The Viridian Castle

Game Master Kristev

So where are the rest of us during this?

You would have come with Cathran unless you specifically choose not to. Then where you go is up to you.

"There's been a lot of strange things going on of late," Kate bluntly declares. "Living by the sea, you have to learn to accept that. The sea is ruthless and unpredictable. Treat it like a tiger, beautiful, but deadly. Interact with it, and there's a good chance it'll swallow you up.
"But what's been going on in the last month or two feels different. People vanish in a coastal town. Drownings, shipwrecks, shark victims . . . but this feels different.
"As for tetrodotoxin, no, it's not pufferfish venom making people disappear. Even in an expedited form. Where did you get that from?"

Then she sighs and wipes her brown, and carefully checks Cathran for symptoms of poison of any kind. She finds nothing, then finally sighs.

"Okay then, kid. Yeah, I agree, people are being targeted for disappearance. I wasn't willing to believe it. I thought Sister Eugenia was going batty. Then she joined the disappeared."

Kate closes her eyes and begins to twiddle with her fingers, not at all sure what she should or should not be doing. She then plays with a pen and puts it on the examination table. Quickly, she spins it around and it stops, pointing to Cathran.

"Okay then. Fine. Why in the world not? I'll level with you. Sister Eugenia was convinced that a pathogen was purposefully being spread. She didn't confide in me, but in another nurse, Rachel. No point in asking. Yesterday, Rachel vanished, too. That raised my suspicions, so I looked into it myself. I've got access to secret places even the new doctors can't go. It pays to work somewhere for thirty-five years.
"So it seems Sister Eugenia had gone searching for information and instead, she found a contact on an island off the coast of here. Which shouldn't shock you in the least.
"She was in regular communication with this person, and like most people who go searching for information, she told whomever she was talking to more than she learned, but that was all I could find. Someone went in and tried to erase all of Sister Eugenia's computer use and all evidence of her efforts.
"Rachel, like a fool, went and opened her mouth, so somebody deleted everything that she did, too. Luckily, Rachel did do one thing sensible. She gave me a copy of everything she had gotten from Sister Eugenia. Nobody knows that.
"What Eugenia gave Rachel was incomplete, and Rachel didn't know what she was looking at. New nurses don't understand anything. But I understood it. Someone's making mutants, playing with genetics to turn people into some kind of sea creature. Only the experimental mixture doesn't work right. It doesn't hold together correctly. It's the kind of thing you'd need the likes of Doctor Blumenthal to get right.
"There weren't any new clerics around here, and really, to offer any medical care here, you'd have to check with the head of the hospital. Unfortunately for you, that's Father Myrrath.
"That reminds me. There was an orcish nurse who offered her services here, but Father Myrrath sent her away because she was a druidess. Best nurse I ever knew. We went to school together, you see, and she was the best and brightest. She even had qualified as a biologist before she decided to become a nurse. But he only accepts members of the faith of Gozreh as workers here, and gods are something druids just don't do. So she went to work as a private nurse for Mayor Durro."

A look of horrified revelation comes across Kate's face. She clutches her chin.

"You don't think she did this, do you?"

"This is a rather disturbing revalation. I don't know who it would be smart to trust, but I think we should try and hunt down the informant that Eugenia was talking to. If whoever is behind this attempts to harm us we'll be ready to stop them and that contact could have more valuable information. Thank you maim, you have been very useful in our quest but I'd recommend you lay low for a bit, I'd hate to see something happen to you."

Zacariah turns to Cathran

"What do you think?"

"A moment, please, Zacariah"

She turns to Kate, lays a comforting hand on her arm and speaks.

"Nurse Kate, I don't think your friend, the orcish nurse did this. I'm sure she didn't."

All the while, Cathran wonders to herself if this is exactly who did this. The orcish nurse would seem to be an angel, but of death or mercy?

"In answer to your question about the tetrodotoxin, I really can't remember. I probably overheard someone conjecturing. It was what a lot of people thought but I've seen no lab reports."

Of course, she remembers exactly: Dr Mengoak - the expert in toxins. Why now would an expert be so wrong or so false? Or, was it true? Are the poisoner and the biomancer different people? Unlikely, she thought to herself. Are the poisonings a smoke-screen? For what, though? To delay us coming across the medical evidence which points to a concerted effort to test the mutagen?

The evidence was scattered and conflicting but was beginning to come together. Of the two women she trusted Nurse Kate much more than Dr Mengoak. Still, there is the possibility both were telling falsehoods truthfully. Somehow, she doubted Kate way lying or that Megoak was telling the truth.

Assuming what Kate said was true, it seemed Zacariah was very right to urge caution. The apparent plot would run deep and lie in the hands of powerful unknown people: people who can make evidence and witnesses disappear without a trace. Myrrath looked to be up to his neck in this: he, the biomancer, the orcish nurse, Blumenthal and Mengoak. She wondered if Myrrath was working alone in the hospital or if there were more? The work for a single plotter would be complicated and heavy, but, priests don't always have a single vocation.

"Nurse Kate, thank you for sharing this with us. I can see the burden it's placed you under and I want you to be assured you're not alone in this. We'll help you find out what happened to Eugenia and Rachel. I would, though, as Zacariah says, lay low. Please, don't mention any of this to anyone else. There are powerful forces at work in the shadows which threaten, I fear, to strike at any moment. They musn't see the light we shine on their actions. Can you give us the file you have for safe-keeping? The possession of it puts your life at risk. If you'd rather hold on to it a copy would be good."

Cathran casts 'Guidance', turns to Zacariah and lays a hand on his arm giving him +1 on the 'Sense Motive' check she hopes he'll do on Kate.

"I think, Zacariah, we're due Drs Blumenthal and Mengoak a visit, are we not? I also think we should have a word with Father Myrrath, though I doubt he'd give us pagans much time."

'... and the contact, Eugenia's contact on the island. The woman with the wand?', Cathran wondered to herself.

She seems so unafraid, maybe its the nursing experience but for all she knows we could be trying to tie up loose ends. Why is she so calm. Master did always say to be cautious with strange people...

Zacariah's train of thought was interrupted by Cathran's question.

"Yes, it would appear that those two are going to have quite a bit of information."

sense motive take ten: 10 + 9 = 19

Kate is trying to be prudent and cautious, because she learned a long time ago that those who speak of what they know find too late that prudent silence is wise.

She is not deceiving you, though she may be trying to protect her under-nurses, which fits her personality quite well.

So, since Nurse Kate is telling the truth, Dr. Mengoak lied. And, based on her books, she's too good of a marine biologist for her lies to be a mere mistake or a premature conclusion.

Alfred is just hanging back and watching his allies do their work. sorry about the low post rate. Just moved and only have my phone for Internet access.

It's all right.

Well, what will the party do?

Kate gives you the information she has. It seems that Sister Eugenia had begin making connections and went searching for help online. And she found a biomancer on the island who asked her questions more than Sister Eugenia got answers.

But what answers she did get indicated to a dangerous type of maritime creature with deadly mutating properties. The biomancer seemed quite concerned that this was becoming viral, and could lead to an epidemic if not careful.

There was also a strong warning not to go around telling anyone what she knew until she had conclusive proof yet. A warning Sister Eugenia had chosen to ignore.

The biomancer did not know that she died, because she continued to send queries to Sister Eugenia for two days before she seemed to reach the conclusion that she was incapable of response, and discontinued.

But one other thing is brought up. Sister Eugenia suggests they go find Dr. Mengoak and speak with her about this. The biomancer strictly forbids this, on the grounds that she's worked with her before and that she's so unethical, she should be in politics. Sister Eugenia replied later that she went and talked with her anyway, though she said that she told Mengoak nothing about the biomancer. The biomancer then informed Sister Eugenia that even talking to her was a serious mistake, because logic alone should be enough to suggest that Barbara Mengoak knows exactly what this creature is, and is on its side.

When Sister Eugenia asks what that means, she is given only a cryptic answer she does not understand. "There are minds in the sea that can drive humanoids to madness. If you don't go in the water, they can't harm you, but put one toe in the sea, and you're in their world now, not your world. And, except for dolphins, you've no friends on that other side."

Zacariah leans in close to Alfred and Cathran.

"I think it would be best if we hunted down this biomancer, they appear to know quite a bit"

Again, what will the party do?

"Aye they do, but I feel we should go with Cathran and visit Marlin, as she wants to compare notes on visions"

With that Alfred will walk out the door to find Marlin.

The party manages to find Sheriff Brady's house, which is on a hill just above the beach.

Marlin is there, preparing a meal for his family. He's already pulled up chairs and has the kettle on for tea.

"It's so nice to have company for a change," he remarks as you walk in. "What questions can I answer for you today?"

Standing beside the table, Alfred addresses Marlin,

"We were wondering of your visions a bit more. You had one at Ginny's and we were wondering if you had had any others you thought relevant to the current goings on?"

"Something regarding the various attacks recvently, or perhaps the strange castle?"

"I can see that it's pure evil. It lurks under the surface, waiting to strike. And it calls to people, somehow. It calls and they come. But when I try to see what it is, all I can see is miasma, and a fearsome lash of some sort that moves so fast, I can't even try to get a good look at it.
"Then the fear takes over and the vision is pushed from my sight."

Marlin sighs. Then he picks up the kettle and pours tea, taking a drink from his cup.

"I have seen its handiwork in the attacks. The people who died or disappeared were people it, or those it touched, wanted gone. They were in its way, somehow, and so they were targeted."

Then he quakes and shivers, dropping his cup on the floor so that it shatters. The tea spills out, and Marlin doesn't care.

"Ten were freed and nine obeyed. Then tenth one ran the other way. Aware of the evil and wanting it banned, she fell into a better plan. Now of the nine, so few remain. Some recaptured, some killed, some down the drain of this thing's sewer, this demon of the sea. You're not ready. Steer clear of the thing!"
[b]"One of you is leaving at midnight. Where she goes, you cannot yet follow, so do not try. As for the castle, I can't see it still. She's not letting me. Any attempt to look at the castle, or even around it, is somehow reflected back.
"Evil is not where you'd expect it. And good can hide and still be good. The question is, do you know who is lying? Someone that you've met is on the demon's side."

Then he collapsed, and hit his head. The vision faded, and Marlin looked at his shattered cup and ruined tea, and gives you all a look of sheer embarrassment.

Well thats interesting...

Moving over to Marlin, Alfred helps him clean up the mess and gets him set in order.

"So what do you make of all this? Zachariah? Cathran?"

How many criminals were released ? Wasn't it ten?

"This is highly disturbing Alfred. It would seem that there is very much wrong with this city. And this castle seems to be in the center of it."

Yes, there were ten criminals set free. Nine of them went right out and obeyed the bargain, though most of them did not come to a happy end.
The tenth, Madame Roxanne, did not agree to the terms of her release because the terms were evil, and is working for a way to stop the great evil. Of course, I should probably tell you that Madame Roxanne always wasn't actually guilty of what she was in prison for.

What do you guys do next? Rest at Red Letter Night and go to sea toward the island tomorrow? Keep interviewing people?

[ooc]Sorry for the delay[ooc]

"Zacariah, I think the we should head to the beach to see what trace we can find of Bluementhol, then head back to the Red Letter fort eh Night"

With that Alfred will head off to the beach.

A search of the beach reveals Dr. Blumenthal's clothes, with a selection of his favorite poisons beside them.

And there is Doctor Mengoak before the clothes and the poisons, weeping.

Standing a good 40 feet from Mengoak, Alfred halts at the scene and calls to her.

"What has happened here that leaves you so distraught? Or is there something you weren't telling us earlier?"

"This was my Bloomie," she laments, holding up his shirt for you to see. "It was a shark attack. These things happen. It's the sea. But still, I loved him so."

But if this were a shark attack, wouldn't they have closed the public beach and have hunters and their version of the coast guard out?