eath at the Farm
Chapter 15: Imprisoned!
The Crimson Shadow was not concerned. It was not the first time he found himself in jail. It would not be the last. The town guard was notoriously corrupt. If, as he suspected, the plague was not caused naturally, they may have been in league with those seeking to spread the plague. By locking up The Crimson Shadow and Zoorah, the quest would be doomed to fail.
Separated from his compatriot, The Crimson Shadow was questioned mercilessly. In a seemingly uncharacteristic breach of loyalty, he turned on Zoorah almost immediately. He claimed that he was not the master thief all knew him to be, but was rather a humble watch maker, tricked into a life of crime by the cruel bard. He was informed that Zoorah had said the exact same thing, but far more convincingly.
His appeals for freedom denied, The Crimson Shadow was placed into his cell. Rather than fight his way out, The Crimson Shadow bided his time. He had a plan, one far more clever than digging a hole covered by tapestry, or tattooing elaborate escape plans onto his body. He would wait.
Later that day, The Crimson Shadow was informed that Zoorah had been released, taking his simple "watch maker tools" with him. The Crimson Shadow feigned outrage, demanding to be released. His cries went unanswered.
Few things surprise The Crimson Shadow, but he was shocked to find himself sharing a cell with the very adventurers he had been hired to assist. They had murdered a farmwife and her son, apparently in cold blood. He wondered what people he had been tasked with aiding, but pushed that thought from his mind. They had a job to do.
Soon, Zoorah would be coming to rescue him. They had a long standing plan that, should they both be arrested, Zoorah would claim innocence and be released. The Crimson Shadow would stay behind, botching his attempt to be free on purpose to make Zoorah's story that much more convincing. The "watch marker tools" Zoorah claimed were, of course, famed "Crimson Thief Tools" used masterfully by The Crimson Shadow. As soon as Zoorah arrived, they would all be free.
It was only a matter of time.
Greetings Uthelon and the High Council of Moridem
As I surmised by their questionable demeanor, the two suspicious men did not even reach the edge of Calloden before they were arrested and summarily taken into custody. Larceny, bribery, murder, who knows what these two have brought upon themselves? Needless to say, I will no longer need to spend my time watching over my possessions.
Our strange company also lost another member before leaving town. The elf of the woods fell ill once again. However, by Corellon's fortune, Brother Kerrick introduced us to a fellow clergyman, an elf, donning scale male and the temples' scepter as proof of our legitimacy as investigators in the matter of the plague. The elf seems wise beyond his years, though I question his upbringing, the inflection of his dialect points to a more common rearing.
The events of our investigation were atrocious at best and I shan't go into much detail. It is clear that I am not the only inexperienced traveler in this party. It was only by Corellon's providence that we escaped with our lives and with some semblance of information about the strange plague we are investigating.
Coming to the farmhouse at dusk, we split into two groups; the keen eyed woodsman and the elf of the cloth went to watch the house and Zephir and myself were to watch the barn. No sooner had we established our positions then the two others decided to move in for a closer view. This I perceived only by the raucous reverberation of metal upon scale armor that echoed through the near empty forest. From the sound I could only guess that they had stumbled into one another (or tripped over a russet sack full of cymbals if I judged by the level of noise produced). For a second I caught myself wishing for the service of the two ruffians we had met earlier. It was not long before their follies brought forth the farmer who succeeded in piercing our dear cleric through the shoulder with a crossbow bolt. The chain of events that followed occurred so quickly I dare say it is difficult to describe in perfect detail. Let me simply say that we faced a formidable foe in the farmer, his family, and two canines. Throughout the entire ordeal we tried to persuade the farmer to surrender but he would have none of it.
As I mentioned in my previous communication, I was planning to hold my magic in reserve until I could gauge the response of the local area, but two occurences prompted me to quickly change my mind; the first of which was simple enough, for the first time I was staring death in the face (and nearly succumbed later to a blow dealt by the farmer's son), the second was a realization that, if I should ever meet with Minud, I need to be prepared. So, for the first time, I tapped into the infinite ribbon, weighing both the life and death of the foes before me, and unleashed a beautiful blinding blast, even Leithal would have been proud of, engulfing the farmer's son and dropping his two canine companions. Even with the canines temporarily diverted Sadir, the cleric, and I had a difficult time bringing down lad. It was during this scuffle that I felt the weight of a large wooden club strike the crown of my skull. I was knocked unconscious immediately, and would have quickly joined our forefathers had the cleric's prayers and petitions not reached the ears of Corellon and brought life back into these frail bones. Praise Corellon!
When I came to, the entire party was alive and well, which pleased me greatly. Thinking back on the night I remember quite vividly the smell of burnt flesh when I awoke though I think I was a bit groggy from the strike I sustained and, as a result, did not understand the implications of the smell but, now that I think back on the events, Zephir did look a little worse for the wear and I wonder whether the smell was emanating from his body. It is difficult to say having always had that darker hue found in most desert inhabitants but I shall have to inquire with him.
We quickly dispatched of the two canine beasts that still lay quietly asleep, put out the fire burning in the house, and found both gold and a chest within the abode. Unfortunately, the farmer had escaped during the melee and already had put a mile between us. Having learned nothing from the lifeless corpses laying about we decided to pursue. Sadir picked up the farmer's tracks not far from the farmhouse and followed them to another farmhouse a few miles deeper into the valley. We were not the only visitors to the house that night. As we watched the dwelling five men on horseback approached each armed with simple farm weapons. It appears that our friend is not the only one potentially involved with this plague.
We decided the odds would be more favorable if we rested for the night and returned with reinforcements the following day. I only hope that we are not too late to discover the cause of this awful plague.
I realized tonight that I am not yet prepared to face Minud on my own. It is a lesson well learned and helps curb the overconfidence that often brought the scold of you Uthelon and my teachers. I recal that Baelrath often recited the Elders words: "the beginning of knowledge is knowing that you know not." How true this statement is in all the eddies and currents of life. I feel blessed to have learned it's meaning without losing my life in the process. I understand now that to be a Seeker is not a destination but a road traveled. I must travel this road in order to gain the knowledge and power necessary to thwart the impending evil once and for all and so I will remain with this group until I am prepared and Minud's path is found.
Blessed be Corellon and the Dwin'ghymn!
Nareth
