Cold Storage
Log Info
- Title: Cold Storage
- Emitter: Schara
- Place: Temple of Vardama
- Summary: Schara receives a rather unpleasant parcel, and the artificer needs to find someone to help with it in a hurry.
The temple of Vardama, early afternoon.
While an already gloomy place to some, the heavily overcast sky and light rain pouring from the heavens only further added to the slightly oppressive atmosphere. Few made any unecessary trips out this way on such days.
Which made it a bit surprising when a brown haired elf was jogging up the mountain road, and the many, many steps. Schara was covered in mud and a few scrapes, wearing normal clothes, but also their right metal arm, which bled from where it connected to the shoulder.
Reaching the temple, they stopped to catch their breath, looking around a bit frantically for any clergy who were still present.
The Cycle is immutable, eternal. Thus death is ever-present. Accordingly, there are always duties for Mourners to attend. At least one is not currently present in the temple, however. Not quite yet.
Verna walks along the mountain road from the stone cottage on the road's edge and towards the basalt temple. Whilst covered in a full and hooded gray cloak over gray robes, she is also shielded from precipitation by a simple large black parasol.
GAME: Harkashan rolls Sense Motive: (2)+23: 25
Harkashan does not come to this place very often. But as of late, he's been coming around in order to do research on the Halls. There's a being who has been causing trouble 'down below' within the domain of the Death Singing Dragon, and he is putting in the research on how to put a stop to that and traveling safely into that domain.
He's just stepping out of the temple when he spots the elf.
"Lady Schara." Harkashan rumbles, spotting the bleeding and the muddy appearance. "Please, do you require healing?" He inquires, approaching her directly. He's noticed Verna's approach as well of course, but a friend in need comes first before greeting another.
Schara catches Verna coming up the steps, and she waves quickly to her, but Harkashan is nearby and closer, and The artificer spins around, almost slipping on the stone. "Mister Harkashan it is good to see you I don't need any healing but I really need your help now immediately because I don't know what to do but I really need time to figure out what to do." They ramble, half pained, and clearly grimacing. they wave their hand again, with a moderately sized parcel hastily wrapped held within.
Verna notes Schara's waving motion through the gloom, perhaps in part due to the radiant light from the emerging Harkashan, and hastens her pace towards. "What is amiss?" she inquires upon arrival. At least some portion of the comments were overheard, presumably; that or she observes enough to believe that something is not as it should be.
Harkashan tilts his head ever so slightly as she almost slips on the stone and moves his arms to her shoulders to help stabilize. "You are bleeding." He notes, one hand having touched the bleeding of her arm. He then looks at the parcel in her hands. "Go on." He notes to Schara before nodding at Verna as she approaches.
GAME: Harkashan rolls Perception: (2)+12: 14
GAME: Verna rolls perception: (8)+29: 37
"Yes, I'm bleeding, but that's alright, I didn't have time to put an arm on properly but I don't really care at the moment, and it works well enough." The artificer answers with a shake of her head. "I received a package in the mail approximately eight minutes after sunrise which, I'll explain it as soon as I can, but I really need a mourner or deathsinger or mourner or someone capable of preserving a severed limb so if either of you are able to do that please let me know as soon as you can."
Harkashan nods his head; "I can do so." He answers, as he lifts a hand and shifts it over the box for a moment, his fingers starting to light with a crimson-grey light. "Lift the lid, and I will do so immediately." It is not often he uses this spell. But he remember a period of his life where he cast this spell many a times.
Transporting Rune's body, when she first fell, required a lot of travel. And with that, in order to keep her body without decay for her father...
The moment that Verna noted a scent of flesh in combination with Schara's location and state, she calculated that the odds of something as benign as an impromptu feast to be quite low. Harkashan is already in process of tending to Schara's request, so Verna turns her attention from parcel to carrier. Schara claimed that she would explain, so Verna trusts in that. "As he tends to that, you should tend yourself. If naught else, take a moment to rest."
"You can do that? Thank you, thank you so much Harkashan, just, that is for preserving it and not burning it, right." The artificer rambles, only finally catching herself with a cough and holding the box out, removing the paper around it and holding it out in the makari's direction, while closing her eyes tight.
Inside of the plain wooden box was a surprisingly fanciful red silk padding, which seemed completely at odds with the contents. A neatly severed forearm of someone, with a gold ring inlaid with a red jewel sitting on the ring finger.
"I'll rest when I can, but I don't know what to do. I really don't know what to do, how long I can rest, but, thank you for your help."
A most reasonable question to ask the Sith-makar.
"This is for preserving it. This spell will last about a week and a day, after which you should return to me to cast it once more." It actually lasts longer, but Harkashan prefers to give a shorter timeframe, in case issues come up that delay a return to him. Especially since he's not always available.
The paper is removed, and soon, a neatly severed forearm is being offered up to him. His magic touches the arm, and soon, it stills and almost seems to be veiled by a subtle 'gleam' to preserve it. Like it got wrapped in some kind of protection.
"May I inquire where you got this arm and what you intend to do with it?" He then asks.
Verna glances briefly to the preceedings with the limb, her hood dipping with acknowledgement of and agreement with Harkashan's efforts and comment. She then returns her focus to Schara. "You stated that this was delivered to you. I presume that you are familiar with the limb's owner? That you have knowledge or suspicion as to why such was delivered to you and perhaps from whom or whence? Assistance is available, yet information is of great importance."
"You're asking what I intend to do with it, either because you haven't seen to it or want to know what I'm doing after you helped?" Schara wonders aloud, cracking one eye open just long enough to see, the grimace turning to a mixture of distraught as she slams the lid back shut. "Thank you, and, I don't know what to do with it at the moment." Schara answers quietly. "I recognize the ring as well as the arm itself, it was delivered to me today in this box, and, it's my mother's."
"I don't know, I need to get in touch with my family if I can, if that's safe to do, and I need to, I'm either holding on to it so she can have it reattached later, or, I'm holding on to it so it can, I really don't even want to consider the possibility that anything happened to her that is irrecoverable." They elaborate, rubbing at their eyes with their wooden arm.
"I ask because I may be able to offer help, since you have a good heart, and I consider you a friend." Harkashan answers Schara as her inner monologue creeps outside once more. "But I imagine that if you had an arm delivered to you such as this, and they belong to family, this is likely not a good situation to be in." He warns her.
"I admit, I do not know much about your family. But if you so wish, I am glad to travel with you and investigate this together with you." He is rather direct in many ways.
"Indeed," Verna concurs. "Such is proof of violence; moreso, a message to provoke a response and likely threat of further violence or other ill intent. It seems clear that some party wishes your attention and holds no regard for courtesy. You should contact or visit your family as soon as possible, but you should not travel alone." There is a light pause before she adds, "In my opinion."
"Yes, you're my friend Hark, and I don't know if miss Verna is but I do care about her as well after everything which happened with her fiancee and I guess wife now." Schara answers, finally getting a bit more under control. The box held close to their chest. "I would appreciate the help, if it would not cause you trouble, but it seems I've caused my family more trouble already."
"I think I have an assumption who did this, but I didn't know they would even consider doing something like this." She adds, glancing at the temple. "It's a good opinion, and you're smart and I value your insight miss Verna. I don't want to cause my family even more trouble, but I don't want them getting even more hurt. I don't know if I could forgive myself, and I already feel awful."
Harkashan lets out this long and deep rumbling sound as she holds that box to her chest. "Be aware, it'll be costly to re-join an arm to someone still alive." He warns her.
"Regardless. I will travel with you when you do. You should check in with Rune and some of your other friends as well. But we will make ourselves available." He rumbles warmly to Schara, as he puts a hand on her pained bloody shoulder and sends a ripple of healing through her to help deal with the discomfort of having donned her arms too quickly.
GAME: Harkashan rolls 8d6: (34): 34
Verna waits for Harkashan to finish tending to Schara's well-being. She has no qualms with such being direct; it is needed, whether Schara would currently admit to such at that moment. Afterwards, she offers a slim smile to Schara. "My fellow Death-Singer is also wise. You should gather allies before travelling, for the safety of yourself and your family. If you would desire that I be among them, I would be honored to assist you, Schara."
Verna has left.
"I don't care about the price, I owe so much to my family and I would do anything to make sure no one would have to suffer like I have over the years." The artificier answers firmly. The elf winces with the healing magic, and she nods, the grimace remaining, and the bleeding stopping, for the most part.
"I, yes, I should let Warrick and my friends know. If I went off on my own, I would probably just react how they wanted, and cause even more trouble. So, thank you, for all of your help." She adds, bowing her head to the departing mourner.
Harkashan agrees, as the healing magic finishes drawing over her body. His healing abilities have gotten a lot stronger as of recent, it'd seem. "I'm about to head over to the inn to speak with Rune. She wished to speak to me about something." He then notes, pointing the direction of the center of town.
"But you will always be able to expect my aid." He then adds to Schara, bowing his head softly, and noting that he's about to head back down the mountain. "Wish to walk with me part of the way?"
"Oh, you need to talk with Rune? I hope everything is going alright." Schara asks, sounding a bit concerned. At least, it wasn't that uncommon for a deathsinger to be at the temple of Vardama, so that was a bit less of a concern. "Within reason, I would never want to exploit offers of aid like that, but I appreciate having a friend I can rely on." They nod. "I don't need to stick around here, and I don't like going into temples anyways, so I'll join you returning, it will likely help keep my mind off of everything."
"You do not have to be worried about exploiting offers of friendship. It is okay to also be selfish sometimes." Harkashan answers Schara firmly. "And Rune is fine, I think. We're just dealing with some... 'Fey Bullshit' as she refers to it as." He answers her.
"And I do not particularly enjoy the temples myself. The way Softskins worship the Death Singing Dragon is very... stuffy, and from the safety of their buildings." He adds, motioning his hand a bit.
"Oh. I know fey can be dangerous, and hard to deal with." The artificer nods slowly, readjusting their grip on the box. "I don't know anything about fey bullshit though, do fey have cattle? What are fey bulls like?" They wonder out loud.
"Yes, I find they remind me too much of a lot of bad memories." Schara sighs, beginning back down the path away from the temple. "Associated with likely with the person behind this."
"As far as I am aware, they shit fairy-dust or something." Harkashan answers Schara. He gives a little bit of a shrug at this while chuffing a bemused snort from his nose. A bit of smoke coming from his nostrils.
"And if someone behind this is the person you have referred to before - the one that broke your faith in people such as myself - I believe it is my duty to ensure I give this person a /very/ stern talking to." He then adds as he steps down along the path further down with Schara.