SoE: The Forgotten City, Part 1 has started at Arx - Ward of House Grayson - Ashford House - Forest Hall.

Traveling by barge up the Gray River takes time, but arguably still less than it would on foot. It was a relatively relaxing trip, at least to any who don't mind water travel. A bit packed-in on the barge, yes, and perhaps a bit smelly towards the end, but the tradeoff is that you have very little concern about being eaten by wolves while you try to sleep.

Every form of travel has its pros and cons.

More worrisome is the way swathes of the Gray Forest along the river still show signs of death and decay, as if the scars Brand's Silent Army left on the land are still yet to heal. Here and there the trees have died off to the extent that they're only dead logs scattered on the ground, leaving barren clearings where nothing grows. It's a sobering sight.

Still, everyone involved is likely glad to have their feet back on solid ground -- or their butts in saddles, either way -- and be on the move towards their destination once the barge drops off the party near where the city in question is supposed to have been spotted. The trip back may take somewhat longer, as the barge then continues on its way up to Halfshav lands, to trade in Whitehold.

Here, flush against the mountains where Northlands, Crownlands, and Oathlands meet, the scars are less pronounced. As one moves west from the river and up into the foothills of the mountains, the trees still show signs of fresh growth, and the evergreen scent is still strong. It takes a day of trek upwards from the river before one comes across the vale the Society scout described. A vale of seemingly fertile land -- judging from the quantity of overgrowth in what was once fields and farmland -- with a hill in the center, on which stands a surprisingly-intact city surrounded by stone walls.

<< OOC: The red dot on https://www.dropbox.com/s/ad4m8aoes376egd/frosthaven-location.png?dl=0 will show you roughly where you all are. >>

The closer to the North they get, the more Freja seems at ease. When others aren't looking she may even dare a smile, smelling that crisp air. Still, they are here for a purpose and it is only a glimpse she gets of the borders of her familiar lands. Readjusting her albino bear headdress, she turns to steel herself with eyes set on the stone walls in front of them in silence.

Darren has taken to steed now that they are (thankfully, oh so thankfully) off the barge, his beast of burden a black Northern mountain mare with scars across her hindquarters. He is dressed in black leathers for the trip, and keeps his thoughts to himself as they come up upon the city surrounded by stone walls. His blue eyes fix upon it there in the distance, and he leans down in the saddle to murmur something to Freja.

When the medic Lady Eirene Malvici arrived, she was not in the best of moods. Annoyed at something or someone, but it faded the further they got from Arx. And for all the foul mouthed language that she's known for, it too fades as they approach the distant city. All business now.

Ainsley is in the back because his dog is trotting along side his horse. The fluffy white dog trots along, her ears perked up and her body language attentive. Ainsley on the other hand is busy patting the side of the horse's neck and muttering something to it, and occasionally grinning like a goddamned idiot.

Killian suggested the boat in the first place, but even so, seemed to have been ill at ease upon the river voyage and seems no less happy once they are disembarked and upon solid ground once again. He's dressed for exploring, but his armor is in the saddlebags upon the packmule they (hopefully) brought along. Mounted upon Eclipse himself, he rides along with the others, his expression relaxed and his hood up to ward out the brightness of the sun from his eyes. He'd tried to be friendly and get to know the rest of the team, some of whom he's unfamiliar with, upon the river voyage, sharing a couple of bottles of spiced rum he snagged on the way out of town to help pass the time.

A man of few words at the best of times, Harlan has remained relatively quiet on the journey up the river, and he stays relatively quiet on the trek to their destination, no doubt enjoying the opportunity to stretch his legs after the time spent on the barge. Once the city on the hill is in sight, Harlan's attention focuses there, curiously observant.

The overgrowth in the fields makes it difficult to see the city itself once the party descends into the vale; though it's clear these were once farmlands -- indeed, off to the left, one can see the ruins of a farmhouse, destroyed when a tree simply grew up through the roof -- the forest has long since reclaimed them. All that lives here now, it seems, are the wilder, four-footed denizens of Arvum. However, the vale itself feels pleasantly warm, as if the surrounding hills shield it from the worst of the chill mountain air.

"If this is -any- consolation," Eirene says quietly, her eyes on the forests. "I'm not getting the same 'off' feeling I did when the demon had started warping the woods around Sanctum. This still looks and feels like Arvum, if really still and quiet."

Killian looks over, "I'm not sensing anything either..yet.." he has to throw that yet in. "The scouts saw some blue light in the city though..so we can't rule anything out.." His eyes move towards the farmhouse and he reins that direction. "I'll check it out," he says, riding over towards the farmhouse and giving it a good once over glancing, eyes peering around.

Darren looks to Eirene, focusing on her and then Killian for a moment, before he nods his head. "I'll go with you, Killian," he decides, and pulls the reins of his horse to angle her in the direction of the farmhouse. They move slowly, with Darren looking this way and that, before putting his eyes upon the farmhouse they approach.

Ainsley pulls his horse up to a slow and then a stop near the fields, looking around. He swings his leg off and dismounts, holding the reins to walk the horse along with him. His silver gaze more interested in the ground and the area. He uses his free hand to touch the back of Alejandra's neck and gives her low order, "Search." Whatever that means.

Whatever consolation there is from the lack of off-ness anyone else might be feeling, Harlan remains as observantly relaxed as he would on any hunt, searching for anything that seems out of place, even if much of the land before them seems rather out of place as it is. His falcon circles overhead where she can.

Freja hops down from her horse after speaking softly with Darren. The scout does her own search, trained eyes scanning the lands as they go for anything out of the ordinary.

Eirene leans forward in her saddle, staying mounted for the moment. "Call me if you find any dead shit," she says casually. "Human or otherwise." She's not the foresty type.

Darren checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 3 lower.

Harlan checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 5 lower.

Alejandra gives a little bark which draws Ainsley's attention over to something. He makes a little noise 'ugh', and then calls out, "Hey guys, be careful of disturbing any dens. It looks like bears and wolves, probably, are inhabitting the area." He ruffles Alejandra's fur and says, "Good girl."

Killian moves around inside the farmhouse ruins, dismounting to get a better look and emerging after a few moments looking a bit disturbed. "It's nothing real significant, but..the table is still set. It's as though when it was abandoned they just. Got up and left.." he shakes his head, "been abandoned a long time though. But it's odd that it hasn't been more disturbed, and it seems more advanced in its decay than the city ahead.." he says as he pulls back up into his saddle, turning to trot back towards the others.

"I don't see anything except this farmhouse. And a bunch of trees," Darren reports, hopping down from his horse afterward with a shrug. He looks back to Harlan though, 'hmming' quietly to himself. "Good, perhaps I can bring home a friend for Fuzzy," he says of bears. Then, to Killian, his brow lifts. "The table is still set? That's odd."

Harlan looks up at his bird for a moment, but she's only really trained to hunt small game and deliver messages, so he's probably not expecting much from her. He glances Killian-wards as the other man trots back from checking out the farmhouse, though.

Freja wanders off into the tall grasses for a moment, her steps picking up as she follows the trail of something. She pops up and emerges from behind some more tall grass

Freja wanders off into the tall grasses for a moment, her steps picking up as she follows the trail of something. She pops up and emerges from behind some more tall grass, maybe spooking the horses of weaker fortitude as a -head- comes rolling into the center of the path. "Three wolves at least , fresh tracks so they are on the hunt right now. Scarecrow." she points to the 'head', which only becomes clear after very close inspection with straw sticking out of the bottom. "Hunched over and thought it was some half dead thing...but, wolves. Hot on the trail or ours."

Eirene keens her head. "Means something big that they weren't prepared for. Usually threat of invasion or some kind of natural disaster. Wouldn't have been plague or sickness - you'd find bodies or people would have packed before leaving..." She looks over at the walls. "Stone lasts longer than wood, so unsurprising it's looking worse."

From somewhere in the woods nearby, a wolf howls.

Killian looks towards Freja, "hunting us or hunting something else perhaps?" he asks curiously, "is it possible someone still lives here or got here first? If someone is in danger, we should try to get to them before the wolves.." he smiles slightly, "of course, if it's us they're after.." he grins slightly and shrugs. "Glad I left Frostbite with ..at home."

Frostbite the Wolf have been dismissed.

Fuzzy Wuzzy have been dismissed.

Darren puts his hand on his horse's neck as Freja returns, a glance to the 'head' before he looks up to Freja. He was about to say something when he hears the howl of the wolf, and moves to set his hand upon the hilt of his sword. "We should probably keep moving then," he comments.

Eirene checks on the bow on her saddle and the sword at her hip. "At least three? Question is if we want to deal with them here on terrain we're a -touch- more familiar with or hope it improves on the way in should they come down on us?"

Another howl answers the first, from rather farther away. It seems the wolves have noticed there's prey in the woods, and there's a decent chance it's /you/.

Freja glances to the direction of the howls and looks to Killian. "Answer your question?" she drawls, drawing an axe from each hip as she readies herself.

It's the howl of more than one wolf that gets Harlan to search the trees around them with a quick scan of his eyes. "Hunting people over animals isn't normal behavior." He seems to be talking more to himself than anyone else. "We don't know what else is in the city. But they'll know we're here if they don't already." If there's anything to know.

Darren looks to Harlan with a raise of his brow, before he shakes his head. "I say we take our chances trying to book it to the city. There could be three wolves, or three dozen. Safer with walls against our backs," he comments, ready to get back onto his horse again if the party agrees.

Killian looks around quickly, "We don't know what's in the city..we could always try to use the farmhouse for shelter for the horses and to limit how many directions they can come at us?" he suggests, but seems willing to go either way as he reaches and loosens Hawk's Talon in it's scabbard, before drawing the sword. "Should have put my armor on..." he mutters grumpily before he moves to follow, "I'll take rear guard!"

Killian checked dexterity + ride at difficulty 15, rolling 16 higher.

Darren has rolled a critical success!
Darren checked dexterity + ride at difficulty 15, rolling 77 higher.

Freja checked stamina + athletics at difficulty 15, rolling 22 higher.

Eirene checked dexterity + ride at difficulty 15, rolling 17 higher.

Harlan checked stamina + athletics at difficulty 15, rolling 12 higher.

Ainsley checked dexterity + ride at difficulty 15, rolling 19 higher.

While others stick to the horses, Freja books it on foot towards the city at a breakneck speed. An axe is in either hand as she goes, hacking away at the overgrown fields here and there to clear her path.

The party books it to the city walls with surprising alacrity. As they ascend the hill, the overgrowth drops away abruptly, as if the overgrowth won't approach the city itself for some reason.

While all move quickly, Darren rides like a spirit of the wind itself and makes it there well before the others. With a bit of time to spare, he soon discovers the city gates -- wood and all -- are still almost entirely intact, if left slightly ajar. Entrance, it seems, will not be a problem.

Darren leaps back onto the saddle and gives Bear, his horse (duh), a firm kick to the side as he leans forward in the saddle. It seems that the High Lord may have given his horse some extra special carrots this morning before the trip, given he's all hi-ho-silver-away! on the beast. He makes it in record time, and directs his horse around the city while he waits for the others to catch up. When the group does, he's there to greet them with brows lofted high. "What took everyone so long? It looks like a city gate to me," he offers helpfully.

Eirene slows down as they approach the sudden shift from vegitation to NONE and rounds the horse, stepping it back a few paces so she can better look back towards the woods. "Yeah, this is really weird. Not even close to normal. Not even a natural kill pattern. It's like -don't go beyond this point- kind of weird."

Harlan runs for the city when it's decided that they make their stand, or escape, there. He might not be as fast as a horse, certainly not Darren's horse, but he's not getting left behind as wolf bait today. "And a very nice gate it is," he notes once he's seen the gate himself, sounding more suspicious than impressed.

"Inside and close the gates." says Ainsley as he rides along, Alejandra fast on his heels. A glance is given toward Eirene and then down to the vegetation. "Uh, well. It's fight wolves or go into the creepy city."

"I vote going into the creepy city!" Darren chimes in helpfully, glancing over his shoulder to where the vegetation abruptly ends. But he gives Bear a nudge with the heel of his boot, guiding her to the gates. "Look, it is even open, as though it is saying 'please, come inside of me,'" he grins to the group.

Killian rides up to the gate, but doesn't go in, looking back towards the kill line of the vegetation as well. "Yeah, things are definitely not normal.." he says, dismounting quickly and eyeing the approach. "I think I'd rather take on the wolves before dealing in haste with the creepy city.." he admits as he gives Eclipse' reins a little pop, leading the horse within but staying in the opening. "At least see how many wolves.." he points out.

"That is -not- a good thing," Eirene retorts to Darren with a snort. "We're here to find out what the hell is going on anyhow, can't do that from here." She wheels the horse around and makes for the looming gates, taking a final glance to see if the wolves 'stop' at the barrier or pursue.

Either the wolves won't go near the city walls for some reason, or you just outran them and they went in search of easier prey. (Doubtless it's that second one, right?)

"I-" Freja begins to say something, but thinking better of it shakes her head and cautiously goes in, ever mindful to keep an eye out for threats.

Harlan doesn't seem pleased about either the wolves or the city, judging by the tension in his shoulders and the lines of his brow, but they're here now and the wolves aren't, so city it is.

Ainsley slides back off of his horse and ties it off to the gate. A pat is given to the horse and he tells it, "Don't get eaten by wolves. Tristan will skin me alive." And then he too slips through the gates, looking around quietly. His hand on the dawnstone of Threnody's pommel.

Killian gives a little sort of grunt, once inside the gate, and raises a hand up towards his brow. "Ainsley, Harlan..I could use a hand with my armor.." he calls out, sounding strained. "Be on guard, something is..here. I can sense it already," he warns as he reaches for the pack with his plate armor in it, already starting to change into the heavier armor.

"I realize, trust me," Darren remarks to Eirene as he slides off his saddle, "But we came to see the city. So.." he flourishes a hand to the gates, and starts forward.

Eirene raises her eyebrows at Killian's pronouncement. "Explain 'sense'," the doctor says dryly. She dismounts and starts to unbuckle her own gear; backpack and her medical kit, the bow and the blade. She also secures the horse and then steps back to look at the gates; the Malvici studying for any kind of identifying marks or sygils of houses or signs of attack against the fortification.

The city itself is... eerie is the best word to describe it. It looks as though it could have still been inhabited not long ago, so well-preserved is it. But it's also completely, totally, utterly devoid of any sign of life. As though everyone in the city had just picked up and left, leaving everything behind. There are wagons still in the street -- increasingly decrepit, but still holding together. There's dust on the windows of the inn near the gate, and the paint on the sign is faded, but the building still stands entirely and utterly intact.

In all, it wouldn't look out of place back in Arx. Certainly the roads are dirt rather than cobblestone pavement, and the signage isn't in Arvani, but the buildings are well-made stone of a construction type that wouldn't earn a second glance as out-of-place back home.

In many ways, that makes it worse. It's all too easy to imagine Arx itself standing silent and empty this way.

Yet as creepy as that is, it's also stunning. Most times when an explorer finds an old city, even one abandoned only for a few centuries, it's in far worse shape than this. Here, you get a sense you could truly learn a lot about the day-to-day life of the populace, if you just went prying into the buildings and houses.

Freja doesn't lower her axes for a moment, picking her way to peer down alleys they pass, into shops and all those nooks and crannies. Her curiosity lays in what could still be there, laying in wait. "Are we just surveying or hunting for something particular?" she asks aloud.

The elder Ashford frowns at Killian's senses. Or, more likely, whatever Killian senses. Harlan will assist the younger man with his armor, even if he notes as he does, "Don't let your blood get away from you." After a pause, he adds for Ainsley, too, "Either of you."

Eirene says, "I think it's a bit of both." She just raises her eyebrows again and looks to the guard-house. Those tend to be a good sign of who was the military force or held records. She draws the flame-etched longsword and keeps it in hand while approaching. "Knowing what the fuck happened here may be useful but it was NOT good, I can tell you that."

Darren pauses just within the gates, taking in a breath when he sees the city. The High Lord has not been on an adventure in quite some time ... and this was quite a sight to see. "Wow," he comments under his breath, before he looks about himself, and then back to the group. "There's an Inn close by. A likely first stop, if you ask me?" he offers, pointing towards the inn, though he'll wait for the group to decide.

Killian snorts, "I'm godtouched, not furyborn," he reminds Harlan with a smile as he brings his helm up and drops it into place, clapping the visor down into place and settling his heavy albino gatorskin cloak into place once he's armored up. "Keep your bow out, whatever it is, I'll keep it off of you my Duke," he assures. Confidence, gotta love that shit. He draws his blades, both of them this time, the alaricite of Bringer of Dawn shimmering as he looks around. "Put simply Sentinel granted me the ability to sense when things do not follow its laws. The unnatural screams in the pit of my stomach and the back of my mind, and right now, my guts are boiling and my head is starting to throb. Things here are not what they seem, and some foul power is at work..I think whatever wickedness killed the vegetation may have gotten the populace as well, and might still linger. Be careful and keep your eyes open..but more importantly, pay attention to what your instincts tell you."

Ainsley grunts a moment and says, "I'll be alright." He then starts for the direction of the guard house. Of course the Guard is going to explore the guardhouse first! He flicks his fingers to Alejandra and she follows along after him right away. Threnody and Catsclaw are both on his hips. It's the rubicund he draws to have a tthe ready as he makes his way in the direction of the guardhouse's interest.

Darren checked perception at difficulty 15, rolling 9 higher.

Killian checked mana + theology at difficulty 40, rolling 2 higher.

Ainsley checked perception at difficulty 15, rolling 6 lower.

Confidence is a grand thing when it comes from a man who wishes to see no harm come to you. Harlan offers a smile and a nod to the knight. Since his skills rely on keeping some measure of distance, and he knows something isn't right in this place, Harlan stays relatively near to Killian, longbow in hand, while others explore.

Freja sticks close to Darren as he explores the Inn. For now, she relaxes her weapons and lapses into silence for a lull. She rubs her temples and says softly, "Spirits aren't here..avoiding it. It is crowded though? Feels crowded. Muddled."

No one should be surprised the Malvici woman carefully pushes the door to the guard-house and scans for contacts. It's as quietly abandoned inside as the rest of the cityscape. Still, she doesn't lower her blade as she steps in. She returns a few minutes later with a handful of papers written in shav'arvani and a deeper scowl than usual, going in behind the others to join them in the Inn. "They didn't stop to arm themselves before they ran, and nobody was left behind to loot anything," she says. "Found these, but it's all scratch to me. And I sure as hell am -not- staying on my own outside, no. Creepy as Abyss and this is coming from someone who has dealt with reality-taints before."

Darren shrugs and wheels on his heel to head into the inn. He is no investigator, not really, but he spends quite a bit of time poking about the rooms of the inn with Freja by his side. "The spirits are avoiding?" he seems curious by that, as he turns into one of the inn's rooms.. and finds a treasure. Well, not really. It's an old backpack, with a barren tree on the flap, and a journal. "Interesting. Let's take this back to the others," he notes, carrying either out of the inn. Once back on the streets, he'll clear his throat, announcing: "I've found something," and drops the aged backpack onto the ground, before settling against a wall to flip through the book. "Looks like this journal was written by an Ashford. Uh.. if this date is correct, it's 300 years old."

Darren drops Frosthaven - Found Journal 01.

Killian has stopped, going into neither building but instead looking inward, towards the center of the city. His eyes are slightly unfocused as he talks, sounding distracted, "There's something..deeper into the city. The heart of whatever is wrong with this place is there, looming in the center..and it's strong for me to sense it this far out. I can't tell you anything more about it though, at least not until we get closer..if we go closer.." he looks around to see what the others say.

"That would explain it." Freja murmurs as she glanced over the journal pages. "Yes, the Spirits are avoiding this place but it feels crowded still. I don't know. Do we go up to the walls where the journal writer went, or to the heart of the city?"

Darren picks up Frosthaven - Found Journal 01.

Ainsley leaves the guardshouse after Eirene, and makes his way toward the inn. He peers toward the journals, and gives a small shake of his head. A glance is given in the direction of Killian and he says, "I vote going deeper then."

Eirene offers the papers found in the guard-house to be translated as she's clueless. "If they were an Ashford that means they probably -had- more info on them. And might give an idea of what we'll find in the center before we go that way." She turns her blue eyes towards the city center before glancing up at the walls. "Besides, height may give us a better idea of the layout of the city and right now tactical advantages is what we need."

Harlan, understandably, seems curious at the mention of an Ashford's journal, but surely there will be a better time to look at it later. He seems, for now, more concerned with Killian's words. "If there's something here that shouldn't be, that's the reason that we're here. Once it's safe," whatever that means, "we can explore the rest of the city as we please, yes?"

"Mm. Well, we could split the party. Freja, Eirene and I can take the walls, and then meet you deeper in the city once we've seen what's up there?" Darren offers, before he nods over to Eirene. There's a glance over to the papers Eirene is holding, but he doesn't speak any foreign languages, so he just shrugs. "I know someone who can translate those later, if it's Northern Shav," he offers anyway.

Killian hasn't ever seen Scooby Doo, but even so he says, "I'm not sure splitting up is a great idea, we don't know anything about this place or what dangers it might hold..I say we stay together. The center of the city will still be there after we check the walls, the city has waited probably centuries for its secrets to be discovered..there's no rush to do it all at once." He smiles as he looks around, "Err, anyone see a way up onto the walls?"

Conveniently, you are by a gate, and a guardhouse. This means there is indeed a stairwell up onto the walls.

"Here," says Harlan, gesturing in the direction of the stairwell that will lead them to the top of the walls. "I agree we shouldn't split up. We're not in any hurry, in any case." Well, he's not. Being in a hurry means, well ideally, going home sooner.

The view from the walls looking out is spectacular; the overgrowth of all the fields below means you have a lovely view of the tops of a young pine forest below the hills. The view in from the walls is almost familiar to Arxian sensibilities, what with all the rows of stone buildings abutting each other, and the streets running between them. From up here, one can tell that the city is indeed smaller than an Arxian ward such as the Ward of the Crown, but not by a huge amount. As Abandoned settlements go, Frosthaven was, it seems, a large one.

However, the real worrisome part is neither of those views. It's the state of what you can only assume were the Frosthaven residents.

There are dozens -- hundreds, perhaps -- of corpses atop the wall. Each spaced equidistant from their neighbors, seated against the crenellations as if they'd just settled in to catch their breath. Each shriveled and mummified. Each staring with sightless eyes in towards the center of the city.

"Well, I guess that's settled." Darren flourishes a hand to the stairwell. "Up we go." He does not take the lead, but he sticks by Freja, climbing the stairs with slow, purposeful steps. He's still being careful, he's watching over his shoulder and in front of him, until they crest the top of teh stairs ... and then he just stops, frozen at the sight. His cheeks grow considerably more pale, as he looks from the corpses to the center of the city, and then back to the corpses again. "Oh.. fuck me," he utters, before he clears his throat. ".. I think we found where everybody went. Eirene?" he looks to Eirene. "You're a medic. Can you..see what happened?"

Eirene checked perception + medicine at difficulty 15, rolling 17 higher.

Eirene checked perception + occult at difficulty 40, rolling 1 lower.

Ainsley shifts a moment and sheathes Catsclaw once more. He then draws Threnody, and very very gently touches the tip of the alaricite blade to the side of one of the corpses.

The corpse opens its mouth in a wordless, anguished howl. Its expression is one of indescribable fear and weary pain, but it does not turn to look at Ainsley, or anything else. It does not, in fact, otherwise move in any way.

"On it," says the medic at once, having already been ready to investigate it before even suggested. She kneels alongside one that -looks- like it could be male, taking a look at the eyes as if trying to see if they were clawed out. "Oh FUCK me," she hisses softly. "Lagoma be merciful." She quickly grabs at the dried out wrist and whips off her gloves to touch fingers to the wrist. "They're alive. Still. Fucking. Alive."

"It's breathing. It has a weak heartbeat. Still. Alive." 300 years, barely living... it's not natural, hell no.

Killian checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 6 higher.

"Oh, fuck," Darren takes a quick step backwards when Ainsley swipes his sword across the 'corpse' and it utters a silent howl, and then he looks to Eirene with wide eyes. "What do you mean they're still alive? That can't be possible," he furrows his brow.

Ainsley checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 0 higher.

Ainsley leaps backward but does not scream himself. He shakes the blade a moment and then slowly slides the blade back into his sheath. He breathes out through his nose and says, "Okay, okay, what the fuck." He looks in the direction of Killian, and then turns to stare at the center of the city ... where all the corpses are looking.

Killian sheathes his swords, and the howl just makes him twitch and move more urgently as he searches down one direction on the wall, then the other. He's peering at the corpses carefully, eyes searching them, even reaching out to move clothing and similar as he examines before coming back to Harlan. "I don't see anything that suggests an Ashford up here.." he says quietly, looking disturbed, "but you see where they're all looking? In, not out.." he says, turning to sweep his gaze towards the interior of the city as though searching for the source of whatever has befallen this place.

The center of the city appears to be the Baronial manor. It's a very nice house, a good story or two taller than everything else, so it stands out to your sight even from here.

Harlan is silent other than an intake of breath at the sound of the 'corpse's' howl. He glances toward the city center, nodding to Killian. "Whatever's there is why these... people are like this, no doubt." People, not things, Harlan. "Do you suppose they're being used as a source of power?"

Eirene shoots Darren a look. "Fucking magic is how." She waves a hand slowly before the man's dry eyes (or what's left) and snaps her fingers beside his ears, trying to see if there's any reaction. And because she's a woman of science, she cuts away a tiny lock of hair and a corner of clothing - of what remains anyhow - and seals them in a sample jar from her pouch. Further testing - a slight scrape with her normal dagger and then again with her tiny scalpel of alaricite.

The resident Shaman of the group had been eerily silent on the upwars climb to the walls, tilting her head this way and that to try and listen to something. Freja's expression doesn't change when she sees the corpses on their watch. Instead, she bends a knee and closing her eyes, leans in with an ear towards their mouth - not the one that owls, because damn that would hurt the eardrum. She nods once to whatever she hears and stands up, looking up and down the ramparts. "They are all saying, 'must guard', but there is one voice crying for help. Small. Somewhere"

upwards climb*

The clothing that Eirene samples does not burn. The corpse reacts to nothing until the alaricite scalpel, at which point it /also/ opens its mouth in a wordless, silent scream like Ainsley's did.

"Well no shit," Darren quips back to Eirene, though there's no heat to his words. In less somber circumstances, his tone would be light and jovial. This was just serious. He looks back to where the corpses are all staring, to the House, before he looks back to Freja and blinks. "A small voice? Like a child's voice? There was a child mentioned in the journal..."

Ainsley glances toward Freya and then Darren. He peers toward the Baronal home and says, "Looks like we need to head there."

"They feel the alaricite but have no other reactions," Eirene confirms. "I could probably put them down if it's needed. Or do you think if we can figure out what cause this we could snap the magic hold on them? Fucking magic..." The last is said with a small snarl. And yes, the medic has no issues with putting someone out of their misery if it's required, her blue eyes looking up at the others for their input.

Killian looks towards Freja's comment and lifts a brow, "I can't hear anything," he says, voice curious. He doesn't sound at all skeptical, merely..wondering just what it is she might be sensing. He looks towards the baronial estate, "if something there enthralls them, we should set them free. The gods would have no one suffer like this I don't believe.." he says quietly as he moves to head back downto the streets below. He stops though at the top of the stairs, "They're saying 'must guard' but they're looking inward.." he says quietly, "not out. They're not guarding the walls against something that might come in, but rather looking towards the center of the city..is it possible they've sealed something inside?"

The sky overhead is shading towards the orange of evening, as the sun begins to sink behind the mountains that tower above the city to the west.

"Either they're making whatever is there," Harlan points toward the city center, "stronger. Or they're keeping it there. Either way, they'll all likely die once it's taken care of." If it can be taken care of by them. "That's a very long time."

"Help, help, now they all cry for it." Freja's jaw tightens and she looks between the corpses and walks between a few, running pale fingers along the top of their heads and careful not to tangle their hair. "Now...back to 'must guard'. ..Now." She pauses, hand retracted. "Rest. They need rest. Their spirits are here, the only ones, tethered. They can't have rest, they wander the city, but the bodies are anchoring them here."

Darren lofts his gaze up to the heavens, before he looks back to Freja. "All right. We know where we need to go." He points to the House in the center of the city. "We better get there before it starts getting dark." And with that, he begins to descend back down from whence they came.

Eirene continues to stare at the small blade in her hand, contemplating it. Her expression is stone. The setting sun draws her gaze and she slowly stands and puts the scalpel away. "I really don't like the idea of being here after dark. Creepy as fuck as it is during the day."

The sun continues to set. As the sky begins to darken, the... corpses? Near-corpses? ...the bodies on the wall begin to glow, dimly, with an unsettling blue light. Like moonlight seen through water.

"Do we want to make camp outside of the city and come back after sunrise?" asks Ainsley as he takes a further step away from the bodies. "I think that... unless we want to stay in the city all night we might want to go outside the gates /now/." He's also starting for the stairs already.

There's a dry smirk on Killian's face when he looks over towards Darren, "too late," he says regarding sunset and dark, before looking to the corpses. "On the plus side, we found the source of the blue glow.." he says quietly as he looks around, "Do they circle all the way around the walls? Does anyone see any that are moving?" he asks, moving to follow the others but taking the rear guard position again.

Freja moves down the stairs and muses aloud, "Or we can see what they are guarding against....I am not scared to move deeper into the city."

"I'm for dealing with wolves and camping in that farm-house, or barricading in the Inn for the night" Eirene says as she looks towards the glow behind them. "But that at least confirms the scout's report about the glow. I'm willing to wager it circles the whole damn town."

Wolves, or spirits? It's perhaps a difficult call for some which to face. But at least the bodies remain motionless, despite their new gleam. Perhaps the wolves are the more hungry threat.

"Where would we stay that would be less creepy? There are wolves out there willing to attack people, as well." Harlan isn't going to let anyone forget about that, either. Both are apparently somewhat unsettling to him. He follows the line of the wall as far as his gaze will allow to track the glow of blue.

Yep. Whole damn wall, glowing

Darren pauses on the steps as the corpses begin to glow, and he furrows his brow. "I don't want to take my chances outside of the city walls, any more than I want to take my chances here with the creepy glowing. But we know where we need to go, and if the whole city is up here? I'm thinking there isn't anything that'll get in our way down there. So heading to that Baron's house might be our best bet."

Killian frowns as he considers, "That assumes a lot of things we don't know your Grace," he says quietly, "we don't know what is in the city and in the dark we won't see it coming unless it's one of these glowy things," he grins, "which is an advantage.. I do have torches in my saddlebags though." He pauses and then adds, "whatever it is didn't get any worse when the sun went down, so I think that the glow may not be an indication that we're in worse shape than before..but we don't know what effect staying near this strange power might have upon us ourselves." He checks his hands as htough to make sure he's not glowing.

"Didn't the Ashford say they were going up to the ramparts? We should go find their body before we deal with what's in the Baron's manor. If nothing else, to make sure they can be laid to rest properly," Eirene says, glancing up to the walls once more. "Although the fucking creep factor of combing through glowing corpses by torchlight holds -no- appeal for me, let me say."

"We're already here. I say we move forward, it seems a fool's errand to make it all the way back to the farmhouse. The crops were overgrown and we wouldn't have a clean line of sight for anything approaching us. We would be sitting bait for the wolves or Spirits know what else. These voices? They aren't ....cruel, or hostile towards us. They want help." Freja says.

None of the party are glowing.

Yet.

"Freja has a point. I think we know where we need to go. We came to explore this City. Not test our luck with a pack of wolves," Darren sighs a little bit, casting a glance through the glow and back to the Baron's house. "I say we take our chances, and see what we've come to find here."

*what we'll

"I don't know that they'd have anything on them rather than the inn," Harlan says of the Ashford, but doesn't seem entirely certain. Just practical. "If they were the same as the farmhouse and left things without much consideration before whatever called them here... called them here."

Killian nods, "So be it," he agrees as he heads downstairs, and to the large black warhorse he had come in on, with the pack mule tethered. He came prepared, and flips open one of the saddlebags on the pack animal to pull out several torches, striking a flint to light up the first before heading back towards the others and offering unlit torches and a light off of his own. "Anyone?" he asks as he hands out fire like a good caveman.

"Let's go then. I'll scout up the front, someone take up the rear." Freja says, leaving them with the torches for now. "Light blindness." she explains.

Eirene scowls faintly. "Giving the family closure for their dead is important. If we can, I'll go back there later and try to find it. Provided everything that's holding them together up there doesn't dissolve at once. The samples weren't reacting to anything 'normal' so I suspect it's some kind of magical stasis. I'd assume time would catch up once the magic hold is broken. Hard to fucking say; I'm not used to seeing shit like this." The Malvici doctor goes for the middle; keep the healer safe, yeah?

Darren extends a hand when the torches are offered, nodding over to Freja. It looks as though he, too, is going to take the middle with Eirene. "We can go back," he says to Eirene. "And I'll even help you pick through the .. not corpses.."

As the city gets darker and the party presses on, one begins to get a sense of /others/ around, pressing in. As if with the sun down, the spirits have a tiny bit more freedom. Here and there one might almost get a glimpse of something out of the corner of their eye, dimly seen, as if a person dimly seen through a window. They're never there when you turn to look, however.

Up ahead, the Baronial manor looms, dark and abandoned.

"All the time in the world once we figure this out," Harlan says again. Then they can go poking around for his and Killian's kin, and whatever else might be in the city. He takes one of the torches from the younger Ashford, as well, once he's put his bow away, lighting it up against the other. Probably for the best if he's going to keep seeing things in his peripheral vision and not shoot at it.

Killian hands out torches to whoever will take them, and grins at Harlan, "your bow would probably be best not engaged, so perhaps you'll guard Lady Eirene?" he suggests to his cousin. He doesn't say 'hey get in the middle too' at all. He has a torch in one hand and draws his alaricite blade in the other as he looks at Ainsley, "if you'll watch the back?" he asks the other, better known equation as he himself takes the forward position amongst the group (not counting scouting Freja's).

Darren keeps one hand on the hilt of his sword while he lofts the torch high, walking with the group in a slow but purposeful direction to the Baron's house. He does not say much, but occassionally he glances to the side as though something's run across his vision, only to shake his head and point his focus back upon the looming Baron's house. "Well. It doesn't look as inviting as the gate did," he murmurs to no one in particular.

Freja picks her way through the weaving streets but every now and again she has to pause, placing a hand on a wall to steady herself and breathe deeply. The more she gets used to it the less often she ahs to pause. "The sounds of the city but, ...the same ones on the wall all over again." she murmurs at one point.

Darren checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 2 lower.

Harlan checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 11 higher.

Eirene checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 18 higher.

Killian checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 1 higher.

Ainsley checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 8 lower.

The interior of the Baronial manor is just as dusty and disused as everything else. However, the sense of /pressure/, of others gathered there, is even stronger as one steps inside. Here, too, there's a sense that everything just /stopped/ at some point; if one steps into the dining hall, the plates for the final meal are still laid out. The guard-rooms still have weapons in their racks. The kitchen still looks as though it had been in use. The study...

Well, wait. When Eirene and Harlan find the the study, it looks as though someone has tidied up that one particular room. It's still dusty and disused, but two journals are stacked neatly on the desk, and the papers are all tied and put away. Indeed, there's an entire /plethora/ of well-preserved books on the shelves, all neatly filed.

Aislin drops Frosthaven - Found Journal 02.

Aislin drops Frosthaven - Found Journal 03.

Eirene checked perception + occult at difficulty 40, rolling 0 higher.

"This looks like a house to me," Darren offers helpfully as they walk inside, though there's that undeniable sense there in the pit of his stomach. He looks around, but he doesn't see anything very interesting. Perhaps because he's too busy getting distracted by the meal in the dining room that's still laid out.

Eirene keeps her scalpel in hand despite having the much longer sword at her hip. The fact that the small blade is alaricite makes all the difference right now. She keeps her sharp gaze peeled as they comb from room to room, trying to see if anything is different. And there is. Ot

"Do you think that's still good to eat?" Darren points out the food, questioning no one in particular.

Eirene keeps her scalpel in hand despite having the much longer sword at her hip. The fact that the small blade is alaricite makes all the difference right now. She keeps her sharp gaze peeled as they comb from room to room, trying to see if anything is different. And there is.

The Malvici looks at the journals which seem to be a bit different, unable to make heads or tails of the language. She glances up at the others, frowning as a thought comes to her. "So everything on the walls is looking -here-. Right? And they're supposed to be guarding something. Here? What're the chances out coming in here triggers something, like guards going to defend whatever the fuck it is they're defending?"

Killian checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 8 higher.

The scout remains as silent as the grave the closer they get to the manor, even when they find the journals and myriad of books on the walls. She is simply listening, Freja doing nothing more than acting as a safeguard for any would be ninjas or spooks.

Killian follows along with the others, his torch carefully used to push back shadows and let them see. "I don't think they're guarding the house. I think they're guarding the world against whatevers in it.." he says quietly, "though don't ask me just why.." He checks out the weapons in that room briefly, "good craftsmanship," he pronounces, returning to the others, "if anyone is in need of a blade or spare that is." He's got two. It's probably already overkill on the weapons department. "And no, I doubt the food is good to eat, but we'll give you a splendid funeral if you want to try it."

"What," echoes Harlan. "Oh who." If the study is kept the way it is, it may not have stayed that way on its own. When he has a chance to look at the journals, if only briefly, he shakes his head, unable to translate them.

Killian looks over the journals and perks, "Oh! Wait, this is Crownlands..Aislin taught me some of it..I'm really bad though, give me a minute.." he says apologetically as he reads.

Eirene borrows a torch to try to light some of the lamps in the library- part wanting more light, part curiosity to see if it would even take. "So if this is room was somehow disturbed after the fact, by the looks of it, by whom, and where are they?"

Killian frowns, "Well. Fuck us. The Baron is or was a blood mage, and was using blood magic to 'help the crops'..using his lifeblood to help the city and his hands glowed. Silver-blue light everywhere..and he was going to teach the boy. This appears to be his journal. There was a northerner, Hunter Devan, he had a bow with white metal bits..alaricite maybe? He fought evil things, it says and the boy asked if he could use magic to help fight evil, seems that might have been a bad call.." he continues on, "Devan came to dinner with the Baron..seems they might have been sizing each other up? Oh wait, here..there's passages in the walls! The boy overheard the baron talking to someone, but no one was in the room..he says that theere was a second voice, and it was weird.." he pages on and considers, "Devan went missing. THe boy doesn't think it was legit..like maybe he didn't really leave I think." He flips pages skimming farther, "the Baron was arguing with someone and claimed he didn't want to do something, same as before, no one else visible in the room. The baron was upset about something at that point. He went on a hunting trip..promised to begin teaching the boy after that.. Thenn.." he flips, "a 'Fabien' arrived, another explorer..maybe 'F Ashford?'" he offers, editorializing before he continues, "he didn't tell this Fabien anything about magic, and the baron returned and told the boy he would begin his lessons tonight..that was the last entry..dated 27/05.."

Alejandra, a snowy white hound, Planchet, a young valet leave, following Ainsley.

Freja looks to the walls when the journal mentions passages and narrows her eyes. She one portion of the wall a knock, checking for echoes.

Darren turns away from the food as Killian begins to speak, furrowing his brow. That furrow grows deeper and more concerned as Killian goes on, and he groans at the end. "Well... fuck us," he utters, glancing abotu the house. "Talking to people that aren't in the room... Do any of you see any mirrors around here?" Something sparks his memory, and he spins in a circle to see if he could see any mirrors on the wall, before giving his head a little shake. "If there are passages in the walls, we should try to find them. Maybe where you found the books?"

Eirene says, "The Baron who was from Eurusi?" She frowns as she recalls the letter Fabien left behind. "It explains the whole 'kept the baron on' thing. And possibly how he looked so young." She also starts looking through the bookshelves but more for that weird script that she knows isn't any dialect of shav'arvani. "I wonder if he kept any of HIS books here..."

There are definitely books here on the shelves labeled in Eurusi.

"Passages back here..." Freja alerts the others as she finds an echo in one portion of wall she raps her knuckles against. She continues with her study, leaving the others to the books. She hasn't found the catch yet for the passage that lies beyond.

Blood magic is a bit out of Harlan's depth, to be honest, so he's not really sure what he ought to be looking for, or if he'd found it if he tried. Passages, however, he can probably help with. The hunter starts helping Freja look for a catch for the passage she's found.

Harlan checked perception at difficulty 20, rolling 13 lower.

Killian checked perception at difficulty 20, rolling 11 lower.

Darren checked perception at difficulty 20, rolling 3 lower.

Eirene's not able to read Eurusi but she knows it when she sees it. She looks for the oldest of the books as well as the most commonly read and starts to flip through them to see if anything stands out; like blood or drawings of unnatural symbols. Leaving a book of dark magic unattended could be dangerous. "If he's still alive and kicking then he may have his book with him, but if there's anything here we should take it for study and destruction."

Eirene checked perception at difficulty 20, rolling 4 lower.

None of the Eurusi books have convenient labels of 'HELLO, MY NAME IS 'Sanguis Primus'' or anything similar. Indeed, none seem to have illustrations showing the most effective manner of human sacrifice, either. As best Eirene can tell, most of them appear to be personal journals of travel, inasmuch as they appear to have dated entries of some sort.

Darren looks over Eirene's shoulder as she starts paging through books, but really he is just sort of poking around the study. He is going to start turning over books, because he read once in a mystery novel in Branan's shop that latches to hidden passages are /always/ disguised as books. It seemed the proper thing to do.

Eirene shoves the oldest of the books in her backpack because Mason may find it interesting or useful. They're Explorers. If they didn't loot at least ONE old object they'd be coming back emptyhanded. Maybe a second old looking book too.

"Ah-ha!" Freja exclaims with a breif flash of a smile as her briar-shaped finger armor clicks, catching on a stone that she pulls at to reveal the catch to the passageway.

The doorway to the passage swings open with the horrendously loud /creak/ of long-disused hinges, and a prodigious amount of dust. When it stops, there's a sense that the entire city might be holding its breath... and then slowly, the pressure everyone's been feeling begins to increase. And the blue glow of those bodies on the walls begins to coalesce here, around the edges of the study.

"Aaaaand we just broke a seal, didn't we. Ah fuck," Eirene says, looking up as she closes her backpack.

He's not finding anything on his own, so Harlan seems vaguely relieved when Freja exclaims her much better find. You know, maybe not so relieved after all. "Wonderful," says Harlan, eyeing the rest of the study warily.

Darren spins as the creak echos through the house, to stare at the opening that is revealed. That sense of pressure makes him suck a breath through his teeth. "Well if we're breaking shit, we should just go and fuck it up the rest of the way.."

Eirene has rolled a critical success!
Eirene checked perception + occult at difficulty 25, rolling 58 higher.

Darren checked perception + occult at difficulty 25, rolling 19 higher.

Killian checked perception + occult at difficulty 25, rolling 0 higher.

Harlan checked perception + occult at difficulty 25, rolling 9 lower.

The sudden stillness of the city has Freja still herself, numb or petrified in that moment is anyone's guess, but the woman that was hearing the 'dead' before is now ghastly pale and staring at the door as it swings open.

There's a moment as Killian looks around, and he frowns, drawing his sword again as he says, "I've got a bad feeling about this.."

Eirene says, "Okay... I've been reading on this shit for a while now. So it's safe to say whatever has the villagers bound with blood magic is going to be up there, and our crossing this line is -probably- going to raise a hue and cry. Either they've sealed this up to keep people out or sealed it up to keep someone in, but why an entire town would willingly give themselves up to blood magic like that doesn't make sense." The doctor tightens her grip around her little weapon and scowls as she looks to the passageway beyond. "So anticipate resistance either way; whatever is causing this shit is clearly gonna give us a fight to stop it.""

Killian checked mana + theology at difficulty 40, rolling 3 lower.

Darren nods over to Eirene, his brows twisting in thought. "Who is to say that they willingly gave themselves up?" He takes a step closer to the opened door, but does not cross the threshold, just looking for now. His hand goes instictively down to the hilt of his sword again.

Eirene says, "Didn't think they did..."

Killian suddenly realizes, "He used it on the crops..tainted their food to poison them with the magic?" he offers. The way he says it makes it absolutely clear he's totally guessing though, as he's clearly clueless about magic.

The blue light coalescing is /definitely/ getting brighter.

Freja reaches out, seeking Darren's arm to touch for reassurance and to ground herself as she murmurs again for the umpteenth time this trip, "Rest. They need rest." she half murmurs, half pleads to her cousin.

Indeed, it seems to be slowly coalescing into actual figures. One can almost see /faces/ if one were to stare closely enough. Anguished faces.

"Not sure it matters how it happened right now. Is the glowing stuff bad or good?" Harlan doesn't know anything about glowing stuff but he's probably going to assume bad until proven otherwise.

The blue light seems to be coalescing into other things, too. Swords, knives, pitchforks...

"They're going to attack." Freja says simultaneously as the light forms into tangible sharp, pointy things. Ouch. "They're saying they must guard, ready yourselves or seal it. Close it or fight." her voice raises then, alerting them all rather than speaking to Darren alone.

"Fuck it. Let's go," Eirene says, her scowl deepening. "I told you opening that door must have triggered their guards. That's what the spell is binding them to, protecting this place against intruders. We're the fucking intruders. And I doubt they're doing this willingly, so move, we need to break this curse."

Darren reaches with his free hand to squeeze Freja's own. "How do we give them rest?" he says to her, before looking as the blue light starts to glow from the weapons. "We should get in there, now." He points to the passageway.

Killian reaches out, "Good point, and time to go!" he says as pushes Harlan towards the secret passage as he moves to back towards it himself, "I'll guard this," he says, and the first blue glowy thing to come near is going to taste alaricite for its troubles.. "We've stirred the pot, we've got to finish the stew or get burned now.."

Everything the previous room wasn't, this is. It's decorated in dark red, so as to show as little blood as possible. There's a table laid out with a number of quite credible scalples -- several of them missing -- most of a somewhat unsettling foreign design. The large stone table is surprisingly free of bloodstains... but in every other way, this is a blood mage's sanctum.

Where it gets most disturbing, however, is the round table to one side piled high with books and other items. There's a sense of concentrated /wrong/ one gets if they look at the table too long, and poor Killian finds merely glancing at it nauseating. The worst part is the three figures seated on the floor at the base of the table, all looking outwards. Unlike the other bodies, these seem quite dead, to judge from the way their chests have been opened, but they're similarly mummified. And these ones pulse with a purple light so dark as to be almost black, an aura that just seems /wrong/ somehow. Drawing the blue light to them.

A body in the garb of a northern hunter.

A body in Crownlands adventurer garb, buckles and straps, with the pouches imprinted with the bare tree crest of Ashford.

And last, and most horrifyingly, a child's body.

The whole party can hear the spirits now, not merely Freja. "Must guard. Must guard." Whispered over and over, maddened and in pain.

And then finally, two more figures appear, gleaming blue and as full as they must have in life: Fabien Ashford and Devan Whitewater stand there, each wielding a blade as they stand between the party and the table of dark relics. "Must guard," Fabien says, almost apologetically, before tilting his head... and raising his blade.

Whatever Devan Whitewater says, one can only assume it was something similar; it was in Northlands shav'arvani. And then he, too, raises his hunting blade, shifting into a ready position.

Killian checked luck at difficulty 1, rolling 15 higher.

Darren checked luck at difficulty 1, rolling 10 higher.

Eirene checked luck at difficulty 1, rolling 10 higher.

Harlan checked luck at difficulty 1, rolling 19 higher.

Freja checked luck at difficulty 1, rolling 15 higher.

Killian checked luck at difficulty 1, rolling 3 higher.

Freja checked luck at difficulty 1, rolling 9 higher.

Darren checked luck at difficulty 1, rolling 4 higher.

Eirene checked luck at difficulty 1, rolling 13 higher.

Darren checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 25, rolling 17 higher.

Aislin GM Roll checked dex(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 25, rolling 22 higher.

Darren checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 22, rolling 3 higher.

Killian checked charm + manipulation at difficulty 15, rolling 1 higher.

"What are you guarding?" I mean, it doesn't hurt to ask, right? Harlan would really like to know what all this is about. But since he really doesn't expect an answer, he also has his bow back in hand, nocking an arrow against the bow string in preparation to react.

The sight of the three spirits, mournfully and woefully guarding this place, has Freja at odds. Her dual axes are drawn, held low and at the ready, but she does not raise them even when faced with the spectral weapons. Her eyes drift to the bodies and she observes for the others to hear, "The bodies are key to the ritual, I do not know how, but we need them moved...or ...helped." probably the latter is the better term.

Killian steps forward, brandishing sword and torch, and trying to draw himself between the figures and the others, ever the guardian it seems. "Fabien Ashford, I am Killian Ashford, grandson of Larian and great grandson of William before him, and I share the blood that once flowed in your veins! We have come to this place to lay right that which was wrong, and the gods of the Pantheon as my witness, I will see your body returned to the groves and laid to rest with your family.. Fight back against the control of the foul blood mage, stand once again with your family!" he calls out to the specter of Fabien.

Eirene's torn between the small blade with the magic properties or the security of the longer Southport basket hilt on her hip. She sticks with the alaricite as small as the scalpel is for the fact it worked on the bodies on the ramparts. The doctor watches the coalesing figures with a mix of horror and fascination but looks -past- them to their mortal remains and widens her eyes. "Release the bindings," she clarifies for Freja. "Either destroy the bodies, light them up, or at -least- get those fucking knives out of their chests! Keep them off me," the Malvici suggests as she goes for the corpses, the Ashford being her first target as Killian encourages him to fight off the curse. "I'll try to get the blades out."

"I've got this," Darren unsheathes his sword from his side, brandishing it as he angles himself in front of Fabien Ashford. "You guys deal with the bodies. I'll keep you safe." He grits his teeth and stares down Fabien, "You don't have to do this, you don't have to guard. We can help you, let my friends help you," he says, but any forward movement from the Spirit-guard sends Darren into attack mode. He sweeps his sword up, dealing a solid blow to Fabien and deftly dodging as Fabien returns blows, bringing his sword up to block the guard's attack.

Perhaps it's centuries of being out of practice, or perhaps Darren's just that good, but the Redrain prince lands a solid blow on the spectral Ashford -- and though his blade passes /through/ the blue form, it seems to hurt some nonetheless. To disrupt his form momentarily, at least, despite the blade not being alaricite. Darren's attempt to parry Fabien's return blow is successful, and then Killian's pleas draw Fabien's attention for a moment. The explorer's wry smile is perhaps painfully familiar to anyone who knows an Ashford well, as is the slight tip of his head. With great sadness, he says only, "Must guard." And yet he glances to Harlan as he says this, and then tips his head slightly towards the table of relics... even as he's already moving, almost reluctantly, for another blow on Darren, the most immediate threat.

Devan Whitewater, meanwhile, has clearly been compelled to see Darren as the biggest threat, since he's already attacking. So the Northern hunter moves in to join Fabien in his attack on Darren, saying nothing as he does so.

The blue glow along the walls is taking form into faces, hands, weapons. Soon, it might be a great many more than merely Fabien and Devan fighting the party here.

Killian checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 25, rolling 29 higher.

Aislin GM Roll checked dex(4) + small wpn(5) at difficulty 25, rolling 36 higher.

Harlan checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 20, rolling 4 higher.

Killian checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 36, rolling 3 lower.

Ouchy McStabberGhost

Killian takes minor damage.

Darren checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 25, rolling 23 higher.

Aislin GM Roll checked dex(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 25, rolling 9 higher.

Darren checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 9, rolling 11 higher.

Since an arrow in this instance might do more harm than good if Harlan's aim is at all off, he instead opts for helping with the corpses, dodging past the skirmish of spirits vs Explorers with his bow in hand. Hopefully the daggers will actually have some sort of effect on the spirits!

It one fluid moment Freja returns her axes to her hips and sprints forth in a burst of energy, sliding across the stone to sweep past the flurry of spectral blade and mortal steel. She finds herself before the body of the Northern Hunter.

Killian steps in, interposing himself between Darren and Devan, unwilling to raise a blade against his kinsman..well..since Addison isn't available to swing a sword at that is. He drives his alaricite blade against Devan, causing a brief disruption but receiving a spectral cut in return that seems to go straight through his armor, opening a minor wound beneath it. "Nnnnggghhhh...that doesn't feel great," he admits, looking towards the others to gauge their progress in a brief flicker of his attention away from the defenses. "Try not to damage the souls too much, I'd hate to think we had destroyed them after they were imprisoned so long, instead of freeing them," he calls to the others in worried tone.

While Freja's skills as a ninja are well known (or not well known, rather as ninjas are), the wirey Malvici woman demonstrates how she's managed to save many a life as a first responder. She knows where -not- to be when there's a battle nearby, almost gracefully shifting past the ghosts as they round on the prince and score ghostly blades on Killian. Her black leather coat fans behind her as she books to the bodies and kneels beside the tortured figure of the Ashford, preparing to close her hands around the nasty looking blade pinned in the chest cavity. She nods to Freja and Harlan, "On three."

Darren gives a gracious look to Killian as he comes in between himself and Devan, as he turns to face off against Fabien once more. He heaves his sword up and swings it in an arc down upon the spectre, giving Fabien a solid blow once again. He dances on booted feet as Fabien and he trade blows, deftly dodging each attack that comes his way. He does shout a, "Be careful!" to Killian when he catches sight of the blade digging past Killian's armor.

As the trio of Eirene, Freja, and Harlan dashes past the skirmish, Devan's form actually /ripples/ under the force of Killian's blow to his insubstantial body. But unfortunately, poor Killian doesn't move quite fast enough, and Devan's hunting knife scores a blow. Meanwhile, Darren and Fabien continue to exchange blows, and Fabien definitely comes off the worse in that exchange.

"Must. Guard." The blue glow along the walls has fully coalesced into the figures of the townsfolk, bearing whatever weapon they have to hand. Knives, pitchforks, even a spectral rolling pin. That last might seem comical, if it weren't for the expression of utter anguish on the poor cook's face. Now given whole form, they start to shake themselves into activity.

Those at the bodies find the knives are fairly... secure, having had a few centuries to congeal into position. It will take no small amount of effort to pull them free, alas.

Harlan takes minor damage.

Ouchies

Darren takes minor damage.

Aislin's a meaniehead

Killian takes minor damage.

Eirene takes minor damage.

Harlan checked strength at difficulty 13, rolling 5 higher.

Eirene checked strength at difficulty 13, rolling 4 lower.

Killian checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 46 higher.

Killian is overheard praising Laric for: Yer a dad!

Killian is overheard praising Aureth for: A lovely ceremony

"Now!" says Harlan without any sort of actual countdown, bow reflexively put where it needs to be and the torch set against stone so he can get the best leverage he can with to pull the blade out of Markus' smaller corpse. His effort isn't wasted as he manages to pull the stubborn dagger from its resting place.

Darren checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 20 higher.

Aislin GM Roll checked dex(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 25, rolling 14 higher.

Aislin GM Roll checked dex(4) + small wpn(5) at difficulty 25, rolling 19 higher.

Darren checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 14, rolling 15 higher.

Killian checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 19, rolling 5 higher.

Yank. "Fuck." Yank. "Fuck." Yank. Eirene is fast and good with a blade but lacks any strength; Fabien stays pinned. "Remind me to have Fergus teach me to not be a wuss," she says to Freja, waving a hand behind her to try to fend off the encroaching spirits. "Little help?!"

It takes no time at all for Freja to pull the ritual dagger from the chest of Devan's corpse. It slips free easily and she tucks the thing into her belt. A quick nod and she scoots over to try and help Eirene, "On the count of three..."

Killian continues to fight, but notices blue glowing spectral figures circling in, and so begins to move around Devan as he fights, edging to where his back is to those trying to pull the daggers out instead, backing towards Eirene in case she might need help on the next turn. He continues to fight the specter the whole way, keeping it occupied, his blade flashing in a complicated series of thrusts and feints against the ghostly northman, "I'm on the way," he calls to Eirene just in case no one beats him there.

Darren keeps his back to those makign attempts to pull the swords out of the corpses, dancing along with Fabien. This was a vicious dance, with flashes of rubicund and spectrel steel, blades glinting in the torchlight as they trade blows. Darren manages to sweep this way and that, keeping Fabien occupied so that he doesn't go after the rest of the group, and he succeeds in another solid blow to the spirit.

Another exchange of blows... but this time, at the end, as Freja pulls the dagger from Devan's chest, his spectral form wavers and then vanishes. For just an instant before it does, there's a look of such intense relief and gratitude it's almost heartbreaking. The spectral crowd now pressing in wavers for a moment too, but then solidifies once more.

When Harlan pulls the dagger from Markus' chest, there's no spectral form of the little boy to vanish; he's no warrior bound here to fight. And yet, the ghosts still waver as well.

Even more ouchies :(

Darren takes minor damage.

Eirene takes moderate damage.

Sppppooooky Spooooooky Ghost. Spoooky

Freja takes minor damage.

Did I mention Aislin is a total meaniehead?

Killian takes minor damage.

Harlan takes moderate damage.

Darren checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 25, rolling 28 higher.

Aislin GM Roll checked dex(4) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 25, rolling 27 higher.

Darren checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 27, rolling 9 lower.

Bad Fabien, no cookie

Darren takes minor damage.

Eirene checked strength at difficulty 13, rolling 3 higher.

With Freja at the ready to help with the stuck blade if necessary, and Harlan still hesitant to use his bow right now, for all the good his arrows might not even do, the elder Ashford picks up his torch. His face is a grimace from the spectral pressure, and he waves the flames of the torch at the encroaching glow of blue as though it might keep it at bay.

The ghosts are closing in and instead of helping her pull it with strength alone, Freja opts to buy Eirene time instead and rises to her feet, axes drawn to keep them at bay.

Killian moves in between the specters and those who attempt to wrench that last dagger free, grunting as the figures press in. His torch is dropped to sputter upon the floor as Hawk's Talon is drawn from it's scabbard as well, the Knight now wielding two blades of exceptional quality, even if only one is of the near mythical metal. "Stay back spirits, I have no desire to harm you!" he calls to the pressing throngs of the restless dea..livi..whatever they are. Either way though, he begins to lay about with those swords, slicing and cutting, using them to target the weapons of the villagers and attempt to focus his harm upon the weapons themselves. Pitchforks and spears, swords and knives, he swings and hacks, and more than once moves his body in the way of a spectral weapon that would drive towards those around Fabien's fallen body, taking a score of small injuries that leave him gasping and wheezing, and looking more than a little drawn as he fights on.

"I think I've wiggled it-- LOOSE!" And with a mighty pull, Eirene wrenches the knife out of the body, hoping it will sever the spirit as the others have.

"Did you get that knife out yet?" Darren calls over his shoulder as he swings his sword into Fabien again. He twists as Fabien's spectral blade comes swinging, but he's too late this time; the blade slices across his side, cutting through the leathers and into his skin. He growls out in pain, but keeps at it, swinging and swinging to keep Fabien busy.

Only Fabien remains now, though there's a faint note of /hope/ to the spectral Ashford's expression as he's seen Devan vanish. And yet he's still bound to his purpose, will he or no; he takes a blow from Darren, wavering and dimming, but strikes back once more and lands a solid hit. And then... then the dagger is freed from his chest, and with an actual audible /sigh/ of relief, Fabien vanishes as well.

With Fabien's disappearance, so too vanish the rest of the spectral townsfolk. For a moment, all is quiet. All is peaceful, as the spirits are finally freed to their rest...

...and then comes the rumbling. The shaking, as a century of neglect, of decay and wear held at bay, begins to catch up in instants. The Baronal manor begins to shake, the wood and tapestry of the blood magic sanctum crumbling away to dust.

Killian checked strength at difficulty 20, rolling 11 lower.

Eirene tugged with such force that she rocks back. As the body starts to crumble, she looks to the table they were pinned to and the remnant items. All of which have three hundred years of catch-up to play. "Okay ladies and gents. Let's get the abyss out of here before anything else can happen. Or whatever had those journals tidied up comes for us." Because after all; she hadn't seen the Baron's ghost or corpse anywhere- or why this place was even created and put under guard. "I do not want to get caught in the rubble when this all crashes down."

There's a moment where Killian looks around, and he stops and kneels beside the pile of ashes that was once Fabien Ashford, taking a pouch from his side and scooping some of the dust into it. "At least part of you will return home, Fabien, and the family will know that you fought against that monstrous power and in the end, your soul returned to its reward.." he assures quietly, before standing up and tucking the pouch into his belt. He looks around then and simply digs his feet in and charges at the nearest wall since they're crumbling anyway. Annnnd, bounces off of it. "Okay, walls are still a bit sturdy.." he grunts, effing Ashford.

"Damn it, Killian, you don't need to be breaking yourself on the way out!" Look at Harlan, all responsible and whatever. He really needs to get out more! Well, maybe not for a little bit after this. Assuming they all make it out without being crushed by something heavy on a higher floor than where they are. Never mind he does glance toward the relics that Fabien has looked at to see if anything is holding up well enough to grab before he's on his way out with everyone else.

Darren barely manages to catch his breath before everything starts to shudder and shake, and he shoves his sword back into its sheath. "Okay, folks. Looks like it's time to start booking it back to the horses," he starts, only to go wide-eyed as Killian slams himself right into a wall. "... Yeah. Let's go back up the stairs like normal people?" he smirks, and then starts running for the exit.

"Time to run. No horses, not the time to try and steal the silver." Freja sarcastically notes as she pushes herself to hte feet and would grab a relic, if time allows, but they are about to Indiana Jones the shit out of this. JOCK. START THE ENGINES.

While the damage is spread across much of the city, unsurprisingly, the worst of it is concentrated on the Baron's manor; the house collapses almost entirely to the foundation. The further one gets from the epicenter, however, the more intact the city is, and the walls themselves still stand surprisingly well. Even the inn near the gate is relatively preserved, offering a place to sleep for the night before one might set off again.

And of that eldritch blue light atop the walls? Not a single glimmer remains. No more whispers, no more sense of pressure, of hidden souls pressing in. The long watch is done, and there's no longer anything they must guard.

As for the party of explorers? Their rest, should they take it at the inn, is surprisingly untroubled. As if the spirits of the townsfolk, now freed -- or the spirits of the land, no longer held at bay -- watch over them for this one night.

Killian grunts as he bounces off the wall, shaking his head. "There was at least a -chance- that would work," he counters Harlan, favoring that shoulder a little as he moves to follow along. "Don't stand around fussing at me, let's move it!" and old cousins get shoved ahead because that's his job here and all. He follows then on the desperate flight through the collapsing building, and out into the night beyond, gasping tiredly as the building collapses and he gasps and pants, "Well..Aislin's going ot be pissed we didn't find anything to bring back..someone get her a spoon or something?"