Mists of Winter, Chapter Two

[ewancummins]

DORGIO

He lays hands on the still body and prays.

Nothing happens.

The man remains unmoving, cold.


Dead.

[RocEter]

GALANDEL IN THE MISTS

After missing his shot, the eyes turn their attention to Galandel just as he shouts. "Withdraw, this is the dark magic I warned you of!"

The eyes, close distance on Gal fast and attack. They lock their strange evil gaze his eyes and fills Galandel with terror and a sickly sensation of drowning. He manages to shake their gaze and its effect. Back turned towards the eyes, he withdraws to the tunnel. As he makes his escape into the tunnel, he closes the hatch behind him and cracks a sunrod to illuminate the otherwise darkened tunnel.

GALANDEL UNDERGROUND

Gal sees the short set of steps dropping down into the long gallery; nothing looks different than the last time he was down here.
Raindrops patter against the hatch behind him.

Galandel will continue down the tunnel with his longsword at the ready, unsure of awaits him further below he stays vigilant.

[ewancummins]

GALANDEL IN THE MISTS

After missing his shot, the eyes turn their attention to Galandel just as he shouts. "Withdraw, this is the dark magic I warned you of!"

The eyes, close distance on Gal fast and attack. They lock their strange evil gaze his eyes and fills Galandel with terror and a sickly sensation of drowning. He manages to shake their gaze and its effect. Back turned towards the eyes, he withdraws to the tunnel. As he makes his escape into the tunnel, he closes the hatch behind him and cracks a sunrod to illuminate the otherwise darkened tunnel.

GALANDEL UNDERGROUND

Gal sees the short set of steps dropping down into the long gallery; nothing looks different than the last time he was down here.
Raindrops patter against the hatch behind him.

Galandel will continue down the tunnel with his longsword at the ready, unsure of awaits him further below he stays vigilant.

He sees a soft golden glow down the tunnel.

Walking towards the light, he finds the head of a kitten on the floor.
The rest of the small feline lies scattered about in a bloody mess, as if it exploded. Looking closer, he finds a deformed lead ball stuck in a crack in the floor under part of the cat.
He smells a faint whiff of brimstone.


Through the haze of drifting golden motes, he sees the open doorway, a glow like weak sunlight, and moving figures.

A little close, and he recognizes Benn. The scholar squats over a bloody figure on the floor, rifling through the prone man's pockets. The one on the floor resembles the person Galandel left down here earlier, but now moved out into the room beyond the door.

[RocEter]

Galandel in the tunnel

He sees a soft golden glow down the tunnel.

Walking towards the light, he finds the head of a kitten on the floor.
The rest of the small feline lies scattered about in a bloody mess, as if it exploded. Looking closer, he finds a deformed lead ball stuck in a crack in the floor under part of the cat.
He smells a faint whiff of brimstone.


Through the haze of drifting golden motes, he sees the open doorway, a glow like weak sunlight, and moving figures.

A little close, and he recognizes Benn. The scholar squats over a bloody figure on the floor, rifling through the prone man's pockets. The one on the floor resembles the person Galandel left down here earlier, but now moved out into the room beyond the door.

Sheathing his sword, Galandel will approach quietly and try to stay with shadows. Moving closer he watches Benn's movements and the other humans as well, he tries to assess their situation.

[ewancummins]

Galandel in the tunnel

He sees a soft golden glow down the tunnel.

Walking towards the light, he finds the head of a kitten on the floor.
The rest of the small feline lies scattered about in a bloody mess, as if it exploded. Looking closer, he finds a deformed lead ball stuck in a crack in the floor under part of the cat.
He smells a faint whiff of brimstone.


Through the haze of drifting golden motes, he sees the open doorway, a glow like weak sunlight, and moving figures.

A little close, and he recognizes Benn. The scholar squats over a bloody figure on the floor, rifling through the prone man's pockets. The one on the floor resembles the person Galandel left down here earlier, but now moved out into the room beyond the door.

Sheathing his sword, Galandel will approach quietly and try to stay with shadows. Moving closer he watches Benn's movements and the other humans as well, he tries to assess their situation.

Drawing near, he sees the man on the ground lies there not moving, bloody-- but no longer flowing-- wounds in his back and side. Some of the same glittering metallic dust that litters the hall covers the man's back.

Galandel spots Dorgio. the priest kneels beside the motionless, bloody, faintly glowing figure and speaks in a strange tongue.

Benn flips through a pack of rectangular paper things, which he has just now looted from the corpse.

Galandel hears the men whispering.

He hears other sounds too, like soft footsteps in the parts of the room he cannot see from the hall.

[VAN]

Sara opens and closes her mouth but no sound comes out for several moments. Her face is pale and her eyes widen as if not believing what she has done. When she finally manages to react joins the others at the other room and says:

"I'm so sorry! I thought he was going to attack Benn. I had no idea!"

Getting Benn's suggestion to Franz as the best thing to do right now she reloads her gun keeping an eye at the surroundings as well.

[alhoon]

Raen, still looking the dead man says"We can't do much for this man now, we will take this to our graves. All we can do is prevent this monster from harming people again, trying to atone. Please, keep looking for the familiar. We're not done here.The magic spell I used, if it encompassed the cat would make it impossible for it to hide"

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio runs a hand over his face and steps away from the body. "We don't know that he wasn't trying to attack Benn. From what we've seen, it would make little sense for Jenny to bring back her prey here alive. They mostly seem to be drowned beforehand. We may never know." Of course, Dorgio knows one way that they would know for certain, but that would require bringing the corpse with them, and Dorgio has no desire to take upon himself the burdens that particular spell would confer.


"Yes, let us keep looking for the cat. But let us also be alert. If this was one of Jenny's minions, there could be others lurking close by. Or if he was a bystander...all the more reason for us to be keeping our wits about us."

[RocEter]

"Glad to see you look better than you did when I last saw you Benn." A familiar voice says from the shadows in tunnel where the kitten ran. A hooded figure steps out of the shadows and into the room. Unarmed, gloved hands are placed waist high in a non-aggressive posture. The hilt of longsword sticks out his cloak on the left side and bow is strapped across his back.

The figure moves silently to the dead body stopping at its feet. "Your allies are correct, old friends. There is still danger lurking in the shadows, maybe in these very walls. As for the kitten, it is dead." The hooded figure says. "I could use your help, those magical eyes and another beast are above ground. Most likely pursuing my allies."

Now that he is closer Benn and Dorgio should recognize Galandel.

[kintire]

we will take this to our graves. All we can do is prevent this monster from harming people again, trying to atone.

Kat glances at him.

"Speak for yourself! I went nowhere near him. Anyway, he might have been hostile. Don't beat yourself up over it. Learn, and move on."

As the elf emerges from the shadows she whirls and presents her rapier, point levelled at his chest, although from a cautious distance. She does not seem especially reassured by his words, and waits to see if the other recognise him...

[ewancummins]

Vlad turns his attention to the elf.

"You are a friend? Good. What are you knowing of the eyes, and of the other creature you mentioned? And have you seen this man before?"

Vlad indicates the slain man.

[alhoon]

Kat glances at him.

"Speak for yourself! I went nowhere near him. Anyway, he might have been hostile. Don't beat yourself up over it. Learn, and move on."

Raen's reply is also cut when the newcomer addresses them. Raen looks to Benn and then at the elf. It takes a couple of seconds, but he decides to dispense with pleasantries.
"I'm Raen. I pretend to be a just a scholar, hiding from most people the fact that I'm a wizard. I use magic to help others fight monsters, not to gain power. I get you know Benn and Dorgio and that's good enough for me. The Barovian is called Vlad and he made good questions."
Raen then stops to let the elf answer Vlad's questions.

[steveflam]

"Ah, Galandel! Vat a small vurlt it is indeed. Nice to see you again, even if it under strange circumstances."

[Adam]

Bennedict stands, tucking the deck of cards away.

"Galandel," he says, "I can't say I expected to see you here. You say the eyes are above?" He arches an eyebrow. "Maybe she left us here for the time being. Lead on, you can explain on the way."

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio pauses to set pick up his jaw from the floor. "Galandel?" He shakes his head. "First Franz rejoins us," he says, gesturing to the Falkovnian, "now you. Surely this is a sign. I had not expected to see you in Pont once more, but I am glad for it."

"How did the cat die, by your hand, slain by some other creature? And what did you see of the beast? What sort of creature is it?"