The Unbeating Heart - Chapter 2

Syn starts to reply to the warrior's question when she pauses and looks almost thoughtful. In the distance, almost unheard and nearly unnoticed is the soft sound of weeping. Syn draws her ornate long sword and heads off towards the sound. The sun reflects off of her weapon throwing rainbow-colored patches of light on the things that Syn walks by.

The warrior turns and heads with the young elf maid sword drawn looking for the sound of the weeping his second step quickly following the first eating up the surrounding carnage in a frantic search for what sounds like a survivor.

It is difficult for you to locate the sound, with so many dead. It seems to be coming from a hut to the north.
No marks mar the blood stained ground, nor do the walls bear any scars other than blade and fire...

When Syn identifies the weeping, she stops suddenly. Motioning for the others to stop and be quiet, Syn gets a very thoughtful look on her face.
Syn tells her companions. "I don't like this. Something just feels wrong. Like a trap waiting to be sprung. Perhaps, we just have some of us stay outside and guard the others."

Nkosi follows Syn and Thurgood to the source of the sobbing.
"You're wise to suggest caution," he says to Syn. "I do have certain...skills. If you'll permit a small protective enchantment...?"
Nkosi flexes his fingers and mutters some words, then touches his shoulder.
Nkosi casts Protection From Evil, 10' Radius.
"There. That should help all of us in case your worries come true. Which of you would care to investigate the sound first?"

Syn looks at the group. "I think that maybe two of us should go in a the other provide cover. Are any of you experienced with more than one language? It might help if the person inside wasn't exposed to alot of languages?"
Syn waits for a reply.

"Make that two in, two out." the young man sidles up to the building, his face with more color than it had while he was inspecting the bodies. "I can be of service. I know the local tongue well enough to understand the natives of this land. And I also have a few tricks up my sleeve should anything unsavory happen inside."
A slight smile pricks the left corner of the man's mouth.

Syn says "Thanks for the protection spell. You never know when those come in handy. If no one else wants to enter, I would be willing to."
She does a quick glance at her companions and takes a step towards the house.

The warrior follows with a facade of grim determination his sword drawn and shield ready for any oncoming attacks.

Watching Thurgood and Syn enter, Nkosi slowly pulls a dagger from within the folds of his robes. He casts one final, suspicious look around the scene of carnage, then steps into the doorway behind them. He pauses just inside, however, trying to keep his attention at least partially on the outside area.

Upon entering you see what at first looks like a child holding the body of a young woman. Upon further scrutiny you discover it not to be a child but a man!
Barely waiste high, his head is bowed and his chest heaves from his sobbing. The woman he holds is pale and cold her skin lightly tinted with blue. Most striking about her is her face, which is painted extravagantly with rouge and lip gloss. It is as though she had taken normal makeup, and gotten carried away.
The man holding her seems almost as though he is a child weeping in the arms of his mother...
The sounds of his weeping has muffled the sounds you have made thus far, and he has yet to notice you.

"I'll wait out here and watch for any threats. You'll know if something tries to come by."
With that, Stephen takes up a position on the side of the cottage, out of view of the door, but easliy watching it.

The warrior approaches the young man slowly kneeling near him and looking over the body of the young woman, "What horrors have befallen this place boy? Who is that you hold in your arms?" He looks up at the others then back at the boy a softness finally finding the edges of his facade as he observes the pain of this young man. The warrior intones a few short words and spreads his hands wide before the sad scene before him banishing with but a word the evil that would encroach this solemn scene.

"I know not, I was gone! Oh, that I had been here!" he says in a tremulous voice.
"Who is that you hold in your arms?"
"A love dear to me, now gone."
"Thank you good warrior for your prayers," he says standing up. "Please, who are you and why have you come?"

Syn looks at the man. She seems to be studying him intently. "I feel for your pain and sorrow, young man. Perhaps you could help me with a question or two so we can try to figure out who did this. Could you take a quick look around the house and see if there is anything that seems to be missing or disturbed? It might give us a clue as to who did this."
While the boy is looking, Syn moves closer to her companions and whispers "I think we should cremate the bodies before we go after whoever did this. That plus a funeral service should help to send these poor souls to their final rest."
Moving closer to her companions, Syn whispers

The house is a wrecked shambles, it is the first time you have noticed this as it took a moment for your eyes to adjust.
He merely looks at you a little oddly, and nods numbly.

Hearing Stephen say that he'll keep watch outside, Nkosi steps toward the young couple, and as he looks upon the woman, a brief surge of emotion moves across his face. He casually touches his cheek, almost out of reflex. Just as quickly, though, the sad frown disappears.
"Young man, my name is Nkosi. I know you are grieving, but do you mind if I briefly touch your loved one? Perhaps there is a spark of life left within her."
If the man approves, Nkosi will touch her neck, checking for a pulse, even an incredibly slow one, then he'll brush his hand lightly across her cheek.

He nods and steps aside. You check for a pulse and find the body cold, stiff and lifeless. as you search for a pulse, you notice that there is some kind of marks on her neck. Behind the head you feel a set of tiny punctures...

Hoping that the young man is obeying Syn's request and not watching him, Nkosi looks more closely at the punctures, then stares at Thurgood and Syn, silently hoping to get their attention...

The warrior glances at Nkosi for a moment then looks closer at the marks bidded by him then squints his eyes slipping into an emphatic understanding of the world around him searching for the taint of evil intentions in his general area. He looks slowly at the halfling and grips his sword hilt with squinting eye, "What happened here halfling? It's imperative you tell me now."

"I know not! I was away, in the woods to the north where gathers... I can say no more. I must know your allegiance before I continue. Tell me who you serve."

The warrior slowly releases his igh grip on the red bladed long sword as he observes the two. "I serve the church of kelemvor. I am specialized soldier who's soul purpose in life is to guide the unholy abominations called the undead to their true resting place. I come from the lands of Tethyr on the sword coast south of Waterdeep," he stands passively observing both the corpse and the halfling. "Lady Syn I believe you are right, we should burn the bodies to be sure the taint does not seep into their bones," he says as he moves away from the halfling to insure that he does not spook him into believing he is some form of threat.

In response to the small one's question, Nkosi says, "As for me, I serve no ruler or deity, only the principle of 'maat,' which in my land stands for order and truth. Like Thurgood, I have no fondness for the undead. If such creatures are responsible, then speak up. I suspect you'll find us to be willing allies."

Noticing the look on Nkosi's face, Syn turns to the man. "Sir, perhaps you can help me pick out some suitable clothes for your wife. Did she have a favorite dress that she liked to wear? While we look for some clothes for her, could you tell me about your village. It looks like a nice village to live in."

"She has a blue one. She loves to wear it..." he tilts his head back, "OH GOD!" he wails and then burries his face in his hands.

Syn walks over and takes the man's arm and starts to lead him towards the closet/chest where the clothes are kept. "Oh and you haven't told us your name. I don't think you want to be called Sir all of the time. As my companions said, my name is Synnabar Serie-anna, Syn for short."
Syn winks at Nkosi and Thurgood as she leads the man away. She hopes that her distraction will give them enough time to search the body for clues.
Syn is going to try her best to keep the man talking and distracted.

"Slim, my name is Slim. I was with Gondegal when this happened. We had just gotten back and he gave me some time to be with family..."

Nkosi takes advantage of the welcome distraction. He gently lifts the woman's head to look more closely at the puncture wounds.
He whispers to Thurgood, "Notice the heavy makeup she wore on her face and lips. I would guess that whatever killed her drained her life away gradually, not in one vile attack. She wore the makeup to cover the paleness of her skin. Yet everyone outside has been slain brutally and bloodily. She may have been singled out. We should quickly look around and try to discover why."

There is one large puncture at the base of her skull, some smaller ones along her spine, and what looks like some sort of abrasion on her skin around her neck.

The warrior shifts his eyes to observe as Nkosi speaks he nods slightly. "Keen observation," he says softly, "perhaps she had something to do with bringing down village defenses."

As Slim starts to sob in his hands, Syn turns towards him and holds him. "There, there, its Ok. Let it all out." Syn holds him while he sobs and gentle rubs his back, much like a mother would to a child.
As the sobs recede, Syn asks rather loudly "Where is Gondegal? Does he live in another part of the village?"
While Syn is holding Slim, she keeps his back to the others, looking over his shoulder to see what they have found out. Also, her last comment was said loud enough to hopefully let Stephen know that there might be someone else in the village.

"He is the leader of the rebels against King Drakov. I can't tell you where he is now," he says somewhat warily.

"Ah," Syns says softly. "Then it appears he has not seen what happened to the village. I am glad that his soul has been spared the horrors that have happened here." Doing a quick scan of the room, "Now, where was that dress that you were telling me about?"

He digs out the dress as the others examine the body.

Puzzled, Nkosi frowns and examines the abrasion more closely. "See her skin here?" he whispers to Thurgood. "Perhaps whatever left the punctures also gripped her neck, perhaps to aid in its feeding. Or..." he pauses slightly, "...to hold onto her the way a rider would hold onto a horse?"
The abrasion doesn't seem like it was caused by, say, heat or a rash. It is more like something rough was rubbed against her neck or was gripping her.

Syn looked at the dress that Slim pulled out. "That is beautiful. Are there any accessories that go with it? Like shoes or a jewelry? Maybe while you look, you can tell us what it is like living in the village. I am sure you can tell us about some wonderful times that you had."
Syn helps Slim look for whatever he indicates. She remains close to him in case he needs some kind of support or if he starts crying again. She is still trying to keep him talking. She is hoping that he will say something that might give them some clues as to who might be responsible for the destruction of the village.>

He seems to be doing ok as you pull out jewelry from the chest. "What do you think did this?" he asks. "This looks like the work of Drakov's men, but something is wrong. I just can't place it."

Nkosi moves closer to Thurgood and quietly adds, "Whatever is responsible for killing her may have used her as a mount of some sort.
The...thing, however, did not butcher all these people. Yet it may know what did , and it may still be around. I suggest we be very cautious when looking around."
As Nkosi talks, Thurgood will likely notice that Nkosi's dark complexion is uneven in spots. His face is slightly shiny, but there's no sign of sweat on his brow.
Nkosi stands up fully, stretches his back (which is stiff from crouching over the body), and starts searching for a small trail that the creature on the woman's body may have left. "The other possibility," he whispers while walking, "is that the butchers were specifically looking for whatever was on her back."

The warrior looks the body over and shakes his head as he stands there speaking with Nkosi, "Shall we go scout the area and find out if we are truly alone in this camp or should we set about burning these bodies?" At that he turns and watches Syn and the halfling go through the jewlery.

Al this time, Stephen has been half-listening to the conversations inside the dwelling and half watching for any movement outside. But his hunger has made him tired, and he watches halfheartedly.
Suddenly, Syn's warning hits him and he perks up for a moment. He begins to wander somewhat away from the hut, searching for anything or anyone interesting-looking. He pokes a body now and then with his rod to see if it moves.

"In a moment," Nkosi replies quietly, his eyes following Thurgood's gaze. "The man may be still be of some use. We should find out if his wife has been behaving ... strangely of late. That may give us some clues."
Glancing back toward the entrance, he says, "By the hand of Horus, where has Stephen disappeared to? Yes, I think it be a good idea if you went outside and scouted, and made sure that we face no more surprises. I shall question the young one here."

Syn looks up as Nkosi and Thurgood start to move away from the woman. She sees Thurgood head out the door and Nkosi walking towards her and Slim.
"Nkosi, this is Slim. He is the woman's husband."
"Slim, this is Nkosi."
Syn waits for reactions from the two men before saying anything else.