Gold Tome of the Virtues: Chapter 2 - All the Time in the World - Julia's Message

Minoc is the city of Sacrifice located at the foot of the Crescent Mountains in the north of the main continent.

Moderator: Tanda Knighthawke

Post Reply
Tanda Knighthawke
City Governor
Posts: 106
UO Shard: Great Lakes
Character Age: 153
Guild Affiliation: TGD/ The Grateful Dead
x 1
Contact:

Gold Tome of the Virtues: Chapter 2 - All the Time in the World - Julia's Message

Post by Tanda Knighthawke » Fri Jun 15, 2018 7:38 pm

The hour grew late, and rather than leave the drafty old castle to return home to her husband John, Tanda decided to take respite in the small but comfortable bedroom in the northern tower. Spending the evening recording the affairs of Minoc, it was well past time to give aging eyes a break. Once settled in for the night, with nothing else to distract her senses it became quite clear the castle had a new noise.

Howling winds, now and then water dripping through the floor of the castle battlements, the odd rodent scurrying about looking for scraps we all quite common. Even the creaking and moaning of the wooden beams as the great structure, more than a century old, continues to settle into the earth. This was different, it was measured and rhythmic. Slipping into a bed jacket, it was time to explore.

There was no sense of a spiritual being, no voices whispering into her ear. It definitely wasn't the scratching scamper of little claws on stone. It was cloudless and dry outside, with just the slightest of breezes. This noise travels with her as she walks the halls.

The grandfather clock in the office came as close to the sound as anything discovered. It sits on a diagonal line in the south tower, there is no way the ticking of this clock is the sound being heard. Standing in the office it became clear though that the ticking sounds were not in time with each other, one tick, then another but the intervals are off.

Deciding the ticking clock disturbing her sleep was merely a way her mind was trying to remind her she still has much to do to meet the time deadline for some of this work, with a *shrug* she returns to her bedchamber and begins to count sheep until the sound of songbirds wake her with the sunrise.

Back at the stacks of reports and orders from customers for inscribed bits the sound remains. "tick, tick, tick, tick" Its apparent another avenue is needed to find its source, so the decision is made to stroll into Minoc for a bite to eat. As the Governor makes her way through the countryside, gathering reagents along the way and speaking to various harmless animals for a few moments the sound seems to fade away. The sudden appearance of a troll shook off the relaxing lazy mindset, it was time to speed up the pace, lest having to resort to harming this creature in defense of self. With some distance between them returning to a walk becomes possible again. It soon struck her that the ticking sound is louder. How could it be, that something in Minoc could make so much noise it could be heard all the way out at Graycloak Manor?

A few smaller hills to climb and the smell of Lost Hope Bay fills the air, the sound of waves breaking on the shore punctuated by the sharp call of gulls searching for fisherman's scraps. Just a little further and the stable will come into scent range and then view. The Barnacle lays just beyond that, always a good place to listen to gossip as well as enjoy a bit of haggis.

Taking a seat at the bar, she orders lunch and a pint of ale, it's often easier to talk to the barkeep if you patronize his part of the establishment. Conversation begins with the usual, the weather or complaints about it, the lack of time to complete the days work, talk of how slow or brisk business is and its impact on the pocketbook. Slowly it moves to which townsperson is doing what and with whom, what new faces are about, gripes about elected officials. Seems that last night a fellow drinking at the bar started just before close to complain about the constant tapping, yelling about making whoever was tapping their fingers stop the annoying noise.

The barkeep ended up tossing the fellow out into the street, soon the whole town was awake. His ranting and yelling as he wanders about town creating quite a ruckus. Fortunately, the town folks, took him to the healers rather than doing him harm. Assuming he must have eaten a bit of bad food or having drank more than he could take.

Tab paid and both plate and tankard empty it was time to walk to the healers to see if the fellow was still there. As she meanders through the city, closer to the first tinkers shop the ticking sound again increases in volume, with each step toward Shenstone's it got even louder and then disappears into a lovely faint melody.

A brief detour into his shop, he was not about, which wasn't uncommon he was often out and about Britannia servicing customers onsite when it was a larger piece of machinery in need of repair.

The music was in this space, but there was no music box or device to causing it that could be seen.

Soon the healers building is in view. The all too familiar minerally scent of blood and Sulphur filling the air. Even from outside she could hear a man calling out to make it stop. Once inside, there was a middle-aged man, sitting with his hand cupped over his ears, curled in a ball rocking and crying out for the noise to stop. It took a few minutes but Governor Tanda eventually recognizes the man as a distant cousin from her mother's line, Phineas Solaren. A long line of seers and spellcasters punctuated with the occasional case of insanity, it would take time to determine which he is.

A calm gentle hand placed on his arm quiets the outbursts, it is soon clear that the same ticking sound invades his thoughts and he can't quiet it. Further discussion reveals he's been hearing the music, and seeing a ghostly female figure, fleeting images in his dreams for several days already. A bit of persuasion and he accompanies the Governor back to the castle through a moongate, it seems a speedy departure from the area may ease his current state.

Random reagents and herbs steeping in some boiling water, a tiny bit of honey soon brings some much-needed sleep to the man. Now it was time to go try the crystal ball, see if there are any willing to shed some light on this matter from the other side of the veil.

It isn't long, and the man is standing quietly behind Tanda, watching intently as she speaks the incantations, invocations and words of power trying to see through the mist. The effort is exhausting it is abandoned for now, perhaps later the spirits would be chattier.

Conversations turn to tales of Herbbinder and Solaren clans, talk of those who sought the dark arts, those who went mad, those who were banished briefly for cavorting with demons. It was agreed that being part of these clans carries with it a mixed set of blessings and curses. Mid-conversation, a Golden Mechanical songbird decorating the south tower took flight, landing in the tree on the north tower. The decorative bird never having shown such ability before startles the pair. It offers no words, made no threatening moves just perching there.
0 x



Post Reply

Return to “Minoc, City of Sacrifice”