One Day in Varden

[Aero Blue]

Met with little more than disdain, mockery and - most egregiously - apathy, Wank had made up his mind on the whole armored lot of them. They could burn, far as he was concerned. His thoughts towards them were… less than charitable, unless the height of giving was the imagery of melting one's adversary to goop, said substance congealing and amassing at the bottom of one's armored boot. Wank - with little whom were willing to address him outside of doling out singular barbs - had spent moments lost in such macabre ideations, droplets of drool rather distastefully clinging to his hideous visage.

Of the conversing lot, only the pale Holtanion had been spared such an imagined fate. Wank was not nearly so stupid as to miss Amel's idle comment towards his 'aroma', but allowed that it was the 'lessest of them evils'.

As soon as Wank saved the day and gained his honorary status as 'hero', however, the runner's ass was ash. Unlike Toleus, she had refrained from verbalizing her apparent misgivings, but it was her transgressions that pierced deepest. That long hard stare, that reluctant nod. Her trifecta of reactions, towards DiDaDoDe, to Amel, to himself… perfectly sequenced and juxtaposed so as to wound him.

But Wank could not wear such thoughts at this juncture. There was a damsel to un-distress, and a less-than-palatable thought to share.

"Ah've decided, DuDuDuDu, since we'se on the same sides and all," Wank spoke with the hint of growing mischief, his greedy gander at Deidre also encompassing Amel, "That once we saves that Lady, I'll demand her hands in marriage - first spoils of mah career! Ya'll can split the d-ow-ry with me, if ya liike."

Scurrying legs did their best impression of 'bounding forth' in a less than convincing chase of the runner.

 

[Holmishire]

Surprised at the sudden change in pace, the knight stood dumbfound for a moment. Progress had come at a pace far exceeding his expectations, but Amel wouldn't complain. Foul magics? Perfect.

"He's your leader?" he started, careful to not let his tone betray any judgement as he appraised the woman—he'd gathered that Dudududu could be nothing more than a nickname. She seemed capable enough, and thankfully more well-kept than the goblin. He couldn't help but surmise that in any other country, she'd be the one pulling the strings.

Muttering "Jakans" in slight disbelief, he took a step forward and motioned down the road. "Best we get moving; the quicker we save the girl the sooner we can address the rest of Varden's problems."

 

[Greenie]

Kidnappings to the east and west, invaders to the north... three incidents, just like Tanor Vir had mentioned... Jehan's mind, however, was still a little too preoccupied by the sudden way the robed elf had simply disappeared. He was sure there had to be some magic at play here -how else did people suddenly poof in thin air- but then again, everything here reeked of magic. Who was he and why was he dressed so strangely and spoke so oddly?

An irritated sigh escaped his lips; Jehan closed his eyes for a full two seconds to calm down and focus on the positives. It was then that he heard the dwarf's voice. Eyes snapping open, he looked down at Torgun and then up at Yazmina, hoping for some change in her. Alas, she seemed to be as bumbling as the others; she was lucky the kind dwarf was willing to lead her along.

"Neither of our eyes are playing tricks on us," he muttered, arms loosely crossed over his chest as he too looked at the spot the robed elf had been standing. "Everything thing of that man was strange, from his clothes to the things he alluded to. However... he did have some useful information." Looking back at Torgun, Jehan continued speaking, this time his voice no longer showing signs of disgruntlement, rather curiosity and a tinge of worry.

"Somebody here fiddled with... something, magic I'm assuming, or something to do with magic or the divine. He was not very clear about the 'what'. What was done however was taboo, and it's causing the leylines here to go out of control." A frown creased his forehead as he uncrossed his arms and waved in the general direction of the town. "That much is obvious... that boy I paid to watch the horse and cart mentioned his father had been choppng up horses. I'm pretty certain others are doing worse..."

He shook his head, getting back to the matter of hand. "It's as Tanos Vir mentioned, the worst are happening east, west and north. We should regroup with the others and head to those areas together. Who knows what dangers lie ahead? I would rather have others there by my side, even if it's just help to escape an unseen hole."

With that said, Jehan looked away from Torgun to see if his companions were still about. One glance was enough to see Lienne's very loud hair, and by her side, Griselda. It seemed the man they had been speaking to was finished dishing out information. "Let's go see what they've found out," he decided. He didn't wait for an answer from the dwarf as he made his way to the other two.
​

 

[HerziQuerzi]

Deidre Dydi​

Deidre watched the goblin wander off in bemused surprise. "Marriage," she mutters to herself, amused. "Gods must know, at least he's an optimist."

Turning to the knight, she tilts her head and gives a grin. "My leader? Friend, I wouldn't know a leader if one picked me up and tossed me 'round. As for getting a move on," she shrugs, and gives the knight's breastplate a small slap with the back of her hand. "I'll get right too it. You stay put for a nice second there, though. Got some fellows down the street I told to head North; don't want them getting lost. Just tell 'em Deidre says so."

And off she bounds, a hair more gracefully than Wank may have managed.

 

[Pahn]

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Yazmina Boelner


Alive... Suddenly, Possessed || Location: Varden || With: Torgun

Yazmina couldn't quite keep the smile off her face despite the odd circumstances she was finding herself in. It felt so right to be adventuring and risking her life to save those of hundreds of others. Sure the reward was one of the main reasons she'd signed up for this particular job, but it did not take out the joy of simply doing something right. Even the coldness wouldn't dampen her spirits. The tall woman even chuckled heartily at Deidre's reply about her staff; she also seemed to have some cheerfulness to her rapid walking and crazy acrobatics, so Yazmina made a mental note to keep an eye on the smaller woman as they'd progress through the town. There was nothing more heartbreaking than watching an eager adventurer's spirits broken by brutal defeat.

Once they arrived closer to the entrance of the town, Yazmina spotted something peculiar about some of the wandering folks. They looked lost and aimless, like their mind had been robbed of its sense of purpose. The cold seemed to seep deeper into her flesh, and she had to rub her eyes to focus on the group from Alfhem heading west, and Kaltassa slipping between houses towards the east. The fighter didn't have much opportunity to mention anything however, everyone seemed to go their own way, and she simply nodded to Deidre's request to watch her back while she went ahead to scout from a higher vantage point.

But everything was becoming sluggish and the cold was just so damned cold it made her feel disconnected from her surroundings. It was sticking to her skin, past the dark shadow of her heritage, inking itself in her flesh and drowning her in black waters. Just like when one dunk their head under water, everything felt far and blurry. The last thing she clearly remembered was reaching for the rope to tighten it, but her fingers slipped and then nothingness.

---

Fight. Kill. Blood. Revenge.
Sin. Sin. Sin. Sin. Sin. Sin. Sin. Sin. Sin.

No, I don't want this - I am good, I love fighting to win, not to kill.

Thirst. Thirst. Blood. Lust. Sin. Kill. Kill. Kill. KILL.
KILL, KILL, KILL!

NO!

---

"Ughhhh!" Yazmina fell to her knees, her hand going to cover her eyes from the sudden brightness that had exploded through the nothingness. A chill ran down her back and she gasped for air again, like a drowning man's saving breath, and the hand that was holding hers was strangely warm and comforting. Grounding herself into that warm contact, the fighter caught her breath and pushed herself upright. She wasn't exactly where she had been earlier, and the fogginess of her mind was stirring something awful in her chest that made some hidden violent streak she didn't even know she had throb in anticipation and exhilaration. It was worrisome and frightening, and she was about to ask whoever was holding her hand what had happened when an odd sting on her cheek made her pause. Had she tripped and fell earlier without realizing?

"I'm not entirely sure what the fuck just happened, Torgun... How long was I out? The sun hasn't moved much but we're not where I remember us being... I thought we were by the stable. Is Deidre back yet?" Letting go of the Dwarf's hand, Yazmina shook her shoulders and immediately placed her hand on the pommel of her sword. The Elf named Jehan was walking away from them and towards the crippled girl and Foulmouth, a determination in his step. Had there been any developments while she had been out? Anxiety tightened her throat and she cursed under her breath, some of her confidence crumbling away like a dry biscuit left in the sun.
​

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[Jorick]

In the wake of their short conversation with the self-proclaimed God of History, both Lienne and Griselda were struck with a strangely cold sensation. For Lienne, it was like she'd gone from wading in chill water to walking out of it into a cold winter wind. Her thoughts grew a bit hazy and muffled, but she remained mostly aware of her surroundings. Nothing intruded on her mind, though she got the sense that there was something lurking on the edges of her awareness that was waiting for her defenses to fall.

Griselda, on the other hand, was claimed entirely by the cold. She did not fight it. Some part of her had longed for the end ever since the Goddess of Death had left her with only half a living body, and she felt no urge to fight off this sudden power that seemed to promise oblivion. For a few seconds she felt like she was falling into an endless pit, but then... suddenly it stopped. The freezing embrace turned warm and comforting. Something urged her to act, and she could not resist the impulse. Her eyes slid closed as she followed the wordless guidance to cast her senses beyond her own body in some way she could not explain, and suddenly she could sense so much about this pitiful town. The newfound guiding force in her mind directed her attention to a variety of things happening in Varden, and it strangely seemed anxious to find the right place for her. It seemed somehow unable to force her into a role like most others, so it was seeking her cooperation to some degree. All of Griselda's other concerns and priorities faded away as she found two things that seemed perfect for her involvement.

The guiding force seemed unsure of how to make involvement with two events work out cleanly, but its anxious urgency calmed down all the same. It nudged Griselda forward, to get moving toward the first of her selections, but she stayed as she was for the time being and basked in the pleasant feeling of having a clear goal and a sense of purpose where not so long ago there had been mostly doubt and annoyance with her surroundings.

---

Torgun grunted and nodded at Jehan's reply. "Well, it's better than having no information, at least. You're right though, more companions is always a good th-" He was halted in his attempt to follow Jehan by way of Yazmina falling to her knees. The Dwarf turned round to see what was the matter, only to find that the problem had apparently been solved. "Well, look who's found their wits! You were out for a few minutes, nothing too serious. We're not far from the little stable, you can still see it if you look thataway." Torgun pointed a thumb back over one shoulder, toward the entrance to the town. "As for developments, nothing much that I've heard. Something about leylines making people go nutty, and I guess that's what almost got you. Let's get everyone together and see what they found out, eh?" He turned to follow Jehan and let out a sharp curse as he saw the two women were now acting strangely, much the same as Yazmina had been doing.

However, before the Elf reached them, Griselda's eyes slid open. She stared directly at Jehan for a moment, and he could see something was different in her eyes. There was something worryingly sharp about her gaze and her eyes seemed brighter than before, but the physical details of shape and color were unchanged. She grabbed hold of Lienne's wrist and walked toward Jehan, brushing right past him with brisk and purposeful steps without saying a word, and it was only once she was past him that he realized she wasn't even so much as limping now.

"The fuck happened to you?" Torgun watched Griselda with a hand resting cautiously in the hilt of a dagger hanging from his belt. He stepped over to get directly in her way, forcing her to stop to avoid colliding with him. "You look strange, and the mean girl you're pulling along looks all dazed like Yazmina did until just a moment ago." That much was true: Lienne was blinking and rubbing at her eyes with her free hand as if trying to clear her vision.

Griselda smiled at the Dwarf, but there was nothing particularly friendly about it. "I have found my purpose. It's nothing you need concern yourself with." The words were crisp and coldly formal, the talk of a noble speaking down to a peasant. She let go of Lienne's wrist and moved around Torgun, leaving the girl standing there in front of him. "There, now you've another lost sheep to play shepherd to, Dwarf."

He did indeed take hold of Lienne's hand in order to guide her along, but he did not look particularly happy with Griselda's answers. Torgun let out an annoyed sigh and looked over his shoulder to find her already hurrying along after those who had started northward. "Well that wasn't creepy and disconcerting at all. I'm already starting to hate this town." The Dwarf looked to Jehan and Yazmina to make sure they were both still in control of their own wits, then started making his way north as well, beckoning them to join him. "Let's catch up to the speedy ones, yeah?"

---

Eventually, after a few minutes of walking northward along the road, along a curve that offered nothing but worn footpaths between buildings as alternate routes, all the while having to avoid colliding with the aimless folks standing or shambling around the road, the ragtag group of adventurers more or less regrouped at the point of a blockage in the road. The blockage took the form of a crowd of angry and apparently frightened townsfolk filling most of the space between the buildings on either side. Normally this crowd of a few dozen people wouldn't have provided a serious obstacle, but they managed the job in large part thanks to a line of armed town guards, attired much the same as those who Wank and Amel had spoken to, forming a semicircle around the building on the eastern side of the road and keeping people away from it. A short distance past the crowd, the road split into two: one path heading more or less north, and another veering off to the west toward Lord Bornar's keep. The guards who had been called away by the runner were already past the crowd and hustling down the western fork. Deidre had spotted this odd disturbance in the road during her rooftop scouting, but the distance had managed to hide some important and interesting details.

The building that the guards were keeping folks away from had been horribly damaged. Shards of glass and splinters of wood and bits of metal were scattered along the road, and the exterior walls were bowed outward. It was like there'd been some kind of massive explosion inside the building, but from what they could see through the openings where windows and a door had once hung there seemed to be no burn marks and it seemed only the outermost walls had been blown away. The interior looked like a rather average home, and they could see through the nearest window hole that there was an unfinished morning meal sat upon a round table with four chairs arranged around it. The most worrisome detail of all, however, was the spray of red that covered the walls and table and chairs and everything else that they could see through that window, plus some of the entryway through the empty doorframe that stood a few feet away from that window. They were all familiar enough with the sight of blood to know that someone had died in there, but the fine spray of blood that coated everything was not something any of them had ever seen before.

A man in the same armor as the others but with a purple coat atop it was trying to shout for order and quiet, but the people seemed oblivious to his efforts. They were instead shouting questions at the guards without bothering to shut up to get answers. It was all a jumble, but a few repeated questions added a little clarity to the confusion for the newcomers on scene. 'Who died' was a popular one, as was 'where are the other three?' There seemed some certainty among the crowd that only one person had died, and that the three others were missing. Others asked questions about other disappearances, naming members of families and asking if it was related. The purple-coated man tried to yell that they were investigating and currently did not have any answers, and that all this commotion was only impeding their work, but nobody seemed to pay him any mind and the questions just kept coming.

The magically inclined members of the group could feel the unsettling remnants of some kind of powerful magic being used in the area. Normally without getting lucky or being extremely well trained to detect such things, magic usage left little behind for the average person to feel. Very powerful expenditures of magic could leave something behind that tickled a mage's specially attuned senses. This was less a tickle, more like a punch in the side of the head. For Yazmina there was something eerily familiar about it, something that felt like it called to her. It wasn't like the mental haze from not long ago: this was like someone was whispering her name just out of earshot and beckoning her closer with clear intent. Griselda stopped and stared at the house with he lips pulled back into a snarl, but that lasted only a few moments before she pressed ahead and started making her way around the crowd in a hurry.

"Adventurers!" The man in the purple coat had spotted the newly arrived group and was now waving for their attention, yelling over the insistent questions to be heard. "I could use your help, if you don't mind. We're spread thin, and..." He waved toward the crowd of people with an irritated grimace on his face. "I can make it worth your while. If you can get rid of these people peacefully or figure out what in the world happened in there, I can get you some useful supplies. Healing potions and the like, straight from our own storehouse."

The crowd refused to part to let him pass, instead using his proximity to hurl more angry questions right in his face. Griselda slipped past the other side of the mob and hurried along the western route, proving that it was quite possible to get by and continue on toward the keep, should the mystery of a bloody and shattered home not be enough to hold their interest.

 

[Aero Blue]

Single-minded individuals were as incapable of visualizing paths beside their current whim and desire, as they were wholly insufficient in imagining the myriad boulders and stones the meddlers above (or wherever) could throw in their way. Wank was, of course, a single-minded individual, even if the moniker leaned a tad bit generous, and thus expected his journey towards marital bliss to be one of no particular trouble. Stride in, grab 'princess' (as Wank now believed her to be), receive spouse of wildly superior olfactory qualities, and spend the rest of his life working out the logistics in forming the beast (it with the two rather incompatibly sized backs, of course).

The gaggle of peons that blocked the road, however, and the frayed building beside, were the first indications that his perception of the journey was too optimistic by far. Indications that Wank, of course, ignored.

After all, he was Wank the Slight, Wank the Small (all titles mentally self-ascribed on a whim), and he could simply bypass the crowd by walking around! And the strange sensation of magical residue that came from the battered house? Well, it was quite something indeed - but it wasn't the pull of an ostensibly nubile young 'princess', and so it could be rightfully ignored. He gathered up his convictions to bypass the crowd, before he heard the words.

The words being: "Healing potions."

The purple-coated man's offer struck a nerve and reverberated against the goblin's lone functional eardrum, for he had never indulged upon this quintessential aspect of the successful adventurer's life. He had long considered it to be something as fundamental, as elemental as the adventurer's first set of leather armor and their first weapon, the weapon being of questionable quality, functionality, and aesthetic. The healing potion.

Wank wondered if it tasted of cherry.

With a barely decipherable 'yarp!' of affirmation, Wank took to the proposed task.

Months ago, Wank would have contemplated simply sending flames into the crowd. Not coincidentally, months ago, Wank had gotten half of his hearing beat out of him. He had learned that it was imperative that he be careful with his flames and the machinations he imposed with them.

And so with a quick, vaguely obscene sequences of hand gestures, he allowed a plumage of violent flame to sprout from the tips of each finger, before bouncing towards the crowd. He skipped and frolicked in the deliberate emulation of a drunken dandy, swaying as if his balance were a questionable affair, as if he could fall and accidentally cause the flames to burn someone close by.

"Make way! Special delivery of… err, fii-err!"

 

[Holmishire]

Sir Amel & Yazmina
Leaderless Alliance
A collab between @Holmishire and @Pahn.​

---

Though invited into the little band of adventurers by Deidre, Amel had not yet allowed himself to consider them companions—not until he understood, at least in part, something of their minds.

And so it was that as they approached the crowd and ongoing investigation, the knight's gaze did not turn ahead. Instead, he watched as each mage hesitated upon stepping into the area. Yazmina among them, and her hesitation perhaps the longest of all. He recalled that back in town, it was she who had fallen to her knees, she who had looked around in fear. Perhaps this betrayed a greater affinity for surrounding leylines.

Stepping forward, he tapped her on the shoulder. "You look a little… uneasy. What bothers you?" He affected a slight smile. "Sorry to pry, it is only my nature; Sir Amel, if you've not yet heard."

Despite her best effort, Yazmina couldn't help but jump and tighten her fingers around the pommel of her sword at the gentle tap on her shoulder. Her heart was still racing from the recent events, and being so close to something that felt this wrong and familiar was putting her even more on edge. With an apologetic smile, her grip loosened from her sword and she chuckled lightly.

"Uneasy is a word for it. Yazmina Boelner, nice to meet a fellow fighter." She extended her hand, ungloved and with the shadows spilling from under her armour to cover her skin. Studying Sir Amel's reaction, Yazmina shrugged in response to his question and continued. "A better question would be what doesn't bother me about this whole thing. There's something going on here, more than what we can see. Dark things." The last words were mumbled mostly for herself, but loud enough for the knight to hear them.

Amel pulled off his gloves and clasped her hand firmly—though there was a clear disparity in strength. Throughout the motion he did not fail to maintain eye contact with the woman, leaving it unclear whether he found the peculiarity of her skin's shadows noteworthy, or if he had noticed at all.

"The Archmage's notice did warn as much, though it is not our nature to heed such warnings. Neither, it seems, is it theirs." He finally parted gaze to look upon the others. In particular, his eyes lingered on Deidre and Wank the longest. "So, I'll ask the better question. Do they not bother you? They've earned your trust?"

"Hmm." Yazmina's eyes followed the knights until they fell on two of her road companions. She straightened her back and let out a pensive sigh, though the man in front of her would notice the lack of hesitation in her answer. "Not much bothers me, except perhaps for this awful magic emanating from the house. Do I trust them? Eh, I trust their desire for money. It's why we're all here, glory and gold. There's no glory in letting your comrades die, is there? Deidre, the girl with the stick, she had a good spirit and I think she'd fight honourably. The goblin though? He has an awful mouth and an even more awful attitude, so I wouldn't necessarily trust my life in his hands."

Yazmina took a step forward and nudge her head for the knight to follow her, slowly pushing her way through the rowdy crowd to make it to the man who was speaking to the crowd moments ago. "The others from our travelling group, the two elves are okay I suppose, one is nearly blind and the other has the foulest mouth I've encountered." Despite her words, there was a small smile on the fighter's face as she recalled whatever nonsense the pink-haired girl had called her.

The knight took mental note of the two she did not deign to mention: the dwarf and the lady that now sought to distance herself from them. He suspected there were entirely different explanations behind their respective absences.

"There's glory in anything if the tale's spun right," he muttered, following closely in Yazmina's footsteps. He did not seem eager to find himself in the middle of such a large crowd, and made good use of the broader woman's wake to avoid having to shove his way through. "Though at this point, I should just shut up and be thankful for the help," he added with some amusement. "This magic you sense, is it strong? If so, it might be best I take point once we reach the house—dealing with magic is something of a specialty of mine."

The woman chuckled again as she elbowed a particularly rowdy man who was blocking her way, casting an intrigued look at her new companion. "Is that so? Wonderful. I royally suck at most magics, I'm not sure why this particular... Aura calls to me so much. Its familiarity is very unnerving."

Finally within arm's reach of the town guards, Yazmina wrinkled her nose as the smell of blood assaulted her. Combined with the swirling uneasiness in her chest, it made her nauseous and she had to take a few deep breaths to get used to the scent before looking back again at Sir Amel. "I believe we shall make a good team, hm? Here, come take a closer look." With ease, and because some folks were moving away from her due to the odd shadows on her skin, Yazmina created a tight path for the knight to come through. He smiled gratefully at her and then dashed through.

Unslinging his shield from his back, he asked a few pointed questions of the nearest guards—were they aware of anyone inside? did this have anything to do with the Lady Anessa? how long since the first reports of the house's disarray?—and once satisfied with the answers, thanked the man. There was some commotion back in the crowd, but he quickly disregarded it, focusing on the task at hand. Shield at the ready, Yazmina at his back, but sword sheathed for now, he stepped through the threshold.

---

[/hr]

 

[Greenie]

It was a relief when Jehan realized Yazmina was back to her senses and no longer needed to be lead about like a child. If he had to pick who was the strongest physically in their group, he'd have to pick her, so it was nice to know he could once again wield her weapon. Now that everyone was in their senses once more, he figured they were ready to proceed onward. He had no idea what had happened to Griselda all of a sudden, seeming to become more confident and walking as if she had no physical disabilities. It was almost as if the opposite of what had happened to Yazmina was happening to Griselda.​

​

"Farewell?" He doubted he was heard, but for the time being he didn't truly care; Torgun was right, this town was even weirder than he had expected it to be. Nodding his agreement to the dwarf's words, he followed after Torgun and Yazmina​

​

North then... His preference had been to search the monastery, but more that that Jehan didn't wish to be all by his lonesome and end up killed because he couldn't properly see something.​

​

By now he was used to seeing people just standing about aimlessly, so when they came upon the big angry crowd, civilians being rather angry with guards doing their job and guarding a building. From where he stood, it was hard to tell what exactly was going on, but what he lacked in sight was made up for with his sense of hearing. Death, kidnappings, missing people... this town was heading towards chaos quickly.​

​

No, it's already shaking hands with chaos.​

​

And of course, there were the remaining remnants of magic he could feel. Curiosity getting the better of him, Jehan attempted to push his way through the crowd to get a better look at the building, pausing only when he heard the called "Adventurers!" Now the guard's offer was a good one, but as someone with healing magic, the elf wasn't sure it was worth his while.​

​

Yes, the word fire should surely have the crowd scatter... Wait, that's real fire! Jehan's nod of approval quickly changed. "Move aside, people, otherwise you may find yourself lit and burning!"​

​

 

[Jorick]

As Yazmina and Amel pushed through the people standing about, Torgun followed in their wake and the three were quickly lost to site as they entered the house. It was about that same time that Wank decided it would be a fine idea to threaten strangers with fire. The crowd's initial reactions to the fire were not quite what Wank intended. The nearest people backed away, but nobody really fled. Jehan's words didn't seem to have much of an effect either. Instead of running away, the people started turning their attention and their chatter toward this new development. A few voices louder than the rest were audible over the din.

"It's a Goblin!"
"I hear they steal babies and eat 'em."
"They're like roaches too, see one then you can bet there's a dozen more lurking about."
"Maybe Goblins have been taking people to eat!"
"Yeah, Goblins must've done this!"

From there the mood of the crowd turned rather ugly, with shouts along the lines of 'get the goblin!' taking over as they turned and started closing in on Wank despite the fire. One man got too close and his shirt caught flame, but he was able to smother it with his hands as he backed away cursing. Those nearby saw it happen and started shouting that the goblin had burned someone, and that served to redouble the building anger.

A laugh bubbling up from the side didn't manage to divert their attention, but it did herald a change to come. As some of the folks of the crowd got close enough to try to grab the Goblin, fearful shouts spread through the group as more threats started to appear out of nowhere. A horde of Goblins, each wielding flaming implements poured out of the mouths of the nearby alleyways and charged toward the crowd. Deidre was using her staff to try to push people back, and suddenly both ends of it appeared to catch flame, and then she appeared to burst apart into a dozen Goblins that waved threatening weapons at the people. Jehan also seemed to suddenly change into a small pack of Goblins.

Now faced with a small army of armed and angry creatures, the villagers of Varden broke and fled. The guards stood their ground, and many of them valiantly rushed forward to defend them as they ran. It wasn't until the villagers were already on their way out that one of the guards pulled out his sword and took a swipe at one of the Goblins, only to find that it passed through with no effect whatsoever. The Goblins all seemed uninterested in the guards, as they all just kept running aimlessly and shaking weapons.

Another laugh accompanied the Goblins all fading away, with Deidre and Jehan coming back into view as well. Lienne was standing to one side of the road and lowering her hands as they faded, and given the combination of the magic the three other adventurers had felt her using and the pleased grin on her face it was quite clear that she'd been the source of the illusory horde. With just a quick glance it was also clear that something was different about her: her eyes seemed a bit brighter and there was a strange intensity in her gaze. Jehan recognized it immediately as the same sort of change that had taken hold of Griselda before she ran off. Lienne, however, seemed content to stay put for the moment as she watched the crowd scatter like it was the most entertaining thing she'd ever witnessed.

"I suppose that works." The guard captain's words were terse and irritated, but he gave the adventurers a shallow nod of acknowledgement all the same. "I am Captain Holdan, currently the highest ranking functioning member of Lord Bornar's guards. My superiors have all been claimed by the strangeness sweeping through Varden. Your... eccentric assistance was appreciated. Please come with me to the keep, I'll grab your reward from our storehouse there." Without waiting for a response, Captain Holdan turned away and shouted orders to his subordinates. A handful of them remained posted near the open front door of the damaged building, but the rest followed their captain as he hurried away to the keep, apparently in something of a rush now that the commotion was cleared away.

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"Fuck me." Torgun's soft exclamation as he entered the house was entirely warranted. The walls all around the main room of this building, an all-purpose combination of dining room and family room based on the furniture and the assortment of personal belongings scattered about, were coated with a fine red misting of blood. The ceiling had also gotten a bit of new color, as had the floor, but it seemed the vast majority of the blood was shot directly at the walls. There were only four clear spots: three blobs on the far wall of the dining area, and one on the front wall of the house that was very clearly a humanoid shape. The true cause for the exclamation, however, was the apparent source of all that blood.

Heaped in roughly the middle of the room there was a pile of what had once been a person. Now, however, it seemed to be a shriveled and bony husk that was mostly covered by the clothing the person had been wearing. The skin and clothing were both marked with countless tiny red splotches, and Torgun was the first to grasp what it meant. His voice remained hushed, but it took on a mix of awe and horror as he stared at the corpse of what had not so long ago been a living young man. "Something pulled every drop of blood out of his body and sprayed it all around. Whatever the fuck did it, I wager that was what damaged the walls, too. Never seen anything like it in all my years."

The odd sensation Yazmina had felt from outside the house was much stronger inside. She barely noted the corpse and the walls before hurrying past them, back toward the small hallway that probably led to the bedrooms. There was a small door at the end of it, what in a somewhat affluent home might be a linen closet, but it had a locking knob on it. The wordless beckoning was growing insistent, so she didn't bother even looking for a key: all it took was one hard tug to break the inch or so of wood holding the door closed.

The small space beyond the door was most certainly not a linen closet. It was about the right size for one, and it might have been intended as such originally, but now it would be more accurate to call it a shrine. There was a square pedestal that rose about two and a half feet from the ground, and the visible side was carved with runic symbols that weren't at all similar to any written language Yazmina had seen. There was nothing inherently magical about it, but the item atop it was most definitely imbued with some kind of magic. It was a stone statue of an array of people in a confusing jumble, and it took her a little bit to make out details. A woman was stabbing a man, and that man was apparently having sex with another man while eating a fistful of what appeared to be meat ripped from his partner's back, and the man being consumed was bent over playing dice with a man who was staring at another person with envy burning in their eyes, and on and on it went in a sickening chain through a dozen people until it reached a young boy who was picking the initial woman's pocket while an old woman watched with pride in her eyes. It was a cycle of a variety of sinful behavior that had neither beginning nor end, and as soon as she realized it Yazmina knew what it was.

"An altar to the God of Sin."

She didn't realize she'd spoken the thought aloud until the words were already out of her mouth, but she knew deep down that it was an accurate description. That explained the strange pull she'd felt, at the very least. There was a small bowl in the altar that appeared to have been used for sacrifices of some kind, but the muddy brown stain at the bottom provided no hints as to what exactly was put in there. It was enough to tell that this altar had been in use for a long time though, probably many years given the smoothly worn edges of the top of pedestal upon which the altar rested.

Amel heard Yazmina's words, and it seemed Torgun had as well as he hurried down the hall to take a look for himself. It all reminded him of something he'd heard about, or perhaps something he'd read. The murder that likely could not be accomplished with mortal means, the disappearances in this home and elsewhere, and the altar. It all came together and finally clicked with one word: Servitors. At some point in his education he had heard the theory that Servitors were not unique creations of the gods they served, but rather were in fact mortal worshippers of those gods who were brought into their personal divine realms to serve, and that some mix of being granted the boon of their god and living in those realms was what changed their appearance so greatly from that of a normal mortal. Such choosings were said to always come with some unexplained phenomenon left in the wake of the disappearances, and the shriveled corpse and bloodied walls probably qualified as such a phenomenon.

It was impossible to say if that was the truth or simply the best fit Amel could come up with, but it was certainly better than the lack of answers the Varden guards had. Unfortunately, based on the noise that came from outside, it was pretty clear that the crowd had already been dispersed and many of the guards were on their way away from the house. There wasn't much left to do for those inside but to rejoin their fellows and follow along, and perhaps share their findings if they were so inclined.

 

[Aero Blue]

When it had all ended, Wank found he no longer thought of imminent reward nor the prospect of hopefully succulent healing potion.

The sight of the encroaching mob had paralyzed him with the venom of a familiar fear, enraptured him within the memory of the first time the diminutive goblin had felt truly small, gripped him once again with knowledge of the taller-folk's truest nature: the one that had them beat the snot out of littler folk. For a moment, panic had rendered the world silent around him, as if his one good ear had already had the sense taken from it.

Then, there had been the euphoria of victory, as his brethren -- who rose and rallied around him! Him! The New-Age Grand Revolutionary-Goblin-King! -- arose from whatever unseemly crevasses to take back their pride, their power, their dignity! Lo, did the dogs of war bark and bite with righteous fervor (even if, as illusions, they really didn't at all). The arterial pounding of joyful adrenaline flooded to fill the silent void of his hearing, and the catharsis of past defeats expelled warmed his body.

Until, of course, his false brethren faded away, and his victory was proven to be untrue, and the work of a taller-folk.

"... Lead da way..." Wank muttered, to the backs of the Captain and his soldiers.

 

[Greenie]

Well, that hadn't gone as Jehan had expected, and he assumed not at all how Wank had expected things to go. There was the small struggle in his mind; should he head to his comrade's aid or should he stay put? Thankfully that decision was snatched away from his hands in the way of many, many goblins. It seemed these people needed more than a little fire to get skedaddling; thankfully the illusion had done the trick.​

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"I suppose that was amusing," he murmured to himself as the last of the villagers rushed away. Hearing the laughter from before, he turned in its direction and was greeted by Lienne and her loud hair. His eyes immediately recognized the look in her eyes. Well, well, well... the same as Griselda. Will she be heading off too? His partially idle thought was interrupted as the guard spoke up, asking them to follow him to the keep. As before, he wasn't interested in any reward, but he figured it was worth following after the captain for more information.​

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First however... He looked to the house where he reckoned their other companions had gone inside to investigate. "I'll wait here for Torgun and the others," he decided, looking to Wank's back and then to Deidre. "You two go on ahead, doubt they should take much longer..." He figured the chaos during the goblin attack and the subsequent goblin swarm must have given them ample time to pick up some clues.​

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[Holmishire]

Amel was already in a poor mood when he stepped out of the house. A man was dead, and as best he could tell, it was the gods' handiwork—and that meant there was nothing they could do about it: there is no dealing justice to a god.

The apparent disappearance of what was once a lively crowd did little to improve his temper.

Sputtering for a moment as he struggled to make sense of what had happened, he saw no sign of Captain Holdan to enlighten him. So he stomped up to the nearest member of his party, and took a moment to forcibly relax his posture before speaking. It proved very ineffective at hiding his irritation, and his subsequent words came through gritted teeth. "Where the hell did everyone go."

 

[Pahn]

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Yazmina Boelner


Alive || Outside the destroyed house || With: Torgun, Sir Amel, Jehan

The fighter followed Sir Amel and Torgun out the house, a heavy feeling of uneasiness swimming in her belly. Was everything that was going on here the fault of the God of Sin? The shade on her flesh almost felt cold now, but she knew it was just her mind playing tricks on her. Yazmina barely registered the absence of a crowd outside the house, but Sir Amel's mumbled words brought her out of her stupor. Her eyes found one of their companions, the elf with poor eyesight, and she nudged the two men to come along.

"Where are the others? We found quite the interesting... Display, in there. An altar to the God of Sin, and for all we know it's extreme devotion that killed 'em. I'm not sure how I feel about this..." Yazmina bit the inside of her cheek and frowned, but the twinkle of determination had been rekindled in her eyes. "Now that we know the gods are involved in this fucking mess, we better start cleaning up and fast."

Omitting the fact that she was a daughter of the God of Sin, Yazmina motioned everyone from their travelling group that was nearby to start heading out towards the keep. Wank was still visible from their position and she would be damned if she'd let that snivelling goblin hoard part of her reward. Besides - the captain might have more information about any particular cults devoted to servicing her father. "We should keep going. I'm hoping Captain Holdan knows a bit more about the odd religious dealings going on here."
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[CrystalTears]

Arwen & Masawa

Interactions: Yazmina, Sir Amel, Jehan & Torgun

The girl had left the safety of the woods and hit the road in the search for adventure, to see all of what the world had to offer and some more. The quiver clicked against her thigh with each step she took, a dark cloak and hood over her small features. A pale face and light green eyes scouting around the town she had walked into, taking in the many sights that the forest could not provide. Next to her stood her black jaguar, Masawa, was his name. A male feline that usually caught the interest of many as he protected the girl from dangers she didn't even know. Her lifelong companion and best friend, together since they were but defenseless kids.

Arwen had expected the town to be lively and brimming with life but was instead met with people screaming in panic and pleading for help. "G- Goblins!" Her ears managed to pick up. "T- They're coming! They're going to eat us all!" It was easy to tell where they were running away from, and she could head in that direction with ease.

This was her chance! She had wanted adventure! Wanted to go out and make a name for herself, like her father, she would become an adventurer! What better way to start that than to save a town from a horde of goblins?

"Arwen!" A deep and dark male voice rang in her head. It was her bond with Masawa, a telepathic bond the two of them had with the help of the collar around his neck and matching choker she had around hers. "Are you going into a horde of goblins on your own?"

"Don't be stupid," Arwen replies. "You're with me, so I'm not alone at all!" And with that, the girl charges ahead with her bow and an enchanted arrow in hand.

"Arw- hey!" The jaguar growls but ran after her nonetheless, having little choice in the matter. Some would find it hard to believe, but he was the voice of logic between the two of them.

The crowd of people that were running away was slowly starting to dwindle down, meaning she had to be closer to the source of their desperate escape. However, her face turned from excitement to disappointment when she saw a group of people standing still in the middle of all the chaos as if none of it had bothered them. It was impossible for them to have taken them all out, and there were signs of a battle! Could she have run in the wrong direction? Hastily, she ran over to the far too calm people gathered in the empty square with Masawa tailing behind her with an unamused facial expression.

"Excuse me," she greeted them. "The people said there was a horde of goblin in town that was going to eat them, do you know where they went?"

 

[HerziQuerzi]

Deidre Dydi​

Deidre sighed in the aftermath of the chaos, as Holden walked off and the others came back out of the building. "We scattered them, as asked," she said to Amel, before turning to the new voice. "There ain't a horde o- oh fu-"

Her words were interrupted by a violent sneeze, and she quickly hopped back from the jaguar-devil riding she-devil. "Keep that thing away from me. Gods." With a sniffle, she looked around for a moment, thinking. At the others of the group, milling about, talking about getting information and rewards. Not doing anything. It was frustrating, and making her antsy.

Giving Wank a friendly tap on the shoulder with her quarterstaff, and catching Yazmina's eyes with her own, she gestured down the Western road. "Forget the Captain and his keep. I may not be no scholar, but I must have the clearest mind here. Lady Anessa? Kidnapped? In need of urgent aid?" Hopping from foot to foot, she began to jog off. "It's the same way anyway; if you feel like taking a breather after all this here hard work we've done, you're welcome to stop off. But I'm for-" she pauses and grins, "well, Wank's future wife, it seems."

 

[Jorick]

The hubbub of anger and questions in front of the house received a single declarative answer: "I made them all go away!" Lienne didn't bother to address the answer specifically toward anyone, perhaps because she was too busy rushing toward Masawa to pet the large jaguar like he was a mere housecat.

Torgun sighed and shook his head at the foolish girl. "Well, if she goes and gets her head bitten off, ain't our fault. Anyway," he gave Arwen a quick nod of welcoming acknowledgement, "seems whatever Goblins were here have vanished. Sounds to me like the crazy one assaulting your cat pulled some trickery, which must've scared off the people." He flashed her a grin, showing off his glimmering mithril tooth. "I'm Torgun Falsetooth, nice to meet you. Seems you've got your head on straight. Dunno about everyone else, but I'd be happy to have another sane person on hand to figure out how to save this freakshow of a town."

The group eventually did get moving down the western road. After turning that way, they found their path ahead eerily empty. Where the road that ran north from the only viable entrance to Varden had been full of people both coherent and claimed by the influence of the leylines, and businesses had lined the way on both sides, this long stretch of road had almost none of it. They passed a couple taverns that were nearly empty and one small seamstress' shop on the way, and there were half a dozen people standing about and staring aimlessly, but otherwise it was all quiet houses. Even in the distance, at the base of the hill that held the keep aloft above the rest of the town, there were only a few places of business to be seen. To those who had traveled about and seen a goodly number of towns and cities, this layout was likely an oddity, since the lord's abode in smaller towns tended to be the gathering point for activity of all sorts. Instead, it seemed that for Varden it was the entrance, or perhaps the exit, of the town that had become the center of activity.

It was not an entirely boring walk, but close to it. They could see the troop of armored men and women pulling away in the distance, making it clear they were in too much of a hurry to simply walk, and they disappeared behind the walls of the keep shortly after the adventurers made it halfway there. Off to the sides, down alleyways and smaller walkways between houses, there were a couple things that caught various eyes. Wank, Amel, and Deidre both spotted someone matching their progress to the west for a ways, but couldn't quite make out the details before they hurried on ahead and were lost to sight. Yazmina caught sight of him as well, and she got a good enough look for a moment to identify him as Whalebones, the Human fellow from Alfhem who'd entered town along with most of the adventurers present. Jehan didn't notice the man, but he was the only one to spot something else: a rat, clearly dead and partway decomposed, but also still very clearly moving. It was there just for a moment, pausing as the loud group passed by, before it scurried into the gap between a couple barrels standing in an alley. There was no immediate explanation for an undead rat at hand, but it probably did not bode well for whatever was going on in Varden. The combination of Masawa's keen senses and Arwen's own sharp eyes made her the only one to independently notice both the person and the undead rat, though of course she had no idea who the man was. Lienne seemed not to notice anything as she kept on trying to pet Masawa, and Torgun was too busy trying to keep her from bothering the jaguar to pay attention to his surroundings.

As they ascended the hill toward the keep, the adventurers were quickly relieved of any boredom that had accumulated. Griselda, who they hadn't seen since she took off on her own, reappeared from one of the side streets not far ahead of them with something moving in one hand. She stopped and stared down at the approaching group with eyes devoid of emotion for just a couple seconds, and that was enough for everyone to get a good look at what she was holding: a skeletal cat, with only scraps of flesh hanging off of it, that seemed to be struggling to get away from her. Griselda offered no explanation before turning and hurrying up toward the keep. Lienne broke away from Masawa with a hushed murmur full of childlike glee. "Ooooh, skele-kitty." She sprinted off after Griselda without another word to the group, though as she caught up with the other woman she was loud enough in her pleas to pet the skeletal cat that they could hear it just fun even from a distance.

Once they crested the very top of the hill a minute later, the group of adventurers were greeted with a vision of utter chaos through the open gates of the keep standing a few dozen feet away. The walls of the keep were overrun with moss and some tufts of grass springing from cracks near the base, and the hinges of the heavy wooden doors had rusted so badly that it was quite clear they had stood open for many years; despite being meant for the purpose, this was one keep that was absolutely not prepared to withstand any sort of siege. Griselda and Lienne (who was now in possession of the 'skele-kitty' and petting its bony head) slipped off to the side and out of view as soon as they passed the outer wall, which raised no immediate challenge or alarm from those within. Beyond that, the courtyard was full of men and women rushing around throwing things on a pair of carts and hauling weapons out of what seemed to be an armory and helping one another put on armor, all of it with Captain Holdan standing in the middle of the ruckus shouting orders with frustration very evident in his voice. Past that mess of activity, a set of stairs that rose perhaps three feet in total to reach the entrance of the keep proper inside the walls, and near the top of those stairs stood an aging Human man wearing mismatching blue wool pants and yellow silk shirt under a very loosely tied robe. He watched the guards with weary sadness in his eyes, though that broke into anger whenever his gaze turned to Captain Holdan.

Two figures emerged from the chaos and made it to the gate at about the same time as one another and the adventurers. One looked quite irritated and was leading a horse by reins held in one hand, and everyone but Arwen recognized him as Sir Toleus. The other was an out of breath man wearing armor and Lord Bornar's insignia, and he looked very relieved to see them. He spoke up quickly as he foisted a small wooden box off on Yazmina, who was the nearest person aside from Wank. "Captain Holdan sent me to give you lot your reward, glad you didn't make me go back downhill. Three potions that'll heal minor wounds quickly and do some good for anything worse an enchanted cap that makes the wearer real stupid? Dunno why we even had that, but he said might as well give it folks who might find a use for it. We're real busy all the sudden, so uh, thanks for the help? I've got to..." The man trailed off with a bewildered look in his eyes, then shrugged and rushed back into the courtyard.

Sir Toleus grimaced and shook his head, glaring at the fleeing man but seemingly directing his words to the adventurers. "It's treason, I say. Lord Bornar is not much of a lord, particularly when he looks like he just rolled out of bed, but he is still the lord. Apparently these wretches are disobeying his orders to rescue his daughters and are heading north to deal with some supposed threat to the farmers?" The knight let out a snort of a laugh and spat on the ground to show what he thought of the notion. "Before a guard rudely interrupted us with some nonsense about Orcs, Lord Bornar promised lavish rewards for anyone who helps save his daughter. I mean to collect on that promise. You lot are welcome to join me, but do know that as the leader of this expedition I will take the lion's share of any rewards." With that said, Sir Toleus did not bother to wait for an answer before striding past the gateway and turning down a path that appeared to wind down from one side of the gate to the western side of the hill, clearly intent on doing just as he said.

"Prick." Torgun's muttered word either went unheard or didn't merit a response from the knight. The Dwarf glanced round to his companions, then into the mess of preparations taking place in the keep's courtyard. "Well, loathe as I am to follow that walking, talking arse of a man, seems that's what's on the agenda if we're set on helping to save the kidnapped lady. Might as well get moving if that's still the plan, right?" The Dwarf looked to the others for confirmation as he slowly stepped toward that same path to the west, clearly waiting to see what they had in mind before fully committing to the plan.

 

[Pahn]

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Yazmina Boelner


Alive || Inside Lord Bornar's Keep || With: Everyone

"Uhh, thanks." Yazmina held the box with the healing potions and the enchanted cap as the man handed it to her, but he was gone before she could finish. She blinked a few times as she took in her surroundings, and tutted once her eyes found Sir Toleus The Asshole.

"As much as the promise of lavish rewards sounds interesting, I'm not fond of the idea of fighting along side a man like him. Leader of the expedition, my ass..." Setting the box down on the ground, Yazmina fished out the healing potions and handed one to Wank, one to Jehan, and one to Deidre. There was no particular reason for her giving one to Deidre or Jehan, but the last thing she wanted was to have a firecracking goblin up her ass all day.

"Before we decide - what did you guys find out while I was, uh... out of it?" The fighter asked as she remained kneeled down, fiddling with the enchanted cap and looking at the others who'd gone their own way earlier.
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[Aero Blue]

"... That da promused day of goblin suhpremacy is still buht a dream, for now…"

He focused his forlorn gaze at the healing potion, the still substance that he had yearned for but minutes prior. Suddenly, it seemed just… a liquid, or perhaps even worse, a consolatory trophy awarded in light of his recent embarrassment and humiliation. What was worse was that their ranks seemed to have been replenished by some furred creature whose maw seemed quite adequate for goblin consumption -- and Sir Toleus as well, if they continued along with the quest for Wank's future wife, which was fully his intention.

"I ain't learned none but a trifle; mah future wife's been magics away 'cross da river and I intend to save 'er, tall-folk are savages, and ah want to snug the dumb-ass hat on Sir Buttholeus fer a good time."

He took to following up those words by popping open the healing potion and -- still decidedly not in need of healing -- made to drink it. Instant gratification and all.

 

[Greenie]

As the group made their way to the Lord's keep, Jehan couldn't keep himself from looking to the newcomer among them, and more than her at the large black cat which accompanied her. She didn't seem to be affected by the leylines, so that was a relief. Still, was that beast tame enough that it wouldn't attack others? They already had enough danger surrounding that as it were.

Then, as if the jaguar wasn't enough- Is that a dead rat?! He wasn't sure how he'd managed to see what he had and blamed it on his terrible vision.

Reaching the keep and hearing the subsequent call of 'Skele-kitty' told the elf that he did indeed see what he hoped he hadn't. The confirmation didn't do any good for him and instead brought a frown to crease his forehead. Did they have to deal with a necromancer as well now? As if things couldn't seem worse, the group was 'graced' with the presence of Sir Toleus once they were given their reward. Jehan hid his distaste well enough, but he couldn't help but nod in agreement to Torgun's comment and Yazmina's remark once the man was gone. Toleus was indeed a prick and it would be irksome to follow him.

Still, they had all agreed they would be heading off to find the Lord's daughter, and it certainly seemed as if the goblin wasn't going to change his mind about-

"Wait, Wank!" He reached out and made to take hold of the goblin's arm, though he didn't actually touch it. "Keep the potion for when you really need it." Unsure if the goblin would even listen to reasoning, he tried a different tactic. "Perhaps the, er, princess may be in need of it? Being kidnapped can be rather rough."

@Shizuochan
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