Paridon: The Dark Metropolis (Ravenloft)

[InVinoVeritas]

Darian pauses to examine the bodies. Fr. Berman stays with him and looks around. Darian lifts the masks off the bodies--and reveals the faces of gnomes much older than Temp or Ada.

Torhan leads the way, Ru and Calahan close behind, to the courtyard. There, the brigade has fought back the flames to make a path to the chapel. The courtyard itself was once beautiful, filled with rose bushes, apparently in full bloom. However, the fire has burned through most of the bushes, leaving only their blackened skeletons. Petals and ashes float in the air and settle all around.

* * *​

"Temp, why all the rush?"

"Bree says it's because of the body and the police. Your father never would want this to happen, and this tragedy is just the excuse he would need to stop it."

"...Daddy never did understand our love, did he?"

"Maybe not. But it's the new year, and Bree and Alek hope we can put all this pain back in the old year, when we discard our new faces."

"Garl make it so..."

Temp and Ada entered the chapel. The priest stood at the golden anvil altar, festooned with roses. His mask was simple, and made of gold, as is the tradition.

The Combledorns' Priest.​

Bree stepped into the chapel after the couple. "You may begin, Learned."

"We come together to join Adalavas ko'Pigglemorth and Templeton Combledorn together, as family, and a new way to create the world. Adalavas, do you accept Templeton as your husband, to love and to cherish?"

"I do."

"Templeton, do you accept Adalavas as your wife, to love and to cherish?"

"I do."

A horrendous crash occurred. Bree stood up. "Continue. I will check on things, and be right back. This marriage must be completed!" She rushed out.

* * *​

In the doorway, her scarlet robes sullied with ash and dusted with petals, lies Bree. Her body has been twisted unnaturally, her hands grey and looking dessicated. The chapel appears ahead, its gold-painted door slightly ajar, and off its hinges.

* * *​

"Then let all know that Garl Glittergold sees fit to forge these two souls together. Whoever witnesses these two come together, let no one tear asunder."

"Witnesses?" Ada asked, looking around. "Bree's not back... Who is witness?"

"I am witness."

* * *​

Torhan and Ru pulled back the chapel doors, and peered inside. The torches remain lit, and the pews, the raiments of the chapel, everything appears to be in its place.

Yet hanging upside-down from chains in the ceiling are an apparent bride and groom, slowly swaying, and dripping blood from their headless necks.


[sblock=ooc]
Photo by Ramperto
[/sblock]

 

[Rhun]

"Damn," swears Torhan, slamming his gauntleted hand into the wall in frusteration. "We are too late."

 

[jkason]

Ru Brike, barbaric human monk

Torhan and Ru pulled back the chapel doors, and peered inside. The torches remain lit, and the pews, the raiments of the chapel, everything appears to be in its place.

Yet hanging upside-down from chains in the ceiling are an apparent bride and groom, slowly swaying, and dripping blood from their headless necks.

Color rises in Ru's face as he approaches the grotesque scene. His discipline falters, his hands clench into shaking fists. A glint of light seems to slide down his cheek, then it's flung into the air as the man lashes out, splintering the arm of one of the pews with his fist, a raw primal scream accompanying the act of random violence.

Even as he seems about to fall into a beserker rage, Ru's eyes clear. His expression flattens as he breathes deeply, his back to the slaughtered young couple. His hands relax, though there is still the slightest bit of shaking in his fingertips.

"We were supposed to protect them," Ru says, his voice soft and even and cold. "Now all we can do is avenge them." There is a brief glint of something in his face (surely not ... pleasure?), then he is once again emotionless as he adds, "And that's what I intend to do."

[sblock=OOC]I know there are hardness rules and whatnot for actually breaking the pew, but I figured I could take some liberties for the sake of color, since it doesn't actually affect anything other than the flavor of the moment.[/sblock]

 

[Rhun]

Torhan too takes a deep breath to calm himself. He remembers the lessons of his training, and closes his eyes for a moment to center himself. At Ru's words, the paladin nods. "You cannot protect those that will not accept your aid," he says, his voice quiet. "But we can certainly bring the killer to justice."

 

[industrygothica]

"It is true," Darian says in response to Torhan. "Since our friend Alek arranged for the jailbreak, and for this little gathering, I think we should let him know what his actions have cost."

Darian takes a step away, then adds, "If he's still there..."

 

[jkason]

Ru Brike, barbaric human monk

"It is true," Darian says in response to Torhan. "Since our friend Alek arranged for the jailbreak, and for this little gathering, I think we should let him know what his actions have cost."

Darian takes a step away, then adds, "If he's still there..."

Ru's vengeful reverie breaks as he's reminded of Alek.

"I'd be surprised if he doesn't already know," he says, "The man seems to have his own ethereal network for information. Wish I could tap into it.

"If he needs us, we'll know it. Until then, I say we look for any other clues about what happened here."

With an obvious look of distaste, Ru approaches the hanging body. Carefully, he tries to remove the young male's shirt, looking to see if this contains the same markings as the other body, praying the beast they've been following isn't making itself a family...

 

[Rhun]

While Ru inspects the body, Torhan turns his attention to investigating the rest of the chapel, looking for any clues that may have escaped the ravages of the fire.

 

[kinem]

"Lady, let these rest in peace. Their fate is in your hands now."

Father Berman clutches his butterfly symbol with his left hand while he recites a prayer for the dead, and closes the eyes of the dead gnomes. He examines the bodies for signs of occult rituals.

Hearing a sudden crash, possibly combat, he draws his dragon pistol and hurries on to see what the others have discovered. He finds the chapel with Ru and the splintered pew.

"Headless" he notes, and helps Ru examine the body.

"Strange though it may seem, I might put this past Alek. He seems the hedonistic sort, exploiting others for personal gain, and this doesn't fit that pattern. Of course, he knows something, and he might be more devious than I think."

 

[industrygothica]

"Gah!" Darian screams, kicking at a bit of debris; his anger is getting the better of him again. "Of course he knows something. The damned rat always knows something!"

 

[Rhun]

Bump to keep the thread from falling too far back. I believe IVV should be back sometime in the next week.