Changelings part I: 27 Charity Street

[VAN]

Catherine gives one more look at the open trap door and says:

"Well, I don't know about you, but even if I consider this crazy I will follow Gorn. Just give me a minute to get torches and a rope that can be handy."

[alhoon]

F "Very well then"

Seradon turns to the woman as he takes a step towards the darkness below. "How long will the trapdoor remain open?"

[kintire]

She gives him a wicked grin.

"It shuts for the sun"

As the group begins to descend into the yawning gap, she lifts the harp, and as the sight of the homely kitchen fades above them, their ears are filled with the haunting sound of her song

"As I was a walkin', all alane..."

The steps are steep, and the tunnel narrow. Gorn and Helfried must turn slightly sideways to fit into the passage, but neither need duck their heads. The roof seems to soar above them.

Then, all at once, they can no longer feel the walls. Cold bites into them, and their feet crunch through deep snow. But this time it is no phantom feeling as it was in the house above: they can see the snow below and around them, glittering in the moonlight, dancing under the wierd swirling of the Northern Lights, and splashed with red around scattered corpses. A ferocious battle is raging on a snow covered hillside overlooked a whiteroofed village by an icy sea.

[alhoon]

Seradon looks around confused at the sudden change, not really sure that this isn't another phantom. He mutters a prayer to Ezra in Darkonese.

[steveflam]

She gives him a wicked grin.

"It shuts for the sun"

As the group begins to descend into the yawning gap, she lifts the harp, and as the sight of the homely kitchen fades above them, their ears are filled with the haunting sound of her song

"As I was a walkin', all alane..."

The steps are steep, and the tunnel narrow. Gorn and Helfried must turn slightly sideways to fit into the passage, but neither need duck their heads. The roof seems to soar above them.

Then, all at once, they can no longer feel the walls. Cold bites into them, and their feet crunch through deep snow. But this time it is no phantom feeling as it was in the house above: they can see the snow below and around them, glittering in the moonlight, dancing under the wierd swirling of the Northern Lights, and splashed with red around scattered corpses. A ferocious battle is raging on a snow covered hillside overlooked a whiteroofed village by an icy sea.

Gorn marches forward and soon, Helfried joins him with the others. The song doesn't really bother Gorn, if he hears it. Then the cold, wet feet and now a new place?

"Hey what the frag is goin on?" Then he spies the battle. Turning to Helfried, he asks. "Awright, you translate, Seradon." He points at Seradon.

"You is a soldier, ya bin in military scrapes before. So, whudda we do? I don't mind killin a few mooks, but how we go about it? We watch 'em kill themselves? Where's tha fun in that when I kin be killin 'em all? An we supposed ter find the magical item here? An where the hell are we, while I is at it."

[VAN]

Catherine walks at the back of the group continuing to repeat herself that she does that to cover their back, but deep down knows that she is doing it because she is actually scared. They have entered in a trapdoor a stragnge woman opened and they are going after a ghost in a sword...It isn't the ideal situation for her...When she feels the snow, she blinks hoping it will fade away as happened the other night. But when after a few more steps it didn't Catherine kneels and gets some snow to her hand in order to verify its consistance. When she sees the battle going on she moves at the front of the group and says:

"It is much better stay hidden and just watch, we have no idea where we are and who are those that are fighting. From what we have heard about the sword and the magic we have witnessed in the house these days, I will be no surprised if this isn't real and is actually the past...So we can see who got the sword and its abilities. But even if I'm wrong and this is present, it's way better not get involved in a battle. I'm sure we can discern who will handle the sword by noticing who is killing more people. It's bad to say I know, but we know that the sword gives some kind of power to the one that holds it making him better fighter. So better just hide and wait to see who is the best fighter in this battle. Then we can decide what to do. Plus if we move might be difficult to come back and we should make sure we are back at the trapdoor before the dawn."

[steveflam]

"IN the past? I think you are a bit crazy ter say dat. How in tha hell can we be in the past?"

Gorn's arms are folded over his chest and looks at Catherine like she is crazy.

[VAN]

"Does this seem familiar Gorn? If you remember the weather at the city was far hotter than now, so or is past or we have been trasferred to a different location again. We can exclude nothing at this point this is what i'm saying. So better stay hidden, talk in low voice and watch what will happen next."

[steveflam]

"Okay, but yer not gonna convince me dis is tha past. That's stoopid crazy. I think mebbe magick could bring us to another place, but not another time. Okay. Mebbe Helfried should tell us what ter do, he's a soldier an knows about war an battles. Jusdgin by you two an even me, he gots the most experience in big battles. Ask him. Seradon."

[VAN]

Catherine points at the flag and asks:

"Do any of you recognize this flag?"

[kintire]

As the battle surges around them, Helfierd begins to get a feel for the flow of it. This ridge is the last defensive point before the settlement, and one group is defending it. The group with banner are attacking, presumeably trying to attack the settlement. They are the smaller group, but seem better equipped and more skilled.

Thr group is standing at the crest of the ridge, where Helfierd would expect the commander of the defending forces to be. And indeed, the defenders seem to be trying to prevent the others from reaching this knoll. Sadly, it seems they are about to fail.

One of the attackers, perhaps the leader, bursts through the swirling melee, and bellows something at the group, a challenge maybe, or a threat:

"Prøv ikke å gråte før du dør!"

He is not hugely tall, but hulking, obviously tremendously strong. He is covered in hair, his wild hair and unkempt and flowing beard, black with streaks of grey, covering his head and shoulders like a windblown haystack, only his eyes and hooked nose emerging. Below that the hair is of a bear, whose roughly tanned skin he has wrapped around himself, over similarly rough skin boots. In his left hand he grips a round, hide covered shield some two feet across, old and battered looking, with the wood showing through various rents in the rawhide covering.

In his right, he grips a sword, which stands in sharp contrast to the rest of him. A magnificent weapon, its hilt formed from a slightly reddish gold, with intricate knotwork decoration on the short crossguard and golden inlay on the blade. The blade itself is a yard long, with glittering edges running parallel to each other until they taper very suddenly to a point: an archaic blade form compared to the modern war swords that taper evenly to a needle point. On the flat of the blade facing outwards is a word in gold inlay, in runes no one there can read, on the inner side a short phrase of several words.

With a snarl, he bellows something that sounds like "Owudeen!" and charges!

[VAN]

Catherine studies both sides carefully, the fine archaic sword the leader is carrying gets her attention though.

"I bet this is the sword we are looking for. Now we have to decide what to do, go back unnoticed or get involved in this battle trying to get the sword. And you know that even if we beat the leader doesn't mean that we will be able to flee with the sword...the others will come after us. Also does any of you speak the leader's language?"

[alhoon]

M: "Not me and even if I could, I doupt I could convince him to give us the blade in the final battle for the village down there. I say we ... hide?"

F"Helfried, Catherine asks if we understand the language of the leader, points that this sword is probably the one we look for and asks if we should stay back and hide, trying to not get ourselves involved or... get into a pitched battle and try fight our way to that hulking barbarian and try to take the sword. Frankly, I believe we should hide."

[VAN]

"I don't think we have to ask ourselves what to do anymore. He has seen us and is charging and you do remember how easily he killed us the other night... Run!!!"

Without waiting their reply Catherine starts running towards the trap door.

[steveflam]

Gorn watches it all. WHen the man's intentions seem to be to attack them, he unfurls his chain from his chest and gets comfortable with it. He holds it in one hand and moves forward, out of range of his comrades. HE begins swinging it like a rope, grinning wildly. "Ya want some? Well come an' get it, ya mook."