forked from dozens/cleric-plus-thief
247 lines
7.7 KiB
HTML
247 lines
7.7 KiB
HTML
<!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;
|
||
}
|
||
h1 {
|
||
font-size: 1.8em;
|
||
}
|
||
}
|
||
@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;
|
||
}
|
||
#TOC ul {
|
||
padding-left: 1.3em;
|
||
}
|
||
#TOC > ul {
|
||
padding-left: 0;
|
||
}
|
||
#TOC a:not(:hover) {
|
||
text-decoration: none;
|
||
}
|
||
code{white-space: pre-wrap;}
|
||
span.smallcaps{font-variant: small-caps;}
|
||
div.columns{display: flex; gap: min(4vw, 1.5em);}
|
||
div.column{flex: auto; overflow-x: auto;}
|
||
div.hanging-indent{margin-left: 1.5em; text-indent: -1.5em;}
|
||
ul.task-list{list-style: none;}
|
||
ul.task-list li input[type="checkbox"] {
|
||
width: 0.8em;
|
||
margin: 0 0.8em 0.2em -1.6em;
|
||
vertical-align: middle;
|
||
}
|
||
.display.math{display: block; text-align: center; margin: 0.5rem auto;}
|
||
</style>
|
||
<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>
|
||
<!--[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>
|
||
| <a href="about.html">About</a>
|
||
<header id="title-block-header">
|
||
<h1 class="title">00002. Meadowgloom</h1>
|
||
<p class="subtitle">Fucking Blackguard</p>
|
||
</header>
|
||
<p>“You really don’t know where Blackguard is,” asks Maddox.</p>
|
||
<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>
|
||
<p>“I really don’t,” confesses Meadowgloom in his high, soft voice.</p>
|
||
<p>Meadowgloom is Blackguard’s <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>
|
||
<p>All because of Blackguard.</p>
|
||
<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>
|
||
<p>Fucking Blackguard.</p>
|
||
<p>“I don’t,” 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>
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<p>Meadowgloom’s 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 doesn’t
|
||
think he’ll ever feel at peace there again.</p>
|
||
<p>He doesn’t know how right he is about that.</p>
|
||
<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 wasn’t prepared for its
|
||
physical loss.</p>
|
||
<p>“Shit,” curses Maddox.</p>
|
||
<p>Iofi looks at them and frowns.</p>
|
||
<p>“It’s a setback,” she offers.</p>
|
||
<p>“It was our best and only lead,” they counter.</p>
|
||
<p>Meadowgloom moans again and rushes past the barricade toward the
|
||
house. He is stopped by the brigade, who won’t 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>
|
||
<p>“You’ll stay with us,” Iofi pats Meadowgloom on the arm.</p>
|
||
<p>Maddox mumbles something under their breath and nods.</p>
|
||
<p>“It’s the least we can do given the circumstances.”</p>
|
||
<p>EOF</p>
|
||
</body>
|
||
</html>
|