danko day 2 part 3 (08:27)

08:27 on day 2

"Petr didn't want to cooperate at all. He seems either too drunk or too desperate to leave. While he may have found some success with his strange architectural art in this town, surely that is not a reason to risk your own life? I will talk to his brother again."

VERSUS

 

 Andrei: Sit down. There's no need to be so tense.

Bachelor: Petr didn't take me seriously! What the hell is wrong with everyone in this town? How can I persuade him?
Andrei: Of course he didn't! Just look around. You should have seen what the Damp district near the Apiary looked like, when the Sand Plague broke out! The houses that Isidor ordered to be locked up were literally in agony, the walls had swollen blisters on them, the windows were covered in scarlet mold and blood was flowing out of every crack... That's what happened back then.
Bachelor: Metaphors...
Andrei: No. That was not a metaphor. I am describing it exactly like it happened. A choir of wailing voices could be hear all over town, and it was so loud that it muffled even the alarm from the factories. They screamed so loudly that the glass in the windows nearby shattered. All this happened within a few hours of the outbreak. That's what the Sand Plague is like. So stop bullshitting.
Bachelor: Okay, so what can persuade Petr to come with us?
Andrei: A convincing discovery that would prove your 'theory' could help. That outbreak left a heavy impression on Petr. Since then he's been drinking a lot of twyrine. But since there's no actual Sand Plague in town, I doubt you could find anything to show him... Alas, tell Eve that the plan didn't work. If you tell her there's no sign of any plague, maybe that will comfort her.
Bachelor: You two are not the only ones asking for proof. I'll return when I find it.

"There is not much I can do about this now. I won't just give up, though. Eve seems to dislike this town quite a bit, and I want to make sure she is safe no matter what may or may not happen here later. If Andrei is my only bet, I will have to find something substantial that can convince or scare his brother into leaving as well. My best lead now is to talk to Anna Angel."

On the way to Anna's.

VERSUS

 Anna Angel: Do you think it's possible to stop an outbreak? I've started saving up some pills. Tell me which ones works best.
Bachelor: I've come on Saburov's commission. For the rulers to agree to hand over their powers to him, we need some practical proof. You know where to find it, right?
Anna: No one else believes you! Don't you know what? Saburov is likely the only person that could really help and that actually took your side. He could have stopped the forthcoming misfortune, but it's a bit too late now.
Bachelor: What do you know, Anna? Did someone in town find out about the plague?
Anna: Disturbing rumors have been coming from different parts of town all night. Most of them were caused by the fear of the clay demon and cries for revenge. A lot of chit-chat and a lot of stupidity. However, some of these rumors worry me.
Bachelor: Which ones?
Anna: These news were brought to me by the second-hand dealers that goes around town looking for discarded things. You must have talked to the Hump when you helped me out yesterday. I started saving up medicines... well, never mind. Anyway, everyone have noticed an unusual silence in the air and strange behavior of the animals, especially the dogs. Rats running around in the streets. The Hump said that with the general panic, you probably wouldn't even notice it.
Bachelor: Yes, such things sometimes signify a coming epidemic, but the silence could also be caused by other things. Stray dogs always feel nervous around people, and the rats could have come from the slaughterhouses nearby.
Anna: There were other signs too. Foul greasy stains has appeared on some walls, and there are rumors of abandoned houses where a coarse breathing can be heard if you listen closely. They say that is Shenak, the spirit of disease, that is breathing the infected air and leaves it's disgusting grease all over the walls.
Bachelor: Show me where those houses can be found.
Anna: The children know where they are. There are a lot of them by now... You know what? Ask Olgimskiy's daughter Kapella about this. The children tell her about everything they see. She's in "the Clot" at the moment. Tell her that I'll share my medicine with the kids.
Bachelor: Okay, I will ask Kapella. You stay here and don't go anywhere.

Main Quest Update posted:

Not only are stories about the cannibal demon going around the town, new rumors have appeared about strange abandoned houses. The children, who like mice often find their way into the most unlikely places, would be the first to find out about something like that. I should talk to someone they trust, Kapella Olgimskiy.

[pretend there's an image of the map here corresponding with his "as you can see."]

Kapella lives in the Olgimskiy building, but in the east part of it. As you can see, the bar and Anna's house are very close to where we need to go, and there's a convenient bridge nearby. The central part of town may look confusing at first, but the buildings and streets are generally fairly straight. You may want to sleep at Kapella's place instead of Eve's, since you can then get to wherever the day quest starts easily.

Look, a random passerby!

"It's reassuring to see that some people are still going outside today. While I'm sure most of the townspeople are locking themselves inside, I don't think the robbers are going to try to attack anyone during the daytime, and it's important that the food and medicine stores are still open. If people started starving as well, the chaos would become much worse! It's a good thing this town has such cheap and plentiful meat."

[house transitionssss, and the inside of Kapella's house.]

"I can see why the kids would come to Kapella! She's hardly older than a kid herself, even if she's already living in her own home. It's not really decorated like I'd imagine for someone her age, though. Maybe Big Vlad doesn't really have time to take care of her?"

VERSUS

Kapella: If only my mother were still alive, she'd rule over us and save us from all this chaos. Even my father would obey her. Who will take care of us now? Not Catherina, that's for sure... The Mistress is too tired for that.
Bachelor: Catherina is supposed to take care of you?
Kapella: She's scared like a child herself. And I do not think she can think straight anymore. Yes, her prophecies come true, just like they always have, but there's more and more noise in them. It's as if you have to see them as metaphors each time.
Bachelor: Pity I didn't know your mother.
Kapella: Yes! She had waves of warmth and power coming from her. She held the whole town in her grasp, like a bird, protecting her fledgelings. Not a single demon could invade our little town...
Bachelor: It's a shame such a great person is no longer with us.
Kapella: I'm sorry I bothered you about all this... Bachelor Dankovskiy, the founder of Tanathica. An unexpected visit.
Bachelor: I hope it isn't an unpleasant one. Did the children tell you of any strange things going on in the town recently?
Kapella: I was actually about to share this with you! From all sides of the town, scared kids come to talk to me. Those who are younger are afraid of Shebnak. Those who are older tell me that some of the houses have been abandoned but there are still strange things going on inside them. They call them Silent Houses. Who knows what's hiding in there?
Bachelor: I see you have good agents. Where are these houses?
Kapella: The children are storytellers. They remember everything that is important to them in great detail. But anything they think can be left out, they won't remember at all. So I can only give you a rough direction.
Bachelor: What details did they remember, then?
Kapella: Oh, the most unexpected ones. The strange silence, the crying voices from under the ground. Dogs are roaming around in packs, digging up dry earth and eating it. There's a smell in the air, as if someone is burning something filthy. Friends not showing up to the arranged meetings in the morning.
Bachelor: Okay, so what am I supposed to do to find these Silent Houses?
Kapella: They are somewhere in the eastern part of town, where the houses are run down. You'll need a guide to find your way down there. Find a boy named Spichka, he'll show you the Silent Houses.
Bachelor: Thanks
Kapella: One more thing. Lara was looking for you. She wanted to ask you for some help. Everyone depends on you...
Bachelor: I'll go see her, if I have the time.

Main Quest Update posted:

Kapella told me about the doubtful exploits of a boy named Spichka. It seems like when the other kids are too scared he'll go explore on his own. I need to find Spichka and force the location of the Silent Houses out of him.

Summary: We will need to find some concrete evidence of the plague, before we can get Petr and Andrei to leave town together with Eve. It is unlikely that Daniel will leave right now, but Eve certainly doesn't like the town and if we can get her out of harms way, we can join up with her once everything has calmed down.

Alexander Saburov asked us to talk to Anna, so we did. We found out that the kids have found some mysterious houses they call Silent Houses that looks like they have been infected. I assume they would be located close to Isidor's house, but that one has been properly locked up, so we need to visit them to find out for sure what's going on.

To ask for help, we talked to Kapella, the daughter of Big Vlad. She's about as different from her father as you could possibly get and she has the confidence of most of the kids in town. She told us that there is a boy named Spichka that can guide us to the Silent House located in the east part of town. Spichka himself is usually found in an abandoned house in that area.