Midnight - Crown of Shadow

[Emiricol]

Elig noted the scene. Silently cursing the weakness of the women and the impulsiveness of Kal. Hopefully whoever did this was not still around, but if they were, Kal was already lost. Elig noted all this sadly, then motioned to Choric and Tamari. Very quietly, he said, "I don't see any immediate threat and it looks like poor Tad has been up there for a while. Nothing we can do for him but end his misery, but maybe someone else lives. Let's give it a moment to see if Kal gets himself killed, then move in."

Elig peers intently at the house, at the forest all around, hoping to spot any movement.

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Aerenar Tell

Catching sight of the horror in front Aeren stops in mid stride. Causeing himself to trip and land heavily on his knees. A split second later comprehension set in and he emptied the contenets of his stomach on the ground in front of him. Thankfully he hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so he mostly coughed up bile.

After a few seconds he wiped his moulth and stood up, not looking at the farmer, but instead turning to look back at the others. The look of horror on his face clear to everyone.

 

[Guest 11456]

Choric, trying not to look at the impaled man, moves to where something is smoking on opposite forest edge. He tries to keep his composure. He keeps his mace at the ready in case of trouble.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

I don't see any immediate threat and it looks like poor Tad has been up there for a while.[/COLOR]

OOC: Hard to tell unless you get closer. As of now, you are about 40ft from him.

Tad's convulsing eased a moment, and his eyes seemed to focus on Choric as he moved closer. Obviously, the man is mad from pain, but it seems he has had a moment of clarity.

"He...hel....hellllpppp.....mmmeeeee....." he mumbled weakly. Another stream of blood began out of the corner of his mouth. His eyes fluttered, and again the convulsions wracked him. He slid another half inch down the spear and for a moment you thought you heard the distinct sound of wood sliding against bone.

OOC: Is Kal still going to go inside? He could probably bash the door open. He isn't aware of Tad, but he can see the others out of the corner of his eye and saw two characters vomit.


Layout/Update:

We have a farmhouse (on fire).

The PCs approached the farmhouse from the rear and moved around the left side to get a look at Tad. They are now standing roughly by the left side of the house (except Choric who just moved). Tad is roughly 40ft away and is impaled directly out in front of the house.

Kal is at the back door.

The smoking object is on the other side of the farm. You'd have to walk right past Tad or go around him to get to it. When Choric gets within 20ft of Tad, Tad speaks.

I assume Ilsha has cought up with the others and is with the main group. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Just so you know, on the other side of the house (about 150ft away from it), Bailey has a small barn and a pen for his livestock. Noone has gotten in a position to see it yet. You'd have to go around the house to get a look.

From the moment you arrived at the edge of the forest, till now, about 30 seconds have expired.

If some of this doesn't correspond with what you had in mind for your character, be sure to let me know.

 

[Tokiwong]

Ilsha nearly feinted, but instead emptied the contents of her stomach, in a mess that was not befitting a young lady, "The Shadow..." she murmurs, "the shadows," through teary eyes, "why!?"

Ilsha although wishing to turn away cannot, the image slowly burning into every crevice of her mind, burning right into her soul, the sight a horror to her sheltered life. She wept for the man, she wept for the fire, she wept because she knew not what she could do...

 

[Guest 11456]

Choric moves closer to the impaled figure.

"Wha... What can I do? Ho... How do you still live? What happened here? Where are the others?"

Choric looks around for any signs of life.

 

[Swashbuckler]

OoC: I've edited my last post to be in line with what transpired at the back door.
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IC:

Silence from inside the burning farmhouse.

Kal suddenly noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw Aerenar and the girl heaving their stomachs into the snowy ground. What the ...

Moving toward them, he was speaking. "What are you two doing? Are you okay?"

Then he saw what had made them retch. Poor Tad Bailey, impaled like a visceral animal on parade, twitching and spasming on a pike. He felt his stomach do a lurch, but he fought the feeling down. Kal stood there, staring, at the poor form of the farmer. He knew then that it would be a miracle if anyone else on the farm had survived.

He also knew rage. Rage at what had become of the farmer, rage at the obvious implications of the sight (moreso whom or what was responsible), rage at his own worthless standing as a town 'guard'. His grip on his mace tightened considerably. He was vaguely aware of Tad trying to speak to Choric. The man, near his own age, was sputtering out his last breaths of his life, while his blood pooled in an ever-increasing dark stain at his feet.

Kal was not even really consciously aware of the growl that escaped his lips, but all of his thoughts suddenly turned to the farmhouse, and to the door. The locked door. The door that might - against even his own intuition - have someone alive behind it, in desperate need of help.

He bounded to the door in just a few steps, and unleased all of his angst on the door with his mace.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

The force from Kal's charge was enough to rip the old door from it's rusty hinges. A wave of heat erupted from the opening, and washed over him as he staggered inside. The roof was the worst of it, almost completely aflame. One of the interior walls appeared to have suffered heavy damage. Judging from the scattered debris, this is where at least one of the bolts of lightning had hit.

Kal looked around in a panic, his eyes burned and he was forced to hold his breath. Nothing stirred in the house. There was no sign of it's usual inhabitants.

OOC: You see nothing in the first round.

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Choric looked on as the young man suffered. Tad appeared to be in a state of deep shock, and his eyes had begun to glaze over. His breathing was shallow and ragged. He was still alive, but seemed on the verge of unconsciousness. Choric knew the man wouldn't be able to say anymore and would likely... hopefully.... die very soon....

A raven called from the edge of the forest.

The raven, a woman crying, a home in flames, and the ragged breathing of a suffering man was the only sound in the cold morning air.

OOC: [Spot DC:10 & 15] 12 + 4 = 16 (Success)

Tad's blood still looked fresh. He hadn't been up there long and couldn't have been impaled more than an hour before their arrival.

Glancing down, Choric happened to notice a small section of churned up ground, as if a second spear had been driven into the cold earth, but had been pulled out. Around the small hole the snow looked to have been disturbed, possibly by thrashing.

 

[Guest 11456]

Finding there is little he can do for the man, Choric moves on to the smoking stuff at the far edge of the clearing. He continues to stay alert to possible trouble.

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Aerenar Tell

Finally composing himself Aeren hurried to catch up with Choric, keeping his eyes to the ground as he passed Tad.