stonegod's Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: Ch. I [IC]

Tessa followed the others into the inn, still a bit amazed by the force of Janis' speech. With her sight restored, she moved more confidently, but her voice was still quiet. After examining Urik's injuries, she turned to her compatriots. "We have quite a battle ahead of us tonight, I think, and while I have only a little power left, some of it could help this man. Should I do what I can here, or save my energy for later?" Turning to Urik, she asked him more directly, "And if we can heal your injuries, sir, would you come with us to the Hill?"

I have not found mention of Irena's wounds being healed, and Urik's own wounds are in need of healing, as are Ashlyn's own.

Having examined Urik to determine the extent of his injuries, Ashlyn turns to look at Hurrn and she stares at the bird for a long moment before she smiles. She first turns her head towards Tessa, "Save your spells, I'm certain we will have need for them later, ..."
Ashlyn then turns back to look at Urik as she continues speaking, now with iron determination in her voice, "... and though I cannot heal all that ails you, I can ease the worst of it and heal both Irena's wounds and mine own at the same time. And I will not take no for an answer."

Ashlyn again calls on the blessing of the host as she draws on something from within herself and for a few moments, healing energies fill those within the room.

[Use turn undead -> sacred healing (15hp healing to everyone within the room (particulary Irena & Urik; also heals the 5pts subdual damage Ashlyn took earlier)]


Ashlyn then looks at Hurrn, "See that he gets some rest, he may well need it in the days to come."

Jarrith joins the others in the Vine, and makes his way over to the counter to get a drink. The barkeep asks if he wants another glass of wine like he was guzzling yesterday... and Jarrith has to take a few seconds to think about it. The warm fuzzies that come with incessant drinking are a good way to wash away the strains of mental pain... but he comes to the conclusion that he all he would be doing is masking the pain, not dealing with it. And if Khensu, Marot, Urik, Victor and the townsfolk are all dealing with their pain... he probably should too. Jarrith finally replies with a "Um... no thanks, I actually think I'm okay." and he joins the others at the table.

"Well, first things first, I guess. Did we acquire the sword?" When he receives a nod from Lady Ashlyn, his body sighs with a release of tension. At least one thing has gone right with their trip to the woods.

"That is good to hear. Now... our next issue is tonight." Before he continues though, he quickly shuts up and looks around the tavern to see who is around. It was made apparent that those who were planning the ceremony tonight could be any number of people who worship or pray to the Verdant Lord... and the last thing he wants to do is make their plans openly.

He stands up from the table and says to the group "I think it'd be best if we speak privately. Let's go up to one of our rooms, shall we? We can fill other people in as we need."

The Visanti say nothing, but melt into the crowd. Janis' eyes are good, but these dark folk have long practice at vanishing.

Ashlyn's power brings warmth back to Urik, but his still heavily wounded. She suspects that it would take most of her strength to bring the man to full health, even in his weakened state. Ireena is not currently in the tavern, having seen to burial duty earlier.

The knight sleeps through it all. He does not hear Tessa unless he is woken. But she makes the same judgement the paladin does.

There is one private area that could be used for a meeting room. The other dinning room is currently serving as Mateusz's office; the smaller room is used for the storage of extra furniture.

Ashlyn nods at Jarrith's suggestion and joins him as he heads to the smaller room.

Once the others have all filed into the private room, she glances over to make sure that the door is closed before turning to Jarrith and speaking, "We did find a blade, but as to whether it is the one I seek, we shall have to see. I would like to take a look at the Lord ir'Zarovich's library if opportunity permits, perhaps it might have texts there that would confirm the history of the blade and allow me to ascertain whether this is indeed it."

Ashlyn pauses a moment, "But with regards to the more immediate problems, being that of tonight's activities, Jarrith is correct, we should have some sort of plan for that what we wish to achieve. The question is however, exactly what do we wish to achieve? Is is sufficient to disrupt the ceremony, to acquire the symbol, to eliminate the green hag, some combination of the above, or is there somethin that I have missed?"

Ashlyn pauses again, but this time only very briefly, "Furthermore, when, exactly do we want to act? Before the ceremony or during it? Again this depends on what we wish to achieve."

Ashlyn then sits back, to give the others time to contemplate and discuss their aims.

Janis frowns and casts a simple spell, hoping to discover if their meeting has more ears and onlookers than they plan.

OOC:Casting Detect Magic and looking at the room and her companions for anything unusual or out of the ordinary.

Jarrith shrugs. "I am willing to bet they are all one and the same. If the hag is leading this ceremony, chances are she will have the symbol on her. To get the symbol will mean destroying the hag and thus the ceremony will fail as a consequence."

Jarrith flexes his fingers and paces the small room a bit, thinking about the upcoming scenarios. "As far as the best method to stop this thing... we know it is happening tonight with the new moon. So we either hide out on the mountain pass and take out anyone who makes their way up to the ruins... or we hide up in the ruins themselves and take the battle to them when they finish congregating. But in either case... I think the sooner we can get there to stake out our hiding spots, the better off we'll be."

He pulls out a parchment and quickly sketches out a map of the ruins from what can remember. "The area is circular... the outer walls are thick and high. I do not know if we'd be able to climb up onto them, but if so... and there's perhaps a walkway on top... that might be a good place we could hide and then attack from. If not, there are various walls and interior buildings within the ruin we might be able to hide in... or at the very least, in the surrounding bushes around the ruin itself."

He puts the pen down and looks at the others. "I do think we may want to wait until they congregate, because we need to make sure the hag is there. For she will be the one who would possess the Symbol and she needs to think the ceremony is going off without a hitch, otherwise she might not even show up. And then we'll never get the item off of her."

Marot the Deadly

"Many thanks to you, madam," Marot says to the Jorasco healer,"Your gift is truly something to behold. I don't know if I could ever have gotten used to being blind..."

He gets up from the chair and rejoins the group. He was glad to see the familiar faces of Khensu and Jarrith, but his heart sank a bit when he remembered how Jarrith had left him and the group out in the woods. The memories of last night and earlier were still fresh in his mind. Although his sight had returned, he still didn't feel......right. He had thought that after he got away from the nymph's cave or corpse, perhaps the voices would quiet down somewhat, but they hadn't. He then thought that when his sight was restored, the voices would quiet, but they hadn't.


His anxiety level was still high, and he was also concerned with Khensu's actions last night. Something didn't ring true about his instantaneous transformation. All that he could recall about lycanthropy was that it took some time to manifest itself.

He pulls Jarrith and Khensu aside, telling them that he needs to talk privately with them.

"I feel as if something has corrupted me -- this land, or the fey in the woods. I had thought perhaps it was the blindness, or some spell she had placed upon me, but it still persists -- I am hearing these voices in my head.. Unclean voices. I do not know what to do about it, but I will be honest, I need your support -- both physically and spiritually. I felt incredibly alone out in the woods after you left, Jarrith. Although I am not of your order, during my travels with the both of you, I've come to rely on your support to help keep me on the Flame's path."

He grimaces slightly,"In the battle with the nymph, I felt as if I had partially given in to my fiendish roots... The blindness washed over me and trapped me within an old nightmare, and I vaguely remember lashing out blindly with searing hate and rage."

"It was after this experience that the voices started. And even now, I can hear them, quietly, in the back of my head."

"I fear that a small portion of my conscious has been stolen from me -- I do not know if it is this land, with all of the misery shrouding and covering it all -- or whether something else, within me, which has been released."

He can't get the thought out of his head that perhaps THIS was what Gan'dal Homm forwarned him about, all those years ago. Could the rakshasa's be calling him back into the fold? Would he be able to resist their call?

"All I know is that I do not feel right, I do not feel pure, or clean. I fear my soul has been attacked and wounded, but I do not know exactly how to set it right, or attempt to heal it."

"That is why I feel the need to be in the company of the both of you while in this land."

He looks between the stalker and the inquisitor with a sad look on his face, and a heavy shadow upon his soul.

"Without the strength of the Flame, I fear I will falter and slip into the darkness."

He pauses a moment. Then looks back at the shifter.

"Khensu, on another, disturbing front, from my studies of lycanthropy, I cannot recall an instance where a bite from a were-creature caused one to shift immediately -- by all accounts, the curse or disease takes days to manifest itself before it happens... But I would not put anything past this foul land and the curses that abound everywhere."

[D]aaa[/D]


Upon rejoining the others in the 'private' meeting room, Marot scans the room, using his keen vision to see those things that would wish to remain hidden with magic.

[sblock=Jarrith][Sense Motive/Spot]

Jarrith's training focuses on noticing when something is off... and Marot is right, there is something off about him. Of course, after all he has seen... and read... Jarrith would be be surprised if all of them were going mad. Could he still trust Marot? Probably. But he had already been fouled once.[/sblock]

Khensu sighs heavily at Marot's words. "The rage.. the pure anger of it... I I do not think it was a physical transformation. But... something overcame me. I can only blame my weakness. My heritage..."

---

No signs of magical eavesdroppers can be felt, and no unusual magic radiates off the gathered. In the close quarters, everyone does noticing something... tangible... about Khensu. When near him before, there was always an aura of confidence, much like inspiration one gains near the lady paladin.

It is gone.

Jarrith sighs at Marot's words and Khensu's reply. The land has befouled all of them. None of them are safe. "We all have a black spot on our soul. I felt something... like a maggot infesting me... after I finished the priest's journal. You hear voices, Marot... whereas I just feel eyes upon me from all sides."

When the warlock mentions feeling alone after he left, Jarrith's guilt overtakes him. "I am so sorry, my friend. I felt that morning the same exact way you did later. I came back here to lean on Khensu... when I could have just leaned on you. But I was weak... scared... and for that, I apologize. I swear that you can count on me... both of you can count on me... when you feel the need. The three of us together, Lumin Brothers all, can see us through this experience and hopefully come out the other side with a greater understanding of what the Flame asks of us."

Khensu's face gives away his agony that he cannot sense the Flame whatsoever, and Jarrith places his hand on the big man's shoulder. "According to Madame Eva... the castle's chapel is the last vestige of holiness in this land. Once we deal with the witches, I think we must all venture up to the castle and see if the Lord within will allow us to hold vigil there. We must convene with the Flame, try to cleanse ourselves, try to hear the voice again. Yes? Good."