Relief at the appearance of Winter and Captain York caused Momiii to relax and step back so they could enter safely. She listened intently as they spoke, glad that they could finally leave this place.
While they spoke she almost missed the books that Winter was carrying, at least until she recognized them, and it prompted her to ask, "Winter, did you know a patient named Brin? I believe he was a noble of some sort with an Aunt Agatha. I need to speak with her regarding her nephew's fate."
Glad to see the captain and Winter, Filbert relaxes and listens to their story.
Thoughts of leaving, pushing everything from is mind Filbert is just listening for when they can leave this accursed place.
"The fog creatures, are they all gone?"
Winter shook her head sadly and was about to say something when York spoke up. "Miss Winter has done a marvelous job keeping the survivors together which is all the more remarkable considering she is a visitor. Before everything went to hell in a handcart I was an orderly. I know most of the patients. I assume you mean Brin Cerznalo one of the eating disorder patients. Very sad, he was a promising artist. A sculptor I believe, but his crippling anxiety put paid to that. As for Agatha Freeling, mad as a hatter but harmless. I fear the worst for them, do you have word?"
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Momijii nodded sadly, "Brin is dead, that one," she pointed to the gibbering cultist, "was a part of the group that beat him to death. His mind snapped before I could find out for sure if the others were still alive." Her eyes watered slightly at the thought of Brin's fate, "I...I lived through his death with him, as a nightmare last night? I think it was last night...I saw the beauty he conjured in that dream world and how that beauty protected him and carried him off into the dream realm to protect him when he died." The emotions in her broke and she began to sob, "I know how he suffered, and the beauty he created, and now I...he....we've lost that...forever." She sank to the floor then and sobbed as she finally let go of her emotional control, too overwhelmed by all that she had experienced to keep herself calm any longer.
Agrippa watches stoically. Indeed. We "met" Mrs. Freeling. I doubt anyone will be seeing her around here much more.
Miss Winter. A word. Agrippa calls to the woman. He motions her off to the side.
If she joins him
I see you are taking evidence. To whom do you report? I have a stake in this. I know I do. We might compare notes.
Winter tries to comfort Momijii as best she can, and tells her quietly "He is with Phrasma now, his suffering is over. As for the ring leader, if you can give me a description I'll see if he can be tracked down... Anyway excuse me for a moment it seems Agrippa wants a word."
She follows Heinrich and confers in hushed tones, "I report to my superiors in Versex within the Royal Accusers and also to Mother Thestia - high priestess of Maiden's Choir Cathedral in Caliphas. I'm here on a matter that concerns both for the shrine of Phrasma in Thrushmoor has been... Well I'm not supposed to say exactly but lets just say there's been a lot of highly irregular activity. I suspect the local count Lowls is in the thick of it somehow. His obsession with occult lore has darn near bankrupted his family and risks putting the monarchy into disrepute. Speaking of the occult, I'm wondering if you recovered The Chain of Nights? If so would you mind if I take a look?"
Indeed. Agrippa says, handing over the book. Then he asks Have you gathered any more information about myself or my traveling companions? Our memories are reduced to hazy ruin...
*nods*
"Yes, i'd like to know the reason for my waking up in this place.
For being here at all, actually."
Winter spends some time paging through the tome, apparently finding it fascinating. Her expression darkens as she reads the final third and when she comes to the description of the ritual to remove one's nightmares by sharing them with everyone else she looks furious. She hands the book back to Agrappa saying, "That is a most dangerous tome. What the devil possessed Lowls to give this to Administrator Losandro?! I'm going to have to have words with him. Unfortunately we'll have try and get the local magistrate on side first. He's a weasel of a man called Tillus Padgett, he's been avoiding me. Would you mind serving him with this?" She hands you a scroll sealed with the sigil of The Royal Accusers.
She answers your question by saying, "As for your memories I'm not really sure. I was hoping there might have been something in The Chain of Nights, but I have a feeling your affliction is no natural one."
York adds a little uncertainly, "The doctors at Briarstone occasionally dealt with amnesiacs before. From what I remember they tried to surround them with familiar sights and sounds. Perhaps you should spend a couple of days in Thrushmoor? According to what we read in Dr Losandro's notes you came from there, perhaps being there will jog your memory?"
"Worth a try, i guess."
Agrippa nods at the woman and replaces The Chain of Nights back into his magical pouch. So it seems our path takes us to Thrushmoor. Thank you for your assistance.
Agrippa rejoins the others and says We must leave for Thrushmoore immediately. York, you said something about a vessel? Can we leave at once?
Momijii collected herself after a bit of reassurance from Winter and considered further what Captain York had said about Agatha. She looked to her companions and asked, "Wasn't the haunt who needed her medicine Agatha?"
"Yes, she was" Filbert answers quietly to Momijii's question. "Captain York, when can we leave?"
Filbert has had all of this place he can stand, he's glad to move somewhere he doesn't have to look over his shoulder every step of the way.
York nods at Agrippa and Filbert. He leads the party to a small cove on the western edge of the island. To get down to the beach you passed the ruins of a small cottage you think might have once been York's given the forlorn look he gave it. Visible through the twilight is a short jetty with a small boat tied up. York carefully removes the tarp and helps you all get in. He lights the large oil lamp and pushes off out into the deep cold waters of the Avalon Bay. With powerful strokes he soon propels the tiny craft far from land. Above deep gray clouds loom like a low ceiling in a dark room, and squalls of driving rain soak you through. The wind and rain make for choppy conditions and clinging to the side is all you can do to keep your dinner down. The steady rain limits visibility to perhaps fifty feet, making this a miserable and claustrophobic journey.
You wonder how York could possibly know which way to go, but you notice him concentrate on a tiny load stone and after a time one of the survivors cries, "Land Ho!" You look and sure enough you see the lights glowing on the side of the bay. Soon the boat winds it's way into Thrushmore's harbor and York ties up at Pier 19. The survivors pile out onto the dock issuing sighs of relief, believing their ordeal is over...
Winter shouts, "Take Care!" to York as he unties the boat and heads back across towards Briarstone isle. There were still a good number of survivors and York was keen to get them all across and away from that accursed isle.
As you stand there on the dock numb from the cold, Winter suggests, "We should get out of this rain. I'm half minded to see if Accuser Omari is at The Sleepless Detective building, I was supposed to meet him there oh about a week ago..." Suppressing a yawn she adds, "On the other hand an Inn would be welcome too."
It's nighttime, it's still raining and you're cold and hungry, standing on a time worn wooden dock, to the north across the water pinpricks of light pierce the gloom. To the south a small hill dotted with squat brick buildings, most of them dark. There are a few lanterns that show the way towards the bridge but these barely illuminate the way, you'll have to watch your step.
A physically and emotionally tired gnome Jeweler crawled wearily into the front of the dingy. Content simply for the moment to be leaving Briarstone, he leaned against the gunwal, listening to the water swish by.
what was that, I must be turned around that sounded almost like it was below us.... "did you hear anything?
Once they reach the dock, Filbert will ask Captain York and Cleric Winter where a safe tavern might be found.
"A safe place to sleep, and a hot bath followed by good food and I might just be right again." he offers with a smile
"Perhaps The Silver Wagon?" replied Winter, "Not that there is a whole lot of choice, Thrushmoor is pretty small. Still it was clean enough when I stayed there before all this started."
Let's go there. Anything is better than... Agrippa lets his voice trail off, everyone knows what he means.
Lizzie picks up the sentence
"..sitting on our Bottoms all day long, correct!"
She paces off, happy in the fact the team is not in the disturbing nuthouse anymore.
Filbert waves by to Captain York, before turning to Winter
"Thank you as well, we shall hope it is as clean as it was, when you last saw it" He says quietly, for those watching the little gnome he is retreating back to the more timid fellow they first remember waking up to.
The adrenaline that had built up as the hours passed in Briarstone was beginning to leach away, much as a small dog cornered bucks up until given a chance to escape the pressure
Winter leads you away from the pier towards the bridge, as you get going the wind picks up and it's soon howling between the buildings. Various shutters crack open and shut and you get the sense of something brooding in the shadows down the ramshackle lanes. Soon you are headed north over the bridge from the small island to the mainland. The bridge is a heavy wooden affair that creaks ominously in places but you manage to make your way across.
On the other side you see lanterns from various squat buildings dancing crazily in the wind, casting long sinister shadows. More of the buildings on this side seem to be made of stone rather than brick and they seem solid enough. It's hard to judge in the gloom but the architecture seems rather dour for your taste. All blacks and greys and no color, or perhaps that's just a consequence of the driving rain leeching all color away?
After a short work, you find yourselves outside The Silver Wagon. The windows have a ruddy glow from several wood burning stoves and one large open fireplace within. It looks inviting and there's just a faint whiff of cooked meat mixed with the heady smell of hops and something spicy, perhaps incense from within.
Filbert follows the others as Winter leads them towards The Silver Moon, the wooden bridge creaking as they crossed it.
Geez, what was that! I thought the sounds within Briarstone were creepy Looking around at the others to see if they had heard it; Filbert continues walking sidling a bit closer to Momijii.
Spotting something in the alley beside the tavern, Filbert tugs at Agrippa's arm. "Look over there, doesn't that look like the painting from the Dr Lazadro's office."
I believe whatever affected the Asylum, at least partially made itself known here. Agrippa muses.
Winter shrugs when you show her the mural and she suggests you head on inside. With a little difficulty due to the wind and rain, she opens the heavy doors and motions you to follow. Inside The Silver Wagon is blessed warmth and the mouthwatering smell of food. The Silver Wagon isn’t a grand place but it seems pleasant enough. You hear snatches of conversation as you enter.
"Brrr close that door please." calls one of three locals hunched over their pints round the nearest table without looking at you. All three men have a timeworn leathered look, you think perhaps they might be fisherman. There are perhaps ten other locals on other tables near the various fireplaces. You also notice a small stage currently empty, apparently this is sometimes a venue for live music.
You move in when suddenly there's a gasp and all conversation stops. Everyone in the place stares at you, some of them look quite scared. The lady behind the bar suddenly looks very cross and her hand strays towards something under the bar before thinking better of it. Angrily she stalk over and snarls at Lizzie, "By the gods you have a cheek coming back here. You're banned, get out! And take your Pesh addled friends with you."
Lizzie doesn't hear any exchanged words prior to entering, still happy about not being in the asylum anymore.
Lizzie rubs her cheekbone with her index finger, somehow feeling sorry or bad about something, but she doesn't know why.
"Huh? Ma'am, i honestly have no idea what you are on about. That is to say, i suffer from amnesia, so please tell me what i, or my previous self technically, has done to deserve a cold welcome such as this?"
Filbert moves down the alley to get a closer look at the mural, thinking the angle from the distance was throwing his perception off; yet the closer he came the more it disturbed him. The engineering he was used to seeing, angles and curves, within the cities he remember visiting and the jewelry he crafted just couldn't justify the angles in this cityscape.
"Agrippa, these just aren't right, see this stairwell it looks perfectly normal when it starts but by the time it gets to the opening, you'd have to be walking on the ceiling. The details are right but the overall scope together doesn't make sense logically. Someone twisted is here, these aren't right."
Backing back out of the alley, Filbert is glad when Winter suggest pushing on and entering the tavern. The smells and the warmth of the fireplace both call to him, causing him to pause as he enters.
catching pieces of both conversation going on, Filbert has to file then away quickly as Lizzie is accosted by the barkeep.
"Madame, she speaks true, outside of our names very little of our past beyond a few days past is known, and the past few days we'd truly wish to forget. The lady Winter here can vouch for our conduct, during those trying times. Perhaps we can come to an understanding."
Hands on her hips the woman stares at Lizzie like she's gone mad. Incredulously she shouts, "You don't remember?! Is this some kind of joke? Or maybe all that riot weed finally rotted your brain. Well that wall over there, the one with the deep gash in it and the faded bloodstains remembers the bar fight you started as does Jon here and Lucas. You half killed them, trust me they haven't forgotten. And then there's the small matter of the unpaid tab and repairs I presume you've conveniently forgotten that too? Hmm!?"
There's a general muttering from the patrons, this could turn ugly.
"How much was the tab?" Filbert ask , while looking around to his companions and the surrounding patrons as well.
Lizzie curiously looks over at the wall.
She says -i- did this? And almost killed people, me??
But i'm not that strong, and i dislike meaningless violence. :/
"No ma'am, i swear by Sarenrae, i do not lie to you.
In my defense, if i would not suffer from amnesia, it would be useless to come back here just like this, with the conditions you just mentioned."
Lizzie lets the words hang in the air, before she resumes.
"Ma'am, you'd not get angry without cause, so i will assume your claims be true, how different it sounds from me as i am.
However, the situation right now, is that i am a blank sheet in memory. I have no money to pay for any damages my previous me has inflicted, upon property or persons."
"However, i will offer help in the labor of repairing it.
I stand here as a gnome, extending you a hand."
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Agrippa watches the proceedings solemnly.
So, the Gnome was violent...interesting. I would have thought it would be Momijii
Momijii quickly fell asleep in the dingy as they made their way across the lake to Thrushmore, in her exhausted state she showed a seeming ability to catch sleep wherever she could all of a sudden. It wasn't until they reached the dock that she awoke and rose with a stretch before stepping nimbly off the boat and onto the wood of the dock, almost as if she'd done so many times before. As they followed Winter the monk kept her eyes opened for trouble, after what they had been through she wasn't trusting anything and she was determined not to be surprised.
She noticed the sound of an animal screaming and, while it as worrisome, it was also like an animal falling to a predator of some kind, nothing to worry about...right? She noticed that Filbert drew closer to her but said nothing, seeing no point in it. She understood his unease, she felt it too.
As they were approaching their inn Momijii noticed the same thing that Filbert did but decided she wanted nothing more to do with that image the instant she noticed. Instead she continued into the inn with Lizzie and the others.
As she entered the building her hearing picked up some of the conversations and she made a note to discuss them with the others after they had gotten lodgings for the night. Her line of thought was broken off by the sudden ruckus about what Lizzie had done and she looked at the small gnomish woman in shock, she couldn't believe the story but the reactions of the woman and her patrons were to real to ignore. She bowed to the woman and those present and said, "On my honor she tells the truth, we remember very little of our pasts, I don't even know my parent's names right right now, nor that of my family, or what happened to my...," Momijii's words trailed off as she lost track of who she meant, her lover? Her master? Her..., "Sensei! I don't know what happened to him and I want to find out." She shook her head, "Please we just need lodging and food, we only barely got away from the disaster that struck the asylum, almost everyone there became ghouls or dopplegangers, there were cannibal cultists and mist spewing dead men. The fact that anyone survived it was a miracle. We managed to save the few survivors and now, we just want to rest and have a chance to make a fresh start as we search for our pasts." She nodded at Lizzie and said, "She is right that we have no coin to pay for damages but she is willing to work to repair what she broke, and I will help her. Please, give us a chance to prove that we mean the truth, if we prove false then I will accept the punishment that you deem fit."
"Miss Gallegos I believe, what they about the Asylum is true, I witnessed it with my own eyes. There are many would would surely have perished if they hadn't helped." added Winter earnestly.
"I see." replies the woman, "Well there's still the matter of the unpaid money. It was something like 67 gold 9 silver, that includes the tab and the repairs. Anyway amnesia is it? You can't stay here unless you show your true colors and pay what is owed. I'm afraid the words of strangers won't cut it around here. All things considered Thrushmoor isn't in a charitable mood."
Ah. Indeed. Compensation is necessary. Here Madame. Agrippa pulls out one of the pouches of Gold found in Zandalus' room and hands it to the woman.
The innkeep counts the coins and seems gobsmacked, muttering, "Never thought I'd see the day." After having finished her count she announces, "Well that's most of it, there's still an outstanding debt you know and you can't stay here till it's settled. Still that goes a long way towards doing so."
Filbert retrieves another of the pouches, drawing out 18 gold pieces and handing them over to the innkeep.
"I believe this will settle our account. How much for a three days food and lodgings?"
Luxina had stayed quiet during the aftermath with the Tatterman, the conversation with Winter and York, and the journey to Thrushmoor. Something in the back of her head got her worried, something felt odd, strangely familiar.
She rattled her brain as to what and why, but then terror struck at the back of her mind. Images flared about her discovering and she more like a zombie walking silently behind the others, seeing without watching, hearing without listening, eating without feeling satisfied.
She saw images while they weren't there, or were they? Visions of herself walking in darkness, with a low light source, much worse than a torch or sunrod, grinning as she removed gravestones, found ancient texts while breaking and entering. A sudden flare ignited in her mind, she thought of a bonfire at first, then saw that someone was set on fire then felt like grinning and smiling and feeling content. That wasn't herself right? She looked at the others around her and she couldn't focus on their appearances. Like two people blended in together, but sometimes split up again, seeing two copies of the same person at the same time at the same place.
Luxina remained quiet, definitely something went awry in Thrushmoor and she didn't know what her hand was in this. Better to say nothing at all.
Clearly flabbergasted the barkeep checks the money twice, seemingly expecting some kind of trick. Of course the gold is real enough. Eyebrows raised she replies, "Well now that would cover it. Normally we charge one silver per night to stay in the common room or five silver for a room. I'm still not entirely sure about you lot but it'll tell you what. If you can get that Elgrior Nasmeth to stop harassing honest folk, I'll let you stay here for a week for free." She favors Momijii with a piercing look and adds, "That is if you can do it without violence mind..."
And just like that, conversation starts to drift back to normal as the folk in the inn take a collective sigh of relief.
Filbert withdraws another gold piece habdibg it to her.... "two rooms for the night and what can you tell us of this Elgrior Nasmeth? If we can solve your problem we'll take you up on the week." he says with a smile and a wink.
Indeed. Tell us what this Elgrior has been up to...
The barkeep Dena Gallegos was about to say something but several inn patrons start talking at once. One weather beaten looking man with thickset arms cries, "He's been right scaring my missus. Saying it's the end times, hectoring her to repent her sins." A callow youth with red hair adds, "I ran into Elgrior this morning, he was shouting, 'Doom is coming! The second vanishing is upon us! Pray for your salvation that the Briarstone Witch doesn’t take you!' Right scary to hear that sort of talk, especially considering all that's happened of late.' The last is followed with a general round of "Aye that it is Nathan!"
Filbert shakes his head as the general outcry comes from the others in the tavern, turning back to his companions.
"Lovely, we have one of those end of days doomsday criers." Pausing a moment to think " Perhaps there is a way. Agrippa, when I was paging through the book we found, there was mention of hypnotism, think you could pull it off with this fellow?"
Agrippa nods in reaction to the men. Indeed. Such an event would be...most distressing. Perhaps would could persuade Master Nasmeth to...tone down his rhetoric.
Agrippa replies to Filbert Master Jeweler, if you value your life you'd best keep any mentions of magic to a minimum here. Can you not see these people are a powderkeg of superstition and fear? Best to let them immolate someone else...