The Higgsbury Memorial Museum

[Stella Gaslight]

"I think he will be just fine.  If I had to hazard a guess the energy swirling about set him off a bit.  Sort of like an allergy." Gwin was trying to think of a way to get the silver residue off and then smiled.  "Ah Mr Davo could you please remove the book from my back pocket and open it to page 2?  I think the sigal there should be a set of rune rings that will clear this right up "

[Fairley B. Strange]

Noting how the young Miss was reacting calmly, almost collegiatly, to the strange hirsute creature, Lowe eased his guard and turned towards the other circle.

Unseen by the pair in tha adjacent ring, the newly arrived creature was now a gnashing frenzy of teeth and fur

Lowe stepped closer, cautiously staying outside the invisible wall against which it raged.

"Well, he doesn't seen happy to be here."

[Stella Gaslight]

" I think it may be a púca that was either protective of the late Lord or came her to cause mischief. Either way I would try giving it a dish of milk.  If it is from around here that should calm it a bit." Gwin was going to have to find anything she could about the local folklore variables if fae creatures were going to start popping in.

[MWBailey]

Mordavo obliged and withdrew the aforementioned book, opened it to the prescribed page, and found a handily-made page of gummed labels inscribed with many runes and bindrunes,  these in paricular to do with runic binding and faemagick abatement circles. "Da, I see, zhese vones should do nicely," he said, and bent down, slicing a gate on the side of the circle away from the inter-circle portal, stepping through, and then redrawing the cut area with the chalk-stump. Glancing genially, if rather apologetically, to ward Lowe, he said, "I am sorry, Friend Lowe. Zhis iss vhat I am, it cannot be undone, for it vas done by a beingk, a fellow dezizen off Carpathia, whom I und my mercenary company destroyed - but I am left vith zhis lycanthropy and the ability to change back and forth or remain in between, as I am at zhe moment. It hass its uses, as you can see. Zhere iss no need for your knife, though I do understand your concern.  However, I am quite in control off myzelf, be I in human, midform, or full coyote form. I apologize if I haff frightened you."

If you could help us placing zhese, Herr Quincy? Ah, miss Gwin, if you vill, please advice vhere should I place zhese? I haff done this many times with zhe chalk, but zhese runes are not of my personal devising, so ..."

[Stella Gaslight]

What phase was the moon in again? Ah it was a waxing crescent, then clockwise.  "Start with the setting sun and then place it around like the face of a clock until you reach the one that looks like an upsidedown blue bell. It should stop it from causing mischief but it won't last forever.  I haven't had time to tweak this to be inline with the local lay lines."  Yes Gwin was going to have to spend some time grounding herself in the moonlight soon if she wanted to keep them all safe.

[Stormcat]

Some ruckus outside the study managed to rouse Emily out of her stupor. "They've found another!" She made a motion to leave the chair she was sitting in, but found that the armrests had suddenly become very... clingy.

"Let them struggle amongst themselves" The voice oozed poisoned honey. "They will only get in the way."

[Fairley B. Strange]

Lowe crouched his long frame beside the invisible ward and made poking motions toward the sliver-furred creature with his knife.
"Hmmm, well that seems to get his attention..."

"No! Do not be cuttink ze circle, zhat is vhat vill let him out! Iron vill cut zer circle. Und to seal it vill be needink more blut."

At the sudden shout from behind him, Lowe halted his probing blade scant inches from the unseen boundary and drew back rather shamefaced at his apparent foolishness.

To his own surprise he found himself believing the strange instructions of the hairy chap where seconds before he had been ready to cleave his chest open like an over-ripe fruit. Evidently whatever weird magick was happening to make him into a beast, he had the calm demeanour of one who had been in similar odd circumstances before, so - almost against his own singular nature - Lowe followed his advice and resheathed his blade, never taking his gaze from the silver creature to check that Miss Gwin was presumably now safe with the hirsute Mordavo.

"Alright, he seems to be settling down a bit. Either the knife spooked him or he's just getting used to being in the circle. So, where did he come from? Was he trapped inside the book...?"

[Stella Gaslight]

"It may have been hurt.  Some of the texts I have read indicate that if harmed they tend to hole up in a safe place to heal." Gwin said letting the sigal drink the silver residue from her fingers.

[Stormcat]

Emily continued to struggle with the sudden restraints. "There's no use in fighting it" soothed the voice of the shadow figure "this will only take a moment." He waved a shadowy hand over the Codex and a portal began to grow from within its pages.

"NO SALE!" Emily screamed. The portal suddenly shrank and the shadowy figure turned to face her. "You... you never offered me anything. The contract... there was no contract here. You can't take me if I refuse all your offers."

The Shadow figure seemed rather amused at this revelation. "That is true. But I have been at this for almost a century. Even the most iron-willed of souls break eventually." Suddenly, a succulent plate of beef wellington appeared on the desk, Emily's favorite.

She fought the tantalizing aroma. "I just ate lunch, I can't possibly eat any more food." The beef wellington was then replaced by a small chest full of jewels. "There's enough stuff in this house already, I barely wear the jewels I do have." The chest was then replaced by a thin piece of paper. A contract stating that Emily was to be promoted to the Chief Librarian of the Imperial British Library. It took her a moment to come up with a rebuttal "Our nation's entire archive. I can barely keep a single room clear, There's no way I could handle an entire nation's literary treasures."

"Your stubbornness does have it's limits darling. You can't possibly resist me forever."

"But I already know what you're up to." Emily said "You can't scam someone who is already aware of the con."

[MWBailey]

Mordavo decided totry an old yrick that the Count had taught him for dealing with calming and dealing with subhuman beings that ancient sor erors had been in the habit of binding within their grimoires eons ago.

Walking around the pucas circle, he chanted ancient words of a languagefrom a civilzation so lost in the sands of time that no now rembed or believed it existed. As he did so, he drew a spare silver pistol ball from his pocket, ignoring how his own fleshsizzled and cooked in contact with it, and three equidistznt sigils with it on th carpet.

 He put the silver ballback inhis pocket, lickcked burnt fingers absently, then reached down, drew the stiletto onceagin, and cut a gate in the circlecircle, stepped through, joining the puc there, closed thegate with thechalk, and stood speaking softlyand gently to the creature.

Come now, little felloe, as youcan see Im much like yourself, though it is zilver, not iron, that is myscourge. Zhese people are veryhospitable and, I think, will take czre of you much as they do me. Come now, let us be friends...

[Stella Gaslight]

The púca was no longer thrashing but it would not take it's eyes off the door as it's tail twiched with worry.  " Oh my little thing.Oh my little thing the fire is near." it said with a voice more like a rushing brook than anything animal.

[Fairley B. Strange]

Having stepped back from the strange creature in the circle so the other two could begin to deal with it, Lowe stood watching, fascinated by the change in the creature. Then his sense of duty reasserted itself - this was just the kind of thing found amidst all the collection that Miss Emily would be wanting to examine for herself.

Slipping calmly out the door so as not to alarm the creature again, he sprinted down the cluttered hallways towards the Study, twisting his slender frame to fit through narrow constraints between piles of exhibits, and even vaulting over some of the larger crates, until he pulled up just short of the doorway to compose himself.

Straightening his jacket, he made his customary soft knock on the doorframe.

"Miss Emily, Ma'am? The searchers in the Library have found... well, it appears that it's some kind of magickal creature..."

[Stormcat]

Both Emily and the shadow creature heard the knock on the door and Lowe's announcement. Emily tried to shout for help, but another phantom hand clamped over her mouth. Without any sort of auditory confirmation, another, louder knock came at the door. Then the door's handle was jostled. Emily knew Lowe would understand that something was wrong, she never locked the door to the study in case he might pop in.

Knowing he would be unable to abscond with Lady Higgsbury now that someone was looking out for her, the shadow creature retreated into the dark crevices in the woodwork, taking care to ensure Emily was the very last thing released from his power. The darkness disappeared entirely just as the door was forced open. Emily now sat alone in her study, Lowe rushed to her side, commenting that she looked as if she had a terrible fright.

"I... I'm alright now." Emily said to her employee. "It's just... I think I had better examine these books with the others." She made an effort to load the 'contaminated' books onto the trolley, but something felt different about them. They seemed lighter, less foreboding, and did not have the distinctive odor they had previously. Upon arrival back into the library, it was confirmed that the mysterious entity possessing these books had been exorcised.

Emily seemed to brighten up upon discovery of the creature in the ring. "Aww, the poor thing must be so exhausted. What is it? It looks like he's had a rough time."

[Stella Gaslight]

"I believe this is a púca. It was hideing among the books." Now that it was no longer bristling the fox was white as a cloud and sleek as silk except for a scar along his back leg that looked like a line of quicksilver.  It's eyes were the deepest blue and very clever.  It

let out a chittter Gwin was fairly sure was a happy sound and looked up at Emily and almost grinned. "Oh little one you cane back!"

[MWBailey]

Mordavo craned his head around to look at their employer, and asked, "Do you know ziss vone, Miss Emily? Shall we ask for his fealty und allow him from ze circle?"

[Stormcat]

Maybe it was the fact that she had just been in a desperate situation, but Emily felt a sentimental attachment to this poor creature. It stared up at her with pleading eyes.

"Why is it in the circle? It seems harmless now."

[MWBailey]

"Better safe zan sorry," Mordavo replied, and added, "but da, he zeems docile enough." with that, he ran the edge of the stiletto across two points on the circle, said a word with one syllable (or perhaps five; it was hard to tell). The circle winked out of existence,sigils, silver, chalk and all with a sort of red twinkle on the edge of one's vision. The being was free.

[Stella Gaslight]

Gwin sneezed as the circle evaporated.  The magic dissolving around her felt very odd indeed. The púca let out a happy trill that sounded more like a cat than a fox and zipped around the room smelling things and rubbing aganst people to get the lay of it's the surroundings.  "Well it is an affectionate thing."  Gwin said petting it's head as it left a trail of white sheded fur on her skirt. 

[Fairley B. Strange]

Lowe stood protectively beside and slightly behind Miss Emily, deferential but still close enough to step forward defensively with the large blade, almost as large as a gladius, that had hung loosely in his bony left hand as the strange freature scampered around the room.
As it ran closer, he had executed a sort of wary jig, nervously keeping his long shanks away from the questing beastie until it had evidently found no interesting smells about him and turned its attentions to the remainder of the party now gathered in the book-strewn room.

[Stormcat]

Emily held out her hand to the creature. It sniffed her hand for a few seconds, then rubbed its cheek against Emily's fingers. Soon, it had secured a place in her arms, chirping affectionately while being scratched behind its ears.

"It seems this little fellow means us no harm. Shall we keep it?"

[MWBailey]

"The puca are odd,  butnot bad, sorts," Mordavo said, with just a tinge of wariness in his voice. "Do not be misled by zis von's small appearance; zey can change in an instant. I think it iss as Miss Gwin has said, it became frightened und took, how do you say, refuge? in zhe book. It zeems to haff an attachment to you, Milady Emily, so I think perhaps it sees you as either it's protector or it's property (or both; zuch issues can gedt a bit odd vith the Fae). Either vay, it should prove to be wery protective und should make a good watching-dog."

[Fairley B. Strange]

Lowe rolled downstairs in long fluid strides, turning almost instinctively in the dimly-lit corridors until he reached the kitchen.
Mrs Babley was standing terrified on the kitchen table, her ashen face fixed upon the great stone trough of the sink, surrounded now by an unaccustomed slew of pots, pans and broken crockery.  Her meaty hands held the cleaver in a trembling grip.

"Hullo, Missus B, some kind of mouse in the Pantry...? I heard the clatter all the way upstairs, and thought I'd better come and check before the Young Miss heard it and got worried about Downstairs."

The terrified Cook answered without taking her eyes off the mess of the sink.

"Oh, Mister Lowe, it touched me... something moving under the sink. I was just starting on the washing-up, and standing there... and something wrapped itself around me leg...", and here she lifted the hem of her skirts with her free hand to show a torn stocking on her more-than-ample ankle.

"Well, there's all manner of strange beasties getting about today. You should see the wierd doggy-fox-thing the Young Miss and the new staff have found up in the Library. All teeth and fur and nastiness it is, and of course she's wanting to make a pet of it... it's probably stirred up the rats in the walls, and one of them's popped out down here... Lemme see..."
Lowe peered gingerly into the dark cavity under the sink, probing carefully with the point of his knife. The plumbing was wet and evidently the drain-plug on the bend had somehow got unscrewed. There was no other signs, just a faint skittering noise as he screwed the plug back on and tightened it using the haft of his great knife as a lever.

"No, there's nothing down here now, but I'll get young Bob to put some rat poison down once we've got all the crockery picked up. Whatever tore your stocking seems to have scarpered, so let me clear some floor and then I'll give you a hand down from there..."

[MWBailey]

Mordavo perked an ear. He sometimes wondered why he could only do that in mid-transformation, or full-transformation form; he often felt the same muscles, or at least their human counterparts, twitching similarly in response to faint sounds, but so far as he had been able to tell, his ears in human form did not twitch or perk noticeably.

they were perking now, though, as a strange, slithery sort of noise, probably too faint for human ears to detect, seemed to pass through the walls of the library, and indeed the whole house, from what his midform ears were telling him. It didn't pass from one point to another smoothly or uniformly; it almost seemed to be the sort of thing that emanates from old plumbing, going up the inside of the wall, then breaking left, then right, then a hissing bump across the interior of the ceiling - save for the fact that most aged plumbing didn't sound like a giant snake were slithering through it - or as if the former Carpathian sergeant were reliving that voyage to the Count's holdings in the Americas, when an abnormally large and agile octopus had gotten into the ship's wastewater plumbing.

"Now, there iss something you don't hear every day, " he muttered, just barely under his breath...

[Stella Gaslight]

Gwin had to admit she was charmed by the bundle of white fur in Lady Emily's arms.  "I hope it can stay but it's presence does make me wonder what else could be hideing among the books."  She dug around in her surprising deep pockets and pulled out four ocean smoothed white stones with natural holes worn through them.  "I hope these will help us see peculiarities before we become tangled up in them."

[MWBailey]

"Da, I see, hagstones might be just the thing," Mordavo intoned. "They are protective as well as useful, or so the lore goes." he pulled a bundle of string from his pocket and cut off several lengths that were just long enough to serve as neckstrings to hang the stones around their necks and still allow them to be held in the hand and up to one's eye. "ve use them as if zhey were eyeloupes, yes?" he added.






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eyeloupe: like those odd little magnifying things jewelers use when they look at a diamond or other gemstone; some Makers use them to do really fine close-up work on jewelry and mods.