Mara wondered what the implications of posing for Lelwyn might be. She asked, How long would we need to pose for? We do have some business to take care of."
Rowan holds still, mostly. He moves only slightly, periodically. Not enough to notice right away, but also not so much that it will mess up the painting.
The elf continues to work, "Well the basic sketches should only take a few hours, not long at all! We will want to set up a schedule of visits so I can capture your essence. I know I can stay in the other cottage. I am sure the church will not mind. You can take care of your little errands and then at nights we can finish this."
This seemed like it was going to take too long. "I'm sorry, I can't pose right now; I have to go and talk to Winter," she announced.
"Yeah, me too," grunts Dervak, and he leaves.
Outside, he says, "He might not have done the murals but he's getting the same madness that Zandalus had."
"I have to agree," Mara replied, as she walked to the chapel to look for Winter. "Maybe artistic types are more likely to have the strange dreams."
Sitting alone in his modeling chair, Theo simply smiles at Lelwyn.
Lelwyn works with Theo on his part of the painting. Clearly upset that most of his muses have left.
Across the street at New Chapel Winter greets the rest of the party, "I'm sure you've heard Priestess Mavaine has gone missing. I feel obliged to run the Chapel until Mother Thestia can send a replacement. I hate to burden you again with my responsibilities but I want to find out what happened to Accuser Omari. She was last seen at the Sleepless building heading to fort Hailcourse. If you have time can you go there and see if you can find anything out? At least verify if she met with the Constable and if so where she went to after."
Noticing that the party is injured and obviously sick she channels and casts her only prepared lesser restoration.
Mara found Winter and updated her on the strange things they had noticed in Thrushmoor. "I've heard that people have been disappearing around town. A fellow named Elgrior claimed that they had been taken by the Briarstone Witch through the murals around town. That sounds completely crazy, but when I scanned one of the murals, I could detect a faint magic aura! The artist Lelwyn says that he didn't create them — they just appeared overnight.
"We can certainly go to the fort and ask about Omari."
She let Dervak tell the cleric about the undead creature that attacked him in the Silver Wagon, adding in her own observations. "It was definitely going after him specifically, and ignoring everyone else. He was just a moment away from death!"
When Mara was almost ready to leave, she mentioned one last thing, "The man — Elgrior — that I told you about; I don't think he has a home, and I don't know if he has any family around. Someone should help him; is there anything the church can do for him?"
Ellery catches Mara's eye and makes some signs at the mentions of the creature that hunted Dervak...
Rowan watches Ellery intently, then laughs.
Mara translated for Ellery, and then added, "I know a spell, Remove Fear, that can can help with that. I need to memorize it ahead of time; it would probably be a good idea to pick up a scroll or two of that for emergencies."
Theophilus happily poses for the portrait.
After another 12 minutes, the Witch takes his leave.
He exits the shop and enters the chapel across the street.
Marvelous painter, that one. Yes, a scroll; too bad I may not have the White Rabbit chew it up for us.
Winter looks relieved, "Thank you for looking into it. I'll see that Klyn's body is properly buried and ask York to collect Elgrior, it sounds like he needs proper treatment."
Dervak thanks Winter for the healing, as his joints feel better. "Thank you. Yes, we can go look for Omari."
He laughs at Mara's tranlsation of Ellery's hand signs. "There are a lot of horrifying things in this world and in the worlds beyond. Half of them seem to have come to this place."
Mara was glad that someone was going to look after Elgrior; "Thank You," she replied.
She consulted with the others, "I'd like to compare Zandalus' sketches to the mural we looked at yesterday."
While on their way the party sees a man with a short beard in workman's cloths. He cock his head and smile warmly at Mara, "Hey Mara! I haven't seen you around in a while. Where'd you get off too? Awful weather we've been having lately. Hey did you want to head over to the Stain and get a drink?"
Mara looked at the man; try as she might, she couldn't remember who he was.
"Hey, how's it going? I was out of town for a while, but I'm back now," she replied. I was in an insane asylum for a bit, how about you? She tried to get a feel from his manner what their relationship might have been.
When he asked about going to the Stain (evidently a drinking establishment of some sort), she replied. "I can't right now; I'm supposed to be working. Say, you haven't seen Accuser Omari around, have you? I have to find her."
The man seems genuinely friendly which is an unusual response in this town, but Mara thinks he isn't trying to deceive her. He walks with the party for a bit, "Aww shame maybe later tonight then? Don't know any Omari least of all an accuser. Is it some mission the count has you on then? Can you say where he's gone? He leaves right after he hires a bunch of strange folk at Iris Hill and then you roll back in."
It seemed to Mara that this was a good chance to get some information, so she kept talking, [b]"I don't know where the Count has gone, either; I just got back, and I hear he's left. How's that for timing?
"What sort of strange folk are there at Iris Hill? I was going to go there to check in, but it would be good to know who's there before I show up."
He eyes Mara suspiciously, "Some kind of foreigner with red eyes, fired all the locals. Heard there were some visiting nobles too, probably looking to usurp the counts power." Now with concern in his voice, " Hey are you feeling alright? You seem kinda out of it. You know you can trust me."
Mara has a friend, it seems. Not that surprising, I guess. She somehow keep her hands clean when working for the Count?
Dervak walks along quietly.
Mara looked sheepish; the man seemed to see right through her bluff. Did we used to be friends? If only I could remember! "Sorry for being so vague; I'm suffering from memory loss. I'm embarrassed to admit I can't even remember your name!
"There seems to be weird things going on in Thrushmoor: people disappearing, strange murals appearing overnight, and these strangers at Iris Hill. Some are even saying that the Briarstone Witch is back, but I don't believe that."
Theophilus walks along quietly discussing the merits if satin over silk to the White Rabbit.
Paying no particular concern for Theo's conversation with his rabbit, "Oh, I'm so sorry. Well my name is Keldrin." He awkwardly holds out his hand to shake, "Is there something I can do to help? Oh I bet if you lost your memory you don't remember! I saw your finger wagler friend," he motions to Ellery, "hide something under Worm's Hook, uh, pier 19."
He continues, "It looked like he was stuffing something up underneath the dock. That's a pretty good place for safekeeping if you knew you were going to leave town for a few days. Everyone's still scared of that pier after that creature melted Jano, Mernil, and Keyrn a few years ago, so no one was going to go poking around your stuff."
Mara shook the man's hand, "Good to get acquainted with you again, Keldrin!"
She listened to Keldrin's description about Ellery hiding something under the dock. Did we know that something was going to happen to us? She said, "Thanks, we'll have to check it out.
"Anyway, we've got to go to the fort and ask about the Pharasman church lady. If it's not to late when I finish up, maybe we could get together and catch up. Where can I find you?"
Ellery's eyebrows raise when he is mentioned and looks a little stunned.
Theophilus looks up at Keldrin.
A creature melted Jano? That's seems like it should be on someone's concern meter!
Keldrin smiles at Mara, "I'll be over at the Stain tonight regardless. Maybe we can get a card game in too." Looking to Theo, "That was years ago, I'm sure people are worried over nothing." With that he says his goodbyes.
The group passes by one of the strange murals on the way to the fort. After comparing the paintings that Zandalus drew and the murals there is a striking resemblance, as if two different artists were interpreting the same thing.
The main area of Fort Hailcourse is 20ft high with five round towers and a donjon reaching a height of 40ft. The arrow loops of the fort are too narrow to squeeze through and all outer windows are fitted with either bars or shutters bolted from the inside. The only entrance to the fort is a set of 10ft high double doors located on the south side. Tarnished brass door knockers carved into the shapes of perching birds hang on the doors, and the hatch for the spyhole remains shuttered. If the knocker is used there is no immediate response.
Mara bid Keldrin goodbye, "See you later."
On their way to Fort Hailcourse, the group staopped to compare Zandalus' sketches with one of the murals; She commented, "It doesn't exactly look like Zandalus did the mural, but it seems like they had the same dreams."
Upon arriving at the fort, Mara surveyed the exterior, "Doesn't look too inviting, does it?" She walked up to the front doors and used the knocker. When there was no response, she knocked again and called out, "Hello! I was wondering if I could speak with the Constable?" She listened for sounds of activity within.
Theo shakes his head at Keldrin.
Years are but a leaf on the wind.
Walking up to the door with Mara, the Witch incants Detect Magic.
He then begins looking for a key.
After a few moments a harried looking woman opens the spyhole. "I am constable Cesyll. What can I do for you?" she asks wearily.
Mara hears no activity other than the sound of Cesyll. walking up to the spyhole, curiously she heard no interior doors open or close either. Theo searches the area for a means to open the door and determines that they are barred from within. Forced entry into the fort will have to go around or violently through these doors.
Mara said to the constable, "Good afternoon, I am Mara. I'm trying to find Accuser Omari; I'm told that she came here to meet with you some days ago. Can you tell me if you talked to her, and where she might have gone?"
While Mara is talking to Cesyll, Dervak looks around the ground for tracks or signs of recent activity.
Dismissively she says, ”I’ve never met this Accuser you speak of and I should say I would remember a visit from one. If you don’t mind with the count and magistrate away I have duties to attend to.”
The party weighs the constable's words and can discern no deception.
Dervak does note that there are the occasional bootprint around the door and other signs that people have been here but he cannot determine when or how many.
So it seems that Omari didn't make it to her meeting. Mara asked the constable,"When do you expect the count and magistrate to return?"
Theophilus smiles at the Constable. The gentleman tips his grand hat.
Greeting, Madame Constable. We represent a concerned group of citizens that are investigating the disappear of renown persons of influence. We are authorized to enlist any assistance from the local authorities toward that cause. We would appreciate a formal briefing as to the recent incidences that your office has been investigating.
He then looks around at his companions.
Perhaps, over tea? It has been a rather trying day!
Cesyll says strangely mirthfully, "I'd say after 5 days." Her demeanor returns quickly to seriousness replaying to Theo, "That simply isn't possible, the Fort has been shuttered by order of Magistrate Padgett. It can only be countermanded by a greater authority such as Count Lowls, I simply cannot let you in. Nor will I desert my post here. I assure you I am doing all that I can limited as it may be."
Dervak wonders aloud (though quietly), "What exactly are her duties? Lots of strange stuff happening - is she on the case? Or just hiding here in the fort?"
Mara listened to Cesyll's cryptic reply and wondered what it meant. "Thank you for your time," she replied; she got the sense that the Constable wasn't going to be very helpful.
Later, she said to the others, "I suggest we recover our items from under Pier 19, before we attempt any infiltration of the fort."
”That is a good idea. It might give us more information about who we were before we lost our memories. I suggest we stake out the pier first to make sure no one is waiting for us to pick it up.”
Theophilus bows grandly.
We shall endeavor to endure all the entertainment that this entire enterprise ends with!
He beckons to his compatriots.
Let us be about our duties!
As the group departed from the fort, Mara suggested, "Let's go have a look at Pier 19. I think there's some shops around there we can visit, so it won't be too obvious we're watching the pier."