Necromancer IC - Drakir

[Maquise]

You are so intent on the raven that you trip over something, landing in the underbrush. You are uninjured, but are aware of a horrid, sickening stench.

You lift yourself up, and find yourself staring at a body lying in the ditch. You turn it over to find it was your father. Just barely recognized; his face has swollen and his skin is a deep purple.

[drakir_nosslin]

"Dad? Dad! No!"
Marcus slams his fist into the ground next to the corpse.
"What am I going to do now? Why did you run like that?" Feeling more angry than sad he screams at the raven.
"You! Is this your work? Playing with the lives of helpless farmers?"

[Maquise]

Sanguineous examines the body.
"Most unfortunate. It would appear to be the poison Blue Whinnis. Most peculiar..."

He snaps his he up, black eyes staring directly at you. "What has happened today? What do you know about this event?"

[drakir_nosslin]

"Poison? What do you mean?" The long day and the numerous shocks are taking their toll on Marcus' mind, and no one would misunderstand his confused stare.
"He just left to sell some grain at the village, but he never came back. Supposedly he spoke to some knight at the tavern before leaving in the wrong direction. That's all I know, I was fishing, as you might recall."

[Maquise]

"A knight? What knight? Think! What was his name?"

[drakir_nosslin]

"Pendal I think. No wait, that's the blacksmith's cat. Pelleu, yea, sir Pelleu. That's it."

[Maquise]

"Pelleu is here!?"
Sangineous is obviously quite agitated. "We need to leave immediately!"
He flies some distance, then lands and looks back at you. "Come! Hurry!"

[drakir_nosslin]

For a moment Marcus simply stares at the bird, before his tired mind finally catches up with what it said.
"Wait, you know Pelleu?"
Rising to his feet, the farmer stumbles after the strange animal, leaving his father forgotten in the darkness.
"Where are we going?"

[Maquise]

Sanguineous looks around, increasingly frantic. He starts squawking and making strange noises.

"Curses! Why did you have to pick such a flat place to live? How can we escape; they will see us! See us!"

He snaps his beak shut. Attempting to regain some composure, he mutters, "All is not lost. We can travel at night, at least reach another village. Yes, yes, one step at a time..."

[drakir_nosslin]

"It wasn't my idea, you know. And flat land makes for good farming." Marcus mutters as he follows the crimson bird, his mind far too tired for him to grasp the strangeness of the situation.
"I'm not sure how far it is to the next village, I've never been there and it's too dark to see any landmarks now."
He walks in silence for a while before looking at Sanguineus, who is still flying a short distance before stopping and waiting for the human to catch up.
"Hey, you can ride on my shoulder if you like, so you don't have to land all the time."

[Maquise]

Off in the distance, you see a mass of torches moving across the landscape. Many congregate near your house, while others begin to move in your general direction.

[drakir_nosslin]

Seeing the torches begin to move Marcus sighs.
"Looks like the hunt has begun then. I certainly hope that you're not leading me into a trap, my feathery friend."
His entire posture is that of a tired and beaten man, but still he walks, one step at a time.
"On the other hand, the soldiers weren't very nice to me either, so I guess it's pretty much a lose lose situation for me. I hope Tamia is allright."

[drakir_nosslin]

After another moment of silence, Marcus looks at the raven.
"Hey, did you say something about me having an uncle? Because my dad never mentioned him at all."

[Maquise]

You make your way to a hidden copse you know of nearby. You'll be safe here for a short while. You can see the torches moving over the landscape, lingering by your home, moving through town, and fanning across the plains. Sanguineous is right; escape will be tricky.

Sanguineous responds to your question. "That doesn't surprise me. I didn't know much about it, but I believe your father and Lucien didn't get along very well. In any event, as I said before, you've inherited Lucien's estate. It is a long trip, and will probably be a difficult one, but you obviously cannot stay here."

[drakir_nosslin]

Marcus eases down on the ground, using his father's cloak as a blanket. The darkness around him is starting to feel comfortable. Over a short period of time, the light of torches is what he has started to fear. He opens up his sack and pulls out the waterskin.
"No, I cannot stay, even if the soldiers weren't after me. I'm not able to take care of the farm on my own, I have no skills that the village needs and I'm too old to be taken in as an apprentice."
The young man sighs and takes a small sip of water. It still tastes fresh and metallic. The taste of home.
"With such a future, no one will marry their daughter to me, and I'm left with no other choice but to leave. The soldiers are just speeding things up."
He pauses for a bit and looks in the direction of the village and the farm.
"But I don't understand, why would they be after me, and who would poison my father? It doesn't make sense. We're nobodies, simple farmers."
Another pause, as his mind starts to put one and one together.
"It's because of Lucien, isn't it? He was a sorcerer, right? No one else would have a talking bird as a friend. And now he's dead and you and this sir Pelleu are both after his heirs, first my dad and now me."

[Maquise]

"You are mostly correct. I don't know much about it, but you'll learn more at our destination. In the meantime, we need to find a way out of here."

You can't take the road, but the fields are just tall enough for you to crawl in without being spotted. The crawl is slow and arduous. Sanguineous guides you north.

You move throughout the night, ever tense. Fortunately, the torches of the soldiers makes it easy for you to track them. You thank the stars none of them are rangers.

When morning comes, you find yourself in unfamiliar land surrounded by rolling hills. Hunger gnaws your belly, and you are sore and tired.

[drakir_nosslin]

Relaxing for the first time in hours, Marcus slowly eats the last of his food and washes it down with a mouthful of water. There's not much left in the waterskin, and he is close to exhaustion.
I can't keep on going like this. I need food and water, but first some proper rest. His vision is blurry at the edges from lack of sleep, but he still manages to focus on Sanguineous.
"I need to sleep for a while, I've gone as far as I can for now. If you still have enough energy to fly, I'd appreciate it if you could see if you can find a creek or something, I need water, and some food too. I think I can forage while we travel, but it's going to take time."
With that said, the former farmer wraps his black cloak around him and lies down to get some well earned sleep.
"Oh, and if I'm still sleeping at noon, wake me."

[Maquise]

You're awaken at noon, and after eating a small meal of wild berries with fresh water, continue on your trek. You eventually find a well-worn road heading-east west. Sanguineous informs you that heading west for a while will get you there sooner.

You walk for some time, when you hear the sound of shod hooves approaching from behind you. About 200 yards back, a mounted soldier approaches. Sanguineous, not yet noticed, darts into the foliage near the road.

[drakir_nosslin]

Over a day of constant stress and fear has taken its toll on Marcus' abilities to think straight and when he sees the soldier he panics. Sanguineous' disappearance doesn't help and the young man flees straight into the woods.
No no no. Can't let them catch me. Poison and death, must run. Run run!
Running for all that he is worth, Marcus doesn't pay any heed to where he is going, just as long as it is away from the road and the soldier.

[Maquise]

"Halt!"
The soldier pursues you on horseback, the dismounts as the foliage gets too dense.

You stumble through blindly, aware only of the loud sound of your pursuer behind you. But you are smaller than him, and not bogged down in armor and equipment; after a while, you no longer hear him.

You take stock of your surroundings. You are deep in a wood, filled with unfamiliar plants. The only navigational aid is the sun, to the west and sinking.

[drakir_nosslin]

Marcus takes a few moments to calm himself by studying the plants around him, taking a few with him for closer examination later. After having gathered a dozen samples in his sack he turns towards the setting sun and starts walking once again, silently praying that Sanguineous is somewhere nearby.
The bird has in a very short time become the only stable thing in Marcus' life, and though he doesn't trust the creature completely yet, he feels a lot safer with it around.

[Maquise]

You walk for some time, your trepidation growing as the night grows closer and you see no end to the forest.

As the last rays of the sun dim, you spot a glimpse of amber light emanating from within the forest. You approach to find a bizarre encampment. Wagons are parked in a circle, in the center of which sit a cluster of fires. Around them gather a strange group of people, garbed in bright colored clothes which conceal their unusually diminutive figures.

[drakir_nosslin]

Marcus pauses for a moment and tries to make himself as presentable as possible. After having spent hours of crawling around in the fields, running through dense woods and being generally mindless of his clothes this isn't an easy feat. His clothing is torn and dirty and his hands and face is covered in small cuts and bruises.
Nevertheless he straightens his back and walks with a slow, and what he's hoping looks likes a confident stride out into the clearing.

[Maquise]

The figures dart up, and you find yourself surrounded. One in a purple robe approaches.

"A visitor! From the king? No, not from the king. A friend then? Maybe, maybe, maybe. A traveler in the dark woods! Ah, ha ha!"

The others laugh, but you notice their stance remains guarded, and you still cannot see any of their faces. Despite the fact that they are barely at eye level with your midriff, you are wary.

[drakir_nosslin]

Holding up his hands, palms outwards Marcus slowly replies.
"I got lost in the woods earlier. I mean you no harm and I wouldn't intrude like this if it wasn't absolutely necessary. But I have no food or water and I'm dead tired. May I join you at your fire?"

[Maquise]

"Join us at our fire! The traveler in the dark woods wants to join us at our fire! We do not even know his name!"

The purple-robed figure gestures, raising both of his hands above his name. The others form a circle around him, all facing towards you.

[drakir_nosslin]

Well, to be fair I don't know your names either. But I guess that it'd wouldn't be very polite not to introduce myself. I'm Marcus, pleased to meet you. What can I call you?

[Maquise]

"Marcus... Marcus... Marcus..."
The purple-robed figure and several others return to the main wagon. The others remain outside.

The figures return, some time later. "Marcus will spend the night here. Where's Marcus's destination? No cities nearby, no big stone towers and bustle. West is more forest, nothing there but goblins, elves, and more trees.
North is mountains, just ice, giants, gnolls."

[drakir_nosslin]

"To be honest I'm not sure where I'm going. I had a companion, but we lost each other in the forest. He was the one who knew where we was headed."
Following the group back to the fire Marcus manages a small smile.
"Your generosity is much appreciated. May I ask what who you are?"

[Maquise]

"We are the Naormi," the purple robe says.

The Naormi bring you food and drink. It is better than you have ever had, even in the tavern at Hackevir the few times you could afford it. The sound of exotic instruments fills the air. You begin to fell drowsy, the fatigue of the road setting in.

You awake, finding yourself on a pile of soft pillows with a blanket over you. You look around, finding yourself in one of the Naormi wagons. Sunlight pours in from a window, and you see several empty beds, about four feet in length each. The smell of cooking wafts in from the door.