The Silver Sphinx

 

"Have you ever traveled the Great Road and seen all the madness out there, leatherhead? 

Try it, and then tell me there's a point to it all!"

caravan leader Phaal of the Bleakers

 

 

First Lady Day of Retributus, 126 HR

The Hive. It had been a while since Naghûl had last been here. Of course, he had come here for the concert whose consequences had inadvertently led him into Factol Sarin's service. Apart from that, however, he had not paid more than sporadic visits to the Hive for a long time. Just when it had been necessary for an assignment or a special experience. And yet he had by no means forgotten them, the sights, sounds and smells so typical of Sigil's slum. He looked around. He was still familiar with the chaotic jumble of dirty streets, crumbling houses and shanties nailed together from planks. Here and there, whole blocks of once magnificent buildings made of solid stone could be seen, but they too were run-down and dilapidated. Here was the heart of Sigil's decay, where a life sometimes counted for less than the next hot meal. Here, the razorvine, with its dark leaves and razor-sharp thorns, grew more often and more densely on the walls of houses and in damp corners than anywhere else in Sigil. The smells of filth, smoke, roasted rat meat, mangy dogs and always a pinch of sulfur hung oppressively over the dirty alleyways. Yes, it was still familiar, even after all these years. This was where he had been stranded back when he had arrived in Sigil alone and clueless, stumbling into the Cage. Like so many to whom the City of Doors offered nothing else, he had ended up in the Hive - and had stayed there for quite a while. Raralia and Morânia had picked him up there ... and the latter had even married him many years later. It seemed like an eternity ago and yet it was like yesterday. Together with Lereia, Sgillin and Kiyoshi, he had set off to meet Jana. They had indeed found her, sitting on a crate, at the meeting point, but completely exhausted, with deep circles under her eyes and her hair in disarray. Strangely enough, she still seemed cheerful and was eating an apple. She had asked around for Eliath, she reported, but had been unable to track him down. She hadn't even found a clue or a trace. The murders, however, were on everyone's lips, it seemed. According to Jana, the victims had all been either insane, drug addicts or bubbers. Some certainly all of the above. She suspected that Eliath might have had his gift for some time and that it could have driven him mad or made him addicted. In any case, all the victims had been strangled with a rope, if the chatter was to be believed. Sgillin thought it sounded as if someone was deliberately hunting the Chosen. Lereia, on the other hand, deemed Eliath more of a random victim. There had been a handful of murders in total, supposedly an Athar and a Sensate among the dead. At the very least, the pattern of both, the victims and the type of murder pointed to one and the same perpetrator. The Bleakers were said to be particularly affected, so Jana suggested speaking to them first. Naghûl was not enthusiastic, but had no better suggestion. The young woman praised the Bleakers' willingness to help, but the tiefling emphasized their depressiveness and warned the others not to get involved in discussions about the meaning of existence. Nevertheless, they hoped to learn more about the murders there and get a lead on Eliath. As they made their way to the Gatehouse, they caused quite a stir, especially Kiyoshi and Naghûl. The Hivers eyed them with suspicion, fear or even hostility. Only a ragged beggar and a skinny street urchin dared to ask them for money once. Naghûl had deliberately chosen the conspicuous appearance - his robe, the staff and a few eye-catching protective spells - to deter unpleasant fellows, but Jana insisted that he and Kiyoshi adapt themselves more to the conditions in the Hive. Otherwise, the sorceress feared, they would learn nothing at all in this part of Sigil, not even from the Bleakers. Lereia agreed with her, and Naghûl had to admit that Jana had a point here. When it came to keeping unwanted attention at bay, his appearance might be suitable. But less so for gathering information discreetly and unobtrusively. As they didn't want to change in the street, and Naghûl and Kiyoshi didn't have anything dark and inconspicuous to wear, they took a detour to Jana's house. The young woman lived alone in a tiny house in the Madhouse District, which was poorly furnished but very clean. A large desk was cluttered with books on artifact magic and drawings of pentagrams, arcane symbols and numerous notes. Jana had several robes made of a coarse and dark woolen fabric in a chest, which she distributed to Kiyoshi, Naghûl and Lereia. Only Sgillin's plain, black robes were suitable for the mission ahead of them. The tiefling discarded his robe and considered simply heading out in his undergarments. However, he had to admit to himself that even those looked too classy for the Hive if he wanted to remain inconspicuous. Jana advised the three primes who were new to Sigil to avoid puddles - not solely because they were particularly unappetizing in the Hive, but also because some puddles here could be portals to the Plane of Ooze - and the key was probably a foot stepping in. Perhaps one of the many quirky aspects of Sigil that people secretly deemed the Lady's difficult-to-see-through sense of humor. Now that they were suitably dressed, they continued on their way to the Gatehouse to learn about the murders and, ideally, Eliath. Kiyoshi emphasized with great seriousness that, according to the virtues of Bushido, he was not allowed to lie and therefore could not conduct an interrogation. In the end, everyone agreed to let Jana speak. As the Hive was huge and there was no transportation system of rickshaws or sedan chairs here, it took almost two hours before they arrived at the headquarters of the Bleakers. The building, very old even by planar standards, had an almost titanic entrance gate blocked by pillar-like bars. They were so large that even an ogre could easily pass through them. So it was fair to wonder who or what was originally supposed to be prevented from entering - or leaving. In front of the entrance was a huge mosaic depicting a helmet decorated with blades. This motif had become the faction symbol of the Bleak Cabal, but the exact meaning was unknown. Several long tables had been set up next to the entrance, and some faction members were loading them with wobbly stacked bowls and bent spoons. Jana approached one of them, a younger human woman with brown hair in a long braid.

"Lady's Grace," the Bleaker greeted her. "Oh, I know you. You walk past here from time to time, don't you? Do you live nearby?"

"Yes," replied Jana. "Well, not directly, I live a bit further away, but I often pass by here. I always notice how you look after the poor here in the Hive. So I thought maybe I could ... support you."

Naghûl folded his arms and tucked his hands into his sleeves as he lowered his head to concentrate better on the conversation amidst all the sights and sounds of the Hive.

The Bleaker nodded. "I thought so. How are you going to help?"

"I'm Jana," the sorceress introduced herself. "I'm really grateful for what you're doing here."

The woman raised her shoulders. "Won't change much in the end. But that's the meaning I've found for myself."

"I've got a few coins with me," Jana explained. "And I'm sure I can bring something to eat from time to time."

"That would certainly help," the Bleaker replied happily.

"Very good." Jana handed her a small bag of coins. "I also have a few questions. Well, I got a letter for a certain ... wait ... Eliath, exactly. He's supposed to be here quite often, do you know him?"

Meanwhile, Kiyoshi began to scrutinize a monodrone from all sides in great detail. Naghûl found his behavior somewhat conspicuous, but let him be for now and continued to listen to the conversation instead.

"Eliath?" The Bleaker pondered for a moment. "Hm, no clue, my dear. But I don't know everyone who hangs around here by name. What does he look like?"

"I don't know," Jana replied. "I only have the letter. I assume he doesn't even have a permanent residence. The letter only has his name on it and no address."

The woman frowned. "Hm. Do you know if he's supposed to work here for us or is he one of the people we look after?"

The sorceress shook her head. "No, but ... Well, I think he's more likely one of those you take care of. I'll ... maybe check with the Blood Pit."

When the Blood Pit was mentioned, Naghûl almost wanted to join in the conversation, but was distracted by the monodrone, whom Kiyoshi was still scrutinizing from all sides.

"I decide that I no longer wish to be looked at," it explained in a slightly tinny voice. "Since all monodrones look the same, there's no point in this detailed examination."

Then it stalked off on its thin metal legs, and Naghûl signaled Kiyoshi to let it go, gesturing to Jana to follow the conversation instead.

The sorceress just yawned and tilted her head demonstratively, her cervical spine creaking softly. "Sorry," she said. "I'm just lacking sleep. Ever since these murders started, I haven't slept a wink at night."

The Bleaker, however, was still thinking about Jana's previous remark and shook her head skeptically. "The Blood Pit? Well, if there's no other way ... But the fact that I don't know him doesn't necessarily mean that nobody else here knows anything. Why ..." She interrupted herself. "No, let's a factotum sort it out." And she promptly turned around and shouted very loudly over her shoulder. "Blackhoof!"

Jana winced. "Thank you," she then replied quietly.

Soon a snorting and stamping could be heard approaching. Naghûl immediately had a hunch, which Jana obviously shared. "Blackhoof, ay?" she murmured. "A minotaur?"

Indeed, a tall minotaur with dark brown fur and impressive horns was now approaching. He was about 8'8'' tall and, apart from a leather loincloth, wore elaborately crafted horn and body jewelry made of brass.

"What are you shouting about?" he asked the woman.

He was quite an impressive sight, and Jana turned a little paler than she already was from fatigue. But the woman beckoned the minotaur closer.

"Blackhoof, those cutters here are looking for someone who may have been or still is with us. Can you sort this out? I have to hand out the soup in a minute."

"Yeah, will do it," the minotaur replied with a snort and then turned to the group.

"Um ... Eliath," Jana explained, somewhat intimidated. "So, that's the name of ... the cutter."

"See," Blackhoof grumbled. "So, that's the cutter's name. Hmph. What do you want from him, huh?"

Jana obviously decided to stick to her original story. "I, well ... I found a letter for him among my mail."

"Among your mail?" The minotaur sounded skeptical and trudged a step closer.

"Mhm," the sorceress replied steadfastly. "I thought maybe someone here knew him and ... well, I might be able to give him the letter."

Sgillin obviously sensed Blackhoof's doubts as well as Naghûl and looked tensely at Jana and the minotaur. The latter scrutinized his counterpart from top to bottom.

"You're a strange specimen, human," he then stated. "Really now. Who do you belong to?"

"I, um ... belong to the Athar," Jana replied quickly.

Blackhoof snorted, and on this chilly day, thick white clouds immediately hung over his nostrils. "A Lost one, well well. A Lost one."

Jana straightened up. "So ... you know Eliath?"

"Eliath, huh?" The minotaur shook his mighty head. "Not a clue. And you have a letter for him? Hmph ... a barmy?"

Jana shrugged her shoulders. "No idea. I mean ... you should rather know that, right?"

Now Blackhoof laughed, deeply and raucously. "Well, if I don't know him, I can't really tell, can I? But assuming he's a barmy or was once an orphan here in the Gatehouse, then we have a record of him."

"A record in the Gatehouse." Jana nodded. "Can I have a look at it, do you think that would be possible?"

The minotaur swayed his head thoughtfully. "I could ask Derioch to check. But knowing her, she'll ask me what's in it for us. And don't tell me you can give him the letter then. I don't think a cow ... well, a woman, you humans say ... a woman like Derioch is satisfied with that."

Sgillin struggled to hold back his laughter at this statement but Jana was about to protest.

"A cow..." she began, but then realized that Blackhoof had obviously not meant it as an insult. So she nodded curtly. "Derioch, thank you. Oh, one more thing: I heard that one of the murder victims was one of us. An Athar, I mean. Do you know anything about that?"

"A Lost one?" The minotaur lifted his shoulders. "Nay, haven't heard anything, but condolences. I personally have nothing against the Athar. These murders are really bothering us. Someone's giving us the laugh, putting our barmy in the dead-book! Really ugly affair."

Jana nodded. "Yeah, and all in the same way, like it's a ritual or something."

Blackhoof snorted loudly. "Stinks, that story. Really, told the SIGIS cullers it's not okay that the Harmonium doesn't do anything. Maybe the Hardheads should worry about us here too, not just the rich in the upper wards. Being all such paladins and all that ... Really."

His annoyance was clearly visible and audible. Kiyoshi huffed when he heard these words, but Lereia looked at him warningly and put her index finger over her mouth to placate him. Jana, on the other hand, nodded in agreement, but refrained from commenting.
"Do you know anyone who could know more about it?" she asked the minotaur. "I only hear vague rumors everywhere, it's driving me crazy."

"Well, not sure," Blackhoof replied with a sigh. "Maybe in the Corpse or in the Blood Pit. That's where you get the music."

Meanwhile, Lereia took a step back and put her hand on Kiyoshi's forearm reassuringly.

"The Blood Pit." Jana nodded. "Thanks, cutter. I'll bring you something decent to dish out in the next few days. Dinner, that is."

She was about to turn away when Blackhoof stopped her. "Wait, what is it now? Shall we go and see?"

Jana turned around again. "Huh?"

The minotaur shook his head. "Shall Derioch check our records, strange co ... woman."

"I see." Jana blinked for a moment. "Yes, please, check and ask about the ... return service."

Blackhoof frowned and looked to Naghûl. "Is she barmy?" he asked. "Should I take her in?"

"No way!" Jana protested.

The tiefling sighed. With Jana's confused way of talking, he couldn't quite blame the Bleaker for asking. "No, no," he quickly reassured. "She's just a bit nervous about the murders."

"Yes," the young woman confirmed. "I slept very badly."

Blackhoof scrutinized Jana again, then nodded. "I see. So, the quid pro quo ... I say ... with self-reliance, or however Sruce calls it ... Find out more about the murders and we'll find out something about Eliath."

"Agreed," Jana declared. "We'll come back when we've found out something."

"All right," the minotaur grumbled. "Then I'll tell Derioch to stick her nose in the books."

"Thank you!" the sorceress replied, then returned to the group, standing only a few steps behind her.

Blackhoof, on the other hand, trudged back to the entrance of the Gatehouse. Naghûl looked after him, examining the impressive grate, the huge spikes that stretched into the pale gray sky ... and balked. There it was again ... "I spy with my little eye ...," he murmured without taking his gaze off the gate.

Lereia looked up. "Oh. Where?"

"Above the entrance to the Gatehouse," the Sensate explained, pointing upwards.

"And what exactly do you see?" Sgillin asked.

"Yeah, you'd like to know," Naghûl joked, but realized that the others were not too receptive to such teasing right now and cleared his throat. "Eleven," he then replied more seriously. "The number eleven."

Lereia pulled out her booklet and made a note of it, while Sgillin shook his head. "It's just as obscure as everything else," he commented.

"He only did see numbers in the House of Visions and two faction headquarters so far," Lereia pointed out. "Perhaps there are signs at other faction buildings as well."

The half-elf nodded. "Right, we could check those out."

"But we should take care of Eliath first," Jana interjected. "Well, we can ask around in the Blood Pit, you always hear a lot there. But ... it is what it sounds like, and I don't really want to go there."

"That doesn't sound very inviting, indeed," Lereia said a little nervously. "Do I have to watch out for something in particular?"

Naghûl raised his shoulders. "Keep your wits about you and don't sign anything - that would be my guess."

"And above all, stay calm, even if we get insulted," Jana added, looking at Kiyoshi. "Besides, we have to pass the Night Market to reach the Blood Pit."

Naghûl sighed deeply. The Night Market. With a Harmonium soldier. With a freshly recruited Harmonium soldier who was completely inexperienced in the City of Doors. Well, that would undoubtedly be an interesting experience …