The Stars Over Mestea

It is nearly midnight. The group will split again, agreeing to meet at Niko's food cart, in the Midnight Court. Damos puckishly suggests Gorgos go with Cyrus, to Cyrus's disgust and pained expression, and tries to slip away while Gorgos is distracted, but Gorgos follows faithfully. (Cyrus: a net -, Gorgos a net + on their die rolls.) Cyrus seeks out Uncas's late night hang-out: a tavern called "The Crown," in a nicer part of town. Cyrus asks Gorgos to wait outside for a few minutes. Uncas is in back, in a private room, with a hulking bodyguard. Uncas is cool. "I missed you earlier."

"I have something important for you. Gorgos is after you: a guy got beat up, and Gorgos is blaming you. He's really angry."

"Gorgos?" Uncas is both disbelieving and disdainful. He leaves briefly, returns. "I'll have a word with Lieutenant Anto in the morning. As for you, Cyrus, something's changed. My client is interested, but the person I would have you contact has gone missing. I can find someone else. Let us make arrangements. I'll contact you tomorrow...midmorning?"

"The earlier the better," Cyrus replies. "By the way: I hate to bring this up, but I've heard a name. Does the name 'Sennesh Haburta' mean anything to you?"

Uncas is surprised, but recovers quickly. "Hmm. Unusual name. Out of curiosity, I could look it up for you. How did you find it?"

"Oh, I was just sitting around, soaking up the ambience. I heard stories--bones walking away, vampires, you know how it goes."

"Bones walking around, you say?"

"Yes."

The interview is over. Gorgos enters the bar, buys a beer, ambles around. Cyrus comes out of the private room. When Gorgos calls to him, Cyrus winces, motions to Gorgos, and hurries outside. Gorgos starts for the door, notices his beer, drains it, and then follows.

Megamen declines to accompany Damos, and heads home until the rendezvous.

Damos seeks an old friend who works nights. Kallista works in a house, The Fox and the Hound, patronized by gentlemen. Damos takes an unobtrusive seat and watches the scenery. In time, he sees Kallista, and he catches her eye. She strolls over to his table, and at his invitation, takes a seat. "You are looking lovely, as always, Kallista. Can you spare me a few minutes? "

"I have a gentleman waiting...but he can wait a bit longer."

Damos grins, orders two small flagons of wine. "That is good. I need some help from a person with sense of color and fashion. You see, I am working on a piece of cloth, and there is a thread of an odd color. It compliments your hair, but has an odd name--'Sennesh Haburta'."

Kallista thinks. "I once knew a gentleman who knew that name. He had an astrologer's name...yes, it was Theus."

"So Theus would recognize this color, that I may reweave it into a nicer pattern?"

"I don't care for astrologers, on the whole. But Theus was nice, almost nice enough to give me faith in men once more. He was very nervous, though. He does seem to be rising in society, much to my surprise."

"I should like to meet him."

"You would have trouble meeting him."

"Hmm. Could I hire your services this evening, perhaps after this gentleman? I'd like you to pay Theus a visit. I'm certain he would be much happier viewing your beauty at this small hour than my sour old face."

"I believe I can. It would be like old times again."

Cyrus and Gorgos walk through the dark streets. Cyrus is thinking out loud: "Uncas knows something."

"Why didn't you get the information from him, then?"

"He had a bodyguard."

"I could take a bodyguard."

"We need to go to the academy."

"We have to follow Pello."

"Why?"

"Because I'm supposed to follow him. He knows...about the bodies, about the...what'd he say?"

The two go to a bar near the barracks, where off-duty guardsmen drink. Gorgos learns that Pello is in trouble tonight. He had originally planned to guard the same cemetary, with Cleon, that held the despoiled tomb of Elius, but he had been reassigned to desk duty. Pello refused, and in a fit of anger, quit the guard entirely. Gorgos and Cyrus go to Pello's home, in a lower-class area of town. It is an apartment of rather lower status than one would expect of a successful officer.

Gorgos is at a loss. "What do we do? Knock? How do we find out if he's home without telling him we're looking for him?"

Cyrus investigates. He opens the door and enters the building. Inside Pello's apartment, he hears a woman crying. He knocks.

"Pello?"

"No. But I'm looking for him. Is there anything I can do for you?" he asks the crying woman.

"It's nothing. He came home from work, and said he wasn't going to work anymore. Then he went off with that horrid little man."

"With the nose?"

"Yes. No money, no job, and he goes off with that horrible little man. He's in trouble, isn't he?"

"We're concerned."

"He's gambling, with that man, hiding from Uncas..."

Cyrus extricates himself, runs into Gorgos in the hallway. "I could do that! I thought you were being sneaky!"

Cyrus is quiet. "Sometimes you don't have to be."

Meanwhile, at the Fox and the Hound, Kallista stands in front of Damos. "Well, that didn't take long!"

"I told you it wouldn't.."

"Are you ready for a walk?"

"Yes. It's not far. He lives near the observatory." It's not the nicest part, either.

They walk quietly for a while, then Kallista brightens. "I remembered something else about 'Sennesh Haburta'," she says. "Theon said he had been doing well, but then he had fallen into Sennesh Haburta's trap."

They find his home, but it's quiet. Theus is not there any more: his clothing and personal effects have been removed. By the dust and the mold on the remaining piece of bread in the kitchen, he's been gone more than a week.

Kallista runs her hand over a low table. "Theus spoke often of this piece."

"That's a strange topic for conversation when a man is with you. Is it an antique?"

"No. He just spoke about how he was looking forward to getting rid of it all and replacing it with better when he had achieved wealth and power. This table came from his mother."

Damos inspects the piece carefully. He believes that any furniture that occupies a man's mind to that degree had to be more important than it appeared. After some careful searching [and a Fudge point] the table reveals its secret: a tiny hidden compartment. Inside was a small, leather bound book. Damos grunted in pleasure, but unfortunately the book contains cryptic notes and symbols that he can't decipher. He tucks the book into his tunic, and motions Kallista to leave with him. He walks her back to her job, and promises her that her pay will appear in a day or two. She laughs, and gently reminds him of her enforcers. Damos nods; such is the way of doing business with Kallista.

Cyrus and Gorgos go to the cemetary to check on Cleon. Cleon repeats the information on Pello's quitting the guard, and Gorgos tells Cleon to expect another break-in tonight. Cyrus hears giggling in some bushes, but ignores it, considering it another diversion like the previous night's.

The four meet at Niko's, as arranged, and information is shared. Everybody agrees that a break-in at the cemetary seems likely. Everybody takes up a position outside the cemetary, watching about a quarter of the wall. Nobody shows up all night. [Except Leus, who meets with Megaman outside of Eleus's tomb, but the rest of the players leave the room, so this information is not shared.]

Dawn. All four investigators are tired. It's been a long night. They agree to meet at about two o'clock the next day, so everybody can get rest. But nobody does.

Gorgos goes to see Lt. Anto. Anto is unimpressed by Pello's quitting; he has done this before, and has always returned. His instructions to Gorgos are to follow Leus, then follow the man that Leus leads him to.

Damos and Megamen go back to the Temple of Poseidon to check on the man Gorgos had beaten the night before. Sadly, he is dead, but not of the wounds Gorgos had administered: evil creatures had invaded the temple and slain both the stranger and a sister that attempted to defend him. Megamen and Damos interview the only living witness, an old sailor named Hector, who was no stranger to heavy drinking. From Hector's description--black, white haired, with evil eyes; short and slim like dancers, wielding knives--Megamen identifies the assassins as Druas. Druas are legendary wanderers, usually found in dark forests. They have been known to serve as mercenaries. Somebody in the city has hired them as assassins, and they are faultless trackers. Damos asks Hector what language the name "Sennesh Haburta" is in, and the old man recognizes it as Hyperborean. Damos shows Megamen the book he found in Theus's home, but Megamen can't read it, either.

Cyrus goes to see the scholar Aragato, and pressures him to give more information. Aragato is extremely reluctant, but admits that Sennesh Haburta is a Hyperborean sorcerer who is manipulating Theus, an astrologer of little talent. With Haburta's push behind him, Theus is climbing the rungs of power quickly, and he is now one of two prominent candidates to succeed the king, who is ill and not expected to live long. He also mentions that the stolen bones of the ancient astrologers of the city can be used to fuel powerful magic. Haburta needs to be stopped before he gains political power as well. The bones must be recovered.

At two o'clock, the group reconvenes. The puzzle has come together: Sennesh Haburta must be stopped. Megamen wishes to see Theus, but Damos reveals that Theus has been gone from his home for some time. Megamen asks to see Aragato with Cyrus. Cyrus demurs, saying Aragato is already frightened and in deeper than he wants to be. Megamen snorts: Aragato is likely to be a target of the Druas, and he may as well surrender what information he has before all is lost. In that interview, Megamen confirms his suspicions: Sennesh Haburta is no Hyperborean; there are no mages of power from that land. He is from Thule, and it is his intent to rule Mestea through his puppet Theus.

The group plans to invade Sennesh Haburta's home. Each has small preparations to make. Damos packs a "bolt-bag:" a sack of necessities to allow him to flee Klymeus at a moment's notice. He also leaves notes of his discoveries in a secret place in his shop, in case he is killed.

Gorgos receives a note. Folded inside the paper is a lock of hair. Gorgos looks grim.