The Rone Resurgence - 2018-08-06 - A Matter of Malluch and Malice (log)

Phoenatos 6-7, 5118

by Florania Autumnwind of the [[::The_TownCrier|TownCrier]]

Summary

• Town guards are heard shouting over other guards vanishing and a prisoner being attacked. Some of the [[::Wehnimer's Landing|Landing's]] residents and allies investigate at the prison, where Malluch is found with his eyes torn out and blood dotting his forehead. Witnesses also report seeing a bloody gash in the door that led to his cell, which closed up afterward as if by magic.

• Efforts to either heal Malluch or get information from him prove to be futile as he rocks back and forth, raving in two-and-three-word phrases about "I know not," shadows, birds, men, daggers, voices, "back for you," "back for me," "she say," briars, pain, doors, ice, "she," remembering, blood, a "darkness flood," and "back she say."

• Ultimately Malluch is taken away as many questions remain.

Log

The Guards' Shout

Some guards can be heard shouting nearby, "...they were all there but now gone! Like they vanished, all of the guards! And...the prisoner has been attacked!"

Malluch is off to a rough start! He just bit the dust!

Secondhand Account: Prisoner Imperiled

[A report from Leafiara follows:]

[Prison, Hallway]

The scent of sulphur lies heavy in the air, and a blazing torch brightly illuminates everything. A thick mithril door stands opposite a battered bronze one, with the latter appearing as though it had recently been beat down. A number of stone chips litter the back wall, whereupon a sconce is set. You also see a large steel door with an iron-barred window.

Also here: High Lady Lauranathalasa, Malluch

Leafiara furrows her brow.

You see Malluch Burdos.

He appears to be a Human.

He is tall. He appears to be youthful. He has empty sockets for eyes and tanned skin. He has shoulder length, smooth dark blonde hair worn in a slender ponytail. He has a clean-shaven face, a straight nose and a trimmed dark blonde goatee. His eyes have both been torn viciously from his face, and blood still covers his face and cheeks. Small sanguine dots cover his forehead like a smattering of crimson freckles.

He is in good shape.

He is wearing a high-collared dark brown longcoat, a stained grey leather tunic, some heavy rune-etched chains, and some frayed dark leather pants.

Great Lord Gryzzlbok just arrived.

Speaking suspiciously to Malluch, Leafiara says, "Heard some rumors about you, but, ah--"

Lauranathalasa peers quizzically at Malluch.

Malluch drools.

Malluch drools.

Leafiara flails her arms about.

Gryzzlbok traces a series of glowing runes while chanting an arcane phrase...

Gryzzlbok gestures.

Gryzzlbok suddenly disappears.

Dergoatean: "Anyone checking the prison?"

Leafiara: "He seems to be alive, but--not exactly well."

Malluch rocks a bit, blood trailing from his arm and knee and empty eye sockets.

Leafiara squints.

Evia: "What?"

Malluch rocks a bit, blood trailing from his arm and knee and empty eye sockets.

Malluch rocks a bit, blood trailing from his arm and knee and empty eye sockets.

Leafiara: "The prison. Malluch is here."

Leafiara glances at Malluch.

Leafiara frets.

Lauranathalasa moves into a defensive stance, ready to fend off an attack.

Leafiara says, "I'm alerting the others..."

Leafiara nods.

Lauranathalasa nods to Leafiara.

Leafiara: "And... he's seen some better days."

On the steel door that once held Malluch, a huge bloody fissure is evident, looking like a jagged wound.

Leafiara glances at a large steel door.

Dame Evia just arrived.

Evia says, "Hm."

Leafiara points at Malluch.

Evia gasps.

Leafiara say, "The door's all damaged..."

Leafiara shakes her head.

Deep in the shadows, you think you see movement: something like a thousand snakes all swarming around each other. By the time you've focused to get a closer look, they are gone.

Cruxophim suddenly fades into view.

Cruxophim examines Malluch closely, sizing him up and taking note of all the details.

Cruxophim frowns.

Leafiara say, "And his eyes are..."

Lauranathalasa asks, "Should we subdue him?"

Leafiara clenches her jaw.

Mayor Lylia just arrived.

Evia asks, "Has he spoken?"

A raven flies in and lands on the floor.

On the steel door that once held Malluch, a huge bloody fissure is evident, looking like a jagged wound.

The raven glances around the room, its eyes gleaming intelligently.

Lylia glances at a thick mithril door.

Lauranathalasa shakes her head.

You flatly say, "No, he's pretty well subdued... far worse, actually."

Rhayveign's group just arrived.

You hear very soft footsteps.

A spotted great horned owl hops into the area, fluttering his wings as he settles down.

Lylia walks toward Malluch.

Pale, swirling mist begins to billow out from nothingness before you, and quickly coalesces into a small orb of shifting essence. Suddenly, the orb expands and forms an elliptical portal of swirling blues and blacks, its edges shrouded in dancing blue-white mist.

Claudaro steps out of the shifting portal.

The shifting portal shimmers slightly, the haze within its glowing outline growing opaque as it contracts to a pinpoint of blue-grey mist and vanishes.

The jagged wound on the cell door slowly shrinks, before sealing up and fading altogether. The steel door is whole once more.

Cruxophim nods faintly at Lylia.

Claudaro ponders.

Jeril bites Cruxophim!

Claudaro nods to Lylia in greeting.

You glance at a thick mithril door.

Malluch drools.

Lauranathalasa says, "He seems in a trance."

Malluch drools.

Malluch pants.

Cruxophim looks thoughtfully at Malluch.

Jeril gives Leafiara a friendly hug.

Cruxophim gently bites Jeril.

Leafiara hugs Jeril, who wraps her in a warm embrace.

Malluch hoarsely says, "I know not I Know not I know not I know not.."

Chaoswynd raises an eyebrow.

Lylia kneels down.

Evia asks, "What manner of magic is that?"

Chaoswynd glances at Leafiara.

Cruxophim softly murmurs, "He does not look well, aye."

Cruxophim sniffs.

Leafiara surprisedly says, "He can still speak..."

Jeril takes a moment to observe Malluch.

The raven pecks at the ground.

Rhayveign raises an eyebrow.

Cruxophim grimly observes, "Something... dark."

Malluch holds his hands up to his face, blood still seeping from the empty sockets where his eyes once were.

Lylia narrows her eyes.

Speaking thoughtfully to Cruxophim, Leafiara asks, "Are you able to restore his eyes or is this--something well beyond that?"

Chaoswynd looks thoughtfully at Malluch.

Evia winces.

Malluch hoarsely says, "Shadow shadow bird bird shadow shadow man man dagger dagger voice voice."

Speaking uncertainly to Leafiara, Cruxophim ventures, "I... I suspect this level of trauma would prohibit such, alas."

Leafiara glances at Malluch.

Malluch hoarsely says, "I know not I know not..."

Leafiara nods slowly at Cruxophim.

Claudaro chuckles to himself.

Evia says, "Gads."

Cruxophim looks thoughtfully at Malluch.

Malluch hoarsely says, "Remember remember."

Cruxophim softly murmurs, "Rooks?"

First-Hand Account: Mumblings and Murmurings

Lady Florania just arrived.

Cruxophim raises his eyebrow, the fractured bone shards set within only enhancing his skeptical expression.

Malluch hoarsely says, "Back for you...back for you...back for me she say she say...back for me..."

Leafiara ponders.

Speaking in Faendryl, Lylia says something you don't understand.

Lylia stands up.

Leafiara glances skeptically at Malluch.

A ruffled grey-headed hawk flies in and lands on the floor.

Lylia says, "Shadow birds. It sounds as though it could be."

The raven ruffles her feathers.

Lylia glances at a raven.

Malluch hoarsely says, "Back for you...back for you...back for me she say she say...back for me..."

Cruxophim begins chuckling at Lylia!

Lylia murmurs, "All nonsense words. Rhyming and gibberish."

Speaking to Cruxophim, Evia asks, "Would a wee sip of something calming help him?"

Malluch hoarsely says, "Dagger dagger briar pain dagger dagger."

Lylia shakes her head.

The area suddenly grows brighter, the shadows recede.

Leafiara glances at Chaoswynd.

Chaoswynd raises an eyebrow in Malluch's direction.

Malluch hoarsely says, "Back for you...back for you...back for me she say she say...back for me..."

Mistress Clairette just arrived.

Leafiara raises an eyebrow in Chaoswynd's direction.

Speaking uncertainly to Evia, Cruxophim speculates, "Couldn't hurt, I suppose."

Jeril says, "Interesting."

With a flap of its wings, the grey-headed hawk launches itself into the air.

The grey-headed hawk flies off.

Malluch hoarsely says, "I know not I Know not I know not I know not.."

You frown.

Clairette looks thoughtfully at Malluch.

Cruxophim seriously murmurs, "Something got into his head."

Kyann just arrived.

Cruxophim closes his eyes and turns an ear towards Malluch, listening to him with a curious expression.

Speaking flatly to Cruxophim, Leafiara agrees, "Literally."

Malluch scratches at his forehead.

Dergoatean just arrived.

Clairette tilts her head toward Malluch, examining him intently as the tip of one ear twitches briefly.

Malluch hoarsely says, "Shadow shadow door door door..."

Leafiara takes a moment to observe Malluch.

Malluch hoarsely says, "Ice ice ice ice ice ice ice."

Lylia says, "Perhaps his hands should be restrained, lest he do more damage to the ruin of his face."

Cruxophim despondently mutters, "Oh dear, I do hope we don't have another Carenos on our hands."

Speaking to himself, Dergoatean says, "This isn't great."

Malluch hoarsely says, "Back for you...back for you...back for me she say she say...back for me..."

Claudaro asks, "So did no one see what happened?"

Leafiara scrubs her hand through her shoulder length bright red hair in frustration.

Lylia shakes her head.

Leafiara looks at Claudaro and shakes her head.

Evia says, "If he starts yammering baby baby, I am done."

Evia stamps her feet.

Clairette nods grimly at Cruxophim.

Speaking ruefully to Cruxophim, Leafiara says, "It does seem similar."

Jeril laughs at Evia!

Master Beldannon just arrived.

Cruxophim curiously ventures, "Is he properly restrained?"

Lylia says, "I heard some guards shouting, and very little else. Except his nonsense."

Lauranathalasa says, "He has chains on."

Malluch hoarsely says, "Back for you...back for you...back for me she say she say...back for me..."

Jeril says, "Ice and briar sounds like a place near Mule."

Leafiara nods faintly at Lauranathalasa.

Claudaro says, "What do our guards.. guard then if one can stroll into a jail, attack a high profile prisoner, and not see anything."

Claudaro shakes his head.

Evia asks, "Briar..patch?"

Jeril leans softly against Rhayveign.

Speaking curiously to Malluch, Clairette ventures, "Someone's come back for you?"

Cruxophim mildly remarks, "Well, he certainly won't be bothering anyone any longer. At least, -this- Rone shan't."

Evia says, "That's here though."

Speaking to Claudaro, Lylia says, "Good question."

Claudaro nods at Lylia.

Leafiara musingly says, "Mm, visions of Lana perhaps, but--there's really no telling."

Leafiara shakes her head.

Elphieya: "Is everything ok at the prison? Any need for a healer?"

Speaking to Cruxophim, Lylia says, "Perhaps that was another 'Rone's' doing."

Evia asks, "Or something she sang?"

Leafiara: "We have a healer... but he seems beyond help right now."

Evician exclaims, "Wow!"

Clairette asks, "How many have been caught, now?"

Clairette ponders.

Speaking thoughtfully to Lylia, Cruxophim speculates, "Could be. Cleaning up loose ends?"

Cruxophim frowns.

Lylia nods at Cruxophim.

Cruxophim flicks at the end of the blackened bone spike in his lip thoughtfully with his tongue.

Speaking to Clairette, Lylia says, "None. Save this one."

Lylia scowls.

Elphieya: "Oh no!"

Cruxophim chuckles.

Speaking to Malluch, Lauranathalasa asks, "Who is she?"

Jeril leans softly against Rhayveign.

Clairette says, "And he's not much of use to us in this state."

Dwi: "Jailbreak?"

Clairette frets.

Rhayveign leans softly against Jeril.

Leafiara nods gravely at Clairette.

Malluch hoarsely says, "She she she....remember remember...."

Dergoatean: "Malluch is still here."

Malluch hoarsely says, "Back for you...back for you...back for me she say she say...back for me..."

Dergoatean: "Looks like it was an attack rather than a planned escape."

Evia says, "The inside of the cell had what looked like some sort of opening like a wound."

Evician cocks his head at Malluch.

Kelestra just arrived.

Leafiara nods at Evia.

Lylia nods at Evia.

Cruxophim chuckles.

Laralana just arrived.

Speaking to Malluch, Evia says, "Sit down perhaps."

Leafiara suspiciously adds, "And then it... closed up like magic."

Evia squints at Malluch.

Dwi just came marching in.

Dwi grunts in greeting.

Leafiara nods at Dwi.

Speaking to Leafiara, Clairette asks, "Which was the door leading to his cell?"

Evia says, "Don't think he even hears us."

Dwi turns toward you and renders you a sharp salute with her dwarven waraxe.

Speaking to Leafiara, Claudaro says, "That was an interesting little twist of magic, I did walk in just in time to witness it... as if nothing happened."

Leafiara points at a large steel door with an iron-barred window.

You nod at Claudaro.

Lylia leans forward.

Clairette takes a few steps toward a large steel door with an iron-barred window.

Leafiara rubs her chin thoughtfully.

Clairette tries to tinker with a large steel door with an iron-barred window.

Kelestra shifts her weight.

Gryzzlbok says, "Dwi speaks gibberish, maybe she can make sense of this fella."

Cruxophim rubs his chin thoughtfully.

Jeril snickers at Gryzzlbok.

Speaking heartily to Gryzzlbok, Dwi asks, "Why ain't he in chains?"

Beldannon ponders.

Clairette removes a set of gold filigree calipers etched with asymmetrical lines from in her locksmith's toolkit.

Leafiara peers quizzically at Dwi.

Evician says, "He's gone mad it would seem."

Gryzzlbok says, "He is."

You slowly say, "He is."

Jeril says, "He doesn't sound like he is speaking dwarvish though."

Speaking calmly to Dwi, Cruxophim explains, "He is."

Malluch hoarsely says, "Pain and shadow.....pain and blood...pain and shadow...darkness flood..."

Dwi heartily asks, "Why ain't he in more chains?"

Dwi grunts in annoyance, rolling her eyes.

Lauranathalasa giggles at Dwi.

Claudaro says, "I hardly think a man surrounded as he is, and with his eyes removed, is going anywhere."

(Lylia peers at Malluch's face, then tilts her head to look at his ears to see if there's any sign of their having been violated as thoroughly as the prisoner's eyes.)

Claudaro chuckles to himself.

Lylia narrows her eyes.

Speaking to Cruxophim, Clairette asks, "Can you heal him?"

Beldannon giggles at Kelestra.

Clairette raises an eyebrow in Cruxophim's direction.

Kelestra grins at Beldannon.

Lylia admits, "I am no healer. I cannot tell if he cannot hear us, or if he will not hear us."

Kelestra shrugs.

Cruxophim begins a careful examination of Malluch -- he takes his pulse, checks his temperature, and checks for broken bones or any other ailments.

Kelestra mutters something about tasty.

Leafiara glances expectantly at Cruxophim.

Malluch's skin takes on a slight flush as Cruxophim focuses on him.

Nothing happens.

The raven hops around the room.

Malluch hoarsely says, "Back she say back she say back she say...."

Clairette folds her hands.

Kelestra wiggles her eyebrows.

Dwi squints.

Lauranathalasa examines Malluch closely, sizing him up and taking note of all the details. Evia rocks back on her heels.

Kelestra arches one eyebrow at Jeril in an expression of sardonic amusement.

Cruxophim plainly says, "I can calm him and sedate his heart rate a bit, but the eyes will need to be tended more... manually."

Leafiara absently says, "If not for the report of an attack, I'd be wondering if this was some aftereffect of--whatever the Alchemist did to him--finally wearing off."

Leafiara nods at Cruxophim.

Clairette nods understandingly at Cruxophim.

Evician nods to Leafiara.

Claudaro says, "With the door as it was, that seems dubious."

Claudaro nods to Leafiara.

Speaking thoughtfully to Leafiara, Cruxophim murmurs, "That's quite a side-effect."

Cruxophim grins wryly.

Some prison guards arrive in a hurry, heavily armor and weapons drawn. They nod to those present, and quickly, but harmlessly subdue Malluch and carry him off.

[Later in the night, Claudaro raised a possibility...]

Claudaro asks, "Perhaps whatever was done to the door left an impression on it, that a bard might be able to make resonate?"

Yhtrin looks slightly uncomfortable.

Claudaro shrugs.

Lylia nods at Claudaro.

>sense

You do not sense any particular histories resonating in the room.

You shake your head.

Claudaro nods.

You quietly affirm, "No... there is nothing remaining."