Chapter 3: the Disappearance of Erenion

From the Chronicles of Brother Jacques. 

We let the Georges mystery drop, but I added it to my (encrypted) journal (and despatches, if / when I get an opportunity).

24/4 One morning, as the Swideur Endraco prepared to move after laying still in the night, a crew member found blood... and Erenion was missing. Only 1 set of clothes, his staff (and possibly some other small items that we don't know about) were missing. His armour and sword remained.
Obviously we searched the vessel, and could be pretty sure that Erenion (and no one else) was missing.
I took samples of the blood (there was enough to arouse suspicions, but not excessive amounts), and hair (hard to find), clothing, etc.
There are 2 main possibilities:

§ Erenion was jumped, possibly killed / possibly taken captive / possibly escaped.
§ Erenion faked it and is hiding.

This resolves to:

§ Erenion is trying to be found / get back.
§ Erenion is either trying to hide, or incapable / dead, or being hidden. Not quite the same, but presenting similar problems from our perspective.

The area is a tangle of waterways and small, overgrown islands; pretty much impossible to search if someone is hiding (and without animals).
The crew tried. We tried. We looked for animal behaviour. We looked for likely areas. I even tried HEALING (enhanced for range). All to no effect.

Personally, I guess that he is hiding, following and moving to some sort of rendezvous (as we say), but I don't like his attitude.

We sailed on. There were occasional becalmed days.

29/4 We arrived at LePoint, in rather windy weather, a seedy town with a seedy inn (the Pointed Lady)... and no Church.
S, our Reshallian contact was waiting:
Short and slender, with fair hair (5' tall, about 100 lb), light, smooth skin, with no sign of a beard, and green, almond-shaped eyes, young looking, but an odd worldliness about the eyes, like someone who has seem much but not let it affect him too much. Wears chain mail, carries a bow and a sword. Left Handed. Has his own horse.
The food was bad, but S and I found and shared some decent wine. I fear for his Soul. Sir Zacharias threatened the Innkeeper successfully and obtained decent food for the horses, and clean bedding.

1/5 clear skies and a gentle breeze. At Castle Aerbran, (an architectural nightmare - or possibly triumph - of a fortified manor house with round towers added on) over the Reshallian border, Sir Zacharias managed to destroy a fine harpsichord.


3/5 The peasants on the road do not know their place (by Valonese standards). I anticipate problems with our knights.
In Grathmar Castle, enjoying the hospitality of Sir Davros Bolstanton, Sir Zacharias destroyed a Lyre. Davros has many paintings about the place.

We also found and explored a secret passage, discovered one could peer out of the eyes of several paintings... and found an old torture chamber which did not look as if it had been used recently.

6/5 Travelling onwards to Senacran, we enjoyed the hospitality of (young) Landed Knight Vorax Fanidor of Tigh.
Lacking musical instruments to wreck, Sir Zacharias recited a poem.
Fanidor is a follower of Tyr, a militant Angel (though Fanidor would not see him as such).

S and I tried the flowering heads of the hemp plant, bought from some little people (Hobbits) on the road and I had a minor epiphany.

7/5 We arrived at Senacran, the winter capital of Reshall. The Midsummer Games are due to start on the 20th of Casting (20/5).