"It's someone installed from House Thrune. Never met them. But you can search my rooms for a gold any time you want." the man offers.
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The eyes of the man widen. "Must be a very pretty cat. You can make a living of searching them and pay me two silver? Whoa!" "Of course I can tell ya. I've been there for years, ya know. There, that small building is the barraks, where the workers sleep. At least those who have no home." "And there that round part is where they dry the salt. It's kind of the basement as it is lower than sea level to let the saltwater in. But if your kitty is there, then it's drowned or dried out." "On this level is the front office, a storage, the furnace and the manager's office. Nothing special. But I think if they found a cat, they'd thrown it out."
"Shovel salt. Every day from morning 'til evening." The old man replies. "Don't miss the work, but the money." he tells. "But I have ta go now. That silver doesn't earn itself." he tells Saul goodbye.
"If ye have the coin, ye can have a new one over there. But I got no idea who'd wanna sell an old one fer cheap." Harris answers, while thinking hard, knitting a brow. "Everyone is taking it hard. The captains are sitting on the ships like prisoners and the seamen aren't allowed anything now fer the rule says that the captain be hold responsible." "The chap o' that old tub seems ta have ants in his pants ever since." Harris adds pointing to the Scourge of Belial.
Harris looks at Saul for a while trying to find him in his memories. "That's a long time. Ye had a lotta more hair back then." he jokes. "Ye wanna become a fisherman too now? Ye tried another job didn't ya? coming back to yer roots?"
Saul finds a talkative retired man who is eager to talk about that. "You know that beggar, that sits in the park and sleeps there too? Haven't seen him since the curfew. Your guess is as good as mine what happened to him." "But they reactivated the Holding House. I wouldn't be surprised to find some of those missing in there."
Or to make it more specific (still GM Foxy giving examples): Hi, I'm Karl. I work at the Sallix Salt Works, filling sacks with salt every damned day of the week, but sunday. It's a debilitating chore. But at least it pays for the fun I have at The Thrashing Badger. The ale is good, and and the regular brawls are the highlights of my week. The wife doesn't like it, but that old coot doesn't like anything since our son left Kintargo. I live in a small cottage in Old Kintargo with my wife Elisabeth.
Another great background would be the pizza delivery guy. Would always have a reason to go anywhere in town. Just that telephones aren't invented yet is a big flaw here.
"Well, I was in my room preparing something for the patients as I noticed the smell of fire. I ran out to check and saw everything was on flame. I wanted to save Dr. Brada and was looking up and down the corridor to see which way to go and there I saw the huge figure of the Beast. Like made up of different parts. It was the last thing I saw, and I will never forget it, as a burning beam fell upon me and cost me my eyesight." Karl tells.
Karl shrugs. "I don't know what would help you. But I could talk for hours about my time with the good doctor."
"No, as the sanctuary still stood there were none." Karl answers.
"No. There was no need to I guess." Karl replies thinking about it himself.
"No." Karl replies.
"You're welcome." Karl smiles back. "The layout of the building is simple. One corridor from the entry to the back wall with rooms to the left and right. With an elevator down into the Doctors workshop. And the beast was inside the building when the fire broke out. And it did so really fast - the fire I mean. It fled out of the flames."
"You want to go there? Be careful I heard rumours that there are ghasts in the area!" Karl warns.
"My wounds aren't pretty. But besides the pain I was able to walk out of the building. Luckily the fire was seen from Lepidstadt and someone came to check."
Karl ponders the question for a while before he answers "I don't think so. But it was still a place to keep those unlucky persons safe."
"Doctor Brada founded the sanctuary to cure those unfortunate individuals afflicted with madness and physical deformity. His did that because of what he experienced with his uncle. It was the horror for him that his uncle was burned by a mob because of his monstrous features." Karl tells.
"I can only tell you what I saw in the night the sanctuary went up in flames. I was trying to find and save Dr. Brada from the flames as I saw a shambling beast escaping the burning hospital. It was the last thing I saw before a burning wooden beam hit me and I lost my eyesight. I believe that creature was none other than the Beast of Lepidstadt. It was seven or eight foot tall, and looked like consisting of parts from different creatures. I can't see the beast that is now on trial" Karl says pointing to his eyes "But according to the Prosecutor Heiger my description matches the Beast."
"At first you are people and my visitors. And as such I appreciate that you came to my house. I like to talk to people and I don't get the opportunity nearly as often as I'd like to." "And about the beast - I can tell my story once more. I will tell it tomorrow anyway. Please help yourself with the bread and wine." Karl tells.
And so you leave the court and go to the river where the little cottages are. Someone walking along points you to the right one on request and as you knock you are greeted by a middle aged man who is obviously blind and has a scar from a burn in his face. As you introduce yourself to Karl he replies "Ah, yes. I've heard of you. Please come in. I have some bread and a bottle of wine we can share." He steps aside to let you in and offers you seats at his table. He fetches some more mugs for you and takes a seat too.
Karl looks confused at Stam "Why is it important that it has bitemarks?" As he has no experience with court sessions he is unaware that he is not supposed to ask questions.
"I know Dr. Brada got deliveries of bleach from Vorgstag & Grine. He used it to clean up the asylum from time to time." "As for the beast - It was really large and looked as if made from different parts. I didn't see it up close. But I can't compare it to the beast sitting on trial here as I can't see anymore. But how many beast do we have around Lepidstadt?" Karl asks, his tone not cynic but rather curious as where you want to go with that.
"You're welcome. I guess we'll meet tomorrow again. But you can come visit me any time you like." Karl replies.
"If you go there be careful. There are rumors of ghasts living in the Dipplemere Swamp around Karb Isle." Karl warns them.
"I didn't have the 'joy' of talking to the beast personally so I don't know that." Karl replies. "As for the Asylum - Doctor Brada founded the institution to cure those unfortunate individuals aff licted with madness and physical deformity. His motives were born of his own horror at the fate of his uncle, who was burned by a mob because of his monstrous features. Life has a bad taste for irony to have him killed by the beast." "There was no one locked in. They could have left anytime. The only thing that could have forced them was the fear of te public. I was his assistant. We were the only two working there. But everyone but me died in the fire." "As for enemies - I don't know of such."
"That sounds indeed suspicious. What are you going to do to prove your point? I don't think anything short of dragging another beast to court will help you with that." Karl replies. He takes a bite of bread and a swig from his mug.
"I lost my eyesight. Not my wits." Karl replies. "Well. I stood in a burning building looking at it's back. But what I can tell is that it was very large and it looked as if mode from parts of different creatures. That's as close as my description gets. And I can't compare the image in there" he knocks with his index finger to his head "to the beast that sits on trial tomorrow. But how many beasts are running around here? Have you found any leads to someone or something else?" Karl asks.
"You're really good. Not a single word to give it away. But you're that new guy defending the beast aren't you?" Karl chuckles. "You know Otto Haiger already talked to me and he wouldn't send someone else in that case. It's too important to him." "But what is it you want to know? It's not much I can tell you. That day a fire broke out in the asylum. It was arson. We had nothing inside that could cause a fire to spread that quickly. I tried to save the good Doctor, but I was too late. The last thing I saw was the beast fleeing the crime scene, before burning debris fell on me and did this to me." he tells pointing to his face. "No hard feelings - but I don't see where you hope to find something to defend the beast."
"You brought friends?" Karl asks. "Come on in too. The more the merrier." He holds the door open until everyone who wants is in. Then he offers them a place at his table. The cottage is a small one, but big enough for a man living alone. The table has a corner bench and two chairs. Karl gets more mugs and puts them on the table where his mug and the bottle are. He cuts a bread into slices and puts that on a plate on the table too. After taking a seat he says "Please help yourself. What leads you to me?"
"Don't sit outside. Come in - I have an open bottle of wine you could help me drinking. And some bread I have too. Please come in." Karl invites you.
As the group finds the cottage at the river and knocks a man with a burn scarred face and white blind eyes opens. "Good afternoon. What brings you to my humble home?" the friendly man asks with a smile. |