Tolð 10-28, 652 DR: Dammon finds his way out of the Cænden marsh. In Wesridge, he stays at the House of Dreaming and receives a prophecy and makes a friend. Dammon enters City of Oð alone, as he can be. He is mugged and awakens in the home of an Aryllym of Danok. Dammon helps Crauss and his wives break into the residence of Sadast. The magician escapes with a book of spells, and a mysterious bronze orb that the Aryllym had hoped to present to his temple.

Continued from The Death of Jak the Elder.

Talídor, 10 Tolð 652

Following the burial of Jak the Elder, Dammon decided to put the marsh of Cænden behind him. By nightfall he encountered a frail looking man with wiry hair standing on a bridge outside of the marsh village. After a short exchange of questions, the old man told the magician to beware “turtles, snakes, dogs, fish, lizards, and bandits” that dwell in and around marsh. Dammon thanked him for the warning and was given directions to Wesridge. At the top of the embankment he was “greeted” by Terres and Gæl who despite protocol, agreed to open the wooden gate this night for some coin. Beyond the gate, he found the House of Dreaming inn where after a warm meal and drink, he settled for the night.

Padídor, 11 Tolð 652

In the morning, the proprietress brought Dammon a warm breakfast and sat to speak with her only patron. “I sensed when you arrived that you were troubled,” Alō explained. “So last night I asked the Dreamer to weave a picture for you.” Interested, the magician asked her to explain. She continued, “You travel in a group on an ever-branching road. At every turn you insist that they turn in your direction, and they do. Soon the roads grow smaller and smaller, and the choices fewer. Soon there are no branches but the road continues on for some time. Then, the road ends, and the group look sadly at you and asks what they should do next. One by one you grab them and throw them off the edge, littering the stones below with their bodies. This done, you turn to leave but the rocks and dirt of the path fall away beneath you and you fall too.” Alō further explained that her father, Gara Madrælō, was a priest of Sūdul and was blessed with the goddess’s gift of prophetic Dreaming and more importantly the interpretative telling of Dreams. She explained that she was not a priestess, but that she had Dreams as her father had.

Dammon wandered back through the Northgate. Testing his patience, he managed to push his way through the waiting throngs and enter the Naryard. Here he wandered the turning streets and avenues looking for a place to spend the night. As evening closed about him he realized that all the soot-covered buildings looked the same, and that he couldn’t be sure that he wasn’t walking in circles. Eventually he came upon a strange circular building surrounded by beggars. He was invited inside and amazed to find a beautifully decorated shrine with stained glass windows and flowers arranged in ceramic bowls. The flowers crowded the feet of a hollow statue whose head was missing. The statue was brimming-over with copper coins, but the beggars and crippled people that laid about would touch none of it. Soon an older man noticed Dammon’s confusion and explained to him the story of Synda the Benevolent. After telling the tale, he invited the magician to find a dry place on the floor for the night. Dammon thanked him and slept well.

Bærídor, 12 Tolð 652

Dammon’s second evening in the City found him wandering strange streets within the Naryard, looking for a welcoming tavern. All he found were closed doors and boarded windows. When a group of men moved toward him, Dammon moved into the open street. He thought that there would be safety among the crowds and witnesses. The people around him however looked away as the men descended with club and boards. Once again, his world faded to black.

Talídor, 24 Tolð 652

Dammon awoke staring at a blade of light cutting a narrow slash through the ceiling’s shadows. There was a voice somewhere and an awful taste on his lips. It was something cold and wet. He closed his eyes and the darkness carried him away.

Padídor, 25 Tolð 652

Sitting on the edge of a small wood bed, Dammon looked across the bone and scrap strewn chamber. Rats crawled through the refuse searching for scraps. He looked again at the bites on his arms and legs. Footsteps scared the rodents away. A small panel opened at the door’s bottom and a bowl of liquid was slid beneath. The vinegar and blood broth hid more secrets than he cared, but his hunger made all those concerns seem unimportant. He drank the cold, wet soup. Days passed.

Bærídor, 26 Tolð 652

More soup, more rest.

Virídor, 27 Tolð 652

Finally, the door to the small stone room opened to reveal a bald man in red robes. The man bowed, introducing himself as Crauss. Crauss explained that The Multiple had spoken to him and instructed that he help Dammon, which is what he was doing.Dammon, too weak to argue, allowed this. When evening came, the man returned to the room to explain that Dammon’s things had been found, and that they were preparing to collect the stolen goods.

That night, Dammon accompanied Crauss and two women in red dresses along a circuitous route through the Naryard. Coming to a walled manor, Crauss kissed each of his wives and told them that they would soon become one with Danok. They drank from small tin cups and after a small prayer calmly entered the walled courtyard. The women were instantly attacked by ferocious guard dogs, and stood still as the dogs bit and ripped at them. When the women finally succumbed to their injuries, Dammon saw that the dogs had begun to stumble and vomit until they too dropped dead, poisoned. At this time Crauss pulled a curved dagger from his belt and entered the courtyard and house. Dammon followed and watched as servants appeared before the Minion and were cut down expertly by the man’s silver blade. Dammon wondered why the man hadn’t killed the dogs himself without sacrificing his “wives” but decided it best not to question the Minion.

Floor after the floor they advanced to the top of the large windowed manor, finally emerging in a large study. In the study they came across an elder man who begged for his life. Crauss was merciless. The Aryllym crossed the room and cut the man across the face, chest, and neck. The man pleaded with the Minion, but there was only one possible outcome. When Crauss stepped back from his handiwork, the old man’s body lay across a large chest below a large round window. Beyond the scene, Dammon could see the rooftops of Oð and the distant flicker of oil lamps. Dammon walked around the room collecting books. He found the Grimoire of Shroudson in a pile of other tomes. Crauss watched the magician suspiciously as Dammon thumbed through the library books and broke open a display case. He withdrew a bronze orb and a bundle of ledgers.

Palídor, 28 Tolð 652

With morning drawing close, Dammon dismissed Crauss, and thanked him for his help. Crauss left hurriedly, stopping only once to look backward. After searching the manor house more thoroughly, Dammon left the grounds in the pre-dawn dark. Morning found him walking down the city streets, peering around the stack of books in his hands.

Continued in The Cænden Massacre.

Characters

• Dammon Shroudson
• Alō Madrælō
• Synda the Benevolent
• Crauss of Danok
• Dorcher Black-Eye
• Familiar
• Fergus
• Gara of Sūdul
• Gredd the Knife
• Sadast

Played: 06 Dec 1996