We Are Hunting
Seldan reaches the door first, and so is first to see what's inside. It's not pretty, and it's immediately clear that there are no survivors _here_ of the massacre that took place. There are at least twenty bodies piled up in the center of the Wayfarer's Inn. If anyone survived, they fled while Kol was feeding from those that were left behind. All those bodies have been left in one big pile in the center of the room. Completely drained of blood.
Verna's scry comes to an end as she's looking for survivors, Kol returning to his nest, and ending the vision.
GAME: Seldan rolls heal: (20)+13: 33
Seldan stops short in the doorway, having slammed open the door after taking the stairs two at a time in full armor. His shoulders slump, and he turns his face away, then steps out of the doorway to his left to allow others inside. "Kol Demontry." It doesn't take him long to confirm that guess, walking among the bodies slowly and examining a few. "For crimes upon crimes shall you be destroyed. Be this a thing of the Dream Realm, or vampire entire." Even he looks a little green, and his usual reserve is not in evidence. Stone-cold fury is written there, along with sorrow.
GAME: Verna rolls perception: (8)+29: 37
The horror that's here is not only all around, but in Andelena's eyes, too, her mouth opening and closing several times but struggling to find /anything/ to say, any words to possibly make this situation more palatable. Because there are none that could possibly withstand the image of mass slaughter like this, none that could bring these people back, and none that could explain why they died...
No. That's right. There are some words. She gulps and turns to Seldan as he speaks.
"We need to do something about this," she says. "We... We need to destroy him before it's too late. Before it's too damned late."
Verna fully enters the inn to evaluate those still present. Whether they are in need of aid, or have begun the journey, her duties to them remain. They merely differ. Unfortunately, it appears that they only require the latter services. "The city should be notified," she notes plainly, attempting to remove from the upper layer. "As well, they do not deserve to be left in this manner." Unsurprisingly, her attempts to relocate a deceased from the mound which may be taller than herself is a slow process. It is not until after some tugging that she pauses. And realizes. "The scrying has ended prematurely. He has returned to the cave."
Auranar has followed at a somewhat slower pace, the horror on her features not unlike Andelena's. She bites her lips at the other woman's words and finds herself saying something before she can think better than to say it. "It's too late for some." But there are tears on her face at this terrible sight, of all these people treated like... A broken glass. Emptied and tossed aside.
"I'm sorry." She utters quietly. "I should have expected something..." Like this? How could one expect this? "Terrible when we decided to go looking for information on him. Andelena's right. We've got to stop him before anyone else dies because he's..." There were not words for the madness she had glimpsed here in this room.
"His lair is then confirmed." Seldan straightens, and turns to Andelena soberly, studying her. "Even so. This must be handled swiftly, ere he dares the city. I must warn you, though." Some of the reserve returns, but not all. "Kol is not a foe lightly undertaken. He is fast and strong, well beyond that of any ordinary vampire. Even I am hard-pressed to match his strength and speed, though do not doubt that I shall do my best. One must be prepared to counter his wiles. Are you prepared to lay down your life, now, tonight?"
Andelena nods just as soberly as Seldan turns. She considers his words, and...
"For a chance to rid this world of the thing that hurt my man, I would," she replies. "I..."
Her expression falters for a moment. "I know that if something happened to me, Bry would be hurt. No. /Devastated/. But he didn't run, because I asked him not to run again. I..."
She gulps as she turns to meet Seldan's gaze again. "I have to do this because he can't right now," she says. "I have to do this because /the world/ needs us to. And I have faith. I have faith in the Knight. And..."
Her gaze goes to Deliverance in her hand, the sword still held tightly in her grasp. "I have to have faith that I can see this through."
Verna does not resume her struggles with the deceased. First, she looks to Auranar as her words make her belated presence known. There is no sylvanori smile, now, for her to be infected by, but neither does she reflect back any aghast expression of horror at the situation. She simply regards her, and continues to do so after Seldan's statement. His implied intent.
"Do you intend that we confront him now, Silverguard?" An inquiry that is simple and yet not, and bears its own implications.
Auranar looks at Verna, as if sensing that the other woman might try and make her stay behind. "I'm coming too Seldan. It's not really any more dangerous now than it was before. I'll keep my head down and help where I can. He's got to be stopped." There's a firmness in her jaw; a tension that says that she isn't about to be turned aside easily from her choice.
That ice-blue gaze regards Andelena steadily for several long moments, and he nods slowly, first to Andelena, and then to Auranar. "Then I shall do all that is within my power to return you safely to those you love." He pauses, and pulls from the second quiver, hanging nearly behind him, a set of knife-sharpened wooden branches, and offers two each to Auranar and to Andelena. "Leave the battle to Verna and to myself. The finishing blow shall be yours." Notably, there are still a pair in the quiver he bears.
Only then does he turn to Verna. "That I do, Mourner. I know of your duty, and it is well that the city be told, but the dead need no more company this night. Only by moving swiftly shall we deny them that company. It is in my mind that Kol seeks to find that which he has lost, and cares little for any who stand in his way."
Andelena takes the branch offered to her, and she... pauses for a moment. Steel-grey eyes scrutinize what is offered to her, and then she looks between Seldan and Verna. "I... Forgive me, Silverguard, because I /have/ seen Kol in combat before. The Silverguard Serene and Verna were with us when we went to rescue my Bry. And even they struggled against him."
Her eyes water a little. "I'm trying to think of justice. And compassion. Because those are the things that the Knight calls me to, and those are what I swore to uphold as a Sunguard. It is just to go after Kol, but is it an act of compassion to endanger ourselves, armed with only what we've got, and possibly make those who love us grieve if we pass? I want to go. I want to fight. But... can we feasibly win here and now if we go?"
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+9: (4)+9: 13
Verna gives a firm nod to Auranar following her statement. Not that she had any doubts, but the others had expressed such before, and have something of a history with the matter. Her hood now turns to Seldan. "I expect the deceased shall yet be present when return. They are ever polite in that manner," Verna notes. "I am prepared to see his terrors ended."
She then pans to Andelena. "It is possible. Seldan saw him ended once before, and we may well hold the element of surprise. Our prior goal was to make safe and retrieve Dolan; he was our focus, not the vampire. That is not to say that a legion of Silverguards and Sunguards at our side would not be preferable."
She pauses a moment, neutral countenance breaking for a moment in furrow of thought. "Should battle prove untenable, there are other routes to a measure of victory, or tasks for those ill-equipped to face him directly. The area beyond the cave could be explored, the camp's location discerned if it is within sight. That was the goal of Dolan's plan, and it is yet unfulfilled."
Verna now looks to Auranar, and her expression finally softens. "If we go now, we do so together. Wherever that leads, we shall discover together."
Auranar nods to Verna's words, relaxing a little bit and accepting the stakes from Seldan. The wood feels surprisingly light in her hand and she holds onto them carefully. As if she might drop them or something. Such weapons are not her forte. But she intends to try. For everyone's sakes. "Don't lose faith now Andelena. Daeus, Eluna, and Vardama are with us." Her black eyes are bright and she stands as tall as she might. "We have to believe that. Should we drink the potions Seldan? Try to surprise him?"
"That should we do," Seldan agrees at once, his eyes lowering as he considers all that has been said. "Ni'essa teaches that the greater good and the longer view guide our hands, and that long-term evil not be countenanced for the sake of short-term gain. Do we lose, what shall be the cost?" More he does not say, but clearly, he thinks long and deeply, and is silent for the space of some minutes.
"Not lightly or inadvisable does one take on Kol Demontry," he says finally. "This, then, would I do. We go in silence and in stealth, to learn what is both inside and outside. If Kol's lair lies close to the camp of another threat, then it is well to assess that threat, ere we make enough noise to rouse it. Too would I know if Kol be vampire, or a figment of the dream realm and a different creature entire. The manner of death here suggests that he is, and yet-"
He trails off. "It may be that I may draw his interest. He had something of a liking for me, as well, in his previous life. I would know if he remembers me. But, ere we go, we should prepare all the spells that we may."
Andelena nods soberly, her expression cheered not only by Auranar and Verna's words of consolation, but Seldan's plan. "I like the idea of stealth better than I like charging in," she says. "With that asshole, anyway. And... I'm grateful that you know Kol better than I do, Silverguard. I'm not glad, because that man's responsible for too damn much, but knowing means we aren't going in blind."
She finally nods resolutely. "Auranar, you and I better drink those potions--either now or when we arrive, but I think now's a better idea."
"We all should do so, who would be unseen," Verna concurs with Andelena. "As Seldan states, prepare now as best you would." From Seldan's words, he may intend not. She attempts to not consider his rhetorical of cost and focuses upon Auranar anew with as she prepares. "May the Harpist know that I share all with you, love, be it joys or pain." It is not a simple affirmation, but a pledge before her goddess, and thus a binding one.
GAME: Verna casts Shield Other. Caster Level: 19 DC: 19
Auranar nods and casts her own quick spell, her eyes narrowing at Verna. "So shall it be, but you better heal yourself if you get too hurt." She says stubbornly, focusing her energy inside herself and forming a protective bubble that she can feel hovering over her skin. Then she pulls out the vial of potion and unstoppers it.
GAME: Auranar casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 4 DC: 15 GAME: Seldan casts Magic Circle Against Evil. Caster Level: 16 DC: 21
For answer, Seldan raises his left hand and draws a sigil in the air, but shakes his head in annoyance and begins again, this time with wide, sweeping gestures, including an unusual extra sigil. He speaks a word of power, and they bloom to blue-white fire before him. Through all of these sigils together, he draws Eluna's crescent-and-sphere, unifying all under her holy aegis in blue-white-silver fire. They form and replicate into a circle around him, similar to the prayer that Andelena used, and this he gestures with both hands, palm-down, as if pushing the sigils to the floor.
"Armor makes the accurate drawing of the sigils more difficult," he explains. "Sunguard, too well do I know Kol, for multiple times have we crossed swords. I would have you never speak of this tale to Zeke, but know that once did he assault the temple of the Draco Solis within Alexandria. He killed many, turned some against one another, and sought to profane the very altar itself. He was driven off ere he did so, and yet were far too many lives lost. Doubt not his power, that he walks in the Draco Solis' light without penalty."
When he turns to Verna, he nods. "Transport us when all are prepared. I shall use my own potion, if there be time."
Andelena watches Seldan casting his spell and murmuring his prayer, but her face furrows into an astonished and furious expression with the Silverguard's tale. She draws in another breath and exhales it, a look in her eyes that changes the grey to their more properly steeled form. "We can't let him continue to exist if we can help it, then," she says, echoing herself from before. "But we'll stick to the plan. We'll get Justice."
She unstops the potion and drinks it, following Auranar's lead.
Verna steps closer to the others as she withdraws her own vial and prepares to drink it. "Auranar, a hand to my side, if you please. Seldan, Andelena, my left and right shoulder, respectively. Once all are in place, I shall imbibe and then transport us." She cannot readily reach out to contact those she cannot see, nor likely they her, and she does not wish to inadvertently leave any behind. She then awaits others to signal their readiness, recalling the recent scene of the cave within her mind.
Auranar almost chokes on her potion, drinking it down with a sputter as she listens to Seldan's story. "Dear gods. All the more reason to end that foul creature as soon as possible." She shakes her head, but she's already fading to invisibility. Gone.
Last to disappear from view is Seldan, who uncorks the vial, places the stopper in his pouch, then lays his hand on Verna's shoulder and slams the potion in one go. He fades to invisibility, his words following him into the silence, "Make for the exit when we arrive."
GAME: Auranar used a Potion of Invisibility.
Andelena's already faded out, and she takes her place as directed. "Understood," she replies. Her voice is filled with determination to see this through to the end.
GAME: Andelena used a Potion of Invisibility. GAME: Seldan used a Potion of Invisibility.
With the others prepared and in position, Verna quickly quaffs the contents of the vial. As soon as it is down, she utters the incantation and focuses solely upon the cave to take all into it.
GAME: Verna used a Potion of Invisibility. GAME: Verna casts Teleport. Caster Level: 19 DC: 22 GAME: Verna rolls 1d100: (28): 28
You find the world shifting around you, warping as the cave replaces the gruesome scene of the Wayfarer's Inn. You notice Kol right away, knelt in front of his trunk. He closes it and rises to his feet. He doesn't seem aware of you. Indeed you are uncertain he would have noticed you even if you had been visible with how far-away his eyes look. He's cleaned himself up since you last saw him, but he seems... More unhinged than he usually does. The vampire takes a step, and vanishes. Leaving his cave empty save for you and the furniture.
Seldan does not move until Kol is fully gone, and then lets out a small breath. "Swiftly now, and quietly as you may," he whispers, although it may not be necessary. "If you would search this place, do so swiftly. I shall guard the exit." Armor is quieter than most as he walks over towards where the cloth that covers the entrance is. "It is in my mind that we have but little time. He seeks his prey."
"Right," Andelena mutters just as softly in reply. "I'll go over to the chest." She walks over to it as quietly as she can muster, although her armor, even though it is made of mithral, might make that a tiny bit difficult.
Verna is stock still, visible or not, when their surroundings solidify and Kol is near at hand. It is not until he is well absent, and Seldan whispers, that she moves. "The dresser, then, and we should move to the exterior as soon as able." With Andelena searching the trunk, Seldan minding the exit, she moves for the dresser, only recalling a brief sift upon it previously.
"I'll stay with Seldan." Auranar whispers quietly, mostly to reassure Verna. She puts her hand out to touch the paladin, and stays with him as he moves toward the door. She keeps her eyes and ears peeled for any sign of anything unusual, but shudders as they pass by one of the sets of chains.
GAME: Seldan rolls perception: (20)+25: 45 GAME: Verna rolls perception: (3)+29: 32 GAME: Andelena rolls Perception: (6)+10: 16 GAME: Auranar rolls perception: (12)+5: 17
"Someone is outside." That is a whisper next to Auranar, Seldan's silent voice, and he tugs at Auranar to get clear of the door. It's the barest whisper.
GAME: Seldan rolls stealth: (18)+3: 21
Andelena had been approaching the chest a little hesitantly, but at the sound of Seldan's whisper, she simply goes still. Very, very still. Where she is now isn't where she'd like to be, but better her be here and still than moving and detected.
It appears that Kol prefers a similar, unvaried wardrobe selection for efficiency. Verna could appreciate this... were he not also an undead and/or dream-entity mass-murdering sadist. In the end, his preferences in attire are of little use against him, however. She carefully closes the drawers after, so as not to leave conspicuous sign of their presence. Until the whisper, that is, when she halts cold.
Auranar steps back as silently as she can manage, her eyes wide as she stares at the wall of cloth before her. She hadn't heard any such approach, but she trusts Seldan's senses over her own. So she moves backwards a little bit. Out of the way. Just in case.
There's the sound of quiet footsteps suddenly, confirming Seldan's words. They stop just outside the cloth. "Master Kol?" A male voice asks, and when no reply is forthcoming, the man enters the room hesitantly. In his left hand is a strange statue of wood. A twisted ugly thing. He looks around and seeing no one moves toward the dresser. "Strange. Could have sworn I heard him in here. Guess I'll just leave this here?"
He looks at the statue and grins. "Or... I could keep it. Who'd be the wiser? I could be an Alpha!"
Seldan does not move a muscle. Does not speak. Merely waits, watching the individual intently, his eyes on the statue in the man's hand. The man might leave. The statue does not. He knows all too well what that is.
Andelena stares holes through the man, invisible as she is. That's a totem, all right. But it's in the hands of this man who... Maybe she could take him in a fight, but he'd probably also start yapping to his friends.
So she stays still and quiet. Hoping he just happens to wander into her direction. Could be easier to just grab and silence him.
Verna does not wish to move. However, invisibility is not intangibility. Standing before the dresser the man approaches likely places her in his path. Thus she makes a very careful sidestep towards the far side of the dresser from the entrance as she watches the man's approach.
Verna is also quite aware of what he carries.
GAME: Verna rolls stealth: (12)+22: 34
The man stops, grinning at the statue. "I like that. Me. An alpha." He turns, tripping slightly and scuffing his feet on the ground loudly and cursing at himself. "Damn creepy vampire lair!" He kicks the ground and makes his way quickly back toward the exit with a warm light in his eyes.
GAME: Seldan rolls bluff: (16)+13: 29
"The master watches," Seldan intones, in a voice that is as close to Kol's as he can manage, and without moving. "Leave it, or we shall play." Could that really be Seldan's voice, something that filled with dark and evil?
Andelena's fist /clenches/ as she hears the voice. And then... Oh. Oh? No, there's a small hint of the Silver Guard in there. The invisible Sunguard would breathe a sigh of relief, but this is no time to make extra noises!
Verna is somewhat relieved when the man halts, though this quickly turns to concern when he turns to depart. No. It is so close. She could have all but reached out to take it. Then comes the unexpected voice from near the entrance, and annoyance shifts to worry. He is back. Wait... or is he? She is not an expert on Kol, though something about the verbiage seems slightly different?
Auranar doesn't dare to breathe. Doesn't move. If she could cease blinking... All she can do is watch the werewolf as he comes back toward her and Seldan. The sound of a voice beside her makes her jump practically out of her skin. Kol? It doesn't sound like Seldan! The wild elf stares at the curtain, more than half expecting to see the vampire entering.
The werewolf squeaks at the sound of the voice and - drops - the statue. "He can turn invisible?" He yells the words and bolts for the door as fast as his feet can carry him - leaving the twisted bit of wood on the floor in his wake. "YOU CAN HAVE IT!"
Still Seldan does not move, letting him run in terror into the night. He waits until the werewolf is well and truly gone, his footsteps faded down the path before allowing himself a quiet chuckle that is soon stilled. "I fear I have far too much occasion to practice that. Outside, and swiftly now. Do not forget that. I await at the door. There is a massive camp outside the door."
A pause, then, and the whispered voice holds sadness and a touch of awe. "Your friend has bought you a teleport point into this camp, and it is in my mind that the camp is unaware of it. This is a precious gift indeed, and it may not last for long. Use it swiftly, wisely, and well."
"Thank the gods, Bry," Andelena murmurs in thanks for her fiance's actions, sighing in relief once the man is gone. "Yeah. Let's use this while it lasts. C'mon."
She makes her way outside as Seldan demands, hoping that the only time she hears the voice of 'Kol' is actually Seldan doing an incredibly uncanny impression. The Silverguard is continuously full of surprises in the short time she's known him.
Verna exhales a long breath at Seldan's brief chuckle, for it is nothing like the abomination's. "I am coming to you now," she announces, still quietly, "and we will all commit the camp to memory." As well, she shall retrieve the dropped totem en route, and place it into her bag unless it is retrieved before she reaches it.
Auranar starts herself toward the totem, but seeing it picked up and vanish, she shrugs and makes her way toward the outside like Andelena before her. "I thought you were the vampire." She admits almost silently to Seldan as she passes through the doorway, trusting that he will hear her.
The werewolf is long gone by the time you exit the cave. He had no inclination to stick around, and headed down to the camp as quickly as his feet could carry him. The camp itself is massive, and not far from the cave in a valley near the edge of a forest. There are a few other caves nearby, one of which looks possibly occupied if the smoke exiting it is any indication.
The camp below you is filled with tents and people, but also? Wolves. Big black wolves moving around through the various people. They have too-intelligent eyes and fur that is like a ravens wing. There's enough people that you could probably easily get lost amid all those people... or quickly found out. It's hard to tell which.
"The caves," Seldan murmurs, having trailed the others outside. "Let us identify a safer teleport point, and return without armor. We shall not remain undetected for long in this." Again, he is a voice behind them, calm and steady, and reaches to touch the shoulder of whoever is closest.
"Caves sound like a good idea," Andelena replies just as quietly. "I doubt they've got the you-know-whats out just for anyone and everyone to see, too, so maybe we'll find one or two in there." She attempts to follow him as quickly and as closely as she can in a camp this crowded.
Verna considers the camp. Takes it in. Absorbs it. As one might a great vista or master painting. This is neither, per se, yet important. She can only spare a few moments, however, and moves to Seldan's voice and those of the others. Briskly as a concern strikes. Her voice is hushed, yet her tone firm. "We do not have the time to explore further, if we wish to stay hidden. The potions shall expire quickly. We should find cover, or depart. We confirmed what was believed. That is enough for now."
Auranar jumps as Seldan's hand bumps into her shoulder and she looks back to see... well nothing. She is glad she can't be seen, and she nods invisibly. "Alright." She murmurs, heading toward the nearest cave as stealthily as she can manage while not crawling on the ground.
GAME: Verna rolls fort: (1)+17: 18 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Andelena rolls Fortitude: (16)+10: 26 GAME: Verna rolls spellcraft: (13)+36: 49 GAME: Verna rolls fort: (10)+17: 27 GAME: Seldan rolls spellcraft: (3)+18: 21
There is smoke pouring out of the first cave, a peculiar scent on the smokey air, and there is clearly someone inside, so you move more carefully around it. You can catch a half-glance of a fur covering the entrance to the cave, but that is all.
Verna blinks at the scents on the smoke. She knows them. Their significance. Her eyes widen, regardless of whether any can see the reaction. A number of possibilities arise, but she makes quick, perhaps easy, choice. "Aura!" It is a harsh whisper followed by "All of you, stay away from the cave. Come together. We should depart at once."
"What's that smell?" Andelena asks quietly as she moves with Verna's command, keeping away from the cave. Not that anyone can see it, but... she makes a face as she contemplates the possibilities that it could be in the meantime.
"Come," Seldan murmurs. "We go, ere we are discovered." He uses the sounds and directions of whispers to reach for those closest to him. It's a gentle hold, but firm, and he waits quietly for the others.
Auranar hesitates, inching closer to the cave. The fact that there's something there... that there's _something_ going on has her interest piqued. Yet... She doesn't want to be the one that gets them discovered. Sighing she relents against her better instincts and rejoins the rest of the group, locating them by their voices and grasping hold of someone's armored arm. "Okay. But I don't see what funny smelling smoke has to do with anything." She hisses quietly.
GAME: Seldan casts Teleport. Caster Level: 16 DC: 23 GAME: Seldan rolls 1d100: (26): 26
Feeling everyone together, and hands on his arm, shoulder, and side, Seldan swiftly chants his spell, drawing sigils in the air with his back turned to the camp. The words are very different from Verna's, but swift and sure, and once again, the world collapses in upon itself, swirling and twisting until it resolves into an icy wind and a high overlook, but a place not so very unfamiliar, as below is the shining city of Alexandria itself. They're in the Redridge, not far from the path that leads towards Verna and Auranar's house and the Temple District.
Seldan staggers, but collects himself and looks around with satisfaction. "The invisibility will wear off soon. Sunguard Andelena, perhaps you would carry a message to Zeke, when you see him, that I shall have tea waiting in the shelter?" The voice is composed, steady, and even, and not entirely displeased. "I would ask your forgiveness, did I frighten in the cave."
-End