Fantasy Hunter's Moon: Cruel Choreography | A Side Story

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• Go get a drink downstairs.

Claire moved back down the hallway, at quite a brisk pace, before eventually descending the stairs back into the pain area of the tavern. Straight to the bar she went, where she sat down just across from the bartender. "A bottle of your strongest rum, if you would." she said, folding her arms before her on the bar.

The bartender chuckled slightly, before turning to the bottles of alcohol on the wall behind him. "Gods, he must have given you one hell of a job if you're hitting the good stuff this early in the day." he soon said, taking a fat, greenish bottle from the shelf and setting it before her. He fished under the counter afterwards, finding a good cup for her to use and cleaning it out with a rag from nearby.

"Nah. Job's fine. Its more the little details that go with it. Like finding out you ran into an assassin just a few days ago who could have killed you in a flash if she had wanted to." responded Claire, as she peered through the dark green glass of the rum bottle. The bottle had a squid stamped on the label, probably the crafter's own take on a personal marking. This was probably black spiced rum, from what she could guess.

The bartender raised an eyebrow, as he set the cup before her. Claire noticed, and breathed a sigh. "Bainbridge." she said simply, taking the bottle by the neck and popping the cork out of the top.

"Ahhh... yeah. She's a dangerous one, from what I've heard. Never really met her in person." he responded.

"She was dressed like an inquisitor, even though she supposedly hates the church." commented Claire. She poured some of the rum into the cup, before setting it aside and taking a swift drink. Nice burn going down. "Was wearing tinted glasses... likely to hide her eyes."

"Probably. You have to blend in to be a good assassin sometimes." remarked the bartender, before pointing to the bottle. "That's twenty silver, by the way."

Claire dug around in a pouch on her belt and eventually produced the coin, which the bartender took happily. He then spoke again, as he dropped the coin into a container under the bar. "My name is Giles, by the way. I figure if you're working for the man upstairs, we should probably know each other's names at least."

"Claire." she responded, before gulping down more of the rum from the cup. "...How are you tied to him?"

"Eh, my family is tied to the Ossenfelders. We have been for generations." he responded, leaning against the bar as he spoke. "They're good people, mostly. A bad apple pops up here and there, but they don't stick around long."

"Humans willingly serving vampires?" she whispered, glancing to the others at the bar as she raised an eyebrow.

"You'd be surprised how many humans willingly serve vampires of the greater houses. There's benefits to it, really, but that all depends on which house and who in particular you're serving." he commented. "The ones that see us as just food are actually the minority."

Claire eyed him for a moment, before simply breathing a "...Right." Then, she gulped down more rum. "You have any cheaper rum? I plan on enjoying myself a bit tonight."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Elsewhere...

Cathedral of St. Barthélemy
Charbonne, Chalmette Florissant, Kingdom of Escaria

​

"His favorite days were the mornings
she came with confessions of cardinal sin.
A beast in the business of selling forgiveness
Dead eyes on a treacherous grin!
Yet he laps up the vice like a wolf in the night
He's the left hand of the gods on the stage!
And with one hand he offers salvation to lovers
The other, it taketh away!"

Holloway folded his arms, his eyes narrowing underneath the brim of his tricorn. He hated this woman. She was enjoying herself far too much, and he honestly wished he could simply rip her throat out to shut her up. Of course, he couldn't do that. It would mean disobeying an order from his master. That wouldn't do. Not at all.

Eventually, he heard a door open behind him. He already knew who it was. Their boots thumped across the hardwood floor of the cathedral's second floor, approaching where Holloway stood near the window. The vampire, sitting nearby in a comfortable chair next to the fireplace, continued her song as they approached.

"His favorite line was the one formed outside
When they trade in confessions for lies.
A beast in the business of selling forgiveness
And buying salvation with wine!
And he cries out to the gods,
'How can you claim them all,'
'When I know that they are all mine?'"

"Gods, woman, just shut up." spat a voice, "If you don't, I'll have Holloway skin you alive." Holloway was quick to perk up to that idea, turning about and glaring at the vampire sitting in the chair.

The vampire laughed. "Lighten up. Just singing a little tune, since your man decided he wanted to be the cold, silent type." she responded, flashing Halloway a wide grin.

"Because he a man focused on business, and you've no idea how much I hate that song." was the response from the newcomer, "Now, explain who you are and why you're here. I have things to do and places to be. My duties, for the time being, demand it."

The woman stood from her chair, fixing her clothes with a press of her hands. "Cassandra Bainbridge. Perhaps you may have heard of me?" she said, directing her grin towards the man, who's eyes widened slightly. It seemed as though he had. "My current employer wishes to for me to assist you in this little... endeavour you have going together."

"Why? We have things under control, as long as his associates continue to do their jobs." responds the man, folding his arms.

"Ah, but that's the thing." adds Cassandra, "You don't. Would you like to know something funny that I discovered a few days ago, during a brief stop at Fort Valenroux?"

The man tilted his head, peering at her from under his wide brimmed hat as he shrugged slightly. "Out with it." he then muttered.

Cassandra's grin reappeared, as she soon cut a glance to Holloway. "Two women. A young soon-to-be inquisitor by the name of Évelyne Brassard, and a huntress named Claire McLachlan. They seemed to have survived the ordeal at Ditoise, and were rescued by Royal Musketeers that were in the area."

"Impossible." muttered Holloway, "There were enough ghouls there to kill both of them, not to mention the Tsavanian."

"Ah, but the 'Tsavanian' you speak of? He's dead. Shot to death by one of the Musketeers." responded Cassandra, raising a finger in Holloway's direction. "The ghouls are likely dead now, thanks to intervention from the Musketeers."

"Damnit, Holloway." soon spat the man next to him, "Brassard was supposed to die in Ditoise. With how well liked she was by Colard, and is by the other Senior Inquisitors, she had enough eyes on her to draw the Inquisition into things proper."

"It was that damned hunter McLachlan, most likely." responded Holloway, continuing to glare at Cassandra. "She probably defended her, and they fled. The Musketeer must have found them while the Tsavanian was giving chase."

"Exactly." stated Cassandra, "Now... would you like to give Mister Holloway another try, or... would you rather I handled things, Cardinal? My employer, your business associate, believes I could be of particularly great use."

The Cardinal cut Holloway a look, eyeing him out of the corners of his eyes, before shifting his gaze back to Cassandra. "...Fine." he soon stated. "Get it done."

Cassandra cackled enthusiastically, before exhaling a happy sigh. "With pleasure, Cardinal."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

The Next Day...
​

Claire shifted on the bed, her arm twitching and sending a rum bottle rolling off onto the floor. It landed with a clink, falling on top of another empty bottle. Her eyes popped open at the sound, and she was immediately hit with blinding light. Daylight, pouring through a nearby window. Augh, fuck...

She sat up slowly, holding her head. A pulsing pain. Hangover. She hadn't had one of those in a while. She groaned, before slowly glancing next to her on the bed. Nobody there. Well... that was both good and bad. She had already lost count back in her pirate days of how many men and women she had bedded after a night of binge drinking. Still, a warm body next to her was nice sometimes.

She slowly swung her legs off the side of the soft bed, knocking another empty rum bottle onto the floor. She glanced down to see easily six different bottles. One of them was half full. "Nice." she muttered, reaching down and lifting it up. She popped the cork out, before lifting it to her lips and taking a swig. Then, once it was recorked, she looked around the room. All her clothes were over on a nearby chair, haphazardly thrown onto it. Her sword was on the floor next to it, while her pistol was sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. It was cocked, and ready to fire. As it should be. She kept it loaded for emergencies, and had it primed just for such occasions. She reached over and took it in hand, lowering the hammer carefully, before glancing down.

"...I need a bath."

• Seek out a bath.
• Clothe yourself for now, and seek out Brassard and Claude.

 

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• Seek out a bath.

Finding someone that worked at the inn wasn't hard. Claire simply poked her head outside of her door to find one walking down the hallway towards her. A brief conversation followed, where Claire discovered where she was and part of what had happened during the night. She had drank herself into a stupor, with Claude and Brassard coming in to find her singing a sea shanty with some of the other patrons in the bar. They managed to drag her out of the bar to this inn, and got her a room to sleep things off in. She chuckled at the thought, before requesting a bath be run for her to clean herself up with.

Not too long afterwards, three maids came up to her room with hot water in metal buckets. Likely having been heated by a fire downstairs. They poured the steaming liquid into a metal tub off to the side in her room, and then provided soap and shampoo for her to use. It seemed that Claude and Brassard had picked an excellent inn for her.

She climbed into the tub and began to bathe, scrubbing away any grime and filth that had accumulated on her body. The stench of alcohol was also washed away, save for what was on her breath. The soap provided had a hint of lemon to its smell. She liked lemons, but it was a bit surprising. Most soaps she had found smelled like roses or a variety of herbs.

Once she had finished and dried off, she dressed herself in fresh clothes (which apparently had been brought with her to her room by Brassard.) A clean white blouse shirt, new black leather pants, polished knee-high boots, and black leather gloves. She folded the sleeves up on the shirt, just like her other shirt, and then slipped her belt on with her sword. The musket pistol was tucked into the small of her back, and the rest of her items were stuck in varying places. Pockets, inside her shirt, and so on.

Soon, out the door she went. Down the hall and downstairs to the main area of the inn. The large dark oak front desk came into view as she rounded the corner that lead to the main entrance, and she found it decorated with various trinkets and flowers tucked into small vases. The person behind the counter, an older woman with her grey hair tied up into a bun, was reading some sort of book, only glancing up when Claire moved past the counter.

"Nice to see you sobered up." she soon said, catching Claire's attention and forcing her to pause. "You were out of it when the Musketeer and the Inquisitor brought you in."

Claire nodded. "So I was told by the maids... How bad was it?"

The woman closed her book, after slipping a piece of parchment inside to mark the page. She set it aside, leaning forward on the counter from where she was sitting. "You could barely stand. The Musketeer had to hold you up. While the Inquisitor filled out the registration and paid for the room, you were flirting with him in broken Escarian and actually managed to kiss him once. You also flirted with the Inquisitor, and grabbed her ass on the way up the stairs."

...Oh gods. A flash of red appeared in Claire's cheeks, as her eyes quickly darted away from the woman towards the floor. "Did... either of them stay here with me?"

The woman nodded. "Not in your room with you, but they got a separate room across the hall from you." she replied, "They went out about earlier to find some breakfast. They seemed to be in a good mood."

They stayed in the same room? Left in a good mood? Claire cocked an eyebrow, and a smirk crept across her face. "Thank you. Sorry if I was a bother." Claire then said.

"No worries. You didn't puke on the floor at least, so you're already ten times better than other drunken guests that have come here." she stated, fixing her glasses as she spoke.

"Perk of being a former pirate, I guess. I can hold it in." muttered Claire in response. Now, she had to figure out where she wanted to go first.

• Return to Simon, and retrieve what you need for the job.
• Locate Claude and Brassard.
• Seek out supplies and ammunition... and another horse.

 

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• Return to Simon, and retrieve what you need for the job.

As Claire emerged from the front of the inn, she orientated herself towards the tavern where Simon was staying. She did say that she was going to return to get what she needed in order to meet with the Comtesse and the Landgraf. Figures who's political standing was far higher than hers, and would likely have guards and such defending them from those who would wish to get close.

"Why did I agree to this again?" she muttered to herself, walking across the street and up the walkway in front of various shops towards the tavern. Oh yeah, I need the money.... though with an assassin potentially targeting me, I may not even get the job done.

She rubbed her temple as she walked, fighting off the headache from her hangover, as she eventually reached the tavern and stepped through its entrance. The moment her foot touched the wooden floor inside, she was met with several cries of "CAP'N MCLACHLAN!" She froze on the spot, looking about at the few patrons of the tavern that were scattered about. The bartender, the same man from yesterday, wore a wide, goofy grin. She gave him a wide-eyed, almost confused, and he simply waved her over.

As she approached, he spoke. "Here to see him again, or here to pick up where you left off last night?" he said, prepared to reach to grab some rum off the shelf behind him.

"The former. Got a hangover, so no drinking for me for a bit." she said, shaking her head rapidly. "Glass of water would be useful, though."

He nodded. "Alright. I'll have it ready for you when you come back down. Gotta find a clean glass." he then said, squatting a bit to peer under the bar.

She looked at the other patrons, responding with a wave of her own to those that had called out to her if they looked her way. She then looked back to Giles. "...How bad was I last night?"

"Bad? You had the whole tavern singing shanties with you." he responded, "Told us stories, told us how you became a captain, what it was like fighting off the Atracan navy here and there along with other pirates."

"...Those were fun years, yeah." she said, looking down to the bar as she leaned on it. "Made it out alive, too, after I was captured. Got a brand, though, which isn't great."

"Escaria would have still hung you, had you worked off the eastern coast... or shot you." replied Giles, "...Be thankful that Atraca's new king wanted things changed."

"True... I am glad." she muttered in response, glancing over to her arm as she reached up and rubbed her neck. She then looked back up to Giles. "How long did my companions stay?"

"The musketeer and the 'not quite an inquisitor'?" he responded, "Not long. They came in, found you, and listened to a story you told about fighting off sirens and the duel you had with Captain Curtis Vaux over a wrecked Escarian trade ship's cargo out on Preslis Cay. Then they dragged you out of here after the Musketeer paid your tab."

"Claude paid my tab? How big was it?"

"Not all that big, really. Most of the others here paid for your drinks. You were lively enough to get the attention."

Claire nodded. Thank the gods. I don't know if I could have afforded it all. "Well, thanks. I'll grab the water on the way out. Oh, and here." she then said, before drawing her sword from her belt and her pistol from the small of her back. She placed them on the bar for Giles, before moving for the stairs. Time to go see Simon.

Up the staircase she went, and down the hallway that sat at the top. She arrived at the door, knocked the number of times as she had been told the day before, then announced her name. A few moments later, she heard a click as the door was unlocked, and then it was pulled open. Simon didn't look all that different from how he had the day before, though he wore different colored clothes. The black waistcoat, but featuring a red shirt underneath, dark brown leather pants, and black boots. His hair wasn't in a ponytail this time, his brown locks hanging freely about his shoulders and the sides of his face.

"Captain McLachlan. Good to see you're doing well after your eventful night." he said, flashing her a toothy grin before motioning for her to enter.

"You heard everything?" she asked, walking inside and turning to face him as he shut the door behind her.

"Yes. I even watched some of it from the stairs." he responded. "Quite the adventurous type, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah. When I was younger." she stated, before moving over and sitting in the same chair she had before.

"You still are. Hunting isn't the easiest of jobs." He moved past her, walking around to his desk. "You didn't tell me you brought a Musketeer and an Inquisitor with you. Well... a 'soon-to-be Inquisitor."

"She's harmless. I saved her life a few nights ago, after her superior went missing. She decided to tag along. As for the Musketeer... I guess he's the adventurous type too."

"Hmm... Keep them around. You'll need allies." he then stated. He picked up two envelopes from the desktop, before turning and holding them out to Claire. "These are for you. One of them is to allow you to speak with the Comtesse, and with the other, the Landgraf." he explained, before picking up a rolled up map and a folded piece of paper. "Most of the locations of those on the list I gave you, and who you may need to talk to and where for the others."

Claire took each thing he handed to her, looking it over before tucking it into her shirt. "Alright. I'll get to it, then, after I gather up some supplies and get a horse." she stated, standing up from her chair. As she stood, Simon turned slightly to face her before holding out something.

"Here, take this." he said, his fist held out befor him towards her. She raised an eyebrow, before holding her hand out. Then, he released what he was holding into it. It appeared to be some sort of coin, but made of some sort of dull red material. "I know the general store manager, as well as the owner of the horse stable at the east end of town. Show that coin to them, and they'll provide you with whatever you need. Free of charge."

"Seriously?" responded Claire, raising an eyebrow as she looked the red coin over. "...What's this made of?"

"Blood from an ancient Ossenfelder vampire, hardened to form a solid coin through magic. That's practically as strong as steel." he stated, pointing a finger to the coin. "Its a symbol of the House of Ossenfelder. We pay our debts, and since you're working for an Ossenfelder, your fees will be covered in our service."

She glanced between Simon and the coin. This is an ancient vampire blood coin? She nodded slowly, before slipping the coin into her pocket. "Alright. Thank you." she said, before turning about towards the door.

"Be careful, Claire. You're stepping into the outer edges of House matters. It can be quite a mess." he said as she walked. Soon enough, Claire stepped through the door and shut it behind her.

Back down the hall she walked, then down the stairs back to the bar where Giles was waiting. Sitting there, on the bar, was a small glass of water. Perfect. She wasted no time drinking it, picking it up and gulping it down without a second thought.

"Quick meeting." stated Giles, as he watched her for a moment. "Got what you needed?"

As she finished off the glass and set it down before him, she nodded. "Yeah. All set. Now to go get my stuff."

"What about your friends?" asked Giles, grabbing her sword and pistol from nearby and returning them to her. "Are they waiting outside for you?"

"No, but I should go find them at least. I think they went to eat breakfast or something." she replied. I wonder where they are? They can't be far off.

• Go find Claude and Brassard.
• Go get supplies and your horse, then go find them.

 

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• Go find Claude and Brassard.

It wasn't long before Claire was back outside the tavern, looking up and down the street as the morning traffic moved about. She wouldn't be able to locate the pair through the use of Claude's horse, as his horse was still at the stable. She'd have to resort to good old fashioned searching. So search she did, moving up the street and past different shops and restaurants. She peered through the wide glass windows into shops, eyes narrowed as she took in the appearances of patrons inside as well as staff. Seeing if she could recognize anyone. When she didn't, she moved on to the next one.

Eventually, she struck gold when she peered into a smaller restaurant serving a mix of Escarian and Northern Kingdom cuisine. Claude and Brassard were sitting at a table towards the back, apparently enjoying themselves over an Escarian breakfast and drinks. Both looked happy. Claire straightened up, wondering if she should actually go in and interrupt them, or simply wait outside till they finished. She eventually sighed. It was time to move on, anyway. She couldn't wait... plus she herself was hungry.

She stepped inside, nodding towards any patrons of the restaurant that greeted her as she moved towards the table that Claude and Brassard were seated at. Brassard noticed her first, perking up a bit more and smiling at her after gulping down whatever was in the glass she was holding to her lips. "Good morning, Claire!" she said, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. Woke up with a hangover, though." she responded, moving to an empty seat at the side of the table. "I... uhm... I'm sorry if I crossed some lines last night."

Claude glanced up to her as she sat down, cutting into what appeared to be an omelette with a fork and knife. "No worries, Claire. Everything is perfectly fine. You were practically black-out drunk." he said, flashing her a smile before lifting the cut piece of the omelette to his mouth.

"Yeah. We decided to give you a room to yourself to sleep it off, and we simply shared the room across the hall from you." added Brassard. "No harm done, though you seem to get a bit... well, handsy when you're drunk."

Claire cut Brassard a look of embarrassment, then nodded. "...I'm sorry about that." she said.

"Its alright! Like Claude here said, no worries!" responded Brassard with a grin, "Are you hungry? They're still serving breakfast here, so I can put in an order for you."

"That would be nice, thank you." responded Claire, before glancing to Claude. "Afterwards, we should probably go and get some supplies. I got what I need from my new employer, so its just a matter of picking where to go afterwards."

"Alright. Got a map, or a list, or something? We could probably get that out of the way now instead of waiting." replied the musketeer, as he slid the plate before him to the side.

Claire checked her belt, eventually drawing out a folded map of Escaria. She unfolded the smaller map, and placed it on the table between them. Then, she reached into her shirt and drew out the information that she had been given. As she read over the names, she pointed out each of the locations on the map.

Claude listened quietly, as did Brassard across the table from him. Eventually, the musketeer spoke up. "We can probably ignore the Landgraf for the moment, as he's up in the northern kingdoms. Focus on the Escarian locations... I'd say speak with one of the... well, less guarded ones first. Karine Savatier, Marc Messier, or Symon Chauveau. One of those. Then, you can move on to the Comtesse. She has a relatively high political standing, and is likely going to be resistant to speaking with you."

"Well, with your presence in addition to the letter I was given, I might be able to have easier access to her." responded Claire.

"True. Musketeers can get a foot in the door, because of how directly we answer to the King and Queen." said Claude, with a nod. "The rest would be up to you."

"Alright. Then, we'll do that. Karine Savatier, Marc Messier, or Symon Chauveau first, then the Comtesse." said Claire, satisfied for the moment with the idea. Before she could decide, however, she'd need some sustinance. Her stomach growled slightly, forcing her to glance downward.

"Yeah, let's get you fed first." said Claude, with a smirk.

--- --- ---
​

After a nice breakfast, the trio moved to the general store that Simon had suggested. Just as Simon had said, the moment Claire showed them the coin, the owner of the store opened up his entire store to her. She could take what she needed, without the need to pay. It honestly surprised her, so she set to gathering food and supplies. Especially ammunition and other materials for her flintlock. She also took the chance to acquire a flintlock rifle. Maybe it would prove useful, like Claude's had against that werewolf. Once she had what she needed, loaded into a pack she acquired, she set out towards the stables.

Another coin flash, and another chance to take what she wished. She just had to find the right horse. There was a relatively decent selection, though most of these seemed to be work horses. Large, muscular. Built to pull wagons, plows, and other heavy equipment and machinery. She wanted one that was strong, but also fast. Speed was important, especially when combatting supernatural creatures.

Eventually, her eyes fell on a golden brown horse off to the side of the stable. Young, lean but toned muscles. Perfect. She singled it out to the stable owner, and soon enough, the beast was saddled and ready. She climbed on, making sure her pack was secured and the rifle was slipped into a holster on the side of the saddle. She'd name the horse later. For now, she just needed to decide on where the trio would be going.

• Karine Savatier, of House le Rouge
• Marc Messier, of House Morgan
• Symon Chauveau, of House Konstantinov

 

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• Marc Messier, of House Morgan

For the time being, Marc Messier's name stood out the most in her mind. In order to reach him, however, she would have to reach the members of House Saville, in Montclair. That would be a rather interesting trip, as it required her to venture across the border back into Atraca. Outside of the young musketeer's area of practice, as it was a foreign land. Still, he'd probably go with them. Maybe he could change into more appropriate attire during their romp through the southeastern Atracan countryside, as the Escarian colors of his uniform might not be looked favorably upon.

"We head for Montclair, over in Atraca, in search of members of House Saville." she soon said, looking over her shoulder to her two compatriots. "If you need to do anything before we head in that direction, now would be a good time to get it done."

"Right. I still need to send that letter to the clergy in Eternis, along with Claude's confirmation letter. The Royal Seal stamped on it would help immensely." responded Brassard. Claude nodded along, flashing Claire a smile.

"Alright. We'll head over to the church and get that sorted out, then. Also... see if they happen to have any silver trinkets they're alright with parting with. We can melt them down and use them for extra silver shot for anything hostile we might run into." stated Claire, to which Brassard and Claude both nodded. Afterwards, a simple trot down the street lead the trio straight to the town's small church.

It took maybe all of ten minutes for the pair to pen their letters, both being handed off to the head priest to be sent off. Lucky for the trio, the church also had a few silver items that they were willing to hand over. A silver candlestick, some charms, a necklace, and a few silver eating utensils. Those could be melted down on the road, at some point, and made into silver balls for the muskets.

Not long after, the trio began their long journey towards the western border of Escaria. Following the border with small mountainous kingdom of Schwyz to the north, they would arrive their far more quickly than by taking the far more traveled paths through the center of Province D'Aoste. However, the routes along the border of Schwyz were known to be a little more difficult to traverse, as it was along the side of the mountains. There was also the local wildlife, but those were less of a threat than, say, falling off the side of a mountain.

The journey would take a week and a half to reach the border between Atraca and Escaria, and a few days more to swing around the tip of Schwyz to reach the town of Montclair. During the trip, Claire kept an eye on the pair accompanying her. The two did seem like they were warming up to one another more and more, which was good really. It seemed like her drunken escapades hadn't bothered them all that much.

The town of Montclair, despite its location in Atraca, reminded Claire of some of the towns one would see throughout most of Escaria. Escarian-style houses and homes, usually all surrounding a large, beautifully designed structure like a fort or cathedral. The larger estates and mansions would be outside of the town, dotting the rolling countryside all around the town.

It was likely that House Saville would own one of the estates. The issue was figuring out which one. They would have to check around town to figure out where to go. Maybe asking some of the local citizenry?

• Check with local citizens. Perhaps one of the normal folks of Montclair would know where to go?
• Ask the constabulary. The law enforcers often gave directions to those curious enough to ask. Perhaps they would know?
• Wander around. It'd probably be best to get a feel for the town yourself, and find your own way.

 

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