After the meeting with the Lady has concluded, Lexander takes some time out to check on his incubating Geier-eggs.
Solomon stayed with Zhalet when she went to their makeshift prison. While she spoke to their prisoner, he began setting up the cell that would be hers tonight.
There were chains and manacles aplenty, but also a small alter to Saranrae outside the bars, out of arm's reach but easily visible and well lit. Two spare blankets were in the cell. He had little hope that they would survive the night when the change came, but he wanted to try to make her comfortable.
He set up a cot for himself near the door.
"I am willing," Alexander says, simply.
When he notices the lady's questioning look at the word 'concessions', Alexander explains: "We received valuable information and assistance from someone who had moved into one of the abandoned buildings. She has been instrumental in freeing Kelmarane, and only asks that she be allowed to retain the building as her own, and that she be allowed to trade and deal with her neighbours to be fairly and freely. She is a skilled alchemist."
The Wizard gives Lady Almah a measuring look, then continues: "She is nonhuman, but is willing to forswear harming humans and any other citizens - provided she herself is not molested by them. I am fully prepared to vouch for her."
Lady Almah nods, "Then for now, I am satisfied. I am not prejudiced against non-humans as some are. Though from your words, it sounds like she is of a race that is customarily hostile to our kind. I will, therefore, reserve my final judgement for meeting her in person."
After the meeting with the Lady has concluded, Lexander takes some time out to check on his incubating Geier-eggs.
You can tell that they are hardening nicely, and are still healthy. They should be ready for hatching within the week. Father Zastoran has taken over much of their tending, seeming to have developed something of an interest in the rare breed.
Kilarra smiles lightly, "Of course we will and I hope that you might consider us when trying to reestablish the foundations of the town after we are done. I know I, myself, have always dealt in trade in the markets of Katapesh but never as a shopkeeper. If you will allow me membership in the Packmasters of Katapesh and grant me leave to trade in the battle-market I assure you that I will be a productive cornerstone to the growth and development of the town. I humbly beseech you for such a request. Kilarra finishes with a slight bow of her head and holds the position out of respect to Lady Almah.
Lady Almah smiles a small smile and her gaze starts with Kilarra but travels over you all as she speaks, "Of course I will remember you all when the time comes to re-build Kelmarane. From your reports and the evidence of my own eyes, We would not have prevailed without you. You will certainly have leave to pursue your trades and interests in Kelmarane, with such help as it is within my power to provide. Particularly when such interests and activities will benefit the town and its stability."
She retreats to her inner chamber for a moment, and returns with a metal plate with a handle on one side and a series of grooves and prongs on the other. The pattern of grooves and prongs seem to be a match for the interdict seal on the portal in the church ruins. She extends the seal to Alexander with a slight bow, "Thank you all for your willingness to face a danger that I cannot. May Abadar find you worthy of reward."
As soon as it is possible for Zhalet to leave the conference with lady Almah she does. She goes to find the man they brought back from the chapel of Nethys.
When she has located him she speaks. "You have passed your curse to me. There is no doubt about it now. Tell me anything you know about it so perhaps a cure for us can be found."
He looks listlessly at a blank spot on the wall, muttering wordlessly to himself. When Zhalet speaks to him, he slowly swivels his head to look at you. For a moment there is no other reaction or sign of recognition, then he lunges at you shrieking until the chains snap him up short of actually getting his claws into,
when the chains snap tight, he is yanked off his feet and collapses to the floor, sobbing.
When the meeting with Almah is over, and the others scramble to do their chores, Rukn wanders alone through the place, thinking.
"What kind of big mess is life? Problems everywhere, the key to solve them at hand... and we might pass an entire life without noticing. Are these the machinations of the Gods? Is it just nature being naughty?" He walks by some soldiers drilling, and stops to watch for a bit. "Is it better to live without knowing? Does knowledge bring any happiness?"
Rukn continues with his walk, this time he removes his footwear to feel the contact of the ground. "What to do now? Hurry up to face danger, or be conservative about your friend?" He feels he knows the answer and, as his thoughts went on before, he checks that knowledge doesn't indeed bring happiness.
After a while, he reaches the first of his companions that he finds and adresses his will of finishing the hidden evil as soon as possible. "I will be ready to go whenever you decide, but don't leave it too much. We don't know what this thing can do, he might be even capable of taking over us."
Kilarra walks towards Rukn, "Though it is not yet noon I think I saw Solomon headed for the makeshift prison. I wonder if he plans to remain the night here."
A look of deep concern crosses her face as she looks back to the town. "If that is his intent, I certainly will not stop him but I for one will not leave Haleen alone in the Battle Market with nothing but a scant number of mercenaries to help her keep Kardswan in check and defend themselves from whatever lies beneath the church. I can respect his concern for Zhalet but there must be a balance between safeguarding her and also eliminating this grave threat that looms before us. At a minimum I feel we should return to the Battle Market before the sun sets and contain her there. At least then we can have a full day tomorrow to try and cleanse this town at last.
Turning back to Rukn with a slightly embarrassed expression "Look at me...going on like that. I think I will go and talk with Zhalet, Solomon, and Alexander will you join me?"
Zhalet flinches and the man's tirade and steps back from him. She composes herself quickly though, and replies.
"Keep some hope alive sir. I will not stop searching for a cure, and when I have it, you will be freed of this curse too."
"Yes." Rukn seems relieved that at least one of his companions shares his view. "Let's try to talk them into what you've just suggested, seems like a plan."
Together with Kilarra, they reach Zhalet and the others and offer them the aforementioned solution. "That is, of course, if Zhalet feels like it." He looks at her while talking. "But I really think we're doing more wrong than any other if we leave that creature to his will. And you know, Zhalet, that I wouldn't ask anything of you that I didn't think was the best overall."
After leaving the man in his cell, Zhalet meets with Lady Almah to appraise her of the developments involving her curse. She includes a discussion of the precautions she and Solomon are taking, and Alexander's research into ways to mitigate or cure its effects.
When the meeting is concluded, Zhalet goes to the Alter of Sarenrae for prayer. Finally she has a quick, light meal. She has little appetite for it.
Within a time that allows at least an hour of sunlight remaining, Zhalet returns to the cells. She hands over all her possessions to Solomon, keeping only an undergarment. "There is no use in ruining more clothing. It is hard to replace it here" she tells him.
When Solomon has secured her for the night, Zhalet asks him to remain with her for the duration. "I don't remember what happens and I want to know."
"I had not planned on leaving." Solomon said, taking her clothes and other things and placing them in a neat pile next to his cot.
"Tell me everything that you experience as it happens, for as long as you can."
He sat cross-legged on the floor in front of his makeshift bed and rolled out a leather wrap full of tools. He'd taken a bunch of bows from the gnolls and was cannibalizing them, reassembling them and binding them together into some kind of oversized super-bow.
After reporting in to Lady Almah, discharging a few other tasks, and sharing a meal with the others from the expedition, the group sets out for the battle market once more.
Those left behind at the battle market, the Lions of Senara and Haleen are well, having had no encounters during the day.
Solomon and Zhalet prepare one of the jail cells for her use for the night, and Solomon sets up a place for himself to spend the night outside of Zhalet's temporary accommodation.
Just before his sleeping shift, Rukn drinks one of his potions.
Just before his sleeping shift, Rukn drinks one of his potions.
Alexander goes to see the others before going anywhere.
"I wish to speak with Undrella about recent events," he says with quiet dignity. "I can go alone if you all prefer."
Alexander travels into lower Kenabres and crosses to river to the old mill. He is as cautious and as stealthy as he can manage and luck smiles upon him; no living creatures aside from a few lizards, birds, and other such animals are to be found in Kenabres. Upon reaching the mill he finds it quiet and, for now, empty.
Alexander finds an out-of-the-way spot to sit and patiently awaits the return of the harpy of the house...
"It is very beautiful. Is it a token of some sort?"
Alexander writes a note -- 'Undrella; I visited during your absence. Have made progress in securing your continued ownership of this building. Have met an obstacle regarding Kardswann. We must talk - soon. Warm regards, Alexander' -- and leaves it somewhere he can be reasonably certain the Harpy will find it.
With that done, he hurries back.
As the evening draws near, Zhalet withdraws to her prepared cell. Solomon locks her in and settles outside to stand vigil over her transformation.
Zhalet can feel the exact moment the moon breaks the horizon, though it is not visible to her. A stirring in her blood brings a sense of uneasiness, a need to seek the open places. As more and more of the moon rises, the stirring becomes stronger; Zhalet begins pacing around the perimeter of the cell, muttering to herself, pausing occasionally to stare at the moon, and tugging at her clothing.
The precise instant that the moon is fully revealed is absolutely clear to anyone inside the battle market, Zhalet's head snaps around to stare at the point where the moon is now fully revealed and after a frozen moment, she tilts her head back and screams a soul-deep, vocal-chord-tearing scream of pure, unfiltered rage. As the scream drags on, it begins to change in quality, becoming more bestial and snarling.
Zhalet whips her head around to stare at Solomon, and he has no doubt that Zhalet is not looking at him through those eyes which shift into a slit-pupiled, amber beauty even as he watches.
Her face starts to change, her nose and mouth jutting forward slightly, the nose less than the mouth, and broadening into a carnivore's muzzle. Her teeth, clearly visible through the rictus snarl on her face, lengthen into man-killing daggers.
Her hands, unnoticed until now, have also changed dramatically. The fingers are thicker, a little longer, and tipped in formidable, rending claws. She who was Zhalet reaches up, hooks the claws on the bits of modesty she still wears, and simply rips them away with no visible effort.
She bucks, half collapsing to the floor as her legs are rapidly reformed into the powerful sprinting legs of a great cat. Fur ripples across her back like tawny, spotted water splashing over her.
Finally, it seems the change is done and the were-leopard is quiet for several seconds.
Her head comes up to fix Solomon with her yellow, flashing eyes, and though he is prepared, his will and resolve strong, the visceral reaction to being faced with a monster that wants to eat him has Solomon taking an involuntary step back.
It launches itself at Solomon; a furry, fanged, and clawed storm coming to destroy him. It slams into the bars of the cell, and this time the sound it makes is entirely animal, savage, snarling rage at a thwarted hunt.
No one gets much sleep this night as the savage, snarling screams of Zhalet's bestial curse echo through the battle market. Just before dawn, seeming to be suddenly exhausted, the were-leopard falls silent and retreats the the tattered remains of the sleeping pallet. She curls up, snarls softly one last time, and passes into sleep. While she sleeps, the change almost gently reverses itself until Zhalet, herself once again, snores softly on her pile of shredded cloth.
Solomon: . Fatigued.
Kilarra: . Fatigued.
Rukn: .
Alexander: .
The disruption to the night weighs heavily on Kilarra and Solomon, but the others seem to come through it with little lasting effect.
Zhalet wakes with no memory of the previous night, but feels well rested again.
The smell of bacon and coffee draws everyone to the "bar", where Haleen has breakfast ready. It is delicious and fortifying, helping you all to feel more prepared to face the challenges of the day.
Solomon had brought an extra change of clothes down with him the night before. When Zhalet finally collapsed and changed back into a woman, he carefully approached and slipped the clothes through he bars so she would find them when she awoke.
He was tired. Sitting there watching her, wondering if she'd break through, trying to speak with her and getting no recognizable response, praying for her. It had taken a larger toll than he expected.
He trudged upstairs to see what the camp had made for breakfast, then came back down with two bowls. One he set on his cot. The other he put next to Zhalet's clothing. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Hopefully she'd wake soon.
"Oh, dear... what she's going through..." Rukn has had an awful night, and only now starts to glimpse what this could be for Zhalet. As he's been rumbling about in his mind these days, it seems life makes quite random choices when planning your future... if it plans anything at all, that is.
He's managed, however, to sleep for a while, most of his hearing of the situation coming from his watch shift. Before going for breakfast, Rukn goes down to the cellar. He finds a Solomon clearly affected by both the lack of sleep and the status of his friend, while Zhalet sleeps like a baby in the cellar. "How is she? And you?"
"She seems fine now. I've been better." Solomon shrugged. "Thanks for checking on us."
Alexander eventually makes his way down to the cells - after breakfast. The old man looks well-rested, clean-shaven, and his clothes even appear freshly washed and ironed.
"Morning. She was a bit loud last night. Everything alright?"
No one gets much sleep this night as the savage, snarling screams of Zhalet's bestial curse echo through the battle market. Just before dawn, seeming to be suddenly exhausted, the were-leopard falls silent and retreats the the tattered remains of the sleeping pallet. She curls up, snarls softly one last time, and passes into sleep. While she sleeps, the change almost gently reverses itself until Zhalet, herself once again, snores softly on her pile of shredded cloth.
** spoiler omitted **
The disruption to the night weighs heavily on Kilarra and Solomon, but the others seem to come through it with little lasting effect.
Zhalet wakes with no memory of the previous night, but feels well rested again.
Waking this time is much better than the first. The place is familiar, so there is no disorientation. Zhalet is as confident as she can be that she has done no harm. The blankness of the previous hours seem little different than those from a night's sleep.
The worst of it is the awkwardness until she can get dressed, which she scrambles to do. Next is her immense hunger. A badly as she wants to ask Solomon what happened, she has to wait until she has eaten every last thing in the bowl he brought her.
Finally, though the first two things took hardly five minutes, she is ready. Zhalet sits down on the cot and asks Solomon "What happened? Tell me everything."
Solomon wordlessly turned around as Zhalet stirred and started to get dressed. He gave the men in the room a pointed look indicating they should turn around also.
"You turned into a cat-person. It looked like an unpleasant experience. Obviously painful. You lost your sense of self during the transformation and attacked the bars, your chains, and the walls of your cell all night long. Luckily they held. There were a few times I thought they might not. At dawn you collapsed and fell asleep. A few minutes later you changed back."
He unlocked the cell door, and then her manacles and fetters.
"We should expect one more night of this, right?"
Solomon had trekked through he desert, fought horrors of all kinds, and stayed up all night long to care for the injured on more than one occasion, all without showing a moment of fatigue. Today, he looked exhausted.
Once everything quiets, Kilarra doses in and out for a while enjoying the peace of the morning. After a bit, she gets up and retrieves a bucket of fresh water and a cleaning rag and whatever large piece of cloth that she can find that would work as a curtain. She then makes her way to Solomon and Zhalet. "Good morning, I can only hope that we face our foes today with the same ferocity and conviction that the both of you showed last night!"
Noticing the fatigue on Solomon's face, "Although perhaps some of us still show signs of the night. Why don't you go try to get a nap in while I help her get cleaned up. The breeze is a little stronger up near the top of the battle market and you can still find good shade to rest in, Also, please close the door on your way out and ask someone to be sure no one comes in."
After Solomon makes his way out, Kilarra sets the bucket, rag and a bar of soap that she retrieved earlier from her pack down beside Zhalet, then strategically ties the drape to the cell bars so that if someone were to try to peak through the key hole or were to come in uninvited, the drape would block their view of Zhalet. She then pulls up a chair next to the door where she cannot see Zhalet except maybe her feet and guards the entrance as well, while trying to engage in light conversation to help her relax.
"I cannot imagine after all that activity last night how good a hot bath would feel right now, but I am sorry to say that this is the best I could do. The desert is beautiful this morning, there is a strong and cool morning breeze and not a cloud in the sky. Do you ever miss seeing clouds? It seems like a lifetime ago that I saw a cloud. I never really thought about it till now. I am really looking forward to the rainy season, I mean the mud will be annoying but clouds and cool days." Kilarra continues to make small talk until Zhalet is done.
Solomon didn't argue. After he'd told Zhalet all about her night as a cat, he trudged up the stairs and found a place to sleep.
Zhalet thinks on what Solomon tells her about the previous night. Not so different from the stories I've heard I guess. "Thank you for watching me. It is a relief to know something."
"Solomon, did I know you?"
++++++++++
Zhalet is grateful for the opportunity to wash up and tells Killara so. When Kilarra references the disturbance she caused last night, Zhalet replies "I've been told I... it, was vey loud. I don't remember."
When Kilarra turns to small talk it's a relief to Zhalet, "I think I miss the mountains more than anything. Gurat is high in the Zho Mountains, the ones we can see from here don't even compare. There is even snow in the winter sometimes."
As she washes, Zhalet furtively checks her body for any changes. She worries that the lycanthropy might leave her marked even when dormant. She finds nothing, for now at least.
Afterward Zhalet still has prayer and her obedience to perform. But first she goes looking for a second breakfast. The one Solomon brought her only blunted her hunger and she needs more.
The day passes quietly and peacefully as if in counterpoint to the eventful evening. Though clear and hot, a rare cool wind blows through the battle market's open roof and seems to clear out the last lingering darkness from the previous night.
When Solomon awakes and eats, the group quickly sets out for the ruined church, not wanting to lose any more of the day.
The interdict key is placed upon the seal, the ridges matching perfectly with the inscribed lines. The seal glows brightly red for a moment before the seal comes off into your hands, permanently fused to its key. The doors, now easily opened, reveal more stairs descending further into the bedrock of Kelmarane's plateau.
The passageway is unlit, the air stale and cold.
The stairs lead to a rounded stone-walled chamber with a featureless door in the north wall. A ten-foot-diameter circle of mortared stones at the center of the room marks a well that descends even deeper into the earth. Next to the well, on a small pedestal, is a large gong. A short stick capped with a round pad of moldering leather dangles from a cord attached to the gong platform.
"Solomon, did I know you?"
"No. You were very much an animal. You did not know me at all." Solomon said sadly.
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It wasn't a lot of sleep, but it was enough. Solomon woke, packed his equipment and was ready to go as quickly as possible. "Thank you for waiting," he said to the group as they headed out.
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He was tense in front of the seal as it opened. When there was nothing but a hall on the other side he smiled at his own nerves. "A bit anti-climactic."