Something About Mary

Background

In the village of Kresk, at a fairly rough interval of once per month, a very special lady comes to town. She seeks out the best and brightest children and offers them space in her very special boarding school. There is no visitation permitted but they are offered the finest education and upon graduation the very best of them have been heard to return to the village and take their wise and trusting parents away to a life of ease in a land beyond the mist.

History

The village is normally led by Master Abel Hannish and his wife Brianna. They are well into their sixties. They had a son in his twenties but he was found floating in the duck pond with strange wounds on his body and they are inconsolable. The Master is not leaving his house to attend to his duties and the population is concerned that his inattention has put them at risk. The patrols are not being scheduled, obligations are not being enforced, rations are overrun.

Niko Hannish is trying to use this opportunity to force his uncle Abel out in favor of his mother Magda. Niko is disliked by many and knows he could not hold a following but is trying to line up some kind of succession to his daughter Vannika.

Picker Paula runs a tinker/pawnshop and her four children scour the town for trade goods as well as opportunities for easy theft.

Biva Solnis, competes with Red’s Jacks and openly accuses Big Red of starting a fire at her mill. Actually caused by her young sister Tina, an aspiring warlock.

The Ghostly Goat, public house. Serves ginny water made from onion gin. Run by Old Will and Old Tom. Staffed by orphans taken in by Old Will and Old Tom.

Silver and Copper are in scarce supply. The lumber sales to Vallachia are paid out 10% silver 90% gold but the desire for Silver arrows and blades far outstrips coin value so the gold is smelted down into small blue gold “pins” and copper trade is done with embossed and branded wood slugs.

Rumors

Kresk is not a large place but it still manages to keep some secrets. Some people know little secrets. Some know big secrets. Some know things that are just plain wrong.

Roll a contested Persuasion against the chosen villager's Insight. Whether successful or not, roll 3d8 and consult the Rumors table (everybody has something to say, but not all of it is valuable). Add the difference on a success or subtract the difference on a fail. On a result lower than 3 the villagers are literally getting up, crossing themselves, and walking away when the character tries to talk. The bartender refuses to take their order and calls a serving girl over to ask them to leave because they have a "cursed smell" to them.

3	Go Jump in a Lake	14	Thy Neighbor's
4	False Kitty	15	Rough Sport
5	Hilltopping	16	Good Mary
6	Bitter Man	17	A Good Game
7	Plaster Artifact	18	Regretful Heirloom
8	Snipe Hunt	19	Sweet Mary
9	Wolf Bait	20	Infatuation
10	Mary's School	21	Beacon
11	True Kitty	22	Watery Ghost
12	Good Joke	23	Mother Mary
13	My Problems Matter	24	Found Geode

Go Jump in a Lake

You find yourself talking at length with a man named Yavni Hannish. He tells you about the north pond which he claims is haunted by an evil spirit who takes the form of a particularly ill tempered goose. He warns you that the goose carries a curse. If the goose bites you, the wound will never heal and you will wake to fresh blood on your bandages until you eventually bleed to death weeks later. Only holy vestments will stop the bleeding but the curse cannot be lifted until the goose is slain but the goose is immune to metal weapons.

Truth: (Insight 12) The man is a frightful drunk, though well practiced in hiding it. He keeps talking as long as possible, adding sometimes conflicting details so long as the drinks keep flowing.

False Kitty

A young man named Terrin Vamil spins a tale of how his little sister Ekki has lost her pet cat. Terrin takes care of Ekki since their parents disappeared in the night some four years ago and while he has no great coin to offer for help he assures the character that he would offer his knowledge of the town and his servitude if they could help return the smile to his little sister's face. He begs the character to just meet Ekki, that the promise of a true adventurer's aid would give the poor dear hope.

On arriving at Terrin's shack, the character finds two straw mattresses on a dirt floor. On the larger one is a note written in charcoal on a board that reads

I have to find Kitkat. Please do not be angry with me. I come back fast. Pinky promise.

Terrin tells you that he cannot read and asks what the note says. If told he breaks down in tears, offering everything he has if only they would find his sister.

Truth: (Insight 16) Terrin and his comrades play this game to mock outsiders. The shack is not Terrin's but has been abandoned for years. Different boys continue leading the character in circles with sightings at Red's Mill, Mercy's Hospital, the Ghostly Goat, Picker Paula's, the North Pond, and the Black Church. If the character goes all the way to the Black Church, Terrin loses the game. If one of the other boys' clues are not followed, that boy loses. The loser has to wear a Donkey Hat and pay for the other boys' drinks the next night.

Hilltopping

You spend some time talking to a woman named Goody Hargriss. She tells you that her husband was healed by the Abbot of some terrible wasting disease and sure enough he was made whole but afterwards he could only speak of the Morninglord. He went and climbed the peak seeking solitude and the damn fool won't come down.

If the peak is approached during strong daylight hours, the only thing to be found is a flat stone with a ring of ash.

Investigation 14: The ash is in a radial pattern outlining a clear center in the shape of two hams.

Investigation 20: There are charred tracks leading to a deer path through the broken boulders.

Investigation 25: The footfalls are extremely far apart. Whatever made them was moving at great speed.

After dusk to late dawn Goodman Hargriss can be found meditating on the rock. He is bare chested and barefoot, his only garb being tattered leather breeches. If left alone he sits through the sunrise, at first smouldering and then burning brightly, his face contorted but concentrating. When he can no longer bear the pain he bolts down the path to a hidden cave.

If disturbed he curses the interloper but does not move. "Begone. The stink of your blood offends me. I wish only to be left alone to pray to the glorious Morninglord to deliver me." He grips the stone and demands that they leave at once.

Perception 16: He grips the stone with ragged and rough fingernails but instead of breaking they are cutting grooves in the stone.

If not left alone he attacks, screaming "I did not want this! I warned you to leave but your stupidity has forced my hand! I am trying to hold back the beast but my strength has limits." If defeated he becomes a blue fog and flies into the mists. The mists shift and glow, confusing any pursuit.

His lair is a literal rift, two great sheets of rock pressed against each other like old men arguing. The rift requires scaling to navigate to a shelf some 20' up. The entrance is little more than a flue, two feet wide but only ten inches high. Acrobatics 16 to enter or fall to the bottom of the rift and become wedged. Inside the chamber opens to a high peaked hall decorated with monstrous alien figures that indicate the original purpose to possibly be a temple of some kind. Defiling the temple are collections of gore, beasts and men hung to drain. At the rear of the chamber is a staggered ramp where Hargriss'es guardian keeps watch, a massive hound of pure darkness. Only the eyes and mouth show any definition, being manifestations of fading embers. At the sight of trespassers the embers flash to angry flame and the great hound howls. The walls answer.

Beyond the ramp is a round, buttressed room. It is a stark contrast to the previous scene, pristine alabaster walls with a great round slab of blue veined marble. Atop the slab is not Hargriss but a lovely woman in traveler's garb. Her eyes are closed and her face is serene. She could be sleeping if not for the pine branch protruding rudely from her bosom. If disturbed Hargriss's voice echoes from above.

"Don't touch her. She did this to me. I tried to end her but her stain was already on me. I cannot move against her further but I cannot be free of her. If your remove my thorn she will rise and end all of us. Leave me to my doom."

Bitter Man

You pass the night being harangued by a loud doughy individual of indeterminate gender called Vik.

"I'll tell you what it is like living under that creepy place. My wife and I moved here to get away from the wolves of Vallachia. My wife tells me it's the right thing to do, escape the gloom and hide beneath a holy retreat. Here's what you get for living in the shadow of a monastery. Nothing! Won't let folks in at their gate, won't come down to help, don't keep the dark shadows away at night. Might as well be an oddly shaped rock up there for all the good it has done us to live here. Sure there's stories of some random sprinkling of healing glory, but half the time it's some self important urchin trying to get some free drinks with a made up story. Tell you what, the one time I saw it for myself was when the Red Fever blew through the town three summers ago. Must have lost forty people to that plague, mostly kids. We prayed, we begged, not even some clean water came down the hill from his high and mightyness. Then when most of the graves are dug, master fancypants comes down and heals ONE PERSON. Not even the whole house. Wanda Grable got a husband and two kids in the ground and that holy assed Abbott goes and heals Wanda's GRANDMOTHER. Lady was half in the ground already, wasn't even sick with fever, just old bones. Then he comes back a week later and says Wanda needs to return the favor and takes her DOG. The one she was holding on to at night while she mourned her dead husband. I don't know what they doing up there but it ain't nothing good."

Mary's School

You end up passing the time with a pleasant looking woman with large eyes and cascades of brown hair. She tells you she is celebrating but there is a sadness to her smile.

"My oldest was selected by Miss Mary. Have you seen her? She comes into town every month or so for provisions but all the parents look to her with expectant eyes. She runs a school you see. Teaches the children manners and how do you do's for living in the world of aristocrats. And the Art too, they learn magics and ways to protect themselves from the wickedness of this world. She trains them up and sends them out into the world. Some are seen in Vallachia but the rumor is she can send some to OTHER PLACES, other islands in the mist beyond the grey eye. I have even heard tell of her sending their folks with them. That's what I hope for my Anya. She has been a wonder since her first breath, I was sure that Miss Mary would see her potential."

If pressed she continues. "My Anya has always been a jewel. She would laugh at night after I put her down. When the fever took my Petri and I, she didn't even sniffle and when we couldn't get out of bed she tended the shop and she brought me back with a moss soup. When Petri passed, she was my rock. She pulled me from the dark, forcing me to push myself. She made me get out of bed, made me walk. And when that felt like all I could manage she made me dance with her, made me stay up. She wouldn't let me follow Petri. Now she can get the instruction she deserves, she can be great like she is supposed to be. It hurt to watch her go but she needs these things that I canna give her. How can a mother say no? Who dares to be that selfish?"

"Perhaps this was my purpose, to give Anya life and give her this chance. It's not like slinging clay pots was going to make my mark. Teacups don't really change the world these days. But my Anya, she's a light in the dark. If she's going on then I can have something to be proud of when I go to my Petri."

Perception 16

You notice a deeply pointed ear poking through the mass of curls. This woman has elf blood.

Insight 14

This woman is dangerously close to the Ennui. Elves an Half Elves who have no passion for life fade and die from their sorrow. She has poured her whole life into her daughter and kept none for herself. If she does not find a new purpose she will be dead before winter.

True Kitty

This story begins in the same manner as False Kitty, but as the last boy at the North Pond is giving his clue his voice goes dead and his eyes distant and he says "Look for her in the Liar's Tomb in the catacomb of the Black Church. She is afraid of the fire man."

After speaking the boy will pass out. Terrin rushes out, demanding to know what the character did to Toby. He will begrudgingly admit to following the party. He offers to take Toby to see Miss Mercy while they go on to the Church, hoping to finish the game.

In the tomb of Lord Folgin, the character encounters a Burning Ghoul clawing at it's own sarcophagus. After facing the burning ghoul the character will hear a small voice coming from the sarcophagus.

Inside is a seven year old girl cowering while holding a striped grey cat. She looks hungry but only speaks of being taken back to Terrin. She says he is likely in the cathedral with his friends.

Terrin is in in the balcony with his friends, all of the boys from the previous locations. They are laughing and drinking but at the sight of the girl they go silent. Terrin says "You're not real. Its a joke, you're not a real person. We just made that up to mess with the outsiders."

The girl says "You said Kitkat was in there but he wasn't Terrin. It wasn't funny Terrin. He tried to get me and I hid in the box but I couldn't get it open Terrin."

Terrin answers "No you are lying. I don't have a little sister."

"I'm not your little sister Terrin. I'm your big sister. Did you forget me? Or did you not want to remember?"

The girl rises up into the air at this, wind swirling around her. The cat vanishes from her arms and appears on the railing, hissing at the boys. The others scatter but Terrin is frozen in place.

If not stopped the girl will unleash a Banshee wail, blasting Terrin into the upper pews and knocking him unconscious. If he survives the battle he will ask to see the tomb, all mirth gone from his face. He will kiss the skull and whisper an apology. He expresses a desire to have the Abbot bless the bones and put his sister to rest. He says he doesn't remember what really happened but that he has fragments of memory of the face from his early childhood. His hand trembles when he speaks of her.

Sweet Mary

A middle aged woman deep in her cups spends the evening regaling you about her boys who were chosen for Lady Mary's School for Extremely Well Behaved Children. She says that Lady Mary is no less than a Saint, taking in only the best and brightest of Kresk and teaching them etiquette and sorcery that will guarantee them high station as adults. There is a longing in her voice as she speaks of her James and her Delphine, so effortlessly great at everything they attempted in life. She asks that if you have the opportunity that you find the School and deliver a letter for a proud but lonely mother.

Mother Mary

You start asking around and you are interrupted by a rough looking young man with shaggy hair and a scant whisper of a mustache who pulls you into a dark corner of the room.

"Are you looking for Miss Mary's School? Can you get me in there?"

"I was chosen by her five years ago. Everyone was so excited, jealous even. I was just an orphan boy, I didn't even know who she was really but everyone told me that it was a great honor, that I had to go with her. I was scared. There were five of us and the others looked so fancy compared to me, dressed in their best and me in rags. The others were mean, they wouldn't let me walk with them. Miss Mary ignored it, just said "Chin Up, show them what you're made of." and kept walking. Then we heard the wolves and we all got scared. Miss Mary said "Nonsense, the hippos will keep us safe." We thought she was joking. When we got to the house it was dark and it started to rain and then the big doors opened and there was this great horned demon thing. I panicked. The others froze. I didn't. I ran as hard as I could. I made it back to town and everyone called me a fool and an idiot and that I had blown my one chance at something good in life. The next time she came to town I tried to talk to her, but she said "You showed me what you are made of and it isn't very much" and walked off."

"I will show you the way if you take me with you. I tried going by myself but she wasn't kidding about the hippos and they are not adorable or nice at all. If you can get me there I can talk to her, get her to take me back. Please?"

Insight 18 He doesn't mean to talk to her. He is bitter and angry and he means to do something terrible if he gets the chance.

Locations

Hannish Mill

Yusif "Red" Grovobska runs Hannish Mill, a water driven sawmill that spans the River Running. He runs his own mule teams to keep the mill supplied with materials, and is rumored to be responsible for the burning of Biva's Mill some two miles downstream. He was encouraging some harrassment of Biva's customers but failed to anticipate the escalation that led to the fire. Red is paranoid that Biva is going to retaliate in kind so he is currently a soft touch for orphans, paying well for brush clearing and "keeping an eye out for trouble".

The mill operations begins with the sluice which receives logs from the river and the south bank which accepts carted and dredged logs. Once logs are recieved they are staged in the yard to dry and fed to the Wheels via a toothed ramp. Milled logs are segmented and ejected into carts and brought to the drying warehouse inside town.

Mercy's Hospital

Mercy's Hospital is actually a converted smokehouse being used as a crematorium. Families bring terminal patients to Mercy to ensure that the bodies do not rise up as undead later so Mercy has converted a wing to convalescence and basic care while her "patients" linger on.

The Ghostly Goat

The Ghostly Goat is one of the most completely remodeled buildings of Kresk. It is run by two humans known only as Old Tom and Old Will.

Picker Paula's

Picker Paula is a sturdy middle aged woman who has set up a found goods and pawn shop in a converted barn. Her three oldest take pushcarts of random goods through town and the younger children pick the ruins for fresh treasures.

The Black Church

The Black Church is a burned out cathedral and graveyard with a high wrought iron fence that gives off a faint aura of protection magic. The graveyard regularly spawns ghosts and crypt-lights but the gates keep them from spilling out into the town proper.