A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Skye before departing.

Gilroy takes Dinner Time, a set of diamondplate cutlery from a simple velvet bag.

The scouts arrived in Arx, and reported first to the Iron Guard, who directed them to the Physicians Guild. The leader of the Scouts was pale, sweaty and his eyes were wide as tea saucers. Striding into the Hospital, he was directed to Reigna, recently back to light rounds, carrying little Brianne with her, strapped to her chest. After a brief, shaky bow, the Scout leader began his story.
"It was... it was more than a week since anyone'd heard anythin' from Eresport. A number of the villagers work in the Port, and when none of 'em showed up for work for a few days, we got asked to head out there and see what was happenin'. We got there this mornin' just past dawn, and we knew something was up before we got into the village proper. It was quiet. Too quiet. When we got in there... there were dead bodies everywhere. None of 'em looked kilt. They were just... dead. We didn't touch 'em cause we all just thought... it had to be a plague, right? Iron Guard told us to come here."

Reigna looks pensive and turns to the others in the Saving Grace and then down at the month old child on her chest. A deep breath is drawn and she looks torn. "We have to go and investigate what has happened. We will need some guardians to go with my healers." She looks to the Scout leader who shakes his head, "No way. My men told me they aren't going back there. And frankly I don't want to either. You'll need your own envoy."

"I'm afraid I haven't perfected the tonic that brings the dead back to life," Gretchen says, looking up from where she's bandaging the hand of some moron, "Yet."

Skye is diligently working on bringing fresh linens to the beds that were recently vacated. She gives pause as the scout approaches her cousin's wife, and can't help but overhear what was said. She gives a worried look to Reigna and her child, "If it's plague...Reigna, you shouldn't go." She motions to herself and tells her softly, "I can go...I'm not as skilled as you but I can help." She fumbles at her skirt, "And I have a bit of experience with wasting diseases."

Gilroy, the moron, winces at Gretchen's bandaging. "Pay attention, you ridiculous cow."

Mabelle agrees with Skye, "It will be unwise to endanger you. I can go out and help as well" she arranges some flowers in a random vase on her break.

Overhearing the scout's report, Rysen frowns, and glances at Rukhnis, crossing his arms. "Seems your first day working with the Physicians won't be easy."

Olivia listens and raises a hand. "I can help. I can also make sure what ever this is hasn't rotted the soil as well. Make sure it is not plant based."

Rukhnis grumbles to Rysen, "Nothing is ever easy.." She looks midly resigned at having walked into some kind of horrific disaster on her first time of ever even stepping foot in the Saving Grace. "However," she adds to Rysen, "how fortunate it is that you are here to lend your knightly skills, or whatever it is you do with your sword other than get yourself very sweaty and grimy."

Gretchen pulls a little tighter than she needs to on the bandage before tying it off without even looking at Gilroy, "Did anyone bring back a description of the bodies? Pale? Gaunt? Bleeding from the ears or eyes? Bodies inside or out?"

Harlex steps out of one of the patient rooms. One of his soldiers injured in the midst of training. "I really thought you'd block that, son." He says, as some sort of apology, and then leaves the young Crimson Blade to the care of the nurses. In the meanwhile, he happens on the scene. Shoulder to the wall and folding his arms across his chest. "Need an extra sword, I can take a ride." The offer is toward Reigna, of course, conferring with the Scout.

Gilroy's eyes bug at Gretchen's 'treatment'. "Are you sure you work here, my lady? Somewhere an abattoir is missing its least skilled tradeswoman." He gives a sniff, then adds, "Ah, they probably won't miss you for another hour or two." All the fuss has him glancing around. "Where are we going? I'm in! As a representative of the Lowers Chamber of Commerce."

Reigna looks around to her healers and there is an obvious look of pride on her face at their bravery. She looks down at her youngest child and her face falls just a little, before she steels herself with determination. "Allright. I will stay behind, but I will be preparing the Hospital and the morgue for your arrival. Bring back as many as you think necessary for us to study, I trust you to know what best to do with the others, either burial or burning. I'll speak with the Iron Guard to set up a quarrantine of the area so that whatever it is stays as contained as possible. I want you all to follow plague protocols. Sachets to ward against Miasma and if there is any sign of corruption, sacrifice your robes to Lagoma's fire at the edge of the village and we will get you fresh ones when you get here." She looks over to Harlex taking in the sight of the soldier, "Only if you tell me your name first, so I might properly thank you for your courage." There is a smile offered, the Marquessa remaining calm and collected in the midst of this report.

The Scout leader looks back to Gretchen, "They just looked... dead. Pale, grayish. Some had scratches, like a cat or like they'd gotten fresh with a person ain't wanted them getting fresh with them if you ken my meaning? Not all of 'em, but to be honest... we didn't inspect all of them. We didn't get too close. Just close enough to make sure they were dead. We shouted, threw rocks at 'em, you know. Made sure they were dead."

Mabelle contorts her face thoughtfully, "Scratches? could it be some sort of poison?", she is at lose, eager to inspect what had gone down there.

"If it has only been a few days and everyone is dead, that is amazingly swift, not to mention thorough, even for plague," Rukhnis frowns. "Ordinarily there is the barest number of survivors, or else people who flee the scene when they realize what is happening, and spread word of it." She grimaces. "Along with the disease itself."

Turning to Reigna, Rysen says, "My Lady, I'd like to accompany Rukhnis to the village as well. If there's anything suspicious, I can assist the Iron Guard and this man," he says gesturing to Harlex.

Skye gives a bow to her cousin, handing off the linens to another volunteer. Then she moves to collect the sachets to ward against Miasma and robes that are disposable if indeed plague is found. She speaks to one of the kids that's a runner to send them to the temple to get a latern that contains Lagoma's flame. As the organized little baroness moves about, she starts preparing things for the trip, trying to free up Reigna so she can give instructions to the physicians and guards that are going on the trip.

Skye checked intellect + stewardship at difficulty 15, rolling 47 higher.

Olivia stays pretty reserved as she starts packing nessicary supplies in her physician's satchel.

"Captain Harlex Valtyr, Crimson Blades." He eases off his LEAN from the wall. Standing up straight, resting a hand idle at his sword's hilt. He gives Rysen /the nod/. So generous is he on this occasion that he doesn't even ask for pay. He does step to the Scout though, "You'll ride with us half way to the village. Warn us if anythin' is different on our approach." It doesn't sound like he's giving him options.

Looking to Rysen, Reigna offers the man a smile, "You have my deep thanks for this, Lord Rysen." Reigna watches Skye go and fully turns her attention to the rest of the volunteers. "Eresport is not far from Arx, but it is across the river. I would like some bodies returned for study if possible, but depending upon conditions, it is likely best to prepare to spend the night there. My hope is that that is not the case, but better to be prepared than caught off guard. If you need to fetch things, or let people know where you are going to be, best to do so now." She looks to an Hours candle and nods, "We -- you --" That has Reigna frowning, a faint look of guilt on her features, "need to be at the gates of the city in an hour. There will be a cart or wagon team waiting for you there, as well as a map to Eresport, unless one of you is familiar with the area?"

Gretchen nods to something Skye says and looks to Rukhnis, "I've seen things strike down groups of people within hours before anyone had any idea there was a sickness at all. Maybe it was just that quick."

"Then you have my thanks, Captain Harlex Valtyr of the Crimson Blades." Reigna says, "I am in your debt for seeing to the safety of my people."

The Scout leader gives Harlex a bit of a sour look, but he nods. "Half way and no further."

Rukhnis nods to Gretchen and confesses, "I have not seen anything so disastrous as that myself." She glances sidelong at the scout. "Whatever it may be, at least this man and those with him do not seem to have succumbed to any such misfortune yet. Perhaps it does not linger long in the air, whatever it is."

Rysen quietly says to Rukhnis, "Let us hope not. Pick up an extra sachet and robe for me, I'll get provisions from the Hall in case we remain overnight. I'll meet you by the city gates in an hour."

Skye starts to gather the necessary herbs that the physicians will need to test the water, urine and feces of the departed. She provides lavender oil and spearamint candies so the volunteers can clear their palletes if they start to become overwhelmed by the smell. She adds a few bags of salt that can be used to preserve the bodies for transport. She turns to one of the guards and sends them to go get her armor and bow because she's going to be busy up till the final minutes getting all of this organized and together.

Harlex gives the Scout leader a firm pat on her shoulder, which is also an indication to get moving. He nods to Reigna, "I'll bring them back in one piece." But he has his own things to see too quickly before the departure. Black gauntlets fastened on to his gloved hands, tightening the straps. His role in this is clear enough.

Mabelle steps overwhelmed toward Skye and murmrus to her, "Allow me to help you, what do you require?"

Rukhnis bows to Rysen. "Until then," she says to him, and steps in to lend whatever assistance to she can to ready the small band for their departure.

Olivia kneels and closes her eyes, mumbling to herself as she does. Her hands crossed on her lap.

Mabelle inclines her head to Skye and rushes some stewards to gather rations and fresh water. The group begins to pack two satchels full, enough for a few days at least

Skye continues to power through the mental check list that she's put together for the coming trip. She even adds some linens that they can use to wrap the bodies in. She wrinkles her nose and lets Mabelle know, "One of the barrels needs to be salt water. We'll want to soak the linens on the way there so they're ready to wrap the bodies in." She gives off a few more instructions to people just in the knick of time.

The party meets at the gates and there is, indeed, a cart and team of horses there, waiting for them. There is another wagon filled with supplies arranged by Skye's expertise in organization to accompany them. The Scout leader is there, his horse is prancing a little, giving away the nerves of the rider. The trip is not that long at all. They set out around noon and by the time the Scout leader declares them halfway, it is only two hours later. "It's actually not much further. Follow this road for about three miles and you will arrive in the village.

The 'road' is more of a dirt path, that is, at least, wide enough and flat enough for the cart and wagon to safely drive along without risking a broken wheel. For the most part. The air holds onto the Summer heat, which does not bode well for the potential smell of a village of the dead.

Gretchen wrinkles her nose a bit at the thought, "None if you soldier types are squeamish are you?" she glances to Rysen and Harlex, "I've got something to deaden the smell if it gets too bad. It might turn you off of cloves for the rest of your life though."

Gilroy has done much the same as Skye, putting together everything that this crack team will need to function on a trip out into the wilds. As the trip goes on he reads off a checklist to Gretchen. "...okay, I've got two blocks of cheese, three boxes of crackers, four jugs of ale and one of that rum Countess Carita gave me, a dozen links of summer sausages and a flank of smoked turkey." He looks at a loss for a moment, "I forgot the boiled goose!" But is distracted when they're told it's only another three miles. "Ah, time for my Grayhope Aromatics." He pulls out a small perfume bottle and applies a little to his neck and the backs of his hands. "Certain to chase away all malign miasmas."

Olivia is dozed off in her seat in the cart.

Mabelle scrunches her face at the smells produced by the dead in the summer heat. Her hand lunches to cover her nose as they approach, "How many did they say are dead? and for how long?"

Gretchen takes a few steps away from Gilroy and waves her hand at the air in front of her. "And everyone living within five miles!"

Skye makes sure to pass out little vials of lavender and spearamint candies to any that want them for those that need to clean their palletes. The little baroness is refraining since she wants to smell the death as they arrive upon the scene. She handling the supplies cart and nods to Harlex and the other warriors, keeping her wagon towards the rear. She does bring up a thin scarf across the face and answers Mabelle, "The whole village if the accounts are to be observed." She does make a point of looking around and listening to see if there are birds in the sky, insects buzzing and other factors that would indicate life.

Harlex mounts one of the horses, riding alongside the wagon. When they reach that half-way point, he gives the Scout a look but lets him flee -- as he desires -- back toward Arx. The rest of the trip he looks ahead. "Should be alright. Been around enough corpses," lucky him. But he gives Gretchen an appreciative nod. Not the kind of thing one wants experience with, after all. "Lost word with the village two days ago, he said. Not sure the head count. We'll have to do it ourselves when we arrive," the dark-clad swordsman directs to Mabelle.

Rysen grins at Gretchen with a dark look in his eye. "I get nervous every time I'm before an audience, but Death and I are old acquaintances, and in Her presence I almost feel at home."

Rukhnis eyes Gilroy askance at this long list of supplies, and snorts in what sounds like agreement at Gretchen's reply. She observes Rysen for a moment, looking thoughtful, but then turns her gaze ahead and gazes off along the road with an unreadable expression, merely looking and listening.

Skye checked intellect + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 21 higher.

Olivia keeps on napping. Best to get rest now, in case they are in for a long night. Be prepared.

Harlex checked wits + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 36 higher.

Rysen checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 0 higher.

Mabelle checked intellect + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 22 higher.

Rukhnis checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 39 higher.

Rysen rides slightly ahead of the company, his grey eyes scanning for anything that might seem out of place.

Harlex tongues his right canine and looks aside toward the Baroness, offering a nod. He makes the simplest motion, freeing his right hand (sword-hand) and holding the reins with his left. But he keeps riding, guarding the wagon as it advances to the village.

Three miles down the road is the village, as promised. Things seem fairly normal for most of the ride, though some may pick up on the quieting of birdsong well before the village comes into view. Once the first houses becomes visible in the distance, it is the silence that is noticeable. It is normal for there to be fewer birds the closer to a village you get, but there is still typically birdsong. Here there is nothing but silence. A silence that is broken as they approach the village itself by the low drone of flies. That sound is everywhere, carried on a fetid wind perfumed with copper and the slightest hint of rot underneath. The rotten smell is not at all as bad as one might imagine it to be, it is only faint, made somehow worse for its infrequent presence. One might think they are only imagining it, when it comes back, caried on an eddy of wind. Once they enter the village square, the sight truly unfolds. There are, perhaps thirty or so bodies. Many are scattered around the square, all laid out as if they had simply fallen over that way. Some eyes are open, unseeing stares lifted to the sky above, some are closed as if sleeping. Beside some of the bodies are dead animal carcases, mutilated in a disturbing sort of way, the flesh jagged and torn. A large cluster of fourteen bodies are in a rough semicircle around one house in particular. The flies blanket most of the bodies, thick swathes of tiny bodies laying over them, those wings buzzing away.

Rysen checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 1 lower.

Rysen checked willpower at difficulty 15, rolling 4 lower.

Olivia starts opening her eyes slowly from her nap as the cart comes to a stop. She starts picking herself off what ever poor assistant physician she was using as a pillow. At first everything is ok. Then the smell hits her. Her face wrinkles up while half asleep. "Goodness..." She hasn't opened her eyes fully or stood up so she hasn't witnessed anything.

Rysen turns pale at the sight of the bodies covered in flies. He dismounts, and walks toward the wagon, with a gauntleted fist covering his mouth. He comes to stand beside Rukhnis, saying quietly "What in the Abyss is this? I have never seen anything like this before." He seems unable to remove his eyes from the bodies covered in swarming flies.

Rukhnis dismounts from her horse as they arrive at the village, looping the reins loosely around a hitching post near one of the silent buildings. Her eyes narrow and her lip curls faintly on catching a particularly strong whiff of decay, but the way she flicks her gaze about the area and cants her head to the side suggest she finds the silence still more unnerving than the weird arrangement of the fly-covered bodies. "Nor have I," she agrees with Rysen, an uneasy note in her voice.

Mabelle scans the area horrified. Her concentration upon the the carccases as she hopes to get a closer look, "It looks like the animals died prior. Could they have been the carrier?"

Olivia checked dexterity at difficulty 15, rolling 5 lower.

Harlex hears that old song in the chorus of flies. He takes a black cloth and raises it around his nose and mouth, obstructing /some/ of the smell. He makes a motion for the wagon to slow as they arrive in the village proper. With his expression hidden by the masking fabric, only his cold bright eyes remain visible and they are -- well -- cold and bright. For Rukhnis he says, "Might be wolves about. Or other scavengers." But this seems more a general warning, he doesn't commit to it, given the silence from the wilds. The swordsman dismounts, hitching his horse where he's able.

Skye frowns at the sight of the quivering flies on the bodies of the fourteen surrounding one house. She makes a sign that speaks to her deep devotion of the Faith and then she takes out a bottle of water that she keeps on her person, blessed by the waters in the shrine of Magnata. She offers a soft prayer for these poor souls and then flicks a few drops of the water on the first body before her. It is not to cleanse of course, but to give them proper respect before any hands examine their remains.

"...it should smell worse than this," Gretchen says uneasily, looking around to see where things are, how they fell and are grouped. She points to the ones surrounding the house, "Had they just come from there or were they headed in that direction for some reason?" And for those who don't know better she comments, "Try not to touch anything you don't have to."

Rysen glances at Harlex and then to Gretchen, then turns his gaze to the house ringed partially with bodies. With the shock of the scene relinquishing its grip on his body, he draws his longsword from his belt, and begins to make his way toward the conspicuous house.

Olivia goes to hop off the cart while mid waking up still. She hits the ground just right and manages to roll her ankle just a little. Nothing too serious. "Ow. why...." Then she finally sees the sight of the vilage. "Oh... my..." She deflates a little for a moment before shaking her head. "I am going to find the grain house." She shouts to the other physicians as she wanders off on her own.

Rukhnis makes a noncommittal noise at Harlex, not seeming to give this explanation any more credence than he does. "What /are/ all these other animals?" she echoes, partly in response to Mabelle, partly from following the direction of her own gaze. "Everything is dead, save the flies. That.. does not happen. And they are not only dead, but.. mauled." She begins to inspect the animal corpses, attempting to identify them and get some feel for their relation to the bodies, meticulous in keeping out of contact with them.

Rysen wields a keen-edged longsword.

Skye checked intellect + agriculture at difficulty 15, rolling 28 higher.

Skye checked intellect + agriculture at difficulty 25, rolling 34 higher.

Rukhnis checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 25, rolling 20 higher.

Skye checked intellect + agriculture at difficulty 35, rolling 4 higher.

Skye checked intellect + agriculture at difficulty 60, rolling 24 lower.

Mabelle checked intellect + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 62 higher.

Mabelle checked intellect + investigation at difficulty 25, rolling 74 higher.

Olivia checked intellect + agriculture at difficulty 60, rolling 0 higher.

Mabelle checked intellect + investigation at difficulty 35, rolling 43 higher.

Mabelle checked intellect + investigation at difficulty 60, rolling 10 higher.

Rukhnis has rolled a critical success!
Rukhnis checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 35, rolling 70 higher.

A bit more glad with those clawed gauntlets on his hands, especially with the 'try not to touch anything' comment, Harlex takes in the decay and the position of the bodies. As the physicians and investigators work, he stands watch. Moving, briefly, to help Olivia onto her feet when she falls. "Easy now, m'lady." He says gently. "Just be careful." But his focus appears to be keeping an eye on those present.

Rukhnis checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 60, rolling 2 higher.

Olivia checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 60, rolling 12 higher.

Harlex checked wits + war at difficulty 20, rolling 21 higher.

Gilroy checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 15, rolling 14 higher.

Gilroy checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 25, rolling 8 higher.

Gilroy checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 35, rolling 9 higher.

Gilroy checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 60, rolling 23 lower.

Skye is searching through the village, making notes and muttering to herself, "No cats. No spiders. Rats and flies." She bites her bottom lip and continues, "No spiderwebs. Just some odd flowers, dark purple, almost black that are flowering, even though it's the end of summer." She shakes her head, "They don't smell good. I'm going to collect these carefully." She glances over at Mabelle and asks her if she's noticed anything odd.

Harlex whistles sharply in Rysen, having realized something as he sees the Lord approaching the house, and signals the fellow swordsman over to confer something quietly.

Rukhnis looks troubled and not a little baffled by her inspection of the corpses, particularly a dead goat to which she's devoted the closest attention. "They are all ordinary village animals," she says quietly, to herself as much as to anyone else, "and they do not appear noticeably unwell. Only.. chewed apart." She grimaces, in unease as much as disgust.

Gilroy looks around the town turned mortuary with the detached look of someone who may not have seen worse, but is certainly capable of pretending he has. "Someone told me about something like this that happened in another little town. S'why I stay out of little towns." As he walks he opens his waistcoat and pulls out a knife and fork. Just in case someone left out a pie on the sill?

Mabelle scans the area and the blooms, "I'm not sure" she replies to Skye, but perhaps we should take some of those back with us and inspect them.

Rysen makes eye contact with Gretchen who is nearby, and nods toward Harlex. He quickly makes his way to swordsman's side.

Gilroy is following Gretchen as he does all of this!

Gretchen kneels down beside one of the bodies near that house, holding a bit of cloth over her nose and mouth at first, but then dropping it entirely as she leans in to inspect the body of a young man, "...this one has been dead eight...maybe sixteen hours at the most," she calls out, still intent on the body, trying to move an arm here, examining the eyes, the hands, "I can't see any kind of wound on him that might've done it, there's no recent injury except to his fingertips. Just scrapes."

Gilroy squats down next to Gretchen and gestures toward the young man's face with his fork. "Look at his lips. There's blood there." Then he points down to the man's wrist. "And blood on his sleeve. He was coughing up blood."

Harlex is moving toward that house, conspicuous as it is, and he has most certainly seen wholesale slaughter before -- not that his eyes don't look a little colder, perhaps to guard against any pesky emotions. He rests his left hand on his sword, pushing the blade up from the scabbard just /a bit/. He says to Gretchen, Gilroy. "We're," being him and Rysen, "goin' to clear the place. Find out why they were set to siege this particular house. Holler if you need us."

Rysen nods to Harlex, resting his longsword against his shoulder, and drawing his shortsword in his lefthand, taking a position just a step behind Harlex, ready to breach the house.

Rukhnis snaps a gaze towards Gilroy and Gretchen, asking narrowly, "Are you sure that is all it is? Is there any flesh or fur caught in his teeth or fingernails? These animals all around have been chewed apart." She makes a faintly repelled noise in the back of her throat. "And not by the sharp teeth of wolves."

Skye calls over to Olivia, "M'lady, can you come over here and look at these unusal flowers?" She frowns as the other voices paint what is going on with the bodies.

Gilroy reaches down and uses his fork to lift up the kid's hand. "Maybe? I didn't look there. But if they were chewing up live animals I would expect to see gore just kind of splashed around liberally. Have you ever seen Duke Arn try to put jelly on his toast all by himself?" He very insensitively mimes someone with shaky hands, then shakes his head. "Kinda like that, but with animal insides rather than strawberry preserves." He leans in to look at the fingernails. "Of course, I'm making this up as I go along, so I may be wrong."

Olivia continues her wanderings noting even the lack of spiders and their webs... "Odd...." She sees Skye and Mabelle with the flowers and makes her way over to them. She looks the over flowers from a slight distance. "Flowering awful late..." She kind of looks up to the sky with a concerned look on her face... "How long would you think we have been here?" She asks the two with her by the flower.

"The windows of this one has been boarded up," says Rysen quietly to Harlex as they approach the house. "Whatever was going on here, the villagers were aware of it before the majority died."

As Gilroy raises the man's head Gretchen says, "Wait!" And leans in to pry the lips open to look in his gross mouth, "There is fur in his teeth! You think something caused them to lose all sense and attack the animals?" She asks Rukhnis.

Mabelle begins to wander toward the open doors of one of the houses, she slips in and disappears out of sight for a moment

Mabelle checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 15, rolling 42 higher.

Mabelle checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 25, rolling 37 higher.

Mabelle checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 35, rolling 19 higher.

Mabelle checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 60, rolling 19 higher.

Rukhnis frowns at Gretchen, looking rather as if she'd prefer not to believe any such thing, but says to her reluctanctly, "I have heard of such raving madness in stories, but never seen such a thing with my own eyes. I do not know what could cause it. Very unusual plants or miasmas? Poison?"

Harlex takes a look at the windows. He gestures to the other side of its front door. "If I could, I'd just burn the damn thing. But that don't help us figure out what happened." An attempt is made to open the door, but of course he doesn't expect it to be unlocked. Short of that weird miracle, he'll be busting through as needed after a Three-Count to Rysen. "Move in, clear each room. Every cupboard. Ever wardrobe. You ready?"

"Ready," says Rysen, with both swords in hand.

Gretchen looks over to Harlex and Rysen when they mentioned boarded windows, "Boarded from inside or out? There might be survivors in there if it's from the inside! Be careful."

Mabelle calls from inside one of the houses, "This was not poisoning, there is a girl here, slashed throw her belly, and the house looks like someone went through it. Whatever it is, it did not begin through natural means", she travels around the house some more finding bloody boot prints and spaltters all around.

"If there are people in there, they are being very quiet," Rukhnis says, with a suspicious glance at the house. She watches closely as Rysen and Harlex prepare to break their way in.

Harlex checked strength + athletics at difficulty 40, rolling 7 lower.

Harlex checked strength + athletics at difficulty 30, rolling 28 higher.

Olivia checked intellect + agriculture at difficulty 40, rolling 14 higher.

Skye starts to carefully collect one of the flowers, making sure not to touch it to get it in the vial. She is going to make sure to try to bring some of the dirt it's planted in just in case it's causing a problem.

Rysen has rolled a critical success!
Rysen checked perception + survival at difficulty 25, rolling 17 higher.

Skye checked dexterity at difficulty 10, rolling 10 higher.

Harlex gives the door a shove and the whole frame shakes. But it doesn't yield. He signals for Rysen's assistance. "Think they got somethin' behind this," when the fellow swordsman is ready, he'll give it another push.

Harlex checked perception + survival at difficulty 25, rolling 27 higher.

Rukhnis checked perception + survival at difficulty 25, rolling 31 higher.

Gretchen checked perception + survival at difficulty 25, rolling 5 higher.

Gilroy has rolled a critical success!
Gilroy checked perception + survival at difficulty 25, rolling 32 higher.

Olivia digs in to the dirt next to the suspicious flowering plants. She pauses looking at it. She digs elsewhere much further away from the plant. Back to the plant again. She brings some of the dirt in her fingers. It's different. Feels different. "Odd." She pulls one glass specine jar out and puts some of the odd soil in it. Another jar. The normal dirt in that one. A third jar. She doesn't think twice she cuts the flower off and puts that in a third jar. "I am going to need stem and root samples too..." She says... might be talking to herself.

Waiting for Halex's count, Rysen takes in a deep breath. On the signal, the two men step forward and kick the door with enormous force.

Reigna GM Roll checked dexterity(4) + archery(4) at difficulty 20, rolling 36 higher.

Reigna GM Roll checked dexterity(4) + archery(4) at difficulty 25, rolling 27 higher.

When Harlex tries the first time, the door gives a loud creaking groan, a slam and the sound of something inside scraping on the floor. The door does not give on the first attempt, but it has been loosened from the fastenings, a sharp snap as the wooden pegs start to give. In the wake of the hit, those clustered around the house can hear muffled sounds from inside. The sounds aren't clear -- but there is definitely *something* moving or whispering or something inside.

When Harlex and Rysen team up together, their shoulders succeed in breaking the door from the frame and it teeters, falling forward against a dresser that was set against it on the other side, before sliding down and skidding to the ground. There is a thunk as a pair of arrows shoot out from inside the house, grazing both Harlex and Rysen.

27 inflicted and Rysen is unharmed.

36 inflicted and Harlex is unharmed.

Skye wields Suckerpunch, the exquisite jewel of tempest seas diamondplate bow.

Skye sees the two arrows shoot out and immediately grabs her bow. She steps in front of Olivia so she's not interrupted in collecting soil and flower samples. She waits to see who is shooting at them.

When the dresser hits, with a cascade of splinters, and the door yields there's very little time to take in the room before an arrow is sailing toward him. Harlex pivots to the side, raising a hand and feeling the projectile explode into splinters against the dark-coated diamondplate of his gauntlet. "Hold! Hold! We're with the physician's guild! We've come to help!" In the off-chance these are survivors, after all. His low, harsh voice breaking the din of the sudden invasion. He uses the side of the threshold as cover, speaking into the house. Hand still on his sword.

Mabelle hears the attack outside and looks inside the house for anything that can be of use. She grabs a chair and steps outward with him as a shield.

Rukhnis twitches a little and actually lets out a muffled exclamation as the arrow flies past Rysen (and sure, Harlex too), and she takes a step closer towards the building before appearing to decide she'd probably best not be right in the way of everyone drawing and waving their swords. She settles for flicking a wary glance around the village and then settling a glare on the house itself.

Olivia turns as she sees Skye jump between her and some unseen foe. Her eyes widen for a moment, but she goes to finish what she is doing. First she gets a sample of the plants stem, then she starts digging for. suitable sample of root to collect.

From within the dark house, a hoarse voice calls out. "Ph-Physicians? You ain't Guard?" The smell inside the house is rank. All manner of human waste and a heavy coppery scent fills the dank air.

Rysen says loudly, "We're here to help! Step out of the house!" He maintains a combat stance with his shoulder against the outside wall of the house, sword raised above his head - ready for anything that may threaten those outside the house.

Gilroy jumps a little when the door breaks apart and the arrows fly, ducking a bit back behind Gretchen just in case. When it seems safe enough he pushes himself to his feet and, against his better judgment, walks around to where the others are, though he takes a step back at the smell.

"Like the fella said. We ain't Guard, we got Physicians out here. Pitch them shooters through the door and step on out. We ain't goin' to hurt you," Harlex half-commands, half-reassures. He looks to Rysen, whose at the ready, and he nods but he maintains a much more subdued and light hold on his sword presently.

Gretchen also jumps at the sound of doors breaking and arrows. Then she gives Gilroy a bit of a look over her shoulder, shaking her head and calling out, "The guard came, saw the death, and turned around to send for us. We have guards with us, make no mistake, but we are here to sort out this whole mess."

Skye lowers her bow but doesn't put it away as the group starts talking with whomever is inside. She gives a reassuring look to Olivia to let her know that everything is fine.

Rysen's flick towards Rukhnis, and seeing her safe, he calls out again to those inside the house saying, "We just want to know what happened here."

Olivia finishes by getting a clipping of the root too. She stashes all 4 glass jars of botany samples in her physicians satchel. She Ahs! real quick and gets

Gilroy stays back, out of the line of fire and away from the haze of their stench. Quietly he says, "They're terrified, but that doesn't mean they're victims. Be careful."

Olivia finishes by getting a clipping of the root too. She stashes all 4 glass jars of botany samples in her physicians satchel. She Ahs! real quick and gets one last jar out and gets a nice healthg sample of the section of the plant right in between the root and stem. She looks up to Skye. "Done here. Care to check the well with me?"

There is silence for a while, and the shuffle of people moving in the dark. "If you're healers, we need one in here right now. Send 'em in and prove you ain't Guards." The words are tensly uttered, one of the dim shapes coming better into view. "You kill all those things?"

Skye gives a nod to Olivia, keeping an eye on the house where the others are talking to the inhabitants, "Yes, let's go get some water samples." She sends a signal to Harlex to motion where they're going. She keeps her bow in hand, acting more guard now than agriculturist.

Rukhnis cranes her neck to get as much of a view inside the house as she can muster, her brow furrowing. At the same time she seems to be trying to pay attention to everything else in their surroundings at the same time, as if expecting some other bizarre incident from any other direction, so that her gaze seems to be flickering frenetically about everywhere.

The sun is slowly arching downward towards the western horizon, kissing the treetops in the distance as shadows grow lower. The buzzing drone of the flies persists, though is seems to be starting to lessen in volume.

Harlex gives a nod to Skye but he keeps his focus and attention on the house's occupants. "Dead on arrival, friend." He makes a motion for Rukhnis to come forward. "We can't just send in one of our people without some assurance from you. Throw them bows out and one of us is comin' in with them to stand watch. What's your issue with the guard? You brigands? It's alright, if you are. We just want to know what the Abyss happened."

Rysen relaxes a bit, and sheathes his longsword, and concealing his short in a reverse grip behind his left arm. He nods to Rukhnis, saying quietly to her, "If you're willing to go in, say the word. You will stay behind me, and we'll go in together."

Gilroy makes his knife and fork disappear, then steps out into the light with his hands up. "I'm an accredited healer with the physicians." More or less true. "I want to come in and help, but my friend here is right. We need to know there won't be more arrows in our future. And I would like him to come with me if I go in there. He looks scary, but he's actually quite nice. Three young girls at home, you know. Kittens everywhere. He won't be aggressive, but it would make us all feel more comfortable."

Olivia makes her way over to the well seemingly unconcerned about the house at the moment. She is studying the sample of the flower she took carefully. Once she makes it to the well she starts lowering the bucket ratyer quickly. There is an Audible thud before the splash. Olivia raises an eyebrow and leans over the edge of the well to try and look down. "Baroness there is something in this well."

Rukhnis catches Harlex's gesture almost as soon as he makes it, in spite of her divided attention, and trots forward readily if cautiously. She nods to Rysen, seeming resigned to whatever might happen next, such as being the first, expendable Physician to go inside the house and die terribly there.

There is a grunt from inside and as the man approaches, he looks like he's had a rough time of it. His hair is half out of a ponytail, all wispy and mussed. His clothes are equally a mess, torn in places as if it were roughly tugged in several directions. He's dirty, stinks of piss and there's plenty of blood spatter over him. His friend, a wide-eyed young woman with a few facial tattoos looks and smells much the same. The bows are held out, though both have bladed weapons on them as well. "You have to help Luther. She dyin'."

Mabelle returns into the house and begins an autopsy on the corpse of the young girl. She detects some traces of unfamiliar liquids laced with the blood, and collects samples into a small jar.

Rysen checked charm + empathy at difficulty 15, rolling 2 higher.

Gretchen stays where she is beside the corpse of the young man. She's not about to volunteer. "Whatever we're doing, let's do it before the sun is completely gone. If this is some kind of contagion we don't want to spend the night here. Somewhere upwind."

Rukhnis grumbles, "Oh, I do not care who goes. But I am surely the least skilled of any. I am not even actually a Physician." In an echo of her expression, she adds helpfully, "However, if I go in there and am killed no one of importance is lost."

Harlex takes the bows and pitches them down to the ground. They can keep their blades. He seems more concerned about range. There's a hand held up to Rysen and Rukhnis. "We need you out here. Sure you'll hear one of us, if need be." He gives Gilroy a pat on the back, ushering him inside. "Let's see about helpin' Luther." Toward the man with the ponytail he gives a nod. Trying to ignore the smell. "Harlex Valtyr. Prodigal?" Toward the young woman with the facial tattoos.

Skye puts aside the bow so she can lean over and look in the well, "There's three children down there...or at the very least young adults." She frowns and looks at Olivia confused, "Why would someone put them down the well, that would ill the water, making it impossible to drink?" She looks to Olivia to see if she can confirm what's going on.

"Stay here, please," says Rysen to the filthy man and woman standing at the threshold of the house. "This is Rukhnis, and I am Lord Rysen. Can you tell us what happened here?"

Gilroy leads the way in, giving everyone he sees his best reassuring smile, which is just reassuring as hell. "Lead us to Luther, then. And tell us what happened here." He keeps his hands visible, palms up. Lycene for 'no weapons here'. Of course, like any good Lycene that just means his weapons are where they ain't looking.

Olivia hmms, and frowns looking at Skye, "Maybe they thought that was safer than what ever was going on up here..." She starts undoing all the rope so there is something to climb down on. "Safer until I hit them in the head with a bucket..." She says to Skye. Maybe just a little levity in the situation can't hurt. "I am kind of small I might beable to fit down there and you can pull me back up?" She seems to just be making it up. She has no idea what to do. She looks to Skye for guidance here.

Harlex guards Gilroy inside. Leaving Rysen and Ruknis to interview the survivors.

"We should burn the bodies," Gretchen points out, looking around at all of them, "We don't want any wild animals coming in and spreading whatever this is."

"Yes. Sure. Prodigal." There is a shiftiness to all of this, no doubt about it. The smell inside is much, much worse. Apparently there is, at least, a designated corner for doing one's business, but given that all the windows are borded up and the door too until recently, the stink is very real. There are some patches of vomit here and there as well. As for Luther, she is a young woman with pale blonde hair, laying in bed. Her right arm is sloppily bandaged from wrist to elbow, the cloth dirty and bloody, seeping down to stain the mattress under her. Her pale skin is red and there is a glaze to her eyes. There are a few other bandages on her leg and another on her shoulder. The mobile pair hover near their pile of looted items. That is definitely what it is, baubles, jewelry and trinkets that seem valuable all pild onto the floor, some in bags, some thrown or broken when they proved less valuable. "I have no idea what is going on in this village. We heard there was something amiss. We came yesterday to check it out... and then.. we were attacked."

Skye frowns at Olivia, "I'm not certain it's a good idea for you to crawl into that well. We could shoot two to four arrows into the torso, secure ropes and then pull them up out of the well to examine. Yes, it damages the body slightly but it would be far safer than you climbing in."

Rukhnis stares at the two in the doorway. Hard. There is a definitely glower in the way she's looking at them, especially with the obvious evidence of their own activities in this village of the dead. "If you have any useful information to give us," she says to them in a low voice, and with a dangerous glint in her dark eyes, "you had best do so before we decide you are the ones responsible for this entire mess, and not just this stealing from the dead." She practically spits out the word 'stealing' at them.

Olivia ohs... and frowns more, "Oh... I was hoping they were alive... I will see if we can find another way. Try to keep them as jndamaged as possible..." She says softly. She then turns "Can we get some help getting.... some things out of the well...." She trails off sadly. She peeks back down the well and shouts "Are any of yoh alive down there?" She turns her ear to listen for anything.

Rukhnis checked willpower + intimidation at difficulty 35, rolling 2 lower.

Harlex lifts his chin a bit and nods. He can feel that shiftiness. His only comment, however, is; "Good enough for me." He stands aside, nose ticking upward with the scent of the house. Human waste, blood. When he sees the loot, there's just a cluck of his tongue when he pulls down his face mask. Clearly, he's no one to judge. Nor care. He lets Gilroy do his air quote--physician--air quote thing.

Rukhnis checked willpower + intimidation at difficulty 25, rolling 30 higher.

Gretchen glances around as everyone is doing their own thing, rolls her eyes and gets to her feet, dusting her skirt off and stalking in the direction of where someone might store firewood, "Oh, no, it's no problem, I'll just get started piling the wood."

Smarminess seems to slide away from the young woman at Rukhnis' dressing down of her. There is a clearing of her throat and her pale eyes look away, the corners of her mouth curving sharply downward. "I don't know what you want us to say." There is a whine to her voice, "We were going through each house, taking whatever looked valuable. We were almost done, in a house across the square, when this kid came out of nowhere and started attacking Luther. Little shit bit the hell out of her, opened up her arm real bad. Tried to shake her off but she just kept coming. So Luther put her sword through her. We got the hell out of the house, but people were everywhere. They swarmed us. We fought 'em off, a couple got pushed into the well and we came in here. Boarded the place up tight."

Rysen glances at Rukhnis, and then turns to tattooed young woman. "So all those corpses where alive when you holed up in the house?" asks Rysen, gesturing to the semi-circle of bodies surrounding the house. "And they never tried to burn you out? Are you telling me something else killed them all in the time between you barricading the door, and us breaking it down?"

"Mmhmm." Gilroy doesn't really reply to the guy's story about coming out to check up on things. Instead he looks down at Luther with a bright smile. "Well hello, Luther! I'm Gilroy and I'll be helping you out today. Give me just a second while I check your chart!" He reaches down, then holds up his hands. "Haha, just a little physician humor. No, but really, after a quick examination it does appear that you have a case of being a little fucked up." He looks over her wounds, his smile getting a little tight, but not fading. To the guy telling the story Gilroy asks cheerily enough, "Did anyone else get bit, scratched, cut or otherwise abraded by one of the locals?"

Olivia tugs on the rope as she looks around for any extra hands to help her. She tugs the rope hard. Looks like she is testing to see if it will hold her weight. "Does anyone have a torch?" She shouts. Still tugging that rope. Better double and triple check it.

Rukhnis merely grunts quietly in response to the woman's explanation, and allows Rysen to take up the questioning from there. She's still looking at both the looters, though. Glaring. As hard as ever.

Gretchen just starts hauling wood into a nice big pile. Back and forth, huffing and puffing like a noble that's maybe not used to hauling logs.

There is a glance cast outside and the sight of all those corpses makes the young woman look distinctly uncomfortable. "I don't know what you want to hear. You asked what happened, I told you." She looks to her partner and over to Luther, "Can we go now? I need to get the fuck out of here."

Luther looks up at Gilroy, her brow furrowed and she stares at him. "Tracy? Tracy? Why is there a squirrel talking to me? Squirrel, go 'way squirrel. I'm tired. I need to rest."

Outside the sun is continuing to lower, Gretchen is able to locate a bunch of firewood neatly stacked to the side of nearby house.

The rope Olivia is tugging on seems sturdy enough, though the wood of the crank looks a little weathered and worn. Still, it should hold her. The bodies in the well are small. It should be okay.

Olivia checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 20, rolling 12 lower.

a loud squeak can be heard soon after Olivia grabs the rope and goes to climb down the well. She immediately lost her footing and hit the bodies and water below her.

Harlex leans back on the wall, folding his arms lightly over his chest. He watches Gilroy work on Luther, but the way she's speaking seems to make him feel tense. There's a small look aside toward the other survivors at the mention of other's bit, scratched, or cut.

Rysen glances at Harlex and Gilroy, but turns back to the woman in front of him. "Your friend doesn't sound good. We'd like to get you out of here, but if she's carrying something, we can't risk having her infect anyone else. If there's anything else we should know - say it now, or we may end up making camp here tonight, until the Physicians decide it's time to go."

At the squeak and the splash, Gretchen looks over after dumping a bunch of logs on the ground and kicking them into place, "Hey, guys," she calls out, "Olivia's dead probably. Can someone else come out and help or are you all busy with the one wounded person in there that's such a threat?"

Gilroy gives a nod at that answer, then turns his increasingly brittle smile on Harlex. He leans in like he's reaching for something and speaks quietly to the Blade before he says to the others, "We should probably go back outside."

Rukhnis's glare wavers a little on hearing Gretchen's voice, and she turns her head to look over at where Gretchen's been lugging and kicking logs around, all by herself. "Er. What? How has anybody died just now?"

From inside the well, "Hey... uhm...." Is shouted out. "Anyone up there?"

"Olivia fell in the well," Gretchen deadpans, then looks around. "Did someone bring the Lagoma flame?"

"She's been talking crazy for the last couple hours." This from the man with the ratty ponytail. He frowns and looks over to Luther. "He's not a squirrel boss. C'mon. You're talking stupid." He looks to Rysen and says, "Look. We came here to take shit. I'm not trying to hide that. Dead people don't need things. My people need to eat. Winter is around the corner and we need stuff to sell to buy supplies. So yeah. We heard there were dead people? I don't want to be dead neither. But it's like Andi here said. We got jumped. Shit was tense. I didn't get a good look at anything, I was trying to get the fuck away. We got in here, boarded up and were trying to get Luther well enough to get the fuck out of this place."

Rukhnis looks first at Gretchen, then over at the well. She stares at the well for a time, expressionlessly, then lets out a long sigh. "Very well, then," she says. "Who is strong enough to help pull her out? I do not have the strength for it by myself."

Whatever Gilroy says to Harlex has the swordsman thumb his nose and ease off the wall. He nods toward ratty ponytail and the tattoo-faced girl. "Let our people look you over then you can cut loose, its too much to move Luther right now. We're just goin' to have to look after her, send her on her way when she's able. Ain't nothin' else to be done." He hears the news about the well and looks to Rysen. "You mind pullin' that gal from the drink?"

Hearing Harlex, Rysen nods, letting his cold gaze linger a moment on Andi and her partner. He leaves the threshold of the house, and walks over to the well, and calling out "Lady Olivia, it's Rysen. I'm going to pull you out if I can. You ready?" he asks, as he takes the rope in both hands, and braces his legs against the side of the well.

Gilroy gives Harlex a quick nod, then turns to the others and, after a quick once over, says, "Your friend needs a bit more rest, but you should take off. Get away from this place. She'll catch up when she can." He turns when Gretchen is at the door, then looks at the others, then shakes his head. "Lady Olivia seems very nice, but I do believe her head would rattle if she shook it hard enough."

Gretchen checked dexterity + survival at difficulty 10, rolling 3 higher.

Olivia yells up. "Yeah we gotta do it a couple times though! We got three corpses down here that need to come out!" She takes a hold of a corpse with one arm and the rope with the other. "Alright!" She doesn't seem to think twice about never having waited for confirmation.

"Mangata's tits, just be quick about it." Andi mutters and stomps out of the house of stink to wait for her exam. The man doesn't seem particularly comfortable with any of this. "You gonna arrest Luther or really let her go?" There is suspicion in the man's eyes, a cynical set to his lips. "I'll stay with her, if its all the same. I'll carry her to the cart. You got a cart right? I suppose I'll throw her over my horse if not."

Rysen checked strength + athletics at difficulty 15, rolling 16 higher.

Olivia checked strength + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 6 higher.

Gretchen nearly falls into the pyre she's building as she adds a few more carefully stacked logs, "If people could stop chatting and bandying about we should burn what we can, make camp elsewhere, and come back tomorrow to finish the rest. Maybe save one body for autopsy later, but let's not leave this to spread hm?"

Gilroy waits a beat, then says to Andi, "Look, I'm going to be honest with you because you seem like a straight shooter, friend. Luther needs a Harlequin, not a physician. She has whatever they," he points out toward the corpses, "had. It's possible someone could figure out a cure for it, but not before it turned her feral like it did for them. So you should get gone, and we should send her to the Queen with all the dignity possible when standing ankle deep in shit."

Gilroy checked charm + manipulation at difficulty 15, rolling 59 higher.

Rukhnis glances over at the two looters one more time, then turns her back on them and appears to dismiss them as thoroughly as if they no longer existed. Instead she goes over to Gretchen and looks very dubiously at the heap of logs and branches the other woman has managed to pile up. "How many do you think we may burn at one time?" she asks. "I will help carry them."

Against all odds, Olivia is able to one arm the rope and takes hold of the top-most corpse and uses her legs to brace and climb the side of the well as Rysen pulls the rope. Olivia makes it to the top and is able to climb, sodden, out of the well, the corpse's arm still in the death grip applied to it. The body is that of a child, no more than ten years old, pale and loosely jointed. No rigor mortis here.

Andi looks at Gilroy and her cheeks pale, her jaw clenches as she makes fists of her hands. "Fine. I'm going. Tracy? Tracy leave her. She's dead anyway. Let's go *home*." The man with the ponytail stands there, clearly believing Gilroy, but looking at the woman in his arms. The sunlight is that deep gold, that warm hue that comes as it begins to set. It frames Tracy and Luther in that golden glow and he shakes his head. "This ain't right. This ain't right at all."

Olivia frowns up to Rysen, short on breath... Child in her lap.. "There are.... two more down there... I do not... think I can manage... that again..." She looks down at the child again, but she isn't inspecting... she is just looking at the child. Sadness taking over her face.

Breathing heavily, Rysen nods as Olivia stands again on solid ground. He glances at the body with a degree of disbelief to see that it does not seem to have decomposed much. "I'll takes this one to the wagons, My Lady. I'll climb down and get the others if we have time, but I think we're getting ready to move out."

Harlex waits beside Luther's sick bed. It becomes clear then that he isn't a guardian, but an executioner. Although the swordsman makes no motion to his weapons, he simply waits with his arms crossed. "It ain't, stay clear of the area. Pass it on to whoever you come across." That's all he can ask Andi, Tracy, as they're convinced to leave Luther behind.

Rukhnis, despite her dismissal of the man and woman back at the house, still seems to be listening to them, and her gaze is much more troubled than one might expect from the fact of her having glared the hell out of them just a bit ago. One might even call the look in her eyes sad. But she doesn't say anything, just looks at the heap of wood, and around at the village, and the omnipresence of Death.

Olivia checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 15, rolling 47 higher.

"Tracy? Can I call you Tracy?" Gilroy isn't smiling anymore. It went away some time in the last few minutes. "It's not right. You are right. But here in a few minutes your friend is going to wake up and she is going to bite you and claw at you and then you're going to get what she has and then when it comes time to send you to the Queen it won't be with much dignity because of all the screaming and cursing and 'aaagh, why did my friend bite me? and 'ohh shiiit I wish I'd listened to Gilroy, the smartest guy in Arvum'. So let's go. This room is really, really gross anyway."

Given leave to go, Andi is taking off. She is jogging to the west, clearly ready to leave this village, her gait one that is for sustained running rather than a sprint. Tracy takes a bit longer. Gilroy's words reegister and he nods, a frown cutting deep furrows in his cheeks. He swallows tightly and reaches a hand out to touch Luther's brow, the tips of his fingers trembling, though they nveer make full contact. "Go with the Gods, Luther." Head bowed, he turns to go, no jog for him, a plodding, depressed walk in the same direction Andi went. Luther peers after Tracy and croaks, "Tracy? Tracy? Bring me strawberries when you come back. I could kill for some strawberries...."

Harlex wields Memory, a wickedly curved rubicund knife.

Once the others clear, Harlex eases off the wall. He reaches back to his swordbelt, pulling loose a wickedly curved red-steel knife. "Better see how the others are doin'," he offers to Gilroy a very fine reason to leave the room. "Tell them I'll be around shortly."

"Not all of them," Gretchen replies to Rukhnis, "We could make it a bit bigger to get more, but right now I think we should burn what we can and leave the rest for tomorrow. Or stay and add on to it while they burn, but without knowing how it spreads I don't really want to be here more than we have to."

"I don't like it," mutters Rysen under his breath to Rukhnis, as he holds the child's body Olivia brought up from the well. "Did you know they had to cut the heads off the fallen at Stormwall? Just now they said one of the children kept attacking that woman in the house - a grown woman. She couldn't fight off a child? And the way the corpses were ringing the house? Something doesn't feel right..."

With the others gone Gilroy's cutlery appears in his hands once again. He looks from Harlex to Luther, then nods. "If you didn't, I would have. Lagoma or no, everyone has a little mercy in them, I hope." He looks down at his knife, then turns to head outside. Probably better to send the poor woman off with a dramatic knife named Memory than one named Dinner Time anyway. "Gretchen, is Olivia still in the well? I could use a l- oh, no, she has a child's corpse. Nice. I love this town. I need to leave the city more often."

Olivia looks over the body and then nods to Rysen to let him take the corpse from her lap. As he goes to take the corpse to the wagon she raises her arm and grabs his gently. "We must not leave them down there if we want any chance of this well being usable again. And these children were down there for a reason. Either Quarantine or Safety. I intend to find out which. Please do not let them burn this one just yet." A soft smile. She is trying. She stands and walks back over to well and kneels beside it. Soaking wet and not caring.

"None of this is remotely right, or natural," Rukhnis says to Rysen in a low voice, shaking her head darkly. "It is very ill indeed." She turns to nod to Gretchen in agreement. "Yes," she says soberly. "Let us do whatever we are able, and head out when we can." And she begins to work with whoever is willing on the grim task of hauling corpses to the pyre.

Rysen nods to Olivia. "I'll ask them to keep watch of this one, and return to help you." He takes the child over to a clear area of town, and asks Gretchen and Rukhnis not to burn it, at Olivia's request. He returns as quickly as he can to help Olivia with the remaining children in the well.

That golden quality to the light is starting to fade as the sun sinks below the treeline. Shadows stretch across the ground and a cool wind blows in from the direction of the river. At the edge of the eastern tree line there is a little haze, a film of fog starting to gather as the humidity in the air condenses slowly. The drone of the flies is much softer now, the insects no longer blanketing the bodies as they were. There are still dozens on each one, but far, far fewer than were there previously.

The pyre is stable enough to hold no more than six bodies at one time, which means at least five shifts necessary, with each pyre taking about six hours to fully burn the bodies. There are thirty-two corpses spread over the square.

A little mercy. Its about all he can offer. Harlex's thoughtful look toward Gilroy lasts until he leaves and then he turns those cold, bright eyes to poor -- poor Luther. The leather glove beneath his gauntlet is what's likely felt first, pressing down onto her head. There's a flash of red, hot and mean against the fading of the light, and he cuts clean across her throat and bone deep. It's never just that though, is it? Convulsion. The sputtered finale of the body. Its dramatic last twitches. He pins her as best as he's able until he's done, until he sees that familiar emptiness inherent to a fresh corpse. Then the silence. The trickle of blood onto the floor.

He cleans Memory off on a bedsheet, returning it to the scabbard, then wraps Luther up in that same cover before carrying her all the way outside and toward the pyre.

Olivia sets her satchel outside of the well as Rysen comes back. She got lucky last time. Don't want to lose that. Has the flower samples. "Lord Rysen. Maybe I can go down and tie the rope around the corpse. You pull it out. I am sure I can not one arm it again."

Olivia adds, "Still need water samples too..."

Rysen nods. "Ok, let me know when you've got one secured, and I'll haul it up. Let's get the corpses first, and then I'll throw your bag down to you for the water sample."

Olivia shakes her head. "Please do not throw that bag down. Have someone toss a few empty jars down." And with that she grabs the rope and prepares to fall down the well again.

Olivia checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 15, rolling 4 lower.

Rysen chuckles and nods. "Just hold on tight, and I'll lower you d -"

Olivia falls... again... but she was a bit more ready this time. Probably gonna be a little sore at the least from this. She takes the extra rope and ties it around the second corpses torso, under the arms. She shouts up, "Ok first one should be ready!"

Gretchen helps drag bodies over though she doesn't have a ton of upper body strength to do so. She pauses, wiping her forehead with the back of her arm and surveying the four bodies arranged up there, "Grab two more then we can light it," she tells those nearby, "Anyone really good at starting a fire? Let's get this started."

Rysen checked strength + athletics at difficulty 15, rolling 3 higher.

Gilroy watches as Olivia falls down the well again. For a long moment he doesn't say anything, then he turns and says to Gretchen, "I'm going to start pulling in corpses from the far end of the town moving in. No reason this should take longer than it has to."

Rysen winces as Olivia splashes down, but takes the rope in his hands awaiting her signal to begin to pull. When he hears her voice, he hauls up the rope hand over hand, detaches the corpse, and tosses the rope back down the well. "Ok!" he calls. "Ready for the last one."

Rukhnis grunts quietly at Gretchen, looking rather fatigued herself after all the labour of lugging literal dead weight around. "I will try my hand at it," she says to the other woman, and kneels down next to the pyre with another tired grunt. She produces flint and a bit of tinder from her sash - this seems to be where she keeps all manner of oddments - and goes at trying to get the whole thing lighted up.

Rukhnis checked dexterity + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 19 higher.

The light is fading a bit faster now, the shadows casting a purplish light as the streaks of pink and orange stain the skies, the creep of deep cobalt and indigo spreading in from the Eastern sky. The first sparkles of stars can be seen. The fog rolls in a little closer, coming from the western bank of the Gray river. The insect sounds go utterly silent. Even the flies have stilled. The moment seems almost pregnant with wrongness. Something just does not feel right.

e a loud scream comes from the well! "Lord Rysen get me out!"

Harlex places Luther in the burn pile, wrapped in her funeral bed sheet, and begins to aid with the rest of the labor. He's big and hardy, he can carry corpses with the best of them. There is, of course, /fresh/ blood on his white shirt under that open leather jacket. He pauses for a moment, looking to the changing of the sky. That feeling in his wild instincts. Stifled in his moment of grim thought with the sound of the scream. He hurries over to the well to aid Rysen with the rope. Snapped from his daze.

With a fury borne of desperation, Rysen grits his teeth and pulls the rope with every ounce of strength in his body.

Gilroy has rolled a critical success!
Gilroy checked dexterity + stealth at difficulty 15, rolling 62 higher.

Harlex checked strength + athletics at difficulty 15, rolling 32 higher.

Olivia checked strength at difficulty 10, rolling 9 higher.

Rysen checked strength + athletics at difficulty 15, rolling 6 higher.

Gretchen watches Rukhnis as she moves to start the fire, looking exhausted and kind of bored with her arms folded. Then she hears the silence descend and she looks around, moving closing to Rukhnis, "...how's that fire coming?" she asks nervously

Rukhnis blows on the small bit of flame crackling at the bottom of the pile, fragile but bright in the growing dimness. She shifts her weight, eyes fixed intently on the little fire even as she appears on edge in the midst of the sudden silence and the sense of wrongness. "It is on its way," she says softly. "It should take in a moment or two."

Olivia grips that rope with her considerable strength and a good thing too -- Given the combined power of Harlex and Rysen she is rising up swiftly -- it would be faster, but she has a stowaway. The waterlogged hands of a tween boy are tangled in Olivia's skirts. There is a hideous groaning sound, his weight added to Olivia's as they are both hauled up from the water.

The boy is not alone, all over those corpses are beginning to stir, dry, hissing breath sounds as their chests begin to rise and fall, stiff limbs reorienting, moving to push themselves upward, their cloudy eyes starting to blink slowly.

Olivia screams and kicks her legs wildly at the corpse grabbing a hold of her, "GET OFF! PLEASE" She is in tears at this point her hands grabbing wildly for her hairpins. Just a flailing mess.

Harlex stands behind Rysen and yanks the rope with such a force that he might pull both to him -- but he can feel that extra resistance. He's pretty sure Olivia does not weigh that much and when she is hauled from the water, he spies the stowaway. "Free her!" He barks to Rysen, more than able to hold that rope on his own until the fellow swordsman can knock the boy back down.

Rysen checked strength + brawl at difficulty 15, rolling 15 higher.

Gilroy appears out of nowhere, out of breath and sweating. "We need to go. We need to go now. We should have listened to Gretchen. There's a reason those kids were in the w-" He looks over, eyes wide, and shouts to Rysen, "Get that thing off of her!" Then back to Rukhnis and Gretchen, eyes wide, "We need to RUN!"

The whispering starts then. The words, if they can be called that, are unintelligable. The sounds are as wrong as the sight of corpses getting to their feet. The mouths move, but not in sync with the sounds made. The sound builds as more and more of the bodies begin to rise. There is a dark chorus of sound, not unlike the former buzzing of flies. The bodies piled up on the pyre are struggling to roll from it, but they are not particularly coordinated.

Rukhnis's eyes widen and her gaze darts around at each of the corpses beginning to stir, then towards Rysen and the well and Olivia's unwelcome new attachment. She hisses something under her breath that sounds like a very vehement Eurusi curse, jumping swiftly to her feet. She has no need of Gilroy's warning by this point, and looks ready to get out of there this very instant, or at least as this-very-instant as she can make sure Rysen's going to get out of there too.

Rysen's blows are ignored for the most part, the little boy's mouth opening and closing slowly as if trying, trying so hard to find a place to bite. Ignored, perhaps, but the blows are effective and he is dislodged with a groaning, wet, burble.

"Fuck!" hisses Rysen through grit teeth, as he hauls Olivia over the wall of the well. As Harlex grasps Olivia's arms, Rysen attempts to smash the boy down into the well with a steel clad fist, with enough force to rip Olivia's skirts free from his grip.

Harlex more or less tosses Olivia out from the well once she's free. Getting her on her feet and pushing her toward the others. "We got to go, get to the damn horses. Get!" He hollers, loud. He draws his sword with a lightning quick hand, that diamondplate is quite shiny.

Harlex wields Silverfang, a bestial diamondplated sword.

Olivia scrambles as she makes it to the ground out side of the well. She immediately picks her satchel back up and then runs to stand behind Rysen. She slings the bag back over her shoulder. "I.... Do not want to get the last one Lord Rysen" She watches the well, still oblivious to the rest. "I should very like to go home."

Rukhnis makes a quick dash for the wagon and horses, her mind evidently going the same way as Harlex's, checking to see that their gear is all in place and attempting to make sure they're not about to panic and bolt. She strokes each horse not too hastily, offering a quick firm whisper of comfort, determinedly not looking at the advancing undead.

Gretchen's eyes go wide and she starts backing up, paling and her hand going to her side, "...what's to say they won't follow us?" she asks loudly, then doesn't give it much else of a thought, turning to race towards the cart.

Rukhnis checked willpower + animal ken at difficulty 25, rolling 14 higher.

Splash! The boy falls back down the well with a splash. When it emerges again, it starts trying to climb the stone walls, its nails scraping the sides of the well. The corpses have gotten to their feet, though they are wavering as if orienting themselves. The six on the pyre are still tangled with one another, that leaves twenty six more. The highest concentration are near the house. There are several more near the pyre and the rest are at various points around the square. And there are two -- the two corpses hauled up from the well, near Rysen and Harlex, turning white eyes on them.

Rushing past Harlex, Rysen picks up Olivia, and carries her toward the wagons and horses. "Harlex! Let's move!" he shouts between panting breaths.

Gilroy wields Dinner Time, a set of diamondplate cutlery.

Olivia just acks! as she gets lifted like she weighs nothing. Well she likely doesn't weigh much. "Is this the premium get me home services?"

Rukhnis wrestles with the reins of one horse that clearly does NOT like all these zombie shenanigans, but luckily most of them seem responsive to her reassurance, and seem persuaded to wait for a rider on their back before bolting. She looks back over her shoulder at the rest of the party, seeming to will them to move faster with the force of her gaze, but unwilling to add to the yelling and unnerve the horses more.

Gilroy, ridiculously enough, pulls out his knife and fork and then, like even he can't believe he's fucking doing it, hangs back with Harlex to bring up the rear so the physicians can get to the horses first. "I hate all this magic shit. You know what doesn't happen in Lenosia? Giants and demon unicorns and fucking people coming back from the fucking dead. You know what does happen? Lots of drinking and arguing and fucking. It's way more fun!"

Harlex does his job, above all else. Putting himself between the fleeing Physicians and the risen dead. He clutches that curved sword in both hands. "Way more fun," the swordsman agrees WHOLEHEARTEDLY with Gilroy. As those two from the well turn their eyes on him, he doesn't hesitate to swing in a wide arc at their heads. But he's moving as he does, literally cutting through them to make a path for their flight. Bringing up the rear-guard as he does.

Rysen sets Olivia down near Gretchen and races to his horse. "Go Rukhnis - now." he says, as he swings into the saddle of his mount. He draws his sword and scans the area, with a worried look toward Harlex and Gilory. He draws his longsword as his horse bays in agitation.

Olivia climbs up in to the cart she came in on. Looking around. "No one let me go in a well ever again please..." She rolls her shoulder.

Harlex checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 10, rolling 35 higher.

Rysen checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 10, rolling 12 higher.

Rukhnis checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 10, rolling 11 higher.

Gilroy checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 10, rolling 73 higher.

Olivia checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 10, rolling 5 lower.

Gretchen checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 10, rolling 6 higher.

Once the wagon and the others are far and clear from the village, Harlex doubles back and does a few sweeps. Using his skills as a rider and knowledge of the wilderness to scout the progress of the risen villagers. When he thinks he's seen enough, he breaks away and heads back to rejoin the others.

As the wagon and horses make their way further down the road, Rysen rides beside Rukhnis. He flashes her a grim grin, barely perceptible in the starlight. "Still want to join the Physician's Guild?" he asks, just loud enough to be heard amid the clopping of hooves.

The party is able to escape, though poor Olivia is clocked in the shoulder by her terrified driver's elbow. The cart is being driven far too fast over the road but the party is able to regroup three miles away from the village. When Harlex returns, he can assure them that they have at least 6 hours before the creatures will catch up to them.

Harlex pulls the reins on his horse. "Lady Moore is right, we can't lead them back. We have to endure the night. Wait until dawn, when they seem docile. If I'm guessin' right. We'll have to find a defensible position."

Rukhnis slants a look back over at Rysen, likewise grim. "The services of all who possess any talent whatever are clearly needed in these dark times," she says softly. She glances back over her shoulder in the direction of the village, and doesn't quite manage to suppress a shudder. Or maybe it's a shiver -- it is autumn after all.

Harlex checked intellect + war at difficulty 15, rolling 6 higher.

Rukhnis frowns faintly over at Harlex. "Should someone not carry on to Arx with a warning to whoever ought to be told about this.." She grimaces. ".. turn of events?" She glances at the wagon. "Perhaps the driver?"

Rukhnis checked intellect + war at difficulty 15, rolling 3 lower.

Olivia has rolled a critical success!
Olivia checked intellect + war at difficulty 15, rolling 36 higher.

"And you certainly have talent," says Rysen softly to Rukhnis as the horses come to a halt. Rysen nods to Gretchen and Harlex, as they seem to agree on finding a place to make camp for the night.

"Lady Gretchen, this is perhaps the worst first date I have ever been on, so I do hope you make it worth my while later," drawls Gilroy, all cool sarcasm even as he looks back into the distance, nervously flipping his knife in circles between his fingers. "Can we bunk down in the trees? It seems like a terrible idea, but so does everything else."

Even with all that's happened, Rysen bursts into laughter at Gilroy's comment.

Gretchen has been pretty quiet except for the firm declaration that they should not go back to the city, "It isn't like anything I've ever seen before," she murmurs finally, brow creased in concentrated thought, "Those people were dead. Completely--" and then Gilroy is bringing her back around to herself, giving him a very flat look, "No one's ever sent you running screaming from a destination date? How boring the south must be."

Rukhnis clearly doesn't know a defensible position from a hole in the ground, and if the hole in the ground were in fact the defensible position, wouldn't recognize it if it were. She leads her horse slightly off to one side of the group to a spot that seems like it has a good view of.. things.. and strokes it reassuringly, speaking to it quietly in Eurusi.

Harlex rides on to find a spot where the ride widens. He seems to study this for a bit, certainly defensible. Although he's come to look on where Olivia has wandered and lifts his chin a bit, approvingly. Nodding in her direction.

Olivia jumps up and down waving her arms trying to get everyones attention.

Rysen rides over to Olivia and Harlex, muttering under his breath "Gods and spirits, let this be good news."

Harlex also comments, about the poor wagon driver. "No one leaves. We'll need that wagon if anyone is hurt, for our defense as well. We'll make camp where that little bird is flappin' her arms," he gestures toward Olivia. "Its goin' to be a long one. Hope you folks don't mind roughin' it."

Olivia yells from down the road, "Hey guys I found a good spot!" Its very faint. She isn't very loud.

A camp is set up, and for all that Harlex threatened the possibility of 'Roughing it' Skye's organization and preparation means that it is really quite cozy. There are barrels of water, materials to help bolster the make-shift barrier, plenty of food and decently comfortable bedding. There are enough people to make watch shifts easy enough. The night passes, and the time frame for the corpses to catch up with the party passes. Soon enough the pearly light of dawn gathers in the East and soon enough the sun breaks the horizon, casting warmth and light across the land. No sign at all of the zombies.

Rukhnis is up just before the dawn in spite of everything, and stands gazing off down the road towards the village with a troubled look in her eyes, despite the fact that there's nothing there to see. She keeps her mantle wrapped tightly about herself, waiting for any further sign, of disaster or anything else, her brow faintly furrowed.

Olivia didn't sleep through the night. She has been up. Just staring at the flower in a jar. Nodding off a little. Jolting awake. More staring at fhe flower. Just staring.

Rising with the light of dawn, Rysen comes to stand beside Rukhnis, gazing with her toward the village. "Seems like they've stopped the pursuit. We should probably be looked over before we head back to Arx, and then get word to Marquessa Reigna as soon as possible."

Harlex manages to get a few hours between his shifts. He stirs from his bed, fastening on his swordbelt and taking in the light of the day. A tongue passes over his tooth and he spits to the side, wandering to fetch up some of that harsh camp-coffee familiar to his wandering trade. With a tin cup in his hand, he stokes the fire a little. "We'll ride up that way again, see what we can see, and then head on back."

The Driver has no intention of heading back thattaway and offers to take anyone else uninterested in returning a ride back to Arx.

Gretchen slept in the wagon since if they were attacked by zombies she was going to be of no help and also did not want to be unawares. She rose with everyone else at first light, but took a moment of two to make sure her hair had that perfect 'just thrown together' look and she rubbed some cream on her face and lips. Just because one might be eaten by zombies doesn't mean one shouldn't look their best. She flashes a smile at the driver, "How about you walk and we'll catch up with you later. One way or another?" To the rest she says, "We need to burn that whole place to the ground. If that spreads...we need to stop it here."

"How are we to burn the whole place down with just ourselves?" Rukhnis asks dubiously. "We are only five people, and without any great wealth of fire-making materials on hand."

Gilroy crashes wherever he happened to be and does so hard. Dawn comes and goes and he's still snoozing away. It's only when someone actually gets annoyed enough at his ability to sleep through the end of the damn world and comes to wake him that his eyes pop open and Dinner Time is in his hands in the blink of an eye. Then, "Ah, morning then?" He gets to his feet and wanders over to where everyone else is. "Anyone make breakfast? I could go for some scrambled eggs with those little Setarco peppers minced in."

Rysen glances over his shoulder at Gretchen. He frowns and walks over to Harlex. "I'll ride with you. It'd be good to know if they return to the village, at least."

Rysen makes his way over to Olivia, and says softly, "I'm sorry about the rough treatment last night. I'd heard about things like that, but," he says, breathing out and running a hand through his hair, "to see it up close, was... anyway, I am sorry, My Lady."

Harlex sniffs and sips a bit more of his coffee, watching them all thoughtfully. "Mornin," he offers Gilroy. For Gretchen he seems to agree with a nod and says to Rukhnis, "Been in enough raids to know how to burn a village down, it ain't about numbers. Its about coordination." Team work makes the pyres work? "And if they are docile like they were when we arrived, maybe this is our chance. Finish that fire we were tryin' to get goin'. I think its our best shot. We can't risk lettin' them roam around another night."

Olivia shakes her head and looks up to rysen tiredly, "It is ok... I got these flowers out... Gonna *big yawn*... Figure this thing out...." She slumps over nodding off using Rysen's leg as a pillow. Very Lady Like.

"If we've wholly given up on the idea that we can save these people, maybe we should just walk around town sawing open throats. If they aren't moving there's nothing to it but a little upper body strength." Gilroy stretches his arms back, getting a satisfying pop from his shoulder, then adds, "Of course just burning everyone might be a little easier on the, uh, nightmares front."

Rukhnis grunts quietly at Harlex and says, "Very well, then. If they have rambled all along the road in pursuit of us and dropped down all along the way with the coming of dawn, I suppose we may load them into the wagon and take them back to the pyre we began yestereve."

Reigna is overheard praising Laric: A true and good friend.

Rysen chuckles softly as Olivia nods off. He almost strokes her hair without thinking, but stops himself. He remains still for a while, having noticed that the lady didn't get much sleep. His gaze remains in the direction of the village, and his brow darkens in unpleasant thoughts.

"Why dawn?" Gretchen wonders aloud, shaking her head and pulling some food out of a pocket to gnaw on, "It doesn't make any sense. You'd think something dead would need the warmth to move. But it's the opposite."

Making their way back to the village does not take long, even with the wagon to slow them down. The driver, shakes his head, muttering about Mangata keeping fools safe. He waves them all off saying that he will break down the camp and haul everything back, taking anyone with him that doesn't want to go back to Eresport.

The day is still brand new when those heading back to Eresport get moving.

Harlex checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 13 higher.

Gretchen checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 8 higher.

Gilroy checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 20 higher.

Rukhnis checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 50 higher.

Rysen checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 9 higher.

The tracks are fairly easy to see, distinctive as their tracks are with their weaving, uneven gait. They aren't seen for a while, actually, first seen a mile outside of the village. There are a few dead animals found, showing evidence of broken necks and bite wounds. The tracks wander around for a while and then double back. Arriving in the village, it is much the same as when they arrived, there are bodies laying about with no rhyme or reason, this time there is no semicircle of corpses around one house.

Before the wagon driver parts ways with them, he leaves him a hastily written missive if he ends up making it to Arx. Harlex rides on with the others, following the ambling tracks of the undead -- right back where they started. "You notice how it didn't work on the animals, either? They didn't rise up. Just stayed dead." An after thought, because he knows what they need to get to work on. "Lets not waste time. Get to haulin', get to burnin'."

Rukhnis somehow spends the entire ride back to the village looking about herself as intently, and listening to everything as keenly, as ever she did the day before, despite exhaustion shadowing her eyes and giving an almost imperceptible slump to her shoulders. She observes the corpses with a faintly more pronounced look of unease than she had the day before, but nevertheless dismounts readily enough and ties her horse's reins to the same post as yesterday. She makes a resigned noise in the back of her throat as she looks off across the town, murmuring on seeing a blanketed corpse off there, "And there is poor Luther. It is true, it seems."

Olivia looks rather focused in a head in the clouds way. As they make it to the village she wanders back to the place where they found fhe flowers last time. "I will.... be right with you all... I need to check something." And shes wandering again, trying to see how far the flowers spread away from the village.

Upon inspecting the village, Rysen says, "Seems like they always return to this location for some reason." Hearing Harlex, Rysen says, "We can burn it, and possibly eliminate the threat but possibly destroy evidence of what's causing the dead to rise. I suppose our only other option would be to have a few of us stay on the roads about as far as they were willing to pursue, until we can call for a bigger and better equipped investigation team." He thinks for a moment, and says, "Maybe we should make one last pass to see if there's anything we can find before we start the blaze, if that's what we decide. We should be safe until nightfall."

"Ah, uh, yes, it does seem Goodwoman Rukhnis is correct. So opening their veins doesn't appear to be doing anything. So. This has nothing to do with actual disease and has everything to do with some supernatural force." Gilroy gives a weak smile, then adds, "Neat." And then, "Let's burn down the whole forest."

Olivia stands in the middle of the village spinning around in a circle making notes of each house. Each patch of flowers. The odd dirt beneath each bush. She finally stands still and raises her hand up high.

Gretchen breathes out, taking stock of everything, "Something here must be causing it. And either keeping them in the area or their stamina isn't great enough to take them beyond a certain area." she guesses, but sounds pretty certain like any good saleswoman would. When Olivia raises her hand she glances over, "If a hawk swoops down and carries her away I'm not chasing it."

Rukhnis grimaces at Gilroy and, as she takes in once again the now-familiar horror of the scene before them, doesn't look entirely in disagreement about burning down the whole forest. As Olivia raises her hand in the air, though, she shakes her head and makes her way over to that woman's side. "Have you discovered something?" she asks, perhaps a little doubtfully.

Harlex hitches his horse as he dismounts. "We'll divide up the labor. We build the pyre, stack the corpses. Get it ready to burn. Rest of the group can -- investigate. As they wish." He nods to Gilroy. "This ain't the Gyre, or the Horned God's forces. Never seen a thing like it." He shakes his head, moving to get to work on preparing the Big Fire.

Olivia nods to Rukhnis, "Yes. Each house. Has these flowers." She pulls her sample flower out and shows Rukhnis. "See. Each house has it. And the dirt they are planted in... is not the normal soils." She looks wuickly between each bush again. "I need to pray I think."

"I very consciously got the fuck out of Setarco when the Gyre was approaching. And let me assure you, leaving Setarco was not easy. They tried to run me out of town twice and I came back both times! So this sort of nonsense isn't /my/ sort of nonsense." Gilroy does nod to Harlex though starts being a big strong fellow and goes to help with setting up the pyre and dragging over the occasional corpse when gathering firewood takes him that way. "If we do this and they keep walking around but on fire now I'm leaving. Just so everyone is aware."

Rysen makes a quick pass through the houses, looking for books, mirrors, evidence of rituals - anything of human artifice that might hold additional clue as to what might have affected the villagers, but not animals or insects. He also looks for any human corpses that do not seem to have risen, then helping to throw the remaining corpses onto the pyres.

"I don't know anything about flowers, but I can show you where they kept their wood," Gretchen tells Harlex and in fact goes to point out the various areas where firewood has been stacked, ready to never be used.

Rukhnis regards Olivia's flower with furrowed brow, looking not so much unwilling to believe the other woman as unsure what to do with her information. "What does that mean, then?" she asks. "The flowers are responsible? The soil? How can either produce such madness as this?" Her gesture takes in the dead village, the not-dead corpses, the bloody array of maimed and chewed-upon animals strewn everywhere.

The bodies are as inert as they were when the party arrived there the day before. Rigor hasn't set in yet, so their positions are less fixed and more wibbley. They are easily carried towards the pyre, well, easily in that there is no resistance, they are still dead weight. Rysen's pass through the houses find a few more corpses, mainly small children hidden in cabinets or wardrobes. Once all the bodies are gathered there are twenty eight corpses piled up and ready to be burned.

Olivia shrugs at Rukhnis, "No clue yet. I will need more time with them." She walks over to a patch of flowers at a house that is a decent distance from the pyre building. She kneels on the ground at the soil. And closes her eyes. Praying under her breath.

With his tower of flame built, bodies stacked like cordwood, there's a look of something familiar that passes briefly over the swordsman's face. He frowns, visible, and shakes his head. Though it does not yet go up into its purifying heat. Harlex observes the others, their talk of flowers and soil, and he looks to the physicians for the signal to set his torch to its grim purpose. He's not very interested in talking at the moment.

Olivia checked mana + theology at difficulty 50, rolling 4 higher.

Rukhnis watches Olivia thoughtfully for a few moments before turning her attention back to the rest of the village. She putters around through it, without seeming to look for any particular thing, just turning her gaze over the corpses of humans and animals, looking at the flies, listening for any sound that might be out of place -- moreso than the strange quiet that surrounds them. She doesn't really seem to be expecting to find anything, so much as taking in the scene and each detail that makes it up, as if fixing it all in her mind.

As Olivia kneels down to pray a soft breeze begins to push through the thick air. It is mid-morning and the heat is already pooling, making the air thick and heavy. But this sweet, soft breeze ripples through and as she prays, there is a softness to the air that seems to lighten everything. The sunlight gains a pearly quality and the redness of the soil fades, leeching away leaving only dust where it was.

Olivia collects some samples of the cleansed dirt and tosses it in another sample jar. That is number six. She skips back over to the group. "Did you see that?!"

Rysen watches the flames rising to the heavens, a thick black smoke rising into the air. He lowers his head for a moment, then turns to see Olivia skip over, and asks, "See what?"

The pyre is lit and up go six bodies. As the dead are rendered to ash, more can be piled on. It's going to smell terrible, but before the sun sets all twenty-eight bodies gathered up are reduced to ash. Twenty eight. The town is silent, no more flies, still no birds. It takes time to burn twenty-eight bodies, and the sun is dipping close to the treeline as the pyre burns low, the light a bright fulsome red.

Rukhnis comes to a halt next to Olivia, having been more interested in her than in the disposition of the bodies, and says to her, "Yes.. a little. What did you do?" She seems singularly impressed by whatever it is that Olivia's /has/ done, as if it strikes a chord in her somehow.

Olivia Looks around nervously, "I prayed to ask Petrichor to purofy the soil around that plant." She points at the particular plant. "We need to keep that one."

Harlex draws up his face-cover, nose and mouth protected from the cast of ashes. It blankets his face, his dark hair, corpses hauled into the massive heap of rising flame and the bad memory of burnt human. But he's set to the task, he doesn't stifle. The labor is just that -- a labor, miserable as it is till the end. He dusts off his hands. He watches it all burn.

Gretchen watches the bodies burn, a grim expression on her face, arms wrapped around herself, "We need to report this."

Rysen raises an eyebrow toward Rukhnis, whom he's never seen impressed with anything. "Let's get a sample then, and get back. Gods, I need a bath."