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Lily waves at you from her porch as you depart, stopping in town to drop Calvert off with his friends. As he breaks the news of Jasper's death, Haggart begins to cry before Calvert starts on his epic tale of how he slayed the bear that did it. Continuing along the dirt road out of Weegrove and into the unknown, you depart, as surely as you did enter, into legend.
You make the uneventful trek back through the woods to Lily's house and Lily tucks Blake into bed while Calvert waits outside. Stepping out of the bedroom, Lily invites you into the basement, "After all you've done for me and Blake these past few days, I can't thank you enough, nor can I let you go unrewarded, which is why I want you to have some of my old things from my wilder days hunting monsters." she says, pointing at three large trunks in her basement. "I'll need your help carrying them upstairs, but you can have everything in here."
Inside trunk 1 is a collection of gemstones and artwork comprised of an agate (12 gp), an azurite (8 gp), a chrysoberyl (70 gp), a citrine (50 gp), a coral (110 gp), a garnet (130 gp), 2 jaspers (60 gp) 2 jet (120 gp), an obsidian (12 gp), an onyx (60 gp) an opal (550 gp), a pyrite (8 gp), a saltwater pearl (100 gp), a carved stone idol (30 gp) and a gold chess set (500 gp). Inside trunk 2 is an assortment of magic items comprised of a +1 suit of half-plate armor (1750 gp), a potion of feather step (50 gp), a potion of guidance (25 gp), a scroll of endure elements (25 gp), and a wand of bless (750 gp). Inside trunk 3 is what appears to be Lily's old camping gear, comprised of a bag of chestnuts (1 gp), a bag of iron nails (5 sp), a bag of salt (2 sp), a bedroll (1 sp), a bottle of vinegar (1 sp), a bucket (5 sp), a rope ladder (50') (3 gp), a sack of wheat (5 sp), a pair of shears (5 gp), a sledge (1 gp), 13 small casks of pickled fish (2 gp) a tiny lead box (1 gp), and a sack containing 144 pp, 92 gp, 36 sp and 22 cp. "I do have another favor to ask," she says pensively, "I'd like you to take Calvert back into town. But when you're done, I think it'd be best if you went on your way. I loved having y'all here, but I don't think the people who knocked him out and stuck nails in him should be here when Blake wakes - or while he recovers." She looks down at her feet, ashamed of what she's asking, "Blake and I would love to see you again sometime, but he has to heal from all this first. You understand where I'm coming from, dears?"
Lily walks out of the tent with a sigh of relief, "Blake's alright, but we'll need to carry him back to the house where I can give him something to speed his recovery." She walks over to Calvert, "I think Doc is right: it was definitely a bear that killed Jasper and ate your horse. You understand?" Convinced by Doc with help from Lily, Calvert nods in agreement, "Alright, alright! Just let me go and I won't tell nobody what happened with Blake - but let me make one thing clear:, I came out here to kill that bear and saved your dear husband. I can't have the guys thinking I got jumped by the husband of some conservationalist!" He thinks for a moment, "And hey, could you give me a ride back to town? My ride is dead." Lily agrees and unties Calvert, then goes into the tent to prepare Blake for transportation.
Calvert catches his breath and looks at Doc quizzically, "What do you mean, possessed? I came out here looking for Jasper...found his corpse a little ways up from where I parked my wagon, when I hear a scream and look up to see Lily's husband jumping out of a tree! That bastard of a sword knocked me right out, and when I came to, I saw he'd roasted up and eaten my entire horse. I was sure he was gonna kill me like he must've killed Jasper, when you guys showed up. I take it that sound of violence was you killin' him?" He looks at his restraints, "I really appreciate you guys saving me from being sacrificed to whatever cult god he was probably worshipping, but I'd be really appreciative if you'd cut me loose."
Calvert stops squirming as he ponders your offer, then nods his head in agreement. You sense that he's agreed to behave.
Racine and Long don't detect any presence of the outsider anymore, but Long witnesses Calvert, in his failure to break free, knock his chair on its back.
Racine successfully keeps the iron pierced into Blake while Doc chants. On the fourth round, the tent begins to shake, and on the fifth, a surge of yellow lightning surges through Blake's skin followed by a bright flash. Racine no longer feels the evil presence fighting her. Though unconscious, Blake continues to breath heavily. Following the flash, Racine's elven ears hear the muffled excitement of a bound and gagged Calvert outside, and Lily barges into the tent and kneels down to take Blake's pulse, "Is...is it done?" she asks warily.
Racine trips Blake and Frank rushes in and conks him in the head with the side of his blade, knocking him unconscious.
Racine surprises Blake and successfully drives the nail into him. She feels his otherworldly presence attempt to force the nail from his body, but defeats him in a mental battle and the nail remains. Long almost forgot, but suddenly remembers that the ritual also requires a spoken chant to destroy the outsider, which he remarkably remembers - however, it can only be performed while one or more nails are driven into the host. Lily does as asked, turning away from the scene as she guards the exit.
You're still in if you want, but to sum it up: Blake is believed to be possessed by some sort of outsider and you've tracked him into the woods where he has kidnapped Calvert as a planned sacrifice. I have to say that your knowledge skills probably would've come in handy, but I didn't want to control your PC for you.
Racine and Lily creep along to the tent without making a sound as Frank and Pandora stay behind for backup. Through the flap you see Blake, unaware of your presence as he polishes an arrowhead with a bow on his lap.
"Then let's go!" Lily shouts hurriedly and grabs something of Blake's, leading Pandora outside the house and kneeling down to speak to her trusted bloodhound, "Okay Pandora, we're going to find daddy. Sniff this and lead us to him." Pandora takes Blake's scent and charges into the forest. You follow her some miles through until you arrive at a steep rise leading uphill through a dense patch of thicket. On the other side of the thicket, the forest itself seems to open up, depositing you into an open area with a spectacular view of not only the town below, but the lake, as well. This site has a sacrificial pit dug into its floor as well, but unlike the first site, the ritual surface isn’t a tree trunk but a wide, natural outcropping of rock. You see that the same sigils have been scratched into the rock face. About twenty feet from the stone is a dark blue tent. Next to the stone, sitting gagged and bound to a wooden chair, is Calvert.
Lily whispers that she can make out some movement inside the tent, but that it doesn't appear to have noticed your presence yet.
People sorta stopped replying, so I assumed everyone lost interest and didn't want to continue. I guess I should mark it as dead :/ For what it was worth, I had fun, and hope I didn't fail too bad at it (though based on the game being dead, I guess I did) :(
Racine cracks open a tome on outsider lore and Lily begins reading through a book about the far east and thinks over what Frank suggested, "Coercing Haggart shouldn't be difficult - as you saw, he's the most timid of the troupe. We still need to find something about what might be out there before we do that. I think I might know what those sigils were, and I think I saw them in-" Lily sudden stops talking and her eyes go wide and her face goes pale as she mutters, "No, goddammit." She drops the open book back on the table and runs upstairs, calling for Blake, and you can see where multiple pages were torn cleanly from the spine, as well as the same sigils you saw earlier - they translate to Father of Hunters. When she returns without Blake, Lily is visibly scared, "That book is missing the exact pages I was looking for, and no one had access to it besides me and Blake. No forced entry, nothing to indicate someone broke in. Blake bought that book for me when he was on tour - it's all about myths and legends around where he was last stationed. Those missing pages detailed the Elegrue, some sort of demon spirit worshiped by dark cults in the region Blake suffered the attack that let him come home."
Racine's research confirms that Elegrue are malevolent outsiders worshiped by eastern cults as patrons of dark power, known to possess the bodies of hunters and killers to force them to perform sacrificies. What she's gathered fits the profile of the attacks, but also hints at a weakness: iron nails or stakes driven into the host are rumored to repel the spirit. Lily grabs her gear and puts Pandora's harness back on, "If this thing has done something to Blake, then he's out there right now and needs our help! We just need to find him."
Pandora leads the way back to your vehicle and you trek back to Lily's home, where she immediately descends into her basement and returns with a stack of dusty old tomes. Setting them on the table everyone is gathered around, she asks Frank what his thought was as she opens the first book up.
Lily sighs, "Frank's right: Calvert might be a poacher, and he might hate me enough to chase me out, but he's not smart enough to pull this off, and he's too smart to pit all the elves and half-elves against the human residents." Racine detects a moderate conjuration aura, but the sigils themselves are mundane wood carvings - she notes the lines are too arbitrary and simple to be used in spellcraft, and look more like linguistic characters than magical sigils. Lily closes up her journal and looks at the scene puzzled, "Something about these sigils is familiar, but I haven't seen anything like this before. I'd rather not continue hunting Calvert - assuming this isn't him - without knowing what we're up against." Lily looks back, waiting for your call.
Frank doesn't recognize any religious significance to the sigils. Lily looks them over and then copies them down in a hand-held journal, "I don't think so, but maybe there's something in my books back at the house. I've studied these woods and the surrounding lore ever since my father- anyway, I'm copying them down. Might as well see if Blake recognizes them when we get back." Lily looks around wearily, while Frank's observations enforce his belief that the ears are indeed human, but nothing around seems to indicate the identity of the individual.
Lily leads the party back to their vehicle and together and they ride back out into the forest. Based on the information Haggart provided, Lily goes down one of the only roads into Weegrove's outback, which only gets worse for wear the further along until it becomes almost muddy. At the end of it is a horse-drawn camper with Calvert's name and the words "Keep yelling. I'm reloading" painted onto it, its wheels buried into the mud and the horse nowhere in sight.
Determining what happened here is easy, thanks to the muddy conditions; Calvert parked in a hurry, unhitched his horse, and rode into the woods. Once fully into the forest, however, the tracks first grow harder to follow, then disappear entirely. But it’s no dead end, thanks to the smell. Farther along in the same general direction, Pandora's bloodhound nose leads you. Dug into the dirt floor of a small clearing is what looks, at first glance, to be a fire pit. On closer inspection, you see that mixed in among the burned out embers are the remains of a human being. The body appears to have been put into the pit naked, though it’s hard to tell if it was done post-mortem. On the far side of the pit, just beyond the lip, sits a fat tree stump with a flattened top. Carved into the top is a pair of strange sigils. Atop the sigils rests a pair of human ears.
Frank senses that Haggart is telling him the truth, which he reaffirms. Lily interjects, "What, and let my guests do all the work? If you really want to do this, I'm going with you. Haggart, stay here and let my friends and I take a look." She mutters, "So we're really doing this?" and then suggests looking in the forest north of Weegrove, unless anyone has a better idea where to start.
Haggart stutters, "S-sorry m-ma'am! I didn't mean nothing by it, I swear. P-please help me find them, ma'am."
Nedwallis glares at Frank as he refills his coffee. Haggart is stunned by Frank's bruskness, "I- I mean we- we didn't do nothin' wrong. Or at least I didn't. Calvert might've done wrong, but my cousin Jasper always tried to keep 'im on the straight an' narrow. What in tarnations would be huntin' us, one o' them tree huggin' elves? Alls I know is, Jasper went out on some sorta solo trip and never came back, and now Calvert's gone too!" he says in his defense.
Nedwallis returns with your order about ten minutes later, including your two four-stack supremes: four buttered waffles sandwiching three layers of assorted fruits and jams, and topped with three different syrups and whipped cream. "I've got this covered," Lily says with a smile as she thanks Nedwallis and hands him the requisite money - plus a generous tip. After you finish eating and are about to leave, Haggart gets up and nervously confronts Lily, "Ma'am, I know you ain't fond of Calvert, and I ain't much fonder some days neither, but he's- well he's missing, ma'am. And with him and my cousin Jasper gone too, I'm worried that maybe something happened to them - maybe something that'll come happening to me too." Lily sighs, but asks Haggart to tell her more, "Well after we ran into you folks yesterday, Calvert was itching to get out into the woods to search for Jasper. Well I asked him to wait 'til we could all head out this morning, and he agreed, but he didn't show at the meet when we was supposed to head out. I went to his house, but him and his horse was gone." You can tell that Haggart is afraid and sincere, but Lily is uncertain what to do.
He jots down Racine's order and responds, "Oh, that's Haggart. Not sure what's got him down, or why he's here alone. I rarely see him without his hunter friends and cousin. But he ordered food, so it's not my place to pry." He waits for the others to order. Lily scoffs at Haggart's apparent sadness, "Good riddance," she mutters before ordering a large four-stack waffle supreme with a side of waffle nuggets and a cup of coffee, and recommends that Frank order the same.
You arrive together at Nedwallis' Waffle Hut and Lily seats you at her favorite booth, where a scruffy looking man - either an elf or a small slender human - whose nametag reads Nedwallis hands you menus, smiles and greets you, and asks what you'd like to order. At the back of the restaurant you see Haggart sitting alone, looking worried and glum.
The party winds down at around midnight and all the guests are gone by 2 AM, leaving just Racine, Long, Lily and Blake, bringing peace and relief. Lily lets herself pass out on the couch and Blake, tired as he is, carries her up to bed. He tells Racine and Long (if they're still awake) that they can stay in the guest room (which has two beds) and retires for the night. A hungover Frank arrives late in the morning to find Lily energized and brewing coffee. Without even asking, she puts a mug in Frank's hand and pats him on the face, "You're welcome," she says with a smile. Once everyone except Blake (who seems intent on staying in bed) is up, Lily informs you that she's taking you to Nedwallis' Waffle Hut for breakfast, again without asking first. "It's on me," she says with her signature smile despite having been up late drinking the night before.
Lily does her best to hide the pity she feels for Racine, as well as the guilt she feels for bring it up to begin with, instead putting a fake smile of sincere caring, "Well if you need anything, hun, you just let me know, and I'll make sure no one comes up here and bothers you. Take care, Racine." she says before returning to the party. "I was studying Natural History and Botanical Conservation in the Field of Medical Restoration and Exotic Flora and Environmental Hazards, which is how I met Lilah. I hadn't planned to join the military like my father did, but...shortly after the war started, my father was killed and my younger brother joined up. I knew where my duty was. As it turned out, a few weeks into bootcamp, my brother was found medically unfit," Blake goes on, laughing at what he says of his brother, "but I still felt a duty to my father's legacy, and to what my brother was unable to do, that kept me going. Besides, they'd have just replaced me with some poor sap otherwise. My knowledge made me fit for survival in exotic environments - specifically the deserts we were fighting in." He gulps down his beer and grabs another one, "And that was the way it went for most part - I'd go on some operation or another, usually scouting or building bases - and then I'd come home for a few months before shipping out again. Then a couple months back, I was injured while out on patrol by some religious fanatics, and I realized I'd been away from home long enough, so I dropped out and came back to stay." Blake concludes, then ponders on your last question, "Maybe I'll go back to school some day, but for now I'm happy to be home with Lilah. It'd be nice to get my degree at some point." Frank's ploy to comfort the woman works and the two continue to drink and party until after midnight, when he walks the woman home and stays the night.
Frank finds an easily-impressed and playful woman and keeps her entertained all night with heavily exaggerated tales of his exploits. His tales of hunting remind her of an old flame - Jasper - who she reveals, on account of her heavy drinking, is a widower who lost his wife to an unknown disease some years prior, and now lives alone on the lake. She remembers their time fondly and hopes the rumors of him being lost in the wilderness are untrue. Lily finds Racine reading alone, "I guess parties aren't your thing, but I wanted to check on you and make sure you're doing well." she says, the care for Racine apparent in Lily's voice and demeanor. Lily peers at Racine's book, "What're you reading there? I hope it's not monster lore - you should at least take the time to relax and get away from that life for a night, even if you prefer to do so away from the party." While hiding from the party, Doc is noticed and approached by Blake, "You know, Lily and I met at a party like this back during my first year at the university up north. I was younger back then, but she's not aged a day in my eye. But then I joined the military, spent two tours overseas and now? I'm not the same young man that I was when we met. Sometimes I think, if they didn't let me go after that injury, I might've died out there." Blake takes a swig of beer. "But I guess a man your age - and in your line of work - understands what that's like. I guess if we let that get to us, turn into the darkness, we become monsters. So I'll keep coming to Lily's parties until the day I die, because she's the light that keeps away the darkness inside of me." He takes another swig of beer, "So'd Lily tell you folks anything about my time abroad?"
It's all good, Doc. Hope you're feeling better. I'm kind of busy from today to Sunday, so I may or may not respond until Monday. I started falling behind on daily replies, but I'll be back on track after this weekend.
"I wouldn't know, Doc. As far as anyone knows, Jasper left a note saying he was on a hunting trip, and until I'm called in to do my duty, I'm not wasting my time looking for him. My job is to protect the forest, not save poachers." she says brusquely as you pull up to her house. No longer feeling up to talking about this, she quickly gets to setting up for the party and helping Blake pick out suitable party attire. Though the party isn't due to start for another five hours (as Lily's parties are known to start early and run late), Blake takes his time resting up and reading the local newspaper, while Lily is busy mixing drinks, preparing food and rolling cigarettes. Pandora sticks close by as Lily goes about her business. By 6 PM, the sun is barely visible over the mountain tops and all that's left to do is hang some decorations and light some fires outside, and that's when the first wave of guests arrives. Comprised of younger people aged 18-25, they're here to help Lily prepare for the second, larger wave of guests, but it's here that the party starts to begin as torches and bonfires are lit and kegs brought outside. Soon more guests arrive, and even Blake comes out for a few beers - the other thing that can get him to open up about his time in the army.
"Don't worry, little lady, you should be safe inside town. Jasper just up and left on a hunt the other day, which ain't like my cousin, but that was way in the woods where we live. But Jasper's the one who taught us all to hunt since we was little, so if something got him, I dunno what chance we got." Haggart says despite Frank's rudeness and Calvert's objection - he wants to reassure Racine of her safety. Lily returns from her shopping with party supplies filling her baskets, but nearly drops them as she points at Calvert, "You! What're you boys doing harassing my friends?" she asks irritably. Calvert brushes her off and motions for Stuart and Haggart that it's time to go, "Come on, boys. We don't need the wilderness police and her merry band of outsiders sticking their noses into our business." Haggart waves goodbye to Racine but avoids eye-contact with Lily. When they're gone, Lily calms down, "Sorry if they were harassing you guys. They've been especially bothersome around town since their pack alpha went missing, but there's no love lost between me and Jasper." she explains. "Anywho, you guys ready to leave? My arms are straining under the load of all the goods I got for the party. I certainly would mind getting farther away from that lot either." When you leave, the ride back is less calming as Lily takes the opportunity to let loose about Haggart, Stuart, Calvert and Jasper. She reveals that the boys, especially Calvert, have been a pain in her ass since she took her current job. She suspects that Calvert was responsible for poaching a white mountain lion as a trophy recently, and says he's all around a bad seed. She thinks that Jasper was the only thing keeping him on anything resembling a good path, but that sooner or later he'll get caught for something and be able to search his house and prove he poached that mountain lion.
At your interjection, the three hunters turn to face you, while the fourth man walks away to continue his work. The younger man, Haggart, speaks in a southern accent similar to, but more pronounced than, Lily's. "My cousin Jasper would never get spooked!" he asserts. Calvert joins in "Yeah, who the hells you supposed to be? Some outta towner tryna get in a tussle with the natives? We're Weegrove born and raised, and we don't much like the insinuations you're making about our troupe." Haggart continues, "I don't see how it's an issue for an outsider, 'specially one who probably isn't even a hunter.We Weegrove men stick together, like honey on a badger.."
While Frank carries 3 gallons of mead to be purchased, Racine and Doc are disappointed to find the weirdest thing to be jars of picked deer brains - sadly not intended as a spell component, but a snack. However, you're surprised by the size of the main attraction: the sporting and hunting department is as large as the store owner touts, containing almost every kind of mundane arms, armor and accessories a hunter - of both the mundane and mythical variety - could need. Naturally, 99% of the store's reading selection specifically pertains to outdoor pursuits or other survivalist skills. While investigating the store's selection of knives, you come across three hunters (the normal kind), whose names seem to be Stuart, Calvert and Haggart, embroiled in a conversation with one of the store's employees, referred to as Bigantine. While the discussion sounds heated at first, it becomes clear that they're not actually upset with each other, but rather discussing a man named Jasper. Apparently a big game hunter of some skill, the men are concerned not only about the man, but the nature of his disappearance.
It's easy enough to read the men: Stuart is the oldest but not the troupe's leader; he's a quiet man, slow to show emotion or express himself in public. Haggart is the youngest and shows the most genuine concern for Jasper, being a passionate but cool-headed man. Calvert is hot-headed and egotistical; he cares more about Jasper's disappearance affecting his hunts than anything else. Bigantine is more an acquaintance than a friend - a man to talk to when shopping and not much else.
Lily sits up in her modest but well-maintained carriage - inherited from her father - and signals for Pandora to jump in. She allows whoever wants to ride with her to do so, and the others to ride on what you came. Both Pandora and Lily are in good spirits as you ride into the town proper, following her to Bullseye Bannister's Hunting & Sundries Emporium, a large store catering mostly to the local hunter gatherers, as well as stocking a variety of everyday goods for the town's citizens. It reports to be the largest store between the University of Mideastern Cedrana Wildlife Preservation to the north and the city of Skartsdale to the south. The sporting and hunting goods department encompasses the majority of the large store's space with the rest devoted to everyday needs. Pandora follows close to Lily as they enter the store and she looks in the direction of the general goods department, "I'm going to gather the last of what I need for the party and then make a swing through the hunting goods department. I don't know if you need anything from here, so I'll leave you to your own devices. We'll meet up over there when we're done, regardless." says Lily before heading to get what she needs, letting you go wherever you wish.
Sorry about the delay! Very busy weekend. Will post in a few hours after I've started my day, and then should be back to regular postings. Was just that one weekend.
It was fun having you, Caedus. Take care, and good luck with everything. You will be missed. I think this brings us down to 3 characters of level 6? It's not huge, and AFAIK, the team lacks healing (except via potions). I can always adjust combats, so unless any one wants me to, I don't think I'll recruit.
Blake gives Long a gentle handshake and pours him a cup of coffee, "You look good for your age, Doctor Long, especially considering what Lilian has told me about your work. I know how you feel some days, though; I'm not as young as I used to be." When Frank returns, Lily gives him a nod and smiles, "Much better, boy." She picks up a piece of paper from her counter and looks at it then back to the group, "It looks like I still have more stuff to pick up in town. What say we all saddle up and head into town together, leave Blake here to rest, and catch up some more on the ride? I know Pandora would enjoy getting out, and you could see the sights on your way to the store." Lily leans down to pet her bloodhound Pandora, who seems to be practically glued to Lily.
Lily graciously returns the hugs and kisses and puts out her cigar, "You two are the sweetest things, you know? I actually made some of that tea for Blake - I think he's still recovering from his ordeals, you know." Lily points down the hall to a room at the back, "The shower's down the hall to your left, hun. Why don't you go clean up? I didn't want to say anything, but whoo boy!" "Speak of the devil," Lily says as Blake can be heard exiting the bedroom and making his way downstairs. Blake is a bald-headed human with a thick black beard in his early 30s, of average-height but muscular and fit from his time in the army. Contrasted against his otherwise orderly appearance, it's easy to note his mismatched socks. As he approaches, he offers a handshake, "It's nice to meet you, folks. My wife told me about you when she was arranging the party. A friend of Lilian's is a friend of mine." he says before giving Lily a kiss and pouring himself a cup of coffee.
Thomas detects no magic.
The man responds with a macho swagger, "I don't know what you're thinkin', Father, but I ain't had nothin' to do with this. I was just comin' out to the general store when I witnessed a commotion. I saw the guy through the window, but kinda hazy like, I couldn't make out nothin' about 'im. Now I don't know what the church would want this guy for, but I ain't some sinner, so I tell you he just seemed to vanish. When the old fart came out, the guy ducked behind a display and then no one saw 'im again. I swear I ain't lyin' even if I ain't able to explain it. Must've ducked out back when no one was lookin'. Poor woman, though, beaten all to hell."
It's been three months since you left Silgrad City to continue your aimless quest to destroy all that is unholy and unnatural. While some of you saw it as a loss, young Cassandra found a future more hopeful than in all the five years before. One month after you departed, Long received a letter sent to the university in which Cassandra decided to take him up on his offer, acting as a liaison between him and his work, as well as his assistant. Antonio found a steady, honest job working as an apprentice to one of the chemistry professors. Beth finally quite drugs and alcohol, and while initially distraught over Cassandra's decision to leave, made her own choice to journey across Cedrana and beyond, in search of something else to fill the emptiness inside. Whatever pain might come your way, you know for now, that at least all was not lost. A week ago you received a letter from Lilian "Green Grass Lily" Grasswalker-McCallister, a half-elf hunter and an old colleague who settled down in her hometown of Weegrove, a small town of hunters (the normal kind) comprised mostly of human and elf residents, to protect it from whatever lurks in the woodlands outside of town, as well as use her position as a Cedranan Park Ranger to protect nature from more mundane threats to the natural balance. Her husband Blake McCallister has been honorably discharged from the Cedranan Army after two tours of duty, and she's invited you to celebrate with a party in his honor.
You arrive at Lily's house on Saturday before noon, having stopped a short while back at a way station the night before. Leaving on the edge of an already small town past its prime, the house is relatively secluded while still being close enough to get visit town with ease. The ride in suggests that Weegrove was once larger but has since fallen on hard times, surviving primarily on hunting, logging, and tourism to its beautiful mountain vistas and wooded lakes. From Lily's modest but impressive two-story home, you enjoy a prime view of your surroundings on the rugged escarpment into the valley below. Despite the isolation of the house, the trail in is surprisingly well-maintained, having recently been fixed up by Lily. As you ride up the driveway, you find Lily standing in the doorway with a cigar in one hand and an expectant wave with the other. She motions for you to come in and leaves the door open, allowing a refreshing breeze to blow through the house, and her bloodhound Pandora to enter and leave as it chooses. After you enter, she offers you a freshly brewed cup of coffee and an elven scone - a family recipe taught by her father before he died of a monster attack in these very woods as a child. "I'm glad you could make it, though I'm afraid Blake is still in bed with a headache, but he should be up soon. I promise, the party tonight will be more than worth to trip up here, and you'll find out why they call me 'Green Grass' Lily. I've invited all my friends from town as well, plenty of whom are more than attractive and *ahem* willing to party. I am ready to cut loose after going so long without Blake here to stay." Lily says, clearly excited about the event she's spent weeks planning.
"Maybe you're right. I'll have to think on what you've said - and ask Antonio about it. And I don't know if Beth would be okay on her own, and I don't think she's much for university. But for now they need me." Cass looks around and at Antonio, then back to you, "Whatever I decide, I'll send a letter to the university addressed to you - I figure that's the best way to contact you - and let you know what I'm doing. Thank you."
Beth nods, "I guess that makes sense. That guy sure was one hell of a chemist, but I'm glad you got rid of him, Frank." Beth hugs Frank and kisses him on the cheek then returns downstairs to her room, content with the lies she's been told. Cass gets up and calls you over to a corner of the room and talks quietly, "I know that guy is still out there, but I wanted to thank you for getting Antonio back and...for everything else. You were a big help the past few days when you didn't have to be here for me at all. I know I made it sound like it was all your fault to begin with, but if you hadn't been here, this would've gone so much worse. So thank you." Cass sighs and wipes tears from her eyes, "So where are you off to next? I can't imagine you'll be content to just sit around in my apartment. Don't worry, I can take care of everyone until they're back on their feet."
The nurses, one of whom you recognize as being at the site of the attack on the road some days ago, carry a woman on the stretcher into the back of an ambulance. A moderately well-dressed man stands at the door way as the leave and then closes and locks the store from the inside. The deputy, who you also recognize from days ago, ends his discussion with the younger man and prepares to leave the scene on his horse.
Crane changes back into his formal wear and the group leaves the back, the man at the desk returning as you depart. Back at the hotel, you rest until you hear the sound of horses and some sort of commotion outside, and from out the window you see the police at a scene across the road, at the general store. One of the cops is questioning a younger looking man outside, while a couple of nurses rush inside the building with a stretcher.
Sorry for the delay. Won't be back on track until tomorrow. Sorry :(
With the skull melted, Harkell no longer detects the presence of necromantic magic in the room.
Same here, so don't worry. I guess we'll continue, then :)
Beth and Antonio look at each other with a look of mutual aghast, "I'm done with drugs." says Beth, prompting agreement from Antonio. Beth takes a drink and then looks back at Antonio, the reality of his being there having set in, "Wait...if that magic was all in my head, then how'd he get here?! No offense, Tony, but you were dead!"
"I...I remember everything, says Beth, shakily, The boys tricked us into thinking we were going to a private party, but when we got there, they took us into the basement and tied us up. There was that man in the robes, he made us all drink this stuff from a vial, then he incapacitated Kenny and Joey and tied them up...after he did something to Timmy. It was like he aged his whole body all at once! And then he started drawing these glyphs and then we heard something going on upstairs and the man drank something... that was where you showed up - flying above the ground with a blade of light! When you and Caedus helped us upstairs, we ran towards the exit just like you said, then everything went black and I woke up downstairs." She sits down, "Was happened back there? Was that all real? Was it some sort of black magic? What was that thing he made us drink? Was it some sort of drug, is it why I feel so weak and tired and why we passed out?"
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