Henrietta provides breakfast and some gossip. Over a week ago, Fracois, a local fellow, fell dead right there in the common room of the Inn. She was taking a break in the kitchen, then a sudden stench, like of rotten meat, filled the air. She went out to see what was causing that stench, in time to see Francois taken out in a sheet, probably taken to the church. She had forgotten about the foul smell until days ago that old Fiora mentioned she smelled it too.
Luc eats his meal, but Kelar asks a question about his brother and Luc goes back to being catatonic. Duncan was passed out in the table.
Kelar thinks he heard something outside, and tells Moonfox. Both decide to check outside. Henrietta warns don't stay too late, she will close the door very soon.
CRIME ON STREET
Kelar and Moonfox meet Constable Grelim. He's wary of them but explains what he's checking.
There's a big stain on the floor, seems there was a big amount of blood. Red licorice at the center of it.
BAKERY AFTER HOURS
Kelar and Moonfox sneak up to the bakery, get in and as they approached the inner door the owner comes out ready to hit them with a baking roller. Seems she was ready for sleep. She was in a very foul mood, but sells them bread and answers questions about the red licorice. The people who buys them the most are the carpenter's kids, Mordu the town eccentric and Jean Tarascon the town's leader and owner of the plantation. After this, Kelar and Moonfox return to the Inn and decide to close the night.
EARLY BIRDS
Moonfox and Kelar get up early. They get their breakfast. Duncan D'Lute is having oatmeal in a corner, Luc is awake but in a trance, still.
DEATH STENCH
Odor of death fills the air. Jerald, and Henrietta feel nauseous as they smell the putrid odor, Lillin cannot hold it in and vomits. Kelar starts feeling dizzy and becomes very weak, falling to the floor almost as if out of breath. Moonfox smells the putrid gust of wind, but holds himself in place.
Duncan D'Lute gets a fatal disease almost instantly. He gets red spots that starts covering his body, somehow making his skin break and melt. Screaming, his skin gets greyish and eyes get out of sockets. Kelar gets so horrified that he cannot stand being in the same place, developing an instant aversion to the visage. He instantly runs as far away as possible from the scene. Moonfox fights undead Duncan as it tries biting him, first targeting core and arm and then targeting the rest of the core with magic missiles. Duncan lays on the floor in a pool of blood, flesh and bones, in pieces.
Henrietta and Lillin seek refuge in Jerald's arms, horrified with the death of Duncan. Luc remained in his trance during the whole event.
Kelar placed himself outside targeting the entrance of the Inn. At the moment that the door opened, he uses his crossbow but misses. Moonfox feels the arrow as it gets stuck on the wall behind him. He goes to Kelar to check what was wrong with him, and from there they decide to get the constable.
CHURCH, COFFIN, BURIAL
Constable Grelim was sleeping in his office, but gets ready and goes to check the Inn, followed by Moonfox. They wrap the remains and take them to the church, where shaman Brucian takes care of pronouncing a ritual that should help Duncan's soul. The constable and Moonfox go to the carpenter's home to get a coffin, and Kelar joins them on the way.
The carpenter's kids play outside their home. The carpenter receives the constable rapidly offering a coffin. Kids outside offer red licorice candy to Moonfox and Kelar. The trio leave the carpenter's home with the coffin. When reaching the church, Kelar goes to get Pierot the Caretaker so he can help opening the gate of the cemetery and bury Duncan. In the meantime, Duncan, Gremin and Moonfox place the remains in the coffin and nail the top. Pierot directs them to the cemetery, opens the iron gates and leads them to an appropriate mausoleum.
Upon departure, Moonfox questions why they don't burn the bodies. Brucian doesn't take that idea lightly, and says the culture demands 4 days of celebrating and mourning the dead and then burying the body. The flesh must be ready, put to rest. the vessel cannot be destroyed intentionally... it is against traditions and beliefs in this region.
BACK AT THE INN
All has been cleaned. Norris and Katrina eating in a table, Luc in stasis in another table. Halfling alone in one table, looking bored. Barmaid Cinthia tells Moonfox that the barmaid that opens did not arrive at all. Kelar and Moonfox decide to check where she lives, so Cinthia gives them the directions.
INVESTIGATING KHALA's HOME
Two rooms, Lillim lives here with Khala as roommates. Khala is not here. Kelar and Moonfox goes to check the house, find Henrietta and Jerald cleaning the kitchen/living room. Lillim is in her room, scared and mourning Khala, who is now missing.
Kelar found some tracks outside of the house. He tells Moonfox and they decide to check. Tracks passed two abandoned houses and a small wood area. Upon checking the second house, they notice that night was creeping upon them. Clouds were really black, like storm clouds. They decide it would be best to return to the Inn.
MADMAN KILLER
Suddenly, they hear a scream that shatters the quiet afternoon, echoing through the village streets. Both Kelar and Moonfox identify the source of the scream and run towards the location, arriving in time to encounter a black-cloaked attacker. His hood concealed his face completely. He had just stabbed the young woman once. Upon seeing Moonfox and Kelar, he drops the barmaid and flees through the village.
Kelar stays with the barmaid, Lillin. He makes sure to give her healing potions after tending to her would. She tells him that a dark figure leaped out of the shadows above her. She screamed as she felt his dagger stab her... and she remembers nothing else. She just wants to go back to her mother, Henrietta... whom she had defied. She had sneaked out of the Inn, as Henrietta did not want her to stay in the house where the other barmaid got attacked...
Moonfox followed the attacker through some houses and then through a small wooded area. He lost the attacker by the end of the woods. The attacker left 3 red licorice candy pieces in the floor where the woods ended.
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