The Wraith and The Shadow [P]

In the town Davrus had first visited he'd overheard that there had been some trouble with a mine trying to open up in Pormont somewhere. Apparently there had been a set of somewhat mysterious circumstances where survivors returned to claim that ghosts had kept the mine work from continuing, a lot of workers and miners had suffered severe injuries and grisly deaths. Despite the best efforts of the warriors stationed there to keep the peace and protect the workers from the Grass Knolls the deaths had continued, some in broad daylight but those only recently. Davrus wasn't sure if this was a quest or if this was how quests were given out but it certainly sounded like a good place to drum up a good reputation as well as possibly finding some good loot. Davrus had gotten the location and immediately set off.

The Pormont area was just as beautiful as everywhere else he'd seen so far, this game had been very well designed you could tell that someone or someones had taken their time. Rolling grasslands led up to the occasional mountain range otherwise they stretched out into the distance. It'd taken him a lot longer to get here than he thought, but he'd finally arrived. It was a small mine that was located not very far in to the Pormont area, probably to try to avoid the Knoll patrols as it was also a bit higher up a mountain slope and not down at the mountain base itself. Davrus knew he was at the place when he started seeing all the blood.

The initial area consisted of a few buildings which he assumed were organizational/paperwork type buildings, places to keep all the records for shipments and freight. Not many deaths here, one or two bodies behind a building and another body in a door way. A little further on Davrus could see the mind area proper inside a small dell next to a sheer face of rock and here was where the real mess was. It seemed that there was enough time for most of the people at the buildings to try to reach the questionable safety of the as-yet-to-be-finished mine opening. There were quite a few bodies lying, sometimes in pieces, at the base of the rock in a glorified divot. Davrus held his fingers to his temple allowing him to slip into investigation mode though it told him very little, "That's brilliant, of course that's blood on the ground! Investigation mode indeed, what's the point of showing you what's already there!?" Exasperated, Davrus dropped his hand from his temple and began examining the area the old fashioned way. One body at a time.

@Eurig Rig Cadigan

 

Rig was excited. More excited than he had been in a long time. He was walking along a dusty road that was running along the base of a mountian in the land of Pormont. He was trying very hard to not have severe flash backs from the last time he was here in Pormont. Remembering the skittering, screaching grass knolls was starting to make his eye twitch. He hated those blasted things. It didn't matter right now though because Rig was excited! He was going on an actual hunt for a serial killer! He basically was going to be the Sherlock Holmes of Terra for the next couple of days...or Watson. He actually would prefer to be Watson. He always personally felt Watson was under-looked often in the Arthur Conan Doyle novels. He actually admired Watson greatly. Not only was the man a great doctor but also a crime fighter/mystery solver. But everyone seemed to love the morally-ambiguous, drug addicted, private detective. (Sigh) They always do don't they?

Rig shook his head as he continued to walk. He needed to stay focused. He needed to have a clear head as he looked for the clues when he arrived at the mine. He first heard of the mine while in Stockbon. There were whispers among the NPC's about continuous murders near this new mine in Pormont. The mine had a high output of raw ore and had great monetary possibilities. However, there were very violent murders on the workers of the mine as weeks progressed. He believed the body count was up to twelve now. The workers were hysterical and were saying the mine was cursed and they were being killed by vengeful ghosts...thats right...GHOSTS! It was no matter, as long as the quest got completed. Rig spoke to the gossiping NPC's, a quest popped up in his palm menu, and he was on his way.

The giant of a man chuckled slightly at the thought of ghosts as he began to approach the small wooden buildings that were at the base of the mountain. It seemed eerily quiet. He heard slight sounds of the *ping ping* as metal hit stone in the distance but other than that it was still. He felt that a mine being worked on by rambunctious men would have more shouting, laughter, and swearing. All he heard was wind and the distant sound of men working who knew they would be dead soon. Rig couldn't even hear birds in the fields. The clouds over head were dark and pregnant with rain. The downpour wasn't here yet but it would certainly be here by nightfall.

He felt a shiver down his spine and wasn't certain why he was overreacting so badly. The game makers sure knew how to make a scene spooky didn't they? He continued walking into what he supposed was the mine base of operations. He continued past the wooden buildings until he came upon the grizzly scene of blood and limbs. There were maybe two or three bodies in total but it was hard to tell from the mess. Rig continued to look around and then saw a pale face shrouded in darkness with a midnight cloak draped around his shoulders standing amongst the bodies! Rig gasped and slid back in some slate and gravel until he noticed that it was just another gamer and not the grim reaper himself. This quest really was getting to him.

"Crikey! You gave moi heart a shock you slag!" Rig laughed uneasily, "Sorry bout that I just wasn't expecting anyone else to be here yet. You here to solve the murder quest too?"

Rig looked the man over thoughtfully. The shadowy player was glancing at the ground in investigation mode with curiosity and focus. He was bending over and picking up certain stones and putting them back. When he looked up at the giant, Rig noticed that his eyes were still pondering at the mystery at hand while addressing him. Rig began to grin while the other player name @Davrus Gaust spoke. Maybe he was going to play Watson to a Sherlock Holmes after all...

 

Davrus grinned and bowed low, "I ask your pardon sir, I was so absorbed in examining the scene that I didn't hear you approach. My name is Davrus and it would appear that we will be working together to discover these poor workers' grisly fates. What might be your name sir?" Davrus continued to examine the area as the other player introduced himself and went through his own pleasantries. As he'd noticed before, the focus of the carnage had been here at where the entrance to the mine would be had the workers not been horrifically killed. Strolling past the buildings hadn't afforded Davrus much of a look into their interior, he wasn't going rule out bandits until he'd had a chance to see if anything had been stolen.

"I've already got a few theories but I'll wait on revealing them until I see more of the situation but I do think it's safe to rule out the Gnolls that would normally be blamed for an atrocity such as this." Davrus leaned to his right as he shifted his weight, this was turning out to be quite fascinating. The programmers and narrative designers sure knew what they were doing, this seemed to be a quality quest and, so far, things looked potentially interesting.

Davrus began walking in the direction of the buildings, "I'm returning to those buildings there to examine the inventory and see if anything was taken, you're welcome to join me or continue examining this area here if you'd like." Davrus walked swiftly on his long legs, thinking to himself that the inventory would probably be fine. These murders were grisly for sure and absolutely violent but almost too violent. Nearly.....bestial.