"If I had seen such good food and company in my cards, I would have walked faster. Tonight is one I shall remember for a long time."
As the night begins to grows colder, Ryo begins warms up to everyone. Guessing games soon come to an end, for Ryo has the strange ability to guess correctly everytime. Jokes though, manage to catch him by surprise.
Not soon after he has finished eating and has sobered up, he winces and places his hand on his facial tattoo. His other hand dives into his cloak, and pulls out a strange deck of cards. Clearing a spot on the table, he shuffles the cards and places three face down on the table.
"Show me."
His tattoo glows as he flips the cards over. One shows two people next to each other, an arm on the other's shoulder. Another shows a cloaked figure with a scythe, and the last shows a person hidden in shadows. He stands, quickly collecting his cards, and places some coins on the table.
"Thank you for the wonderful evening, but I am afraid I must leave now."
Though he has a smile on his face, it is easy to see it is forced, and his eyes are grim as he turns to leave.
"If I had seen such good food and company in my cards, I would have walked faster. Tonight is one I shall remember for a long time."
As the night begins to grows colder, Ryo begins warms up to everyone. Guessing games soon come to an end, for Ryo has the strange ability to guess correctly everytime. Jokes though, manage to catch him by surprise.
Not soon after he has finished eating and has sobered up, he winces and places his hand on his facial tattoo. His other hand dives into his cloak, and pulls out a strange deck of cards. Clearing a spot on the table, he shuffles the cards and places three face down on the table.
"Show me."
His tattoo glows as he flips the cards over. One shows two people next to each other, an arm on the other's shoulder. Another shows a cloaked figure with a scythe, and the last shows a person hidden in shadows. He stands, quickly collecting his cards, and places some coins on the table.
"Thank you for the wonderful evening, but I am afraid I must leave now."
Though he has a smile on his face, it is easy to see it is forced, and his eyes are grim as he turns to leave.
A frown crosses the brow of the dwarf, chasing the smile from his eyes, "Chasing the future? Rough business that."
A frown crosses the brow of the dwarf, chasing the smile from his eyes, "Chasing the future? Rough business that."
"Trying to stop it is worse."
A frown crosses the brow of the dwarf, chasing the smile from his eyes, "Chasing the future? Rough business that.""Trying to stop it is worse."
"Trying to stop it alone is always worse. Need a hand or two?"
"Or four?" Tam asks. "Maybe if we knew what you were getting so worked up about, we could be of more help. Just sayin'..."
He pauses for a moment, looking at each of you.
"The less people involved, the better. There is an evil previously unknown in Agartha, in this city, and I am trying to end it's existence. It has already taken my brother, I do not want any more people to suffer. It is bad enough the creature is using surface animals to attack during the day..."
He pauses for a moment, looking at each of you.
"The less people involved, the better. There is an evil previously unknown in Agartha, in this city, and I am trying to end it's existence. It has already taken my brother, I do not want any more people to suffer. It is bad enough the creature is using surface animals to attack during the day..."
"Okay, kidnapped family is a good reason to find whatever's causing trouble and stop it, but do you think you can stop whatever this thing is by yourself? I can understand wanting to keep a low profile so you don't tip your hand, but it sounds like you're a bit outnumbered at the moment..."
He pauses for a moment, looking at each of you.
"The less people involved, the better. There is an evil previously unknown in Agartha, in this city, and I am trying to end it's existence. It has already taken my brother, I do not want any more people to suffer. It is bad enough the creature is using surface animals to attack during the day..."
"Surface animals, or animals from The Above, the Old World? Our clan calls this place the Surface. We live in The Below."
"Surface animals, or animals from The Above, the Old World? Our clan calls this place the Surface. We live in The Below."He pauses for a moment, looking at each of you.
"The less people involved, the better. There is an evil previously unknown in Agartha, in this city, and I am trying to end it's existence. It has already taken my brother, I do not want any more people to suffer. It is bad enough the creature is using surface animals to attack during the day..."
Remembering that he really should be trying to take notes on all of this (especially if he's going to be here for a while), Tamrin pulls out a datapad and sets it to record this information.
"Surface animals, or animals from The Above, the Old World? Our clan calls this place the Surface. We live in The Below."
"If The Old World is above this place, than yes, animals from there."
"Okay, kidnapped family is a good reason to find whatever's causing trouble and stop it, but do you think you can stop whatever this thing is by yourself? I can understand wanting to keep a low profile so you don't tip your hand, but it sounds like you're a bit outnumbered at the moment..."
"If only he had been kidnapped..."
"As far as I know, the creature works alone, save for it's summoned animals. Come with me if you want..." He trails off as his hand goes to his tattoo again.
"Damn."
Aananda puts some food in her pockets and gets up.
"Okay. Lead the way," she said cheerfully to Ryo, trying to blithely ignore the fact that she still had no cold weather gear and it was even colder out there at night. She wasn't going to not act again.
Ryo walks out the door, taking a side street to bypass a group of drunks, and leads them to a house a few blocks away. Despite the urgency he had earlier, he now walks slowly, and his eyes don't seem to really be seeing anything.
"This is -was- my friend's house. If any here are faint of heart or stomach, do not go in."
He opens the door an walks inside. Those who follow him find the dessicated corpse of what was once a beautiful women, her throat torn out. One the wall next to her, in what may very well be her blood, is writing.
"If you continue to follow me, more will die."
Aananda holds her arms close across her body trying to preserve some small amount of warmth.
She frowns as she looks at the corpse. She moves to examine the scene.
"The blood is too fresh for her to look this dried out," she said looking up at Ryo from where she was crouched near the body.
"She hasn't been dead for more than a few minutes."
"She hasn't been dead for more than a few minutes."
"She was a friend of yours, no? I am so sorry for your loss."
Kannic follows along, no sense of intoxication upon him despite the amount of ale he consumed. His steps are near silent. The smell of blood in the house causes him to draw a wicked hooked knife, though none see him do so.
"By the Forge.", he curses.
He steps to the side of the door, avoiding going in, and his eyes take on the sheen of granite as he Detects Magic thru them. Pressing against the front of the house he seems to fade from sight, and slowly he shifts to a spot where he can seek out other eyes watching the discovery.
Tamrin brings up the rear, having went to the front dest to take care of something.
"Sorry guys. So what do we... OH MY-" as he clamps his hand over his mouth and nose to keep the stench out and his dinner in...
"She hasn't been dead for more than a few minutes.""She was a friend of yours, no? I am so sorry for your loss."
"Not as sorry as the thing that did this will be."
Tamrin brings up the rear, having went to the front desk to take care of something.
"Sorry guys. So what do we... OH MY-" as he clamps his hand over his mouth and nose to keep the stench out and his dinner in...
"I guess I should have waited for you. At least then you would have heard me say this wasn't for the faint of stomach."
"So who - or what," she added looking around at the gruesome scene, "did this? And how do we stop them?"
"The people in The Above called them nosferatu, vampire was a more common term. They are creatures that are not alive, but they are not dead. They drink the blood of live beings, blood is to them as water is to us. We must find, destroy it, and then ram a stake through it's chest. Or expose it to sunlight. The light-crystal that provides us light is different from the light-crystal in the world above us, and at best made it uncomfortable."
He turns to look away, staring into a dark hallway. Suddenly, he pushes everyone back and holds a card in front of him.
"Shield!"
A pinkish-bubble appears around him... just in time to stop the huge, shadowy lupine that leaps from the shadows of the hallway. He yells again as he holds up another card, though you can't hear him from within the bubble, and a armored warrior weilding a blazing sword cuts down the creature. As it fades away, the bubble and tha warrior fade with it, though they seem to flow back into the cards.
"He knew I'd be here. Coward. What I just did, you must not tell anyone about. Each of you have either never been to one of the cities or have been gone for a long time. People like me, who can do what I did, are not trusted by many, and some have been executed in the fringe-cities. To everyone but you four, I am a simple Seer."
She shrugged. "Okay. I haven't been to any cities at all before this one. And there weren't any Seers in the Temple, so I wouldn't have known that was supposed to be odd if you hadn't said anything. But I won't say anything about it now that I know. Don't worry, you're secret's safe with me."
She easily broke off the legs of a chair, splintering them into appropriate sized sticks and handed them out to the others.
"What? You said we needed to put a stake through its heart. Can't do that without a stake."
She shrugged. "Okay. I haven't been to any cities at all before this one. And there weren't any Seers in the Temple, so I wouldn't have known that was supposed to be odd if you hadn't said anything. But I won't say anything about it now that I know. Don't worry, you're secret's safe with me."
She easily broke off the legs of a chair, splintering them into appropriate sized sticks and handed them out to the others.
"What? You said we needed to put a stake through its heart. Can't do that without a stake."
Tamrin looks at the jagged piece of wood in his hand, having disturbing images of Aananda being able to do the same thing to a person's bones quite handily...pun intended. ;)
"Um - well, I can't accept a gift without offering something in return, so here," as he takes off his duster and offers it to her.
"It's still cold, you're still shivering, and you can keep it until you get proper stuff in the morning."
Kannic nods in agreement, his face still in the shadows. This lad is unlike the seers he has met before, but he knows what happens to people that fall out of favor with others. He knows too of the undead Ryo has described. The tunnels Below hold many secrets. It is unlikely that the covens he has crossed before would be so brazen.
Kannic nods in agreement, his face still in the shadows. This lad is unlike the seers he has met before, but he knows what happens to people that fall out of favor with others. He knows too of the undead Ryo has described. The tunnels Below hold many secrets. It is unlikely that the covens he has crossed before would be so brazen.
She shrugged. "Okay. I haven't been to any cities at all before this one. And there weren't any Seers in the Temple, so I wouldn't have known that was supposed to be odd if you hadn't said anything. But I won't say anything about it now that I know. Don't worry, you're secret's safe with me."
She easily broke off the legs of a chair, splintering them into appropriate sized sticks and handed them out to the others.
"What? You said we needed to put a stake through its heart. Can't do that without a stake."Tamrin looks at the jagged piece of wood in his hand, having disturbing images of Aananda being able to do the same thing to a person's bones quite handily...pun intended. ;)
"Um - well, I can't accept a gift without offering something in return, so here," as he takes off his duster and offers it to her.
"It's still cold, you're still shivering, and you can keep it until you get proper stuff in the morning."
"Thanks," she said gratefully, wrapping the coat around her tightly. "But are you sure you won't be too cold without it?" she asked anxiously.
"Um - well, I can't accept a gift without offering something in return, so here," as he takes off his duster and offers it to her."It's still cold, you're still shivering, and you can keep it until you get proper stuff in the morning."
It seems to finally register that Aananda is cold. The Below is fairly stable in its temps, but Agartha has warm and cold zones. He must switch mental gears. He's been too long Below. He takes the stake, and pulls out a pellet.
"Aye, a gift for a gift. I use these in the tunnels if I get hard pressed. They mimic the crystal Above. Throw it to the ground if pressed by creatures that fear the light. You will have 5 minutes to escape."
"We could get you warmer clothing sooner than morning if you wish. Not all stores close."
Kannic nods in agreement, his face still in the shadows. This lad is unlike the seers he has met before, but he knows what happens to people that fall out of favor with others. He knows too of the undead Ryo has described. The tunnels Below hold many secrets. It is unlikely that the covens he has crossed before would be so brazen.
"Um - well, I can't accept a gift without offering something in return, so here," as he takes off his duster and offers it to her."It's still cold, you're still shivering, and you can keep it until you get proper stuff in the morning."
It seems to finally register that Aananda is cold. The Below is fairly stable in its temps, but Agartha has warm and cold zones. He must switch mental gears. He's been too long Below. He takes the stake, and pulls out a pellet.
"Aye, a gift for a gift. I use these in the tunnels if I get hard pressed. They mimic the crystal Above. Throw it to the ground if pressed by creatures that fear the light. You will have 5 minutes to escape."
"Wow, that's really handy. Thanks, Kannic," she said with a smile, examining the small pellet.
"Wow, that's really handy. Thanks, Kannic," she said with a smile, examining the small pellet.
"Um - well, I can't accept a gift without offering something in return, so here," as he takes off his duster and offers it to her."It's still cold, you're still shivering, and you can keep it until you get proper stuff in the morning."
It seems to finally register that Aananda is cold. The Below is fairly stable in its temps, but Agartha has warm and cold zones. He must switch mental gears. He's been too long Below. He takes the stake, and pulls out a pellet.
"Aye, a gift for a gift. I use these in the tunnels if I get hard pressed. They mimic the crystal Above. Throw it to the ground if pressed by creatures that fear the light. You will have 5 minutes to escape."
"There's a shop or two nearby that run 'extended hours' if you have need of better attire or equipment. Used or new. Friends."
"There's a shop or two nearby that run 'extended hours' if you have need of better attire. Used or new.""Wow, that's really handy. Thanks, Kannic," she said with a smile, examining the small pellet.
"Um - well, I can't accept a gift without offering something in return, so here," as he takes off his duster and offers it to her."It's still cold, you're still shivering, and you can keep it until you get proper stuff in the morning."
It seems to finally register that Aananda is cold. The Below is fairly stable in its temps, but Agartha has warm and cold zones. He must switch mental gears. He's been too long Below. He takes the stake, and pulls out a pellet.
"Aye, a gift for a gift. I use these in the tunnels if I get hard pressed. They mimic the crystal Above. Throw it to the ground if pressed by creatures that fear the light. You will have 5 minutes to escape."
"Really?" she said eagerly. "I had no idea. I only got into town this morning. If you can show me where I'd be grateful. Used I think. I can't afford new on one day's wages," she added with a self-deprecating grin.
"Thanks," she said gratefully, wrapping the coat around her tightly. "But are you sure you won't be too cold without it?" she asked anxiously.
With the duster off, she can see that Tamrin is wearing some kind of suit that covers him from the middle of his throat all the way to his gloves and boots . Only his face and head are currently exposed to the elements.
"I should be fine. This thing is rated for hard vacuum, so it's also good against the cold. It just doesn't have quite as roomy pockets as the duster. But that means more room for you to store stakes - just don't put any more holes in it than I have if you can manage," he says with a smile.
The odd-looking thing attached to his belt can also be seen now. It almost looks like a hand crossbow by the grip that is visible, but it has no bowstring to speak of.
"There's a shop or two nearby that run 'extended hours' if you have need of better attire or equipment. Used or new. Friends."
"That could be handy, yeah," he says with a nod.
"Do you think we can we get out of the bad-smelling, horrible crime scene now, by the way? Please?"
"OK then. When we are finished here."
"Sir Ryo, do you wish to call the patrol or a cleric? Or, keep this quiet?"
"I know a little of undead 'complications'. Will your friend's corpse require special handling?"
The odd-looking thing attached to his belt can also be seen now. It almost looks like a hand crossbow by the grip that is visible, but it has no bowstring to speak of.
"OK then. When we are finished here."
"Sir Ryo, do you wish to call the patrol or a cleric? Or, keep this quiet?"
"I know a little of undead 'complications'. Will your friend's corpse require special handling?"
"Special handling?" she asks confused. "Why? Could she become undead too?"
"Sir Ryo, do you wish to call the patrol or a cleric? Or, keep this quiet?"
"Remove the writing and we can tell the guard someone has been murdered. Without the writing, they'll think another animal attack has occured. I'd prefer not to cause a wide spread panic where anyone traveling at night is a suspect.
"I know a little of undead 'complications'. Will your friend's corpse require special handling?"
"None of the others have risen. I beleive the creature that attacked us was used to kill her. The nosferatu is... young, so it may not be bold enough to attack directly."
The odd-looking thing attached to his belt can also be seen now. It almost looks like a hand crossbow by the grip that is visible, but it has no bowstring to speak of.
"Sir Ryo, do you wish to call the patrol or a cleric? Or, keep this quiet?""Remove the writing and we can tell the guard someone has been murdered. Without the writing, they'll think another animal attack has occured. I'd prefer not to cause a wide spread panic where anyone traveling at night is a suspect.
"I know a little of undead 'complications'. Will your friend's corpse require special handling?""None of the others have risen. I beleive the creature that attacked us was used to kill her. The creature is... young, so it may not be bold enough to attack directly."
"Okay," she said. "If a good cleaning is all that's needed..." She looks around for some water, finding a basin of it in what she supposed was the kitchen area. She set it down in front of the wall with the writing, and then with a few small movements of her body to help ground her concentration, suddenly lunged forward, the water from the basin rising up to mimic the motion of her hand. The water hit the wall with enough force to smear the blood beyond any recognition of writing, most of it dripping down to the floor.
"Sorry," she said, shyly. "I didn't mean to be showy. That's just a lot faster than scrubbing. My teachers would almost certainly give me a lecture for that."
The odd-looking thing attached to his belt can also be seen now. It almost looks like a hand crossbow by the grip that is visible, but it has no bowstring to speak of.
"Okay," she said. "If a good cleaning is all that's needed..." She looks around for some water, finding a basin of it in what she supposed was the kitchen area. She set it down in front of the wall with the writing, and then with a few small movements of her body to help ground her concentration, suddenly lunged forward, the water from the basin rising up to mimic the motion of her hand. The water hit the wall with enough force to smear the blood beyond any recognition of writing, most of it dripping down to the floor.
"Sorry," she said, shyly. "I didn't mean to be showy. That's just a lot faster than scrubbing. My teachers would almost certainly give me a lecture for that."
"Oh! I think I can handle - " as he moves over to the wall, and subsequetnly gets some of the backsplash from Aananda's 'cleansing'
"Um...nevermind."
[drip, drip] :)
The odd-looking thing attached to his belt can also be seen now. It almost looks like a hand crossbow by the grip that is visible, but it has no bowstring to speak of.
"Okay," she said. "If a good cleaning is all that's needed..." She looks around for some water, finding a basin of it in what she supposed was the kitchen area. She set it down in front of the wall with the writing, and then with a few small movements of her body to help ground her concentration, suddenly lunged forward, the water from the basin rising up to mimic the motion of her hand. The water hit the wall with enough force to smear the blood beyond any recognition of writing, most of it dripping down to the floor.
"Sorry," she said, shyly. "I didn't mean to be showy. That's just a lot faster than scrubbing. My teachers would almost certainly give me a lecture for that.""Oh! I think I can handle - " as he moves over to the wall, and subsequently gets some of the backsplash from Aananda's 'cleansing'
"Um...nevermind."
[drip, drip] :)
Kannic shakes his head at the messy clean up attempt.
"Well, that will work too."
To Ryo "Now that the complication is addressed, do you plan to leave her to be found by others, or shall I fetch a patrol for you?"
"Okay," she said. "If a good cleaning is all that's needed..." She looks around for some water, finding a basin of it in what she supposed was the kitchen area. She set it down in front of the wall with the writing, and then with a few small movements of her body to help ground her concentration, suddenly lunged forward, the water from the basin rising up to mimic the motion of her hand. The water hit the wall with enough force to smear the blood beyond any recognition of writing, most of it dripping down to the floor.
"Sorry," she said, shyly. "I didn't mean to be showy. That's just a lot faster than scrubbing. My teachers would almost certainly give me a lecture for that.""Oh! I think I can handle - " as he moves over to the wall, and subsequetnly gets some of the backsplash from Aananda's 'cleansing'
"Um...nevermind."
[drip, drip] :)
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she says horrified. "I didn't mean to..." She waits as if she expects to be yelled at.
To Ryo "Now that the complication is addressed, do you plan to leave her to be found by others, or shall I fetch a patrol for you?"
"Call the guard once we leave. We don't want anyone thinking Tamrin did this."
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she says horrified. "I didn't mean to..." She waits as if she expects to be yelled at.
"Splash him again. Get the blood from the wall off of him. Not like he doesn't deserve it."
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she says horrified. "I didn't mean to..." She waits as if she expects to be yelled at."Okay," she said. "If a good cleaning is all that's needed..." She looks around for some water, finding a basin of it in what she supposed was the kitchen area. She set it down in front of the wall with the writing, and then with a few small movements of her body to help ground her concentration, suddenly lunged forward, the water from the basin rising up to mimic the motion of her hand. The water hit the wall with enough force to smear the blood beyond any recognition of writing, most of it dripping down to the floor.
"Sorry," she said, shyly. "I didn't mean to be showy. That's just a lot faster than scrubbing. My teachers would almost certainly give me a lecture for that.""Oh! I think I can handle - " as he moves over to the wall, and subsequetnly gets some of the backsplash from Aananda's 'cleansing'
"Um...nevermind."
[drip, drip] :)
Noticing the splash and the possible problems it would create, Kannic intervenes.
"That won't do. Won't do at all."
He mumbles something in Terran and his hand glows. Waving it over the splash marks the blood and water splashes flow into his hand, he clenches his fist and the mess is gone.
Tamrin starts to say something, but Kannic's chanting and spellcraft stop him as the rest of the mess is cleaned up.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she says horrified. "I didn't mean to..." She waits as if she expects to be yelled at.
"Err - are you okay, Aananda? No harm done, really. My feet just engaged before my brain, that's all."
"On the way to my friend's shop we must discuss ways of seeing and not being seen."
With the mess cleared up, Kannic alerts a patrol, enduring the obligatory question and answer session. Not surprisingly, that part goes quicker than usual. The telltale wounds seem to prompt the guards to clear the area quickly, with an admonishment for discretion.