The Diaries of Christopher Earlheim

The details, findings and explorations of Professor Christopher Earlheim of the grand university of Manchester.

[christopherearlheim]

Day 37

We awoke late in the morning and and after our breakfasts set to work, extending the tent and transferring our equipment from the caravan into the town hall. It was a long and arduous process and by the time we actually had a functional lab established the sun was already beginning to set once again. It was pleasant for all three of us to work together once more and i’ll admit, although out working conditions are far from satisfactory, they will most certainly make do. At about midday we stopped for a break, Elizabeth went off into the city on her own, whilst myself and Professor Fenwick remained at the tent to ensure that no one would go poking their nose where it wasn’t welcome. We sat, drank tea, and for what felt like the first time in months had a normal decent conversation. We talked fondly of our memories of Manchester, of our shared educations and even such topics as mundane as the weather. It felt normal, and i revelled in the sensation as for quite some time now my life has felt far too exciting, i long for the days of diagnosing mild afflictions like the common cold, or a sprained ankle, as opposed to attempting to cure such an infection as this. 

After our conversation it seems that Malidia is finally warming to me once more. I can understand her stand offish and cold nature towards me as of late, after all i have betrayed much of the trust i had earned during our time in university. As such to further strengthen our emotional bond i told her how it had been i that had sent for the Huntsman. She seemed un-surprised and an awful lot less angry than i had anticipated. I have no doubt that at the time if i had openly admitted to such a thing she would have flayed me, but i think now even she can see that ultimately it was the right thing to do. I can only imagine how few of us would have made it to Manchester if it hadn’t been for the hunters. 

Settling down for the night was an awful lot less comfortable than nights previous. In order to accommodate such a large amount of equipment in such a small space without drawing too much attention we had to sacrifice practically all of our living space, leaving us with a very small section of the tent almost two small for our three sleeping bags to rest side by side. I drifted into sleep rather seamlessly that night but was awoken recently by Elizabeth returning from her nightly rendezvous with her newfound lover. I tried to sleep once she settled but i couldn’t help my mind from wandering. What has become of Wigan, and what are those hunter’s doing now that the infection has spread to Liverpool? Are any of them even still alive? After all Wigan was in a terrible state when we left, perhaps now we are England’s only hope, perhaps the council of huntsman have fallen? I was somewhat shocked to find myself worrying after the Hunter General, Henshaw McGrim. For a hunter he was an awfully nice fellow, it’d be a great shame for the seemingly only normal one of them to have been killed. 

-Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 36

This morning was off to an awkward start. It started well enough, i awoke early, bright eyed and bushy tailed. The town hall was alive with talk for the first time since arriving, it would seem as if the Wiganers are finally beginning to warm to their makeshift accommodation. I ate breakfast with them all and went outside for a breath of fresh air, and then began the feeling of malaise. Sat alone on the stairs to the town hall was Professor Fenwick. I tried to scurry past her quickly, not yet ready for confrontation, but as i reached the bottom of the stairs she called out my name. I dreaded for the worst, perhaps Elizabeth had let slip of our plans, or perhaps she suspected me of stealing the box? But the worst i encountered was your average awkward conversation. She pointed out how we had no interacted much in the past few days, of which i agreed. An awkward silence followed soon after and once a few moments had past i quickly made my excuses and scurried off into the city centre. 

I would’ve delighted to say that the days conflicted had ended there, however that would be far from the case. I stopped in an alleyway to calm my nerves and think things through when i was approached by a strange man. He was dressed in the clothes of a beggar, bound in linen wraps and with a makeshift brown leather hood. The man seemed far too over familiar for my taste, and as i tried to make my escape he quickly blocked my exit from the alley way, enquiring as to who i was. I figured there was no sense in lying to the fellow and so told him the truth, that i was a doctor and that i was currently staying with some refugees in the town hall. Upon mentioning my occupation his demeanour changed to one of legitimate friendliness, though i could scarcely take my eyes off the spool of garrote wire hanging from his makeshift belt. He insisted he give me a tour, and we spent the day marvelling at Manchester, much like i had the day previous, and talking about our lives. How i’d left my family for a life of science, and he spoke of how he had been saved at a young age by a doctor, and of all the dodgy streets a man of my standing should avoid. 

He led me to a long cobbled street crowded with merchants of all kinds, and there i accidentally let slip to him of my work with the infection, and my attempts at making a cure. For a man just learning of the sudden emergence of the great plague he seemed awfully undaunted, and i soon found out why. He led me to a street urchin, selling newspapers. The boy addressed him as Wasp and handed me a paper free of charge, the headline read “Wigan fallen, Liverpool next?”. Apparently the first signs of the infection had begun to spring up in Liverpool as well, and there were already three casualties. I thanked Wasp and the urchin for their help and ran back to the town hall where i confronted Professor Fenwick.

I took Malidia into the alley and told her that i knew everything, about the box, about the limb and about Liverpool. She seemed surprised at first and after a lengthy argument i discovered her intentions. She clarified that she was indeed working on another antidote, but that the process was slow going and she had no wanted to involve me so that i wouldn’t get in trouble. I gladly offered my services and she accepted. I informed Elizabeth and told her that we would begin setting up a makeshift lab in our tent tomorrow and that we would begin working on the antidote as soon as possible, in the hopes of preventing the infection from spreading any further. It feels good to be on Professor Fenwick’s side once again. 

-Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 35

I barely slept at all last night. I tossed and turned till the sun came up, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. By the time i eventually got to sleep it was already four in the morning, and as a result i slept well into the middle of the day. Thankfully Elizabeth didn’t have the gall to awaken me and so i actually got some decent sleep. I awoke in the afternoon to a relatively peaceful scene, Malidia was off with the townsfolk, just talking. I hadn’t the time to ask them what they were all talking about, but i presumed it was of the recent bereavement and of the great amount of loss they have all suffered. I have suffered, but i can only imagine what it must’ve been like for them. 

I quickly made my way outside and within the hour caught up with Elizabeth on her way back from an ‘outing’ presumably with this new suitor of hers. We crept away to the alley by the town hall, and i told her at length about the contents of the box, she seemed just as shocked as i. She asked me all the questions i was already thinking, to which i still had no answers. I told her i’d think about what to do next, and that in the mean time she should say nothing of the sort to Malidia, after all, i’m still at a loss as to her motives. 

I then decided that in order to clear my head i would go for a walk around the city, take in all the familiar sites, foods and smells. As much as Manchester is still the city i remember it to be there is something different. The streets seem dirtier, and there are far more vagrants and urchins about, to the point at which i kept a firm hand in my pocket to prevent any would be pick-pockets and thieves. I bought a meal, ate, and returned back to my tent late at night. As i arrived back at the town hall the majority of the townsfolk had already gone to sleep, including Elizabeth and Malidia. I’m still at a loss as to what i’m supposed to do, though i feel myself innately drawn to confront Malidia about it. She may be unstable as of the time being but she is certainly not insane, she has most likely kept the limb for research purposes. But i am not yet ready to confront her, perhaps later in the week. 

-Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 34

I woke especially early this morning with the sole intent of stealing that wretched box away from Professor Fenwick. For the past few days now we have all been sleeping in the same tent, pitched inside the town hall for privacy’s sake. I intended to persuade Elizabeth to distract the Malidia with a ‘trip’ into Manchester in order to get her to relax, whilst i went to recover the box. Only, when i turned to look at her sleeping bag it was empty, Elizabeth had vanished. 

I quickly got out of my bedroll and crept my way outside, making sure to not wake the Professor. Moments after leaving the town hall i spied Elizabeth with a young man tucked away in a nearby alley. Of course, ever being the fool, i set forward with the intent of helping Miss Crow with the ruffian. A few paces away they had still not seen me, the young man lent in, pressing her against the wall they...well...you can imagine what they did. I stopped mid-stride, baffled for a moment i watched them, unsure of how to act. Eventually i built up my confidence and cleared my throat loudly at the pair. They quickly pulled apart and after a brief goodbye the young man scurried back into the town hall. It turns out that the young Miss Crow had in-fact gained her self a secretive suitor whilst in Wigan which had attributed to her increased day dreaming and excessive worrying. Shortly after i told Elizabeth my plan, of which she agreed. 

Professor Fenwick woke up at about ten, an incredibly late start by her usual standards, and within an instant Elizabeth swooped down on her and dragged her out to town for a ‘girl’s day out’. The professor seemed hesitant but as soon as they were far enough away from the town hall i rushed to the alleyway and retrieved the box, before returning to our tent to open it in secrecy. 

The box smelt worse than ever, and as i pried open the lid i finally learnt why. All my years of tending to injuries and disease hadn’t prepared me for this. Within the box was a child’s harm, but unlike which i had ever seen before. Small grey hair’s where burrowing their way out from the child’s skin, and what pink flesh could be made out was covered in thick black veins. Worse still, the severed hand curled it’s fingers, flexing. It was somehow still alive. I quickly closed the box, but entered a panic. If i put this back in the alley anyone could find it, and possibly become infected, or accuse the Wiganers of witchcraft. But if i kept it or returned it to the professor she would know that i knew. I decided the best course of action was to hide the box away in her sleeping bag and then leave. I spent the rest of the day wandering the streets, thinking of how to approach Malidia about this issue. When i returned Professor Fenwick was already asleep, i talked with Elizabeth and all seemed well. Apparently Malidia had shown slight confusion upon finding the box, but thought nothing of it. I told Elizabeth i would inform her of the box’s contents tomorrow which she begrudgingly agreed upon, apparently she had a date with this suitor of hers.

Finally i know what is in the box, but now i am faced with an even larger conundrum, what to do now? 

-Christopher Earlheim 

[christopherearlheim]

Day 33

It would appear that a doctor’s work is never done. I woke up late today as a result of my sleep being plagued with thoughts and conspiracies regarding Malidia’s box, and as i roused i was greeted by a bewildered Elizabeth. Apparently a small fight had broken out amongst the citizens of Manchester and Wigan, something to do with the people of Wigan not belonging in the city and taking up too much room which could’ve been used to house the citizens of the already cramped city. Several young men had been injured on both sides of the fray and one woman had been beaten unconscious with a piece of cobble pried from the street. 

Myself and Elizabeth ran to the scene of the crime, but Professor Fenwick was nowhere to be found so we alone tended to the injured. I helped to stitch up several cuts and apply healing salves to many of the wounds, but by the time we reached the woman who had been struck with the piece of cobble it was too late, we found no pulse on her and so allowed the townsfolk to mourn her passing, such a tragedy that could easily have been avoided had we had another physician to tend to the injured. 

A short while after i found Professor Fenwick skulking around the back of the the town hall so i confronted her. I blabbered on about the Hippocratic oath and how it had been her who had ultimately lead to that woman’s death because she neglected her duties. Only too late did i realize the tears streaming down her face. Apparently the guilt of what had happened in Wigan and the long journey to Manchester had been weighing over her head more severely than i thought and that she had inadvertently started the fight outside of the town hall as she had attempted to defend the young woman from verbal abuse by the young Mancunians. I lead her back inside and as we rounded the corner of the rear wall of the town hall i noticed that the box that she always carried with her now laid abandoned where she had been crying, however i did not mention it to Malidia. I lead the Professor back inside and there with the aid of Elizabeth we comforted her til she calmed and eventually fell asleep. However that night once again i could not find rest, the box was now unguarded, and i could finally discover it’s contents and relevance to Professor Fenwick and i decided i would go and retrieve it early next morning before Malidia awoke.                                                                                                     -Christopher Earlheim

[wolfebain]

Day 32

The resettlement of the townsfolk of Wigan in Manchester is taking longer than expected. It would appear that at the present time Manchester is suffering an overpopulation issue, and that there is simply no shelter other than the town hall for the survivors from Wigan. The same can be said for my self and my fellow professors as we too find ourselves without any place of residence, or work as our former places of accommodation have been rented out, and even our former infirmary has been repurposed to house the citizens of Manchester. So for the time being we shall remain here in the town hall until the mayor sorts out this predicament. Ontop of that both myself and Elizabeth have been noticing that professor Fenwick’s behaviour has been growing more erratic and it’s unclear as to whether it’s because of the current issue with the townsfolk or her bizarre fascination with that bizarre, festering chest. But some good news has emerged, late last night a messenger sent from Wigan delivered a message to the town mayor who related it to myself and the survivors of Wigan which stated that the problem was slowly beginning to subside and that hundreds of the infected and the risen dead had been destroyed and that slowly but surely Wigan was being reclaimed. I now live in hope that we will not remain in Manchester for much longer and that we may even be able to return before the accommodation issue here is fixed. -Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Posted this on the wrong blog, but here it is finally!

[christopherearlheim]

Day 31

We where informed this morning by the city council that myself and my fellow doctors are going to be moved back to our original place of residence here in Manchester. I believe that it will be good to return to an infirmary that we're all familiar with, and perhaps now that we've left Wigan things will return to normal and it will have been as if we where never there. But I doubt we will forget everything, no matter how hard we try, those who did not make it to Manchester will forever plague my thoughts. And what of Wigan? Despite all the horrible things that occurred in that town I still wish to know what the council of huntsman are doing there to contain the plague, I have no doubt that they will be successful, but sinister visions lurk in my mind, visions of Manchester suffering the same fate as wigan. Although myself and Elizabeth are happy to be returning to our old infirmary, Professor Fenwick seems troubled. I presume that she still feels a sense of responsibility for the townsfolk and that she wants to see them all through to a better place, a better life after Wigan. However I think she needs to let go, they no longer need our help, the city council will rehouse them here in Manchester. She should drop this mantle of responsibility before it once again consumers her. However, her strange attraction to power is not the only thing about Malidia that is concerning me as of late. I have noticed that recently she has been carrying around with her a small, rectangular wooden chest, no bigger than the distance between my forefinger and elbow length wise. She never leaves the box unattended and I have even seen her sat alone staring thoughtfully into the box. I have no clue as to its contents, except that of the foul stench that it radiates from time to time. There is no doubt that these miasmas are bad for her health so I shall endeavour to discover the box's contents and unravel the truth behind her possession of it. -Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 30

We awoke early, just as the sun was beginning to peak over the distant hills and shine its glorious light through the dense thicket of trees. To be treated with such a peaceful and calm morning almost made me forget the past few days' trauma, almost. By the time the sun had risen fully over the hills what remained of our caravans had begun the finally leg of our journey to Manchester. Only four of our caravans remain with thirty eight people spread out across each, ten people in both the first and second caravans, fifteen in the third caravan and three in our caravan at the very back. We had already had a dangerous enough journey fraught with death and so, like many others, I prayed that we would manage to make it to Manchester unscathed. However it would seem that, whatever benign force controlled our fates, had other plans for us. The morning was peaceful and tranquil, till about midday when the caravans in front of us unexpectedly stopped. Myself and Elizabeth where piloting the caravan and strained to see what was going on up ahead but the first caravan had turned around a bend whilst only half of the second caravan was visible. I instantly suspected trouble and so rushed to the back of our caravan and uncovered a box which contained several weapons that myself and Malidia had collected to defend ourselves with back in Wigan. Malidia took a rather large and lethal looking meat cleaver, Elizabeth readied herself with a exquisitely crafted rapier which was an heirloom of the Crow family and had been passed down onto her by her father, and I opted to arm myself with an iron morning star. As we stepped foot off our caravan I heard the first scream. It was short and cut off halfway through, but as it subsided a dozen or so other screams and pleas for mercy or help arose from the first caravan. Malidia went on to investigate, cleaver at the ready, whilst Elizabeth went to check on the second caravan and I readied those in the third caravan for combat. After a short while I heard the clash of steel upon steel followed by several burly shouts and within a matter of moments I was leading the cavalry to aid in Malidia's protection of the townsfolk. I turned the corner to see a dozen or so bandits, the first caravan had been completely ransacked and a few villagers lay dead, however both Malidia and Elizabeth where in the thick of combat, closely accompanied by the survivors of the first two caravans. The bandits may have been able to take Professor Fenwick and the townsfolk had it not been for my arrival with the cavalry as now, we greatly outnumbered them almost two to one and within a few minutes the fight was over. However, in the process we had lost a number of townsfolk, though I wager we would've lost far more had we complied with the bandits. Only three of our caravans remained drivable, and only twenty eight of us where left. Nevertheless despite our losses we continued one, reinvigorated from our victory in combat and we arrived in Manchester just as the sun began to sink behind the distant hills. As of right now we are being temporarily housed in the city hall, though I imagine that by tomorrow the townsfolk will have new homes and we will have a new infirmary. -Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 29

I did not think that things could've gotten much worse than yesterday, but it would appear that in thinking that I'm sorely mistaken. Our journey thus far has been a dangerous one, fraught with peril and tragedy. We had been intending to cross a bridge, the like of which spanned a rather deep gorge and saved the journey to Manchester a few hours, a shortcut that the majority of us relished in. However, the bad weather had weakened the bridge significantly and only two of our caravans made it across before upon the third caravans crossing it collapsed causing the deaths of eleven people, four of which where children, and also separated our group. The two caravans on the apposing side could not cross back over and so continued their journey to Manchester whilst our caravan and the others resorted to travelling several miles eastwards to pass around the gorge before connecting back with the road that lead to Manchester. We where now placed at the least three to four hours behind the two caravans that had made it across the bridge and did not expect to catch up with them. However, to our dismay we managed to catch up to what remained of the two caravans a while later. They had been ransacked and murdered by bandits, who had most likely been looking for something of value. However, these people simply had the bare essentials with them as they had little time to pack anything else and so I imagine that the bandits murdered them all for simply wasting their time. To add to the gruesome scene several women where missing from their caravans implying that they where most likely taken by the bandits, what they are doing to those poor young girls and women is beyond my imagination and I only hope that God brings them mercy. We decided to continue on till nightfall and then set up a camp, ensuring that a number of people where always on look out to protect us from the fate that had befallen the two caravans. Due to all of today's complications it is a possibility that we may have to travel through the night tomorrow to reach Manchester, a prospect that greatly worries me as the night does not work to our advantage in such large and surprisingly well lit caravans, and caravans like ours that are manned by few people and filled with sellable goods are even bigger targets, like bright moving beacons calling out to any bandits or other dark miscreants lurking in the shadows, between trees and under boulders. -Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 28

The evacuations began today, a whole day before they where scheduled due to a sudden spike in the activity by those infected by the plague. Luckily we had already packed all of our things and where in the process of loading them onto one of the eleven caravans that had been despatched to our town in order to help with the evacuations. However, due to the sudden spike in activity from the Infected two of the caravans where left abandoned in the town as sadly all those who where supposed to be boarding them had died and the caravans where now seen as more of a burden than a refuge to what little remained of the surviving townsfolk. So nine caravans, two of which carried supplies, began the long trek from Wigan to Manchester. Unfortunately only seven emerged from the towns southern boarder as during our exodus two caravans where attacked by a large pack of infected townsfolk, there where no survivors and two townsfolk from another caravan where severely injured and a few moments later put to death, to prevent the plague from spreading. It would appear that we left Wigan just in the nick of time, but at a great cost. It is merely the first day of our two day journey to Manchester and already simply in leaving the town we have lost at least forty two of the people that should've left Wigan with us. Only sixty eight of us remain. Elizabeth seems shaken by the experience thus far and is currently residing in the back of our caravan whilst Malidia drives, it would appear that professor Fenwick is being strong for all of our sakes. I am terrified, our caravan is at the back of the trail moving south and there are only three of us aboard as our caravan was tasked with carrying medical supplies and not people, making us a larger and much more vulnerable target. -Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 27

The preparation for evacuations began earlier this morning and all across Wigan the surviving townsfolk have been packing their belongings and preparing themselves for the journey south to Manchester. I myself had already packed my belongings last night and so arrived early to the infirmary to start packaging our medical supplies that would be taken back to Manchester along with us. However it would appear that some of the infirmary staff are dealing with the prospect of moving back to Manchester better than others as Elizabeth Crow did not arrive at the infirmary until midday. It would seem that she has grown quite attached to this small mining town in the north west. I had expected this kind of reaction from Professor Fenwick, as for a number of days she was the town's sole protector, however Malidia seems to be unphased by the prospect of moving to our old residence, possibly because it is her home city, or perhaps she has not yet fully come to terms as to what is happening. Either way, I am glad to see that for the moment she is managing to keep her cool in such a stressful circumstance. -Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 26

It would appear that I was fooling myself into believing that perhaps I would be greeted with another day of calm and relaxation. Infact today may well have been one of the worst days thus far, since the first days of the plague's appearance here in Wigan. The morning was peaceful enough to begin with, however that changed by around midday when a huntress arrived in the infirmary after visiting the mayor's home. The huntress had come from the outer edge of the town on orders to rally all survivors for an announcement in the town centre, a moment I shall never forget for as long as I live. There she told us that the situation on Wigan's borders had grown dire and that already many hunters had fallen. What was more worrying to me however was the fact that she mentioned that there are more infected now than ever before and that it seems hundreds of infected townsfolk are reappearing and even the corpses of villagers, long since dead, have been seen wandering the streets. We where also told to pack our belongings and that an evacuation would begin in the next few days where we will be taken to the capital, Manchester. It would appear that what I feared would happen has finally come to pass and that there is no hope for Wigan. I only wonder now as to what they're planning to do with the town. Are they going to simply abandon it, or perhaps even burn the entire town to the ground in a bid to destroy the plague once and for all. Whatever happens to this poor town I know for sure that I will never return. -Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 25

Once again today was rather relaxing, a brief respite from the chaos and bloodshed. I was even able to sit down with a cup of tea in the late afternoon after I had aided professor Fenwick with her research into the plague and a possible cure. It would appear that i was correct in believing that after handing over command to someone else that Malidia would settle back into her usual duties rather than gallivanting around the town, leading a mob wielding torches and pitchforks. As a matter of fact it is quite nice to have her around again as, although Elizabeth is quite a lovely girl, her constant daydreaming and overall lack of an attention span can get somewhat tedious. Ontop of that the free time across these past few days has given me time to speculate as to the whereabouts of Michael Farshore and whether he is even still alive. I imagine that if he is still in the town he has most likely been killed and added, unbeknownst to us, to a mass grave for plague victims. However it is entirely possible that he has escaped after releasing the plague into the town, though where to still remains a mystery to me. However, I am certain about one thing. This is definitely the work of Michael, of this I am sure. I am not usually one for superstition and trusting a gut instinct, but I have this overwhelming urge telling me that he is responsible for this, whether this was his intention or simply an accident. -Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 24

After such a stressful, and frankly terrifying, day yesterday in comparison today was what one might refer to as a paradise, considering our current circumstances. We had a relatively carefree day of work in the infirmary as not many patients show up anymore, not since the hunters started guarding the perimeter of the town centre, who often prefer to seek medical care within their own rather than outsiders, as I found out the hard way when I attempted to aid a hunter who had somehow broken his arm during a brawl with several plague victims. Because of this lack of patients, I was able to put some thought into possible armour to be worn to prevent infection as it is better to be safe than sorry. I dug around the storage cupboards and found what remained of a plague doctors protective apparel, the like of which had been used by 'in field' medics during the great plague war of London. By the afternoon I was able to scavenge some parts of armour from around the town and even enlisted the help of a leather worker who, with my supervision, managed to recreate an almost perfect, if not slightly improved, plague doctor outfit. Finally I will have some protection against the plague victims other than a sword or mace. I think I may also have inspired Elizabeth and Professor Fenwick as I overheard them discuss possible defensive apparel in the town and where to buy it after I had shown of my craftsmanship to them. -Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 23

It would appear that when compared to the other hunters of the Council of Huntsman, Hunter General McGrim sticks out like a sore thumb, being that the majority of his fellow hunters appear to be complete psychopaths armed to the teeth with axes, swords, knives, crossbows, scythes, sickles, knuckle dusters, morning stars and even the occasional flintlock rifle or blunderbuss. However, what they where wielding was not my primary concern, rather there terrifying attire. Very few were dressed in a similar fashion to Hunter General McGrim whereas the rest wore a combination of upper class clothes, working class clothes and what appeared to be the bones of the dead. Many of the hunters wore a type of trench coat similar to that of the Hunter General's but instead the collars were lined with what appeared to be human teeth and the coat itself was lined with limb bones to give better structure and protection to the long trailing trench coats that they wore. On top of that, a couple of the hunters even wore human skulls that had been grafted and partially taken apart to create a helmet of sorts that not only protected their heads but also served to intimidate the townsfolk. This army of hunters arrived early this morning, just as myself Professor Fenwick and Elizabeth where opening the infirmary. We heard a knock on the door and when Professor Fenwick went to open the door, closely followed by myself and Elizabeth, we were confronted by Hunter General McGrim in front of an army at least one hundred strong, entirely composed of terrifying looking hunters, occupying the town centre. The Hunter General explained to us that our guards would now serve as a last line of defence for the inner most parts of the town whilst the hunters took care of those afflicted by the plague towards the fringes of the town and in the taken territory of Wigan, a prospect that gave me great relief. Hunter General Henshaw Mcgrim even introduced us to his second in command Warrant Officer Kosthurst. A fearsome behemoth of a woman that stood at least a foot taller than me and was dressed in the most terrifying attire out of the entire regiment of hunters before us. Like many of the hunters she wore a trench coat entirely lined with human teeth and improved with the use of limb bones and even wore a human skull helmet. However, to add to the already evident terror she also wore a chest plate composed of several iron plates held together by a human rib cage, she also wore a a single shoulder plate, the like of which rivaled that which a knight would wear, and she even had what appeared to be the fangs of some gargantuan wolf attached to her gloves, that acted as permanent knuckle dusters. However the one thing about this fearsome barbarian woman that most caught my eye was that attached to her waist by a brown leather belt where two axes entirely made of bones, the blades of which where constructed from rather large shoulder blades that had been sharpened to an edge. I am now in doubt as to whether these people are the correct people to be dealing with the plague here in Wigan as, although they live up to my expectations of terror, they look like they may cause more harm than good. -Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 22

After three days the hunters finally arrived. Early this morning after both Malidia and Elizabeth had already left to the north of Wigan he arrived. A lone man wearing a long, trailing, waterproof trench coat and a scabbard around his waist, in which a rather large and lethal looking broad sword was sheathed. On his head the man wore a top hat along with a pair of blacked out spectacles and a bandana to hide his face, which looked to be made of the same material as his coat. He almost seemed to materialise out of thin air, as no one saw any sign of him entering the town, he was quite simply there. And thank the lord that he was as it just so happened that as an outbreak of the plague occurred just outside of the infirmary he was there to protect me and the other townsfolk. It was three infected villagers against a single man and although I had seen Malidia take on such odds successfully I had never seen anyone do it with such grace and speed that the hunter possessed. I barely had time to see him unsheathe his blade before he had already sheathed it and on the streets there lay three perfectly beheaded corpses. He introduced himself to me as Hunter General Henshaw Mcgrim, though the entire time that introductions took place he did not once remove his mask or even make physical contact with myself or any other of the townsfolk, something that left me in deep concern. Malidia returned at around midday and as I expected was outraged to see the arrival of the hunter, however rather than informing Professor Fenwick of who had sent for him, when asked about why he arrived, he simply stated that this village had been under the council of huntsman's eye for a long time, which was no doubt most likely a lie told to ensure that myself and Elizabeth did not get in any trouble for our actions. Although Professor Fenwick was outraged she nevertheless handed over command of the situation to Hunter General McGrim calmly and professional, which I am deeply thankful for. However other than that I had little interaction with the hunter as, as soon as he was able he set out to help with the guards in the defence of the town and quite clearly informed us all that more hunters would be on their way shortly to help deal with the problem. I was quite honestly expecting a much scarier visage for a man who's sole purpose is to eradicate human life in over one hundred different ways, perhaps all those tales I heard where simple over exaggerations. Or perhaps he is not the worst yet to come. -Christopher Earlheim

[christopherearlheim]

Day 21

There has still been no reply from the council of huntsman or any sign of hunters entering the town. I'm begging to fear that perhaps they may never show up, perhaps the letter got lost or worse, found by Malidia and she is waiting for the perfect moment to use it against myself and Elizabeth to deadly affect. Or perhaps the council of huntsman simply believe that the situation here is not dire enough to require their attention, in which case I fear we may be doomed to a grim death. To add to my constant stress there was a large outbreak in the centre of Wigan today. A mob returned from the north of town yesterday night after exterminating two families of infected and by the mid afternoon of today, all seventeen of them had turned and had begun to run rampant in Wigan town centre. Luckily Elizabeth and Malidia where on patrol there and, with the help of some townsfolk, managed to eradicate the issue quickly. I have so far been spared from having to kill any of the Infected townsfolk as I have been dedicating the majority of my time to studying a possible cure to the plague, of which I've had no luck. However after the outbreak in the town centre had been dealt with Malidia returned to the infirmary and pried me away from my work to teach me how to defend myself from anyone who had become infected. I think that having an outbreak so far into town has spooked Malidia and that now she is doing all that she can to protect those who mean the most to her. A touching sentiment, however I too am beginning to realise that more and more villagers are getting infected, and those infected are begging to appear more centrally in the town. Perhaps it is already too late for us. -Christopher Earlheim