Garold stays close, but slips silently into the woods, approaching the cottage from the side, looking for loose slats in the shutter...
Garold is able to find a small chink in the shutter which he is easily able to climb up to and peer into. A single candle lights the room, and he is able to see that while it is a fairly typical fisherman's cottage, the woman inside is a dark beauty, dressed in a noblewoman's silk gown. It quickly becomes very clear that this is Alain's lover, though before things get too passionate, the candle is snuffed, plunging the room into darkness.
A moment later, Bane hears the gate to the back yard creak open.
The centipede rears up to bite at her again, with no better luck than the last time.
From above, a man's voice. "You idiot, how could you let them follow you?"
"I didn't know, Anton. Please!" The woman's voice is cut off by a loud, reverberating clang.
Sergei felt like he'd been dreaming for the last ten minutes. Secret passages. Magic rocks. Giant centipedes. He berated himself for his slow wits. By the time he had his weapons drawn Isabeu had already killed the big bugs. He wanted to walk in front, bare his shield against the darkness, live up to the stories he'd been raised on and the oaths he'd sworn, but he had no idea what he was doing.
And Isabeu did.
Ever the pragmatist, Sergei watched, and kept an eye to the rear of the tunnel as they continued. He could sort out the discrepancies between the tenants of chivalry and his own lack of experience later.
Mouth shut, eyes open, Farmer.
Bane whirls around towards the sound attempting to be as invisible as possible while scanning for any threat.
Too focused on the insect biting at her, she did not notice the angered voice of Anton above. He hunkers down shield set and tries again to dispatch her attacker, swinging the old beat up bastard sword at the creature.
Isabeau's eyes dart above them, anxious over being so close, yet so far from her quarry. Realizing that the time for quiet has passed, she risks calling out to the woman above. "Marissa! Wait, please!!"
She doubted if the Ocara woman would recognize her voice, but she hoped the sound of her own name combined with the plea would keep her from fleeing their approach. But with her attentions focused above, her jab at the last centipede came late and her shortsword clanged off the stone instead.
Having seen all he's going to see, Garold slinks to the back corner of the cottage, and waits for Bane.
"It will be better for you if I await at a distance." Wendel whispers to the gnome, then places a hand on the breastplate at his chest and then the weapons festooned about his person. "I'll keep an eye out from here, you sneak closer. If I see something that'll get you thrown in a cauldron, I'll make sure you're covered. Maybe a signal..."
Wendel makes a soft clicking sound like the marsh bugs nearby. It sounds awful, but at the very least will serve as a warning.
That done, he hunkers down in their hiding place and waits for the gnome to approach and take a look-see. He keeps his crossbow at the ready, but knowing he can't exactly shoot Baton, nor would it be wise to shoot any women, he's at a loss for what to do next.
Sergei moved in as best he could in the cramped space, putting himself between Lucia and the creature, swinging his hatchet like he was chopping wood.
Bliznap nods at Wendel and approaches the cottage trying to stay hidden. Once he arrives, he takes care to not be seen while he tries to get a better look through one of the many windows.
”What are you?” he says, seeing the tail and wing joints belonging to Illa’s body. The sound of a sword clanging off stone returns Stanrick’s focus to the creature attacking them. He pivots on his left foot and stabs at the final centipede, just after Sergei chops at it.
”Marissa! It’s Stanrick, remember? Wait!” he yells. ”Isabeau go after her. We can take this creature.”
Thinking for a moment, Garold peeks around the corner, wondering if there's a storm cellar entrance in back...
The sounds of pleasure from inside the cottage stop.
At the back of the house, Bane watches from the shadows as three figures creep through the gate. He recognizes one of them from the Dark Maiden, but each of them pull knives as the sound of chimes comes from the front of the house.
Leveling his hand crossbow at one of the three he lets loose a bolt,
Quickly but quietly, Garold moves up close to Bane as soon as he can react. He isn't moving soon enough to help this round, but he'll be prepared to defend his new ally as soon as he can.
Garold mutters under his breath as he closes...bad men...knives...they want to hurt Garold…
He's never faced multiple armed opponents before, and he wishes he had his spear...he bites back the anxieties, trembling.
The three men don't notice Bane until one of them is struck by a bolt from his hand crossbow, but as soon as they see him, they all rush towards him, blades drawn. Two of them slice him with their long knives, and the third dances around the side, stabbing at the air and giggling nervously.
"You said there'd be none else here but us!" he yelps.
Sergei was frozen in place, his hatchet buried in a centipede when the odd transformation that had happened right next to him caught up with him.
He stared, his heart pounding in his chest, and then slowly withdrew his axe and extended it threateningly towards the thing in front of him that called itself Lucia.
"Get. Back."
...listening for someone trying to make a break through the front door...
Hearing nothing, Wendel looks to the gnome. "Maybe watch the front if the girl rabbits? I'll check out the back..." Wendel beats feet for the back of the house, firing his crossbow as soon as he hits the corner and sees a target...
Lucia turns to Sergei wide eyed. Her mouth opens and closes in disbelief as her voice is suddenly lost to her.
Not again... It is happening again... I thought. I thought I could trust these people.
Trust? TRUST!? YOU thought you could TRUST?! Stupid little girl. Stupid Stupid littler girl. Your 'trust' is now going to be our deaths!
Lucia begins to back away as she sheeths her sword and holds her hand up defensively. She knew speaking would probably push the now unstable man to attack, and that made spell casting out of the question. All she could do, was run. She called on the innate magic she possesses and forced one of the rocks on the floor to tumble behind Sergai in hopes to call his attention away from her, even for a moment.
Isabeau turns to Sergei, confused by his sudden change in attitude. She looks to see what is the matter and focuses on Lucia, revealed in all her glory before their eyes for the first time.
Her breath catches in her throat as her eyes move down Lucia's body. Her striking blue eyes growing wider and wider as they travel over her delicately feathered wings down to her sinuous and gleaming tail. That sense of being in some dream-like unreality came again, and time seemed to stretch into infinity as she stood gazing, fascinated at the dark angel who now stood among them.
He stared, his heart pounding in his chest, and then slowly withdrew his axe and extended it threateningly towards the thing in front of him that called itself Lucia.
"Get. Back."
It felt as if it took all of her effort to look away from Lucia, but she turned to Sergei, shocked again to see him brandishing a weapon at their incredible new friend. She stepped between them without a moment's hesitation, brandishing her blades. She narrowed her eyes at the only person she had been willing to call a friend just mere hours ago.
"No, Sergei! Put that away, I won't let you harm her!"
Bliznap turns to Wendel thinking the same thing. He moves to block the front of the house in order to stop anyone who might try to leave. Or otherwise get a glimpse at them.
"No, Sergei! Put that away, I won't let you harm her!"
The shock was plain on Lucia's face. The confusion was filling her head, swirling in a blur of thoughts. She couldn't understand exactly what was happening and it was all moving so fast. What was she supposed to do now? The rock she was going to move was hovering a foot of the ground. Her focus was starting to wane from the scene unfolding before her. One has turned on her. One has turned on HIM in her defense. And the whole while, the one they are supposed to be looking for may have already been killed just above them. What was she supposed to do?
From years of studying nature, Stanrick knew the world was complex and diverse. The ever changing moon’s face. The population of wolves that waxed and waned as the population of rabbits and deer did the same. Nature was balanced, but not like a scale weighing coins in a market place quickly becoming level. No this was a perpetually swinging scale of numerous plates each effecting the others. It was a balance that oftentimes wasn’t easy to see and that instilled in Stanrick patience to delay action and judgement until he knew more of the situation.
Perhaps this woman was cursed and came to Levkarest seeking help. Perhaps not. An explanation isn’t necessary now. Their quarry is so close!
”Aren’t you friends? Let’s discuss this later, if there is even a need for that. We’re so close to Marissa. [i]She[/] is the one we seek,” he says calmly, stepping between Isabeau and Lucia to add another body between Lucia and Sergei. ”Lady, will you pledge your intentions and actions are peaceful towards us? If she does, will that satisfy you Sergei? Hurry before Anton and Marissa escape.”
Still extremely hesitant to speak, she grits her teeth trying to offer a pleading look. Did he not understand her silence? Did he not realize she was trying to keep the situation from escalating? How could he, of course. He knew her about as well as the rest of them did. She was still surprised that he was aiding her at all though. That any of them were aiding her period.
*CLACK clack clack*
The break in her concentration had dropped the stone heavily down behind the jumpy man. She waits for a reaction still slowly inching her way back toward the wall.
Segei stood still, his mind whirling. He was clearly frightened but holding himself together.
"Something is killing people. She is not human, but pretends to be. That is all I know. You'll have to forgive me if I don't trust so easily when someone sprouts demon wings and a tail right next to me."
Isabeau sneers at the word "demon", and spits her next words like venom.
"And you think she shouldn't hide herself? Look at yourself, man! As long as ignorant fools raise their weapons first and ask questions later, her options are hide or die!" She backs away from him, toward Lucia, watching Sergei closely.
Once she is satisfied that Sergei won't attack, she'll lower her weapons and sheath the dagger as her eyes seek out Lucia again, hungrily.
"They are fools, for you are glorious, my lady." Her voice is filled with awe and the last words come out a reverent whisper. She raises her hand tentatively, reaching toward Lucia's gold and red wings as if she wished to stroke the delicate feathers. "Did it hurt? When you fell?" She smiles suddenly, as if at some inside joke and then seems to remember herself somewhat. She lowers her hand and clears her throat.
"Stanrick is right, we should get moving. I saw the way up just before the centipedes attacked us. Sergei, why don't you lead us." Though phrased as request, her flat tone makes it more of a statement. She did not intend to give him the chance to turn on Lucia and attack her from behind.
As Isabeau extends her hand up toward her wing, Lucia instinctively shies away as if ashamed, her wing involuntarily shuddering and lowering behind her a bit. When Isabeau lowers her hand Lucia lets off an inaudible sigh of relief. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until that moment.
"Stanrick is right, we should get moving. I saw the way up just before the centipedes attacked us. Sergei, why don't you lead us."
Her voice was strong suddenly. Forceful. She caught herself surprised at the sudden boldness and surety she spoke with. She immediately softened her tone still not wanting to startle Sergei too much more. She looked to Stanrick a moment. Then shifted her gaze over to the awe struck Isabeau. What was happening here had to be sorted out later. She needed to focus.
No. I will lead the way. I hope it will show Sergei a measure of my trust that i am willing to expose my back to a potential enemy.
Dropping his hand crossbow to hang by its sling, Bane swings his Falchion at the nearest attacker while shouting "I could use a little help here!
As soon as Garold arrives, he attacks if he can...
…swinging his stout club in a wide arc, at the closest attacker.
No! No attack friend! Bad!
...and holding the club in front of himself and Bane, ready to interfere with further attacks... still shaking, almost uncontrollably.
After quite a while, you estimate you must have climbed a hundred feet or so, the ledge comes to a stop. The walls of the cavern have closed in, arching across to form the roof, except for a small round hole just above you, with a rope ladder dangling down.
Seeing that the way out (and probably the way to their query) was up she realized she would have to climb. She sighs to herself knowing this is going to be quite the challenge. She was not very strong and her armor was heavy. She realized what she had to do. She looks sadly to the others and apologizes for the delay. She advices the others to feel free to ascend as she stepped to the side and began removing her armor. She paused a moment as she began to unclasp and turned bright red realizing she was essentially undressing in front of these near strangers. She realized how ridiculous it was to be bashful since she had other layers underneath, but it didn't the emotions she could not hide. She turned her back and skirted deeper into the shadows, out of the lights reach and continued to work at the latches and buckles.
The action has been slow, but I'm drawing you into my web before I unleash ... er ... I'm trying to set up some of the story elements.
Wendel watches the man fall, his crossbow bolt sticking out of his back. The warrior blinks realizing it's his first kill. All his years training with the Duneheim family's guardsmen had paid off, but was he in the right on this? In fact, the face of one of the other dead attackers looks familiar. Did he and the group just waylay competition?
Would be just like a noble to make sure all roads were explored...
From the corner of the house where he'd fired the bolt, Wendel shakes off the introspection and gets back to business. He whistles softly and nods to Bane and Garold to hit the back door.
That done, he heads back to the front of the house to back up Bliznap in case there's trouble, reloading his crossbow on the way.
…dead... just...I just...KILLED a man!
Garold falls to his knees, sobbing softly and retching. It's a few seconds before he recovers, and shakily regains his feet.
...murderer... silently, Garold judges himself.
Bane watches the hunched over man shaking, "Steady son." he says, putting a reassuring hand on Garold's back. "With me now." he says walking towards the back door.
What's going on Wendel? What was all the commotion?
"Three guys, knives," Wendel whispers, snapping his bolt into place on the drawn crossbow. He steadies himself on the front corner of the house, sighting down the crossbow towards the front porch. "One of them may have been at the Maiden earlier. They're dead, our guys are clear."
Weapon at the ready, Wendel realizes he can't shoot the husband-to-be, so he lowers the business end a bit so his reflexes don't cause him loose a snap-shot. He glances about the area, wondering if they might have other "visitors" keen to learn about Baton's escapades.
...seeing nothing he refocuses on the front door. "Better keep an eye out, we may have more competition lurking about... You wouldn't happen to have something that can knock a person out, eh? In case the guy starts feeling froggy?"
I might have just the thing.
Bliznap prepares to cast sleep on the Lord if they breach the shack.
These come up when you do something evil, and the definition of what is and isn't evil is pretty strict. More to the point, I'm playing it pretty strictly.
Bane, in this case, incurred a powers check for assaulting the first of the three men. Everything that followed was simple combat, but the first strike, unprovoked and with no knowledge of who they were or what their purpose was, is evil enough to attract the dark powers. There's a 1% chance that you will become corrupted by this act.
You might argue that he was provoked by my rolling initiative, and I'd probably go with that, if the check resulted in corruption, but as you didn't, let it serve as a warning to everyone. Evil has consequences in Ravenloft.
Of course, Ravenloft encourages corruption, so the consequences are a mixed bag, a blessing and a curse.
@ Bliznap: Breaking and Entering is not enough to provoke a check, but theft is, including looting corpses.
To shed a bit of light without revealing everything, the chance goes up the worse the action is, and depending largely on who the victim is. If you torture innocents, for example, you auto-fail, but looting monsters doesn't call for a check at all.
It took him a bit, but Isabeau's words overrode his instinctive fear with shame. She was right. He was acting like an idiot.
He lowered his axe and let the women pass, walking behind them.
After a minute he found his voice again, finding it easier to speak to her when he politely turned his back while she began undressing.
"I am not your enemy. I was surprised and thought you might be mine. I... dont understand what you are, and it is going to take me a while to get comfortable around you, but you have nothing to fear from me."
What she is isn't her fault, and until she does something worth being upset about she should be treated the same as anyone else.
Those damn wings make my skin crawl though.
Garold moves slowly toward the door, steeling himself and trying to maintain stealth...
Bane opens the door with his weapon drawn, staying low trying to gauge the inside.
Not trusting his eyes in the pitch darkness, Garold turns his head, and focuses on what he might hear.