The Nightingale, Act II: A Village By Night

[Le Noir Faineant]

Outside of town

Xavril boldly jumps forward, and spectacularly tackles Varian, pulling him upwards, and preventing the knot of the rope cutting the bigger man's air.

But Varian is still... enthralled, one could say... And Xavril cannot let Varian go, or the damage, even from a short moment of the man hanging by the neck will be severe...

A strange couple, truly.


Meanwhile, Xavril will not fail to notice how frightened Varian's mule has become...



Inside the stables

Ammanas hits Boiros hard over the head. [4 DAM] A deep cut, caused even by the blunt weapon, appears on Boiros' scalp.

Blood starts to run down Boiros's shoulders, but he doesn't seem to notice.



Boiros finds a rope.

[VAN]

Finally at the back of the stables Boiros finds a rope. He takes it and with unsteady but still determinate pace gets out of the stables and goes under a tree and tries to climb always holding the rope at his hand.

Ammanas' hit and the blood coming out from his forehead doesn't seem to bother the cleric, he still keeps trying to climb the tree.

[steveflam]

Holding on, he looks at Varian sternly. "MY young friend. This is no way to proceed with things. I promise you we will
find out why you have no speech. For now, just be level headed and let us climb down, friend. No more of this nonsense,
understood?"

[Trike]

Nicodemus comes at Boiros from the opposite side from Ammanas hoping to pin him in. He desperately calls out to the man to stop this madness.

[Zilfer]

Seeing Boiros just shrug off the blow Ammanas instead tries to restrain him with the help of Nicodemus.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Outside the city, Xavril holds on to Varian's legs, in a situation that can only be described as grotesque.

In the darkness, out on the muddy road, he believes he sees... Something.

A human... No, smaller.

Naked... No, bald, and barechested, but not naked.


The... Person... It has stopped on its way out of town, and now watches Xavril and Varian from the shadows.

Xavril cannot identify anything more about the stranger. The distance is short, but...

It's like when you see something, and then immediately forget about it. Xavril feels like he is losing his focus...





Inside the village, just outside the tavern of Caitlin's family, the rest of the group wrestles with the mad Boiros for his life.

Ammanas', Caitlin's, and Niko's efforts are not enough to harm Boiros, but they are enough to throw him off balance.

Boiros falls from the tree, and lands on the hard soil with sort of a definitive *thumb*.

[VAN]

Always enthralled and with thousand voices mixed with laughs echoing in his mind Boiros find himself at the ground. But for a moment he believes he is hearing people calling his name and him to stop? The cleric turns his head to see people gathered around him, he tries to focus on their voices and snap out of whatever controls him. But the laughs and the voices at his mind are too strong, his will is bent again so after barely a second Boiros' eyes get blank and he is lost again at the turmoil of the evil laughs and the voices that taunt and command him. This madness should finally end, he can do nothing to help himself and anyone else, there is only one solution to all his problems and this is to hang himself so he and nobody else will suffer anymore. The cleric always with the rope at hand stands up and tries again to climb to the tree.

[Zilfer]

Ammanas grabs his holy symbol around his neck and presents it before Boiros. "Spirits that hold this man, his body is not yours to claim. Leave this body and mind. Return to the Grey Realm whence you came!" bellowed Ammanas trying to clear away Boiros' possession.

[steveflam]

Xavril is quite confused by what or who he sees. Who was that..... Hey he is gone? Somewhat confused, the Gnome hangs on to Varian the human, by his legs up the tree. Shaking his head, he grits his teeth and growls loudly. "Varian, we'll get out of here and soon!"

The gnome climbs up the tree, even as he hold on to Varian's body to be even with the human lad and hold onto the tree better.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Boiros stumbles to his feet, and, before anybody can hinder him, pulls himself upwards on the tree...

And loses his grip.
And faceplants hard against the tree trunk. [3 DAM]


You are not sure whether it was the hit against the tree, or the magic of Ammanas, but as you bring him back to consciousness,
Boiros' eyes are clear again...



In the distance, the group at the stables hears Xavril's yell, in contrast to the other, total silence of the night...








The figure in the shadow continues to watch Xavril, as the gnome fights for Varian's life.
Then, the creature, a gnomish figure itself, silently raises its nishappen hand...

For a moment, Xavril believes he sees LETTERS of fire flash through the dark, hanging in the air, before they burn away...


Varian's mule, silently spasming a few meters next to where Xavril tries to keep Varian from committing suicide,
suddenly has its voice back:

It lets out a desperate, truly painful whine, and, it's limbs twisting unnaturally,
its legs breaking from the muscular contraction as it stands, turns towards the gnome and the forester.

And lets out a whine, and, at the shadowy figure's waving of a finger, charges against the gnome!



Varian's mule can be heard all over the village, another ghostly sound in an otherwise dead-quiet night.

[VAN]

As falling down and hit his head Boiros's mind seem to clear. Finally he stops hearing evil laughter and voices that taunt him. Even if his eyes are open he seems to see a white light engulfing him and when that fades it is like it has taken the darkness with it and leaving him behind free and capable to think and act. Rubbing his head Boiros looks around him and sees the preoccupied faces of the others staring at him. Noticing the blood at his armor and at his hands the cleric still at the floor says:

"What...what happened?"

Then he cautiously stands up and getting his holly symbol, puts his hand at his chest and prays:

"Holly Ezra, give me strength and heal my wounds so I keep fighting the darkness and its followers!"

A light blue light emanates from Boiros' hand and covers the wound at his head, that slightly heals a bit.

[Zilfer]

"Praise the mercy of he who stole the flame of life," said Ammanas as he stopped trying to climb the tree and seemed confused. "Tell me he is no longer possessed." Ammanas still has his holy symbol presented and scythe ready in his other hand.

"What about that--" started Ammanas before he drops quite from the screaming off in the distance. "It sounds like our friends who left are meeting the same fate as the patrols."

[Trike]

Nicodemus looks at Boiros' eyes for as long as he dares - a matter of seconds. "I.....he looks better." He is winded. His eyes dart from companion to companion.

Then, in Mordentish, he speaks quickly to the recently afflicted priest. "Can you fight? Someone else appears to be in danger tonight."

[kintire]

Caitlin picks herself up and brushes herself down. She regards Ammanus with a bit more respect and a growing nervousness.

"The..the patrols? You think the patrols have....?"

[VAN]

Boiros pats his sword and shield and says with confident voice:

"As long as there are people to protect and I have the Maiden by my side I will fight! I have even one more reason to get whoever has done this to the village and the patrol men. This is personal now my friend! Lets go."

Boiros gets his sword and shield out so he is ready to fight and heads where the voices are coming from.