dmgtellsyouaboutstufftheywrote

[dmgtellsyouaboutstufftheywrote]

It took a bit longer than I'd have liked, but here's Chapter 2!

"Opening the door revealed a well lit office, decorated in a surprisingly tasteful way. Each wall was lined with bookcases filled to the brim with old books and scrolls, all of them pertaining to magick, legends, arcana and history; as a quick glance revealed. Accompanying this literature were a few wooden statues, representing various legendary beasts and cryptids native to the region.

At the centre of the room rested a massive desk made of richly engraved, varnished mahogany, with an ample supply of paper, ink and writing feathers resting on top of it. Alongside them was an old and thick grimoire, which its owner had promptly closed before inviting Nicole in. Said owner was a dwarf that, even by dwarvish standards, looked quite old.

Slumped back onto his armchair as he was, Harpkopf seemed as broad as his desk. He leaned forward as Nicole closed the door behind them, resting his chin on his big hands. He looked at them with satisfaction shining in his eyes, which were the main tools at one’s disposal to guess the mood he was in, since his massive moustache was hiding most of his face.

When Nicole turned towards him, Harpkopf said "Sir d'Estein, I am so very pleased to meet you in person at last! Please, have a seat."

His voice was stuffy and somewhat mumbly, but his tone was warm and welcoming.

As the Baroque sat down in the chair facing the desk, the mayor continued on.

"I hope you did not have too much trouble finding your way to Lilienstadt? I am very sorry that you had to travel in such bad weather.

-Well, Mr Harpkopf", answered Nicole, smiling, " finding my way was simple enough, but I'll admit the wind proved to be one dastardly adversary. It felt as though I would have been swept away if I stopped marching on.”

Harpkopf could not help but chuckle upon hearing that description.

"Hah, that sounds about right! I would imagine most of our citizens would agree with you wholeheartedly. These storms of ours spawned many a legend, you know. Although, none of them seems to be true but... I digress, forgive me.

-It's perfectly alright, sir." said Nicole in an affable tone. "So, what may I help you with?"

Before answering, Harpkopf opened one of the many drawers of his desk, and took out a small leather pouch which seemed to be filled with stones or some such, given how it was bloated in a bizarrely angular manner.

"Before I show you what is inside this, I need to give you the context of how I was given it in the first place."  The mayor's tone was still warm, but the cheerfulness from earlier faded into seriousness and worry as he spoke on. "You see, Lilienstadt and its surroundings have always had a rich history as far as supernatural occurrences are concerned. Ghosts, monsters and magickal phenomenons are not rare around here."

Rubbing their chin between their thumb and index, Nicole nodded along. Thus far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"As such", continued Harpkopf, "when something of the sort comes up, I can 

generally get a good idea of what might be going on, thanks to the town's records written by my predecessors, and act accordingly." Saying that, he raised his hand and pointed to the bookcase behind him, the most massive of his office. If one of the tomes resting in it was equal to a year, then this bookcase was home to around six centuries' worth of knowledge.

“So then, am I right to assume that something unlike anything the town has seen before has come up recently?" asked Nicole in a calm, professional tone.

“Indeed, thus why I decided to send you a letter. You see, two days ago I was visited by one of our citizens, an alchemist. The poor sod was terrified, and told me that he had just come back from paying homage to an old chapel that is crumbling away in the woods nearby, when he saw something that, as he put it then, ‘looked like everything and nothing all at once, and smelled like death’.”

As the mayor ended his sentence, something caught Nicole’s eye for an instant. The pouch, which had been resting onto the desk, had jittered; moreover, the bumps that were deforming the leather had changed, going from angular and pointy shapes to circular and flat ones.

Nicole’s expression remained stoic, but they could not help but raise an eyebrow briefly. 

Harpkopf continued, not noticing this happening, “He brought me this pouch the day after. I have not been to the chapel myself, but from what he told me, the place looked strange, warped, even.”

Nicole nodded. From all of what the mayor had told them so far, they had several theories as to what happened, but they needed more information. They pointed a finger towards the pouch and asked, “May I take a look inside?”

“I wanted to ask you as much, actually. I had a look for myself but I must admit defeat as far as understanding whatever is going on is concerned.” said Harpkopf, embarrassed, as he handed the pouch over to Nicole.

As soon as Nicole took it in their hand, they could feel its content shifting and shuffling about inside, in a barely noticeable but very unpleasant manner. Unfastening the links and opening the pouch revealed a bunch of seemingly innocuous rocks and pebbles, but the superchery only lasted for a few seconds.

Though these were looking like mere clumps of mineral matters, in this moment they were anything but. As Nicole examined them, they were constantly changing, twisting themselves and wriggling as if alive, all the while bending and crushing into seemingly impossible shapes.

The Baroque took a “pebble” in between their gloved fingers and, as soon as they did, it immediately snapped back to what it was supposed to be. But, when they put it back into the pouch, it started writhing and warping again. Fastening the pouch again, Nicole put it back onto the desk and smiled as they clasped their hands together in satisfaction.

“This is all very interesting I have to say! Before going on with explanations though, I’ll go on and say right now that you should not have to worry about whatever danger might be in store.” 

Harpkopf could not help but raise his eyebrows in surprise. 

“I’m relieved to hear that, sir d’Estein. What is this then?

-There are several possibilities, but the one that I think fits our case the best is that these stones, as well as the chapel itself, were tainted by an eldritch influence.”

The mayor gasped upon hearing that, visibly confused by Nicole’s calm. They raised their hand in an appeasing gesture.

“I know this sounds alarming, but the situation at hand is very much manageable. Purging this influence will be simple. However, we also need to make sure this does not happen again; we need to find the one who has been corrupted in the first place.”

Nicole reached inside their coat and took out a small handbook from an inner pocket. It had seen better days, as its cracked, weathered cover and yellowed pages showed, but it was well kept, still holding up just fine nonetheless.

Flipping through the pages revealed countless notes, sketches and imprints. Having found the right page, the Baroque then laid down the open book onto the table and turned it towards Harpkopf, revealing notes pertaining to eldritch corruption, written in a round script.

“You see, oftentimes when people come and ask me for help on eldritch matters, they fear that the problem at hand might be a hulking, terrorising beast, able to tear reality asunder and unable to be comprehended by mortal eyes. I will say, that is more than fair enough, especially given what the world had to go through during the Last War.”

Harpkopf nodded as he was carefully reading through Nicole’s notes.

“However, such otherworldly things can manifest themselves in much subtler ways, and that is what I suspect is going on. Given what you told me about Lilienstadt’s history with the supernatural, I am inclined to think that some eldritch energy was able to breach through and anchor itself onto something -or perhaps someone- in the area.”

They pointed towards the last paragraph of the right page of their handbook. “This part here recapitulates an encounter I had with a poor boy who was effectively turned undead by such an influence.”

The mayor frowned. “What became of him?”

“He is alive and well. I was able to save him, but since the corruption was coursing through his blood, I had to purge it from his veins as a doctor was providing his body with new, untainted blood.” 

They closed their handbook down and placed it back into their coat.

“This rather extreme procedure was necessary, because this boy’s blood had effectively become an anchor point for the eldritch to set in. However, it could have been another part of the body; corruptions of organs are not unheard of for example.

-So if I understand correctly, there is someone roaming around Lilienstadt while corrupted?

-Either that, or perhaps an animal. Going by these stones, that is the most likely hypothesis to me. However, those same stones tell me that the corruption is not very powerful, which is probably due to it having anchored itself relatively recently.

-Why is it that you use that term, anchor, specifically?” asked Harpkopf, twirling his moustache around as he was focusing.

Nicole leaned back in their chair and stayed silent for a bit, reflecting. Though the question was simple, its answer harkened to many very complex theories and deductions.

“Well, since eldritch beings and phenomena are otherworldly in nature, this means that they cannot exist for very long in our realm without having to latch onto something or someone to keep on existing. However, anything that they latch on gets corrupted over time and, what’s more, can corrupt other things that it comes in contact with, as the stones showed us. So using the term ‘anchor’ alludes to the fact that the eldritch needs to corrupt in order to not drift away into nothing. At least, that is what the most commonly accepted conclusion is.”

As they went on with their explanation, their voice was tinted by a hint of melancholy.

Harpkopf asked, the worry in his voice fading away, “So then, how do you plan to take care of all of this?”

Nicole got back up on their seat and clasped their hands together again.

“Well, this should be a simple ordeal really. I will first start by purging the chapel from its corruption. Once that is done, the absence of said corruption should coax our unknown agent into coming back to the place, so as to taint it again; quite like how air is drawn to spaces devoid of it, if you will.” 

The mayor acquiesced. “What will you do then?”

“Well, if things go the way I expect them to, then once they are in the chapel, I should be able to paralyse them without any harm done, and from there I’ll begin the purification process. Once all this is done, Lilienstadt should be free of any eldritch influence.”

“I’m very pleased to hear that, thank you ever so much for your explanation, sir d’Estein.” said Harpkopf, as he was storing the pouch back into its drawer. 

Nicole stood up and gave the mayor a bow, their left hand laid on their heart. “I will be taking my leave now. As much as I would like to take care of this right now, the weather would make it very difficult to get anything done, so I will have to wait until the morning.”

When they turned towards the door, Harpkopf asked “Will you stay the night, sir d'Estein? I have guest rooms available on the upper floor, and I would hate for you to get drenched looking for an inn.”

As if on cue, the noise of the rain began to be obscured by rumbles of thunder in the distance, as lightning began to strike the earth, flashing through the window.

Nicole turned towards the mayor and smiled once more, pleasantly surprised “I would love to, Mr Harpkopf.”

Climbing up to the second floor revealed a small corridor, which led to two guest rooms, both of which were quite small. It was obvious that no one that used them stayed for long enough to warrant further accommodations. Despite that, the room that Nicole was given was well maintained, with one of the most comfortable beds that they had the pleasure to lay on.

Sleep, however, took its time to come, for even as Nicole’s mind was drifting away, they were reminiscing about all the previous cases they had worked on, making sure nothing would be amiss for this one."

[dmgtellsyouaboutstufftheywrote]

Intermission (1): Lilienstadt

"This mid-sized town is located in the eastern parts of Gregoria, nearby the Imperial Mounts. In the days of the Dorlechian dynasty, it was one of the cornerstones of the region, all thanks to its ownership of rich coal and iron mines.

Back then, the town was known as Herschwarstadt, or "Glorious Black Town"; named such both because of its crucial role in the beginnings of Dorlechian industry, but also as a sort of tongue-in-cheek allusion to the black stains that it was sporting due to the mines. Nevertheless, the inhabitants were enjoying a wealthy lifestyle, from around 1327 to 1741.

During the late 18th century however, the rich veins found in the mines went dry, and the mines were shut down. Simultenaously, Hershwarstadt lost the favor of the monarchy in place at the time.

However, this was not to be the end of this town. While it is true that the town would end up becoming smaller over time, both because of the departure of many of its citizens, as well as the demolition of many buildings to make room for more vertical ones, it managed to stay afloat anyway.

Even as the mines were sealed and as it lost its royal favor, Hershwarstadt would live on. Shifting its focus from coal extraction to agriculture and alchemical ingredients, it would go on to become the biggest producer in Dantalia of a key ingredient in modern medicine and alchemy: the Starshine Lily, most notably used in the treatment of tumors, cancers and brain afflictions.

As such, it was decided to change the town's name in honor of this flower and of how it enabled this place to survive. Hershwarstadt no more, the town would go on to be renamed Lilienstad, "Town of Lilies"."

Townsend S. Fairway, excerpt from "Brief guide of rural Gregoria", 1885, published by Les Editions Develles.

[dmgtellsyouaboutstufftheywrote]

I wasn't happy with the formating, so here is the story so far in one post! This is chapter 1!

“November the 8th, 1991 F.C., Eastern Gregoria

It was a dark and moonless night. A storm was raging, letting loose waves upon waves of rain into the streets of the town below, and blowing a frightfully strong wind; which was tearing away roof tiles and making the crystal lamps that were barely lighting up the alleyways cling onto their flame for dear life.

Amidst the flickering light and battering rain walked a tall figure, wearing a travelling cloak; their steps were more measured than one would have expected in such a weather, for they were not wanting to slip on a wet cobblestone. Trudging on, they walked towards what seemed to be the town hall, judging from the few details they were able to make out thanks to the ailing street lights.

After checking the address they were given, the hooded silhouette went to the front door, and laid their hand onto the handle.

As the storm was unleashing its wrath onto the streets in this dark evening, the gnome secretary was seated at her oak desk, absentmindedly reading through yet another incident report in need of a stamp; that one pertaining to an apparition wreaking havoc in the neighbouring street, earlier that week.

While she was going on with her reading, the gas lamp that was resting at the corner of her desk was flickering, as though its flame was dancing along with the wind outside.

Both the secretary and the flame were looking as though they were about to nod off… However, there was still oil to be burned, and work to be done.

Just as the little lady was about to slump down onto her desk for a well deserved rest, her ears twitched. She heard faint steps from outside, through the storm’s ruckus. Someone was coming.

Scrambling, the secretary filled her lamp and tried to regain her composure, to look more professional than what she was feeling like at the moment, to mixed results.

Suddenly, the front door swung open then shut, in a crashing sound that would have shaken thunder itself. In the entrance, a tall silhouette was standing, a human whose face was obscured by the hood of a well-worn mantle. The secretary dared not utter a word, unsure of the intentions of her visitor.

After spending a few minutes drying themselves to the best of their abilities, the mysterious individual took off their mantle and hung it neatly onto one of the coat hooks next to the door. Stepping into the office proper, the secretary was finally able to get a good look at her guest, as they went and took a seat on the chair facing her desk.

This person’s eyes were of an intense, almost cobalt blue, but their stare was gentle. They had short, jet black hair that, though messed up by their cloak’s hood, managed to look elegant nonetheless; with a few locks falling in front of their eyes, accentuating the paleness of their skin and the few freckles it was sporting. 

Their lips formed a faint but confident and agreeable smile, kind but not cocky in the least; suiting the stranger’s strong yet smooth jawline very well.

They were lithe and assured, sitting politely and clearly knowing why they came in here; their outfit harkened back to the military uniforms of days past, all the way back to the 19th century. A Baroque, through and through.

The stranger looked at the secretary as though they were expecting her to say something, but, noticing that she was still stumped by their presence, they instead chose to break the silence, saying:

“I do so deeply apologise about the door… The wind outside was so strong, it felt as though I was going to have to tear it off its hinges in order to enter.”

Their voice sounded androgynous, soft, warm and low-pitched. It fitted their aura perfectly.

That statement was an odd way to start a conversation, to be sure, but nevertheless it was enough to snap the secretary out of her stupor.

“Oh! Ah well, I’m not surprised. Weather’s always positively wretched at this time of year. I will say, you gave me quite a scare sir, but no harm is done, don’t worry about that."

"I’m glad to hear that. Having said that, I promise you that my departure will be much quieter; I’d hate to disturb you again in such a way."

"It’ll be fine, really. Even when the weather’s calm, people are noisy all the same, so I can manage. Anyway, what brings you here,sir…?"

"I’m sorry, I should have started with that… My name is Nicole d'Estein, I am an eldritch-hunter."

They reached inside their coat to retrieve something, and as they were searching through their pocket, they asked:

“And you are?”

The secretary was looking through an agenda when the question was asked, and stared at Nicole with a surprised expression. It was obvious that few were the guests who enquired about who she was.

“Oh, uhm, I’m Ophelia Crowley, sir.”

Flustered, she focused her attention back onto the agenda before finally finding what she was looking for. Simultaneously, Nicole produced a small, somewhat crumpled letter from their inner pocket and put it onto the desk.

“I have it written here that you came for a meeting with Mr Harpkopf, is that right, sir?

"So that is how you pronounce it, I see… Indeed, he sent me this letter two days ago, urging me to come as soon as I could, but he did not elaborate much aside from that.“ said Nicole, as they opened the letter, slinding the message it contained onto the table.

"Between you and me though, the lack of detail proved to be a convenience. I do not mean this as a slight against Mr Harpkopf, but I am afraid that his handwriting is positively undecipherable…” remarked the Baroque, their smile becoming wry for an instant.

Ophelia could not help but sigh upon hearing that, as she picked up the letter and read it.

“Trust me, you are not the first to tell me that, and I have a hunch you won’t be the last either. I’ve been telling him to buy one of these new-fangled typewriters for ages now, but he insists he writes just fine."

Having closed up her agenda, Ophelia stood up from her chair, and said "Well sir d'Estein, I wouldn’t want to make you wait any longer for your appointment. Please follow me, I will show you the way to Mr Harpkopf’s office.”

After climbing a couple flights of stairs and bidding Miss Crowley a very good evening, Nicole found themselves in front of a richly engraved door, decorated with gaudy brass ornaments and fitted with a golden sign; onto which “Horace T. Harpkopf IV, Mayor of Lilienstadt” was written in big, squared up letters.

By comparison, the austerity of that sign was the only thing that, ironically enough, was saving this door from being utterly tasteless.

Nicole raised their gloved hand and knocked twice. After a few seconds had passed, they heard a faint ��thump” coming from inside the room, followed by a low, stuffy voice mumbling “You may enter!”.“

[dmgtellsyouaboutstufftheywrote]

*takes notes for Baroque*

“Unique war hammer, Germany, 16th century.”

[dmgtellsyouaboutstufftheywrote]

Greetings!

And thank you for dropping by. In here you will be able to read small snippets of stories that I am currently working on. This blog is an occasion for me to motivate myself into writing more, so I hope that you, dear reader, will find it enjoyable.

Have yourself a very good day, and stay tuned!