Amber of York: session 11, 10/04/2005
Role call:
- Dan: Laurens of Rocque
- Brad: Thomas Gray
- Brett: Gwynedd
- Alan: Sir Martin Neville
- Patrick: Gabriel of Brittany
- Makul: Donal Rourke
- Mike: Vivienne Avondale
Prison Fare and Abbey Food
Date: Just before noon, May 1st, 1431
Village of Byland
Laurens is yelling at Thomas who has just brought Gabriel back from York against Laurens’ wishes.
Gabriel: “We’re going to hunt down Sir Martin, now?”
Laurens: “Yes.”
Gabriel: “Why? What changed?”
Laurens: “We successfully contacted the spirits of the family that passed away. And, all roads seem to lead to Sir Martin.”
Gabriel: “What roads?”
Laurens: “Well, evidently he’s connected to the ... Well, let’s be blunt.”
Gabriel: “When have you not been?”
Laurens: “True. Basically, everything we heard, I’m assuming is total lies or truths. My guess is it’s truth.”
Gabriel: “What did you hear?”
Laurens: “Sir Martin is the doorway for the Lord of the Flies, or whoever this man is that we’ve been killing repeatedly. And that Sir Martin had spoken to him at Orleans. Gauging from that conversation, Sir Martin is either helping him or could be stopping him.”
Gabriel: “A spirit told you this?”
Laurens: “Yes.”
Gabriel: “A spirit from during your seance told you this.”
Laurens: “Which is why I think we are being misled.”
Gabriel: “Did we see a spirit on the road outside of Byland that told us something?”
Laurens: “No, she wouldn’t speak to you.”
Gabriel: “But, it did stop us from continuing on our path.”
Laurens: “True.”
Gabriel: “And now a spirit has told you that you need to find Sir Martin. Which probably means you think you need to go back to York.”
Laurens: “That’s true.”
Gabriel: “Which is exactly what the Dark Man wanted us to do after he talked to me at the farmhouse.”
Laurens: “That’s true.”
Gabriel: “So we should do what the Dark Man wants, because it makes you happy to hunt Sir Martin.”
Laurens: “No, I told you that everything they said might have been lies. It could be a wild goose chase. But, either way, there is a potential threat to the Duke. You have someone who can grow to giant proportions. We know from Gwynedd that once he grew all of the evil is attracted to him. It pulled itself into the village. It’s whether or not we feel comfortable with Sir Martin back in York. We continue on, or we go back and get to the bottom of this.”
Gabriel: “Fine, Go back to York. I think our answer lies toward Mount Grace. Since all of this happened as we got close to it.” A long pause. “Quillius hasn’t returned yet as far as I know. But, Florence is in custody.”
Laurens: “That’s good.”
Gabriel: “She was trying to cast a spell on the Duke. By the way, Thomas, you have great choices in secluded places.”
Thomas: “Thank you.”
Gabriel: “I appeared right behind where Florence was standing.”
Thomas: “Hmm. What a strange coincidence.”
Gabriel: “We might do well to have Vivienne talk to her.”
Vivienne: “Now?”
Gabriel: “She’s in the dungeon unless she’s escaped. Lord Kirkham probably won’t let that happen.”
Laurens: “Unless she turns into spiders and crawls through the bars.”
Gabriel: “Well, as near as I can tell, she can’t do it unless she dies. She was stabbed in the shoulder and the thigh and was knocked unconscious and didn’t turn into spiders.”
Laurens: “Okay.”
Vivienne: “Do you believe the Duke to be in immediate danger from Sir Martin?”
Laurens: “I wish we could warn him.”
Gabriel: “If they rode straight through, they’ll be arriving in York shortly.”
Gwynedd: “Well, there’s a witch in the dungeon, too. So that can’t be good.”
Gabriel: “Yes. I think Vivienne should at least go back until Quillius returns.”
Vivienne: “If that is the groups wish, I have no problem with that.”
Thomas: “Maybe Laurens can go back and defend the Duke since he seemed to have no problem against Sir Martin before. He handled the knight rather easily.”
Gabriel puts his hand down onto his money purse, then takes it off.
Gwynedd: “I don’t know why we need an especially large group to go up to Mount Grace to take a look at what’s going on. Just to see. We’re just continuing on.”
Laurens: “I’ll go back to York.”
Donal: “I’ll go back to York in order to deal with this. Thomas, should go on to Mount Grace just in case any additional assistance is needed.”
Vivienne: “Sounds like a plan.”
Laurens; “How do we get back?”
Thomas: “To York.”
Laurens: “Back to you after we go to York.”
* Hank: “Can I borrow Thomas for a second?” They walk off around the corner. *
* When they come back, Patrick says, “Everyone stare at Brad.” *
* Brad: “It’s not my fault. I didn’t do it.” *
* Alan: “Not yet.” *
Thomas: “I could do like I did with Gabriel, I could make a sketch of Donal and contact him at a prearranged time.”
Laurens: “Alright.”
Donal, reluctantly, “Okay ... I don’t know why it needs to be me versus ...”
Vivienne: “If you’re not comfortable ...”
Donal: “Laurens would be the best choice for this.”
Thomas; “Or I could do Laurens.”
Vivienne: “You could draw me. I don’t mind.”
Gwynedd: “Were you going to go to York?”
Gabriel: “No. I was going to come with you to Mount Grace. Unless, you think that’s a problem.”
Gwynedd: “You’re free to do as you wish. I just hope that nothing unfortunate befalls Sir Martin.”
* Hank: “Wait, you’re sending all the bad guys back to York.” *
* Alan: “That would be Chancellor Donal, Duke Laurens, and Concubine Vivienne.” *
* Mike: “How did that happen?” *
Gwynedd: “I promise not to let an ogre eat Thomas.”
Gabriel: “Fine. I don’t have to go on to Mount Grace. I can go back to York as well.”
Laurens: “My hope is that we won’t be in York long.”
Thomas starts sketching Vivienne.
Laurens: “I just hope the singer and the artist won’t die without your protection. There are a lot of dangers out there on the road. Horrible things could happen. Ogres. The forest coming alive. Witches. Demons. "
Gabriel: “Madmen.”
Laurens: “If they’re going north and the Lord of the Flies is trying to keep us from going north, then they’ll certainly have a confrontation, and they’ll be all on their own.”
Gabriel: “So, you think you can handle the Duke’s protection, then?”
Laurens: “Sure. I’m sure if Sir Martin decides to turn into the demon angel, and tries to attack the Duke, myself and the entire complement of the Duke’s guards will slow the angel enough to get the Duke out. And now that the Church is apprised of the situation that the angel tried to attack the Duke, we’ll have the entire countryside trying to kill Sir Martin.”
Gabriel: “Well, I don’t know why you’re still here.”
Vivienne: “He’s still drawing.”
Gabriel: “You don’t have to wait until Thomas is done with that drawing to go back to York.”
Laurens: “You’re an expert on this now?”
Gabriel: “I have a little experience.”
Laurens: “Ready, Donal?”
Donal: “Whenever.”
Laurens; “Can Vivienne go now or does she have to wait until you finish the sketch?”
Thomas: “Yes. So the same spot?”
Laurens: “I just want to get to the Duke, first. I could care less if Sir Martin goes crazy and kills all the priests.”
Thomas pulls out the picture of the place he sent Gabriel and shows it to Laurens.
Laurens: “How’s it work.”
Thomas; “Just concentrate on the picture.”
Nothing happens. Thomas concentrates on the picture, and it works. Thomas tells Laurens to concentrate with him on the picture. Laurens does. Laurens sees it barely moving. Thomas tries to help him step through.
Thomas: “Concentrate. It will start to look more realistic and when it looks real, just step through.”
Laurens: “Are you trying to make a joke?”
Laurens concentrates again, but only sees a little movement.
Laurens: “Are you making a jest? Are you trying to mock me? I warn you not to mock me.”
Thomas: “Don’t concentrate on me. You have to concentrate on the painting.”
Laurens: “I am concentrating on the painting.”
Thomas: “It will become more realistic. It will become a window to the location.”
Vivienne concentrates on the painting. She disappears. Donal concentrates for 10 to 15 seconds. He disappears.
Thomas to Laurens; “Are you cursed or something?”
Laurens: “The fact that I am traveling with you, yes, means I’m cursed to the seventh level of hell.”
Thomas concentrates on the painting and takes Laurens with his horse through.
In York, Vivienne and Donal see Thomas and Laurens on horseback appear. Thomas collapses to the ground exhausted. Donal and Vivienne check to see if Thomas is okay.
Donal: “Something tells me they didn’t really think this through.”
Vivienne: “Yes. Because now the others are stuck in Byland.”
Donal: “Unless he can push himself through the book?”
Vivienne checks Thomas and finds out he is fine. Laurens turns his horse and starts riding to the castle actually being careful not to trample Thomas. Donal helps Thomas up.
Thomas: “When I’m feeling better I’ll return to Gwynedd and Gabriel.”
Donal: “How long is it going to be before you feel able to transport?”
Thomas: “I don’t know. A few hours maybe. I should be good as new.”
Donal: “Okay. You know they aren’t going to wait for you.”
Thomas: “That’s okay I’ll be able to find them.”
Donal and Vivienne turn to leave. Thomas settles down underneath a tree to finish his sketch of Vivienne.
Donal: “Where you off to?”
Vivienne: “Umm, well, first I’ll check if Quillius is back and then off to the dungeon to check on Florence.”
Donal: “I just have to stop off and do some business before I go up to make my report.”
Vivienne: “Very well.”
Donal: “See you at the castle.”
Vivienne finds that Quillius isn’t back. She returns his book. Donal goes into town to check on his interests.
Gwynedd and Gabriel talk about what to do now that the plan has changed. They gather the 3 extra horses and head out of Byland toward Mount Grace.
Sir Martin arrives and hands off the horses. He sees to Barnabas’ comforts. Sir Martin seeks an audience with Richard. He then goes to rest after his night’s ride.
Laurens rides in and heads to see the Duke. It takes a little bit of time to see him.
Duke: “You’ve returned swiftly. I had the report from Gabriel only hours ago.”
Laurens: “I used the same means as Gabriel, the Artist’s sketches.”
Duke: “I’ve been studying his paintings. They’re quite impressive.”
Laurens: “Do they move for you? He had trouble bringing me back. I don’t know why. I left him with Donal and Vivienne.”
Duke: “Hmm. Something to ask Quillius I suppose.”
Laurens: “Gabriel gave you his report?”
Duke: “Yes. I would of course enjoy hearing your version of events.”
Laurens offers the facts of what happened at Byland to the Duke. He observes, “The group wasn’t getting any answers. That the spirit was still walking the land. They made contact with the spirit. Sir Martin tried to interrupt the ceremony during which we ultimately found out, from speaking to the grandmother and the son that we found dead, that Sir Martin is the gateway for the Lord of the Flies. Supposedly, Sir Martin had spoken to the Lord of the Flies at Orleans. So, based on everything we heard in the conversation, I don’t know how much credit we can give to any of it other than Sir Martin tried to interrupt the ceremony, and we found out the information about him which to me implicates him to a certain amount. And, we know that he can turn into this being, so I wanted to come back and warn you before you saw.”
Duke: “Well, Gabriel had shared with me that Sir Martin was heading back to York, and the message that he and the priest carried may be dangerous. I have guards stationed at each of the gates to the city.”
Laurens: “I don’t worry so much about the information. I just don’t know how to gauge Sir Martin at this point. If he’s a pawn in this as we all are, or is he somehow being used more specifically as a weapon. Once he did change, whatever the evil was that afflicted the town, the animals died, certainly were attracted to this being. Whether it was like attracting like or something fighting him I don’t know.”
Duke: “Well, we won’t know until we have a chance to discuss this with him. Or put him under examination.”
Laurens: “Do you have orders for me, then, Your Grace? The rest of our party continues to travel to Mount Grace. Another theory is that they keep trying to distract us, to not travel further north, to pull us back to York.”
Duke: “Do you have an easy method to return to your group?”
Laurens: “Once Thomas awakens.”
Duke: “Then, I just ... having you near in case of danger is good. I wish you to stay in contact with those going north. They may need you more than I.”
Laurens: “Very well.”
Duke: “I’d also like to speak to Quillius’ apprentice. I will send for her. With him absent, I feel exposed in all of this.”
Laurens gets the overall impression that the Duke is concerned about the exposure in Byland, what Barnabas saw and what will come of that. He’s certainly more concerned with the Dark Man and what his plans are. The Duke hasn’t quite reached the point of blaming Laurens for what happened in Byland, yet.
Gwynedd and Gabriel notice that the sign naming the town is being taken down.
Gabriel, “Excuse me.”
Townsman: “Yes, milord?”
Gabriel: “Why are you taking down the name of the town.”
Townsman: “The town has been renamed, milord.”
Gabriel: “What is its new name?”
Townsman: “The town is now called Wass.”
Gabriel: “Wass? Why Wass?”
Townsman: “It’s an olden time name, sir. It means the dead land (or swamp).”
Gabriel: “Who chose this name?”
Townsman: “The council did, milord.”
Gabriel: “Thank you”
Gabriel and Gwynedd continue on.
Gabriel: “So did anything interesting happen while I was gone?”
Gwynedd gives the facts including not listening to her suggestion not to do the seance. She got the details of the seance from Donal. Gwynedd and Gabriel ride on toward Mount Grace.
Sir Martin goes to see Richard.
Richard: “I was surprised to find you arriving.”
Sir Martin: “It wasn’t a planned stop either. How have you been.”
Richard: “Good.”
Sir Martin: “You got my missive?”
Richard: “Some. It left holes in the window as it were. Explain more. I need to hear more about these events.”
Sir Martin: “Where do you want me to start?”
Richard: “Start from the now, and we’ll move back. What brings you here?”
Sir Martin: “Father Barnabas, who is currently resting, was sent as envoy of the Archbishop to observe the actions of the group sent by Richard. He, umm, when we got to ... when we were heading north to determine exactly what the nature of the infiltration of supposed druids from Ireland was, we encountered a ghost on the road. The ghost held the dead body of a child. The child led us to a hut nearby. In the hut we discovered what seemed to be the bodies of the parents of the child. They seemed touched. Their hair white. By the infernal of something. We weren’t quite sure. The investigation led us back into Byland where there was not much information to be discovered. Although the group attempted every avenue to determine what is going on with the town, what exactly is the nature of the attack on the town and on this person’s family. Having come to dead ends at every inquiry, some members of the group felt it would be a good course of action to perform a seance and to summon the spirit of the woman who had been appearing on the road. This being the Duke’s left hand man and Quillius’ apprentice. I wouldn’t stand for this.”
Richard: “As should no God fearing man.”
Sir Martin: “No. I went into the graveyard. I attempted to break apart their seance. The beginnings of their attempt. And, the Duke’s man attacked me. He struck me from behind. He put his foot on my chest. Prevented me. And then asked Quillius’ apprentice, perhaps a sacrifice was in order.”
Richard: “A common soldier offering to sacrifice a Knight of the Realm? Continue your story, please.”
Sir Martin: “At that point, I was continuing to struggle to try to break free. But, then the rest, it became hazy. And at some point I had broken free, planted my sword in the ground, and refused them their attempt to perform the seance that night. They all vowed that they would not continue. The last I remember, I had fallen unconscious, but vaguely recall trying to get back to my feet and seeing his man pull an axe and approach me. The Duke’s messenger, Gabriel, threw me over his shoulder and bore me to safety. In light of the letter I had sent you earlier, I am unsure of exactly whom the infernal has targeted. Whether it be Laurens, but he would be obvious. Or whether it be Vivienne.
“Father Barnabas and I escaped on horse, rode to Raby as quickly as possible. We felt that you should know exactly of whom we’re dealing with in York. Barnabas awaits to make his report to the Archbishop. It is very likely they are already in York for among our party there is one who can perform a sort of witchcraft to move people, horses and troops vast distances in instantaneous time.”
Richard; “You mentioned this in one of the letters.”
Sir Martin: “It is very likely the Duke is surrounded by them right now. I come seeking your council.”
Richard: “Let me know as soon as yourself and Father Barnabas are able to travel.”
Sir Martin: “Brother.”
Richard: “We will ride to York.”
Sir Martin: “I will go and check on Barnabas myself.”
Sir Martin goes to check on Barnabas. He knocks on Barnabas’ door. There’s no answer. He can hear a faint mumbling through the door. Sir Martin listens at the door. He hears some words in Latin.
Laurens goes to track down Vivienne at Quillius’ so that they can leave as soon as possible. He does not find her there. He then looks for a page. He ends up talking to a chamber maid who says she saw Vivienne out towards the front gate of the castle. He heads down to the front gate and talks to the guards. The gate guards say she went down to the dungeon. Laurens heads toward the dungeon.
Vivienne talking to the dungeon guard: “I’d like to speak to Florence, prisoner brought in by Gabriel.”
Guard: “My pardons, milady, but there are strict orders. She’s not allowed to speak to anyone.”
Vivienne: “Who gave these orders.”
Guard: “The orders are from the Marshal, Lord Samuel of Kirkham.”
Vivienne thanks the guard and goes to seek out Laurens. Just as she is leaving the dungeon, she sees Laurens coming toward the dungeon.
Vivienne: “Greetings. I was trying to talk to Florence the prisoner. To find out what was going on. What she was trying to do.”
Laurens: “Have you received a summons from the Duke yet?”
Vivienne: “No.”
Laurens: “You will be getting one. He wishes to hear your account of what happened.”
Vivienne: “Very well. Should I go now?”
Laurens: “Not if you haven’t gotten a summons.”
Laurens makes sure a nearby page passes on the information that Vivienne is in the dungeon.
Vivienne: “They did not let me talk to Florence. The Marshal left orders that no one was to talk to her. I was actually going to come to you to see if you could help me get through. Actually, it would be helpful if you were there for the interrogation.”
Laurens: “Alright.”
They turn and head back into the dungeon.
Laurens: “We’re here to see Florence.”
Guard pauses almost too long. “Of course.” The guard takes them down to Florence’s cell and opens it.
Laurens: “Lock it behind us.”
Laurens and Vivienne descend into the darkness of the dungeon. They smell the putrid smells of the dungeon. They travel past a few cells and arrive at Florence’s. They enter and see her dressed in sack cloth, chained to the wall and gagged.
Vivienne: “Do you wish to speak with her?”
Laurens: “It’s your mission.”
Vivienne: “Alright.”
Vivienne makes eye contact with Florence and attempts to contact her mind. Vivienne is prepared for resistance. Laurens loosens his dagger. Florence’s penetrating blue eyes stare back into Vivienne’s.
* Alan: “Witch war!” *
* Makul: “Round 2.” *
A warm wind kicks up between the two. Vivienne feels a burning and prickling on her skin.
Thomas has been resting and drawing. He has drawn respectable sketches of his subjects. He pulls out Gabriel’s sketch and contacts him.
Gabriel and Gwynedd have Mount Grace in sight. Gabriel feels a pressure between his eyes.
Gabriel: “Yes.” reigning in his horse.
Thomas: “Is now a good time to rejoin you?”
Gabriel: “Yes. How do you propose to do that?”
Thomas concentrates on the sketch and steps through. He appears next to Gabriel on the ground.
Gabriel: “Your horse is right there. It took you longer to get back than I thought it would.”
Thomas: “Laurens seems to be a little heavy to carry.”
Gabriel: “Sure it isn’t the horse you took through?”
Thomas: “No. I think it’s Laurens. He seems to have a way load of darkness that he carries about with him.”
Gabriel: “I see.”
The three head for the Abbey to drop off their horses and then walk down to the woods. The brothers of the Abbey are surprised to see the group. They take the horses to tend to them. Gabriel tells them that the group will be staying the night as well. The brothers make arrangements. The three decide to pass through the village to see how things are. They see very few people on the street, fewer than expected. The group notices that more of the homes are empty than before. As Gwynedd tries to strike up a conversation with the villagers, they head into their homes.
Gwynedd: “This doesn’t seem good.”
Gabriel: “Do you sense anything different?”
Gwynedd says the place stinks of death and despair. The smell is a pall over the town.
Gabriel: “Let’s go check out the woods.”
Gabriel, Gwynedd and Thomas head down to the woods. The woods seems to have grown more out of control in just the few weeks that have passed. Gwynedd senses the smell is a little bit worse in the woods.
Gwynedd: “Well, we can plow our way through.”
Gabriel: “You sound like you have an ‘or’.”
Gwynedd: “I don’t.”
Gabriel: “Then, let’s go in. I’ll lead the way.”
The group cut their way into the woods. Thomas makes sure his ring is in place.
Donal spends a few hours in town checking on his assets. His business is doing well. The town still has the bad feeling, but it’s worse than it was before, like a metallic tang in the back of his throat.
* Alan: “That’s the flavor of money.” *
* Patrick: “No. No. BLOOD money.” *
Donal senses something acrid in the air. He heads into the castle and writes up a brief report on the costs of Byland. He sees his boss, Nicholas Bayly who is surprised by his swift return.
Donal: “Short trip.”
Nicholas: “You left the impression you would be gone for weeks. I’m glad to have you back.”
Donal: “Thank you.”
Nicholas: “Always much to do. Always seems like 3 times as much when you are away.”
Donal: “Yeah. Umm, the Duke will need to be aware of the cost for Byland. But, I think it can be taken ...”
Nicholas: “What happened in Byland?”
Donal: “There was an incident there that caused all of the animals and livestock of the town to perish.”
Nicholas: “Really? What happened? That’s terrible.”
Donal: “Yes, quite the horror.”
Nicholas: “And the Duke has agreed to reparations in this?”
Donal: “Not yet. But, I’m sure that he would not want to see this town fall apart.”
Nicholas: “Well, uh, draw up the papers on it. I’ll have a discussion with the Duke about the details of this.”
Donal: “Thank you.”
Nicholas: “I’ll see whether this is really his wish.”
Donal: “It’s unfortunate. I don’t think it had to happen. There were some poor choices made by some members of the Duke’s company. It’s unfortunate that the Butcher was exacerbating the situation.”
Nicholas; “Well, I certainly look forward to reading your report. And as I said, we’ll then take it to the Duke.”
Donal: “Thank you.”
After he takes his leave of Nicholas, Donal heads over to speak with the olitor. Donal brings some bread for him and introduces himself to Garret, the Olitor. Garret looks at him.
Garret: “Is there something you need? The eyes aren’t so good any more.”
Donal: “Have you noticed anything different about the town or castle?”
Garret: “Different? I’m sorry son. I barely see the hands in front of my face half the time.”
Donal: “And you’ve felt no changes? Noticed no difference in the air?”
Garret: “Oh, I’ve noticed changes. Definitely changes.”
Donal: “What kind of changes?”
Garret: “Plants aren’t growin’ as well. Something slowed um. Don’t know what’s wrong in the weather. Somethin’ in the air. But they know it. They always know it.”
Donal: “Is it just the plants that you see the differences in?”
Garret: “Well it’s only my job to watch the plants.”
Donal: “I’m sure that’s not all you notice, though.”
Garret: “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
Donal: “I don’t think someone has been around here for forty years without learning a trick or two about the comings and goings of the court.”
Garret: “Well, I see folks come and go. I don’t really know who they are so much anymore. The names escape me. Is there anyone particular you’re curious about? I can certainly ask.”
Donal: “Not at this time. But, I look forward to future conversations.”
Garret goes back to tending the kitchen gardens. Donal heads back into the castle to see if Vivienne is in her chambers. No one answers his knock. He asks around to see if anyone saw her. A chamber maid saw her head to the front gate. The guards at the front gate saw her and Laurens head down into the the dungeon. Donal heads down to the dungeon. The guards stop him as he enters the dungeon.
Donal: “Have you seen the Butcher Laurens?”
Guard: “Yes, young sir. Laurens and Vivienne have traveled into the dungeon.”
Donal: “Do you know for what purpose?”
Guard: “To speak with the captured Florence.”
Donal: “Thank you.”
Guard: “Of course.”
Donal hands the guard a gold crown. “I was never here. Which room?”
Guard: “Down stairs. Third door on the right.”
Donal heads down the stairs. He notices that the prisoners for the first two cells are dead up against the bars. They clearly died from fright screaming their lungs out. He gets to the third cell and sees a swirling mass of something blowing in the cell. Vivienne is standing there. Her hair is blowing in the wind. Florence is chained to the wall, her hair swirling in the wind as well. Laurens is back against the doorway to the cell, just standing there being buffeted by this, but not moving. Donal notices he has a nose bleed. He feels a great deal of pressure in the center of his forehead. He draws a dagger and throws it at Florence intending to break her concentration. Not kill. The blade flies through the bars and hits Florence in the shoulder. Laurens sees a dagger hit Florence in the shoulder not having noticed the dagger until it hit Florence.
Donal: “Now! Vivienne!”
Florence screams out and falls unconscious. The swirling dies down. There are spiders coming out of the wound. Vivienne turns to face the door, angry.
Donal: “Do you realize what was happening?”
Vivienne: “I was winning.”
Donal: “You might ... I don’t think the prisoners in the other cells would agree. They’re dead.”
Vivienne: “Unfortunate, but ...”
* Dan: “Everyday, I just like Vivienne more and more.” *
Laurens starts stepping on the spiders as he can.
Donal: “So this is the threat to the Duke?”
Vivienne: “We were going to find out what the threat to the Duke was ...”
Donal: “And you haven’t found out anything. You were just to busy killing the other prisoners.”
Vivienne: “No. We did not find anything out.”
Donal: “It didn’t look like it was going so well. I didn’t think it would actually knock her out. I was hoping it was going to give you the opportunity”
Laurens: “Can you probe an unconscious mind?”
Vivienne tries to probe Florence’s unconscious mind. It is locked up tight.
Vivienne: “No. We’ll have to try again later when she is awake.”
Donal: “Can you get me my dagger back? Thanks.”
Laurens gets some water and throws it in Florence’s face. She wakes up and starts cussing into her gag. Vivienne attempts to make contact again.
Donal: “Seriously, can I have my dagger.”
Laurens takes it out of Florence’s shoulder and tosses it at Donal. Donal sidesteps out of the way. The dagger clatters against the far wall. Donal watches the battle through the bars. Vivienne gets back to work.
* Brett: “The forces of Evil have met their Dark opposite.” *
In the Mount Grace woods, the three are cutting through. The woods don’t seem to be actively impeding their path. Thomas lets out a yelp as he sinks into the ground. He sinks down to his armpits. Gwynedd pulls him out of the ground. They see something like roots or teeth or something in the ground. It clawed up Thomas’ leg. Gwynedd and Gabriel decide to keep a closer eye on the ground. Thomas decides to follow a little closer.
The group continues searching the woods. They don’t find any particularly nasty things. They spot a few woodland creatures that have too many limbs or are otherwise deformed. They find the ogre clearing, and it is as it was left.
Gwynedd: “This may seem a little silly to you.”
Gwynedd starts singing a nature song to get a better feel about what is going on in the woods. She spends sometime singing. Gabriel starts walking around the clearing looking for evidence, tracks, ... staying close to the others just in case. It has rained recently, so tracks are hard to find, but Gabriel does find sandaled foot prints, a few sets. Gwynedd gets the sense that the cause of the changes in the woods is the residue of something horrible that happened elsewhere. Thomas is sitting on a rock to stay safe. Gwynedd gets the impression that the horrible thing happened uphill from the woods. The town is up hill from the woods. The Abbey is on top of the nearest hill.
Gwynedd: “So, something bad happened, and this is just the slop. It’s really, really hard to figure out, but up that way maybe is where it is from.”
Gabriel: “There are sandaled footprints, too. They go that way to the edge of the clearing. We’d have to cut through the woods to see where they actually go.”
Gwynedd: “By all means.”
The three try to follow the tracks. Thomas sticks close. Gabriel finds a number of sets of track like people have been moving around in the woods. The tracks are days old. Some could be from the last couple of days. Gabriel follows the most recent ones and they exit out of the woods. The others don’t see the tracks. The tracks head up the hill toward the Abbey. Gwynedd does her best to stay aware of the world, sound and smell. The smell lessens as she climbs the hill and gets farther from the woods. She feels like whatever it is, it collected in the woods like water settling in a low place.
Gwynedd: “I am having a lot of trouble seeing the signs of this. I suspect it might be more up Vivienne’s alley. It seems like it ran down hill.”
Gabriel: “Okay. Maybe we should get them here? Or we can take a look around the Abbey.”
Gwynedd: “I mean we’re here ...”
Thomas: “They didn’t want to be contacted until sunset, so...”
The group keep heading up the hill. The tracks seem to be going around and in and out of the Abbey. They seem to be monk tracks. Thomas wonders if they are going into the woods to collect herbs or something. Gwynedd doesn’t think that is the case.
Vivienne is concentrating on Florence and vice versa. The air is swirling. Donal is having flashes of Marguerite and him, Marguerite, Florence and him. Donal thinks this is going well in spite of the spiders pouring out of her shoulder. Laurens is just watching. Vivienne hammers at Florence’s defenses. The images in Donal’s mind change to images of Florence in pain crying out for help.
Vivienne feels a cracking sensation, then a shattering, then she’s in. Vivienne finds herself in a torch lit room. Florence is cowering on the far side in a corner.
* Makul: “Quillius is there, disappointed once again.” *
Vivienne: “What spell were you trying to cast on the Duke?”
Florence cowering in the corner, “Please don’t hurt me.”
Vivienne hears a voice from behind her. “If you have questions, you have but to ask.” Vivienne turns and sees the Dark Man. Florence is watching like an animal.
Vivienne: “Does she belong to you?”
Dark Man: “She and I serve the same cause.”
Vivienne: “What cause is that?”
The Dark Man laughs. “You know better than to ask questions like that.”
Vivienne: “You said I just had to ask.”
Dark Man: “We both serve the Lord of the Flies.”
Vivienne: “What is his interest in York?”
Dark Man; “He has very little interest in York.”
Vivienne: “What is his interest in the Duke?”
Dark Man: “He’s a man of ambition. Always a good thing. But, again, not the center of his eye.”
Vivienne: “Who would the center be?”
Dark Man: “He has at least two.”
Vivienne: “Who are the two?”
Dark Man: “One he seeks for power. The other just to see if it can be done.”
Vivienne: “Do these two have names?”
Dark Man: “You certainly are of interest. There is so much you need to learn still. So long it will take you to learn it from your wizened mentor.”
Vivienne considers his words.
Dark Man: “You’ve already seen it. Look at what you’ve done. In just these few weeks.”
Vivienne: “I’ve done what was necessary.”
Dark Man: “Of course. Better than cleaning the old man’s chamber pots isn’t it?”
Donal and Laurens see Vivienne staring intently at Florence. The winds have died down. Florence is dangling in the chains crying.
Vivienne: “What was Florence to do to the Duke last night?”
Dark Man: “Florence’s interest was not with the Duke.”
Vivienne: “What was she trying to do last night?”
Dark Man: “Merely gathering information. Speaking with our spies in the castle.”
Vivienne: “Who are the spies in the castle?”
Dark Man: “The spies don’t have names.”
Vivienne begins to exit the conversation.
Dark Man: “How disappointing. Have you run out of questions already?”
Vivienne: “I feel I have over stayed my welcome here.”
Dark Man: “You are always welcome here.”
Vivienne: “Be that as it may, I will take my leave.”
The Dark Man bows his head. Vivienne withdraws.
Vivienne comes to and shakes her head. Florence bursts into flames.
Vivienne: “I didn’t do that.”
Florence is consumed in a couple of seconds. Ash drops out of the flame and something appears spinning in the middle of the flame. It drops to ground as the flames die out. It is a little metallic, five pointed star.
* Alan: “Dude, York’s infested with ninjas.” *
Laurens: “Do you recognize it?”
Vivienne: “It’s an infernal symbol.”
Laurens: “Can you destroy it.”
Vivienne feels a presence when she touches it. It is the Dark Man. She hears a voice, “Do you have more questions?”
Vivienne: “I ran into the Agent of the Lord of the Flies when I entered into Florence’s mind.”
Laurens: “What did you find out?”
Vivienne: “I found out that Florence was talking to spies in the castle to gather information. I found out the Dark Man’s interest is not in York, but, umm, two people.” Vivienne relays that part of the conversation.
Laurens: “Who were the two?”
Vivienne: “He would not say.”
Laurens: “I would say the one of power is you for your potential. And the one to see he can would be the virtuous one. So either Sir Martin or Gabriel. What are you going to do with that thing?”
Vivienne: “When I picked it up to examine it, I heard the man’s voice say, ‘If I have more questions ...’ We can keep it, or ...”
Laurens: “I can’t see the safety of leaving it down here.”
Donal: “Well, there’s no one else down here who’s going to deal with it. So, ...”
Laurens: “Speaking of that, how did you get down here?”
Donal: “I came down the stairs.”
Laurens: “I believe no one was to be allowed down here on orders of the Marshal.”
Donal: “I just mentioned I had business with you. That seemed to open a lot of doors.”
Laurens: “Leave the thing here then.”
Vivienne: “In the cell?”
Laurens: “You want to take it with us?”
Vivienne: “I’m sure if we leave it, it will be found and cause more mischief.”
Donal: “Did the Duke know you guys were down here?”
Laurens: “I’m sure if someone was looking for Vivienne, I’m sure they would have found us down here. Take it. I don’t care.”
Donal: “I think it would probably be better if you kept it in case someone else picked it up and became another agent of the agent of the Lord of the Flies.”
Vivienne: “I’ll find somewhere safe for it.”
Laurens, Vivienne and Donal make their way out of the dungeon.
Sir Martin mounts his horse. Father Barnabas, Richard Neville, the Earl of Salisbury, and Cecily Neville, also. Along with 20 knights and 100 troops, they begin to march south.
Gabriel: “Time to go in.”
Gwynedd: “I have a suspicion that when we go in, you’ll be able to move around a little bit better than I would. I’m a little conspicuous.”
Gabriel: “Maybe Thomas and you should stick close together.”
Thomas: “Me? Sure, sounds good to me. Sticking close.”
The three go into the Abby. The brothers admit them.
Brother: “Evening meal will be served soon, and rooms have been prepared.”
Gabriel seeks out Brother David to ask him what has been happening in the village. Gwynedd and Thomas head for the main chapel to pray a bit and get some quiet time and sing a hymn. Gwynedd feels nothing of what she was outside of the Abby. She feels her sense is dulled inside. The brothers direct Gabriel to Brother David. He’s in prayer in a small chapel. Gabriel waits patiently.
David: “Greetings. Welcome back. I heard you’d returned.”
Gabriel: “We found that we had need to come back to Mount Grace to see if the forest had returned to normal.”
David: “It’s still an ... unpleasant place. But, I’ve heard no more stories of monsters.”
Gabriel: “It has become a worse place, seemingly, but no monsters. It seems to have become ... I can’t think of a word ... darker, more difficult.”
David: “Perhaps it is just the rains of spring. It has rained often in the last few weeks. The crisp air of winter has retreated. Things are growing again. Including plants less pleasant than others. Maybe that is what you sense.”
Gabriel: “The village seems more empty than it was.”
David: “I believe some villagers may have left while the beast was there. They’ll return.”
Gabriel: “They left after the beast had been destroyed?”
David: “I admit I don’t visit the village often.”
Gabriel: “When last we were here, there were more people in the village than there are now.”
David: “I have no answer to that.”
They here the bells for dinner. Everyone heads for dinner.
Gwynedd: “Do you have any idea what is happening here? Whatever it is, it’s not a thing of nature, so I don’t have much luck seeing it. There’s not very much nature in this building for me to see.”
Thomas: “Hmm, it’s not the sort of thing I know about.”
A light meal is served. All of the monks are there. Cheese, bread, some wine, a little bit of meat. Maybe a little fruit. About three quarters of the way through dinner, Thomas collapses into his plate of food. Gwynedd gets a little groggy, staggers to her feet and collapses to the table. Gabriel collapses to the table with as good a performance as has he can manage.
Stick Figure Theater
