Leaving her warm bed to open it, Petunia bursts into her room.
"Boo hoo hoo," she cries, her face streaming with tears. "He's gone! He waited until he thought I was asleep, and then he got dressed and left! I'll bet he's with some cheap floozie right now!"
She looks about Sasha's room.
"He's not with you is he?"
Sasha looks surprised. "Why? Do I look like a floozie? Calm yourself, Petunia." Sasha puts her arm around Petunia and leads her to the bed.
"Here, wipe your tears and tell me what happened. I'm sure there is a good explanation for his actions. Perhaps he went to get you a little surprise."
"Harrumph. He gave me a 'little surprise' earlier! Are all elves that underendowed? Then he pretended to go to sleep, thinking that he could trick me! Ha!" she sobs. "Next I heard him get up, get dressed, and leave. Oh, boo-hoo! Well, he can keep his cheap ring!"
She takes it off her finger and throws it into the fire. Then, she has a thought.
"I'll bet he's with Illyana," she says. "That little piece of jailbait..."
She jumps up and storms out the door, making for Illyana's room.
"Open up, Illyana! I know he's in there!" she cries, pounding on her door.
Sasha grabs Petunia's arms, trying to keep her from pounding on the door.
"Petunia! Please ... I'm sure he isn't with her ... Listen to me."
Sasha tries to calm her, talking quietly and earnestly. "Petunia ... if you didn't care for J'Harast, you wouldn't be so upset and perhaps it was your reaction to him that drove him away. You must be more caring of men's feeling in certain areas. Let's go discuss this calmly. Not in the hallway for everyone to hear. Please."
The door next to Illyana's opens a crack and Raith - holding his swords - peers out.
At almost the same time, Illyana's door opens, and she looks out, blinking.
"What? Who? I don't know what you are talking about. J'Harast? He isn't here. What happened?"
"Let me in, you two-bit tart!" Petunia cries, pushing her way past Illyana and into her room. A moment later she cries out. "Ohhh, he isn't here! I feel so bad! I'm so sorry, Illyana, for calling you a tart! I'm terribly upset and I don't know what I'm saying! Boohoo!"
Sasha hugs Petunia, letting her cry into her shoulder. Looking over Petunia's head to Raith and Illyana, Sasha says, "She is upset because J'Harast left her in the night. Illyana, could you take care of her? I would like to go and see if I can find him. Perhaps something happened ... I would feel better knowing where he is."
Sasha steers Petunia into Illyana's room and sets off to find J'Harast.
Illyana is a little confused and quite tired due to the time of night. "Oh, alright. Come in Petunia, I'm sure he didn't go very far." She then closes the door.
There is no sign of J'Harast in the common room. Nor does he seem to be with Raith.
Sasha bundles up and go outside. It is clear and bitter cold. The streets are deserted, and a cruel wind blows the snow into drifts.
She notes two fairly fresh sets of tracks in the snow...heading down the street towards the West Gate.
As Sasha sets off down the street following the tracks in the snow, she is joined by Raith.
"Sasha if you don't mind I would like to keep you company and help you find J'Harast."
You set off together.
The streets of Sandas are deserted at this hour...about 0330. The air is bitter cold.
The tracks lead you to the West Gate, which is open. There is no sign of a guard on this frigid night.
Once through the gate the tracks turn south.
Twenty minutes later you are standing at the gate leading into the house. Under the starlight you can see that the tracks lead across the snow-covered grounds to the front door.
The temperature is about -40F and you are both feeling benumbed by it. You know that you will have to seek shelter from the cold very soon, or suffer the consequences...
Sasha gasps upon seeing the tracks leading to the door and hurries up to the front door - using her staff to test the soundness of the wood.
"Watch it - we had somebody fall through ... " Sasha mutters to Raith.
"I can't believe he went here alone!" Shivering, she opens the door and goes inside.
Just inside the door, she will try to light her staff (wrapping one of her oil soaked clothes around it first).
"Raith, you may want to stay a little away from me. I have a tween ... and while it makes me a little luckier - it could make you very unlucky."
She tries to see if there are any tracks on the floor - ie, melted snow or whatever.
"Thanks for the words of warning." Raith heads into the house with sasha drawing out his scimitars.
"Why after the problems you have had here would he come here alone. Do you guys always try and do things by yourselves? If so I probably will fit right in."
"It has become personal for him. I pray we find him in time. This house is deadly, so be prepared." Sasha replies quietly, peering into the hallway.
"And no, we don't try to do things by ourselves ... *sigh* well, normally we don't. But someone has to stop him." Sasha adds.
"Sorry I mispoke. It looks like he brought company along with him. Any ideas who that might be? We know it isn't Illyana or Petunia."
You enter the house. Sasha's burning stave provides light - and, more importantly - some small amount of heat, for your fingers and toes are numbed.
The trail of snow continues inside, and you follow it to the top of the stairs leading down into the basement area. The tracks head down that way.
You hesitate, and as you do so you see movements out of the corners of your eyes. Blades flash, and Sasha's robe is torn by one. Raith groans, as a longsword plunges into his back, for 15 hit points of damage.
He drops, unconscious and near death.
Sasha runs toward the assailants, weilding her staff like a lance - trying to get the flames in their faces ...
...and torches one in the face. It cries and drops, in flames.
The other two swing their weapons at you but for some reason miss.
Then, as their companion writhes in his death throes on the floor, they lose their nerve, turn and flee.
You take one more swing as they leave, and catch the second one. It too drops in flames.
The third gets away.
Raith is still bleeding on the floor.
Sasha has not had sufficient rest or time to pray for healing spells since she was in here yesterday.
You do bind Raith's sword wound, though, and just in time, for he would have been dead in another minute or so.
He remains unconscious, though.
The two bodies lie on the floor, smouldering. Their flesh is a dead grey in colour.
You cast a cure light wounds on Raith. He looks better for it, but remains unconscious.
Sasha sighs heavily and finally decides to continue. She drags Raith to the living room ... and covers him with her cloak. She then goes to the door that leads down to the basement.
She checks her staff/torch, lighting another length of oil-soaked cloth if needed and proceeds down the steps ...
At the bottom of the stairs, she calls out, "J'Harast? Rane? Are you guys here?"
You are answered by silence.
The tracks...very faint, now, lead into the wine cellar and from there into the tunnels that ultimately lead to the octagonal-shaped room or the sewers.
You pass through the concealed door in the wine cellar, and into the adjacent rooms.
There, you find Rane and J'Harast standing by the tunnel entrance, catching their breath.
Both look as if they have been running...hard. J'Harast in particular looks ill, as he shivers and clutches his sides while he moans.
Rane speaks first...but at the same time his thoughts seem to be elsewhere.
"Goodness Sasha, you should know better than to come here alone. This place is bad enough even with two of us. And as we just found out, this is definately not a safe place to train our skills."
Sasha rushes up to them. "What the hell do you think you guys are doing? Come on - Raith is badly wounded upstairs - we need to get him back to the inn. J'Harast ... are you okay - lean on me - Rane - cover our rear - we have to go."
"We thought we were training. To save money we've pooled our resources so that J'Harast is trained at the Guild and then he trains me. Had to since we spent all our money raising people." You can still hear anger in his voice at what he considers a waste of money.
"So why are you here? What happened to Raist? How close is he and why are you leaving a wounded man alone?"
Sasha walks briskly as she explains.
Her voice shaking with anger, she replies. "Petunia came to my room sobbing because you had left her in the night - she accused me and Illyana of being tarts - what was I to think? You should have told someone what you were doing. I was thinking that you had become obssessed with this damn house and so came to 'rescue' you!"
"I don't know what Raith is - we were attacked by these strange creatures ... I killed two of them .... but couldn't very well drag him back by myself and knew you were in here ....
"Now let's hurry and get out of here! I am too angry right now to deal rationally with this ... but I could cheerfully strangle the both of you right now!"
"Rescue us? And Raist lies injured upstairs? Pah."
Sasha stops cold in her tracks and turns to face Rane. Her face is white with anger and the muscles in her jaw twitch. "Yes." Her hand clenches and seems as if she is about to strike Rane. Instead, she whirls around and faces J'Harast.
A look of concentration comes over Rane's dark features.
Suddenly Sasha stops dead in her tracks. A look of horror crosses her face, then her expression goes blank.
Like an automaton, Sasha moves jerkily over Rane...then slowly reaches for his belt, and draws his dagger. Slowly, the cleric raises it to her head and presses the point to her own right ear...
Suddenly Rane moans, and recoils from her as if she had hit him physically.
Then, life returns to her features...
The shadow that always follows her around seems a little more distinct now...
Rane curses, then says "J'Harast, help!" and concentrates...
...to no avail it would seem as Sasha drops the dagger and swings her staff in a mighty arc - trying to knock Rane out...
...and misses.
Rane concentrates as Sasha tries again to hit the half-drow while calling out to J'Harast. "J'Harast - Rane is evil and just tried to take over my mind ... "
Her swing misses.
J'Harast watches as Sasha swings at Rane. He then leaps up and draws his sword and dagger. "By my word, this is getting out of hand. Sasha, why did you attack Rane, he has done nothing to you. We are both upset that you have intruded into our practice, needlessly endangering yourself and others."
Standing betweeen the two, in an attempt to prevent either from attacking the other, he continues, "Cease and decist. Sasha, if you raise your weapon again, I will have to defend Rane. Don't force me to do that."
She does not.
Sasha's expression goes blank again...and her staff drops to the floor.
A slight smile crosses Rane's face, as he closes his eyes and bends her to his will...
While Rane concentrates and J'Harast watches, Sasha stiffly bends over, picks up Rane's dagger, and plunges it through her right ear and into her brain.
She dies instantly, dropping to the floor at J'Harast's feet.
Rane quickly moves around J'Harast, grabs the body of Sasha and begins dragging it back down the passage from which you came when you fled the wraith.
"Those crocodiles should make short of her. I don't want anything left behind to be found by the others. The last thing we need is her to be revived. Then we can sneak out the exit I found next to the forge. Later tonight we can join the search and 'rescue' Raith. We were never here, having only gone out for training."
Once downstairs, Rane strips Sasha of all her belongings and clothes, and piles these in a corner. "We don't want anything left on her that can be found using magic."
J'Harast, still in a bit of a state of shock, assists Rane as best he can. "Any items we find of a magical nature, we should rid through our guild connections. It would not be wise to sell them through Ming."
Rane nods. "I was already thinking we should sell them outside of town, but I guess the guild will do, although I worry about someone pressuring them into talking."
Sasha wore only studded leather armour. You find nothing of interest or value on the corpse. Even her tween departed the moment she died.
Rane continues and drags the body to the sewers. There is no sign of the crocodiles.
Rane places Sasha's head into the water so that the blood can attract them.
"I hope that the crocs come soon."
"Me too. By the gods, why did she have to pick tonight to come snooping around. Couldn't she have left well enough alone and sent Petunia back to bed?"
J'Harast will then look around to see if there is a blood trail that needs to be cleaned up in some manner.
You have left a trail of blood from the bottom of the stairs leading up into the house to where you are now...beneath the graveyard.
Rane cleans up the area as best he can, but it is a nearly impossible job to completely clean several hundred feet of stonework of spilled blood.
"With luck no one will know where or how she died. Serves her right being such a noisy snoop."
"So far so good. Thanks for the help back there. Now remember, we were out training. We never came near this house. We don't know anything about where Sasha may have left too, and whoever else went with them. Indeed we don't even know Sasha left unless someone mentions it, or the evening passes and we don't notice her tommorrow."
"Now, once we leave here we will go and spend two or so hours working out someone, drilling as if we really were training. Make sure we have a few witnesses."
"It seems, now, that we have relieved ourselves of one of the problems in the group. We'll control them even tighter and be able to make choices and decisions that will be of a benefit to ourselves alone. Not bad for a night's training."
J'Harast laughs, a low evil laugh. "However, I guess that this changes the need for me to try to seduce Sasha, as much as I was looking forward to that challenge. Now, however, I need to figure out how to get rid of Petunia. She's useful in a fight, but I'm afraid her antics will force my hand sooner than I wish it to be forced."
"Well, brother, what shall we do next?"
"Get the hells out of here. Lets see if we can get to that exit I remember. As for Petunia, she's the one who got us in this mess. I wouldn't mind if she met with an accident anytime in the near future. Perhaps you could now have a fight with her, breaking it off. Marriage is based on trust, and she obviously doesn't trust you if she's challenging the others and calling them out. After all, I'm sure you trust her fully."
Rane grins at this.
"It seems that you are correct in your assessment of the situation. I suggest the following plan. We went to a guild meeting and then here to train. Let's go find our fallen other 'comrade' and he'll tell us about Sasha. We can then search the house a bit and not find her. Then I can have a fight with Petunia, and see what comes of that. My guess is that this will resolve itself nicely."
"Come, let us exit this place. We have a comrade to rescue."
Rane goes over to where the body lies, its head still in the sewer. There are still no alligators.
As he turns away, though, he slips on some mossy stonework and falls, striking his head on the floor.
The dark half-elf lies still for a moment, then his eyelids flutter and he sits up.
J'Harast grips his weapons a little tighter.
"Rane, are you ok. This is no time to be slipping and hurting yourself. Where do you suppose the aligators are? I guess that I'm a little jumpy right now."
Rane shakes his head... "I'm fine, I think."
"Maybe the other thieves killed the crocs. Lets sink the body."
Rane gathers his ropes, and binds the body up, tying some loose stones that J'Harast carries in from the cave next door. He then drives a spike into the side of the sewer tunnel underwater. To this he ties a loose end of the rope.
Then, the two of you roll the nude body into the sewer.
There is a gurgle as it sinks out of sight into the murky water.
Rane shakes his head, the confusion clearing.
"Well, I think that should hide her well enough. Lets get her stuff and leave it somewhere outside the house. Personally though I think the best thing is to pretend we were never here."
You gather up Sasha's possessions and equipment and head back the way you came, returning to the cellar of the house. Instead of heading upstairs, though, you go through the store room and from there down the passage to the smithy...which the party discovered on their first foray here, and Rane discovered independently, later on.
A short time later the two of you are in the smithy, having slid the anvil back over the shaft through which you ascended.
It is about 0600, and a dim twilight is starting to show in the southeast, as dawn approaches. The stars overhead blaze down brightly still. The air is bitter cold, and all is quiet.
Rane takes Sasha's things and hides them in the smithy, under a pile of rotting leather and burlap sacks.
"Lets wash up somewhere and head on home."
You leave the grounds of the old house, noting in passing the tracks of yourselves, Sasha and Raith in the snow leading up to the front door of the place. The wind has partially filled them in already.
You hurry through the streets of outer Sandas in the growing twilight...passing through the West Gate again unchallenged. Turning left, you head down into the dockyard section of the city, and a half an hour later are at the thieve's guild cleaning yourselves up.
By the time you return to the Inn of the Drunken Dwarf it is broad daylight, and the streets are filling up with people. Entering the inn and entering the common room, you see the remaining party members - Illyana, Bel and Pillar - eating breakfast. There is no sign of Petunia, and you recall that Raz is in training.
J'Harast walks over to the table, sits down and signals the barkeeper for a plate of food and drink.
Bel smiles at the new arrivals and says, "Yo gents, very restful night. How did your evening go?"
Rane looks tired. "Tiring. We had to go to the guild to meet some people about getting trained. I'll be doing that for the next two weeks."
Rane gets some food and turns to Illyana. "I thought you were heading up to Yuri Castle or something."
She yawns. "I was going to, but J'Harast bolted in the middle of the night and I was up most of it comforting Petunia. Sasha left at some point to find you two, but she hasn't come back yet. I could head out there now, but I'm so tired I'm not sure if I should make the trip up there yet."
J'Harast looks at Illyana.
"What?! I told Petunia that I was leaving to deal with some business. I heard her acknowledge me. I guess that she was tired and didn't actually hear me. However, what comforting would she need? Did she think I was out whoring? "
Bel lets out a choked snort of laughter and says, "You told her that on the night you proposed! I'll be surprised if there is not a pit trap waiting for you upstairs when you walk through the door to your room. Illyana, how long has Sasha been gone and do you know where she intended to look?"
Illyana laughs. "You're right Bel, J'Harast had really BAD timing on that one. Sasha didn't mention anything to me, only that she was looking for J'Harast. Then she shoved Petunia in my room and that was the last I saw of her. At one point I thought of trying to find out what was going on, but no one in the inn knew much and I didn't want to scour the city."
J'Harast looks at Bel, "What am I supposed to do. I arrange meetings with guild members, and I can't cancel them for any wim of a woman, no matter how special."
"If you don't want Petunia to kill you, you had better find some way to appease her really quick. At least to calm her down long enough so she doesn't skewer you on sight."
Bel smiles and says, "It is not the fact that you were leaving that probably upset her, it is the fact that you did not tell her what you were going to do. If you had told her specifically you had a guild meeting that you had to go to and you would be back in the morning I'm sure everything would have been fine. You had just told her you want to spend the rest of your life with her and follow it up by shutting her out of a portion of your life with no explanation. Like it or not my friend you are no longer alone in this world and you are answerable to more than your own conscience."
Rane frowns. "Bolted? What are you talking about." Rane turns to J'Harast, "Didn't you tell Petunia we had a meeting set up? You'd best go and find her and figure out what she was thinking."
"Does anyone know where Sasha went?"
Illyana yawns and stretches. "Petunia was upset that you left in the middle of the night without telling her. She ran around pounding on doors, and Sasha volunteered to go off looking for you. She hasn't come back yet. I didn't go because Petunia was really upset at that point, and someone had to stay behind. I don't know what happened, but some information somewhere got lost between you two. She is probably still upstairs right now asleep. I didn't get any sleep though."
"Its a cold night out. I doubt Sasha would have found us in the guild house. She'll probably be coming back cold and grumpy. I think I'll be off to start my training before then." He grins at this. "The last thing I want right now is to face Sasha and listen to her blabing."
"As for your own training, you'd best get started. We don't want to be twiddling our toes waiting for you."
She sighs. "One extra day is all I would need you know. I would rather rest and then set out as opposed to getting ambushed on the way because I wasn't alert enough. It isn't like the house is going anywhere anyway." If I decide I feel up to it, then I'll go within the next hour or so.
Rane shrugs. "How far away is this Yuri Castle? I'll be in training until January 28. Will you be back before then?"
"Not more than one or two days at the most. I practically grew up in this town. Its also called Castle Yuri, named after the Paladin who runs it. I don't know how long my training will take.. I assume maybe two weeks like you."
Rane mutters to himself before continuing. "I still don't understand the uproar. In case you folks haven't realized, both J'Harast and I are are members of a guild which doesn't exactly have normal business hours. If we are to learn our craft, and thus help ourselves when scouting the house, we have to train. You folks are going to have to get used to the idea that we might be gone at night. And frankly, I prefer the dark hours."
You can see why too. Already as the sun rises, Rane is forced to squint some to protect his drow eyes.
"I realized that the moment you came back. Petunia didn't, however. It all boils down to a simple miscommunication. I also figured that J'Harast would come back sooner or later, and that it was best to wait until morning."
"As for Petunia, she has been carrying on a lot lately. Last night was only the latest example. One of you ladies need to talk with her and get it into her head that if J'Harast didn't love her, he wouldn't have proposed. I mean really, a marriage has to have some trust. She can't go crying and waking everyone up every time J'Harast is called away."
"Both sides need to make adjustments for the other, or things will go sour really quickly. But all of this will take time to do.. you can't adjust to such a change in your life overnight."
"In my family, it is common for one or the other adults to leave and be alone. It is a very elven thing to do."
J'Harast sighs, "Oh well, she's only human. I'll explain it to her."
Rane looks up at this, his voice growing hard. "Yes. She is. Remember that and what that means."
Rane continues eating. "If Sasha shows up, tell her I want to have a long talk with her. What does she expect to accomplish going out and searching the town? Someday her rash behavior is going to be the death of her."
Once finished, Rane will put on a heavy cloak and pull the hood down low to block the sun. "I'll be back this evening. I'm starting my training today."
J'harast will leave and go upstairs to find Petunia. Illyana also rises.
As Rane, J'Harast and Illyana walk out the innkeeper is writing the day's meals on the menu board. The noontime meal will be mutton...stewed sheep.
After Rane, J'Harast and Illyana depart, Pillar does too, mumbling something about starting his training.
Bel sits alone for a time, then Petunia enters from outside. She wears her armour.
"Where is everyone?" she asks you, coming over. "Has J'Harast shown up yet? How about Sasha and Raith?"
Bel says very carefully, "J'Harast came back and went upstairs looking for you, I don't know where he went after that. He and Rane were at a guild meeting last night. Sasha is still out somewhere and I haven't the vaguest idea where Raith is. I think the world is in training mode, I'm broke so I'm just having breakfast and thinking of doing some research. How are you doing Petunia?"
"I'm tired and I'm upset," she replies. "J'Harast takes off on me on the night he proposes...what am I to think? Sasha and Raith go looking for him..." she glances out the window at the low winter sun, "Over five hours ago! I hope they're alright...it's bitter cold out there."
Then she leaves you and goes to the room she shared with J'Harast. A few minutes later she returns.
"He's left again," she says. "Gone to train at the fighter's guild, according to this note he left me. Oh well, I'm too tired to have an argument with him now, anyway." She looks about. "Perhaps I should go and look for Sasha and Raith...since it was my doing that sent them out in the first place. They aren't at the church of Tyr; I was just there."
Petunia leaves you.
You pass the day in the inn.
By evening Sasha and Raith have still not returned.