Settling In

The dungeons are... Well they're dungeons. The stone is oppressive and unpleasant, the cells uninspiring to say the least. Outside one such cell are a pair of sith-makar guards which holds a few cots and a pile of books and one little stand. Menel, a white-haired man with summer sky blue eyes is sitting on one of these beds. In front of him are six trays of food of which three have been emptied and set aside. He is currently eating from the fourth at an astonishing rate. The food practically vanishes off of the tray, though it's worth noting that he eats with impeccable manners.

A previously unmoving lump under one of the blankets begins to stir, and someone mumbles... "Is that ham?" Acedia slips out from underneath the blanket, dressed in a man's shirt. Which covers her from head to foot, though she's had to roll up the arms. Six trays, but only two left with food? She hurries over and snags one, moving back to the cot she appeared from to settle back down. Moments later she is scarfing down food like the world were ending.

Merek makes his way to the dungeons, while he places his longcoat upon his black attire, his amulet on, but he leaves a few magic trinkets at the front. He makes his way to the place the people are kept, while he looks to some of the folk, waving to Acedia, as he places some food he made on a table for people, fish and also a bit of chicken, while he nods to Menel also.

Menel eyes Acedia for stealing one of his plates of food. "You know I had to bribe a guard to get this much food down here. And promise I wasn't going to feed any of the residents." He waves a fork at her. "It's not very polite to steal food from someone, even if you are hungry."

With that admonishment the young man turns his gaze on Merek, brightening a bit. "See, now this is a man who knows how to make an entrance, hello there. I don't think we've met." Menel holds out his hand after brushing it off on his leg a bit and rising to his feet. "My name's Menel. Menel Dinmorin."

The Gobbo eyes Menel, her head canted to one side. "You should always look at your neighbour's plate. Not to see if they have more than you, but to see if they have enough." She stands and shuffles back with the tray, leaving it where she found it. Reaching into the shirt pocket, she pulls free a silvery coin, and leaves it spinning on the edge of the tray.

That done, Acedia moves back to her cot, and begins pulling on her leathers. Once done, she hefts her backpack and violin case, and heads for the door. She offers Merek a shy smile and a wave.

"Merek, Seer of Eluna," Merek offers then to Menel, while he offers a gloved palm from the longcoat, "I came here to check on people, I am making a study of people, so that I can assist in the cure, and so with that finished create a countermeasure for our friend who is doing this to people." He smiles softly to Acedia also, "I hope you are doing well!" he adds.

The young man blinks at Acedia's counter admonishment and stares at her coin before picking it up. "I was just saying you should /ask/." But she's leaving. "Where are you going? Aren't you sick?" They haven't had a chance to talk... at all, but he knows this much at least. He seems more concerned with her than with Merek save the man's introduction which gets a welcome nod. "If you're looking for a cure you really should be talking to her. She's got the plague after all."

"Ah, so we should sit here and smell your delicious food?", she wonders of Menel, and lets out a slow huff of breath. She sniffs at what Merek brought, and takes a few pieces of chicken for herself. The Gobbo looks to Merek and looks at her feet. "What he said is true. I do have the plague." She stuffs the chicken into her face, not talking until she's done chewing. Acedia looks to Menel then and nods. "I go outside from time to time because this place is... oppressive and scary. I need some fresh air."

"I know you do," Merek offers then to Acedia, while he chuckles a bit, then he nods to Menel a bit as well, "Well, feel free to take any food if you like, so... I've come to ask people if they've any experiences with the vampire, he captured me a bit recently, and so I am working a way to counter him also."

"A vampire?" Menel looks at Merek intensely. "Was he a tall man, about my height, thin. Did he have black hair and green eyes?" He seems to have forgotten Acedia entirely. Not out of rudeness, but out of a desire to learn more about this vampire and if it was who he thought it was. "Did he say his name was Kol Demontry? Or that he wanted you to go with him? Did you feel compelled to do so?" It's a lot of questions.

Acedia nods to Menel. "That's the vampire in question. He introduced himself as such. He chose one person out of a group to fixate on, and teleported away after doing ... something that removed their resistance, and took them along. People had a snowflake carved into their arm. Alba. Erm... hmm, there was a halfling. Selia! And Mikilos, of course. I am sure there are others." The Gobbo looks to Merek then. "He got you too?" She seems visibly upset at this piece of news.

Merek looks thoughtful a moment, "Same guy, he didn't introduce, I intervened to keep him from hurting innocents and sacrificed my own safety so that our paladins could escape," he says, while he nods a bit to the two, "There are elves from Silvermoon that have it also, turning them to a group of cannibals." He lifts his brow, looking between the two, "... No, he fed upon me, but for some reason he gave me back, and left upon me no mark." MYSTERY.

Merek says, "I also wasn't even compelled, I chose to give myself up for people's safety."

Menel shudders and pulls slightly away, rubbing one hand through his hair. "I should have... I should have found a way to stay. There's no one to rescue people from them now. Nothing but his... his /mercy/." Menel drops onto the bed he had been sitting on before listlessly.

The Gobbo is now hungrily devouring the chicken and fish left by Merek. "How do you know it's not on your back? Or your butt?", Acedia wonders of Merek. She glances to Menel. "Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Without you, we'd not know what we know, right? We have to break the cycle somehow. They will err. We will find their weakness. And then it will be ended." She walks over to pat Menel on the knee gently. "Do not despair."

Merek moves to take a stance upon a table, then he looks to the people, while he lifts up both hands, motioning with them, "Do not fret for this experience placed upon any of you. You have tasted of his power, but this makes you a fighter, it makes you willing to put your will forward. I will challenge this man, this puppet, we will bring about a cure, and we will best him. So do not let your willpower fade away, use it then, create your resolve, we will win this war! In the name of Eluna, who is on your side, I declare this!"

This is a place of no magic, he doesn't use his holy powers to create any effect, he simply speaks, with the will of one that serves as a Seer for the powers that be. "This mark upon you, take it as a symbol, one that shows he must use such methods to try to best those that can challenge the darkness' rule," he then makes a motion with his fingers, like he's drawing a nice smile and sigil in front of him also.

"I do not despair, but I wish that I could still be helping somehow rather than sitting in this room feeling useless." Menel offers the barest hint of a smile to Acedia and Merek. "But trust me when I say, if you do not know them. If you do not remember what they have done; it is a blessing." He looks at Merek. "You should know if you don't already that he serves someone; he has a mistress that he owes his servitude to, and it is Her that sends him out to bring subjects for her to work on. Those that he doesn't collect for his own... purposes."

"Well, you are useful, and you know it. People can carefully bring you information and you can see if you can't use it to assist them further." She turns back to the chicken and fish left by Merek, and continues to chow down. Eventually cleaning out the container. She hiccups then and looks to Merek. "You can't magic us down here, but you could draw a symbol on us, can't you?"

"I suppose I can," Merek tells both of them, as well as anyone about in the place, while he sighs a bit in thought, then he looks up, like he was seeking some kind of sign, or pondering in his thoughts people couldn't know, then he looks to them, "I'll do it. I will draw it on the opposing side of the other mark you were given."

Menel looks cautious at best but then after a moment stands again. Carefully he removes the top of his leather armor, assuming that this symbol; whatever it is must be drawn on skin. As he removes the armor it's impossible to miss the scar-mark which he was given. It covers the whole of his back from the base of his neck to where it disappears into his pants. It's a giant snowflake that's layered on top of itself. Some of the marks are so old that they must have been caused when he was very young indeed, while others are so fresh that they're still pink. He seems to have no shame about the marks. He's a well-built man, muscular in the way that only warriors are. All the marks prove is that he can withstand a great deal of pain.

Acedia stares at the scar for several long moments. And promptly bursts into tears.

Merek blinks a bit at Acedia, and he looks to Menel, he then nods a bit, so that he can place marks on him, and anyone else within the place willing to accept. He draws them to be a sigil, one in the Celestial language that means Hope, in a style that also seems to call upon Eluna as well, while he then looks up, "Eluna, I know I can not call your will here, but I can't bare the weight of these people who are so affected. I would grant them a measure of my power and very life force to protect them, if you would have it."

The man seems to consider it while he does his best to beseech the goddess, then he shifts his attention to the others also.

Menel almost turns in shock at the sound of Acedia's tears, but stands still so that Merek can make his mark. Then he turns to the little goblin woman. "What's wrong? Did I say something again?"

"N.n..no, y.. you didn't do anything wrong." She snuffles, and tries to wipe her eyes dry. "You complain about being useless... and here I am, plagued, hiding underground, and around me people die. And get maimed. Marked. Tortured. And I can't stop any of it."

"No, you're not useless, none of you are," Merek exclaims, "You all have a part in this to work for hope!" He seems to be running with pure willpower, tired as he is.

Menel waves a hand. "Sit down Merek before you fall over. You look exhausted." The swordsman offers him a smile though, before returning his armor to its proper place. "As for you Acedia, you can not offer me hope one second and then turn on yourself in the next. How is that fair to yourself? I'm certain you've done what you can."

The Gobbo huffs and again wipes at her tears. "Done what I can." She huffs and wanders to her cot and flops down upon it, backpack and violin case dropped to the floor. "I just want things to go back to the way they were."

Merek nods a bit, "I should be on my way, but you all will be alright, take care alright?" he asks, as he smiles also.

Menel offers his hand to Merek again as the other man makes his goodbyes. "Indeed. Fare well to you too Merek."

"Thank you for the chicken and fish.", Acedia says, "Take care, Merek. Please visit again soon?" She offers a wave, and a smile, to the departing man.

-End