Child of Ember - Chapter 5

Cornelia drops her pack and throws her cloak around herself, and charges into the inn up to the source of the smoke and flames.

You pass through a sea of paniced faces, the crowd is milling about. Here and there is someone bloodied by by razors of broken glass. Blood trockles down the face of a girl, weeping as she tries to pull slivers of glass form her eyes. A dagger of glass protrudes form the throat of a man that lies too still on the snow, surrounded by a halo of crimson, his unclosing eyes starring up into the cloudy sky.
You break from the crowd and into the inn. The desk clerk stares at you. "What is going on?!?!?" he shouts as you burst in.

Natacha leaps into action. Loudly she starts to shout: "FIRE! FIRE!" to alert those in still in their rooms that might not have discovered it yet. She then stats running from door to door banging hard on them and trying the handles while she keeps shouting "FIRE!" While not shouting she holds an embroidered kerchief pressed to her mouth to keep the worst smoke out.

"Fire, upstairs, fool," Cornelia shouts as she heads for the stairs. "Call the watch!"

The man immediately springs into action.

Dea freezes for a moment. Then she closes her eyes and starts singing in a soft voice, a song which seamingly has no pattern, a melody of random notes that linger oddly in the air.
Thus chanting, she walks towards the door, and reaches out to open it.
Dea casts Protection from Fire.

The door is smoldering to the touch and seems to be jammed or locked....

Dea takes a few steps back, blowing the heat of her fingers.
While she can ignore the heat of fire, she is unsure if she has the strength to open the door.
Nevertheless, she braces herself and throws herself to the door's frame.

The door bucks and shudders, but is still closed fast.

Kat, seeing the danger her new friends are placing themselves in, reacts quickly with the aid of her magic. She quickly casts a fly spell, and flies herself to the window with the flames, where she promptly chants once more, calling upon her ice storm spell to rain the room with driving sleet. If she cant extinguish the fire, she thinks, at the least she can diminish it enough for it to be put out by more common methods.

Dea looks around for her companions.
"There is someone inside. We have to get this door open."
An edge in her voice reveals that she is not as calm as she tries to appear.
She then tries again to force the door.

The strong winds make flying difficult, but you manage to get up, all withing the room is smoke and haze, though inside you swear that you see two figures writhing on the burning bed. You hear the distinct sound of the door being pounded with an attempt to knock it open.
As you begin your casting, you see Dolph reach the window. Looking back at you he shouts, "No! Don't"

Pausing before she begins her chanting, she shouts "They are going to die! We must aid them!" before pulling the components she'll need from her pockets, but giving him a moment to respond before actually casting the spell.

"It will cause more harm than good, it will affect those below."

Dea hears some one running up the stairs, and from below the Desk attendant is organizing a bucket line.
Cornelia, going up the stairs, reaches the top just as Dea makes her statement.
The moaning has faded to a fain wimpering...

While Dea is casting her spell, Celestia takes the opportunity to cast a spell of her own.
The spell is Detect Magic.
Celestia wants to see if she can see if there are other magics at work (like Invisibility or some type of fire spell).
She stands there for a bit looking at/through the door. She will help Dea with the door if it will not cause her spell to fail. If it does, she will keep scanning in all directions to see any other possible magical sources active in the area.

Surveying the scene, Cornelia decides to waste no time. Quickly she unhooks the axe that hangs at her side and motions for the others to stand aside.
Cornelia will try and chop through the door near the lock, so that it can be kicked open when most of the door is no longer attached to the lock itself.

Changing her mind although she disagrees that casting it within the room would harm others, Kat allows for the possibility. Rapidly running through the incantations in her mind, she smacks herself in the head that the simplicity of it all did not occur to her sooner. Pulling upon a simple cantrip, she causes buckets of water to appear and upend themselves within the room, particularly over the bodies, hoping to not only moisten them from the fire, but to ease some of the pain of their burns with the cool water.

Great clouds of stream rise from the smoldering bodies. The thrashing has stopped, and the bodies lay still as the fire licks their frames. Much more of the room is on fire still, and the water seems to turn to steam the moment it touchs the flames. The flames themselves are begining to fade, slowly, but distinctly.
Dolph has pulled himself into the window, wreathed in a blast of fire. With his arms crossed over his face he advances to the still burning bed. Through the flames you see the figure on top of the one on the bed look at Dolph. Laughter, soft and feminine fills the night air.
There is a sudden blast of scalding steam that jets out the window, trearing bricks from the walls and scorching you in flight sending you tumbling back. Dolph screams, part pain, part something else...

Cornelia raises her axe and gets ready to throw it should a threat become visible through the door, while she moves cautiously towards it.

The others had fallen back, allowing you a clear swing at the door, noticing a wisp of smoke drift form the keyhole and get rapidly sucked back in, you dodged to the side, fearing the worst. The blast sends the door flying off its henges as if pounded by the fist of a giant. a broken shard of the door tears into your flesh, right across your right breast and sending you dazedly to the floor.

Celestia is thrown up against the wall by the blast, disrupting the casting of her spell and knocking the wind out of her.

The steam lingers still despite the cold of the air, covering everything in a blanket of fog. You are unable to see anything but shadows...

After Natacha has made sure that there is nobody else in danger on the floor she runs to aid her assistance to the two at the door. She starts saying something: "Quic..." but is interrupted when the door suddenly explodes in a shower of splinters and scalding steam. Reflex saves her as she throws herself to the wall beside the door thus avoiding being hurt.
Moments later she is at the side of Celestia and the other woman : "Are you hurt?" she asks in a matter-of-factly tone.
If they are in no immidiate danger Natacha will dare a look into the burning room.

Cornelia shakes her head grimly and moves towards the doorway, unstrapping the shield from her back and raising it to protect herself, her axe at the ready.
Cornelia will move in front of Natacha to keep her behind the protection of the shield, if she can.

Celestia's cloak looks like it is steaming. When Celestia moves and starts to answer Natacha, it appears that her cloak shielded her from any damage. She says "Yes, I am ok. Just had the wind knocked from me, nothing more."
Celestia again attempts to cast her Detect Magic spell.

The steam has cooled to form a thick fog that obscures your vision. You can tell though tht most of the fire is out (you dont hear the same raor with the flames as you did before). It will take a few moments before the fog lifts though.

Dea lifts herself from her feet, slightly scalded by the intense heat.
She casts a quick glance towards her companions, but since none seem too much hurt, she continues on.
Reasserting herself, she steps inside.
Her aim is still to get the people who are inside out. She will head towards the moaning/mad laughter.

Gathering yourself you step through the thinning fog. Atop the bed are two figures. One is a charred, blackened thing. The other is a pretty woman with hair the color of cornsilk that hangs over her shoulder obscuring her face as she looks down at the prone corpse beneath her and says, "So, was it good for you too?" A soft giggle escapes her lips as she arcs her back and stretches. She leans down to plant a kiss on his blackened lips, only then does she see you...
The two of you (Dea/Cornelia) have gained surprise. The room is a small claustrophobic place, larger now that most of the wall has been blown out onto the street. A single body lies on the floor beyond the bed. It is an unmoving male figure covered in burnt clothes and blisters...

Having seen that none of her fellows are in immediate danger of bleeding to death she follows Cornelia into the room. She will first examine if it seems like the roof or floor is about to collapse.

The floor, like the rest of the building is mace of mesoned stone and brick. The floor is stone, now scorched by the fire, but still intact.

The blast has send Kat tumbling back, and she finds yourself tumbling earthward into a soft bank of snow, bricks from the wall raining in aroung you.

Katherynne pulls herself together, and flies back to the open window to make sure her spell was successful.
Seeing that it was, she breathes a sigh of relief, although sorrow shows on her face at the loss of life apparent on the bed. If she can manage to enter the room through the window with minimal chance of being cut up by the shards she will do so, otherwise, she'll go back down to the ground and enter the normal way.

Rising up from the snowbank, she sees Dolph lying still near the bed, his clothes are singed and burnt and his body is blistered, he doesn't seem to be breathing.
You watch as the party enters from the door, Cornelia amongst them. A thick fog lingers in the room, far too much to be caused by your spell. It spills down the sides of the blasted wall.
Atop the bed are two figures. One is a charred, blackened thing. The other is a pretty woman with hair the color of cornsilk that hangs over her shoulder obscuring her face.
You remain unseen as she reguards the group coming in through the door way.

Kat will throw a dispel magic into the room, hoping to disperse the fog, and any other enchantments within. She chants softly and quickly, unwilling to draw attention to herself, and ensures her beloved bird is up and away so as not to endanger him from any possible backlash.

She successfully dispells the fog.

As the fog clears Natacha looks sharply at the woman on the bed: "Who.. or what... are you?" she demands.

She looks at the charred body on the bed. "The last of the red hot lovers," she says standing up. " You will have to excuse me, but it is time for me to go."
With that the body crumples to the floor, and it is suddenly much colder in the room than it was before.

Natacha hurries to the body on the bed. Fearing the worst, she bends down to check if the man on the bed is still alive.

The body is charred beyond recognition, of the furniture by the bed, only the nightstand remains, atop which, folded neatly, is a set of mens clothes.

Cornelia, keeping her axe and shield at the ready, moves cautiously into the room, eyes darting about. She moves slowly to join Kat at the window, clearing away the broken glass if need be so she can come inside.

With so much of the wal gone it will be little problem for Kat to get inside.

Dea has been studying the woman, unmoving.
In her land, it is considered best to leave the mad alone in their world, lest you call forth the wrath of the divine Easan. However, as the scene sinks in, the consequences of letting htis woman go become clear.
She smiles friendly, the reassuring smile a physician would use against a difficult patient. Then she steps forward, and her hand quickly reaches to grab the woman's arm.
She tries to lock eyes with the woman.
"I think it is best for you to stay with us for a while... Ember."
Actually, Dea is pretty sure this woman is not called Ember, but she wants to entice the woman to speak before she runs away or uses her magic (?) again.

Your hand glides over her skin, hot to the touch. She seems too light, almost hollow. You roll her over and step back in shock. Staring up at you are two empty pits. Thin wisps of smoke rise from the empty sockets. Her mouth, partially open issues forth a soft stream of smoke as well.

Dea swallows heavily, closing her eyes to get to her senses again.
Even after years of training, it takes a few moments to calm down, but finally she casts open her eyes again. Then she kneels at the woman's body, and feels for a pulse.
Determining that the woman is dead, she then turns to the other body on the floor (Dolph), to examine him.

Not only dead, but upon further examination she is able to determine that the woman was burnt fron the inside out.
She turns to discover him kneeling on the floor clutching his head. "Mental note, never try to put out a house fire with a wall of fog." He starts to examine himself, making sure he is all there. His skin is blistered, but not badly, and his garments are burnt but intact enough for decency. He makes a small *Hmph* when he is reguarding his left hand, a hand sporting a large silver ring with a shiny metalic black stone.

With a smile, Katherynne enters the window, and places a hand on Cornelia's arm in gratitude. "Thank you my dear for your aid" she responds to the woman's friendly gesture of help. Kat looks around and surveys the damage and the evidence. Assured that those here are equipped to handle the mystery, for now at least, Kat moves to Dolph. "So this was your handiwork then?" she asks indicating the rapidly dissipating fog. Well I'm glad to know it wasn't my fault at least." she says with a grin. "Are you all right?" she asks to Dolph and Cornelia both, concerned about their injuries.

"I am fine," he says standing up, "aside from a few minor burns. No major damage. And yes, that magic was mine. I..." he sighs "dabble far too much for it to be healthy for me."

Dea takes Dolphs hands, examing it for blisters or wounds.
"Nobility?" she sais, noting the ring, but it is obviously she is not actual awaiting an answer.
She run her eyes over the rest of his body.
"I think I will need to check on your wounds." Eyeing the window, she continues "That was pretty dumb what you did. Most people take the stairs. Now be a good boy and follow me to my room, so I can tend to these burns. We can not do anything here anymore."
She looks at her companions, and the new women that arrived.
"I will examine him, and you, young woman. You have a nasty cut, which seems innocent, but needs to be cleaned.
Celestia, you seem to be the analytical kind, hmm? Maybe you can determine what went on here. I doubt you will find any magical emanations, except from the spell this man let loose. The fire was caused by something... hmm... different."
Not unkindly, she pulls Dolph to his feet and heads out the door to her room, motioning Cornelia to follow her.
"I have an inkling of what is going on here. Let's see what this man has to say. What are your names?"