DCC DotSK: Act 1-3

Not wanting to offend the locals, Dufgal places the replica fake spear back on its mounting brackets above the mantle.

"Perhaps this magician controls the Jarl, the lottery and the beast itself!" she speaks quietly to the others.

"The magician’s hunger was not satisfied, and so the beast came on!"

To Anora, whate’er it be, milady, I believe that you will lead us to victory! I’se seen the magics growing’ in ya

Ty lifts a shoulder. "I was going to ask the little human if he'd discerned a pattern in the lots that have been drawn," he supplies. "But Wee Tocs absented himself when the thegns arrived."

The elf thinks a moment, then adds, "It would not stagger me to learn that those who go to the stones are not chosen as randomly as Sylle Ru would have one believe."

Aldric stands there, dripping and naked. His eyes distant as he contemplates how his holy power had no effect at all on the beast.

No effect!

Aldric contains his vexations, for now. "Our knowledge is like a pitiful tide pool drying in the sun. Let the tides of answers flow! We just have to ask the right questions to the right people."

Looking down at his form, he realizes his state of dress. at no point since he woke did he realize his nudity. As if he had always intended it, he strides up the stairs to squeak into his armor, but returns hastily.

"That is to say that the boy is outside?" Anora wonders, and then wonders again if it’s safe to conduct business tonight now that the hound has seemingly been driven back.

"The boy and the crone seem likely to provide us answers." she goes on. Then she furrows her brow, and wonders how willing the group is to involve themselves in the town’s trouble upon the sun’s rising.

Something Dolsten has said before the beast’s attack set her hair on end then. He had seemed surprised, and even confused as to why they had been sent to fetch him.

"Dolsten!" she calls out, hoping the man would crawl out of the room they had left him in!

The inn had fallen quiet when the creature left the kitchen door, presumably to fade off into the night to lick it’s wounds, or perhaps find some easier prey. The occupants of the Wolf-Spear were many, but they were practiced at this grim exercise of lying low. So the voices of the travelers carry through the building, and at various times people whispering, "Shush!" and, "Shhh!" can be heard. None dare move from their hiding places, though, until Anora raises her voice and calls out for Dolsten.

The man comes running from the back room where her and Morgan have been sheltering, and a grimace marks his face as he approaches.

"Hush now! Don’t draw the thing back!" he says in low but urgent tones.

Morgan then appears in the doorway to the common room as well, behind the worried man, and she nearly jumps from her skin as a scream and then a howl both breach the stout building’s defenses. It sounds like some other poor soul has been found by the monster!

It sounds to Ty as if Anora the Blue has something she wishes to discuss with the person of interest to Relfarious the Shrewd. Casting up a silent prayer that the conversation will conclude their business in this unfortunate town, the elf retrieves his 'cane' and ambles up to the crack in the door left by the beast's assault.

He unabashedly presses a blindfolded eye to the gap, then rolls his gaze this way and that, trying to see if he might catch a glimpse of the monster's victim. Or, failing that, the whereabouts of the thing itself.

Ty tries to spy what he can of the yard beyond the now reinforced door, but to no avail. His weird vision paints the night in shades unknown to mortal man, but the beast appears to have moved on…

Anora winces at the pained scream, but takes it as license for her to speak freely. The fact that another soul was claimed did somewhat dent her theory that Sylle was controlling the thing in targeted attacks. No matter. One thing at a time.

She speaks only slightly lower than normal, as she brushes off the man’s worries and gets into her line of questioning:

"You seem confused as to why Relfarious sent for you. Why was that?"

"I’ve no idea!" Dolsten says, still keeping his voice low as he looks into the kitchen, at the door where the thing was baying and growling.

"Did you see it?!" Morgan says, louder, surging fully into the room.

Aldric unabashedly makes his way into the room with the wash tub where his belongings are unceremoniously dumped on the ground. Propping his oar against the wall, he squeaks his way into his armour and dons his trail-worn robes. As he changes, he notes the horrifying screams, but can't help feeling rather lucky instead of revolted.

Better you than me, though, you poor sap.

Reflecting on what had just happened, he comes to terms with failing to turn the beast. Pelagia didn't trust him with much power, or perhaps it was more that the bitch queen was parsimonious with her gifts. Either way, that was not going to be a tool at his disposal. Anora's sword had persuaded the malicious moon mongrel to hunt elsewhere, at least. But the blood evaporated right off the blade, indicating this was not a flesh and blood creature. Swords were not likely to win the day.

What to do?

After dressing, he reunites with Ty and Dufgal downstairs, not wanting to interrupt Anora's business with Dolsten - after all, it was the very task they were contracted to accomplish. He addresses the two with his usual confidence and swagger, no hint of embarassment of his many follies and failures in the past 24 hours. "We survived the ass-licking moon beast! Praise be to Pelagia! And praise to your cunning and courage."

He pauses for a moment, and then states in the most matter of fact voice as if he were explaining the price of potatoes in the town market.

"I am thoroughly interested in killing this moon bitch. Pelagia has marked it as abhorrent to her, and my devotion requires me to react."

It is not just his wounded pride has consumed his sense of self-preservation, after all. As terrifying as the moon beast was, it is nothing compared to the thought of angering Pelagia!

"Are you with me? I propose we learn all we can. The crone and the boy have information that may help us. Rest assured, the followers of Shul are ever stupid, feeble, and on the brink of failure - even at the height of their mightiest triumph! It is the cycle, ever waning after it waxes. I guarantee this plan that Sylle Ru has cooked up here is standing upon a weak leg, and if we cut that leg out, the whole thing will fall apart."

"We saw as much as we would like at this first brush!" Anora sighs, thankful that the blade had driven the thing off for now, though bitter that it hadn’t been a more final end to the thing.

Tensions are still too high for Anora to notice Dolsten's clenched fists as he answers, then further sounds of commotion in the village reach their ears. Shouts rather than screams, and the telltale noises one would associate with a fight: grunts, crashes, the ringing of steel.

"Nothan and the watch must be fighting the demon!" Morgan says excitedly, even as she pulls a cleaver from the rack in the kitchen. "We must help them! There might be hope yet for my father!"

Weapon in hand, the girl then darts back into the common room and makes for the front door.

"The townsfolk suddenly find their courage." Anora remarks, not one hundred percent sincerely. To her ear, it sounded more like a brawl than a battle with a demon. Still, something was afoot, and it seemed like the village was safe to traverse.

She turns to the other three, deep in conversation:

"I will return in a moment." she says, not expecting them to follow her. She suspected that their contract was void on account of some treachery by Relfarious, and so couldn’t ask the others to follow her if they didn’t want to.

Tyravasiel-Llir answers Aldric's call to arms with uncomfortable silence. Ty's facade of devotion to Pelagia has been a useful cover under which to traverse the human lands, but dying for that ruse-- and with no prospect of reward, to boot-- well, that's another matter.

After a moment, the elf swallows and turns to Dufgal. "Did you find anything of interest in Dolsten's house? Not Dolsten himself, I assume, since he's been creeping about the dark woods like a fool--"

And at that moment, the busty Morgan stalks past with cleaver in hand, followed by Anora the Blue.

"What is wrong with you humans?" Ty calls after them, exasperated. "We just brought you inside, and you're going out again?"

The thief watches as the young lady storms out and then in a bit of dismay as Anora leaves out the front door a second time.

Looking at Ty with a sideways glance, seeing his stance shift, Dufgal takes out the three diamond shaped pieces of glass that he found in Dolsten’s place.
I’se thought these mighta been sumthin’. Not much else but papers with scrawlins on

Anora turns to face Ty as she stands in the doorway. Her gaze is not hard. She didn’t know that she had the force within her to project contempt or anything like it at this late hour.

Was it fear that gripped the elf? Did spending too long within the walls of Hirot inflict a craven sickness on the men here?…

"I go merely to check that the crone isn’t the source of those cries." she lies, trying to give the elf an out, if he wasn’t up to the task of joining her.