The Town of Jaffa

Inside the Tavern:


Nydian is holding onto the serving girl as she struggles to free herself and stab you, going as far as to try to bite your hand to get you to release her.


Brigid lunges, and since the crazed man is not doing anything to try and avoid getting hit, she slides her blade into his leg with ease.  He screams in pain as he stumbles to the ground, but is still alive and is trying to claw his way forward to get to you.


Duncan shakes off his shock and leaps to his feet, and manages to catch the second man in a wrestling move and slams him to the deck, pinning him there.  "What in Luna's name is going on here?  Calm down!  We are not your enemy!"  The man being held continues to snarl and squirm, but doesn't seem able to say anything coherent.  Very animalistic.
 
Slighted Coil looks at Wail "I think it best to avoid the conflict. We can deal with peasants, but I think it best to get to the bottom of things."

If Wail agrees, she will take the form of a hawk, and fly above the fighting crowd, but if not, she will run though them, knocking them aside, trying to do as little damage as possible.
 
Wail is not strong enough to do much damage, but he's tanky enough that the damage he'll take won't be a problem.
I just want to pass through.
 
Wail is able to easily power through the mass of brawling people, while Coil takes a more indirect route past them.  It takes a little bit of time before you find yourselves at a large manor house at the center of town  From the look of the place, it would seem that it is being used as a government building; a town hall, perhaps.  With Wail's Demon Eye, you can tell that this is the source of the mystical energies that are filling the town, including the darker, necromantic filaments.  The building is a three story tall mansion with a central hall and a pair of wings extending off to each side, and from the style of its construction, you would guess that this place was built hundreds of years ago.  The disturbing part of what you are looking at is the strips of Soulsteel along the outer edges of the structure, including precise geometric patterns of the dark metal on the tiles on the grounds around the building.
 
Wail observes at the soulsteel patterns, his curiosity tempered by sudden worry.


He speaks, half to himself and half to Slighted Coil, his gaze wondering nervously.
"THE RIVERS OF GHENNA SHALL WITHER AND A THOUSAND WILL DIE FOR THEN TRUTH AND TRUTH ONLY WILL COME FROM THE ENEMY
Soulsteel... Patterns... This is not an accident, this is deliberate."

Are there any signs that soulsteel was added recently? I would expect cracks and greenery in the materials surrounding the soulsteel if they are old.
Also, is Wail able to determine whether the mystical energies of the manse are specifically directed to drive people crazy or it is just some side effect of something larger?
 
From a cursory examination, you would have to guess that the soulsteel is a more recent addition to the building.  From what you felt from the first time you entered the town, you felt a very positive effect from the manse as it invigorated everyone and washed away your fatigue.  It would seem that the soulsteel is corrupting the positive effect of the manse, making everyone go insane.  If the soulsteel is removed from the manse, it might remove the deleterious effects of the dark metal.


You would also have to guess that it would take a sizable amount of work to the manse to make it do this, and in order to reverse the negative influence, you'll need to get the soulsteel out of the hearthroom, and you also have to bet that whoever put the soulsteel in the manse is going to be around and will not like you undoing his or her work to drive everyone crazy.
 
The way they're reacting, they remind more of animals - mindless beings, lost in a fury they cannot control. Duncan tries to find out more, his question reaches Nydian's ear over the turmoil of the fighting - but clearly, there is no answer to be expected. "We have to find the cause of their rage elsewhere!" As the girl contnues her struggling, the Full Moon-Lunar tries to knock her out without risking to kill her - as he does so, his appearance shifts as he changes into his towering war form. Enough of hide and seek - these men and woman won't remember too much regardless. Releasing a frightening roar, he shouts: "Whoever causes this - by Luna, show yourself, and don't hide like a weakling. I challenge you to fight for these people's lifes, face to face." Likely, there will be noone listening.
 
Brigid shifts into her war form with a snarl. "We need to get out of here and into the open. It's either that, or we put these mad dogs down. Besides, Wail and Coil are out there, and they might need our help."  She pulls her sword back from the man she stabbed and starts to move to the exit.
 
Duncan wrestles his prisoner to his feet and pulls him along towards the exit with him.  In a strained voice, he says, "Agreed.  We need to move and find the source of this, or be forced to flee out of town until this madness passes.  Lets go find Wail and Coil.  You know them better than I do; any ideas on where they would go?  Perhaps we'll be able to find someone on which Nydian can vent his anger at, someone that would be a worthy opponent."


Out on the street, you can see that there are bodies littering the road, showing the scale of the insanity going on around the town.  The sounds of screaming and fighting can still be heard from various parts.
 
"I doubt that whoever causes this is ever worthy of a Lunar's presence. There's nothing more distasteful than using those too weak to protect themselves for your purposes." Following the elder, Nydian leaves the brawling villagers behind and only mustering those in the streets with a glimpse. "As for the the other two: Probably on their way to the source of the problem, wherever that is. I doubt we'll find them in the middle of a fight - but they won't just hide in the shadows like our opposers either."
 
Brigid unlimbers her bow as her keen eyes take stock of the chaos around them.  "If this madness is affecting the whole town, I would lay my bets that it is somehow that powerful manse we can feel doing it.  Lets head to the center of town; that has to be where the hearthroom of the manse is located.  I'll take to the air and play overwatch."  With that, she launches herself up into the air.
 
xarvh said:
Wail observes at the soulsteel patterns, his curiosity tempered by sudden worry.


He speaks, half to himself and half to Slighted Coil, his gaze wondering nervously.
"THE RIVERS OF GHENNA SHALL WITHER AND A THOUSAND WILL DIE FOR THEN TRUTH AND TRUTH ONLY WILL COME FROM THE ENEMY
Soulsteel... Patterns... This is not an accident, this is deliberate."

Are there any signs that soulsteel was added recently? I would expect cracks and greenery in the materials surrounding the soulsteel if they are old.
Also, is Wail able to determine whether the mystical energies of the manse are specifically directed to drive people crazy or it is just some side effect of something larger?
Click to expand...



"You're the expert on such matters" Slighted Coil said, leaving it hanging whether she meant the Soulsteel, or the patterns that seem accidental but are not, in regards to his strange utterances. Looking around, she adds "Might this be activated by someone from Inside, or does it automatically go off every night?"
 
When Wail checks the door to the manor house, you find it locked up tight.  You will have to either break the door down or find another way in.


From her position in the air, Brigid can see her two fellow Lunars on the front steps of a large mansion in the center of the town. 
 
While looking about, Wail can see off in the distance that Brigid is in the air, guiding the others across the town square to where you and Coil are pondering the door. 


By this point, most of the fighting seems to have tapered off as the various combatants have beaten each other into unconsciousness. 


You are now all together at the steps of the manor house.
 
Nydian musters the others, then the door of the manor. "So this is the place they're hiding in? Or just the one where the madnesses' source can be found?" It does not really matter either way - clearly, the others wish to enter, and it's on the Full Moons to lead the way. Without another word, the man moves forward, attempting to break through the door by brutal force. Whatever is awaiting them inside, it is time to drag it out of its hideout.
 
Setting down next to Nydian, she shoulders her bow to free up her hands to aid the other Full Moon in tearing the door off of its hinges.  Between the two of them, the door shouldn't stand a chance.
 
Between Nydian and Brigid, you are able to rip the door clear off of its hinges and toss it to the side, revealing a large central entryway that branches of to the different wings of the building. As you look inside, there is a middle aged woman in a long dress, starring at you in open mouthed horror.  She lets out a yelp and gathers up her skirts to turn and run away, screaming, "Monsters! Monsters are in the house! M'lord, beware!"


She is running off to the left wing of the house and up the large spiral stairs to the second floor.


Duncan shouts, "She is not affected by the madness! Grab her!"
 
Like a spring, Slighted Coil springs into action. She races fast after the woman, and attempts to trap her in her coils.

I spend 16m personal on Instinct-Driven Beast Movement,for x5 movement, 4m on changing shape to my warform as an instant action, , and I have 15 dice on the grapple
 
No mere mortal could possibly hope to be able to outrun one of Luna's finest when so enhanced by Essence.  Especially when burdened by a long dress and trying to run upstairs.  Slighted Coil easily catches up to her and wraps the fleeing mortal up in her coils.  She would fall if it were not for you holding her up, and she starts to sob, "Mercy!  Mercy on me, I beg you!  Don't eat me!"


From somewhere up on the second floor, you can hear the sound of many footsteps running, most likely towards you, but it is not certain.  Probably other residents of the house drawn to the sounds of the woman screaming about monsters. 


Duncan glares at her.  "Tell me quickly, woman!  How many people are in this building?"
 


"Four others!  That's all, I swear!  Please, spare me!"
 
Wail takes the opportunity to have a quick glance around.

Can I tell anything from the appearance of the woman? Symbols or objects typical of particular cults?

Also, looking for magic with the Lidless Demon Eye.
More soulsteel?
 
Sherwood said:
No mere mortal could possibly hope to be able to outrun one of Luna's finest when so enhanced by Essence.  Especially when burdened by a long dress and trying to run upstairs.  Slighted Coil easily catches up to her and wraps the fleeing mortal up in her coils.  She would fall if it were not for you holding her up, and she starts to sob, "Mercy!  Mercy on me, I beg you!  Don't eat me!"


Duncan glares at her.  "Tell me quickly, woman!  How many people are in this building?"
 


"Four others!  That's all, I swear!  Please, spare me!"
Click to expand...



"Hush woman, I have no intention of eating you." slighted Coil admonishes "But this house is a source of madness, and we need to know who is the owner of the house"
 
First, Wail can see with the Demon Eye that this woman has several pieces of soulsteel on her, bracelets and a choker, and the choker has a hearthstone attached to it.  You can't see any more details; the sheer power of the manse you are in is nearly blinding your third eye with its radiance.  There are filaments of soulsteel throughout the room, all feeding to the center of the building, twisting and corrupting the normal flow of magic and geomancy of the place, turning the positive energies into a twisted flow of madness and despair.


Coils' calm voice brings the woman back from the edge of her hysteria, and she looks up at you.  "I - I am the headmistress of the manor, but the building is a public place, owned by the people of Jaffa.  The closest thing to an owner of the house would be the mayor, and he is upstairs."
 


Speaking of upstairs, two middle aged men dressed in fine clothes run up to the banister and look down at the group of Lunars on the ground floor, and then to Coil holding the woman on the stairway.  The man on the left shouts down at Coil, "Let her go!  Take me in her place, but don't hurt her!"


Wail can see that each of the two men have both pieces of jade and soulsteel, but all can see that neither one are armed with any visible weapons.
 
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