Stones of Marb Station Ritual

Irregular chunks of rough-hewn stone gathered from the Marb Station environs, ranging from pebble-size grit to fist-sized missiles. Their edges remain unrefined, splintered and sharp enough to bite, a deliberate choice meant to wound rather than merely strike. Under the harsh glare of the men’s torches they loom like jagged teeth, lifted in unison and hurled with practiced cruelty. The Doctor shields himself with his umbrella, leather piping splitting under the barrage, the stones’ impacts a steady drumbeat of punishment underscoring Balazar’s brutal enforcement of local custom.