The Eye of Anubis: Book Two

[Nathan of the FoS]

After Andre's words, Charles steps forward as well, his face wet--perhaps from the rain, perhaps not. His voice, however, is clear. "I think all of you deserve to know what happened here, and how this battle for Ravnika was won; I will tell you what I know, and why I will always honor Goodwife Marilena so highly. Even from our short time here, I can see that Goodwife Marilena was feared and distrusted by most--perhaps by all--of you. I can never blame you for such feelings; I felt them myself, and rejected her hospitality and her kindness when it was first offered to me. But I saw--as many of you have seen, at one time or another, I think--that there was great good in her, and when disaster struck this noontide I came here immediately to seek for her help, together with M'sieur Khalil. We found her here, and requested her aid, and she told us how we might petition the power of the Fair Folk. We did so. The boons they give come always with a price, and as she told us, a life must be given for life. She gave hers for the lives of all of us--foreigner and Ravnikan--and as she died the rain which saved us began to fall."

Lowering his voice, Charles continues, "Good folk of Ravnika, remember it well, and remember her kindly, as I always will; and remember the powers of this place, as well." Charles gestures widely to indicate the Erl-stones, then steps back into the crowd himself.

[DocBeard]

Shake shake shake!

Tomas smiles as best he can, opting to stay quiet if at all possible, as his throat hadn't healed quite right...he'll get Kuzan to look at it in the morning.

Still, gosh, it beats an angry mob, that's for sure.

[steveflam]

Ulsaon ran back to the village as fast as her feet would take her. Why would that bastard start a fire in the forest? I'd have loved to go investigate the plume of smoke but all of us together are better suited to facing that monster Cavendish than just I alone.

Finally coming upon the expedition members on their way to the field, Ulsaon heads for them. Panting and out of breath, Ulsaon struggles to talk. "Saw.... a plume..... smoke.... forest......." Ulsaon takes a few breaths before relating what she saw.

"I went to the meeting place early. At first I saw nothing, only a black squirrel, of which I was leery. I'm sure you understand that. Near six p.m I saw a plume of smoke in the forest and I think it was that bastard who's responsible. I even cast Detect Magic on the black squirrel to make sure it wasn't him" Ulsaon tells everyone.

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan blinked and stared at Ulsaon for a moment, his mind going completely blank from the sheer stupidity of it all. When he finally found his voice, his words came out very low and very measured. "You went off on your own and cast detect magic on a squirrel," he said quietly.

For a moment, the storm in the priest's face seemed like it just might clear. But then memories of the past flooded his brain and lightning flashed through his eyes.

"You are quite possibly the STUPIDEST person I have EVER met," he snarled, "What did I do in a past life to have karma frown on me by making me deal with YOU?"

He clenched and unclenched a fist, the frustration from earlier coming back as vividly in his mind as if it had happened not even a minute prior.

"Can you do anything more idiotic?" he was fuming now, not caring about what Ulsaon might think, "You go and make a fool of all of us by vomiting deliberately on the man trying to get us killed. You put yourself and your friend in a situation that gets your friend killed! You go running off to a place that the ghost said we'd get killed at if we arrived early?! And you come back and all you have to say for yourself is you found a BLOODY BLACK SQUIRREL?"

The last he roared into Ulsaon's face, then pulled back.

"Who's brilliant idea was it to bring the likes of THIS imbecile on this mission? She's going to end up getting us ALL killed before we ever reach Har'Akir, just like she got her friend killed!"

He turned away from the half-elf, casting a dirty glance over his shoulder before walking away.

"And to think I actually tried to stand up for you two," he sneered to no one in particular, "Someone let me know if she ever grows a brain. I hope you are a pig in your next life. You are certainly as stupid as one."

And with that, Kuzan stalked off toward the back of the group. Already, he felt pangs of guilt over what he said. But why, he begged the gods, why did he have to be so unfortunate as to have to deal with someone like her on a regular basis? What sin did he commit to have such poor karma? Whatever it was, it must've been terrible...

[steveflam]

"HEY! If you want to trust the word of a ghost that's fine by me!" she yells back. "I won't, not after all that's happened with that monster around and his little tricks!" She yells back yet again.

[yalenusveler]

Andre's brain was going a mile a minute. Mourning. Idiocy. Mourning. Idiocy.
And then Kuzan unleashed the fury of Siva upon Ulsaon.

"Was it a particularly sinister squirrel? Did it taunt you evilly? Or did you just decide to interrupt a FUNERAL because you happened to decide that for some harebrained reason, that the fact that there were SQUIRRELS in the WOODS was somehow newsworthy?!" His voice was raising in timbre now, the cat in his arms the only thing keeping him from full handwaving histrionics.

"Members of the Expedition, I move right now that we put things to a vote, the expulsion of Ulsaon Lowbane, for matters of our own safety. At least ONE death today is already her fault!" He did gesture with one hand, pointing towards her in a most unkind fashion, the other keeping Pumpkin cradled.

"If, with you in tow, we manage to survive Hazlan, I KNOW Phiraz will prove lethal. I've been there, and unless we cut out your toungue before arriving, you'll have the Confessors down upon us within seconds of stepping out of the mists!"

[Kaitou Kage]

"Oh!" Kuzan turned on his heel and sneered again at Ulsaon, "That's right, you weren't there. But I doubt that it would've gotten through your thick skull even if you were."

He smiled a not-so-nice smile at Ulsaon, "But if you had been," he began to sound patronizing, snarky, "Maybe, just maybe it would've gotten through your thick head that under Marilena's spell, the dead don't lie. But that's fine, be as stupid as you want. Just don't drag any of us down like you did Allikhain."

He spat at her feet.

"Pig."

[yalenusveler]

"Don't insult the good name of Swine, Kuzan. They at least occasionally prove useful for something." Andre offered, the look he was giving Ulsaon at the moment almost worse than that Cavendish earned earlier.

[DocBeard]

"That's enough." Tomas snaps, leaning on his sheathed sword like the Core's most awesome walking stick. "All three of you. Spitting vitrol at eachother will not bring any of the casualties back from the dead, or un-do any actions."

"If you think she needs to go, bring it up with herr Professor." Tomas continues, "It is his decision. And the next time you get an idea, talk to the rest of us first. Running off on our own has only brought pain and suffering to ourselves, and the innocent people around us."

"If something like that happens again, I'll deal with whomever holds the lives of men, women and children in such contempt myself." The Lamordian has somehow managed to put a chill in his gaze that...just shouldn't be there. "Go wash up, and catch some sleep before the meeting time. Get something to eat. We'll all need to be at our best." It's not a request.

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan, feeling both guilty for his outburst and properly chastened, folded his arms over his chest and turned away from the entire scene.

"Sorry," he mumbled under his breath, and then trudged sullenly toward the rear of the group.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia watches the whole exchange in silence. Only when everyone else has said their piece does she address Ulsaon: "You have made mistakes. That is natural. However, it seems clear that you should try to avoid making any more of the same sort from now on. Do you understand? A little less bravado, a smidgen more thought of consequences to the people around you."

[lostboy]

Khalil watches impassively from beyond the burning brazier as the drama unfolds. The smoke curling around him.

He shakes his head silently before moving back to the Old Womans body. "Who here will help me lay her to rest?" he calls in slightly accented Balok, then repeating the request in Mordentish.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

(Edited after recent OOC information.)

"We have half an hour to get where we are going," Lia notes, retrieving a pocket watch from inside her sleeve and glancing at it. "We might want to get a move on."

[Kaitou Kage]

Gods forgive my transgression, the priest thought in the silence of his mind, Help me redeem this offense to my dharma and fulfill my path as brahmin.

He glanced back toward the Erl Stones and began to utter a short prayer in Sri Rajian. He hadn't gotten the proper chance to say one at the funeral, and now seemed like the best time to give the old woman a proper, if short sending to her next life.

"Though our lives are full of suffering and pain, we seek to be reborn anew. We live our lives and follow the path laid down for us, we must not go astray. You, Marilena, have fulfilled your path to the very end. May you be reborn again as a part of the Heaven above."

And then he returned to his sullen silence and continued plodding along behind the rest of the party.

[steveflam]

"Um I think I might have been hasty in thinking the forest fire was caused by Cavendish. Isn't that a little beneath his style? I mean that's way too easy for him. From what we've seen, he's pretty elaborate and thought out, not like a forest fire at all......" Ulsaon says out loud to noone in particular.