Chapter One -- Secrets of Roderic's Cover
Dot in, please.
Dot!
Dotting in!
Dotting!
{We FADE IN to a wide view of the town of Roderic’s Cove, from above. After the brief shot, we CUT to an establishing shot of the Circle, the main marketplace area of the town. It is the weekly Market Day, and we PAN to see dozens of small carts with locals selling all sorts of things, from TRICIA MOONPORT, a portly woman selling spices both strung up and in bowls, KELEM VALATROS selling small pelts, and to CORUM DIROMIDA with his weekly selection of squash. We can see directly in front of the viewer the two-story Creekside Inn, and we can see several people mulling about in front of the establishment.}
{The entirety of the marketplace is seated on a large circular stone, providing a slight raised area as opposed to the rest of the town, and obviously man-made (hence the name). After a few moments of looking at the various small carts, we center on our main heroes.}
TRICIA: (speaking to a customer) No, I just sold the last of it, but I can have some dried for you next week …
{The camera pans down to show a little girl, with long brown hair that, while not completely tangled, is fairly messy, hanging loose around her shoulders, and elbows on the storefront counter to let her see the wares better. She scrunches her face, freckles cramming together and eyes, one an emerald green, the other a royal blue. }
Maddie: (to TRICIA) That’s okay. I’ll tell mom you’re out. I think the fish tastes fine without dewleaf anyway. Do you have dried tomatoes? That’s the last thing mom wanted.
{The camera moves down the marketplace and focuses on a quite long and slender elf, with long white hair that whirls around in the small breeze. He moves around the carts in an almost dance like motion, with a smile on his face when he approaches one of the carts.}
Hilael: (to Tricia and Maddie) Good day to you ladies (bowing to both). Tricia have you found any of the rarer spices I asked you about last week? I would especially enjoy some Sansho peppers with my eel dish.
Hilael: (to Maddie) Young miss, may I help you with your groceries?
{In the background, a woman in black and red robes idly browses the stalls. Her outfit leaves her pale arms and midriff bare. Her hood is drawn up over her head, but occasional glimpses of s beautiful face can be seen in the shadows--dark black hair, sparkling amber eyes, and full, sensuous lips. She is tall, slender, and curvy, and even though she is trying to not draw attention to herself, her passage inevitably causes heads to turn. She glances at Hilael and Maddie, but does not join them yet.}
"There you are!" Suddenly a young woman pounces on the tall woman in red and black clothes from behind. She threads her arm though the woman's and locks arms with her at the elbows. The young woman, noticeably shorter than her now trapped quarry, pulls her friend along without slowing down much.
"Sorry I'm late! I kept running into people on the way. Shall we get some tea.? How have you been?"
Mayken guides Remy along toward the tea stall, and after they are served, toward a clear spot on the Circle where they can sit.
"Well! I'm afraid I don't have any good news yet. Your circumstances are very unusual, and there just aren't any of the kinds of books to cover the subject in this town. I've asked most of the people I can think of who might have some knowledge of it, in a round-about way of course, and nobody has a clue. So, for the moment I'm at a dead end."
Remy had approached Mayken a short time ago, seeking information about her condition. Mayken had been completely credulous in her acceptance of what Remy told her. It seems it never even occurred to Mayken to consider more mundane possibilities like mental illness, or some kind or prank or con.
Mayken took on the project with enthusiasm, but hasn't been one whit of actual help. When they've met since, Mayken reports no progress and peppers Remy with questions. She does the same this time.
As she sips her tea Mayken's eyes are wide and shining with curiosity. "After it happened did you have to change how you walk? With all the differences in, you know, parts, compared to before?"
Remy starts when Mayken grabs her from behind. "I told you not to sneak up on me like that," she says, her voice smooth like honey. "You're lucky you didn't get an elbow in your face. I've been the same as always, unfortunately."
She follows the other woman and sips her tea, disappointed by her news but not surprised. "I appreciate your efforts. Perhaps we'll have to travel to a larger city soon to expand our research opportunities."
She shifts uncomfortably as Mayken launches into her usual barrage of questions. "Yes, everything is different. The way I walk, the way I fight. This body's center of balance is much lower than I'm used to. All in the hips. And don't even get me started on the parts that... bounce." Remy blushes slightly and lowers her eyes.
"Oh sweetheart", Mayken clucks sympathetically. "I'm sorry, I know it must be terribly awkward." She lays her hand gently along the side of Remy's face. "If it helps at all, you are SO beautiful! If this was going to happen, you truly did win the body lottery!" Do you have any idea what I'd give to have your thighs?"
Mayken takes her hand away and leans back, resting on her arms. "There are a couple of things we need to be very certain about, so I'm going to ask you to remember as precisely as possible. Are you SURE you body has been completely switched rather than your present body being a female version of your own?"
"And if you're absolutely sure you have been switched, do you have any idea where your own body might be? Like I said, I've been as circumspect with details as I can be when I've asked people about it. All the advice I've gotten is about ending possessions because without specifics that's what this sounds like. The problem is those kinds of rituals and magics are aimed toward freeing the possessed. That would be the body you occupy. They're not really concerned with the possesser, that would be you, or what happens to them afterward."
"If we do find a way to get you out of that body, where do we put you?" Mayken asks raising her hands and shoulders in an exaggerated shrug.
Remy's blush deepens when Mayken touches her cheek. She had lived an ascetic life in a monastery for many years, but none of her vows required celibacy. The bard was exactly the kind of woman she would have been interested in while she was still a man. Now, things were... confusing, to say the least.
"Thank you for the compliments, but they don't really make me feel any better," she says. "I'm quite certain my old body is dead. My own charred remains were the first thing I saw upon awakening in this body. It was quite disconcerting. I preserved it as best I could and arranged for it to be sent back to the Monastery of the Scaled Fist in Kate Maga. I highly doubt it would be suitable for me to return to it in its present state. So... I don't know where that leaves us."
{TRICIA smiles broadly and kindly at Maddie.}
TRICIA: Yes, dear, I have some (something past the camera takes her notice) Oh, dear ...
{CUT to a shot of “POSSUM” COOTS’ punch stand, and 4 men standing around, drinking and talking.}
TRICIA: It's those Horned Frogs. Trouble just seems to follow them.
{TRICIA quickly puts some dried tomatoes into a small basket and hands it to the girl.}
TRICIA: Might be best for you to get home, Maddie.
[color=red] EVERYONE, make a Sense Motive and a Perception Check. [/color]
Wrapped up in her conversation with Mayken, Remy remains unaware of anything else happening in the Circle.
{As Tricia warns Maddie of trouble, Hilael peeks over his shoulder to the other stand}
[ooc]Just as a note, at least for now, I'll be expending a point from my Temporal Pool any time we roll initiative for a +1d4 to the roll.
{Maddie accepts the small basket and slides a pair of silver over to TRICIA}
Maddie: Thanks! Mom'll be happy.
{Maddie runs off, but doesn't go far, taking cover behind some nearby barrels as she watches the scene happen.}
I don't know where that leaves us either.
As Mayken sees it Remy has explained just about the worst scenario possible. She doesn't have any real answer so "we don't know very much about it yet. There's no point worrying about it until we do. We'll just keep searching."
Thankfully, when their conversation is in danger of descending into a gloomy silence, Mayken notices something.
"Hey Remy, what do you thinks going on over there at Possum Coot's?"
"Where?" Remy follows Mayken's gaze to the men drinking at the punch stand. She shrugs. "I don't know. They seem harmless enough, unless their drinking starts to get out of hand..."
{Possum Coots greets the men at his stand, and fills mugs full of his ‘possum punch’ for them.}
MAN 1: To our fallen brothers!!
{They all raise their mugs.}
MAN 2: So what is she gonna do? We have to get them back!
MAN 1: She won’t even say who ‘they’ are yet. She might not even know.
MAN 3: I’ll betcha Moz--
MAN 1: Shut up! You know better than to name names, especially here.
MAN 2: Well, someone’s gonna have to do something. We can’t just let this go.
{As they continue to talk, we pan over and the viewer can see 4 men slowly making their way towards the stand, trying their best to be as stealthy as possible. Their expressions and concentration seem directed at the 4 men drinking.}
[color=red]MAKE A KNOWLEDGE: LOCAL AND A KNOWLEDGE: ARCANA CHECK. [/color]
{The young girl stays hiding behind her barrels, but peeks out more to see what’s happening.}
{The camera follows as the elf listens to the group of people talking at Possum Groots and then the view moves as he turns his gaze to an other group.}
Hilael {to Tricia} I'll get back to you about the peppers some other time.
This seems like it could turn up into trouble on this fine day.
Hilael bows slightly to Tricia and then starts walking normally towards the group at Possum Coots trying to get between the two groups.
Between what she hears and what she sees, Mayken frowns and her eyes narrow.
"Looks like there might be some trouble brewing. Stay here Remy, I'll be right back."
Mayken gets up and starts walking over to the stand. She figures she might need to talk some sense into some people.
Remy remains seated, but keeps her eyes on Mayken, ready to intervene if needed.
You recognize the rough patches on all 4 men drinking at Coot’s stand. It is the symbol of the Horned Frogs.
As you stare at the Horned Frogs symbol, you realize you have seen this symbol before: it is the Thasillonian rune of wrath.
{As Hilael and Mayken walk casually towards the Possum Juice stand, the 4 men previously in hiding walk into the center of the Circle facing the Horned Frogs, and start to laugh. It also puts Hilael and Mayken directly in-between the two groups. You see alot of the townspeople quickly move out of the way between the two groups (except for Mayken and Hilael) One of the men in hiding begins to speak}
ROADKEEPER 1: It’s the mighty, mighty Horned Frogs, boys! I’m surprised you haven’t dropped over dead from fright! {Laughs}
ROADKEEPER 2: BOO! Buncha cowards.
MAN 1: Watch your mouth, Roadkeeper, or else -
ROADKEEPER 1: Or else what? You don’t have the guts. I think it might be time for us Roadkeepers to come back to town. Run things the right way!
Hilael looks at the people moving away, nods to Mayken and then looks at both of the groups and focuses on the newly arrived taunting group.
Hilael: {looking at the most aggressive fellow but clearly speaking so that both groups hear} Why should we spoil such a splendid market day with some quarreling. I'm sure you and everyone here has their own problems but this kind of hatred is not helping in solving them. Why don't we all just go our separate ways and enjoy a peaceful day and let others do that too?
{Maddie watches as the newcomers come up and challenge the men already there. Her brow furrows in thought, then eases up as she remembers what she was trying to think of. She stays hiding behind the barrels, but reaches for her spell components hidden in her shoes.}
Hearing the argument, Remy gets up and slowly moves closer to the altercation. The tall elf seems to be settling things, but she stands ready to come to Mayken's aid, just in case.
Mayken joins Hileal between the two groups.
"Just as he so wisely said. Whatever grudges you have between you, the middle of the market on market day isn't he place to settle them. Take a step back my friends. Let the town have its special day free of troubles."
Since Hileal is directing his attention toward the others, Mayken looks at the Horned Frogs.
{The two groups pause for a moment, staring at HILAEL and MAYKEN. One of the Horned Frogs speaks up.}
HORNED FROG 1: We’re not here to start trouble. We just lost 6 of our own right here, and we just want to toast their memory.
HORNED FROG 2: Yeah, we wasn’t bothering nobody.
ROADKEEPER 3: (muttering) like you people are worth toasting …
HORNED FROG 1: What … what did you just say?
{We PULL BACK to see the two groups, with HILAEL and MAYKEN in the middle. You see the Horned Frogs begin to walk very aggressively towards the Roadkeepers. After a moment, the Roadkeepers begin the same, and it looks like the two groups will meet right where HILAEL and MAYKEN are standing.}
HORNED FROG 3: GET OUT OF OUR TOWN!!
ROADKEEPER 1: THE ROADKEEPERS WERE HERE FIRST, AND WE’LL BE HERE LAST!
{As the two groups converge, we see several of the other residents moving away from the group, with a couple running, calling for guards. Suddenly a man materializes, his appearance indistinct and hazy, a glowing and transparent humanoid form viewed as if through a haze of murky water. In a booming voice that sounds like it’s gurgling out of the throat of a drowning man, the ghost cries out, }
{He moans, his voice murky and yet overwhelming, and a nearly invisible force flies out in all directions from him. Fear seems to encompass the entire area and its inhabitants, as both groups and nearly everyone else in the Circle immediately run away as fast as they can.}
[color=red]MAKE A WILL SAVE vs FEAR.[/color]
You are panicked for
Rounds.
You are unaffected.
Mayken stares at the apparition in shock, but when he speaks she runs for all she's worth!
{We see Hilael getting ready to defend himself and others if needed but then his gaze moves to the transparent humanoid form which suddenly appears.}
Hilael stares at the form and fear grips his heart as he runs as fast as he can towards the edge of the marketplace and away from this being.
Remy eyes widen as the ghost manifests. She lets loose a decidedly girlish shriek and flees alongside Mayken, keeping pace with the bard!
{Maddie is startled by the ghost's sudden appearance, but watches as everyone flees, turning her head sharply from side to side. She emerges from behind the barrels and approaches the apparition}
Maddie: (to the ghost) "Hiya, mister! You're Roderick? Thanks for helping with that, it could have been bad."
The ghost turns, and looks down at you. he says, gasping for air, as spectral water pours out of his mouth, disappearing before it touches the ground. The ghost then fades away.
{After a few short moments of panic, the fear subsides in the main characters, and they make their way back into the Circle. They find MADDIE, a small girl, standing alone in the center of the abandoned place. She is standing right about where the apparition was. He is gone. There isn’t anyone else in the area, although you can see some town guards rushing towards the Circle from the west.}
Hilael: (to Maddie) I'm impressed by your mental fortitude young lady. Are you alright?
{Hilael looks at the arriving guards and then all of them at the Circle.}
Hilael: (to Maddie, Remy & Mayken) Should we wait and explain everything to the guards or do you want to head off while we still can?
Remy flushes with shame as the supernatural fear finally subsides. She's a trained warrior. She should have had more willpower than that. She makes sure Mayken is unharmed first, then walks over to the little girl and the tall elf.
"Was that the ghost of Sir Roderic? What did he say to you?" she asks Maddie.
When Hilael asks if they should take off, she looks at him quizzically from under her hood. "We have done nothing wrong. Only a guilty person would flee from the authorities. We should remain here and give our statements on what we witnessed. I feel this is no ordinary occurrence."
{Maddie looks on as the ghost vanishes, staring at the spot for a few seconds before turning around as other people return.}
Maddie: (to Hilael) "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you? You took off running so suddenly."
{She looks around as even more make their way back to the square.}
Maddie: (to Remy) "I think. He said to 'save my cove,' so I guess. I wonder why it needs saving?
(to Hilael, Remy, Mayken) "I'm gonna stay. They're great! Super nice, too. Usually, anyway."
After the fear leaves her, Mayken barely waits to orient herself and catch her breath before she turns around and rushes back to the Circle. Of course she drags Remy along because she's there too.
She's disappointed to find the ghost gone, but her excitement is barely diminished.
"That was incredible! I've never seen anything like that before! I wonder if he will come back? I've never heard of a ghost appearing in the circle in the past! And you say it was Sir Roderic? Now this is a real mystery!"
Hilael: (to Maddie) I'm glad that you are well. I'm fine now. Only my dignity took a hit, but I will survive.
Hilael: (to Remy) You are correct that we haven't done anything wrong and should just answer honestly. That scare must have shaken me more than I thought.
Hilael: (to everyone) This day truly turned out to be more interesting than I would have guessed in the morning. Ah, where are my manners, (bowing to everyone) my name is Hilael. I's nice to meet you all.
The hooded woman offers the elf a similar bow, in the manner of the Tien people. "Remy. This is Mayken."
Having seen Remy bow to the half-elf, Mayken does the same, approximating Remy's gesture. "Hi Hilael. We've met before in passing, it was a few years ago though."
Really though Mayken is interested in what the girl Maddie say and heard. She isn't going to wait for an official statement, so she goes down on one knee beside Maddie.
"Can you tell me everything the ghost said exactly as he said it? What did he do? Did he move about? Tell the the whole thing just like it happened from beginning to end."
{Maddie does an awkward half-curtsy}
Maddie: (to everyone) "Maddie."
Maddie: (to Mayken) "He, uh, stood there, looked at me, and said
{Her voice changes to a more dramatic tone}
"'save my cove'"
{Her voice returns to normal}
"And a bunch of water poured from his mouth and he disappeared. Then you came back."
{Three town guards rush into the nearly empty Circle, short swords out and at the ready. Cut to the main characters standing together in the Circle. One of the guards sheaths his weapon, and approaches them.}
GUARD 1: We were told there was a spirit in the Circle? What happened to him? Are all of you alright?
"We're fine," Remy says in her smooth voice. "It would seem the ghost of Sir Roderic himself appeared to intervene before violence could break out between the Horned Frogs and the Roadkeepers. He urged this young girl to 'save his Cove' before disappearing. I take it this is not a common occurrence."
{Maddie turns to the guards and nods at Remy's response}
Maddie: (to the guard) "Yeah! Everyone else ran, then he told me to 'save his cove.' Then everyone came back and asked what happened."
(To Remy) "I don't think so. Never heard about it."
Hilael: (to the guard) As they said, we're fine. Most of just got scared of the spirit for a moment.
(To Remy): I haven't seen anything like this in the five or so years I've spent here.
"I've certainly never heard of anything like this happening here before. The ghost's, I guess Sir Roderick, was also very pointed about what he wants. Do you think it's some sort of prophesy?"
{The guards seem relieved at the fact of the ghost’s disappearance, and move off to see to other details. A few short moments after the guards leave, we center on a young elven woman. She wears plain colored clothes but is dressed more for winter than for a brisk fall day. She approaches our characters, a dour look on her face}
[color=red]MAKE A KNOWLEDGE: LOCAL CHECK. [/color]
You recognize her as Audrahni, a local elf who works as the cemetery groundskeeper.
WOMAN: I just saw what happened. You are a brave girl, young one. Might I impose on you and your friends? I … this entire town needs your help. I would be happy to pay for dinner if you all would be kind enough to listen.
{beat}
WOMAN: Oh, my name is Audrahni.
Though only having been in Roderic's Cove for a few months, Remy recognizes the elf. "I am Remy. We've not officially met, Audrahni, but it is nice to formally make your acquaintance. If the town is in trouble, I would be remiss if I did not offer my assistance, despite my...personal problems." The hooded woman glances briefly at Mayken.