A knife in the dark
We left the puppets and the swamp behind us. I had done what the brothers had asked and what my vision dictated, so now we were wandering again. We knew that the city of Sturben was a day and a half away and the call of civilization was quite strong.
I must say that Sturben was a sight to behold. I had seen large cities before, but not such wonders as these. The streets were all paved and there were lanterns on all the streets. Carriages moved everywhere and the people were dressed in such outlandish dress. The women seemed to have some obscure rules about the size of their dresses and their social standings. And their hats! They were so tall that they required a pin the size of a dagger to hold them in place. The men wore long, dark coats, with white gloves and small bowled hats. I bought such a hat myself, in order to better fit in with the people, but still it was so strange. They even had mechanical sundials that they could carry in their pockets. I saw one that was small enough to fit in 2 hands! And the streets were so clean. I later learned that instead of dumping their filth in the streets, they had dunk sewers beneath the streets and everything was out of sight. It still amazes me.
We managed to relax and secure lodgings for ourselves and all seemed well for once. Kelios even managed to avoid getting arrested although her outfit did draw some stares. It seemed that these people had never considered that women could wear pants with those strange hats. I'm not sure that anyone knew what to think of her.
So we were relaxing in the local pub when the clock tower started to chime the hour. And then, upon the eighth ring we heard a terrified scream. I rushed out the door and into the streets to help. Kelios's new pet dog sped off in front of me and was quickly lost in the mists. I heard another scream that was quickly cut off and ended in a sickening gurgle. There was also a bark and a whimper. I turned into the alley and almost tried over the form of Kelios's pet. It seems that the villain did not like animals. As I moved forward the mists cleared and I could see a man standing over the body of a woman show had slumped to the floor, her throat slit so wide it was a miracle that her head was still attached. The man looked at me, I could make out his features, dark hair and a full beard, wearing a large top hat, wielding a wicked knife in his left hand. He hissed at me and made a heroic leap onto a waiting carriage. The coach man turned his sunken eyes towards me and gave me a leering toothy grin before whipping the horses and driving off. I could
have chased him, but I chose to try and help the lady. My fears were confirmed, she was beyond and mortal aid. I started helping her soul into the mists as Kelios arrived and began crying for her lost companion. Eventually the guardsmen arrived led by an inspector Logan. He seemed quite competent and actually listened to the information that we had to offer, a nice change of pace from the last towns that we had visited. And once again, Kelios managed to keep herself from getting arrested. My sermons on the path of righteousness must have been getting through to her.
But it seemed that evil was not content to attack the helpless that night. As we trekked back to our inn, we were attacked from out of the fog by the coachman I had seen before. He stabbed me twice with a venomed dagger before I could even react. It must have been a particularly vile poison, for I immediately felt as weak as a kitten. We fell upon him as best we could, although the villain eventually fled into the mists. We tried to give chase, but the fog and our limited
knowledge of the city streets allowed him to escape. When morning arrived we reported the incident to inspector Logan and make a trek to the temple to relieve myself of the poisonous effects.
The people who live in these cities must be wealthy beyond belief. I had arrived in this town with a king's ransom and was quickly reduced to enough coins to keep my fed and sheltered. As we wandered back, Bernard took the opportunity to query the townsfolk about the strange going ons last night. Surprisingly, he could only find women to talk to, although they seemed quite eager to talk to him. We had noticed a growing fashion statement, most of the women were now wearing padded metal collars. Bernard was able to find out that there seemed to be a series of murders every 13 years and that only women were targeted. The collars had been passed down from generation to generation as protection for the ladies during these troubling times. Kelios and I left Bernard talking to the ladies and Peotr talking to the trees. It seemed to me that the best way to solve these murders and put such and evil to rest was to join the watch. Inspector Logan seemed a bit surprised and was obviously unsure of how best to use one of my talents since he put me to work cleaning the guard house. It was hard work, but I would do my duty and soon I would be part of the watch. As night approached we found ourselves heading back towards the pub. Bernard must be influencing me badly, for I seem to be partaking of ale more regularly. Along the way we heard a woman crying for help. She had been a victim of a cut purse, and was desperate for help. As I pursued the villain Bernard comforted the lady. I could not find the fiend, but I did gift the lady with a few coins. It seems that this is a harsh city for those without hard currency.
As the night wore on, the pub filled with more people, although any women had left many hours ago. I waited by the door as the midnight hour approached. As the bells started to sound I stepped outside and strained my ear against the night. Once again, as the eight bell struck, a scream raced across the night. I ran after it, hearing my companions following behind me. As we ran I could hear another scream and I knew that we were too late again. We came upon the woman, lying on the steps of a butcher shop. But the killer had changed his ways. This one had 2 puncher marks upon her neck and seemed to be missing some of her organs. We could only watch and rage against this villain as the fog closed in and the sounds of the guardsmen echoed through the streets.
I must say that Sturben was a sight to behold. I had seen large cities before, but not such wonders as these. The streets were all paved and there were lanterns on all the streets. Carriages moved everywhere and the people were dressed in such outlandish dress. The women seemed to have some obscure rules about the size of their dresses and their social standings. And their hats! They were so tall that they required a pin the size of a dagger to hold them in place. The men wore long, dark coats, with white gloves and small bowled hats. I bought such a hat myself, in order to better fit in with the people, but still it was so strange. They even had mechanical sundials that they could carry in their pockets. I saw one that was small enough to fit in 2 hands! And the streets were so clean. I later learned that instead of dumping their filth in the streets, they had dunk sewers beneath the streets and everything was out of sight. It still amazes me.
We managed to relax and secure lodgings for ourselves and all seemed well for once. Kelios even managed to avoid getting arrested although her outfit did draw some stares. It seemed that these people had never considered that women could wear pants with those strange hats. I'm not sure that anyone knew what to think of her.
So we were relaxing in the local pub when the clock tower started to chime the hour. And then, upon the eighth ring we heard a terrified scream. I rushed out the door and into the streets to help. Kelios's new pet dog sped off in front of me and was quickly lost in the mists. I heard another scream that was quickly cut off and ended in a sickening gurgle. There was also a bark and a whimper. I turned into the alley and almost tried over the form of Kelios's pet. It seems that the villain did not like animals. As I moved forward the mists cleared and I could see a man standing over the body of a woman show had slumped to the floor, her throat slit so wide it was a miracle that her head was still attached. The man looked at me, I could make out his features, dark hair and a full beard, wearing a large top hat, wielding a wicked knife in his left hand. He hissed at me and made a heroic leap onto a waiting carriage. The coach man turned his sunken eyes towards me and gave me a leering toothy grin before whipping the horses and driving off. I could
have chased him, but I chose to try and help the lady. My fears were confirmed, she was beyond and mortal aid. I started helping her soul into the mists as Kelios arrived and began crying for her lost companion. Eventually the guardsmen arrived led by an inspector Logan. He seemed quite competent and actually listened to the information that we had to offer, a nice change of pace from the last towns that we had visited. And once again, Kelios managed to keep herself from getting arrested. My sermons on the path of righteousness must have been getting through to her.
But it seemed that evil was not content to attack the helpless that night. As we trekked back to our inn, we were attacked from out of the fog by the coachman I had seen before. He stabbed me twice with a venomed dagger before I could even react. It must have been a particularly vile poison, for I immediately felt as weak as a kitten. We fell upon him as best we could, although the villain eventually fled into the mists. We tried to give chase, but the fog and our limited
knowledge of the city streets allowed him to escape. When morning arrived we reported the incident to inspector Logan and make a trek to the temple to relieve myself of the poisonous effects.
The people who live in these cities must be wealthy beyond belief. I had arrived in this town with a king's ransom and was quickly reduced to enough coins to keep my fed and sheltered. As we wandered back, Bernard took the opportunity to query the townsfolk about the strange going ons last night. Surprisingly, he could only find women to talk to, although they seemed quite eager to talk to him. We had noticed a growing fashion statement, most of the women were now wearing padded metal collars. Bernard was able to find out that there seemed to be a series of murders every 13 years and that only women were targeted. The collars had been passed down from generation to generation as protection for the ladies during these troubling times. Kelios and I left Bernard talking to the ladies and Peotr talking to the trees. It seemed to me that the best way to solve these murders and put such and evil to rest was to join the watch. Inspector Logan seemed a bit surprised and was obviously unsure of how best to use one of my talents since he put me to work cleaning the guard house. It was hard work, but I would do my duty and soon I would be part of the watch. As night approached we found ourselves heading back towards the pub. Bernard must be influencing me badly, for I seem to be partaking of ale more regularly. Along the way we heard a woman crying for help. She had been a victim of a cut purse, and was desperate for help. As I pursued the villain Bernard comforted the lady. I could not find the fiend, but I did gift the lady with a few coins. It seems that this is a harsh city for those without hard currency.
As the night wore on, the pub filled with more people, although any women had left many hours ago. I waited by the door as the midnight hour approached. As the bells started to sound I stepped outside and strained my ear against the night. Once again, as the eight bell struck, a scream raced across the night. I ran after it, hearing my companions following behind me. As we ran I could hear another scream and I knew that we were too late again. We came upon the woman, lying on the steps of a butcher shop. But the killer had changed his ways. This one had 2 puncher marks upon her neck and seemed to be missing some of her organs. We could only watch and rage against this villain as the fog closed in and the sounds of the guardsmen echoed through the streets.
posted by groodude at 3:14 p.m.
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