Mists of Winter: Chapter Three

[kintire]

Kat nods.

"Right then. Sarah and I will slip around quietly, the rest come up after us. You attract the kidnapper's attention, we'll slip in and find Matthilde. Raen can keep us updated with his lights."

She glances at Benn, who she seems to consider is in charge.

"How does that sound?"

[alhoon]

"I'm coming with you Kat, to keep the rest updated on our status. Diorgio, Ben? Can you produce similar lights to ours so we could reinforce you in need?"

[kintire]

Kat nods.

"Sorry, must be the cold. I meant you can keep them updated!"

[Adam]

Bennedict shakes his head. "I don't have an incantation for lights. Being not particularly adept at stealth, I think I would be best served going with the group that is meeting with whoever sent the message. If it is a trap, maybe I can heal anyone who is injured."

[alhoon]

"So... the sooner we start, the better" Raen said anxious to finish this business

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

"I would be no good at sneaking," Dorgio says, and flicks the steel pauldron at his shoulder. He thinks for a moment, then reaches into his pack. "But I am having a spare sunrod. It would serve the same purpose."

"Now, let's bait the trap..."

[ewancummins]

The sun has sunk halfway behind the rows of high houses west of the docklands by the time the group leaves the cross-river causeway and walks down the boardwalks to the wharves.
Long shadows creep over the docklands, gray fingers reaching towards the river and the iced-in lumber barge.
Kat, Sara, and Raen head for the barge, walking down the pier where it is moored.
Dorgio and the rest take up a hiding place in derelict boathouse kitty-corned from the pier, a long spear toss from the barge out on the water. Crouched inside, out of the wind and the freezing rain, they may observe the scouts headed for the barge by peeking through a broken window.
They have an excellent view of the wharf and the boardwalk on either end. No sign of anyone waiting for them, but the sun hasn’t set yet.

(SCOUTS)
Moving down the pier and out over the frozen river shallows, you reach the end. Long ropes and heavy chains hang from two stout posts, dropping onto the ice below and running a dozen feet out to the low, long bulk of the lumber barge.
Raen finds a tiny scrap of dirty white cloth hanging off one of the posts.

Looking down, he sees a patch of broken ice and black water off the end of the pier.

The water ripples.

Sara hears

VIEW CONTENT:

soft footsteps creaking on the boards near Raen, and water dripping

Raen tumbles off the dock, caught in the arms of a lady in a green dress with hair like damp riverweeds! She appeared just behind him as he examined the mooring post.
They both splash into the water.




(WATCHERS)
You see the scouts walking down the pier and the searching the terminus.
They haven’t crossed the ice to the lumber barge, at least not yet.

A fourth figures appears like a street magician's conjured knife, popping into place behind the wizard. Before any of you can even draw breath to scream, it grabs Raen and jumps off the docks!

[VAN]

"Raen!"

Sara sees the water witch get her friend down the cold water. Without any further thought she gets her guns out and shoots at it.

[Adam]

Bennedict's eyes widen in alarm. He steps from cover and shouts out some words of command, conjuring a spiritual longspear that strikes towards the creature in the water.

[steveflam]

Franz takes off at a fast run, double time. "Kommen sie Munchen! Schnell! Schnell!"

[ewancummins]

Chaos at the end of the pier: a flash and a burst of gun smoke, the hum of fine steel clearing leather, glowing weapons conjured from air, screams and splashes and the cracking of the ice.

To the left, on the riverbank under and behind the wooden walkways, Vlad twirls a lasso. He casts the looped end far--
and catches Raen’s right arm!

Jenny wraps her green arms tighter around the struggling wizard, squeezing air from his chest,

Raen sputters, trying to speak, to shout.
But does anyone hear him clearly?

Jenny pulls him underwater with her, as she plunges below like an anchor tossed from a boat.



The rope jerks hard. Vlad skids over the ice, trying to hold on, but the cord rips out of his hands, taking one of his gloves with it and leaving him sprawling face-down on the ice.
Fresh cracks widen under him.

[ewancummins]

Franz takes off at a fast run, double time. "Kommen sie Munchen! Schnell! Schnell!"

Franz arrives at the end of the pier, next to Kat and Sara, just in time to see Raen pulled under by a green woman-shape.


Munchen leaps about, barking loud enough to raise spirits.

Lights appear below the bobbing fragments of ice in the spot where Jenny took Raen under.

Lights like candles.

Or bright eyes in the dark.

[alhoon]

As Raen's near-panic face is drawn under the dark, icy waters, he gives one shout before he's completely under "MORE LIGHT!" the wizard shouts in panic, hoping that's not the last thing anyone will ever listen from him

[steveflam]

Franz drops his pack on the pier and frantically searches inside for a sunrod and 2 flasks. He quickly breaks the sunrod in two to give Raen more light. "Take dis flasks of oil," he hands them to Sara.

"I am goink in to get Raen." He ties his rope tightly around his waist, handing it to Kat. "Secure it somewhere so you do not haff to hold it."

The Falkov looks grimly at the water, taking a few breaths. "Here goes nuthing," he mutters in his native language before exhaling and diving in.

[ewancummins]

Franz drops his pack on the pier and frantically searches inside for a sunrod and 2 flasks. He quickly breaks the sunrod in two to give Raen more light. "Take dis flasks of oil," he hands them to Sara.

"I am goink in to get Raen." He ties his rope tightly around his waist, handing it to Kat. "Secure it somewhere so you do not haff to hold it."

The Falkov looks grimly at the water, taking a few breaths. "Here goes nuthing," he mutters in his native language before exhaling and diving in.

FRANZ

The water sucks Franz in, draining heat out of his body from the instant he submerges.


The eye-lights drift up past him, moving towards the surface.

He kicks deeper, reaching for a blur below him that might be Raen-or Jenny--or sunken debris.


The sunrod sinks faster than Franz does.

It outlines Raen's thrashing body, a monstrous woman with long hair and twisted arms holding him close as they sink into gloom.

He feels the rope tied to his waist snag, tug, work free and continue playing out as he descends...