James Heard
Explorer
Janis grooms her bear, which creates its own sort of major mess for her to attend to afterwards.
stonegod's Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: Ch. II [IC]
- Thread starter stonegod
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Ashlyn makes a few notes in her diary about the prayer vigil's and ritual's required to awaken both the sunsword and the symbol, and then adds a small synopsis of the process for becoming a knight of the raven before she quietly sinks to her knees and proceeds with her Vigil.
stonegod
Spawn of Khyber/LEB Judge
Hours pass, the deepening gloom indicates that night finally arrives outside. But the prayer vigil continues.
Ireena keeps to herself, lost in her own thoughts. Tessa reads the old texts, trying to piece together anything new. It confirms much of what Sir Urik had to say about the early Knights of the Raven, but just... stops soon after the arrival of the lords ir'Zarovich. A brief mention of King Barov and Queen Ravenovia and their two sons, both unnamed. It appears the youngest son---not the great warlord that was Karnn's champion---was to become a Knight; it is unclear if this ever happened. If the infamous 'Devil Strahd' is the elder son, the younger son is still unidentified.
Time wanders. Janis, sitting aside with her bear, feels the rage boil up in her again. The hatred, the spite at all the weak things, especially herself... In that flash of a moment, she had the choice: Sumbit or fight.
[Janis has the choice of making a Control Shape check to avoid th e lycan change or voluntarily submit with all the consequences thereof (becoming CE and an NPC). Didn't want to make that choice for Janis, though my position should be clear.]
Ireena keeps to herself, lost in her own thoughts. Tessa reads the old texts, trying to piece together anything new. It confirms much of what Sir Urik had to say about the early Knights of the Raven, but just... stops soon after the arrival of the lords ir'Zarovich. A brief mention of King Barov and Queen Ravenovia and their two sons, both unnamed. It appears the youngest son---not the great warlord that was Karnn's champion---was to become a Knight; it is unclear if this ever happened. If the infamous 'Devil Strahd' is the elder son, the younger son is still unidentified.
Time wanders. Janis, sitting aside with her bear, feels the rage boil up in her again. The hatred, the spite at all the weak things, especially herself... In that flash of a moment, she had the choice: Sumbit or fight.
[Janis has the choice of making a Control Shape check to avoid th e lycan change or voluntarily submit with all the consequences thereof (becoming CE and an NPC). Didn't want to make that choice for Janis, though my position should be clear.]
James Heard
Explorer
Janis frowns deeply, her brow furrowing into deep, uncharacteristic lines as she shuts her eyes tight and sets her indomitable will against her Curse. Not tonight, not tonight.
stonegod
Spawn of Khyber/LEB Judge
Sweat breaks out on Janis' brow as low grunts and growls escape her lips. The others watch as she falls to the floor on all fours, her features fluctating between fur and flesh. But, once again, the druid's will is made firm, and the transformation is halted once again. It was a close thing, however, and draining.
OOC: 1 AP spent.
OOC: 1 AP spent.
James Heard
Explorer
Straightening herself stiffly, Janis arranges her hair and forces a semblance of calm back onto her features before going back to whatever she was doing previously, as if nothing had happened.
s@squ@tch
First Post
Marot is quickly distracted from his prayers when Janis fights against the transformation.
"That foolish woman -- she is going to get herself and perhaps others killed by doing nothing against her lycanthropic condition!" The warlock angrily thinks to himself.
Unable to control his anger, he pauses for a moment.
"You need to take care of that taint upon your soul, woman -- before you get those closest to you killed."
"If you foolishly persist in this game against the beast that grows within you, you will forever lose yourself to the darkness. It is a loaded game that you play -- and the dice are weighted against you."
"That foolish woman -- she is going to get herself and perhaps others killed by doing nothing against her lycanthropic condition!" The warlock angrily thinks to himself.
Unable to control his anger, he pauses for a moment.
"You need to take care of that taint upon your soul, woman -- before you get those closest to you killed."
"If you foolishly persist in this game against the beast that grows within you, you will forever lose yourself to the darkness. It is a loaded game that you play -- and the dice are weighted against you."
James Heard
Explorer
Janis snorts before replying with her voice as dry and as sharp as a razor blade.
"Says Marot, who clings to a piece of stonework like driftwood to the drowning to ease his personal darkness? Do you doubt my will? Is it not implacable? I would think a savage such as you would understand, Marot. Is not the fire that twists inside you both light and shadow? Why then, do you fear your darkness?"
"When my days here are done then done with them. I'll not hide from my darkness while it wards me though, and if need be I'll call upon every black tool possible to win these people their freedom. You folks of the flame cling to candles, but day and night are not mere reflections of another but the same path. I'll not shy away from my winter. Not now, when my soul just now sees a hint of Spring in the future."
"Indeed, I have grown discontent with my brothers and sisters in Winter; but if any wisdom at all is to be found in their words it is that all great victories arise from suffering and sacrifice. If I play a deadly game then does everyone, and the deadlier the game the sweeter the reward."
"Return to your prayers and tend your own soul, Marot. It lacks a peace that I cannot give you, and your worries do no more than trespass my destiny."
"Says Marot, who clings to a piece of stonework like driftwood to the drowning to ease his personal darkness? Do you doubt my will? Is it not implacable? I would think a savage such as you would understand, Marot. Is not the fire that twists inside you both light and shadow? Why then, do you fear your darkness?"
"When my days here are done then done with them. I'll not hide from my darkness while it wards me though, and if need be I'll call upon every black tool possible to win these people their freedom. You folks of the flame cling to candles, but day and night are not mere reflections of another but the same path. I'll not shy away from my winter. Not now, when my soul just now sees a hint of Spring in the future."
"Indeed, I have grown discontent with my brothers and sisters in Winter; but if any wisdom at all is to be found in their words it is that all great victories arise from suffering and sacrifice. If I play a deadly game then does everyone, and the deadlier the game the sweeter the reward."
"Return to your prayers and tend your own soul, Marot. It lacks a peace that I cannot give you, and your worries do no more than trespass my destiny."
Ashlyn notices Janis' struggle, but seeing her keep the curse in check, she says nothing, and only a slight tightening of her lips gives evidence of her concern.
This is quietly pushed to the back of her mind as the lady paladin is focused in contemplation of the Vigil that she is currently sitting.
A Vigil not unlike that which she sat many years ago before she took up the mantle of a paladin. It is a renewal of a kind for Ashlyn, vows and ceremony that are not dissimilar to those she took before she started down this road. Not an easy road to walk ... never an easy road ... but she would walk it. This Vigil marked a branch in the road, still headed in the same direction, but dusty, overgrown and mostly forgotten. She would walk down this branch ... it would demand more from her, but it would lead to other ways of fighting those that she had set herself against ... older ways perhaps ... but if Urik was anything to go by, and she thought he was, then those ways were no less potent for their age. In the end, the path you walked was naught but a reflection of the choices you made ... and hers contained a great many hard choices. Not one for choosing the easy way, not when the hard choices tempered your very self. She would continue to be a weapon against those cursed with a false life, and Dol'Arrah willing, she would be such a weapon as to cleanse this place and restore this branch of the path to what it might have been.
This is quietly pushed to the back of her mind as the lady paladin is focused in contemplation of the Vigil that she is currently sitting.
A Vigil not unlike that which she sat many years ago before she took up the mantle of a paladin. It is a renewal of a kind for Ashlyn, vows and ceremony that are not dissimilar to those she took before she started down this road. Not an easy road to walk ... never an easy road ... but she would walk it. This Vigil marked a branch in the road, still headed in the same direction, but dusty, overgrown and mostly forgotten. She would walk down this branch ... it would demand more from her, but it would lead to other ways of fighting those that she had set herself against ... older ways perhaps ... but if Urik was anything to go by, and she thought he was, then those ways were no less potent for their age. In the end, the path you walked was naught but a reflection of the choices you made ... and hers contained a great many hard choices. Not one for choosing the easy way, not when the hard choices tempered your very self. She would continue to be a weapon against those cursed with a false life, and Dol'Arrah willing, she would be such a weapon as to cleanse this place and restore this branch of the path to what it might have been.
Jarrith remains kneeling as Janis goes through her throes of pain, trying to resist the change of the beast. The fact that she is able to accomplish it a second time is impressive, but even the Stalker can tell it was a much closer call than it was out on the road. He says nothing however, even after Marot and Janis get into a small dust-up about it. Thoughts, however, do flit quickly through his mind about it as he continues his vigil.
Can she hold it off? Will it happen tomorrow? Will she attack us if it does? Can we subdue her as they did me? Do I try and remove her curse if we do? How will she react if she wakes up to find I was able to lift the curse while she was out? Should we even let her follow us since she insists on keeping her condition? What happens to her if the curse is not lifted? She already can change into animal form... why does she think this were form is superior to that? Does she want to descend into darkness? Does she want to throw her soul away? Is she mentally unstable and doesn't know what she wants? Is she truly and irretrievably insane? Will she have to be put down? Will I feel at all guilty if we do?
Can she hold it off? Will it happen tomorrow? Will she attack us if it does? Can we subdue her as they did me? Do I try and remove her curse if we do? How will she react if she wakes up to find I was able to lift the curse while she was out? Should we even let her follow us since she insists on keeping her condition? What happens to her if the curse is not lifted? She already can change into animal form... why does she think this were form is superior to that? Does she want to descend into darkness? Does she want to throw her soul away? Is she mentally unstable and doesn't know what she wants? Is she truly and irretrievably insane? Will she have to be put down? Will I feel at all guilty if we do?
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