Aerosmith

September 6th - 7th, Albanus 1.

Cloaked with invisibility, Severus set out for the Corresanti villa.  He crept through its open gates and up to Catarina's room.  The door was locked;  from within came the scritchings of pen on paper.  Severus picked the lock and slipped in quietly -- but not quietly enough.  Catarina started to her feet as the door cracked open and demanded to know who was there.  Severus spoke before she screamed for help.  For a moment the two lovers simply held each others' hands, in a restrained but fervant greeting.  (Though Severus did feel Cat's finger slide across his, probing for the ring she'd given him before he left -- proof that he really was her beloved and not some invisible spy.)

Drawing a deep breath, Catarina spilled her latest news.  Count Arius was not undead, she said.  She'd visited Surilla in the Tower and seen a chamberpot, made from a human skull, which Surilla said was her brother.  This both relieved and confused Catarina.  If true, it meant that Arius' soul was safe.  But then who was Surilla speaking about when she said that her brother was a loyal man?  Martialis?  Larentius?  (Later Marius would point out that there was a fourth uncle:  Sir Brennus, for whom their brother Brennus was named.  Sir Brennus joined the Order of St. Cavallius and was killed when he was 22;  given the paladins' recent problems, this fact suddenly seemed a bit ominous to some...)

Catarina also informed Severus that Sir Pelius had beaten his wife to death.  Their youngest son had vanished, none knew where, and Pelius was in Rostilla now with Magnus Tillaford.  The king had been going to send troops south, to Invictus (perhaps to overthrow Count Durus, though Cat wasn't sure).  However the recent riots in the capitol had put these plans on hold.  She also knew that Surilla was planning on doing something to Galens' daughters -- something to put a bit of fear into them.

Then it was Severus' turn.  He needed Catarina's help:  she had to convince Surilla to have a dalliance with Sir Daciens, the young paladin.  Perhaps out of pure lust... jealousy (to get back at the King for showing favors to other women)... or to prove that she was a better interrogator than the priests.  The reason didn't matter -- but Surilla had to bring the youngster out of the Carcer, secretly.  Catarina mulled the problem for a bit, then said she thought she could do this.  Severus then told her to pack;  she'd be leaving the city with them.  Cat balked at this, pointing out that this was the only place she could do him any good.  Was she to run back to Corresanti and spend her time embroidering pillows while he fought, alone, for his honor?  Severus reminded her of Surilla's visciousness.  If this worked, she would be in serious political trouble.  And she would lash out at scapegoats -- like Catarina -- even if she had no proof of treachery.  Reluctantly, Catarina agreed.  Severus left her one of the rods of messages and the nondescript box, so that she could let him know what Surilla said.

Meanwhile Corvina and Gaius wandered up to the Molossus villa and did a couple of stroll-bys.  There were no obvious guards or restraints;  all looked peaceful.  But Corvina spotted several weak magical blurs -- signs she believed were small invisible creatures.  Imps, perhaps, spying on the house.  There were two outside the front gate, one by the servants' entrance.  Inside they could hear their grandfather Satus and great-uncle Parcens (the family counselor) discussing the up-coming trial of Sir Daciens.  Who would have believed, Satus said, they'd see the day when paladins were tried for heresy?  Gaius and Corvina went to a small taberna across the street and had watered wine and olives for an hour.  Around noon, Parcens came out -- trailed by another of those waivery magical blurs.  He bought some simple lunch from the taberna keeper, who clearly knew him well, then returned home.  A short time later, Corvina asked the woman if Counselor Parcens came here regularly.  He did, she said;  every day for lunch.  Fresh pitas, olives, and goats' cheese.  Could she slip him a message in his next lunch?  Yes, the taberna-woman said -- provided it was nothing that would cause any problems for him.  The Molossi were good people, she warned Corvina.  She wouldn't want to harm them.  Corvina assured her that it would do no harm to the Molossi;  she simply needed help.  The taberna-keep warmed to that, and said the Molossi would definitely help her.

While this was going on, Titus, Marius, and Leyna did a circuit of the city walls.  There were more soldiers in town than Marius remembered, and fewer city guards.  As soon as they set out, Marius heard the voice of Abbess Halaessa in his head, saying, "Clarissa and Marcus gone from safe house.  Left letter not to worry, but house not safe.  Do you know where they are?  Count begs you to send word if you hear of them."  Marius did not respond.

Soon they came to the army barracks and the griffon stables -- where they spotted a gaggle of boys clinging to a nearby building's balconies for a better view of the griffon feeding.  Marius scrambled up to join them and watched as the viscious creatures tore apart cow after cow.  The boys said these were just the "big boy griffons";  female griffons stayed at a farm someplace.  Each mount had one rider who fed it, but Marius noted that after feeding time, when the griffons were quieter, junior riders joined the senior riders.  Clearly they were trying to get the griffons to accept more than one mount.

As they neared the north-eastern corner of the city, the band spotted four men (army soldiers, Leyna noticed) guarding a non-descript alley.  This alley appeared to dead-end in a flight of stairs that led down under the city walls.  After some musing, Marius remembered that this was the Shrine of the Fundati.  The Fundati were holy and pure people who voluntarily allowed themselves to be walled up in Rostilla's walls, so that after their deaths, their spirits would remain here to guard the city.  The steps led down to their burial chamber and altar;  normally, Marius thought, it wasn't guarded.

So why the change? Leyna asked the soldiers.  The men were bored (and not evil, according to Titus), and happy enough to chat.  One explained that the city guard had found some vagrant down there this summer, and the bum had made a mess.  The priests cleaned it all up of course, but now they kept the door locked and guarded.

Suspicious, the three wandered off and around the nearby building, so that they could get close enough for detection spells.  The results were appalling.  Titus sensed five dark clots of energy -- demons, most likely.  In the very shrine itself.  In fact the whole area beneath the wall seemed foul and unclean.  Marius could sense two very strong enchantment spells on the door.  Titus was all for charging in and putting things to right immediately, but the other two began using four-letter words on him.  ("We need a PLAN.")  Reluctantly the paladin agreed to find the rest of the family.  Though he gloomily predicted that Severus would talk him out of fixing this.

Early in the afternoon, the party re-grouped.  And, as poor Titus predicted, after much discussion they decided that fixing the Fundati shrine would have to wait.  There was nothing they could do to fix it permanently;  they needed to make this public.  Rescuing Daciens and (perhaps) capturing General Corresanti were their first goals.  Later, Catarina left a shakey message on the rod, saying that she thought Surilla had gone for the bait.  Severus warned her to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

Minda also gave them "good" news.  Their aunt Surilla had attempted to buy a mild poison, something to cause a brief but wretched bout of nausea.  Probably for the Galens girl(s), to be administered at a party after Daciens' trial.  One of Minda's assistants had instead sold her Black Lotus -- a very lethal poison, that would no doubt kill its victim.  Minda clearly expected praise for this, and was annoyed when Titus got upset instead and insisted that Galens had to be warned.  Leyna and Severus, again, managed to talk him out of this... for the moment, anyways.  Severus pointed out that he already had warned the count.  Leyna emphasized that if their plan worked, Surilla wouldn't be welcome at the party and would have no opportunity to poison anyone.  Best not to give warnings until they were sure there was going to be a crime.

A day passed.  The band got rooms at an inn near the Carcer and waited, while Tenebrus and Brennus watched for suspicious activity at the jail.  An important-looking man went from the jail to the palace in the morning, and returned just after noon.  The group spent the hours chatting in the common room.  Public sentiment was running high -- in both directions.  Many people were upset about the edict against the Order, and the rumors of demon worship.  There were rumors that a Viridian army was already marching upon the city, and that when they reached High Hold General Martialis was going to let them waltz in, to get vengence for the king murdering his brother.  Others, however, supported Albanus.  He was throwing amazing parties, games, and festivals -- tons of fun!  Oddly, many of the king's supporters commented on his appearance.  He was a damned fine looking man.  Very virile and regal.  The band got a little ooked out listening to these brawny carters rhapsodizing about the king's good looks.  Probably evidence that Albanus indeed had the Sebetu of lust, they thought.

Just after midnight, the familiars warned them that an empty cart had been brought into the Carcer -- and men were being loaded into it.  Eight guards, all told, and one bound prisoner.  There was a communal wince... eight men were a lot to take...  Then Severus brightened.  The count chanted and vanished.  In his place stood their aunt Surilla.  "I'll just tell them to release the prisoner to me," said Surilla-verus.

So when the cart was on its way a bit, the band intercepted it.  Severus did a masterful imitation of their lascivious aunt, purring and caressing the guards with a gusto that put his famuli's hair on end.  The guards, however, ate it up, and were easily convinced to hand their prisoner over to the magus' guards.  Quickly, they hurried over to a sewer entrance (where Minda had left an urchin guide for them) and examined their prize.

Sir Daciens was little more than a boy, perhaps 17 or 18.  A bruise blackened his right eye, but otherwise he appeared fine.  Though he glowered defiantly over the gag, he was too tightly bound to attempt to escape.  Titus crouched before the youngster and said, in lillendi, "I'm a paladin.  We're here to rescue you.  Can you detect evil?"  Daciens nodded -- but continued to glare.  "Do you detect any evil?"  Again, the young knight nodded, and the party realized that the poor kid had been seriously messed with.  Though oddly, there was no sign of magic upon him.

So how to prove their good will?  Titus began by laying hands on Daciens' face and removing that black eye.  Startled, the boy began to look more confused than hostile.  As Titus explained about the plot to compromise the paladins, the band removed Daciens' bonds and gag.  Severus was a bit suspicious and asked Daciens to prove his own blessing.  Corvina obligingly nicked her palm, and Daciens healed her.  Which left them with a puzzle:  a paladin, with a good and pure soul, who detected evil where there was none.

"Do you work for the Praetor?" Daciens asked.  Not exactly, the band responded, though they were on the same side at the moment.  At that the paladin urged them to return to Viridia as soon as possible.  The Praetor needed to be warned about the situation in Rostilla.  Was he a spy for Viridia?  Not a spy, Daciens insisted.  But Viridia was very worried about corruption in Rostilla -- Rostilla had to be helped, whether it wished it or no.  Clearly someone had messed with the boy's memories in a major way... yet somehow avoided leaving any trace of their work...

Since time was passing, the party pressed on with its other goals.  Severus hurried to the Corresanti villa (still in female form) and collected Catarina, then returned her to the band in the sewer.  After that, Corvina headed towards the barracks in hopes of luring General Corresanti to an impromtu "tryst" with "aunt Surilla".