cleric-plus-thief/www/00002-meadowgloom.html

247 lines
7.7 KiB
HTML
Raw Permalink Normal View History

2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="" xml:lang="">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<meta name="generator" content="pandoc" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" />
<title>00002. Meadowgloom</title>
<style>
html {
line-height: 1.5;
font-family: Georgia, serif;
font-size: 20px;
color: #1a1a1a;
background-color: #fdfdfd;
}
body {
margin: 0 auto;
max-width: 36em;
padding-left: 50px;
padding-right: 50px;
padding-top: 50px;
padding-bottom: 50px;
hyphens: auto;
overflow-wrap: break-word;
text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;
font-kerning: normal;
}
@media (max-width: 600px) {
body {
font-size: 0.9em;
padding: 1em;
}
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
h1 {
font-size: 1.8em;
}
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
}
@media print {
body {
background-color: transparent;
color: black;
font-size: 12pt;
}
p, h2, h3 {
orphans: 3;
widows: 3;
}
h2, h3, h4 {
page-break-after: avoid;
}
}
p {
margin: 1em 0;
}
a {
color: #1a1a1a;
}
a:visited {
color: #1a1a1a;
}
img {
max-width: 100%;
}
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
margin-top: 1.4em;
}
h5, h6 {
font-size: 1em;
font-style: italic;
}
h6 {
font-weight: normal;
}
ol, ul {
padding-left: 1.7em;
margin-top: 1em;
}
li > ol, li > ul {
margin-top: 0;
}
blockquote {
margin: 1em 0 1em 1.7em;
padding-left: 1em;
border-left: 2px solid #e6e6e6;
color: #606060;
}
code {
font-family: Menlo, Monaco, 'Lucida Console', Consolas, monospace;
font-size: 85%;
margin: 0;
}
pre {
margin: 1em 0;
overflow: auto;
}
pre code {
padding: 0;
overflow: visible;
overflow-wrap: normal;
}
.sourceCode {
background-color: transparent;
overflow: visible;
}
hr {
background-color: #1a1a1a;
border: none;
height: 1px;
margin: 1em 0;
}
table {
margin: 1em 0;
border-collapse: collapse;
width: 100%;
overflow-x: auto;
display: block;
font-variant-numeric: lining-nums tabular-nums;
}
table caption {
margin-bottom: 0.75em;
}
tbody {
margin-top: 0.5em;
border-top: 1px solid #1a1a1a;
border-bottom: 1px solid #1a1a1a;
}
th {
border-top: 1px solid #1a1a1a;
padding: 0.25em 0.5em 0.25em 0.5em;
}
td {
padding: 0.125em 0.5em 0.25em 0.5em;
}
header {
margin-bottom: 4em;
text-align: center;
}
#TOC li {
list-style: none;
}
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
#TOC ul {
padding-left: 1.3em;
}
#TOC > ul {
padding-left: 0;
}
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
#TOC a:not(:hover) {
text-decoration: none;
}
code{white-space: pre-wrap;}
span.smallcaps{font-variant: small-caps;}
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
div.columns{display: flex; gap: min(4vw, 1.5em);}
div.column{flex: auto; overflow-x: auto;}
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
div.hanging-indent{margin-left: 1.5em; text-indent: -1.5em;}
ul.task-list{list-style: none;}
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
ul.task-list li input[type="checkbox"] {
width: 0.8em;
margin: 0 0.8em 0.2em -1.6em;
vertical-align: middle;
}
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
.display.math{display: block; text-align: center; margin: 0.5rem auto;}
</style>
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="episodes" href="http://tilde.town/~dozens/clericthief/episodes.xml">
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="journal" href="http://tilde.town/~dozens/clericthief/journal.xml">
<style>
html {
background: #efefef;
}
</style>
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
<!--[if lt IE 9]>
<script src="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/html5shiv/3.7.3/html5shiv-printshiv.min.js"></script>
<![endif]-->
</head>
<body>
Cleric + Thief
| <a href="index.html">Episodes</a>
| <a href="journal.html">Journal</a>
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
| <a href="about.html">About</a>
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
<header id="title-block-header">
<h1 class="title">00002. Meadowgloom</h1>
<p class="subtitle">Fucking Blackguard</p>
</header>
<p>“You really dont know where Blackguard is,” asks Maddox.</p>
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
<p>The four of them are sitting around a table in the safe house.
Maddox, the bone doctor, Iofi, and Meadowgloom.</p>
<p>The bone doctor, summoned by Other Maddox, is extraordinarily pale.
They have just finished stitching Maddox up, and are now wrapping them
up in a bandage. They also set out some salve for Iofi, who is rubbing
it into her boney forearms. They ache deeply from when she took the
brunt of the blow from the axeman.</p>
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
<p>“I really dont,” confesses Meadowgloom in his high, soft voice.</p>
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
<p>Meadowgloom is Blackguards <em>majordomo</em>, head of his household
staff. Up until recently he was quite happy and content with his
job.</p>
<p>That was before, of course, he was detained and threatened with
bodily dismemberment by three thugs who broke into the Blackguard house.
Before being rescused by the tall dark haired woman and the short fair
haired man, both of whom command strange magicks and are also quite
handy with a hammer and a knife, respectively. Which makes them in some
ways even scarier than the burglars were. And ultimately they also
eventually threatened him with violence.</p>
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
<p>All because of Blackguard.</p>
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
<p>Blackguard, whose investments, speculations, and ventures have made
him one of the most conspicuously wealthy merchants in Kriteach.
Possibly on the entire island.</p>
<p>Blackguard, who over the last month started becoming increasingly
anxious and secretive. Holding meetings at odd hours behind closed
doors. Spending more and more time alone with his books. As though he
knew the net was tightening, drawing closed around him.</p>
<p>Blackguard, who disappeared three days ago and left Meadowgloom
holding the proverbial bag. After years of service and loyalty.</p>
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
<p>Fucking Blackguard.</p>
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
<p>“I dont,” continues Meadowgloom. “But I can recreate his final days
in the house for you. I can give you access to his books. His
correspondence. Everything.”</p>
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
<hr />
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
<p>Meadowglooms confidence starts to waiver as the three of them walk
back to the Blackguard house. It was his sanctuary mere days ago. But
now the illusion of safety has been shattered, and when he thinks of
returning he feels a knot of dread in the pit of his stomach. He doesnt
think hell ever feel at peace there again.</p>
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
<p>He doesnt know how right he is about that.</p>
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
<p>The street is blocked off. The house, in the middle of the block, is
collapsed in on itself and continues to smoke and smolder slightly. It
is blackened by soot, gutted by fire, and utterly soaked from the
efforts of putting out the blaze.</p>
<p>The fire brigade is now focused on putting out a neighboring
apartment.</p>
<p>Meadowgloom moans helplessly and wordlessly. He was already mourning
the psychological loss of his home. But he wasnt prepared for its
physical loss.</p>
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
<p>“Shit,” curses Maddox.</p>
<p>Iofi looks at them and frowns.</p>
<p>“Its a setback,” she offers.</p>
<p>“It was our best and only lead,” they counter.</p>
2022-09-18 22:52:24 +00:00
<p>Meadowgloom moans again and rushes past the barricade toward the
house. He is stopped by the brigade, who wont let him advance. Maddox
gives him a moment, and then steps forward and gently pulls him away.
They walk back in the direction from which they came. Meadowgloom,
silent and dejected, flanked on either side by Maddox and Iofi. Nothing
else to be done here.</p>
2022-09-03 23:26:07 +00:00
<p>“Youll stay with us,” Iofi pats Meadowgloom on the arm.</p>
<p>Maddox mumbles something under their breath and nods.</p>
<p>“Its the least we can do given the circumstances.”</p>
<p>EOF</p>
</body>
</html>