Family Matters, part 8
Log Info
- Title: Family Matters, part 8
- Emitter: Thurid
- Characters: Ashes, Aimarra, Donna
- Place: The Jade Isles
- Time: Thursday, June 03, 2021, 2:04 PM
- Summary: The party is examining the shrine inside of the fortress. Kiriyama has just charged the forces in the courtyard, the party were fairly hurt and running low on spells and healing, and discussing how to proceed. Finding some place to hole up without leaving the building, seems a better option than completely retreating or drawing even more attention to themselves. They lay a false trail and pick the store room, which has the advantage of a single door. They rest in the darkness, the time does not pass uneventfully. Something, accompanied by a great cold, wanders by twice. Ashes suspects it may be a Yuki Onna, a vengeful spirit of a woman. They take the back stairs to the next level and are confronted by two options, explore the barracks on this level or go higher.
While the sounds of battle in the courtyard have moved away from the gates for now, who knows how long Kiriyama's spirit will be able to do battle without the armor that bound him here, before he returns to the grey lady's halls. For the time being, he has afforded our heros a respite, however brief, and drawn attention away from the main hold in which they are presently located. They now have in their possession the Ancestral spear, and have discovered that the ritual site is not in the main hall, nor the shrine which seems to still be consecrated and warded against demonic or undead incursion- though, without priests to maintain it and with the seals broken, who is to say for how long.
The party suffered some serious injury during their encounter with the animated suit of armor, and their stores of curative magic were all but exhausted in recovering themselves to be able to continue.
Ashes takes two coins out of her satchel. Gold coins. She rolls them between the fingers of her right hand, clinking them quietly as she stares at the offering box. A simple velvet rope stands between her and the inner shrine. Where a pull-rope for temple bells also hangs conveniently close to the offering box.
"Do we want to make some noise? Go Deeper?"
Donna, looking quite haggard and worn-out, leans against the doorway to the shrine, casting a curious eye over the wards and seals. "So okay," she says, stretching her neck to one side. "Unno about y'all, but I'm on my last legs here. If y'all wanna push on, I'm with you, but... Just keep that in mind, yeah? If y'all been holding back some really good tricks, now's the time to dust'm off."
"And make sure everyone in the compound knows where we are?" Aimarra sounds skeptical. She scowls, though, and shakes her head at Donna. "We're all stayin' together, we ain't enough to do anything but get ourselves killed if we split. I say we find a place to rest, if we can. If that means pressing on, then so be it."
'Clink'
Ashes slides the coins back into her satchel. She turns and crosses back through the outer shrine. She faces Donna and Aimarra, "I'm out of healing spells."
The ashen Arvec doesn't consider herself a leader, in spite of her prior experiences with Donna. Those were affairs of the dead, where she had a certain degree of confidence and conviction. In military affairs, well, she's not much of a fighter and usually isn't paying enough attention to the tactics. Plus, orders from the hindmost are not cool, generally.
"It's safer to leave and come back. Maybe they'll believe Kiriyama did everything if we're not spotted."
Looking to Aimarra, then Ashes, the brawler nods to herself. "Yeah it's safer... But there's no knowin' how easy it'll be to come back. Hrn... We cleared the barracks up by the kitchen, yeah?"
Leadership has never been her forte, either... but vigilance is an old skill, polished gleaming by the passage of time. Noticing things is a critical survival skill wherever one may find themselves, after all.
"There's beds there," Donna continues. "Could shift them against the doors if nothing else?"
Aimarra nods her agreement. "Who knows if we'll be able to get back in a second time, by the same route. They'll find our trail quick enough if they look." She looks down at the spear and part of the armor she carries. "Mourner, remind me why we stay. Something about a ritual?"
"We need to find the ritual site that brought the demonic possession." Ashlee says, gesturing at the nearby stairs, "It could be in the Lord's Room, the Guest room, one of the towers or the courtyard."
"It's not the Main Hall or the Shrine." She rubs a knuckle against her forehead, "I think that's all the places. If we're not leaving, the store rooms off the barracks or the servant passages might be good places to hide."
She starts moving. Dragging the tiefling off and throwing him down a kitchen grate might create a distracting false trail. "We need the spear, the armour is helpful for Lord Hiei."
"Takin' out the uncle'll solve most of the problems too," Donna points out, helping Ashes drag away the body. "But screwin' the ritual site's the primary objective, yeah. Otherwise, takin' the castle back's next best thing to impossible, an' that's why I don't much wanna leave it m'self. No sense chancing we gotta start over from the beginning if we don't gotta."
GAME: Aimarra rolls survival: (10)+14: 24
"Yeah." Aimarra nods her understanding at Ashes' explanation, dwarfed as she is by the armor and spear she carries. "No here," she offers. "If you want to leave a trail, let me help." Laying aside the armor and spear, she quickly and rather thoroughly disguises their trail in, the blood from the tiefling ending up looking more like he'd dragged himself towards the exit and died there, and a stab from the spear leaves fresh blood on both it and the floor around him.
That done, she steps away and carefully cleans the spear, making sure not to step in anything she just made, or get more on herself. "The storeroom sounds like our best bet, it's only got one door."
Ashlee nods, giving one last look around in case something is obvious to her. If she's spotting it, chances are others will too. Nothing seems unexpected. She nods, pulling the sliding doors to the main hall closed, then closing the one to the barracks after they've entered.
The store room will have to do. Fortunately, she loves sitting absolutely still in the dark and listening to things.
"I'll take first," Ashes says. She doesn't have a lot of camping equipment with her. Any really. Fortunately a recent armour enchant makes her equestrian gear extremely comfortable to sleep in. Her satchel is decent enough to serve as a pillow.
She stands at the doorway first, and examines lines of sight. She points out two spots at the top and bottom end of the wall, "It's hard to see pallets there." Someone on the floor might be missed, for a casual and quick glance. Further glances around, and she picks a nice shadowy spot beside a barrel to sit.
Sit and watch, and feel Chippen and her other pets crawling around. Her last decision is khopesh or crossbow. Probably the blade is best. Plus she can open her umbrella indoors and attract duppys.
Once the false trail is laid, and the storeroom door closed, Donna quietly shifts a barrel to stand in front of the door. Perhaps it won't hold up any attackers for very long, but, some interruption is always better than none!
"Wake me for the second watch," she says, as she tucks herself in the nook made by the fresh absence of the barrel it contained. And, somehow, drops almost immediately to sleep.
How could anyone be *comfortable* folded up like that?
The storeroom is almost pitch black once the door is closed- probably a good thing for avoiding notice, but not so great if they do need to get in a scrap. Some of the food stores seem to have spoiled to judge by the scent, though thankfully the barrels remain well sealed so it's a lingering annoyance rather than an overbearing thing. The door doesn't have the handy stick for barring it like the one leading to the main hall- of course, why would anyone want to barricade themselves in a storeroom, under normal circumstances?
Their circumstances are anything but normal, and so Aimarra says nothing about the barrel against the door, instead curling up to sleep without comment after taking the time to remove her breastplate. Hers isn't enchanted to sleep in, after all. She doesn't comment on watches, but will awaken for the third watch without complaint.
GAME: Ashes rolls perception: (15)+0: 15
Time passes. The ashen Arvec watches. She can see in the dark, so the circumstances are fine. She has two people to watch sleep, that's also fun. She doesn't stand over them and stare, that can be impolite. She stares from a distance, relaxes into the rhythm of Donna and Aimarra's breathing. Chippen comes out and slowly walks around on her head, almost fifteen seconds between each insect-y limb wiggling down through the strands of her hair to tickle her scalp. Such fun!
How time flies! There are no interruptions.
After a suitable period has elapsed, she wakes Donna. She leans close so her reassuring skull-face tattoo will be the first thing the brawler sees.
GAME: Ashes rolls fortitude: (10)+4: 14 GAME: Donna rolls fortitude: (7)+8: 15 GAME: Donna rolls perception: (18)+12: 30 GAME: Aimarra rolls fortitude: (7)+7: 14
Reassuring. Yes.
It's definitely what Donna was dreaming about, that cause her to wake with a start and a soft gasp. It couldn't at all be the sight of a ghostly skull hovering bare inches above her face, being the first sight the brawler opens her eyes to.
Nodding, she shifts in place, unfolding and standing to stretch her legs. After a moment's thought, Donna retrieves a coil of rope and ties one end around the door's handle, hopping up on a barrel to sit and gathering up enough of the slack that any movement of the door would alert her. Then, she settles in to wait out the hours.
It's quiet, it's dark, and time passes weirdly when you're simply sitting and waiting for something to happen. That's why the soft pat of bare feet against floorboards didn't alert her, at first. But the rustling of cloth, oh yes that did.
And then the unnatural chill that seems to have leaked into the room. That sets off *all* sorts of alarm bells in the brawler's mind.
But with sleep a necessity, she simply tightens her grip on the rope, tries to breathe as soundlessly as possible, and keeps her ear out for which direction the sound moves away to.
Its as though the warmth is simply sucked out of the air in the room. Dew forms on exposed metal surfaces, which quickly forms a patina of filigree fine ice crystals. Breath comes in clouds of vapor, and the hairs on the nape of ones neck and arms stand on end. The soft pat pat of the feet continues, heading towards the south or so it sounds. It passes by the door to the store room without disturbing it, and disappears beyond hearing range. The temperature slowly begins to climb back up as the footsteps move away, but the chill is deep, and fades much more slowly than it came about.
Some time later, perhaps thirty minutes or an hour- its hard to tell, in the pitch darkness, the cold begins to return, once again accompanied by the sound of the footsteps and the trailing robe. The footsteps pause this time, just outside. For several long moments, before they continue again, back to the north and the stairs heading back up.
Aimarra has not moved or spoken in the chill, and silence reigns in the dark. Her status is unclear.
The pause is the *really* ominous part. The pause means that whatever was out there, thought something was in here. That it didn't follow up means little; it could simply be waiting to ambush them on their way out, or come back in when it believes everyone's asleep, or all manner of things.
Thus, at her best guess of the proper time, when Donna carefully wakes Aimarra, it's with a whisper-soft message to complement the tap.
"Your watch. Be *careful,* somethin's out there patrolling. Didn't come in, but it brought cold with it. I think your trail saved our lives."
The Mourner sleeps undisturbed through both visitations. The catacombs of Alexandria are cool in all seasons, and she spends a lot of time there both awake and asleep. Her armour is warm and protecting, like a thick felt blanket when the temperature drops. She barely notices, only her familiar and friends shifting to warmer places partially rouses her. An indirect effect of the indirect effect.
She has dreams of dead things, ghosts and graveyards, spooky places to lurk and grey, rainy days. Pleasant things for her. Also horses, she dreams of horses and sleeps silently.
<OOC> Thurid says, "Aimarra, as you're Fatigued," <OOC> Thurid says, "you'll need to make a fort save to stay awake during your watch." <OOC> Thurid says, "And then perception as normal." GAME: Aimarra rolls fortitude: (12)+7: 19 <OOC> Thurid says, "You manage to stay awake." GAME: Aimarra rolls perception: (4)+13: 17 <OOC> Thurid says, "You don't notice anything during your watch."
Aimarra shifts, but her skin is cold to touch, and she is slow to move. Eventually, though, she does, shivering vigorously and pulling her cloak around her for warmth. Her nod in the darkness is felt more than seen, and she in turn shifts, unfolding herself. "All right, damn it's cold in here," she murmurs, reaching for her breastplate. Frozen fingers fumble at buckles and straps, but she does finally manage to get it on, and take up Donna's place and her rope.
The dark closes in, leaving only her hearing for senses, but focusing on sounds, and not on the pervasive chill, is at least enough to keep her awake through what hopefully proves to be an uneventful watch.
And as the hours continue to tick by, it proves to be just so. Whoever or whatever visited during the night seems to have gone about their way, leaving the adventurers unmolested and rested- for the most part. Aimarra's strength has been sapped by the cold, and she finds herself shivering and lethargic even as the room gradually warms. But nevertheless, they are relatively safe for now.
GAME: Thurid rolls 1d6: (5): 5 <OOC> Thurid says, "Alright, everyone heals for their HD." <OOC> Thurid says, "Which also cures Aimarra's fatigue. Spells and ability pools refresh." GAME: Aimarra refreshes spells. GAME: Ashes refreshes spells. GAME: Donna refreshes spells.
The Mourner sleeps well, her armour as comfortable as a bed, her injuries soothed. She's completely undisturbed by the visitations and the anxiety of her team-mates. At some point, when the room has warmed, she opens her eyes. She sits up, picks up her satchel and adjusts her armour. She looks over at Aimarra and tilts her head wordlessly, then stands. Her attention turns to Donna again, wondering if she should rouse her.
Aimarra's been huddled in her cloak for much of the time she spent watching, and does not appear to be able to see Ashes move, just yet. Looks like the cold hit her pretty hard, but at least she is warming up now, and going about her daily meditations.
No need; Donna's eyes snap open the moment she hears movement in the room. Her sleep was fitful and plagued with dreams of winter wolves, and coming back to the world of the waking is nearly a relief... until she remembers *why* the dreams were there.
"Did 'e come back?" she whispers to Aimarra, tentatively stretching one leg out, then another, then slowly climbing to her feet.
"There was something?" Ashes asks, listening carefully. She notes the coolness of the room, and touches her familiar. "Oh."
"No." Aimarra's response is not quite immediate, but it does come. "I think whatever it is is gone, but I was freezing," she murmurs back, very quietly. "Did you sleep well?"
"Unno what, but like as not it's upstairs. Passed by a couple times on patrol while y'all were sleepin', brought the cold with it," Donna mutters, glancing suspiciously at the door. "Thinkin' as we ain't gonna be done wth this 'less we warm it up, like."
At Aimarra's question, Donna lifts a shoulder; likely unseen in the dark, but a reflex all the same. "Slept better. Slept worse. Nightmares weren't bad. Ready to move."
GAME: Ashes rolls knowledge/religion: (20)+17: 37
One particular Spirit springs to mind - Ashes has only ever heard about it in rumors, a type of ghost called a Yuki-Onna is said to be native to the Jade Isles.
"Oh." Ashlee says, and seems to think about things a bit. Or would seem, if someone could see her in the dark. It's a very recognizable expression, a habit acquired. She speaks about what she was thinking about, "There's a type of ghost in the Jade Isles, a Yuki-Onna, that have several abilities related to cold."
There's a slight pause, "A vengeful spirit of a slain woman, who was never given a proper burial. They hate men."
Another pause, where there's a creak of leather as she adjusts her satchel, "They're especially vulnerable to fire."
"We should not linger here, is everyone ready?" Aimarra finally hops down off of the barrel and re-gathers her burdens and bow, and can be heard to do so.
Donna coils up the rope, teasing the knot loose from around the door handle, and stows it back away. "Good to know... I think I can bring the fire," she says, flexing her hands. "Let's get goin'. Upstairs from here?"
Ashlee nods, reaching into her satchel and bringing out her crossbow. "Servants stairs are best." Should she lead? She is the sneakiest. A crossbow doesn't usually say 'I want to be in front' though.
"We'll follow. I can cast a little light, if it's not bright enough." The Mourner offers. Also, "The Yuki-Onni may not have a grudge against us."
When the door to the next room is opened, the air outside is still unseasonably chilly even hours after the departure of their nightime visitor- and there are small pools of water, where ice has melted in the intervening time. Some of the lanterns are still lit, though they are guttering- in desperate need of oil. Seems as though the castles new master has a shortage of servants to see to such necessities.
"I can see," Aimarra nods, but raises questioning eyebrows at Donna. Having shouldered her burdens again, she appears content to follow Ashlee's lead.
"I got it," Donna says, slipping around to the party's lead, shivering with remembered chill at the ice frosting her gauntlets in the night. Carefully, she moves to the servants' stairs, peering into the gloom at whatever may stand above them.
The passage at the northern end of the castle is easy enough to reach- it is darker within, though there are candles in candelabra on the walls which might be lit if one desires. This particular passage is a straight run, which heads up a wooden staircase at one end, and terminates in a dead end at the other side- where random bits of cleaning equipment like buckets, rags and mops seem to be stored.
Ashlee follows behind Donna, her heavy boots landing quietly on the ground. The hobgoblin still feels out of place in the party as the largest. She's used to other hobgoblin soldiers, orcs, even some humans and definitely the giant-born looming and taking up space. She's not used to being 'the heavy', even with her very nice armour. Knowing how little practice she's had with her crossbow isn't encouraging her.
Hopefully, there won't be too much to fight and she'll be able to participate in the manner she enjoys most. Watching and glaring, and occasionally ruining someone's day with a curse. While this potential dangles in her future, she shadows the boxer.
A shiver ripples through Aimarra as she takes the stairs, as quietly as she can manage. Cold and she have never been friends, and less so now, but the exertion required to climb the stairs serves as some measure of antidote. _I will have to see if there are any enchantments that can stop cold,_ she thinks to her self as she climbs.
Looking back over her shoulder, Donna shrugs faintly. "Just storage," she whispers, "but probably there's a hidden door up there."
Quite confident in her ability to take whatever comes at them face-on, at least long enough for her friends to ruin their days, the brawler ascends the stairs, dimly hoping that if needed, the Yukyona or whatever Ash called it, is corporeal.
Nothing is worse than a face that *needs* a punch, but can't be punched.
As the group ascend the stairs in the relative darkness, they soon enough reach a landing. The stairs double back on themselves, heading further off, and a small passage splits off from the landing, headed towards- according to the maps they received- what is presumably the soldiers' barracks. The air here is colder still than downstairs, enough to give one goosebumps. And a patina of ice crystals clings to some surfaces still, not entirely melted.
GAME: Ashes casts See Invisibility. Caster Level: 9 DC: 16
The ice crystals make the Mourner pause. She can see her breath now, and while she's warm in her armour the cold is clearly having an effect on her compatriots. The spirit, the Yukai Onni, may be close. She might even be lingering ethereal in the hallway.
Assuming it's a she, and that sort of spirit. Ashlee has a lot of assumptions, it'll be friendly enough she'll be able to make an offer to help it, it will help them. The huge grudge that's keeping it from the afterlife is aimed at one of Lord Hiei's enemies, and not the boy himself. A lot of hopes and assumptions.
"Feiu of the Tears, let me see the hidden things." She touches her breastplate, and her eyes glow in an unsettling way. The light in them barely visible. She has a look around.
No signs of hidden lurking enemies in the passage they find themselves in, though it is a rather confined space. One with two ways forwards, one up the stairs, and another into the barracks.
"Check this floor or keep going up?" Donna murmurs, ice crackling on her gauntlets as she keeps them moving for a moment, to make sure her hands don't literally freeze up on her.