Alice looks at the ring held up by Natanja.
"I think I've heard of a Sir Hawkthorne before, but, no, he doesn't live here in Vigilant."
"Here."
Bob hands his spatula to Alice, wipes his hands on his apron, then pulls that off and hands it to Alice, too.
"Alice, make sure the meat doesn't burn, then get the boy to see about locking the windows and watching the front door. I'll be back soon as I can."
He steps toward the back door and motions for all of you to follow him.
"I know Father Peter pretty well. I'm sure I can convince him it's important to come with us to see Captain Ronald. Are we stopping on the way to get Max?"
Alice steps up to give Bob a kiss on the cheek.
"Be careful!"
Bob nods, squeezes Alice's shoulder, and straps a knife on his belt before ushering you out the back door.
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"Let's see the father first."
Bob nods, locks the door behind you, and leads you all down the alleyway behind the Inn, which also happens to run behind the stables.
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Lesith's does.
"We can pick an apple on the way, Azmaria."
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Poterol sets himself down on a handy box in the stables. Merry chatters at him from his perch on the wagon, quietly enough not to disturb those still sleeping. "I know. This is a great deal larger than anything we have come across before, my friend. My cousins..." he trails off considering the words and the feelings they invoke. "My cousins, however distant, rely upon each other to support and aid, where one falters, another is there to pick up. That is the very definition of family, I would believe." He looks at the covered wagon, and murmurs, "Sleep well, my cousins. May your dreams be untroubled and your rest glad."
Azmaria was sitting with the equipment jotting some notes in her journal when she hears Lesith's voice.
huh? on the way?, what are you talking about, and why are you skulking about in the alleyway?
He would also grab the bag with the imp corpses in it.
He looks at Poterol. "I would ask that you inform Chap that I have these, at present, when she wakes up." he places a hand on Poterol's shoulder. "Thank you, Cousin."
Nodding, Eli heads out with the others.
So, Eli, Natanja, Lesith, Cernan, and presumably some more of you leave the Green Tree Inn with Bob Treekeep. You stop at the stables, sharing apples with Sister Azmaria, Poterol, and (Kaya? Marius?) whoever else is guarding the sleeping Chap, the sleeping Arabeth, and the wagon.
Eli lets the guards know they're headed to find a priest, and a guard captain, and maybe a mayor.
Azmaria hops off the wagon, tucking her journal in a belt pouch.
If you going to talk to a church you probably will need me along. after all, who else is better equipped at dealing with a church than someone working for the church.
of course Azmaria probably totally forgot that her order has no jurisdiction here if they are even known. but hey don't let those fact get in the way of a good positive thought.
Marius yawns and stretches, pushing away from the wall of the stable. Not really wanting to pile back into the inn, he'd decided to wait alongside Sister Az and Poterol. Poterol was good people, as at home in nature as himself. But Sister Az... Well, he really hadn't had much of a chance to talk with her. And, honestly, Sister Az scared him a little. With her strange weapons and religious fanaticism... not really his type. When people like her came calling, Marius usually knew enough to step on out. But now, somehow, they were family.
"So, uh. You really gonna take that girl into your order?"
Well s$~$, Marius. That was an awkward way to start a conversation.
As it turned out, though, the horses didn't really care to have a wolf amongst their company. Marius couldn't imagine why, but he and Rex were left leaning along the frame of the door, half watching the passerby and half watching the others inside the stable.
Finally the others return, apparently having decided to hunt down half the town and inform them what was what. "And I suppose someone's got to stay here and babysit?" He gestures towards the sleepy fellows in their company.
*ZZZzzz*
When Eli and the others return from the inn Kiwyn glances between people as they speak. At Marius's comment she hopes that Azmaria will not push the child into something she isn't prepared for, but knows it is not the time or place for such a conversation.
"I will stay here with Shyness and the others. We will let them know what is happening when they wake."
Attempts to comprehend timefreeze
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CS Game Post 12
Your group of intrepid celestial adventurers returned to the town of Vigilant from the smoldering ruins of the village of Endurant, determined to warn the townsfolk and seek justice for the slain.
Chap and Arabeth, having served night watch, are currently sleeping in the wagon in the stables next to the Green Tree Inn, guarded by Poterol, Marius, Kiwyn, and Shyness
Eli, Natanja, Lesith, Cernan, Aeryth, Kaya, Sister Azmaria, and Vincent, along with the young Endurant survivor Gina Gelthis, are being led by Innkeeper Bob Treekeep to see Father Peter of the Church of Saint Pelor, and then Captain Ronald of the Vigilant City Guard.
...........
The blonde boy puts a hand on Sister Azmaria's arm and whispers...
"Azmaria... I wanted to tell you... I'm leaving.
I... just don't trust everyone here... And, they definitely make me uncomfortable. You're the only one I could call a friend, so I wanted to tell you in person."
Vincent continues speaking, not letting Azmaria get a word in edgewise.
"Please don't try to stop me. And, no, you shouldn't come with me.
You're well-suited for all this demon hunting stuff. I'm not.
As for the others, if anyone even notices I'm gone, you can say whatever you'd like. Maybe tell them I'm gonna do things my way now.
Maybe I'll see them again some day. Maybe not.
Maybe I'll even see you someday in York.
Anyway, thanks. Bye."
Vincent hands you a piece of paper and slips quickly into the shadows of an alleyway, determined to disappear.
On the paper is a sketch of a pretty girl with a big holy symbol, holding a gun at the ready. It's labeled "Azmaria" and signed "Vincent."
.................
Bob heads to a fairly modest but clean-looking church building, and leads the group of you inside. You enter a large, mostly-empty worship space, the sun's rays streaming through an opening in the roof at the center. Bob heads over to a kindly-looking, grey-bearded man in a long white robe with a thin gold trim around the collar who is currently sweeping the floor...
"Hey, there, Father Peter. These here folks have somethin' real important to talk to you about. They're not from around here, but they're friends of Angelina, an' I trust 'em."
The middle-aged priest turns to you with a slight smile.
"You are welcome here. How may I be of service?"
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"We have just arrived from the village of Endurant, and we must report it has been destroyed. We also found, and destroy, some evil Imps, that we think were part of the evil that destroyed the town."
"Wait. What?"
His eyes widen, then narrow, not quite comprehending the scope of what he's hearing.
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Cernan will go look for the Captain of the Guard, and deliver a properly-styled report.
"Sir." Eli states, flat, emotionless, calm. Probably slightly terrifying. "Understand that this is a private matter."
"We must needs see the captain of the guard immediately. A detailed explanation of who we are and what occurred in Vigilant will be forthcoming, but we need your assistance and power. Wicked spirits are at work, and we must prevent destruction from befalling Vigilant, as it did Endurant. We will explain when we are together."
Eli would guide him toward the door. "Come. Now, please." he says, attempting to get the man walking. "We can discuss the issue when we will not cause panic among the populace." the impassive masked face looks at him evenly.
Father Peter hesitates, eyeing this strange masked man carefully.
He then glances at Bob, who is looking at Lesith, horrified at her words.
Bob, however, pulls himself together enough to nod at Father Peter.
Father Peter nods back slowly and speaks.
"Very well. Wait here for a moment. I will go with you after I have informed my acolytes that I am leaving."
Father Peter walks briskly to a doorway and disappears briefly. He returns in less than a minute, followed by two younger robed men, who eye your unusual group with curiosity.
"Let us go."
Bob leads the group of you, now including Father Peter, back outside, and heads toward the Vigilant Guard Headquarters.
As you walk together, a small voice speaks up...
"Wait. Where'd Vincent go?"
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As Vincent turns to go Azmaria was silent for a moment, she then ran to him and grabbed him in an embrace. be careful, and don't make come hunting you down. you hearme? Promise me you'll stay safe.
she won't let go until he promises then she lets him go.
Realizing she has fallen behind from the others, Azmaria runs to catch up just as they are leaving the church.
She follws along until Gina asks about Vincent.
Azmaria stop looking to the young girl. Azmaria was visibly saddened, but she regains her composure. sttoping to Gina's level Vincent had to go. He is on a special mission, God has called him elsewhere. I am sure we will meet up with him in the future. Azmaria smiles hoping the explanation was sufficient enough.
The young girl looks disappointed.
"Oh. Okay."
Bob Treekeep leads Eli, Natanja, Lesith, Cernan, Aeryth, Kaya, and Sister Azmaria, along with the young Endurant survivor Gina Gelthis and the local pastor Father Peter, quickly through the streets of Vigilant.
You soon reach a fairly impressive and sturdy structure, the local Guard Headquarters. Bob and Father Peter, with the help of Lawman Cernan, convince the two guards at the door to let you all inside. You also convince the secretary to get you all in to a meeting with Captain Ronald now, despite his busy schedule.
A man with steely grey eyes and a firm jaw eyes the ten of you as you crowd into his office, followed by two more guards.
"What's going on? What's the trouble? Tell me everything quickly."
"I am Eli of the Embiushi." he starts quickly and with as little ceremony as possible to avoid rudeness and bad spirits, but also to quickly sum up, "These are my exceedingly distant cousins. We are all the distant descendants of an angel named Raphael, summoned by his granddaughter, Angelina, in our dreams to thwart a great evil against Endurant, the nature of which she wasn't certain. We were too late, however." He bows, "It is our honor to be guests." It... it didn't quite fit, but he figured it was the closest ceremonial greeting to the current situation.
Eli then hauls up the bag of fiends, and dumps the imp corpses on the captain's desk.
In a flat monotone, he explains, "These wicked and foul-mouthed spirits, or others very much like them, took part in an attack on the village of Endurant. The snuck invisibly in the night, stung everyone to paralysis, and afterward set the village on fire. Gina here-" he gestures "-was the only survivor. In addition to the village, we discovered a merchant cart who were killed by stings, though not burned on the road there. We encountered these three and a fourth attempting to kill us to protect the secret." Eli shows him several of the still-healing imp stings. "Though we killed these three, the fourth escaped and went to warn an entity referred only to as "him". We spent some time at the village searching for clues and giving the dead proper burial rites to ensure that none return as malevolent entities. We found nothing - no traces of anyone entering or exiting the village. Nothing except this girl, Gina. She was burned, hungry, and trapped. We nursed her back to relative health, and have brought here here to place her in the custody of her 'Uncle Max Gelthis'."
Betraying no emotion in facial expression or voice, Eli places the ring and knife down on the table.
"In addition, during our sojourn there, we were spied on at least once by a invisible force - one that our resident sage-" he gestures "-believes can display all it saw to whomever sent it. We were unable to apprehend it." He nods once.
Gesturing to the items, "I believe these belonged to a man named-" he hesitates, looking around, until he recalls what Vincent said, curious where the fellow is, "-'Hawkthorn' or something like it."
Continuing flatly, "We were not harassed on our way back. Whether it was because we were too many, or there was simply no time to fully react to our presence or we were too fast is unknown. It's possible we came to warn the wrong people - we were unable to determine where, if anywhere they were going next, and why they had targeted Endurant."
With no emotion, he continues, "Angelina indicated that she is not free to act at present. Further, she noted that a man so-called of significant power and influence - whatever that means - is consorting with a potent fiend to consolidate power here. Before this disaster, neither knew of us. Now, though Angelina wanted otherwise, someone has definitely seen us and knows of us."
He pauses, then, in his monotone, "We brought back as much as we could from Endurant, but have no indication to whom most of it belongs. We wished to establish a fund for a memorial, or, if there are any, for relatives; to turn the silver into weapons against spirits like those; and attempt to ensure that Gina has enough that Uncle Max Gelthis would be able to care for her should he prove trustworthy." Eli says, looking at each of his companions.
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Lisith nods behind Eli
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Marius heaves a heavy sigh, casting glances at the passerby, his sleeping companions - cousins, even - and the wolf sitting beside him. The relative tranquility of the town was a stark reminder of the eerie peace in the ruins of Endurant. The ruins were etched into his mind. Another failure to add to his growing list of ill-fated attempts at heroism. And Sister Azmaria had departed before addressing his question, thanks to the aptly timed arrival of their companions. A growing unease in the pit of his stomach told him he'd only just made things worse. Their 'family' was a bit of a wreck already. They didn't need a wandering woodsman to make things worse.
He leaned his head back against the cool wood of the stable, his eyes wandering over to the other babysitters. "Well," he mumbles, his best attempt at small-talk conversation, "these have been a strange few days. Can't say I'd ever imagined I'd have this big of a family." A bit of an understatement, but true enough. "Don't suppose any of you saw this coming? A feeling, or another one of those dreams, or nothing?"
There is a sort of stunned silence as the various significant points of Eli's strange monologue sink in. Then, the questions start flying...
"Are you saying the entire village of Endurant has been destroyed... with no survivors but this girl here?"
"Are you guys really angel-people?"
"Merciful heavens! Imps! How is it that these fiends left behind bodies? Powerful forces must be at work here!"
"Why are these disgusting things on my desk?"
"So, there's a whole army of these things going around destroying towns? And Vigilant might be next?"
"You say they paralyzed the people of Endurant, then burned the town down?"
"Wait, how do you know what happened? Who are you people again?"
"They're good people trying to help. Angelina sent them."
The Captain's eyes narrow at Eli ... specifically at the distinctive bear-etched Greataxe strapped to his back.
"You have Mayor Daniel's axe. I assume that means he's dead."
"Everybody's dead! The little monsters killed them!"