The Necromancer's Pact VII: Lake of Tears II

[Lost Sage]

Kiah

Still invisible, Kiah puts her hand on both Nyssa and Ethan to stop them from running into her whenever they move. They both can hear her relaxed exhalation of breath as the situation defuses.

Her voice speaks softly from the air between them "Well.... that was uncommonly understanding of him."

[dauphinous]

Delphinia

Delphinia stops abruptly at the edge of the clearly, her hands lifting her bow and nocking an arrow to it. "Now we see where they went," she hisses. The pressure on her shoulder is just enough to stop her from firing and makes her look up at Callos. "You people are all in some big damn hurry to save the damn world, but you don't seem to give much of a crap about what gets left in your wake. Do you know that worgs enjoy killing people?" She takes in a shallow breath and lets it out through her nose. "Fine. I can see that no one else is willing to fight these abominations."

She lowers her bow but leaves the arrow ready and returns her gaze to the scene unfolding before them. In a rather flat voice, she says, "I apologize for threatening you earlier."

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid

Catching sight of the remerging quadruple, he stands and waits for them to catch up. He stares intently at Lissa and Tiriel, and his tail unconsiously wags a bit.

He strides off in the lead, guiding everyone back to their original campsite. He will not talk to anyone except Trinark. He'll listen to anyone who runs up beside him but his mind seems elsewhere.

[kariokie]

Nyssa

Now that the danger has subsided, Nyssa notices how cold she is. Shivering a little, she pulls her cloaks and furs around her more tightly. She looks to where she believes Kiah is standing, from both the cues of her voice and the hand she's placed on Nyssa's arm. "Yes, very strange."

[Spaz]

Yix

Yix lets out a big sigh or relief as he lies back and falls over. He seems very cheerful at the moment now that the tension is gone from the air, and seemingly everyone. However, he soon remembers his sleep was interrupted as he begins to mope around looking for a comfortable place to lie down.

[Ludo]

Nolan

All that noise ... and for what? If all they wanted was blood I would have beaten Callos earlier and saved us all some time

Nolan relaxes his grip on his staff and eases his stance. He does not put the flames out however and he will remain at the rear of the party as they move on to ensure that nothing attacks from behind.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

"You obviously don't have a full understanding of me. I wouldn't mind stopping to vent some more frustration but I'm not going to risk the world at a chance to hurt some worgs. Once you calm down you'll realize its not worth the risk either."

The necromancer's tone was as it had been earlier that day. Somewhat bored, clinical, detached, and maybe a bit analytical. Would it really be within their power to strike down these creatures? They most definitly had superior numbers and those hybrids looked particularly dangerous. Once again Thokk looked banged up which meant that they had most likely missed something important. Everything seemed to be settling down however.

"Put the arrow away. Things look peaceful enough and you'll most likely get plenty of chances to kill worgs later on. Fire it...and you'll have the deaths of anyone who dies on your consieance."

[dauphinous]

Delphinia

"Whatever." Delphinia stows the arrow back into the quiver and stalks over, doing her best to ignore everything. As soon as she can locate her gear, she starts saddling up Gladi and getting her gear squared away.

[HempRope]

Well... I'm glad the Werewolf Lord was willing to forgive energy drain. I might not have been so kind, but I would also have lost all muscle power after that spell, so...

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

Whew! Well, at least now I know that combination works...

Achkby traipses back to the camp with the others, exhausted but high on adrenaline.

I hope this time someone bothers to think about how we got into this mess. It isn't safe to have people wandering off without knowing it. Expecially since none of us are content to just let them go...

[hr]
As they approach the camp, Achkby drifts closer to Yix. "Thank you for... guarding me back there. I didn't mean to put you in any danger. I didn't know we'd be in any more danger. I thought there was already a fight starting. Sometimes I get a bit ahead of myself, and, well... thanks," he says earnestly, and smiles a bit guiltily.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

*Running up to the lizardman*

"Ach lad, that was quite impressive back there. Very well done"

[Spaz]

Yix

Yix looks up at Achkby sleepily as the adrenaline (assuming pseudodragons have adrenaline) from the encounter leaves his body, "Don't worry about it, things happen." Yix calmly says to Achkby before letting out a yawn.

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid

The druid lessend his pace to accomodate the injured warrior beside him.

He doesn't reply to Voice-of-Thunder though.

He continued staring out into the horizon and walking towards the camp until he suddenly seems to return to himself and notices the warrior for the first time.

He impassively studies the dwarf's injuries before pronouncing with a mild crinkling of the brow,
"You are hurt"

He fishes around in his pack and produces a potion of healing which he offers to the dwarf.

He stands and turns to look at Callos back in the main group.
"One was wise to see danger I did not"

His eyes return to Thokk, with a face that showed a lot was going through his head before continuing to stalk back to camp.

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn watches the werewolf and druid square off with mild disinterest. If they start fighting, I'm out of here. There's only so much I can do and that werewolf is more than capable of taking me out. He follows everyone back to camp, sort of trailing behind. Back to bed and I swear if there's another crisis, I'm sleeping right through it. Wonder what we're going to do about the werecat in our midsts though.

[Lost Sage]

Kiah

As they walk back to camp Kiah looks around for any injuries. Thokk seems to be the only one so she moves over toward him and annouces her presence.

"Achm... It's Kiah" says her voice close by Thokk and the druid.

"I'll heal up the rest of those wounds. No need to be using potions on'em. Potions are expensive."

Kiah says a few words and a white glow infuses into Thokk's skin.
burn augury for CMW (2d8+6=15)
burn obscuring mist for CLW (1d8+5=11)

"All done" says Kiah's voice. "I'm glad it wheren't worse. It was looking pretty grim. I'm just heading over to talk to Ethan." just so they know i'm not still hanging around she thinks.

Kiah moves over to Ethan.

"Ethan, it's Kiah. I wanted to thank you for the potion. It looks like things worked out fine without really needing it. But at the time it seemed like the only thing to do. I don't know if you've thought about how to square it away. But I'm thinking about the communal fund we've been talking about. What'd ya think? Perhaps we can talk about it tomorrow after we get some sleep."

[Dr._Bob]

The werewolf lord seems amused by Lumpy's sarcasm.

Looking up at the moon, which lies low on the horizon, the werewolf lord says, "It will be moonset soon. I look forward to sleeping off this sorcery."

Without another word, he returns to his wolf form and slips into the darkness towards the forest. The other werewolves do the same, leaving almost no trace as they disappear into the woods.

[hr]
You return to your camp cautiously, making sure that you are not being followed. The horses and mules are as you left them, and your gear remains undisturbed on the wagons.

Si'rene cautiously approaches the lizardman. "Druid, I beg your pardon for any offense I might inadvertently have caused by ... distracting you from attacking the werewolf. I hope that you can understand why I could not allow you to escalate the situation." The gray elf falls back quietly without waiting to see if her "apology" is accepted.

After an hour or two of rest, the party rises again with the sun and hits the road, bleary-eyed and fatigued.

The sky is gray, and after the druid sniffs the air, he says a single word, "Snow."

[hr]
You ride hard through the day, hoping to make it to a town or at least some shelter before being caught in what appears to be shaping up to be a pretty sizable winter storm.

The sky darkens in the late afternoon, and flakes of snow begin to fall, as predicted by the lizardman. The snowfall thickens just as night falls, and it looks like you will have no choice but to camp by the side of the road yet again. At the last minute, however, Delphinia, riding ahead on her dog, spots the lights of a town in the distance.

You quicken your pace through the now driving snow, and arrive at a small town. Your arrival surprises the night watch, huddling by a large brazier. They inform you that you have arrived at Phsant. A number of merchant caravans are hunkered down here to wait out the winter. No one in their right minds would be traveling the roads at this time of the year, their raised eyebrows seem to be saying.

You stable your mounts and search for lodging. You are turned away from several inns/taverns, including one which has a bawdy sign outside depicting a winking nun, hitching up the hem of her habit to reveal a shapely ankle and calf. With all of the merchants and their retinues settled in for the duration, most rooms are already spoken for.

Finally, you find a few rooms for rent at a weathered but relatively clean inn called "The Dancing Dragon." The building appears to have once been a mill of some kind, and the first floor tavern is covered with sawdust. After settling in to your rooms, you gather in the tavern for some warm cider, the house specialty.



OOC: Don't let me interrupt any conversations your characters want to have IC. Consider this just a convenient break point to recover and prepare for the next leg of the journey.

[Lost Sage]

Kiah

Kiah is very quiet as they break camp. Something is definitely on her mind. During the day Kiah will approach Tiriel at an opportune moment and speaks to her quietly.

"Tiriel, we have to talk to Katrin. I say we because you need be there. You're her friend. Have you talked to her about her curse? Does she know what is going on? It will be a full moon again tonight by my count. Once in the castle, once last night, and once more. 3 days in the month as the lore goes."

"Last time it was a worg. This time? What if we find a village? What about children?" Kiah's intense eyes stare at Tiriel earnestly.

"The werewolf hinted that she will be able to control herself in time. I pray that he is right in that. But until that time we can't let her free on the full moon. We need to talk with her, and before the moon rises tonight."

[dauphinous]

Delphinia

Riding out ahead was the best way to clear her head. There were worgs there and I let them live. The single thought rattled around in her mind, over and over. She didn't let it distract her from doing her job - watching out for danger and a town - but it certainly kept out any other thoughts. When she finally saw the lights, it had no positive effect on her mood. Her face went from careful neutrality to a frown.

She stood Gladi off to the side when they finally reached the gates and counted everyone as they filed in, making sure no one was missing. Then she followed the group from behind as they made the rounds, trying to find a place with rooms. She stayed behind in the stable when everyone else headed inside, brushing Gladi's hair more than was really necessary. But the motion was calming, comforting. She eventually put her arms around the dog's neck and buried her face in the warmth of her coat, unable to imagine finding solace with any of those people inside.

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid

The druid watched wordlessly as the one who called herself Kiah healed Thokk. Noting that another human besides Cloudhair and Sunhair was a healer.

He notes by her gray-hair that she was of advanced age probably the oldest human in the pack now.

If she looks at him before leaving he will nod gratefully and relax his features to show that he does appreciate her actions.

Despite his wish to be on the move immediately, the sheer fatigue of the rest of his packmates moved him to allow them a few hours more of rest.

Helping Thokk to settle in, he stands watch with Aeroz for the remainder of the night. Partially out of guilt for not picking up on many things. His thoughts return to Sheyra many times and he paces restlessly.
[hr]
The next day he grunts with some disappointment when they catch sight of a human town and pulls his hood off not wishing to hide his true face.

He spends most fo the day in conversation with Trinark learning about the developments of the night he hadn't been able to grasp.

[blackfox]

Katrin

Katrin rides silently, lost in throught. She obviously is troubled, but she doesn't want to talk about it. Whenever she is adressed by another party member, she simply shakes her head and stares at the ground, looking even more miserable.

When they reach the inn, Katrin leaves her pack in her room and takes her food to seat in a shadowy corner of the inn.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

*To Kiah*
"Ach, thankee Lass, twas a nasty scrape he gave me"

*Thokk rides most of the way in silence, mulling over the developments of the previous night before riding up to Achlkby*

"Lad, that was rather impressive back there. You normally seem to be tha calm one, rather unwillin to engage. What happened?"

[HempRope]

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

In the morning, seeing no one else addressing the issues that got them into trouble last night, Achkby has the urge to make an announcement. Instead, he consults Aeroz.

"Aeroz," he asks, "Do we know what happened last night? I know a lot of people want to blame Callos for his attack earlier, but that's not it. Katrin and Callos both wandered off without knowing what they were doing. Don't you think we have to figure out why, and if it's going to happen again?"
[hr]

Impressive? Calm? Wow.

Achkby smiles.
"Thank you. Though you're right... I sort of lost control there. Usually, I do try to be... calm. Yes. I kind of... didn't really know what was going on, see. When the Druid started casting spells, I thought we were going on the attack, and... did my part. But I didn't really... well, I was pretty worked up from seeing that werewolf cut you up. He wasn't... he wasn't any more a part of the forest than we were, and... well, I don't like seeing anyone cut you up like that."

[kariokie]

Nyssa

She went to the room she would share with her brother, and removed her furred cloaks. Her face fell from tiredness, and, for just a second in the privacy of her room, it was obvious how unearthly she looked. Tall, thin, with pale skin and long dark hair. Her grey eyes so pale right now it's as if she had no irises at all, just black dots of pupils set in white. She was beautiful, but not exactly natural.

Then she smiles again, and Nyssa looks like the jovial, kind woman she is.

After a minute more collecting herself, she heads downstairs, her deep purple robes -- a mark of the responsibility she inherited, even if a mostly moot one -- swishing quietly. I have stayed out of these people's pain too long. She had assumed someone more appropriate would come forward to aid the quiet ranger, but that had not happened.

She enters the stables silently, standing just outside Gladi's stall, looking at Delphinia. Her knowledge might not translate as well to other races, but she would try. Meet her on her level, but not in a way it seems condescending. She won't want to look up at you. Don't touch her, she doesn't know touch. Don't ask, it will smell of obligation.

Nyssa kneels at the door of the stall, a position made comfortable by years of prayer. "Tell me."

[dauphinous]

Delphinia

Who? Delphinia looks up. Her face is drawn and weary; the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth seem especially deep. Nyssa. She seems like- Like a nice kid. "Stay away from me, kid. Everyone dies and I'm tired of it." She looks back at the dog. "Sometimes it's because you're too stupid to do anything about, and sometimes it's because you can't do anything about. But I'm damn tired of watching people I care about die, no matter the reason. It happens, then it happens again, and I-."

She looks at Nyssa again, expression tightly controlled and mouth set in a grim line. "Why'n the nine hells are you out here talking to me? Don't you have that brother of yours to harrass?"

[kariokie]

Nyssa

She says with all solemnity, "My brother said his hunger for harassment was completely sated. So I came looking for another victim." A small bow of her head indicates she knows she's intruding.

"You've lost a great deal in your life. Please, tell me."

She's pushing just a little, unwilling to let it rest. So many people took the easy way out of their grief, bottling it up. It took strength to confront it, to make it part of you, to accept. Sometimes it took more strength that anyone could have. Which is where Nyssa came in. Push just a little, not so far that they break, but far enough that they see something new in the pain.

Like any wound, grief hurt when inflicted, but it also hurt when treated.

[dauphinous]

Delphinia

Delphinia's eyes narrow momentarily. No one actually wants to hear about this stuff. "What difference does it make to you? I'm fine. I can do my job. I've got your back, and you don't have to pretend like you care to pay me back for it." She's lost the energy to be anything other than tired at this point, and her whole body shows it, from the droop in her shoulders to the slight dullness in her eyes.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

He shouldn't be this quiet. Something had gone wrong with the spell keeping him placid. It had to be. Frantic fingers flipped through the pages of the heavy tome, looking for any sort of precedance for this kind of event.

There wasn't one.

Maybe it wasn't the spell, maybe he was....No! There's no way his master would have made him kill someone! It completely went against the clauses in their deal! Perhaps it hadn't been Jintan's fault and he had accidentally killed him...

Trembling fingers shut the tome, fingers digging into the thick leather binding of the book before it was slammed down. Fingers wove together to hold a downcast head. He was done here for the day. There wasn't anyway that he could deal with the jabs and jeers of his 'colleagues' today. Not anymore.

No. What he needed to do was go home. Heat up a nice cup of tea and bask in the glow of home for awhile. Just get away from all the stink of carrion. Maybe she would be done at the bakery and he could go visit. That would surely clear his head and put his priroties back into place...

Opal eyes snapped open and Callos straightened up inside of the cart. He had dozed off again, apprantly something that he would have to stop. A single long yawn escaped from him as he wearily opened his eyes wider and began to look around at the surrondings. Snow....Wonderful.

_____________________________________________


Later he found himself staring into the depths of his cider cup. The warmth of the inn helped to heat up his cold bones and he wryly thought to himself that perhaps he was getting on in years. Then he thought of Kiah. She was most certainly older yet still out adventuring.

However it wasn't the older woman who had dominance over his thoughts. It was a younger one. One who stirred up bad memories and one he needed to resolve the tension with. That was the reason he found his way to Tiriel's room after drinking his fill of warm cider. An almost nostalogic feeling swept over him before he shook it away.

Soon he was seated on the floor with his back to the wall. He could wait. Callos was used to waiting.

[kariokie]

Nyssa

Do you believe people usually just pretend to care? She re-evaluates quickly, seeing the conversation play out in her mind if she speaks those words. That wasn't the right direction. It takes the focus away from the ranger and her pain, which was exactly what Delphinia was trying to do by questioning Nyssa's motives. Clever.

Nyssa sees the exhaustion in the older woman, but still she presses on. Just a little more. I know you're strong enough.

"I am here because I wish to be. Why are you?" Her face is kind and open, but behind it her mind is screaming at Delphinia. See it, damn you. You're here because you don't want to be alone. Because you want to talk. Because you don't want to bury yourself in grief. Because that's a waste of a life. You don't have to admit it to me, but you have to see it! Her grey eyes are locked with Delphinia's, and Nyssa will not look away.

[Spaz]

Yix


After gettin settled in the inn, and having the warm cider settle in his stomache Yix feels it is appropriate to try and change the mood of the party. The little dragon gets up on the table, and begins what is supposed to be some kind of dancing.

[dauphinous]

Delphinia

The question caught her off guard. And she fails utterly to suppress that reaction, letting it show clearly on her face. She breaks the gaze, not wanting to look into Nyssa's damn calm eyes anymore. Dammit. I know why I'm here. And she does too. I'm so damn transparent this kid who just met me can see it. She closes her eyes and rests her forehead in her palm, elbow on her knee. "It's that obvious." It's not a question, just a flat statement of fact. And here she is offering the one thing I want more than anything...and I'm shooting her down. Because I'm an idiot, I guess. A damn fool idiot.

"I miss him." She'd never said those words to another person before. To the dog, sure, but that was different. A person could judge. A person could tell her she's stupid. A person could...say all kinds of things. She doesn't look at Nyssa, because she's not sure she wants to hear whatever the girl might say.

[kariokie]

Nyssa

You hide it well. She would want to hear that. People always wanted to hear that -- that their thoughts were their own. It wasn't true, though. Everyone sent their feelings spinning off from them all the time, throwing their emotions out there like hundreds of tiny, sparkling glass balls. Filling the air.

No one ever took the time to try and catch the balls, though. So people were safe, walled inside their own heads, sure no one knew what they felt. Because no one could catch.

Nyssa moves forward on her knees, stopping when she's less then an arm's length from Delphinia. She adjusts herself, sitting cross-legged on the ground. "Who?"