Lily just stares as Vix and Saiya carry on in their gibberish talk, but once Vix starts to hand over money, with a very concerned look on her face, she holds up her hand to Vix "Wait, wait, wait... So, we are going to like stay here with these grumpy people that might poison us because Cerise tried to burn the place up or something? Um... that totally does not sound like the best idea. I mean... am I missing something?" She finishes her question with a shrug and an earnest look of confusion.
Vix says to Lily, “I don’t seriously think we’ll be poisoned. They know we won’t keel o’er quietly. Plus, poison’s a thing ye gotta prepare ahead o’ time… not that I know anything about poison. It’s the weapon o’ choice for cowards.”
As for what she might be missing…
“I’ve a feeling the reception won’t be any friendlier at the stain. Plus the barkeep called ye Lady Avenfall. She respects ye.”
"The real me must have a temper," Ci Ci says to no one in particular. "The documents they had on me back there said that I melted a wall or something, too." She runs her fingers through her hair and looks around the room. "Of course, I might just not take kindly to being manhandled, and grabby drunks probably regret it once their skin charbroils."
Vix says, “The real you melted the friggin’ Tatterman before he could finish me off.
“Whether we deserve the looks we’re getting or not, it don’t change who we are now.”
She passes back 3 gold and says, ”I’ll get you a meal and a mug of ale each but I can’t have you sleep here. Bad for business.”
A pained expression crosses Winter’s face, ”Maiden’s Choir is not important, nevermind about that. Caliphas and Thrushmoor are cities of Ustalav. You were a patient at Briarstone Asylum and your apparent amnesia is strikingly similar to some other patients. You may leave if you wish. you are well enough and we could use the cot for others, but if you could stay for a little while there is something I need to check on.” Maura notices that the chapel is filled with a number of people, they look like a refugee camp.
Maura's face turns sympathetic at the expression of Winter. "I am sorry, I did not mean to bring up a topic that was still painful to you. It is enough that I know where I am now... though for the life of me I cannot recall any reason to be in Ustalav, let alone in the Versex region. Was this asylum treating my amnesia? If so, why am I not still there, given I still am suffering from it?"
The duskwalker looks around at the other people. "And why are there so many people here, for that matter? Unless I have greatly mistook what a chapel is supposed to be, shouldn't they be staying elsewhere?"
Vix takes to of the coins. Of the one remaining, she says, “That one’s yer tip.”
Guessing the people at The Stain won’t be any more congenial, Vix suggests paying Winter a visit after the meal.
Saiya stares blankly at the woman for a moment. A meal and mug of ale sounded good, of course, (although she would have preferred something a bit stronger), but what she'd really wanted was the bath and bed. She couldn't remember (haha) the last time she'd had either. She'd been willing to pay an inordinate amount of money for those things. Now she was being told she couldn't have them because it was 'bad for business'?
Despite everything that's happened over the past few days, this is the moment that nearly has Saiya bursting into tears. Nearly. She does have a reputation to uphold.
She sulks throughout the entire meal.
When Vixen suggests going back to Winter, she nods. (Sulkily.) "I suppose we don't have a choice. Hopefully there's still a spare spot of floor at the chapel."
Ci Ci eats and drinks, for the most part, in sulky silence. Occasionally, she mutters under her breath, but nothing clearly audible or coherent.
Once everyone in the group has eaten, she rises from the table and stares daggers at everyone in the room.
"Whatever I...we...did, we paid for it. Everyone in here witnessed that. I know how it is in small towns like this when 'troublemakers' show up who 'aren't from around here.' From this point on, we're back to square. If you don't give us trouble, we won't cause any. But if any of you gets the notion of getting a little more payback when our backs are turned, just know that it's going to get you nothing but burned, and burned bad."
She looks to her companions. "Let's get out of here."
Saiya and Ci-Ci look how Vix feels. Vix doesn’t have the words to cheer them up. If anything, she’ll probably make things worse by speaking her mind.
She instead contemplates her surroundings, asking herself as the party exits the Silver Wagon, Does any part o’ this s@*%hole ring a bell?
Lily looks relieved when Vix makes it clear that they aren't actually going to get poisoned and she gives a beaming smile when Vix recalls the fact that they did refer to her as Lady Avenfall.
She hesitates for a moment when they get their food, the concern of poison still not completely gone, but as she sees the others eating and drinking without issue, she follows suit. Everyone's generally poor mood keeps Lily from talking much but as they finish up and they are about to leave and Cerise gives her brief speech Lily just frowns and hurries outside.
Taking in the dull town once again she sighs as she follows along with the others to find winter.
Winter wheels over a cart that holds stacks of papers and she begins rifling through them. As she does so she talks, ”You’re right a chapel is a place of worship, not intended to house a number of patients of an asylum and their caregivers. It was simply the only building in town capable of housing this many while they are sent to other institutions. As for why we’re here and not in the asylum, it was destroyed. There was an earthquake that killed over half the people there, a patient uprising, and attacks from ghouls and shapeshifters. Apparently we were close to being trapped on another plane of existence.”
She scans a page and hands it over triumphantly, ”Ah ha, found your patient record. It seems you were committed with the other amnesiacs I mentioned before.”
Patient Record: Maura Visiv Aruam, Female, unknown race, apparent age: late twenties, unknown origin
Committed: 15 Gozarn 471
Circumstances: Committed by Count Haserton Lowls IV, formerly under his employ.
Attending Doctor: Eliege Losandro
Maura suffers from amnesia and a fugue state similar to the others committed by Count Lowls. She repeatedly muttered, “Beware the Foreign Trader” during processing. The reference is to a harrow card, common to the decks of cards Varisian fortune-tellers use. The card depicts a strange woman dressed in loose clothing covering almost all of her features. She bears misshapen rubys. Why this card is significant to Maura is unknown.
Treatment Observation, sedation.
Vixen remembers facts about the town they walk through but she has no emotional connection to them and no context for why she remembers these things.
Builder’s Hall has stood for 5 centuries housing the guilds members. The current master builder is Prewyn Noddar and he knows nothing about the trade.
The Sleepless Detective agency’s founder is Cesadia Wrentz. It has recently gained international renown after solving several cases in neighboring nations.
Sometimes at night a translucent and monstrous figure roams the streets. A ghost in a ragged funeral dress. Any who approach hear insane ramblings, mixed with grief, anger, and frustration.
As the party walks to New Chapel they see peculiar charcoal murals of an abandoned city, dour and lonely, dotting seemingly random buildings as they go. They are in the same style as Zandalus’ drawings.
New Chapel is a two story wooden building and is clearly a new structure.
Maura nodded absentmindedly. "That sounds... particularly unpleasant. Still, I suppose I should be thankful that people took me out of there."
She looks at the offered record, raising her eyebrows. "Odd. I have no memories of this Count, let alone working for him. Does he reside in the area? Also, did this Eliege Losandro survive?" As she says this, she begins ruffling through her deck, finally stopping on The Foreign Trader and looking at it. Beware this card? Or beware what it represents? She holds it up for Winter to look at it.
"This will sound strange to you, but have you seen anyone who looks like this? I know I know, the features are obscured to the point where you honestly cannot even properly say what gender she is... but if I was obsessed with this card, there might have been a reason."
As the group walks back to the Chapel, Ci Ci looks around at the layout of the town, the street, and likely places to take cover of arrows start flying.
”If one of these sonsab%&~*es takes a shot at me, I’m not only gonna burn him, but..(incoherent mumbling)...and all his damn friends...and burn down his house!”
If anyone on the street glares at her, she returns it without flinching.
Vix sees that Ci-Ci could use a distraction. She says, “Don’t let ’em get in yer head, Ci-Ci. These people’re scared. They say there’s a ghost that walks about at night in funeral dress. She complains a lot. Maybe that’s what happens to people who can’t move on. They roam the world and continue complaining for all eternity. I’ll bet ‘no one listens to me’ is among the gripes.
“Anyway,” she gestures in your-guide fashion, “On yer left, we’ve the Builder’s Hall, and coming up on yer right’s the Sleepless Detective Agency.” She includes all of the facts about these places, including the people.
She makes no comment on the murals, unless WTF counts as commentary. Once at New Chapel, Vix sees Winter has a guest. “Ye two having a card game? Looks fun.” It looks confusing, but Vix doesn’t want to be rude. Some people think it’s fun to stare at cards and frown.
Winter looks relieved as she sees the rest of the party enter. She introduces Maura and the party to each other and says, "Maura seems to have amnesia like the rest of you. I was hoping you'd be able to look after her. Our resources are strained and she's healthy."
Frowning she explains the situation, "I wish I had better news. Briarstone isn't the only place facing troubles. Omari and the rest of the accusers went missing after trying to enlist the help of Constable Cesyll and Magistrate Padgett at Fort Hailcourse, I fear the worst. There have been a number of other people gone missing too, the priestess of New Chapel, Trilliss Mavaine, among them. Can you meet with Cesadia Wrentz at the Sleepless building? That is if you're willing to help the poor folks of this town."
All the sour moods aside Lily perks up as Winter mentions helping people and excitedly looks to the others "Oh yes, we should like definitely help them because we know that is totally the right thing to do... even if they are a bunch of grumps."
She pauses for a moment and only gets more excited as an idea pops in her head "Oh! Maybe if we help them, they won't be as grumpy and maybe they would even listen when we tell them they clearly need to liven this place up a bit with some cheerful music, dancing and some art that isn't all gloomy and creepy looking."
She looks expectantly at the others for their agreement in helping out the townsfolk.
The grey-skinned lady with long black hair stands up as the party arrives. "No, although I seem to remember there being a game that some people play with them. I also feel that doing so was... wrong... somehow." She shuffles the Foreign Trader back into the deck, giving it a few more riffles as she speaks before putting it away.
"Apparently my name is Maura." She looks at the paper. "'Maura Visiv Aruam', according to this patient form. Pleased to meet you, I am sure. Or meet you again, on the off-chance that we have met before and I just don't remember it."
She looks back at Winter, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure that it is wise for an amnesiac to go off and explore with a group of other amnesiacs? I mean no offense," she hastily adds as she gives the others a smile, "but I just feel that it might be wise to have someone who can remember what has been going on recently with us."
Vix says, “Saiya and I woke up in neighboring prisons…” “…and Ci-Ci helped us by finishing off the Tatterman. Her with fire, Saiya with her blade, and me with me ass-kickin’ boots.
“Me point being, we saved lives, including children and those not strong enough to defend themselves. We’ve talents we were forced to use, and Lily—ye’ve brains and beauty. I’m a bit jealous, but—ye’re right. We use our talents to help, people’ll see us for who we are, not who we were.”
To Winter, she adds, “On that, who’s Klynn? Apparently, Klynn’s the reason no one directed their attitudes at me.”
Maura nods to Vix, a serious look upon her face. "Well, as one of the people that got pulled out of that place, thank you. And I in no means was trying to imply that you and your friends were not capable, far from it if Winter here was willing to entrust me to your care not 20 minutes after awaking." She gives Winter a wink to convey that this was meant in a friendly way. "I was just saying that if you all are suffering from the same degree of amnesia that I am... well, it might be nice to have someone with us that is not. If for no other reason than to be able to reliably identify people we meet and places we come across." She shrugs. "That said, if we can't find someone like that willing to come then I guess we just will have to learn as we go, right?"
As she speaks, she quiets her emotions and reaches out around her, trying to feel if anything around her strikes her as important.
Maura detects 2 items of psychic significance. A book and a war razor, both in the party's possession.
Winter apologizes, "I'm sorry I haven't had a lot of chance to get to know the locals. Like I said I came from Caliphas and only met with Cesadia before I went to Briarstone. Dr. Elbourne is busy with the patients and well the other patients have been in the asylum for years."
She thinks for a moment and then says suddenly, "You can speak with Hasok. He's the artist working on the frescos, he has an apartment just across the street."
Vix says to Lily, “I’m guessing a Shelyn devotee such as yerself’ll enjoy stopping at an artist’s studio.
“I might wanna know where I can get some supplies meself. Maybe Hasok can help.”
Maura cannot help but staring at the the war razor and the book, almost seeing the way their auras warp the light around them like a mirage. She closes her senses, and shakes her head.
"I know we are, apparently, busy... and need to move onwards with the day... but later on would you mind me taking a look at that book or that blade?" She points toward the two items in question. "They have some deep connections to their owners that just scream out to be heard." She looks at the others, and blushes (the color looking more like a bruise on her grey skin) as she continues. "Sorry if that sounds weird. I opened my eyes to see if anything might be able to help me make sense of everything and they spoke up. Not with any details, mind you, just enough to say that they had stories to tell."
As she talks, Maura gathers up her items and ensures that everything is in place. Many of her items go into a small bag that seems to be holding much more than it should for its size, which in turn goes inside a seemingly well-crafted backpack. The cards she had been using are placed back inside their box, which in turn is placed within a deep pocket toward the front of her plain brown robes.
"All set to leave whenever and where ever you are. Assuming, of course, that you want me to come with you."
Ci Ci hands the book and blade over to Maura.
”Be very careful reading that book.” she warns. ”The words creep off the page and dig into your mind. Be prepared for the attack.”
Release Nightmare Ritual:
School conjuration (creation); Level 6
Casting Time 60 minutes
Components V, S, M, F (a candle flame flickering in a darkened room), SC (up to 12)
Skill Checks Heal DC 28, 4 successes; Knowledge (planes) DC 28, 2 successes
Range touch
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will save; SR yes
Backlash The primary caster is targeted by the spell nightmare every day for the next 1d6 days. The effect has the same DC as this ritual.
Failure The target takes 2d10 points of damage. If this kills thetarget, the target becomes an oneirogen rather than dying.
EFFECT
This ritual creates a small rift between the Dimension of Dreams and the target’s mind. If the target suffers from natural, recurring nightmares, the ritual conjures them into a viscous, physical substance that boils forth from the target’s mouth and nose, then congeals into an inert, coal-like lump of dead dreamstuff. After this, the target has no natural nightmares for a year and never has those specific nightmares again. This ritual dispels the effect of the nightmare spell and makes the target immune to that spell for 1 week. If the target is the victim of an outsider that can cast nightmare as a supernatural or spell-like ability, this ritual attempts to conjure that outsider. The target must have been affected by the outsider’s nightmare ability within the last 3 days. In this case, upon the ritual’s completion, the outsider must succeed at a Will saving throw or be summoned into a space adjacent to the target. If the target has been affected by multiple outsiders’ nightmare ability, the outsider with the lowest Hit Dice is conjured. The outsider is in no way controlled by the target or the ritual’s casters, and likely either attacks those who conjured it or attempts to flee. Outsiders having an ability similar to nightmare—such as a night hag with its dream haunting ability—might also be conjured by this effect.
Maura also detects Vix’s boots have some kind of psychic connection.
Maura takes the offered items gingerly. Neither are particularly pleasant to hold, and paying heed to Ci Ci's warning, she chooses not to open the book yet.
"Give me a few moments. I will see what, if anything, I can glean about these two items... though holding them almost makes me loathe to try."
She sets down the razor on her cot, then focuses on the book. A barrage of images and emotions swirl around her as she does, and after a minute she sets it down and tries to focus on making sense of anything she saw.
Satisfied, she repeats the same process with the blade, doing her best to suppress her dread and revulsion as she holds it.
Vix is intrigued by the weapon that nearly killed her. She wonders what the story behind it will be.
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Saiya's still grumpy as they enter the chapel, and finding yet another new face she almost remembers but doesn't only makes her headache worse. She's grateful that Vix takes over the explanation this time; she doesn't think she has it in her to do that again.
When Winter starts asking them for help, she briefly holds up her hand. "Look Winter, I owe you, and I've no more objection to meeting with Wrentz than I did with Omari. That being said, not so sure 'helping the town' is going to go well for anyone. The whole reason we're here is because the Silver Wagon wouldn't let us stay. Everyone here seems to either hate us or fear us, and that's a bad combination." She gestures briefly to Maura. "Newbie has a point about the problem with a group of amnesiacs. None of us know why we're disliked, and that means we're likely to stumble into a bad situation just because we don't know we shouldn't be there. Just like we didn't know that we'd apparently set the Silver Wagon on fire."
"Besides, if Wrentz is anything like the rest of the locals she isn't going to be willing to talk to us." Saiya sighs, rubbing her temples. "I know you're busy, but mind accompanying us there? Hopefully your character-vouching will be enough."
Lily is just sitting there twirling her golden locks in her finger tapping her foot impatiently while most of the others doddle over loot. She is all about admiring pretty stuff, but an old dusty book and a nasty looking blade definitely did not hold her interest. When Saiya speaks up she frowns and scrunches her brow as it seems she doesn't want to help the townsfolk out. "Wait, wait, wait... look I know this town is full of a bunch of grumpy pants, but that's not a good reason not to help them. I mean, people are going missing! What if something bad is happening to them? Plus, if we help all the grumpy pants out then I bet they will stop being so grumpy!"
The rest of what Saiya was going on seems to have either gone over Lily's head or she just ignored it, but she is adamant that they should help find out what is going on.
Saiya feels a slight pang in the vicinity of her heart she thinks might be guilt, and that puts some testiness into her tone. "I know, I know, you all are bleeding hearts that aren't willing to leave the townsfolk to their fates. Unfortunately for me I'm not willing to leave you to your fate, so I'll apparently be helping whether I think it's a good idea or not." She makes the mistake of looking into Lily's hazel eyes and mentally groans. Damn it! Why do I feel like I'm kicking a puppy?
"Point is I'll help." She folds her arms, unwilling to concede too much ground. "But if the 'grumpy pants' don't stop being grumpy after we help them, or don't let us help them in the first place, then I get a free 'I told you so.' Deal?"
Vix is just a little amused by Saiya pretending not to care. But to put her somewhat at ease, she offers, “Why don’t we see Hasok, the artist, as Winter suggested. I can’t imagine that’ll go south, and maybe an artsy type’ll be more willing to fill us in on the locals’ perspective and the rationale.
“Artists ain’t judgy, y’know. I mean… aside from rightly calling people out on their grumpy-pantsiness.” She gives the very artsy Lady Avenfall a smile as she says this.
"I'm with you, Saiya," Ci Ci replies. "I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but they're treading on the last little bit of compassion I've got left."
Lily bounces up and down for a moment clapping excitedly as the two naysayers agree to help out. "Awesome! We will totally turn their grumpiness around." She moves over and gives Saiya a quick squeeze in thanks before turning to Vix. "So, artist first huh? I'm ok with that. I mean at the very least maybe they will be able to tell us a little more about what is going on here. Most artists have their thumb on the pulse of life in town."
In the darkness of the room lit only by a single flickering candle four people chant feverishly for an hour over a kneeling orkish man. He sweets and groans as if in pain. The chanting reaches a crescendo and the ork reels back. Suddenly the candle goes out, blown by some great wind. A magical light ignites in the hand of one of the chanters. He asks, "Did it work?"
Something escapes the mouth of the ork, a thin strand of something darker than darkest part of the night sky and it settles in a lump in front of him. His face becomes calm and serene and his physical form changes with it. He loses his prominent canines, and his skin tone changes. He appears to have been transformed into a human.
The peace is quickly interrupted. The fabric of reality shrieks, wrenches, and tears as something emerges from the lump pulled out of the man. The man faces a face similar to his own only monstrous. His legs end in black hooves. His waist and torso are gnarled and craggy like bark. His skin is decorated with numerous drooling maws. And he holds a falchion that seems to draw in light and is wickedly sharp. An unearthly low glow suffuses the room. The air seems to weep ghostly orange drops of blood. From the darkness sinister whispers worm into your ear.
The vision fades and you don't know the fate of the man and the chanters. Maura thinks she has witnessed the release nightmare ritual at a time when it was used to summon an outsider.
A billowing cloud of sickly yellow mist parts, a mask of gray rags emerges, strips of something fleshier than fabric worming and constricting across a body that's almost human-like, but too lean, and far too flexible. Gauzy gray ribbons reach out like tendrils, each grasping for less doubtful flesh to claim. You know this creature is called the Tatterman, the Shredman, the Every-all, and the Final Dream.
The Tatterman reaches out and viciously assaults the woman you know as the Vermilion Vixen, slicing her across the back cutting down and through her spine in a bloody mess. Maura is witnessing the Tatterman hunting Vixen in a nightmare.
The Tatterman is kneeling before a stooped and aged woman with dead, milky eyes. She is dressed in fine black and dark-yellow robes. You know this is the Briarstone Witch. Somehow you know the Briarstone Witch is a tale told to scare children into obedience, but of course there was a kernel of truth. The Witch hands the Tatterman the war razor and he thanks her in a voice that sounds like wind blowing over broken glass, "Our pact is sealed Ariadnah. The people of Thrushmoor will die this night." Maura is witnessing the Tatterman and the Briarstone Witch forming a pact to cause the Thrushmoor Vanishing that happened over 4000 years prior.
Winter nods and says sympathetically, "I'm sorry the people of this town are so insular. I will of course accompany you when you are ready to meet Cesadia. I will vouch for your character."
Across the street squats a pair of small cottages. In the time within the chapel a gathering of townsfolk carrying rotten fruit, rocks, tools, and other implements gather around one. A man with a hoary beard yells, "Come on out Hasok! We know you're in there!" A plump woman screams, "Come out and answer for your crimes!" Soon an elf with blond hair and a neat beard opens the door and says in a high pitched voice with careful words, "I know you are upset about the murals, but I simply did not do them. Why, they are not my style at all and I haven't worked with charcoal in 50 years."
Vix has no idea what the hell is going on, but the artist’s retort actually makes sense.
She says to the angry woman, “If ye don’t mind me saying… I get what he’s saying about style. I’ve an artistic passion meself: ladies’ fashion. Material, color, style—it matters. Take yerself, for instance.”
She looks the plump woman up and down, and goes for the pitch…
“Ye’d look great in earthtones, or autumnal browns with basic black. Ye can afford a bit o’ cleavage—” Pointing out her own modest dress, which even covers half the neck, Vix adds, “Unlike meself. I got nothing up here.
“Ye can also make purples work. A violet scarf with the black and brown, or with earthtones: lavender.” Patting her own thighs so the woman notices the thickness, Vix says to her, “I ain’t exactly slender meself, but I flaunt me flaws. All women should be proud o’ their bodies, and that’s what I love about fashion.
“As for yer bearded friend here,” she says of the man that was also shouting, “I’m sure there’s a look for him. But I couldn’t tell ye what. Women’s fashion’s what I do. Me trying to work with men’s fashion’d be like Hasok working with charcoal. There’d be no passion, and so… he just wouldn’t.
“Whatever charcoal drawing offends ye, he ain’t yer guy. He can’t be.”
She has more to say, but waits to see how the woman and her friend respond.
"A mural of charcoal?" Ci Ci mutters in a tone of incredulity. "They're this upset about something that'll wash away with a bucket of water or the first rain that rolls through? It's a wonder the folks in this town haven't bled to death from table slivers by now. Thin-skinned, mewling little..." She cuts herself off before saying more.
Seeing the scene and hearing Hasok's words Lily rushes out into the street and puts herself between the elf and the mob holding her hands up for them to wait "Hold on everyone, there is totally no need for all this. First, what's the big deal about some drawings anyway? Second, I'm sure there is like a way to work through this without everyone being so upset. Why don't you all let us look into the matter? We were already planning to talk to Hasok anyway and we can help work this out!"
Maura takes a few moments, to collect her thoughts after witnessing the... Well... best be frank... evils... of the items in question, trying to make sense of it all. Without warning her eyes snap open.
"Well... you folks certainly found some dark items in your travels. I saw a strange ritual when holding this book. The practitioners were trying to... purge... the evil from an orc. It worked, in a way... he coughed up liquid black as tar, and turned into a human. But, they were not prepared for what the evil within him would do. Unconstrained, unchecked, it morphed into a twisted, demonic version of himself. I... know not what happened afterwards to either the demon, the man, or those attempting this... Ritual of Releasing Nightmares." She shudders, then gestures to the knife.
"That belonged to the Tatterman.... the Final Dream... the Every-All. I saw two visions, one of which you might be familiar with, based on what you told me. I saw first a vision of it stalking you," she points to Vixen, "catching you and slaying you... this knife cutting open your back. It was a dream... but felt real in a way. As if he was stalking you in the dreams. Then I saw this Tatterman making a pact with another creature turned legend... the Briarstone Witch. Strangely, the Tatterman knelt before her hunched over form. She gifted him this knife, and he thanked her by her true name, 'Ariadnah', pledging that the people of Thrushmoor would die that night. It was... the start of the Thrushmoor Vanishing, four centuries ago."
She shudders and hands the items back to Ci Ci. "I will have to wait a bit before trying that again, on either of these or anything else. It... takes a bit out of me to do that."
Maura looks around at the assembled people. "You need to calm down. If the state of your chapel is to be believed, you have bigger problems to worry about that someone playing at being an artist. Like finding places to house people. And getting food for them."
”You can keep them,” Ci Ci says, waiving off Maura’s attempt to
give them back. ”They seem to be more within your area of expertise.”
Saiya stares blankly for a minute or so after Lily lets go of her. Did she just...hug me? Her cheeks turn a slightly darker shade of grey and she coughs uncomfortably. "Yes, well, thank you Winter. Hopefully Wrentz will talk to us with you there. We'll let you know as soon as we're ready to head in that direction."
When Maura shares her findings, Saiya smiles for the first time since they've left the tavern. "That is handy. Even if you can only do it ever so often. Okay, what you saw doesn't really explain anything, but it's still information and that's always useful. Good work newb...er, Maura."
When they come across an angry mob Saiya does her best to disappear into a shadow and let the talky-people talk things out. No sense in her making things worse. The last thing they need is for the mob to decide, 'Hey, that fetchling we apparently know and hate must be responsible for all our problems, get her!'
She has a vague feeling that sort of thing has happened to her before, and it did not turn out well.
If anyone from the group looks at her she'll give them an encouraging thumbs up, which they may or may not be able to see.
As Vixen begins to talk about fashion the woman she addresses turns from anger to confusion, ”What are you daft?” She throws her hands up in frustration trying to figure out what Vixen is trying to tell her. As Lily and Maura offer to help and suggest the town has bigger problems, they begin to look at each other and mutter among themselves, ”Hasok won’t be a problem after they question him,” and ”I’ve been meaning to whitewash that side anyway.” The fire of the crowd seems to gutter out and disperse without violence.
The elvish artist beams at the party, ”Thank you kind folks! These people are absolutely dreadful, not a lick of sense in any one of them. Please come inside, I must make you some tea.”
Inside the two-room apartment are cluttered canvases, painting supplies, and partially completed works. Among them are views of bays, portraits of well dressed individuals, and several disquieting abstract pieces. On an easel in the middle of the studio is a triptych still in the sketch phase. In the foreground are five people in full figure with incomplete faces, in the background are three different cities which ebb and flow into each other under a yellow sky.
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Vix doesn’t mind the fat lady’s response. Lily handled the crowd well and the artist didn’t get hurt. Tea sounds good, too!
She’s fascinated by the art, and curious about the faceless people. Maybe they’re heroes in the City o’ Rooftopolis. The Faceless Five! F$$#, yes.
“This piece with the Faceless Five…” Huh. Sounded better in me head. Now that I said it aloud, sounds stupid. “Are they in three cities, or one city, or…?”
She does notice the yellow sky. Its significance is not lost on her, but she isn’t terribly alarmed.
Lily is happy to help and gives a nod and a smile to the townsfolk as they disperse turning to the others "See, we can totally get these people to chill and like us. Like, it will just take some time is all."
She follows Hasok and quickly starts looking over the art unconcerned with whether this artists works actually strike any resemblance to the drab wall murals about town, instead just taking the art in for the beauty that it is. Off hand she asks "So how long have you been in this town working on your art then? It seems the people don't appreciate you, kind of like they don't appreciate us..."
Maura shrugs as Ci Ci insists that she keep the items. "As you wish, though it is not like I will actually use these accursed things any time soon."
As she puts them away she addresses Saiya. "I suppose that is a way of looking at it. I cannot control what images the items show, any more than I could try to control what cards I draw. I can't even guarantee that what the item tells me is true, though in this case I strongly believe it to be. And not everything created or used by sentient life has memories so."
Maura just smiles at the dispersing crowd and follows her new companions up the stairs.
What strange artwork. I wonder.... Once again, she quiets her senses and reaches outwards, seeing if any of the paintings speak to her.
Saiya waits until the majority of the crowd have either dispersed or turned away before slinking up the stairs. She does pause briefly upon hearing the muttered comment, 'Hasok won't be a problem after they question him,' slotting both the comment and the emphasis into her mental picture of the role they'd previously played in the town. Do they think we'll kill him? Is that what happened to Klynn? More questions she can't yet answer.
She continues to let the talkers do the talking, instead spending her time studying the incomplete triptych. Yellow sky, strange cities...is he sketching the same stuff that Zandulus was?
Ci Ci takes a long moment to look at the artwork, and assess its quality and value.
Off hand she asks "So how long have you been in this town working on your art then? It seems the people don't appreciate you, kind of like they don't appreciate us..."
He waves his hand dismissively, ”Two months I’ve suffered the barbs and insults the common folk sling at me. They don’t appreciate the work that I’ve put into their chapel. They know I know they don’t appreciate me so they naturally assume that I’ve vandalised their homes and places of business in retaliation, as if."
None of the paintings or items in the room are significant.
They are not in the same style but the city could be the same subject.
Ci Ci takes a long moment to look at the artwork, and assess its quality and value.
Lelwyn is a practiced artist and his works could be quite valuable if sold to a collector or other appreciator of fine art. His more macabre pieces would have less broad appeal.
“This piece with the Faceless Five…” Huh. Sounded better in me head. Now that I said it aloud, sounds stupid. “Are they in three cities, or one city, or…?”
Lelwyn promptly drops his steaming cup of tea on the floor when the painting is mentioned, "Oh my! Why you are perfect." Without moving to clean the spilled liquid he moves to arrange the party, "Stand here where the light is right. Now there!" The artist resumes his piece adding the party's face to the triptych which seems to blend all too naturally into five figure's form. Answering Vixen's question, "Oh three cities, this is from one of my dreams. I suppose this one represents my desires, this one the rebelliousness of my spirit, and finally this one the ultimate emptiness and pointlessness of my existence. Oh my that sounds like I might be depressed but nothing is further from the truth!"
Without stopping he continues to say, ”Do you need a place to stay in town? There is an adjoining apartment that’s empty. I have the keys, Ms. Wrentz said to hold onto the keys when I reported Priestess Mavaine missing. I’m sure they won’t mind. That way you can model for me while I finish, I’ll pay you of course.”