Bring Out Your Dead

The trip out to the Gilded Pastry, a short trip into the Felwood of all places proves rather uneventful. Finding the place for the gilded pastry is actually pretty easy, they have signs pointing the way everywhere! The building is ramshackle at best. Somebody clearly used wall of stone spells and just threw things together, and then cut off pieces to make sure it does not fall in on itself. The stone wall craved on the front has a giant chocolate chip cookie pattern drawn out, with yellow paint used to color it. Standing out side are two men in black robes who are gleefully talking to some clients, who have a cart of dead bodies with them. "Oh yes yes 1 gold a body, do you have any children you wish to declare?"

Lucy creeps up towards the place she's been told the Gilded Pastry is, stopping well out of the range a normal human could see in the late evening. She squints at the building and then whispers to the others, "That place looks like it was just slapped together. Maybe with magic. There's no way this is a normal pastry shop." She shudders slightly, looking at the nearby trees. "And besides, what would a normal pastry shop be doing out here in a place like this?"

Malorn creeps up along with Lucy and he looks towards the shack, "Well they are less a bakery and more a public necromancy guild. One we've been requested to investigate and stop them if need be." He starts to look it over.

"...Whatever it is once we have information on what is happening I intend to burn it to the ground," Kore responds rather girmly. She is clutching her holy symbol, the harp of Vardama held close to the Chord's chest. "This is..." She pauses for a second and slowly shakes her head. "All of these people simply going along with it as well. I suppose theydon't know better, but..." For a second the diminutive half-Mul is biting her bottom lip. "We need to be careful... They have to be expecting trouble."

"Two children, found em..." pausing a moment, "On the road on the way here, yes we found them on the road." The black robed man shrugs his shoulders, "We don't care where you get the corpse, and we don't ask questions. Our guild master is most interested in them. Says she is working on something for her great grand child." Then moving over to the card, "Oh all of these are fresh. Let me see... 1..." counting up, "That will be 12 gold. Here you go." Then waves to the next group up, "Bring out your dead!" Another cart of dead bodies being rolled up.

Lucy says, "Well...yes." She thinks for a moment. "But I bet what they're expecting even more is for people to come to deliver bodies. Maybe we can pretend we're delivering bodies. Can one of you pretend to be a--" she hushes suddenly, tilting her head to the side to listen. Her expression looks stricken. "Did he say children?"

Malorn clenches his fist, "I've had enough of this." He looks to the others, "We need to put a stop to this and now." He tries to keep his voice down, "I can put a bubble of darkness around them so we can get closer to get the drop on them. It will douse their lights."

Lucy frowns. "That would warn them they're in trouble. If they're cowards they could run away. Even if they're not cowards, what's to say some of them won't get away!" She thinks furiously. "There's just not enough of us to really surround them and make sure we catch them all. We need a way to get closer to them -without- raising their guard."

The two black robed start counting out the next cart, "oh 8 children, that will be sixteen gold. Our guild master will be really happy." nodding as they start to pull out the gold for the next group of obvious murderors.

Lucy bites her lip, loosening her rapier in it's sheath. Finally she nods. "Just let me get around them on the other side. I'll signal when I'm in position." She pauses and then adds, "With lights. You can't miss them. They'll be dancing."

Smythly has totally been here, actuallly. In fact, he's been silent this whole time, a hammer over his shoulder. He's ceded the leading on the mattewr to the others, content to keep an eye out for... /evil/.

Malorn nods to Lucy, "Go ahead and get in position then with your lights." He says as he moves to make himself ready to go after these murderers.

A series of 4 lights rises into the air and then they bob, spin and sway. Dancing is the only way to describe them. At the same time Lucy bursts from behind some trees on the far side of the building, a throwing spear in each hand.

The men in black robes are completely surprise as they turn and stare at Lucy, "Uhh miss... do you have any bodies?"

Lucy steps closer, her stride slow and deliberate...like the approach of death. If death was just over 3 feet high that is. Ahem! But she stares grimly at the men. "I'm not here for your filthy blood money! I'm here to put a stop to your evil!"

The men at the cart peer at the woman and then at the black robed men, "So.. if we kill her for you, a gold right?" licking their lips at some extra coin.

"....you /bastards/," says Smythly. He has a hammer, but honestly, what they need is a good kicking.

... in the groin. 

Smythly is short. Very short. So this more or leans he runs at them in clankking plate armor, kicks off the ground, and more or less leap-kicks one of them in the crotch. 

It is probbly an effective intimdiation move.

The black robed men make some bone crunching sounds as the robes fall off and they pull out long swords. Then turn and rush towards lucy, the swing going wide. The other chrages towards Smythly and slices into him.

The black robed men by the way, are clearly armored skeletons!

Of the two murderers only one is left alive, and he is holding his gonads and falling to the ground, "I surrender..." a hopeful touch in his voice as he looks at his fallen companion.

Lucy throws her spear. It slices one of the murderer's arms in a glancing hit. Lucy had been aiming for the heart (as she almost always does) but at this distance she had to add considerable arc to the throw for the tiny spear to reach.

Crash.

Smyhtly's hammer is up. And then he raises it down on the skeleton with a massive, thunderous crash. 

"I suppose I could've done that to their testicles. Would keep the lot of you from breeding. I reccomend surrendering. There may yet be mercy for your souls." 

The goblin's shrill voice is kept low and gravelly.

Lucy draws her rapier as she circles around the skeleton. She looks for a likely place to strike it - she's not sure it will even have a heart. Then she finds her target. She stabs it at the base of the neck, her sword running it completely through. When she jerks her blade back out the skeleton's head tumbles off of it's body. "I knew it! These aren't pastry chefs at all!"

The murderer just groans as he continues to hold his genitals, "Owe... please don't kill me..." rolling over and perhaps looking at the nearest escape path.

"Stay very still," Kore calls coldly. She descends from the postiion where she'd thrown her shuriken, her hands still ablaze. The woman takes a deep breath as she comes closse to the man on the ground, stsudying him intensely. "I am a Chord of Vardama. You have violated her sacred laws. Answer truthfully and I will guarantee your safety back to Alexandria. Otherwise I will turn you over to the Grey Lady.." A beat. "Did you kill the children who were in that cart? And do you know others who have done the same?" Lucy earns- a nod. Kore is busy.

The murderer stops moving and goes completely still, outside of the faint whimper of pain. He looks at Kore and then says slowly, "Yes... yes.." to both his question.

Lucy goes to retrieve her spear and then returns to stand next to Kore. "Where are the others? Tell us and we'll take you back to Alexandria to stand trial for your actions. Don't tell us...and I'll take you to the spider farm. I hear it's egg-laying season. They say the mother spiders plant their eggs in your stomach so the little ones have plenty to eat when they hatch...wouldn't that be something to see!"

THe man shrinks back and goes a bit pale, "I don't know... everybody is doing this! People I pass by, honest I swear!" looking to Kore, and then to Lucy. Then seeming to regain some of his courage, "Death then." Attempting to get to his feet to run away, "Better then the jails or gallows anyways!"

"Yes, yes. Beg for your life. It's really unbecoming," says Smyhtly, shaking his head. "And they called /my/ people craven." She rolls his eyes, shoulders his hammer, and says, "You're going to fill us in on every bit of your plan. And /everyone/? Please," he snorts.

"We'll question him properly when we get back, hm?" As the man runs Kore reaches out and smacks him on the back of the head. he tumbles to the ground. She then moves to pick the fellow up. "We're deep enough that the ability to find evil is of dubious value. Can you detet the undead?" Kore asks as she slowly looks around.

This area of the felwood has been cleared out. The cart of corpses has fully caught on fire and is leaving the smell of burning bodies in the air. A smell that might eventually attract something, but for now is quiet. The only other thing of note is the ramshackle structure they were using.

Malorn starts to look into the shack although he does so carefully. "There might be more in the shack. Someone is making and controlling these abominations."

Inside the stone ramshackle building are dozens and dozens of bodies in various states of decay. Ranging from skeletons, to recently dead bodies where the blood is still wet. The bodies ranged from young infants to the elderly who died of natural causes. There might be something hidden in the building, but it will take some time to search.

Malorn pulls back away from the door and he has to take a moment as he has to fight to keep from being sickened. He takes a step back and he takes a deep breath. "That is unpleasant."

Kore Finds a note: 'Among the dead bodies you find along the far wall a small half broken table with a book on it. Written in it are some instructions. 1. Pay 1 gold for every body. 2. Pay 1 extra gold for every child. 3. Kill anybody that does not bring you a body.

Signed: Mandy, the Chaos Lich.'

Kore watches as Malorn exits the house and nods slowly. She takes a deep breath and nods once, walking toward him. The slender Inquisitor examines the doorway for a second before shaking her head once and proceeding inward. "It's a perfect place to hide something. We need to be sure the bodies burn with the others," she continues quietly. Kore tenses for a second but doesn't react to the smell otherwise. Perhaps she is more used to it.

Eventually Kore returns. "I found- a book of instructions. It says to pay for all of the bodies and kill anyone who comes without one. Signed by... Mandy the Chaos Lich?" She pauses and holds the book up. "I don't think there is anything else of value."

"...these are Alexandrians. You can tell, msotly, from the clothes. Come on. Let's get them back to Alexandria and the VArdamans." Apparently, he just wants to take them all with him, smell or no smell. Smythly nods his head, firmly.

Malorn overcomes his nausea to help with the bodies, "I found a message." He says as he looks over the worn parchment and holds it up, "It says "Next location. East of Alexandria, outside borders. Will set up shop, if you survive head that way, if not - Toodles my minions. ~M"

Lucy stumbles back out of the building, then sits down heavily. "'Next location'?" she echoes. "We'll have to check it out. Just...as soon as my eyes stop watering."

Kore is frowning thoguthfully. "I'm concerned about corruption but if we get them to themple promptly..." She pauses for a moment, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "We can'tgo back for assistance and wait... With that many bodies we may need multiple wagons." She considers this a moment.

"...I guess we're going that way," says Smyhtly, firmly.

Grunt. HE's ready to head there /nbow/, it seems.

Lucy wrinkles her forehead. "From the smell I'd say they may already be corrupt." She pauses and then adds in a smaller voice, "I'm sorry, that was crude." She finally pushes herself to her feet, using one of her spears like a walking stick for support. "I'd love to do something about them - but what? And from the sounds of that note, this might all be happening again somewhere else. Shouldn't we stop it?"

"Unless we've a way to move them all at once we have no choice but to burn them and hope they find peace in their next life," Kore states sincerely. "I can't consecrate them."

Malorn continues to load as much as he can, "Let's take these to the Mountain Temple and let them know that there are others and that this might be happening again. Perhaps they can help prevent this."