"Nothing too complicated, Mayor. We'd just like permission to head up Cauldron Hill this evening." Hime said, firmly shaking his hand when it was offered. She continued standing, rather than taking a seat - she was on the job, and it would have been rude. "Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to provide much explanation for why - it's in regards to a case I'm investigating, and you know how the regulations about talking about such things are - but I'd be happy to give the request in writing if you'd like it for the records. Mr. Nevard here is with me as a civilian consultant."
The mayors eyes glanced over to the old Skyseer, who had taken a seat. The spell lending him strength could provide so much. "I see. No need for such formalities, Officer, although you will both be asked to sign forms of release before leaving to show that you entered the Mountain willingly and without coercion. You understand that the place is dangerous, of course? The remnants of the dark magic performed there for centuries does call to other sources of darkness. I would suggest that attempting this at night would be unwise, however - the mountain is lethal enough in places without adding darkness, and the additional dangers that come out, into the fray."
Nevard nodded. "For what I need, it might be better to arrive before nightfall to set up."
The mayor gestured to his butler. "You are welcome to take lodgings here for the night, or walk down and see if you can procure an inn."
"I didn't ask for Mr. Nevard's help just to ignore his opinion." Hime answered with a slight smile. "That's all we needed to address, and-" she glanced at Nevard, "-I think we'll take you up on your offer to spend the night. The RHC appreciates your assistance with this investigation." Despite his comments on formalities, it helped to be able to fall back on things like that. She wasn't really here in her capacity as Hime, cute dancer and wrestler of bears (kidding... hopefully...) - she was here as the RHC's representative, and a certain amount of impartial behavior was something of a necessity. She was absolutely willing to overlook the rules when she thought it was necessary, but she didn't go against them just because she could. They existed for a reason - and her sworn word meant a lot to her.
"Excellent! I am sure you will find the rooms to your satisfaction." The mayor nodded to both Hime and the Skyseer. "Well, I will not pry, but I hope the Skyseer is able to see whatever it is he needs from on top the mountain. Hopefully it helps calm this current fiasco. Unless there is anything else...?" Unless their is, the butler shows you to your chambers.
In the morning, the mayor hands you the forms. He also offers a slightly rusted, twisted amulet that would help protect against the spirits. On the mountain, he strongly recommends making camp before night, and using the blood he provides to create a circle. The spirits on the mountain will likely smell you both, but on finding the blood will thinks it is a wounded animal and follow it until morning, never reaching the end. Of course, if they see a living being...
The same is true of a fire. Although one will be required, as the night is supernaturally cold, he suggests hiding it.
Finally, when you return from the mountain, he will perform a purification ritual and sign the final release papers.
Hime quietly read through the forms, going through every word - it may have been a formality, but when she put her name to something, that was a serious commitment. After signing and delivering the forms, she nodded and headed off... although she did pause briefly in an open area to bind herself to Milo again, as she generally did in the morning. The ritual went... unusually well, actually, and she could feel a bit of extra power from it that she normally didn't have access to.
2nd day of Summer - 12.00
The climb to the top is not difficult, merely tiring, and the restless spirits of Cauldron Hill do not bother you with the sun high in the sky. It is around midday when you arrive at the summit, a flat but narrow area that gently slops up on the East but drops more than a thousand feet in the other three directions.
This gives Hime time to explore, if she wishes, surveying the area before setting up camp. Given what you've been told, the circle of blood might well only be the first line of defenses you set up. Additional methods of hiding will likely be essential.
Hime was no stranger to drawing ritual circles, and had a very good sense for how long that was likely to take. What mattered more was creating a shelter that they'd likely never notice in the first place, and she could draw the circle of blood around that as a second defense. Fortunately, the RHC offered a fair amount of wilderness survival training, and she was fairly confident in her ability to set up a place to spend the night.
There is enough foliage, brush and wood to build a decent screen around a site. The best one you find is in the tumbled remains of a henge, where you can take advantage of the fallen but still massive stones.
You also spot what appears to be a cauldron, oddly unrusted despite the years it has been there, hanging from the side of the cliffs.
Frowning, Hime gave the cauldron a twice-over, checking to see if it had been used in the recent past. That wasn't necessarily a problem - many of the old rituals could look strange from the outside - but it was potentially relevant and thus something to keep in mind.
With that done, she paused for a few moments to make an offering to the local spirits. It was no guarantee, but the fey were usually tolerant of rituals and not inclined to harm those who followed the forms. ...Usually. At the very least, it probably wasn't going to hurt, and it might help - which made it worth doing. With that done, she set about building the shelter inside the henge, but kept it to the side of one of the large blocks of stone. That helped to form a solid wall and hide it from view, and it left the center of the henge open in case something needed to pass through.
She didn't mind Risur's advancement... but in truth, this was where her experience lay. She felt more affinity for the spiritual world - as evidenced by her talent of pactmaking - and performing these kinds of placating rituals was second nature to her.
There was a slight hiccup with the cauldron...since it was down the cliff, it would require a climb check to acquire.
Hime considered the cauldron for a few moments, then shrugged slightly. It wasn't worth scaling down the cliffs just to get a pot, and she didn't feel like expending any of the energy that would make the trip easier. Instead, she took a few moments to survey the camp she'd made.
Traps of one kind or another might deter the spirits, and a fake camp - perhaps with live bait - might draw off their attention from you. Otherwise you need to prepare for the elements, as it will be bitterly cold.
Well, she hadn't really brought any material for traps up... but she did have a plan for keeping the area warm and safe.
With your preparations mostly done, you had a few hours - you could add any further preparations you could think of, you could prepare in another way, or you could follow Nevard's example and take a nap.
Feeling that she'd done what she could - dense, disguising vegetation on the outside, obscuring the opaque walls of vegetation within, and a fire that was likewise carefully hidden from each angle to keep out the cold. With that, she lay down to rest. They might need to keep watch during the night, so she was going to rest while she could.
Hime awoke again as the sun touched the horizon. Already the temperature had started to plummet - only the well concealed fire granted the warmth to stop your breath from chilling. But even before the sun had set it was obvious why the Skyseer had come here - stars that could be barely be seen within the city had already appeared, and more and more grew bright and clear so far from the smoke, smog and light pollution. The city lights below seem sooty and dim by comparison.
As the darkness grows Hime can hear voices wispering somewhere on the Hilltop, but cannot make them out. She's sure if she removes the amulet that's supposed to protect her she could hear them more clearly...
...a thought she held onto for only a moment. Things like this are made for a reason. she said, focusing on her training and working to shut out external influences. This, at least, she had practice at - weird things could happen when you sealed a pact with a spirit. Milo's little ferret was one of the most normal, and she had no intention of taking off the amulet or moving from here unless she truly had to.
As Hime continued to watch, strange shadows began to appear in the trees, and the whispers grew louder. Within the hour things begin to approach the circle, whispy white creatures that swoop and dance to music you can't hear.
The cold grows worse, bitterly cold - even with the fire.
As the night progresses the true monsters begin to emerge. First what looks like a man without legs, the flesh from his skull missing, walks hand over hand towards the camp. Once it reaches the circle of blood it pauses, and begins to follow it around in a circle. Soon it is joined by a pack of jibbering, Goblin-esque beings chattering in Abyssal, something which might have been a Tiefling, once, a lion whose head is crowed with snakes...all flow around the circle, forming a solid wall of monsters.
Well, those were unpleasant... and she focused on staying very unnoticed. (It was an odd feeling for her - she usually spent her time getting attention, not avoiding it.)
The howling and screaming of the vicious spirits as they cavort along the trail of blood. It is difficult to simply sit and listen too, and even your companion seems strained.
Hime simply stuck her fingers in her ears to dampen the sounds from outside, drawing on her years of training and focus to remain calm and endure what was going on. As she did, a subtle presence surrounded her body - it wouldn't help much with the voices, but her Indomitable Presence might at least help keep the potential of exhaustion from the cold at bay.
As you watch occasionally drowsiness slips over you. Although you resist it without trouble it is difficult to deal with. During one of these bouts, a red velet curtain appears in the centre of your refuge. The curtain sways, and you feel like you can see someone on the other side.
That... probably wasn't good, especially considering that it was right over their fire. She wasn't fool enough to simply walk over and tug the curtain aside - instead, she shifted her position slightly to take up the Inner Sphere Stance, which would help her react to danger and keep her mind focused thanks to the discipline her combat styles had instilled. The less noise and violence here, the better...
The figure behind the curtain steps through, revealing Nilasa, the girl whose death began this investigation.
Nilasa puts a hushing fnger to her lips, then points out into the night and says, “The man who killed me is coming. His face is scarred, so he hides behind many faces.” Then she raises a featureless black mask to her face. When she puts it on she fades away, as does the curtain. The air is suddenly thick with the stench of burnt engine grease.
The stars overhead seem to streak in lines as time stretches out, and then to the north, down by Parity Lake, all those who bound their blood to Nevard see a building catch fire with dreamlike swiftness. Suddenly they find themselves standing between two factories, watching two tongues of flame leap from one to the the next, like a pair of burning dragons. Screams erupt from the people trapped inside, the conflagration consumes the factories, and the charred buildings collapse to reveal tomorrow morning’s sunrise. A blackened sign sits in the ash, saying “Sechim’s Alkahest & Etchings".
"Nevard." Hime said quietly, wanting his opinion on what had been seen. If the vision there was true - and she had to act as though it were - they were going to have to head down the mountain as soon as it was reasonably possible. Intervening in this was going to be... quite a task.
"You saw part of the vision? Yes, it will - perhaps - come true. Even here, the future is hard to pin down...but we will have to act to help my newphew." A man's scream rang out, somewhere on the mountain. "Don't," the Skyseer warned. "It is most likely a trap."
"I know." Hime said quietly. As an officer, her instinct was to rush towards those who needed help - but in this situation, her reason was telling her that it was probably a trap or trick of some kind. The average person didn't just come up here for no reason, and given what she'd seen, that had to be her priority.
Unfortunately, the noise was not easy to ignore. It continued. First for minutes, then for hours. A constant, tortured set of screams of pain, a man's voice begging for help, and later to be allowed to die. It was chilling.
But eventually, it quiets. At around Midnight, things improve. Even some of the monsters finally wander from the Circle, and the worst of the bitter cold breaks as well. It is, for lack of a better word, peaceful.
A sharp snapping sound cracks outside, and as one the remaining monster turn and look as a Sunrod, held by a humanoid figure, bursts into light. The figure holds it for a moment, making sure they have all the monsters attention, and then hurls the light over the barrier you have created.
The monsters eyes follow the light...and they break from the Circle, starting to move into the camp.
The first of the monsters arrives, a ghostly shade carrying a scythe. It charges through the barrier, it's incorporeal nature making the barrier no barrier at all now it knows you are there, and takes a slash.
The blade, radiating a cold that chills your soul, comes perilously close to striking flesh but fails.
Fortunately, the camp wasn't very large - and after just a moment of consideration, Hime stepped over to the sunrod, bending down to pick it up and hurl it back out of the camp. If the light was attracting monsters, she needed to get it out as soon as possible... and then she could focus on taking down this beast. Assuming it stayed around, of course - and she wasn't optimistic enough to believe otherwise.
The legless man moved in, attempted to bite down on Hime. She could feel a hideous sensation as he lunged, madness itself pouring from his follow eyes.
Nevard moved up and touched Hime on the shoulder, granting her Insight into what might be.
The Shadow Mite was the least dangerous looking, at least, and attacked the old Skyseer.
It seemed to be continuing the trend.
Finally, the one carrying the Scythe could strike again.
Hime dodged the blows of the one carrying the scythe, then-
-made an elbow strike that didn't look so good, actually. Maybe it was the way enemies were swarming in, but that definitely wasn't good. On the bright side, at least she'd managed to keep her stance up... but she definitely needed to find a way to turn this around.
The leglass spectre, teeth chattering, lunged once again.
As the monster sank it's teeth into Hime, she met the things gaze. Something sinister began to draw her in...
Nevard reached out and touched the ghost with the scythe, healing energy glowing on his fingers.
The ghost screamed, briefly, before being dispersed in a flash.
The Shadow Mite danced around, lunging again at Nevard.
However, the spell enhancing the old man allowed him to move out the way.
The creature attacking Hime bit down hard - and in just the right place, too, in order to stun her for a moment and leave her quite vulnerable to a followup strike.
The legless creature's guess knocked Hime off for a moment, allowing it to follow up with a second bite. If a skull could look gleeful, this one would.
Nevard, coughing slightly, reached an touched Hime again, activating another moment of Insight.
The Shadow Mite attacked once more, pushing the advantage of his distraction.
It did not do a good job of it.
The creature struck her again, and this time she managed to break free of the paralysis it was trying to inflict on her. Nevard's power flowed into her a moment later...
for
for
...and she immediately seized on it to lash out at the skull with both hands, trying to smash it between them in one brutal strike. "How are you holding up?" she asked the frail old man. His safety was a priority.
For a moment, whatever hellish visage exists in the undead's bare eyes flickers...and then vanishes as the skull itself implodes in spectral shards, and fades away.
Nevard is panting, but mutters, "Fine, fine." He reaches out for the Shadow Mites.
And the spectre dissolves as well.
Nevard looks at Hime. "Perhaps now would be a time to escape, while the light distracts the others?"
"Agreed." she said, nodding and moving over to the side of the wall opposite the light she'd thrown back before. After being up for a number of hours, it had weakened, and she broke through it with a firm strike from her palm. "The sooner, the better - among other things, I have a factory to save." The sooner she could arrive, the easier that would be to thwart.
As you start to move, the monsters are standing over the sunrod. You feel like something huge is also present, a massive, looming figure in the dark, but after a moment a shooting star passed through the sky and the feeling vanished.
The climb down is not simple in the dark, and you hear the screams and shrieks of the monsters of the mountains as they continue to cavort in the dark. Several times something comes close to finding you, but you slip away without too much trouble.
The Dawn light is breaching the skyline as you approach the manor gates. A small military expedition. The Mayor looks up, surprise across his face. "We were about to come and look for you. We saw a bright light and...well, such light usually spells the end of people on the mountain."
"I appreciate the concern. I also require the use of your men here - come on, men, the city needs you today!" she called, looking over to the armed figures assembled there. "If you'd care to accompany us, Mayor, I'll explain about it on the way - but we've really got no time to lose. Double-time it - we're on a deadline!" With that, she beckoned to the soldiers and set off towards the factory at a fast pace. The sooner they got there, the better.
"Whoa, there, Constable. There are procedures to follow when coming down off the mountain." The Mayor gestured to a small building. "If you could enter there, you will be purified. It shouldn't take more than an hour or so."
"I'm afraid procedure will have to be set aside this time - Nevard's reading warned us of a major fire in the factory district, and we must assume that foretelling is true. The alternative is simply not acceptable." Hime answered, not slowing her pace. "I'd appreciate it if you could formally declare a minor state of emergency and free up any resources we may need. I can change the weather and smother flames if need be, but better to have too many hands than too little for something like this. I'll be happy to ritually purify myself once this is done - I did a few prayers and rites on the way down, which should suffice for the moment."
"We'd be happy to accompany you, Constable, but the cleansing is important. Both for yourself and others." The Mayor paused. "If you must go through with this, I do not have the authority to stop you. But I will be reporting this to your superiors, and I do insist that the ritual be undergone as soon as humanly possible. Spending a night on the mountain does not give you the understanding we have reached of the spirits there, or there tricks."
"By all means." Hime answered promptly. "My understanding at the moment is that the fire presents the greater risk to the people, though, so my course of action is clear - and I will, of course, be happy to purify myself as soon as it has been dealt with. Hopefully, that will take less than two hours - certainly, I'd like to get the purification done before noon." Sometimes, you couldn't do all that you wanted, and you simply had to do the best you could. It was possible she was wrong - but then, it was possible they were all butterflies having dreams. For good or for ill, she could only act on the information she had, and that information suggested the threat of a major fire was the greatest danger to the people. She could not simply ignore it - nor adequately convey the information she needed to in the time they had without being on-site.
With that, she moved out.
...to the discovery that the Alkahest factory is not at all on fire. The building seems fine, and the guards are still there, but beyond the protestors everything seems to be perfectly OK. However, it's common knowledge that there have been other fires in the area recently. Perhaps looking into them will give you some clues as to when such a crime might - if ever - strike here.
"All right, men, listen up." Hime said, turning to look at the members of the expedition, pointing to indicate various groups as she spoke. "I want you to cordon off the area and stop civilians from entering. Emphasize that this shouldn't take especially long, but stay on the lookout for anyone who looks like they're here to start trouble. Be nice to the protestors - they may have disagreements with some of the factories, but they're citizens as well, and we need to protect them, too. Make sure they know that we're not here to stop them, and we will be leaving in a few hours at most. They're free to protest as long as they do it outside the cordon. Your unit is to secure the inside and immediate area around our target, making a particular effort to stop anyone from getting close enough to set things off. Get everyone outside of the cordon, too, including the guards and owners. You get to check the surrounding factories, starting with those on either side - look for concentrations of flammable materials, especially in places where fires could quickly spread, and get them somewhere secure. If we all go home feeling like it was a lot of fuss for something that never happened, then we'll have done our jobs right. Sometimes even the smallest acts can be enough to change the future. If the fire gets set off anyway, start hollering and alert the rest of us as soon as possible so we can contain it. I wish I knew exactly how it was supposed to start, but that wasn't in the Skyseer's vision, so we'll have to work with what we've got. Now get to work!"
With only a half dozen troops, it would take a little time. And they were military troops, so you wouldn't be able to use them indefinitely. Even the few hours mentioned might be stretching things. But they did it, releasing the people who were being held in the factories on either side as they did. The troops seemed to take a certain pleasure in that.
They turned up...well, they were factories. The full list of flammable ingredients, or even those that would burn well, was too long to list. The most noticeable in all three were stores of lamp oil, and in the Alkahest factory itself many of the chemicals were either flammable or did some unpleasant things when heated.
By noon, you had a half dozen complaints, and a noticible problem - to guard a factory of this size was almost impossible with only you and six others. There were too many ways up, too many blindspots and nooks between the three, and the roof was also a tempting target. The fuss that had been created would likely keep people away, for now, as would the fact it was daylight. But soon, an alternative would be needed.
As the dawn sun begins to rise you reach the Alkahest factory. Two guards still guard the building, and you can hear activity in the factories either side - thanks to the owner locking their workers in, they haven't really got much to do but work.
Down near the rear of the building, you can see the faint flutter of what appears to be torches near the loading area.