Strange Aeons 2: The Thrushmoor Terror [IC]

[digiman619]

Flair steps between the gathering crowd and their target "Whoawhoawhoa. Everyone back et irrumabo off." He said, angrily swearing in Draconic. "Now does someone want to explain what the hell's going on here?"

Spoiler: Draconic

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the f*ck. (Though you probably guessed that)

[lostsole31]

As Flair steps in front of the crowd to ask of them their purpose, his head is flushed, as if someone poured a mass of wadding in his skull. Knowledge of vast amounts, but also threatening to overwhelm him. He depends on his ability to speak confidently, rather than passionately, in addressing the crowd.

A middle-aged man with a lazy eye replies, "He's the only artist in town, and that vandaism didn't start showing up on our walls until he arrived. And now a priestess is gone! some folks keep talking about how the Briarstone Witch is coming back for Thrushmoor, but I know he's behind the troubles."

The mob rallies to the old man, nodding in assent.

What now?

[digiman619]

Flair takes a calming breath. He'd been letting his frustration with Winter get to him. "Okay, first things first, vandalism is really minor as far as crimes go, so it doesn't really deserve the angry mob treatment, does it? Secondly, how would vandalism lead to a priestess going missing? The only way that makes sense is if there was a highly magical effect linked to it, and he's an artist, not a wizard." He turns to the artist in question "So let me ask you directly: are you responsible for this graffiti they're going on about? And do you have any idea what is behind these troubles they're mentioning?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Use Diplo on the crowd (Take 10), and use Milo's Truthtelling on the artist to get an honest answer out of him.

[lostsole31]

"Of course not!" he huffs. "I work with an entirely different medium, in a vastly different - and superior - style."

Spoiler: Flair

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He seems to be telling the truth.

[Blackhawk101]

BJ steps up to the crowd. “Where is this “art” you’re on about.”

[lostsole31]

Whatever Brother Jaume's intentions were, are immaterial to what happens next. The crowd does not react well to the large burly monk. Not at all. Voices raise again, and a scruffy young man in the crowd picks a stone off the road and throws it at the artist, striking him in the head.

Flair, you are standing right by the artist, and you see the play of emotions going across his face. Just by the nature of your being and reading the situation, you say something to try and steady him, and it is enough to keep him from foolishly attacking the mob.

Anybody, what now?

Spoiler: Brother Jaume

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Brother Jaume, seem to have enough insight to realize that there is nothing you can say or do to assuage this group. Actually, Brother Jaume, your insight is enough for you to realize that the crowd is not into having a dialogue or discussion. It is either going to ramp up, with more violence; or, it is best to ramp it down, through getting them to disperse. Trying to chat and hold an info-gathering session won't serve any purpose.

[BuckGodot]

Stepping up to place himself in front of the elf, Dorn will say "Good people! There is no need to resort to violence! This can be handled in a civilised manner! Appoint a representative amongst yourselves to air your grievances and allow us to handle this and come to a conclusion that all will be happy with!"

[lostsole31]

Well, not the effect Dorn was going for, but not a bad effect ... Dorn makes them think and talk amongst themselves, and they basically peter out. Dorn has broken up the mob. After the crowd veers off, the half-elf looks to Dorn, then Flair. "Thank you. Thank you, both. Name's Lelwyn Hasok. Would you like to come inside my studio? I would like to give you something by way of thanks."

The two of you (Flair, Dorn) get the sense he is talking to the two of you ... not "the PCs" (Jens and Maeni are still standing on the chapel stairs, and Brother Jaume made things worse). What do you do (Flair, Dorn)?

What about the rest of you (Brother Jaume, Jens, Maeni)?

[BuckGodot]

Dorn will nod his acceptance and look to Flair.

[digiman619]

Flair simply nods. "Lead the way" He then turns to the rest of the party. "It might be a good idea for you guys to investigate the vandalism that has everyone riled up and meet back up with us."

[Blackhawk101]

BJ will lead the others in search of the graffiti.

[lostsole31]

Dorn & Flair

As peculiar charcoal murals of an abandoned city appeared overnight on the town’s buildings, the people of Thrushmoor began to suspect a relative newcomer to town was to blame. Hired to paint a mural in New Chapel by the church’s priestess, Lelwyn Hasok comes from a wealthy family in Caliphas, and is educated and well spoken, if somewhat saturnine and unceremonious. Due to his job at New Chapel, the Pharasmin congregation knows him, but he is not much liked by others in Thrushmoor, whom he tends to shun. He considers the settlement a superstitious backwater, while many people in Thrushmoor find him aloof and overly critical of small-town life.

Lelwyn takes a sack from a table and hands it to Dorn. "This is a bag of holding .... base model .... and inside are 500 gold coins. Thank you very much. This backwater has gone to pot, and I appreciate two well-spoken gentlemen coming to my aid as you have. Come, let me show you around."

Lelwyn’s studio is a small, two-room building cluttered with canvases, supplies, and partially completed paintings. When he is not busy painting in New Chapel, Lelwyn takes advantage of the rare moments of good weather to set up his easel on the shore and paints views of the bay. He has also painted portraits of some of Thrushmoor’s wealthiest citizens, and was even scheduled to do a painting for Administrator Losandro at Briarstone Asylum once he completed the mural at New Chapel.

Lelwyn also paints his own dreams and fantasies, which are inevitably disquieting and lean toward the macabre. One of these works is a triptych prominently displayed on an easel in the middle of his studio. Lelwyn has been working on these paintings, still in their sketch phase, of several people in full figure, though their faces are incomplete. In the background, three different cities flow seamlessly into one another under a yellowish sky.

The figures depicted in the painting are uncanny renditions of Dorn, Flair, Maeni, Jens, Brother Jaume, Corbin, and Krisztina.

Caught up in the stress of having been in front of an angry mob, Lelwyn doesn’t immediately realize that two of the figures he has been sketching are standing right in
front of him. And another three were outside as well! After talking to the painter for a minute, Lelwyn gasps, realizing he is looking into the faces he has had such a hard time getting just right.

Lelwyn claims to have never met the PCs, which is true. If questioned, he says he saw each of them in his dreams over the last few nights, and was immediately inspired to put brush to canvas. The painter says his visions (which he can’t quite remember all of the details of) gave him the sensation that “Thrushmoor’s destiny somehow depends on them.” Lelwyn ecstatically offers the all of the PCs 10 gp apiece if they agree to return and sit for his unfinished triptych.

---

Brother Jaume (et. al.) ...

It might take a little bit, and the party will see some house walls that have been recently scrubbed with remains of something dark, but they will finally see a charcoal sketch mural on a house. It is charcoal, mind you, but it seems to be a strange type of city scape that is unrecognizable.

[digiman619]

Flair did his best to appreciate the man's art. The talent was clearly there, and when he was focused on actual things and people you could see his style shine through, but when it got to the more grotesque and macabre art, he found it too off-putting to appreciate. Admittedly that was mostly on him; he'd just been through some crap being stuck in that Asylum, so the darker subject matter didn't do much for him.

He was honestly slightly disturbed by the triptych. Not because of his and his allies' likeness upon it, but oddly because it showed three cities. If it was two, he'd be able to justify it by saying it was representative of the Asylum being brought into the Dimension of Dreams. The presence of a third city somehow implied that there was another place trapped in the dimension. Or that there was a second overlay, perhaps? He didn't know, but the implication nagged at him. The fact that he said that "Thrushmoor's destiny depended on them" also didn't do much to put him at ease.

Aloud, he said. "I admit, I personally prefer your portraiture and landscape pieces; your more macabre works set me ill at ease. However, I must assume that is the intention; to provoke a response from the viewer. As for the three-in-one piece, the yellow sky is very evocative. The three cities flowing into each other is an interesting touch as well. How much time do you think it'd take to have one of us to sit in for you to capture their likeness for your work? I think most of us would be willing, but the timing of it might prove difficult as we're currently on assignment with the Sleepless Detective Agency, and Ms. Wentz probably wouldn't want us to take too much time off to get a painting done of us."

[silphael]

Taking out sheet of parchment, Maeni takes note of the charcoal sketch as best as she can.

"They call that vandalism ? Wouldn't it be simply removed with some water ?"

[lostsole31]

Flair & Dorn

"It would take no more than a full afternoon with all of you," says Lelwyn.

---

Silphael (et. al.)

It was perhaps poorly described on my part, but the descriptions of other house facings in the last post were meant to show the effects of houses that were washed. It isn't perfect, and makes dark smears, but is still-time consuming. And it doesn't stop the shock of the disturbing, semi-abstract cityscapes to superstitious townsfolk.

[digiman619]

"And if you could only get us piecemeal? We'd be more likely to spare one or two of us at a time than all of us be free for an afternoon."

[lostsole31]

"Each person has an energy that is different," Lelwyn says, "from when they stand alone and when they are with others. I would like to capture that synergy."

[digiman619]

Flair shrugged. "I make no promises, but I'll see what I can do."

[lostsole31]

Dorn, anything to add?

[BuckGodot]

Dorn, feeling that sitting for this portrait would be a massive waste of the groups time, is nevertheless polite...

"It would be an interesting project, but perhaps for a future date... After we have resolved some of the issues at hand."

[lostsole31]

He accepts that answer. Anything else with this guy?

[BuckGodot]

"A few questions, Sir. Having not seen the graffiti that everyone seems up in arms about, have you any theories as to where the scrawls might be originating?"

[lostsole31]

Lelwyn shakes his head. "No, sorry."

[BuckGodot]

That being said, Dorn will nod to the man and turn to examine the drawings of him and his companions while waiting for Flair to complete his business.

[digiman619]

His business with the artist done for now, Flair nods to Dorn and goes to regroup with the party.

[BuckGodot]

Dorn will accompany Flair and try to regroup with the others.

[lostsole31]

The party will regroup.

Now what?

Spoiler: Dorn & Flair

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What will you be doing with the bag of holding and 500 gold?

[digiman619]

Once they rejoin the party, Flair will heft the bag. "Well, our good deed was rewarded. The artist was kind enough to give us this bag of holding, and it contains a not-insignificant sum of gold as well." He then saw the graffiti on the wall. "You know, now that I see it, I see why they thought it was him. He also had a twisted cityscape in his art. He said he saw it in a dream."

He smiled "That reminds me. You know what else was in that art? Us. As in, it depicted seven figures that were clearly us, though the faces weren't finished. He's offered us 10 gold apiece if we will sit in for us to model for him so he can finish the piece."

[Blackhawk101]

Brother Jaume gives a hearty belly laugh.
“Someone has finally recognized the value of my masculine good looks! This town is definitely an improvement over the asylum! But there will time for posing for portraits after we solve this town’s woes ...and get a drink!”

[silphael]

Slightly readjusting her stance, Maeni answers :

"If we have some time once this inquiry is done, why not ? Or in our scarce spare time, too."