Huh.
Kair looks at the shapeshifter, and looks at the rest. "Lycantropes... praying on the weak. At least this one is dead now."
He stands up, and turning to the others, says, "I'd like to give this one a proper rite. We can't know if he was born one or made one, but just to be sure." His voice leaves no room for argument, but as the others think about the mission, he continues, "It would take me at most quarter of an hour. Take the time to tend to your wounds or to calm down the horses."
He looks at Vasili holding the wand out, and points out to the giant bite mark on his thigh.
"If you want, you can help me with that."
Afterwards, he continues, gathers some materials in the woods, and performs a quick rite on the man, closing his eyes, burning some incense and drawing a spiral on his head with the ashes.
"We can leave the body next to the road, or let him in the river. It's irrelevant now."
He then goes back on his horse, and waits for the others.
Onvyr puts his morningstar away when the combat has faded and moves to kick the now human corpse. "Hey Cruentus, looks like we killed your cousin. Any more family out here we need to worry about?" He crouches down and takes some of the blood of the shapeshifter and slips it into his spell component pouch.
Trying his best to smile through the pain of gushing wounds , Cruentus lets out a chuckle.
"believe me when I say that my "family" and I are not very close. "
Is there an appropriate Knowledge skill to roll? My guess is Knowledge (local) but I wanted to make sure. Vasili dismounts gingerly, hopping for a moment on one leg. He frowns and takes a small wooden wand from inside his shirt, waves it over the wound, and tests his leg's strength after about a minute. Wand of Infernal Healing [9 charges remaining] Well, seems like we've drawn some attention. He looks around the group. You look hurt Cruentus, how bad is it? How about everyone else? He turns his attention to the wolves and the now dead "human".
"Well it is definitely not good. I may need a bit to recover if we plan on continuing this course. "
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Amria continues to scan the woods for any sign of the remaining wolf. At Vasili's comment he shrugs, "I am uninjured. These are a waste of good pelts. but we do not have the time to spare. I suggest we mount up and continue on our way."
Kair performs his rites and the last wolf stays away while your group heals itself and prepares to head back out on the road.
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Vasili waves the wand over Kair's wound at his request, then moves on to see to Cruentus as Kair deals with the dead. I've no objection to doing what you need to do with the dead. Cruentus here may need a moment to catch his breath anyway, yes? He gives a good natured smile to Cruentus as he waves the wand over the man's wounds. After a minute, he looks at the man again, then waves it again. That should stop most of the bleeding. You could still need a good night's rest though.
After he finishes with Cruentus, he waits patiently for Kair to finish his work. Vasili sits to examine the tear in his pants with a frown. I'll have to repair this tomorrow, he says with a sigh. He does not appear to be in any hurry to move on, but mounts his horse when all the others are ready to leave.
Listening to Cruentus' conviction about his opinion on lycanthropes, Kair nods to himself.
As the others set on the road, Kair seems determined to move on faster than before. "I'd use the most out of the daylight as we can." As he's turning around to the others, he then realizes that only Vasili should have problems in the night, but keeps it to himself.
Once the healing has been doled out and things seem to have settled down, Onvyr mounts up. He smiles at the makeshift funeral but says nothing as he prepares to move on.
"I am ready whenever the rest of you are."
Wounds and corpses tended to, your group carries on into the dark woods.
You manage to travel unmolested for the rest of the day, despite the occasional odd noise you hear from far off the trail. Night seems to fall quickly here as the weak dusk sun is barely able to penetrate the leafy canopy. Soon to be in the dark and still on the trail, your group is left with the choice of either continuing on or stopping for the night.
Kair, looking at the sun settling down, grumbles, "Hrm. I suggest we keep moving. Almost all of us can see in the dark, and time is of the essence. We can sleep when we reach the next place."
Kair dismounts and begins making torches.
Vasili waves a hand over the top of his walking stick and it glows, I can provide some light. I'm more worried about the horses being able to see than the rest of us. They're the ones risking their limbs walking in the dark, no?
He looks around, I know a little bit about this area, but... Vasili whispers to the bird on his shoulder and it flies up and out of the thick trees surrounding them, with what has happened it is difficult to gauge where exactly we are. Perhaps if we ride a bit more I'll become oriented, yes? He smiles as Vse comes and lands on his shoulder again and he kicks his horse forward.
Vasili thinks he has heard stories of a handful of villages spread throughout the woods here. Typically founded by individuals viewed as outcasts from other settlements, they have grew from a small collection of homes to actual villages. Considering that this is one of the few roads that lead into the woods, you are fairly certain that if you keep going, you should run into one of them by tomorrow at least.
It is slow going for you during the night, even with the light you are able to make, the horses still go slow so as to not outpace their light source. You still hear small creatures stirring and bats flying overhead, but no more howls from wolves. You keep pushing until mid-afternoon when you finally come into sight of a small village in the woods.
The village is set off to the side of the road, so that it runs alongside the walls of it rather than going straight through it. The gates to it are currently closed despite the daylight and you see two men with crossbows up in a guard tower, watching your group.
Kair, feeling a bit sore after a long, long drive, dismounts as he sees the guards, and hails them, waving his hand. "Hail! We traveled through the entire night to reach here. We want nothing more but rooms to sleep and a hot meal!", he shouts, showing his hands as a sign of good gesture.
One of them yell down to your group. "Hold there and we will send men to the gate. Please go ahead and dismount, we don't allow riding inside the walls."
After a wait of several minutes, the gates open and two guardsmen escort an elderly priest out to meet your group. "Blessed day to you my children. Before you enter the city walls, I wonder if you would be opposed to me saying a quick blessing over your group accompanied by dab of holy water upon your brows in the name of Pharasma."
Vasili smiles at the priest, I believe we would all be grateful for the blessing, yes? He chuckles slightly, And the knowledge that this small town has such precautions against the darkness that surrounds it.
The man seems willing to engage in any chit-chat that the priest wishes as he proceeds with the blessing.
Could you tell us a little bit about this village?
Kair looks at the father, and bows down, ready to receive Pharasma's blessing. He takes off his coat, revealing the numerous holy symbols and psalms engraved on his body, and ushers the others to do the same.
"Thank you, Father. It would be an honor for us to receive this blessing. Know that not all who wander are lost, I have given the same rite to a misguided one not one night ago." He remains still, muttering a prayer, until the priest begins chanting.
Vasili's smile never falters, but he chuckles as Kair strips, I think I'll be keeping my clothes on, yes? I welcome a blessing and holy water, but I'd prefer to keep my modesty.
He looks to the priest and guards, I expect there are no objections?
Onvyr will attempt to talk to some of the guards and gather general information. His primary goal is actually to avoid having to take part in this particular ceremony, but he attempts to avoid refusing directly.
The old priest looks approvingly at Kair's engraved flesh. "Ah, it is always a welcome sight to see another of the faith. And as for you young man, of course you may keep your clothing on. I just say a simple blessing over the whole group and then just dab a bit of holy water upon your brow. Now, as long as you aren't any sort of evil undead creature, that shouldn't be painful, right?" He chuckles a bit at his own joke and from the guard's eyeroll, you can guess that it is not a new one.
Onvyr, needing to bluff a bit, you learn that this is the only village in more than a days distance in any direction you choose to travel in and that they don't see many strangers.
Both the priest and the guardsmen seemed to noticeably relax at Kair's obvious display of faith, something that no undead minion would dare endure. And feeling better about the group, the old priest will offer Onvyr a rather damp handshake if he is averse to having anything on his face. He chooses to not be picky about the body location as long as it doesn't cause the person to writhe in pain.
Amria nods to the priest. "I welcome a blessing from the Lady of Graves. Will you accept the blessing of Erastil?"
The old priest chuckles at Amria. "Certainly my son. It wouldn't be the first time. Erastil has a few follow in this village and all of our faiths share one temple due to the small size of this place. Now, if you wish to follow me, I will lead the way to the inn."
After blessing have been shared, the old priest leads your group through the village's gate. The two guards hold back behind the group to make sure that nothing else tries to follow them into the town before the gate is shut.
You enter and see a very cramped looking village with narrow streets and second stories being built to over hang those streets, creating perpetual shadows and making the street lamps practical at all hours of the day and night. The inn is directly across from the gates, likely a very practical move since that is likely where anyone arriving would want to go first.
The inn appears to be one of the larger building in the city, it looks to be three whole floors high. Sounds of squeals off to the side of building lets you know there is likely fresh pork to be had here. You're led to doorway and notice the obvious holy symbols burnt into the door frame. There seem to be at least a dozen and from multiple faiths, as if the owners are willing to try anything to help protect their building.
The handful of patrons in the inn look up as soon as the group walks in everyone then looks to the priest, note his calm demeanor and turn back to their food and drinks. The priest calls out to the man behind the bar: "Alef, I have a group of weary travelers here, seen Irina over to take their orders would you please." He then leads you over to an empty table and pulls over an extra chair so that there is room for all. "Now, I'm still on gate duty during the day, so I can't stay for long. You can find food and lodging here. If you need anything of a spiritual nature, the temple is just behind the inn, across the street and there is always a priest in residence of one faith or another."
Irina wanders over to the group and smiles, clearly not wanting to interrupt the priest until the group is done talking to him.
Kair looks around, then makes a holy gesture to the priest, before asking, "Father. It is wonderful to see the town being so devout. Have you been having trouble with undead recently?" His mind jumps to count how many times a holy symbol has been seen in the area.
Vasili relaxes into a chair with a sigh, Irina, dear, it's been a short, but eventful ride. I could use a drink and whatever the house suggests for food. He leans back and lets the others ask the questions.
"One never knows what creatures choose to walk the forest around here. Ever since this village was founded there has been the occasional invasion by some undead creature of one type or another. Though as of late, there have been more reports of possible undead sightings and attacks."
Irina smiles down at Vasili. "Well, we still got a nice honey mead and some roasted pig that cooked up real nice and tender. Shall I fetch some for the whole table?"
Amria smiles to the server, Irina, and responds, "Please do. Will you also bring some raw meat with you? I have a little traveler with me who will be most appreciative."
So saying, he opens up the flap on a saddlebag and produces the pup. It looks about, it's red eyes nearly luminescent in the dim light of the inn.
Sitting down at the table Onvyr nods and shrugs. "Yes, mead seems fine. And I have no objection to pork."
Norgorber... Why would they have symbols of Norgorber... Kair stops as he sees the symbols of the Reaper, and takes careful note of the location where he sees them, without drawing too much attention to himself.
Back in the tavern, he enjoys the meal in silence, and then as he sees a proper moment, whispers to the others, "It seems like a nice enough place. But, I don't know if anyone else noticed, there were symbols of Norgorber. I would be careful during the night. I suggest we get rooms, two in each one, and keep watch. I wouldn't advise for staying, however, our mission is too important." As he finishes saying this, he resumes eating and looks around the tavern.
Onvyr shrugs a bit at Kair's warning. "These people don't seem the Father Skinsaw type and the Reaper of Reputation is quite a handy companion to have around. I'm not very skilled at gathering information, but if someone wants to ask around, this town may be the place to find the less...common...tales of those we are chasing."
Vasili leans forward as he eats, Attacks by undead, you say? What...sort...of undead? Seems like an odd place to make a settlement. He goes on, happily speaking with the priest as he eats, hoping to learn more about the local area.
"Well, it's kinda hard to say what sort of undead. Not everyone is that great at figuring out what one is, the best they can say is whether is was solid or not. Plus there isn't always anyone left at the place of where it happened and people just assume it was an undead. Every now and and then we'll get someone foolhardy enough to want to have a cabin outside of the towns walls. Most times that doesn't end well, but there are a couple still out there."
"Now, as for why anyone would make a settlement here, the founders of the place didn't get much of a choice. They won't always admit to it, but some of the Lords of the lands surrounding these woods have a habit of exiling their unwanted folk into the woods. They'd say things like how they were granting them mercy by not killing them, but we doubt they actually expected them to live. Anyhow, enough people survived to found and build this place and now most of us that live here, were born here."
"Community is.....important. I find it very admirable that dispute the location you and yours have still managed to carve out a place in the world. More so given the type of people that make up it's inhabitants. "
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Vasili frowns, Lords treating their people poorly? I've never heard of such a thing! He smiles wryly as he speaks, But it's good to see fine folk coming together.
He leans forward to dig into the food, happy to speak about whatever topic the priest wishes.
Irina smiles at Vasili before moving off to another group seated at a table near the fireplace.
After she leaves the old priest speaks to the group. "Now, if you don't me asking, what is it that brings your group here? We don't get much in the way of sight-seerers you know."
Kair downs another swig of his wine, noticing its rather nice taste. "Father, we have came here following a fugitive on Baron Dorumand's orders. He is a well-dressed and well-spoken young-looking man. He would've been travelling around in a carriage, and probably passed through here not two days ago. Have you seen him?", he says, looking with respect towards the old priest.
The old priest's eyebrows raise in surprise at Kair's statement. "The only carriage that passed by at all this week was the Bathory carriage. It didn't stop, it rarely does, this town doesn't have much use for any noble types you know. Plus, some his family seem either unwilling or unable to come past the gates anyway. I've never been able to meet them myself to find out what exactly is going on with that family, but everyone in this town has heard rumors of them having dealing with the dark things that dwell deep in these woods and that is why they travel the roads around here with impunity. If that was the carriage you are chasing, then you certainly have your work cut out for you. May I ask what exactly he has been accused of doing?"
The young man seems to have stolen off with a young lady. Her family is concerned. Understandable, yes? But we're here simply to set their minds at ease. Vasili smiles agreeably.
Amria feeds scraps of meat to the young canine while listening to the conversation. He perks up at the mention of dark things in the woods. Perhaps I should swing back through here at the conclusion of our mission. It seems there is much to hunt in these woods.
Listening, Onvyr eats quietly until the priest brings up the disposition of the Bathory family.
"Do you find that most of the creatures of the woods are unable to enter your town? Or simply that they decline to do so. And I must say, I do wonder about these creatures if they have the ability to make trade or travel agreements. That implies some level of organization..."
He shrugs his shoulders at Onvyr's question. "All we know is that they do not enter, I cannot say for certain whether is is because they decline or are unable to. Just as we do not know why some people are able to survive on their out there and why others cannot."
Vasili continues eating while the others speak, content that he's gotten the information he was searching for.
Kair looks at the rest, eating his food with conviction. "I suggest we head to rest now, and be ready to set off as soon as possible tomorrow morning. We'll be able to catch a carriage if we hurry and don't have disturbances along the road."
As the priest leaves, Kair would suggest walking him to the temple. "Father. I meant to talk to you about matters of faith. I recognised the symbol of the Reaper of Reputation in here. I don't mean to inquire too deeply, as he is invested in matters neutral to what I aid in, but what purpose would he serve in a small town such as this?", says Kair as he walks the priest back, as a genuine curiosity.
"When this village was founded, it was by a variety of people who were either unwanted poor folk or criminal exiled here to die instead of filling already overflowing prisons, I think that this town could have ended up with a lot worse than some faithful to the Reaper. Their group is one of the few willing to brave the roads all the way back into town and do business in the larger cities. The woods here provide both shelter from any but the most determined to find them, and from here they harvest a variety of herbal components that are hard to find by their brethren in the cities. They've come to view this place as a haven for themselves and do not conduct their business here."
Kair nods at the priest, surprised by the answer. "I see. I agree, there are many worse patrons than the Reaper. I am glad to see everyone here helping out and staying together." He remains silent for the end of the journey, only answering questions asked, before saying his goodbyes to the priest at the church and heading back towards the tavern, ready for tomorrow.
Vasili smiles, and speaks between bites of food, Very pragmatic of you.
Rooms are available for the night right upstairs from the common room you were eating in. If there wasn't anything else to be done for the night, your group can turn in for the night. You may keep watches if you wish, but the night is uneventful and you wake to an overcast sunrise. Returning back down to the common room, you can order up some breakfast for the morning before heading out and continuing your journey.
Amria remains silent throughout the exchange. He finishes feeding the pup then eats his own food. He gratefully accepts a room for the night. Coming down the stairs in the morning, he pays for breakfast and orders food to take with him for the journey.
While grateful Cruentus harbors a sense of anxiety. He would love to continue forward, but navigating these woods tired seems foolhardy given the opposition they have already seen.
"Well good sirs, I think it best if we retire and start early. Judging from our previous encounter, we will want all the daylight available to us. "
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Vasili rises and stretches after he finishes his meal. Agreed. I bid you all a good eve.