearie. These old bones don't heal as fast as they used to." Muttering something inaudible, her hand glows briefly with a black light as the rest of her injury heals.
Aware that she has now exhausted what little of Gyronna's favour remains to her, she is keen to leave before she has to get into another fight. She hefts the strongbox with ease (her arms may be thin, but they are surprisingly strong) and quickly looks around: it's a shame they don't have time to raid the place further, but they're not in any state for more combat.
She narrows her eyes. Once upon a time, she would have walked out of here leaving it a burning, smouldering wreck - once she had wrung every last bit of pain that she could from the inhabitants. Oh well. It's no use going on and on and on about the good old days.
Ahreni provides a boost for each of the coven members, hoisting them up and over the palisade and the four women disappear into the darkness before the gong farmers arrive at the tannery.
After half an hour of rapid flight lights appear and Ahreni holds up a hand. "This is Longacre. We need to make our way up the hill to 'Ash House', big place on the hill - badly burned. Head in by yourselves and we'll meet there."
Splitting up takes time, but the coven reconvenes without trouble outside a truly dangerous looking building. What remains of this manor looks like it could collapse at any moment. Bearing the scars of a decades-old fire, the house is blackened and sags under the weight of its collapsed third floor. Shattered windows pose no barrier to the riot of ivy scaling each gable and invading every cavity. Bent pillars and a cracked granite porch lead to a warped door bearing a rusty doorknocker shaped like a boar’s head, Ahreni opens the door and leads the coven into a once opulent room.
Toppled bookshelves, a table, and some chairs half-covered in ivy suggest this room was once a library. The ashes and pulp of burned, waterlogged books lay heaped amid fallen furniture, creating a large nest of sorts against one wall. A set of folding paper screens divides the room. A lantern flickers on the opposite side, projecting the silhouette of a desk and high-backed chair upon the thin paper.
From behind the screen comes a high pitched voice. "So... is the job done as I asked?"
Ahreni looks to the rest of you and makes a forward gesture - clearly indicating that one of the witches should step up and answer.