![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lettersfrombel6 Mirtul, 1492 DR
Reithwin Town
Dear River,
I didn’t write yesterday, because nothing much happened. We looked for Arabella’s parents. We did find a very weird… elf? who asked us to check something out for him.
The town, Reithwin, that used to be around Moonrise Towers is haunted, or else the local necromancers need a better hobby. Honestly, it came off like something from the Hells, trying to punish those who show certain sins. The toll keeper tried to bully us into giving them all our gold, and when I accused it of being a scam and them of being little better than bandits, it seemed to have dispelled the ghost. The brewer looked like an undead example of the sins of gluttony and of enjoying drink too much. He insisted I share drinks and tales with him. I most certainly wasn’t going to risk swallowing whatever he was serving, so I feigned drinking and tried a few of my adventures. After a number of mugs of drunk, he exploded. I am not kidding. That is something that will haunt my nightmares.
The surgeon was less of a cautionary tale, but the whole ‘House of Healing’ felt like some nightmare of someone who has had very bad experiences with doctors. The surgeon claimed to be a Sharran. Do not ask me to understand how much is just actual Sharran philosophy and how much was the fact many undead are not actually rational beings, but focused around certain core ideas they had in life. This one seemed to think that inflicting pain unto death meant the victims were at peace. Alas that I could not avoid a fight here.
Unfortunately two of the earlier victims were Arabella’s parents. I don’t know if I could have made it in time; this place has odd effects on the dead, so I didn’t know how old the bodies were. I couldn’t even remove the bodies for whatever funeral customs would be appropriate, as the ‘nurse’ believed that the two were alive but needed ‘treatment’. I had to tell Arabella that her parents were dead, and… I don’t know if anyone knows how to do that well, but I don’t. I don’t even have the sense of being all alone if my parents had died if I was a child, because I knew my extended family would find something for me (even if it was ‘sacrifice to Lolth’, which is a different fear than being alone). If you are keeping track, River, this is the second time I’ve had an orphan in my care, and I’m still not comfortable with it. Of course, I told her she could stay with us, but Withers actually argued with me. Well, sort of. He and Arabella seem to be… friendly? Which I suppose is one way to cope with death. He allowed that Arabella should stay with us until we leave the cursed lands, but that she is better off away from us. I suppose an adventurer’s life is no place for a child, so he has a point. Still, I might ask her to travel with the other tieflings, since she at least knows them.
The weird elf wanted a ledger we found in the brewery, which detailed how an employee there was acting as an informant for the Dark Justiciars before the battle that led to the lands being cursed. He’d interrogated her ghost, hence knowing about the ledger. He then demanded that I ‘judge’ the deceased. I should have told him to fuck off, but I played along. The woman… well, she was an idiot who assumed that because she asked nicely that the Sharrans wouldn’t torture two of her friends who were talking shit while drunk. River, I don’t know how life under Shar’s priests differs from life under Lolth’s priestesses, but I could have told her that, if you must name names, don’t identify anyone you like and expect it to end well. If they don’t already know who the trouble-makers are, they will pursue even a minor infraction. If they do, then your options are usually ’throw your friends under the cartwheels, or get thrown in with them’, neither of which is a good outcome. I definitely said some things to her shade that were not kind, which made it clear that our would be avenger was more interested in seeing this dead woman suffer than actual ‘justice’ for her murdered friends. I ought to take my payment and drop it in the river.
To be honest, when he told me that he would see me out if any other murderer needed to be punished, I almost recited every time something I’d said or done got someone hurt by others, ending with the fate of my brother. But I do occasionally recognize when I’m about to do something self-destructive. But… gods, I need to talk to someone about this. Someone here, I mean — you are my friend, and I’m writing to you, but you won’t be able to write back until I get to somewhere more settled.
We did find a lead for Master Halsin — a lute that belonged to the person who stumbled out of the Shadowfell. My terrible attempts at playing it roused him back to consciousness. He could at least give a clue to where this Thaniel is — the scent of lavender. Master Halsin has a plain, so we’ll check with him on what he needs from us.
Maybe it will improve my mood to fix this blighted place.
Your friend,
Bel
From the Player:
Reithwin Town
Dear River,
I didn’t write yesterday, because nothing much happened. We looked for Arabella’s parents. We did find a very weird… elf? who asked us to check something out for him.
The town, Reithwin, that used to be around Moonrise Towers is haunted, or else the local necromancers need a better hobby. Honestly, it came off like something from the Hells, trying to punish those who show certain sins. The toll keeper tried to bully us into giving them all our gold, and when I accused it of being a scam and them of being little better than bandits, it seemed to have dispelled the ghost. The brewer looked like an undead example of the sins of gluttony and of enjoying drink too much. He insisted I share drinks and tales with him. I most certainly wasn’t going to risk swallowing whatever he was serving, so I feigned drinking and tried a few of my adventures. After a number of mugs of drunk, he exploded. I am not kidding. That is something that will haunt my nightmares.
The surgeon was less of a cautionary tale, but the whole ‘House of Healing’ felt like some nightmare of someone who has had very bad experiences with doctors. The surgeon claimed to be a Sharran. Do not ask me to understand how much is just actual Sharran philosophy and how much was the fact many undead are not actually rational beings, but focused around certain core ideas they had in life. This one seemed to think that inflicting pain unto death meant the victims were at peace. Alas that I could not avoid a fight here.
Unfortunately two of the earlier victims were Arabella’s parents. I don’t know if I could have made it in time; this place has odd effects on the dead, so I didn’t know how old the bodies were. I couldn’t even remove the bodies for whatever funeral customs would be appropriate, as the ‘nurse’ believed that the two were alive but needed ‘treatment’. I had to tell Arabella that her parents were dead, and… I don’t know if anyone knows how to do that well, but I don’t. I don’t even have the sense of being all alone if my parents had died if I was a child, because I knew my extended family would find something for me (even if it was ‘sacrifice to Lolth’, which is a different fear than being alone). If you are keeping track, River, this is the second time I’ve had an orphan in my care, and I’m still not comfortable with it. Of course, I told her she could stay with us, but Withers actually argued with me. Well, sort of. He and Arabella seem to be… friendly? Which I suppose is one way to cope with death. He allowed that Arabella should stay with us until we leave the cursed lands, but that she is better off away from us. I suppose an adventurer’s life is no place for a child, so he has a point. Still, I might ask her to travel with the other tieflings, since she at least knows them.
The weird elf wanted a ledger we found in the brewery, which detailed how an employee there was acting as an informant for the Dark Justiciars before the battle that led to the lands being cursed. He’d interrogated her ghost, hence knowing about the ledger. He then demanded that I ‘judge’ the deceased. I should have told him to fuck off, but I played along. The woman… well, she was an idiot who assumed that because she asked nicely that the Sharrans wouldn’t torture two of her friends who were talking shit while drunk. River, I don’t know how life under Shar’s priests differs from life under Lolth’s priestesses, but I could have told her that, if you must name names, don’t identify anyone you like and expect it to end well. If they don’t already know who the trouble-makers are, they will pursue even a minor infraction. If they do, then your options are usually ’throw your friends under the cartwheels, or get thrown in with them’, neither of which is a good outcome. I definitely said some things to her shade that were not kind, which made it clear that our would be avenger was more interested in seeing this dead woman suffer than actual ‘justice’ for her murdered friends. I ought to take my payment and drop it in the river.
To be honest, when he told me that he would see me out if any other murderer needed to be punished, I almost recited every time something I’d said or done got someone hurt by others, ending with the fate of my brother. But I do occasionally recognize when I’m about to do something self-destructive. But… gods, I need to talk to someone about this. Someone here, I mean — you are my friend, and I’m writing to you, but you won’t be able to write back until I get to somewhere more settled.
We did find a lead for Master Halsin — a lute that belonged to the person who stumbled out of the Shadowfell. My terrible attempts at playing it roused him back to consciousness. He could at least give a clue to where this Thaniel is — the scent of lavender. Master Halsin has a plain, so we’ll check with him on what he needs from us.
Maybe it will improve my mood to fix this blighted place.
Your friend,
Bel
From the Player:
So Bel was projecting a bit at Madeline, having grown up in a theocracy and well aware of the consequences of selling someone out to the clergy. Hence why he feels like shit later: while he never thought that if he urged mercy it would be listened to, he knew he was saving his own skin at the expense of others that he might like. So he was mentally ready to throw himself at the He Who Was as 'well, if you think that was good, let me tell you my story', before his common sense prevailed.
This might be a 'get drunk and maudlin' long rest for Bel; normally he'd go find someone to have sex with, but given he's in an actual relationship, he's a bit at a loss of what to do instead. (Which probably means actually having a conversation with Wyll about things like cuddling, which would be hilarious).
