[IC] Fathomless

[thenewflesh]

His body lies torn to shreds, covered in a sort of transparent mucus, in the corner of the hut. Two days ago your vigilante friend Arbol had become obsessed with a killer stalking Risenbolm's boardwalks. He had followed the trail of bodies all the way to the end of his sanity, where his journey had, apparently, ended here. His face, what remains of it, is frozen in an eternal expression of fear.

The hut, located in the district of Hinter, is filled with spare furnishings. Nobody lives here any more, although they must have left not more than 12 hours ago, apparently in a hurry. There is, of course a sign of a fight; the chairs and tables in the room lie crushed and splintered, as if by a great weight.

Arbol had confided to you, shortly before his demise, that this case was big. There were connections, he had vaguely hinted, to the Pickled Herring, a small tavern in the area; to a shadowy organization loosely scattered about Hinter, a cobweb of underwater passageways, and some kind of supernatural entity called the "Devourer". The ravings of a madman.

Anyway, here you are. What do you do?

[wkwkwkwk1]

Climbing down from his donkey, Zark lights a candle and walks around the room, silently, looking for anything that might help reveal who the killer was.

"Look for clues, everyone," he rasps out. "Tracks, dropped objects, more of that slime. Anything."

He straightens up, takes a look around, and peeks outside, trying to locate an animal that might have witnessed the murder.

[thenewflesh]

The hut, what remains of it which hasn't been destroyed in the violence, is in shambles. Items seem to have been grabbed hurriedly, others left behind, as its owners fled. The slime is confined to the eating area, where the fighting occurred.

The rain outside is torrential. There are no birds here, and mammalian life is likely indoors. There are likely fish around, but you have found the fish in Risenbolm to be largely unfriendly, and their language is challenging for even you to decipher. However, three abandoned huts down (the area is in disrepair, and largely empty) is a small hut from which light emanates.

The floorboards outside have been violently scraped, as if by the giant claws of a creature moving quickly. The scraping is directed to a corner of the boardwalk, where it ends. Presumably the creature jumped into the water there.

[wkwkwkwk1]

"Hmm..." Zark mutters as he follows the scraped trail with his eyes, squinting to see through the rain. "Something... from the water?" About to turn back inside, he notices the light spilling from inside the nearby hut.

"Hey, look at that," he elbows his companions, nodding towards the hut.

[Eternal-Heart]

Roland’s breathes out lightly as he overslept from his training last night rushing to the scene he see’s someone investigating the seen walking up to ask what happened to Arbol the gnome elbows him and tells him to look at something squinting his eyes he looks towards the hut.


[roll0]

His eyes still blurry from waking up and being slightly groggy can only make out the hut. Looking strangely at the gnome he says What are we looking at? he whispers wondering what’s going on his inexperience clearly showing.

[thenewflesh]

If you happen to investigate the hut, you smell burning soup before you even get to the door. It's ajar. A gaunt old woman stands slowly stirring a pot over a low flame, staring blankly at it. A gaunt old dog lies curled in the corner. Eventually the woman becomes aware of your presence, and turns slowly around, fixing you with her one eye. "What do you want?" she croaks, as one half-asleep.

[Eternal-Heart]

Roland a bit nervous says as boldly as he can manage We’re looking for clues about Arbol. Maybe you saw or heard anything strange the night he died? As Roland tries to be on his best behavior while waiting for a reply.

[thenewflesh]

The old woman shudders, turns to her pot, and stirs it with her back to you, for what feels like minutes. Eventually you hear her say, "It came from the sea. It went back to the sea. We all ran. It'll rise tonight. And the next. And the next..."

She trails off, continues stirring.

[Eternal-Heart]

Then you should evacuate the area while we see what we can do about the sea monster. Godric says while adjusting his shield onto his arm getting ready in case of a sudden attack.

Is it possible to call the guards to help deal with the monster? Or at least to have them as back up

[wkwkwkwk1]

Zark trails behind Roland, his donkey's reins in hand, keeping an eye out for trouble. His frown deepens as the woman speaks her foreboding words.

"Something strong enough to rip our friend apart... we have no hope of fighting it," he shakes his head. "The rampant corruption, the greedy nobles, and now this..."

He pauses.

"We should go. Give what's left of Arbol his passing rites, and move on from here. If we can't take it head on, we can at least find the source."

[Eternal-Heart]

Roland is silent while brainstorming. Disappointed in his meager strength he begins to think of a way to maybe help. His eyes brightens and he rambles all his ideas to Zark! ZARK! What if you make a potion that can poison him in the water? Or wait that would hurt everyone. Hmmm what about we dig out a pit and put in a few sharp sticks and when he is trapped I’ll stab it? Or maybe we can talk to the fishermen if there is anything Strange going on or maybe borrow a large net? Or...or...or... Roland keeps rambling his ideas getting worse and worse until they become horrible ideas.