My Scenario for RPing, check back later for updates and new info. Until it is finished check out the Mystic Tavern Lycos Club for new stuff.
The Red Dragon of the Dales was dead thanks to the adventuring group known as the Silver Six, Merrydale treated them accordingly “The Tapped Keg” was open to them free of charge and thus the Group accepted the much needed hospitality with eager retort. Gideon of Waterdeep, Trumper Hillhollow, Lyria “the Lovely”, Kellian Greycloud, Jander Sunstar, and Mynorian Silvesti agreed that such a rest before their sub sequential tramp back to Waterdeep was in order and Merrydale was the most hospitable town on their path towards their headquarters in the “City of Splendors”. The night spent there was one of merriment and happiness as the Six partook in the hospitalities given freely and eagerly by the ever friendly residents of the Dale. Jander looked deeply at Lyria who had once again taken to grasping a wound she had received from a creature in the Cormyrian woods near where they had slain the Dragon, her left hand massaged the nagging wound that sat apparently throbbing searing intervals of pain through that side of her lower torso. “Is it still bothering you?” Jander the Moon elf asked sympathetically as he took a sip of the wine he had received freely from the innkeeper, nodding a reply weakly Lyria stood on nigh unstable legs and began to head upstairs where her free lodgings awaited her. Jander frowned slightly as he watched her make a slow ungainly pace up the stairs, noting with disdain that her usually tanned skin had taken on a white milky tone and her appetite had diminished from ravenous to non-existent. The strikingly handsome gold elf turned to see if any of the other members of their group had noticed, his silver eyes swept quickly over them, none of his counterparts had observed the strange change in her. Jander stood slowly, goblet of Elverquisst in hand, and made a slow pace of his own up the stairs to check on Lyria, perhaps use his clerical training to aide her pain. Before he had reached the steps he was interrupted by several thundering pounds upon the closed Fest Hall door, his eyes along with the 30 some odd eyes flashed towards the entrance, the innkeeper made a sluggish saunter over to the door and opened it revealing what waited outside. A tall man clad in a light suit of leather armor stepped forth, in his arms lay a grisly happenstance, a man or what had once been one lay in a gory state draped over the man’s arms. The mangled being’s throat had been torn from ear to ear exposing the internal workings of what one’s throat was composed of, his face had lost its color, his eyes had clouded over as death left its mark upon him. “Strange”, Jander thought as he noticed the man’s eyes, the dead man’s pupils had clouded over and taken on a white milky haze yet a small splotch of dark unnatural green had taken up residence slightly to the left of the man’s pupil, a red blood like liquid had sequestered itself near to the green spot. Jander bit back revulsion as the man that had carried the dead body slid it from his arms and onto a waiting table, a small dribble of blood slipped forth from the man’s mouth, once again Jander reiterated his thoughts, “Strange”, more blood should have been released. The body’s jugular had been torn asunder yet not a hindrance of blood remained. As the Barkeep began to yell at the taller dark man for setting a corpse upon his table the recipient wobbled precariously then collapsed in a heap upon the wooden planking that served as the Inn’s floors. Several people rushed forth to help the unconscious man yet before help had been offered screams erupted from outside. The sounds of running feet, shrieks of pain, and thumping assailed the people of the Tavern as the Innkeeper rushed forth to see what had happened, his head shot forth from the opened doorway to ascertain the source of the yells. With a shriek of his own the innkeeper was gone, leaving behind a splatter of blood on the door, Jander’s dwarfish companion sprang into action slamming the door and sliding the bolt in place thus sealing the Tavern from what was transpiring outside. Luckily for them no windows resided in the main taproom yet some did remain upstairs, Jander realized his friend Lyria had long since retired to bed and with a growl he tore up the stairs leaving the Taproom far behind. As he kicked open a door that stood in his way a series of shrieks greeted him accompanied by the stench of putrid flesh, and an unnerving darkness. Before the elf could react something rushed past him knocking him backwards and consequently down the stairs he had previously traversed, his ascent was expelled from his memory as he blacked out.
“Then I woke up here.” Jander replied to the growing gathering of people eager to hear the downfall of Merrydale and the lack of communication received from anyone and anything within 50 miles of the town, including other dales and towns that resided within a day’s reach of the epicenter. Many speculations had been piqued yet each one reached a stubborn block in the road, one theory of Vampires was put to rest by the same occurrence in the town of Deepingdale except in broad daylight. The best one so far was of a horde of zombies yet none still lived to expatiate the resolution to their theories, only Jander had survived what came to be known as “The Merrydale Massacre”. “Well there lies a year’s worth of wages for the taking in the Burgomaster’s larders.” Belsen Kried the prominent ruffian of the “Cutlass” replied, he himself had never been bested in battle by any that had graced the seediest tavern in the wharf section of Luskan. Jander nodded and replied attempting to use the man’s statement as fuel to his mission, “Aye and many families have offered rewards to the ends of their relatives, and more then a handful of companies have done the same to recover items housed in the towns surrounding Merrydale.” Many of the listeners began to scratch their chins in deep thought as if pondering whether to take up the reins of several failed predecessors or stalk off to imbibe their hedonistic tastes. Jander stood up quickly, tossed several gold coins to the Barkeep that sat within a few feet of the table listening to the tale, then headed for the door. “For anyone interested in partaking in this mystery, peruse the town bullet for a note.” Jander said as he grasped an envelope he had secreted in the inner pocket of his coat, then hurled it to the hungrily waiting listeners. With eager speed they tore into the envelope which had been promised by Jander to house information as to the ends of the town of Merrydale. Jander smiled wolfishly as he closed the door behind him and inhaled the cool night air deeply, with a timid glance to assure his privacy he let his façade of the Elf slip away revealing his true form, with a screech of inhuman like nature the shadow hidden creature shot off into the air heading back to wait for fool hardy adventurers, he himself had visited several hundred fest halls in an equally high amount of towns to spread his offer. Belsen pulled open the wax sealed envelope quietly to reveal an small note inside covered in a dark crimson powder, with a deep intake of breath Belsen cleared the note of the fine powder causing it to fly forth into the eyes, mouths, and noses of his fellow patrons. His left fist dug greedily into his eyes as he attempted to quell the sudden burning that had taken effect in his eyes, the others had done the same. Soon a general cough had erupted throughout the group, at different intervals a sneeze would punctuate the baited breathing, the ousting of the powder had grown so violent that Belsen himself began to expel small droplets of blood. His eyes misted over and he felt himself slipping from his chair to lie face down next to his counterparts who themselves had begun to shake with seizures as their bodies began to feel the effect of the same mystery that had wracked Merrydale a few weeks before its final downfall. The note he had clenched in his right hand fluttered to the ground as his shaking fist released it, the message inside read, “The beginning of the end, the Dalelands have fallen so shall the rest.”.
