10 inflicted and Dianna is unharmed.

10 inflicted and Dianna is harmed for minor damage.

Dianna puts Courage: An Element of Perseverance in a pitch-black leather belt with stylized tooling.

Dianna puts How to Gain Allies and Hold Sway over Citizenry in a pitch-black leather belt with stylized tooling.

Dianna puts How to Gain Allies and Hold Sway Over Citizenry: Two in a pitch-black leather belt with stylized tooling.

It has been two weeks since the battered, bruised and in some cases, broken or burned, group of nobles emerged from the Lair of the Butcher. Each of them has received multiple letters of thanks from Leafa, her husband and son for her rescue. They have had a chance to heal, but the question of what, if anything, waits to be discovered in that place looms. The trip back is unremarkable, though when they return to the field, things are markedly different. While the entrance to the passage beneath is exposed, it seems smaller, bordered by new growth of grass and wildflowers, left by the farmer as a benediction by Petrichor.

The passage itself has not been touched, despite the victory, it seems it is being left alone by the locals, unwilling to brave what may linger inside.

Sina checked dexterity + artwork at difficulty 9, rolling 36 higher.

Rysen dismounts from Bandit, and takes a long drink from his waterskin. His arm rests lightly on the hilt of his swords, while he stands by the entrance to the passage, waiting for the rest of the investigators. "Best still use caution," he says. "I think we bypassed some of the traps, but there are likely others still waiting in there."

Carefully slipping from her steed, Dianna is moving fairly well. She steps to Rysen's side and peers into the entrance. "Mmn," Dianna quietly agrees. She says little more at this point, but does take note of the wildflowers.

The Archscholar of Vellichor has been healing, but third degree burns take a long time to heal. Her tender arm is still wrapped in a bandage, and draped in a sling over one shoulder and against her body, to keep it from moving around too much. However, this does not prevent her from returning to the scene with the others to finish their investigations. She has brought with her all of the items that she has been safeguarding, including the books that were confiscated from the home of the Tenney twins, the strange stone that was glowing blue, to her eyes at least, the map, the journal entries of the twins, and the lineage charts that the group had found in the cave previously. These, along with a skin of blessed water and her usual accoutrements are tucked into a backpack she has slung over her good shoulder. She dismounts from her mare with a bit of a wince, and moves to join Rysen at the entrance. Seeing the new growth around the tunnel, she gives a nod of approval. Glancing to Rysen as he speaks, Sina nods in agreement. "Caution is always best," she agrees quietly.

Dismounting form her horse as the others do, Alessia brandishes the glaive strapped to her saddle before approaching the entrance once again. "One should never underestimate." She says with a nod, remaining still until they can be assured of safe passage.

A slight smile touches Rysen's lips to see Dianna moving well. "Glad to see you seem to be mending well, Sister Dianna," he says, definitely not looking too closely at the figure of the godsworn warrior as she comes to stand near him. Rysen nods to Sina, his grey eyes meeting her silver. "I'm not letting you out of my sight this time, Archscholar," he says in a low voice.

Amund is simply quiet for this foray into the place they've left behind, with all the horrors. "The corpses need to be buried," might have been about the only thing he said the entire trip, his sword drawn as he keeps close to the back of the group.

"I'm still a little sore, but, yes - it's good to be moving fairly well again. Just don't ask me to curtsy," Dianna winks at Rysen, then pulls her glaive from where it is strapped to her back. Dianna glances to Amund and nods in agreement, "They do, indeed."

Dianna wields a diamondplate glaive set with mirrorsilver and sapphires.

Giving a little smile to Rysen, Sina inclines her head. "It is my hope that we have put to rest whatever evil lurked here, and that we will simply tidy up loose ends, and solve the mystery once and for all. Lady Zoey came to visit me, and gave me some coins she found in the cave before we left. I think they may provide the answer of what we are facing." She glances to Amund, and nods in agreement. "Certainly, we should tend to the dead bodies of those children, and the animals that were defiled as well.

Rysen laughs, and says to Dianna, "I suppose I shall let you off the hook this time, godsworn." He reaches into his leather bag to pull out a lantern - not the famed Light of Lagoma this time, unfortunately - and kneels down to light it in preparation to renter the passage.

Rysen gets a glass paned iron lantern from Holster of Knightly Necessity.

Leaning to Sina for a private moment, Dianna checks her fellow godsworn's eyes. "But, how are you feeling? Should we, perhaps, pray before we set foot inside again?"

Raising a brow, Alessia turns to Sina curiously. Wondering what she thinks of praying before entry. "We could also pray on the go." She says with curled lips.

Alessia wields Requiem - an ancient glaive with an iridescite handle.

Sina exchanges a few quiet words with her fellow Godsowrn, before she responds to Dianna warmly. "I am well enough. I trust that the wounds will heal in time." The Archscholar's silvery eyes are clear and bright, despite the troubles at the Shrine of Limerance the night before. She looks well-rested and at peace. She turns toward the entrance then. "We can pray, if you wish. But remember, this land was already sanctified when we dealt with the tree that was here. I believe it is safe enough to enter, for Petrichor's blessing now blossoms here." She gestures to the wildflowers and such blooming now around the entrance. She does, however, offer up a quiet prayer of gratitude to Petrichor and to Gloria, asking for their blessing, as well as that of the Sentinel and Vellichor for justice and wisdom on the journey. It is not an elaborate affair this time, but a simple blessing over the group.

They are able to easily retrace their steps first to the 'closet' that contained the bodies of the children, and the dozens of jars filled with various 'specimens' that have festered and decayed in the untold years they have languished here. The task of gathering the various remains is menial, though potentially humbling given the sheer number of jars and the fact that each one represents the vital life force violently stolen from a victim.

"It might be important for us to study the jars and get a clearer picture of what he's been trying to extract." Amund suggests, as he tries to place the corpses in a reasonable pile, perhaps on a cart of some sort if they can find one. The animals included. "I mean, for those of us able to have a clearer picture of the whole. And journals. Maybe we can find one."

Walking into the tunnel together, the godsworns murmur a quiet conversation, leaning close to keep it private. Dianna nods and frowns when they enter the closet again, murmuring again for the people lost to this.

Dianna checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 2 higher.

Sina walks into the tunnel after the others, her three Templars dismounting and following after the group. She is never anywhere without them, after all. The Archscholar keeps a careful watch for anything of note as they enter the close, and begins to search through the remains for any other journals or writings, the jars with their items, and anything else that may look out of place.

Alessia checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 13 higher.

Sina checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 6 higher.

Rysen, not the most perceptive member of the party, but full of energy and industry, applies himself readily to the task of acquiring and organizing the jars and other things inside the closet at Sina's direction. "At least that hideous smell has passed - for the most part," he says as he sets a number of jars from the shelves onto the floor of the passage to get a good luck at them under the light.

The Crovane lord nods to Amund. "The previous journals that you found helped in putting together The Butcher's motives. It would be useful also to learn more about his methods, corrupt as they may be."

Rysen checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 6 higher.

"I've scoured that journal I found, and all I keep wondering is: Which bodies, which families belong to which gods? And he was so obsessed with Tehom, I cannot help but wonder, further, if the Butcher /found/ him," Dianna relates as she moves jar after jar. Dianna pauses, brow furrowed. "Oh. Oh, look at this shelf. There are glyphs, and each of them is a sigil for a different god..."

Amund checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 0 higher.

Dianna checked intellect + theology at difficulty 15, rolling 34 higher.

Sina checked intellect + theology at difficulty 15, rolling 27 higher.

Alessia heads over to the closet, examining what lurks within, eyes trying to catch anything unusual.

"Interesting," Dianna's brow furrows as she glances to Rysen. "I've been wondering that. Are any of the names familiar to anyone?"

Everyone can see the sigils carved into the shelves, the twisted caricatures, the perversion of the godly symbols. But it is Dianna and Sina who notice the missing ones first -- There is no sigil for Death, for Skald or for Aion.

There are sections dedicated to Limerance, Tehom, and Lagoma, but those are far less populated, as if he had less luck in collecting those bloodlines.

As Dianna speaks about the sigils on the shelf, Sina moves closer to investigate them for a moment. She pulls out a small pouch, and dumps its contents onto the shelf. The contents are a number of stygian coins, each one bearing a sigil of one of the gods. Seven of them are scorched, while one remains untouched. "We are looking for the remains of seven god-touched persons, I believe. That is how far he got, which is disturbing. Zoey told me that she found the same seven symbols inverted on the shards of stygian that came from the creature we destroyed, as well." Each of the coins she drops pertains to one of the gods associated with the bloodlines from the journals and charts they found last time. Gloria, Mangata, Lagoma, the Sentinel, Jayus, Gild and Vellichor. The Vellichor coin looks maybe shinier than the others, fresher, newer.

"We don't know whether or not they are touched by the Gods," Amund points out, "Any kind of unwilling human sacrifice seems to have been fine for him, after a point. His obsession with the Thirteenth is, well, probably how he thinks he will achieve his goals. Proving himself worthy of the Dark Reflection's blessings. What we may want to find," he says as he dumps another corpse to the grim pile, "is whether he had plans or locations elsewhere. This was just a collection site, I think."

"What exactly was he trying to do?" Alessia asks Sina with furrowed brows. "Inverted symbols suggest he was trying to empower himself through the gods' reflections."

Rysen shakes his head to Dianna's question, and frowns when Sina lays out the coins. "The latest coin probably represents one or both of the Tennys." To Alessia, Rysen says, "He may have been trying a powerful weave or beseeching to gain power similar to that of the godtouched."

Rubbing her fingers on her lips, Dianna's brow is furrowed. "Oh, my. Alright... well. This is good, I think? Nothing for Mother Death; nothing for Skald... nor for The Dreamer. That... that has to be good," Dianna stammers, murmuring quietly. Dianna chews her lip thoughtfully as she gazes at the sections. "Yes, I think you're correct, Lessi. Has anyone found anything else? Any other documents? I wonder..." Dianna crouches, wincing and quietly grunting as she looks under shelves, desks and along the floor. "How would he know to do these things? Where did he come up with this /idea/...? And, did he /know/ about the beseeching rituals for gods or reflections?

Once the closet is clear, it loses much of its sinister aura. A breeze flows down the long hallway, the line of unlit torches leading deeper into the cave, towards the gallery-esque room with the cracked ceiling, the altar where Leafa was laid and the confrontation happened.

"The question that concerns me most," says Rysen, "Is whether he is truly destroyed. It is beyond doubt that he has exceeded the power of a normal human, and has likely found a way to anchor his soul to the Dream with blood magic." He glances towards Sina. "When Evaristo struck him, did you sense his spirit depart? It is likely only you would have the power to exorcise his soul completely."

Looking to Dianna, Sina murmurs, "Perhaps it was what was eaten out of the books we found in the Tenney home. The knowledge of how to do this. Though, it seems he's been doing this for three hundred years, according to Sorrel's research into the Butcher, so perhaps not. Then again, perhaps he already had possession of those books, and had to leave those books behind in a hurry. It's hard to say how he learned it." She glances over to Rysen then as he inquires about the spirit of the creature departing, and the Archscholar shakes her head. "I do not know. I was too stunned. All I know is that what I was doing was hurting him, very badly. I think... I think it was Gloria who burned my arm, not the creature. She was burning him, through me, from the inside out, I am certain. But I do not know if that has laid his spirit to rest. If he is a demon of some sort, and he was corporeal, his spirit would likely be bound to some object. Perhaps the stone we found in the home of the Tenney twins. Perhaps something else." She glances around, as she senses the taint of this place lifting. She bows her head then, and offers a prayer to Petrichor, lord of sanctuaries, and Gild. She wants to ensure that the ground is sanctified, that the evil might not return to this closet. "Let us take the remains, and put them to rest," she murmurs softly, "and move on." She glances down the tunnel outside with some trepidation.

"Exorcise what exactly?" Alessia raises a free hand. "I don't even know he could be classifieds as. I've read of ways to exorcise hordelings, wraiths, knights and heralds. But him? Not a clue." She turns to Dianna. "Maybe elves. They had knowledge of magics beyond our current grasp."

Nodding in thoughtful agreement, Dianna pays heed to every word that Sina and her sister say. The younger godsworn is a bit more cautious this time, too, as they re-enter the tunnel. She assesses the group and suggests, "Lessi, stay with me, will you? Lord Rysen, perhaps tail the group, and Sir Amund, will you lead us?" Once bitten, twice shy is a very real concept to Dianna, this time.

Sina nods in agreement with Alessia. "I have the knowledge of how to exorcise demons. But, if he is a spirit instead, perhaps a vengeful ghost, it will be a different matter. To deal with ghosts, one is best finding out what it is they want, exactly, and help them achieve it. Otherwise, they will continue to haunt a place, until they are able to rest. Personally, however, I do not think this was a ghost. The tell-tale sign of a demon is that sense of dread that we felt, before it pulled in all its power."

"Sure." Amund starts to make his way and lead the group over to where the confrontation with the skeleton monster occurred. "Maybe he was simply using the creature. Maybe that isn't his real body." With his sword drawn, he makes sure to open the door with it, if it isn't broken open, as soon as they're near it. "I think his main goal is immortality and then divinity. He thinks the parts of god touched can get him there."

Rysen nods to Sina, and, at Dianna's words, takes up a bundle of remains, and waits for the party to make their way to the chamber, keeping an eye out behind, just in case.

Sina continues to speak quietly after listening to Amund. "Bloodlines are extremely potent in blood rites. Especially if those bloodlines are descended from the gods, or creatures of the Abyss. It is why the Traitor is so intent on finding his Daughters. He, too, seeks the path to godhood. It is not an uncommon goal for those who are power-hungry." She speaks of these things grimly as they walk along, her voice soft.

Walking near Sina but closest to her sister, Dianna ponders deeply. "The question, too - perhaps regardless - is: Can we find the source that binds The Butcher, and can we destroy it before he re-creates himself... and finds the other lines that have yet to be touched?" Dianna frowns, her expression one of deep concern.

Once the remains are taken care of, the party is able to travel down the path towards the gallery. The space seems to be hollow. There is an emptiness here, a sense of quiet. The light filters down from the crack in the ceiling, illuminating the motes of dust that dance in the air. The room is partially destroyed from the blast that injured everyone present before. Still, there are various items littering the space, desks, scrolls, and, five other tunnels that spiderweb out from this central area.

Sorrel has been here, in the background, looking around curiously but not saying much. She listens to what the others are saying, and she helps with the manual tasks.

Right is never wrong. So Amund decides to take that route, instead of the middle one. Once the corpse on the floor is inspected that is.

Dianna moves about the space, gathering as many scrolls as possible and reading them, pocketing every one in her belt's pouch.

Scooping up the stygian coins, Sina puts them back into the pouch and tucks it back into her pack. She then speaks quietly to Dianna as they walk along. "I have the stone with me, that we found in the home of the Tenney twins. We could try destroying it, and see what happens," she suggests merrily. "But keep in mind, it has been two weeks or so since we were here last. Anything could have happened since then." She pauses, then, as they reach the chamber. Her eyes glance around, and her left hand comes to cover the arm that was so badly burned from the fight. Those silvery scars will remain forever. While Amund goes to inspect the righthand tunnel, Sina glances after him a moment. But she'll go to examine the body too, and help to search the room. If there's anything that looks like a vessel for a restless spirit or demon, that's what she'll be looking for.

Rysen, still on rear guard, enters the chamber last. When he's certain there's no presence lingering behind them, he keeps himself not far from Sina, with a hand never far from the hilt of his sword.

"Alright." Alessia says to her sister carefully when she asks her to stay. She stands by silently, watching as the others go on for inspections.

The three Templars linger close enough to rush to Sina's defense if needed, but far enough out of the way to... not get in the way. They glance around, senses alert to any potential dangers.

"Sina, how would we go about destroying it?" Dianna asks as she plucks yet another scroll and skims it for anything of interest, then pockets it and moves on to the rest. She searches, meanwhile, for anything of interest on the floor before, at last, stepping to search the contents of the desk. Symbols, sigils, anything to do with what they've read in journals or the familiar symbol of The Butcher. Only briefly does Dianna glance to where Amund steps away.

Amund checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 2 higher.

As Dianna asks her question, Sina pauses, and pulls her sack around and then sets it on the floor. She rummages in it with her left hand, until she comes up with the little pouch that Evaristo gave her that day in the Tenney home. It is the pouch with the stone. She doesn't open it yet, however, quietly debating. "Well," she says to Dianna's question. "First, we would need to sanctify a space. Then, dump the stone into the sanctified area. We would also need a significant sacrifice for the Gods, and that can vary. Then maybe try performing an exorcism on the stone. I have no idea what the stone is though, so it's hard to tell if it's the vessel we're looking for. All I know is that it is magic. We know the Butcher's real name, thanks to Lady Miranda Rubino's report, which will help with any exorcisms, should we decide to try it."

"Obstructed path." Amund calls back after his inspection. "Four of them anyway. Three others lead somewhere. Just not sure which is which."

"Sina, I think... What's the worst that can happen?" Dianna asks, hesitating. "If we destroy the stone now? And what kind of sacrifice is needed?"

Shakes her head to Dianna. "I don't know, honestly. I know the ritual, but have not actually performed it on an actual entity. So it is hard to say. First, we need to determine what sort of thing we are dealing with. Let's keep looking around for now." She tucks the pouch with the stone into her belt for now, hesitant to do anything with it just yet.

"This is to ensure his 'spirit' doesn't live on?" Alessia glances about the place. "What if he's no longer here?" She wonders.

"We're assuming his soul is tried to an object," replies Rysen to Alessia moving towards the tunnels. "The Archscholar's right: destroying the stone would probably only be beneficial to us. I suspect that those sensitive to primum would know if his spirit were released or not with the stone's destruction. If his soul does not reside in the stone - or resides in several objects, if such a things is possible - we will hopefully find something in these tunnels that can help." Rysen then calls out to Amund. "Care for a partner to help explore, Sir Amund?"

Nodding, Dianna agrees with Sina's hesitation, "Yes, please." Finding nothing of particular note, Dianna moves to Amund, peering down the paths. "Which are the obstructed ones, Amund?" She lifts her glaive and attempts to catch some light upon it, shining it down the various tunnels, then turns to look at Rysen. "My lord, will you bring your lantern here and help me try to reflect the light down the various pathways? I'm fairly sure we can better assess the situation before heading in."

Rysen nods to Dianna and smiles. He comes to stand beside her and raises his lantern in front of him so that she may reflect the light into the passage.

"Be prepared to clear rocks in the worst case. Best hypothesis, we should get it in one. Center path." Amund offers, making his way down the central tunnel, aided by the lighting provided. "We might be looking at a basement or dungeon."

"Yes, we should be careful. These tunnels have collapsed before. They're not trustworthy," Sorrel agrees as she steps over towards the gathered with the lantern.

Sina stays near Rysen as they head toward the tunnel, when it seems nothing of significant note is found within the chamber where the creature's skeletal form was destroyed. The Archscholar does not seem to mind someone protecting her, since she can't really protect herself right now with her arm still injured.

"After you." Alessia turns to her sister with a faint smile, sticking to her word by standing close by. Her grip on her glaive tightens as she cranes her neck to look ahead.

Sorrel checked mana + occult at difficulty 30, rolling 31 higher.

Rysen checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 15 higher.

Dianna checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 0 higher.

Amund checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 25 lower.

Alessia checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 12 higher.

Sina checked mana + occult at difficulty 30, rolling 15 higher.

Turning back to study the room one last time, Sina's eyes seem to take off a slightly more far-off look as she glances around one last time. Whatever she sees or senses, it causes her to step back into the room, her left hand lifting to her lips, her eyes taking on a look of disgust. "This place... must be cleansed, before we move on," she says quietly. "It still has many traces of evil upon it."

For a moment, Sorrel sings a soft song, wordless but hopeful, a little like humming to herself but the notes are more clear. She turns in a slow circle, looking around her thoughtfully. "Bad weaves," she murmurs quietly. "Corruption. And ...madness." She wrinkles her nose. "The magic here is erratic and poorly done."

Dianna turns and frowns, peering uncertainly into the room. "Do you require my assistance, Sina?"

Sina gets The Butcher of Arx by M. Rubino (4/19/1012 AR) from a structured cincher of scaled leather that pulls in the stomach and waist.

In searching the room, Rysen kneels down before an overturned bookcase, badly damaged from the shockwave of abyssal energy that errupted from The Butcher's attack two weeks earlier. The Crovane confessor moves his hands over a number of rotted fragments before pulling forth a leather-covered scroll case. He opens it, and frowns. Rising to his feet, and coming to stand beside Sina, he says, "It appears to be a sigil."

Alessia walks around the room, not quite sensing what the other women do, though she keeps her eye on anything that appears amiss.

Given that he can't see anything in the central path, Amund just lingers there for the time being, considering things. He goes back to the room where there had been fighting after a long moment.

Sina glances over to Sorrel, and nods in agreement with the Bladesong's assessment. "Do you recognize the runes at all, your Highness?" she asks, before she turns her gaze to Dianna. "Perhaps. One moment." She pulls Miranda's report from her pack again, studying it for a moment. Her expression fills with resolve, and she turns then to Rysen as he brings her the scroll with the sigil on it. She studies the sigil and the scroll for some time, trying to make sense of it. As she studies it, she adds quietly, "Miranda's report says that the Butcher was attempting to be 'reborn', that he promised to return. I suspect that, if we do not thoroughly cleanse this place, he will have a haven to eventually return to. I only regret that we were unable to confirm, without a doubt that we got the bastard last time."

Sina studies the sigil, and says, "Glenbriar. The Butcher's name is Ruthas of Glenbriar. Could it be a map?" she muses aloud.

"No, they're erratic and misshapen. I just get a sense of rotting," Sorrel replies quietly, wrinkling her nose. "I think, if you attempt to cleanse this place, I will sing to inspire you. That will make your job easier, and you will have another Godsworn to help you."

"Where is Glenbriar?" Amund enquires, kicking aside a piece of bone.

Tapping the butt of her glaive against the floor in time to a rhythm only she seems to understand. Sheathing her weapon to her back, she turns a table right side up, though picks up a page pined to the top of the wood in the process. She squints at the words for a few moments, before reading aloud. "Aion. Skald. Death. Aion. Skald. Death. It goes on for a while... a lot of question marks." She looks up from the page, her eyes catching something else. She crouches, picking up another piece of paper from the rubble. "Grayhope - Death." She shakes her head. "It's like he just started stabbing the paper at this point." She goes on. "Morgan - Skald."

Furrowing her brow, Dianna steps back to the desk where she was previously searching and pulls a scrap of parchment from beneath the back corner of the desk. She hadn't seen it before. The godsworn skims it, reading aloud. "'...Aion - Elisha... drugs??' ...This is so strange. Lessi, look at this." Dianna takes the parchment to her sister and shows it, reading again, "Shepherd?"

Sina nods to Sorrel about the rotting, and after a moment, she crouches on the ground, setting down the sigil so that all can see it. "Yes... between us all, I think we can cleanse this place," she agrees with Sorrel. She sets Miranda's report next to it as well. "Who has the lineage charts with the names?" she asks quietly. "Let's lay out everything we have, and see if we can figure it out." She pulls items from her pack, everything they found in the Tenney twins' home, the stone, the coins, everything. Other things come out of the pack. A small brazier. A tin filled with salt. A skin filled with holy water. She sighs softly, glancing down for a moment. "This will require a great sacrifice, I think," she murmurs softly. "I have only one other thing to give. It must be something personal, and potent." Finally, she takes a small knife from her pack, and sets it down. Her gaze turns sharply toward Alessia as she hears the names Grayhope and Morgan. "The Grayhopes and and Aleksei and Briseis Morgan were likely next on their list, then," she murmurs. She glances over to Dianna then as she finds other things on the desk. The Archscholar sighs softly as she hears Elisha's name, and then the name Shepherd. "Delilah," she says tersely.

"That name is vaguely familiar," Sorrel says with a little shake of her head. "Where is there an Elisha family? I'm sure I've heard that name before." She shakes her head to Sina. "No, Delilah's a Whitehawk. She married a Shepherd."

Taking the parchment from Dianna's hand, Alessia reads the words. "Not Malcolm?" She glances up at Sina. "He was once a commoner, much like the other victims."

Sina tilts her head slightly as she regards Sorrel. "True... but perhaps he didn't know that. But, there are things I may not speak on, given my vows."

Sina mutters something about Black Dust, her tone dark. It's hard to make it out.

One thing that isn't found in here, and this is likely odd and easily missed at first -- none of the animal corpses are here. None of the infected animal remains are present. It is as though they did not exist.

Alessia checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 26 higher.

"Either way, that means he will target the ducal family. But if he is chasing Aion, he's trying to appease the Reflection." Amund guesses, glancing around again. This time once he realizes something...

Rysen checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 26 higher.

Dianna checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 3 higher.

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

"Ah, yes, and Delilah was once a commoner, too," Sorrel agrees to Sina with a little nod. "Ah, neonobles."

Sorrel checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 23 higher.

The floors are dusty, which makes for easy tracking. There are paw prints, visible in the thick layer of dust, once seen, they leads towards the central tunnel, leading off to the distance.

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

The stooping action rather helplessly reminds Dianna of that headless deer that caused the first of her broken ribs, and she looks around, muttering, "Oh, shit. Gods alive, we didn't do it. They're still... whatever - undead. Look," Dianna's brow furrows as she points to the floor. "Tracks, those damned deer hooves again... going to that center pathway."

Rysen nods to Dianna. "Do you wish to cleanse this place before we move into that tunnel, Archscholar?"

"Looks like my instincts were correct." Amund remarks , looking to Sina for her response while keeping watch at the central pathway.

As Dianna speaks up about tracks leading off to the central tunnel, Sina seems to notice for the first time that the animal corpses are gone. She glances around, then looks up to Rysen and Amund from where she is crouched. "Yes... we should cleanse this place, and move on, follow the tracks," she agrees softly. She bows her head, her brow furrowed a little. She seems reluctant to call upon the Gods again, but what choice does she have? Finally she looks to Dianna and Sorrel each. "Shall we get started?" Her back straightens, shoulders settling in firm resolve. The three Templars, meanwhile, move to the central tunnel entrance, and position themselves there, in case anything comes.

"Will you guard the tunnel, please?" Dianna turns her gaze to Rysen. "In case they come back while we are performing the cleansing? I don't feel like being kicked again," she mutters, stepping back to Sina.

Frustrated more than anything when she glances at the tracks, Alessia hands the page back to her sister. "Wouldn't it be better to deal with the animal first?"

Considering her sister's suggestion, Dianna softly shakes her head. "If we encounter anything and are hurt again, we cannot perform the ritual. And that will be an even greater problem, for The Butcher can return, can do worse."

Rysen nods to Dianna, and draws his black alaracite blade, etched with runes. He lets its point sink into the earth, standing in front of the tunnel with a vigilant eye.

Rysen checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 18 higher.

Dianna checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 4 higher.

Alessia checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 46 higher.

Sorrel checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 23 higher.

Sina checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 40 higher.

Amund checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 1 lower.

"My fear is the ritual being interrupted." Alessia says to her sister though shrugs, accepting the decision. She turns to the stone, studying it for a few moments. "Bound to this... hmm.."

Again nodding to her sister, Dianna turns to Sina. "What do you think, as you're more experienced in this? Is it better to take out the undead animals again, or to perform the ritual - and take them out /with/ it?"

Sina glances to Dianna and Alessia, with a nod. "It's entirely possible. When my group dealt with the Gargantuans during the Lodge attack, the demon controlling them attempted to stop us. It could be very dangerous."

Sina adds, "But I think we must do this."

"So long as I'm alive, I will do all I can to defend you," says Rysen glancing over his shoulder at Sina.

"I follow your lead, Archscholar," Dianna replies, then turns her gaze to her sister - and steps to her, hugging her tightly. "Lessi, keep me safe. I love you... and..." Dianna kisses Alessia's cheek lingeringly, then gazes in her twin's eyes. "...Get those bastards."

Sina checked mana + theology at difficulty 20, rolling 19 higher.

Dianna checked mana + theology at difficulty 20, rolling 6 higher.

As Sina begins the ritual, the air within this place changes, becomes charged. The scent of vellum and leather can be sensed, the rich, musty smell of books, even as the walls shimmer and glint as if reflective bits of mica infused the stone, turning them into tiny mirrors, flickering light around the room. There is a sense of something MORE happening, an anticipation. The coins and stone gathered together shimmer briefly and then, abruptly, that sense of Otherness vanishes. And all is mundane once more.

Once it's decided that the ritual will be done, Sina rises to her feet. She will first clear out a space in the center of the room, taking the tin of salt with her. She takes a moment, first, to kneel and offer a prayer, and put herself into the proper mindset to become a vessel of the Gods. She stays that way for some time, head bowed. She draws a long breath, after a moment, and her brow furrows as she prays. After a moment, her eyes open, and then she lifts her gaze to the others, and rises to her feet. "One thing that is important," she says quietly, "is to prepare yourself, and put yourself in the proper mindset before such a ritual. The Gods have spoken... now is not the time for this ritual. There is yet more work to do." Her tone is filled with calm certainty, and she looks to Dianna in turn. "We cannot perform it today."

"So the central pathway." Amund says, after Sina's announcement. "I suppose you'll tell us what our parts in this will be, should it come to that. Let's go." He urges, leading the way they found the tracks going toward.

Her eyes closed as she begins to pray, Dianna's face skews, pain and wonder and delight rippling over the younger godsworn's face openly. She trembles, tears streaming down her face and dripping heedlessly onto the leather bodice, onto the floor. The joy she feels pushes through Dianna; she calms entirely, deeply - even more than she had been calm when she took her oaths. "No, we cannot," Dianna murmurs in a near-whisper. She trembles still and looks up to Sina, nodding quietly in agreement before softly smiling. Dianna carefully pushes herself to her feet, the pain of rising rippling through her features openly; she smiles softly to Alessia, then to Rysen, Amund, Sorrel - and again to Sina. Nothing more is spoken from this godsworn, but it is clear she is in complete accord with her fellow godsworn Archscholar.

Distracted by what may come from the pathway, Alessia seems surprised by Dianna's words, whipping her gaze that way before nodding after a few moments. "Right, so the central pathway." She agrees with Amund when Sina makes her announcement.

Sina glances to Amund and says, "The creature has gathered more objects. We must find them all, before we can fully put an end to the Butcher."

Rysen checked perception + empathy at difficulty 15, rolling 25 higher.

Dianna wields a diamondplate glaive set with mirrorsilver and sapphires.

Watching Dianna and Sina, Rysen is taken aback by the reaction of the former to the divine presence. Tears begin to fall down his face as well. Rysen touches his cheek, and looks down at the liquid gleam on his fingers, surprised. He smiles at Dianna, and, at Sina's words, he nods, and remains close by her.

It is a very, very, very long walk down that corridor. There are places where rockfall impedes their movement, but never is the tunnel fully blocked. Eventually, after what seems like hours, there is a sloping ramp that leads to what was clearly a storm door, a slanted plank opening in which the door was rotted away ages ago. It leads up into the ruin of lighthouse, perched on a bank of the gray river. At its widest point, the river is more than a mile across, and fog here is fairly constant. The lighthouse was built of stone, and is mostly rubble, though there is a section along the edge that is intact, a wooden door hangs open.

Once again, Amund pushes at that door with his sword, ensuring the others are nearby before he does so. "This is about finding out where the animals went, Archscholar. You want to find those objects, you find his pets, first." Showdowns can wait, after all.

"Huh. Where are we?" Sorrel wonders as she looks around. "Makes me wish that Galen were here. He's got such a good sense of direction."

Sina gathers up all of the items, ritual and otherwise. All the notes, the stone, the sigils, the coins, all of it that they were able to find. Then, she stuffs them back into her backpack - carefully - with her good hand. She puts it over her shoulder, and proceeds to follow the others. Her three Templars take up the rear, close to hand. The Archscholar inclines her head head to Amund, but for the treck, he's too busy trying to walk carefully so that she doesn't jostle her burns too much. When they reach the lighthouse, she studies it curiously with eyes that match the fog in their paleness. She's perfectly content to let others take the lead here. She's in no condition to do any fighting right now.

Walking near to Sina and Rysen, Dianna smiles softly to the lord, then focuses with quiet curiosity at their path. She speaks quietly to Rysen, her voice never brought above a whisper as they wander. When, at last, they reach the river, Dianna pauses, skimming the area. Dianna, having just connected with her purpose, with her soul, with the gods, is ready for whatever may need to be done.

When that door is pushed open, There is a mrowl from inside. It attempts to be brave and bold, but it is weak. As light is shined into the room, the remains of those animals can be seen, piled of fur and dust, feathers and rot. The final animal, a house cat of all things, is coiled as if to spring. It uses its last bit of strength to launch itself into the air, towards Amund... but it disperses into dust and fur, a solid skull of stygian hitting the floor with a rattle. Something within it sloshes around.

Nothing else within this place has anything of value. It seems as though it were ransacked multiple times over the last few centuries. ANything that might have once been here, like the animals, are now gone. Just that stygian skull... with whatever is inside it remains.

Amund reaches for that skull, that curious, terrible stygian thing, picking it up and inspecting it. He hands it over nonchallantly to the Archscholar. She's the resident expert. "Seems there's liquid inside."

Alessia checked perception + occult at difficulty 20, rolling 39 higher.

Sina checked perception + occult at difficulty 20, rolling 28 higher.

Dianna checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 5 higher.

Sorrel checked perception + occult at difficulty 20, rolling 26 higher.

"What a curious piece," Dianna softly speaks. "I wonder how that became that poor cat's skull, for it was clearly forged..." Dianna cants her head to the left and peers in wonder at it. "A sigil again, of the Butcher... and one of... of Lagoma." Dianna speaks hesitantly, but her voice is certain, confidence and peace exuding.

Sina examines the item as she studies it alongside Alessia and Dianna and Sorrel. She nods in agreement with Dianna's assessment. "Abyssal magic," she tells Dianna, when she asks how it was done. "It is a corruption and a perversion. I am almost hesitant to put this in my pack, but I am reluctant to destroy it just now either, until we can be sure of the consequences. It looks like the liquid is meant to preserve something though. Something related to his connection to Lagoma." She peers at it more closely, but she is careful not to shake it up too much.

"Phylactery?" Alessia crouches beside Sina, nodding as she studies the contents of the skull.

"Or Stasis, yes. That would make sense, wouldn't it? He wants to live forever. He'd call upon Stasis to live never changing," Sorrel agrees softly, narrowing her eyes at the skull.

In agreement with Sorrel, Alessia rises once again. "It's inverted flames. So Stasis."