Where Dark and Light Don't Differ (Inactive)

Game Master Signore di Fortuna

Thorgr follows beside Frostine into the woman's home. "Aye, and it's snowing."

Frostine nods as they enter the woman's home, "Yeah....it's pretty strange, but maybe that's part of the problem we're supposed to help with? I don't know...but you guys get out of those extra layers. I know not everyone can change clothes as easily as I can." Looking over at the other woman she asks, "Would it be alright for my friends to go somewhere and change? When we heard we would be going north....after being in Valwick...we kinda expected colder weather. Also....that larger building we saw....was that the Cathedral?"

Rosa starts stripping off her winter layers as soon as they get into the house. While it did feel quite a bit warmer here than where they were before, the heat didn't really bother her much since where she came from was such a dry, hot, and desolate place in it's own right. Though....seeing snow falling from the sky, and yet evaporating before it could hit the ground seemed a bit more than just slightly strange to the young dahmpir.

Dagmarr begins to remove her additional layers as well, noting that if they were going to be in this environment for long, she would need to prepare for it magically.

Having not needed to bundle up to withstand the cold, Sig doesn't have to remove anything other than her cloak, but she does note the presence of the heat in a way the cold never affected her. "How long has it been like this here?" the skald asks.

"I invited you into my home," the woman says. "I didn't expect some sort of inquisition."

Obligatory.

She waves her hand to the back of the house. "There's a couple of rooms you can change in back there. I'll answer your questions after you're more comfortable."

Sensing the woman's unease she says in a softer tone, "I'm sorry....I didn't mean for you to be barraged by all sorts of questions....it's just....we're not from around here and we were just trying to find someone....it's a little complicated to explain. I'm sorry if we seemed rude." Turning to her friends she says, "You guys go ahead and get comfortable. I'll wait here with Ms....I'm sorry, I don't think we ever got your name ma'am."

"Donafey," the woman responds. "Temperance Donafey."

Jerrica heads to one of the rooms with Sig and starts changing into cooler clothes. "Well we're off to an interesting start."

Thorgr quickly changes in the other room and returns to Frostine in his lighter clothes. "That's better. The other room is free, Rosa, if you and Dagmarr want to change now."

She nods, "Yes, thank you Thorgr." Taking Dagmarr's hand she heads to the room with their things so they can change into something a little more comfortable. At some point she would have to get some material to make them some things. She really was curious as to what was causing it to be that way outside.

She nods, "It's very nice to meet you. Thank you for inviting us into your home, we appreciate your hospitality. My name is Frostine Finnison, and this is my husband, Thorgr Finnison. These other young women are our friends. The dark haired one is Rosa, and her companion is Dagmarr, she's our Cleric and helps us when we get hurt. Then there's Jerrica and Sig. Have you lived here long?" She asks, not knowing anything of the place they are in.

Temperance settles in a rocking chair. "You have a lot of questions, don't you?"

She nods, "Yes ma'am....I'm sorry." She finds a seat nearby the older woman and sits down, pulling down on the hem of her light blue sundress with short sleeves.

Temperance smirks. "I blame it on your youth. So, you're carrying?"

Frostine gets a confused look on her face and blinks a couple of times, "Carrying what ma'am?"

As Rosa and Dagmarr get changed she gets a curious look on her face, "Do you think that old woman can help us figure out where this person with the black wings is that we're supposed to help?"

"A baby," Temperance answers.

Getting a look of understanding on her face she nods, "Ohhh yeah, that. Yes ma'am, I am going to have a baby eventually." She says, trying to ignore the painful feeling in her chest.

Frostine looks down at her hands and seems thoughtful for a moment before looking back up at Temperance, "We only found out about it around three weeks ago or so, so...I still have plenty of time before the baby comes. Several months at least I think. How...how did you know?" She asks, curious as to how the woman could tell that she was with child when she was only a few weeks along.

"I am a midwife," Temperance answers. "Not an ordinary one, mind you. I am a specially trained cleric. We can detect another life pretty early."

Tilting her head to the side slightly she says, "Soooo...that means you know about all this baby stuff then? I...I really don't know that much. My mother never had anymore children after I was born....and she never talked about anything with me either, sooo....all I really know is that in roughly nine months or so I'll have a baby. That's what Dan told me anyways....he was our Cleric for a time, but he went back home. Then Dagmarr joined us...she's pretty good at keeping us in one piece, but....I'm not sure how much she knows about babies." She sighs a little and moves some hair back behind one of her ears, "While we were with Woden, he put my baby in a kind of stasis so that it wouldn't be in danger...but then we had that dream and decided to come here, and he can't stay here or keep my baby like that anymore. I was getting worried anyways, not feeling any symptoms or understanding what was going on....but I'm not sure now....how long do these things hurt like this?" She asks, her mind full of questions as she gestures at her petite, though somewhat swollen breasts, "I was able to get better supports for them...but they're still sore."

"I know a fair bit about babies, but it has been quite some time since I last delivered one," the midwife answers. "As for your swelling, it'll last a couple more months. Then you'll have other things to worry about."

She looks somehow relieved, but not at the same time. Nodding her head she sighs, "Oh...I see. Well...we have plenty of time to figure things out I guess. It's not coming for a while yet right? So...I guess we'll just deal with these things as they come, between taking care of whatever it is we're supposed to be doing here. If we ever find the lady with the black wings and red eyes that is."

"Oh, you'll find her," Temperance says. "Arista never stays too far from home."

Giving Temperance a smile she says, "Oh, so you know her? Arista? That's a pretty name. Well, at least we know her name now. The dream didn't tell us that, it just...showed us stuff." Giving Temperance a grateful smile she says, "We'll try not to be too much of a bother. We didn't even really know what to expect when we came....we just felt...well, like we had to come. It was obvious from what we saw that she needed help....we just weren't sure exactly with what. Comparing what we saw in our dreams, to how things look now though...it would seem that we were seeing something that happened in her past maybe? I don't know....all this stuff is pretty new to me. I just barely started getting a handle on my magic a month or so ago, and some things are still pretty iffy, but I promise to be careful and not freeze anything I'm not supposed to." She says before getting quiet again. She wasn't sure how much the woman they were talking to knew, or if their help would even be wanted. She didn't want to say too much until they knew exactly what they were dealing with, so she sits back and forces herself to shut up.

Temperance chuckles as the others return. "Alright now, I'll answer the questions you've asked and then some. I am Temperance Donafey, a cleric of Pharasma, the goddess of death and rebirth. This place is called Ilneas and was once a modestly sized town. Most of the people here were followers of Sarenrae, including the winged woman you saw in your dreams. I came here about forty years ago and the land was like this when I got here. Nothing grows and there is no water to be found. If you journey about ten miles in either direction from here, the land is normal."

She pauses and rocks back and forth for a few seconds. "I was a journeying cleric, but as I got older it was more difficult for me to travel. Arista Seraphis, the winged one you speak of, permitted me to stay in this house in exchange for the water and food I can create. She and her son are the only people who remain, though I am sure Belos would leave if he could. Despite all his bluster and anger, he still cares for his mother who had lost so much."

Temperance heaves a heavy sigh. "I only know what she told me so there may be some facts that are missing from this tale. When Arista arrived in this land, she found a husband and was married soon after. She lost her daughter, Leda, in childbirth. Her husband was slain by the dark riders that come from the north. She buried most of her friends, the rest rightly fled from this place. Arista never found out what those riders were after, though she has a suspicion. In her grief, she forsook her goddess and smashed her holy symbol on the cathedral steps. She believes that Sarenrae had cursed this land because of it."

The old woman shrugs. "I don't know for sure. Doesn't seem like a godly thing to do, but, if I knew a god's mind, I'd be one, no? Anyway, flames burn beneath the ground and keep this place nice and toasty all year round. I wouldn't worry too much. I've never seen any fire spring out of the ground since I've lived here. As for the Cathedral...well, the dead don't stay dead in there and seems a visitor left something there many decades ago. Arista said he was a bit of a madman or a prophet, not much of a difference there. He wanted to hide something of great import, but all Arista said was that it was a piece of paper."

She stretches her back. "She agreed to keep it safe, putting it in a silver scroll case and burying it in the crypt. It's probably what the riders were after, she figures. But...no one can get down there these days. Arista won't fight her friends, undead or not. I won't do it. I'd be likely to meet my end down there. As for the dark riders...the curse keeps them at bay. Don't care much for fire, so I hear."

Frostine sits and listens in rapt attention of the woman's tale. At the end of it she sits there for a few minutes contemplating everything Temperance had said.

After a few moments she just shakes her head, "Wwoooow, now that's a story. If her Goddess did this to the land, I don't believe it was to punish Ms. Arista. Everyone feels pain and anger and gets frustrated at some point, that's what makes us human. I don't ghink her Goddess would hold that against her. Nooo....I think she did it to protect her and her son and the thingy they're hiding. If what you said about those riders is true." She taps her chin for a moment as she thinks, "We spoke to Lord Woden of the dreams before we agreed to come here. He assures us that he didn't send the dreams....but someone had to. For all of us to have the same exact one? Maybe her Goddess has not abandoned her. Maybe she sent us thed message so we would come and help her in a way that this Sarenrae could not. I'm not really sure how we can help her, her son...or you, but if It's alright...may we wait here for her? Maybe she can figure out how we can best be of assistance. I just....I don't like seeing people hurting, and I want to help...if we can." Shed says with a nod towards her friends and husband.

Rosa looks up from where she sits next to Dagmarr, both of whom are in more comfortable clothing. Giving thed older woman a nod of her head she says, "Yup, what she said."

"You can talk to her," Temperance says. "She's out gathering water, but she should be back before dusk. However, Arista's never been keen on newcomers...she just sends them on to Lysse, a city not too far away."

"The undead can be destroyed and their spirits set free, no?" Thorgr asks the cleric.

Temperance nods. "More than likely...but when evil has been left to fester, it can produce something that would challenge even the mightiest hero."

Frostine just smiles, "I can be stubborn and hard to say no to. Besides, we have a Cleric too." She says with a nod towards Dagmarr.

"We'll face any challenge we have to, but we'll retreat if it's too bad and figure something else," Jerrica says. "Woden believed in us, so I think we're strong enough to make a dent in the problem, at least."

Rosa nods, "Yup, where Frostine and Thorgr go, we all go. None of us is leaving anyone behind. We'll let Frostine do the explaining when Arista gets back though."

Temperance looks at the group. "If you want, I can show you around town while you wait. Maybe Belos is around and you can talk to him."

Frostine continues to smile wshile getting a bit of an excited look on her face, "Really? That sounds like it would be fun, if you're sure we won't be a bother."

"Not at all," Temperance answers. "It's been a while since I've had company."

"Good, I'm glad then. I just don't want to get in anyone's way."

Rosa raises a hand, "I can sew if that's helpful at all. I just don't have any material with me right now."

"It'd be helpful but let's not put the cart before the horse," Temperance says. "If Arista says you're free to stay, then we can work out something, even if I have to take my haggard self to the city to get you material."

She looks at Frostine and nods, "Yes ma'am, but I can go get the material if it comes to that. You need not trouble yourself."

Frostine smirks as she looks from her husband to Sig and Dagmarr, "So, what do you think girls? Shall we go say hello?"

Jerrica heads to one of the rooms with Sig and starts changing into cooler clothes. "Well we're off to an interesting start."

"Definitely." Sig says, removing a few elements of her clothing to be a little more comfortable.

As they discuss things she nods in agreement. "We can handle it."

"Yes, we should definitely take a look around. The undead....well they'll just need to face divine eradication at some point." Dagmarr replies solemnly.

She nods as she stands up and holds her hand out for Thorgr, "Alright then, I guess we're ready whenever you are."

Temperance gets out of the rocker and walks to the door. "Then let's be off."

Stepping outside, she gestures to the larger of the two other houses. "That is Arista and Belos' place. The other one is vacant. It used to belong to Arista's sister-in-law, but she left a good while ago. Perhaps, she'll let you use it if she's okay with you staying."

She nods at the large, dilapidated building. "That's the cathedral. You can still walk in up to the altar, but the barracks and the rest are destroyed. The passage to the crypt is under the altar."

Frostine just smiles as Temperance shows them around, "Ohhhh...I can be pretty persuasive when I have to be. I'm fairly certain that she's gonna let us stay. We were asked to come here for a reason, and I'm not gonna just leave. I can't." She says with a little decisive nod of her head.

"And we're not gonna leave you, so that's that I guess. Right love?" She asks, looking up at Dagmarr while giving her love's hand a little squeeze.

"Indeed! We were given out purpose by divine request, we won't be so easily put off." Dagmarr agrees, returning the squeeze of her love's hand.

Temperance looks to the west. "Ah, there she is now."

Following the midwife's gaze, you see a dark figure which almost looks like a bird, approaching the town.