Follow-up Investigation

Log Info

• Title: Follow-up Investigation

• Characters: Harkashan, Rune, Skielstregar

• Place: W02: Mictlan / Site Near Am'shere Portal

• Summary: Harkashan helps Rune tend to a lingering wound leftover from the fight near the Am'shere portal. The two then travel to the site to have a follow-up investigation, where they run into a very creepy Skielstregar.

A call had gone out the previous day, asking for adventurers to look into a disturbance near the Am'shere portal. A number of individuals had set out from Mictlan, including Rune. When the group had returned, there were various injuries but most seemed minor. The worst seemed to be suffered at the hands of a rescued 'merchant' who was now being tended to by capable healers.

It is morning the day afterwards. Rune is sitting a bit away from the central part of the settlement. Since her return, she had been hiding the extent of one particular injury, not wanting to draw the attention of the healers who were better off focusing on the man who was in far more dire straights. Instead, she had been tending to it, herself, and otherwise acting as if she were fine.

Of course, it's the sort of thing that Harkashan has probably seen from her a number of times, and it is all too easy to see through that guise.

There is a sound of water splashing as Rune washes out what appears to be a very deep bite wound on her leg. A few bloodied bandages are strewn nearby on the ground. By the swollen look of the injury, she hasn't been doing a particularly good job of taking care of it. Rune isn't exactly skilled in that area. She hisses softly, expression showing obvious pain, at least here where no one else can see.

For now...

GAME: Rune rolls bluff: (6)+8: 14
GAME: Harkashan rolls Sense Motive: (18)+11: 29
GAME: Rune rolls heal: (10)+2: 12

Harkashan has been busy enough at Mictlan, but has kept quite appraised of what has been happening near the portal for Am'shere. Those kinds of rumors are quick to travel within the camp, and there's no doubt various talk about what might have happened.

When the travelers returned, Harkashan got himself appraised rather quickly based on the brief given, while the Adventurers were seen to by healers. He assumed that Rune would have been one of those who had gotten some time in with the healers.

When he eventually choses to check up on where she is, he ends up having go to looking. Luckily, in Mictlan, a half-sil stands out. So finding her isn't too hard, and a few are able to point him in the right direction.

Joining her at the river, he notices the bite wound and the bloody bandages. The male grunts a bit and rumbles; "These waters are not clean. You will make the infection worse." As his tail causes some bushes to rustle. It's the kind of warm chiding tone of someone caring.

Rune's hand stills at the voice that comes from behind her. Turning, her expression is almost sheepish, like someone caught in the act of stealing candy from a jar. This isn't something quite so simple, though. "It's not as bad as it looks." She looks from her leg to Harkashan, then back again, "I've had worse."

Indeed, she has. In fact, that comment may be the sort of thing to trigger a memory of one, very much worse injury.

"At least I didn't get stung by one of the leaf rays." Her nose scrunches, obviously finding that the worse of the options. Still, with Harkashan's chiding, Rune stops trying to wash the wound and just looks at him instead. "I didn't want to bother the healers with something that will probably heal fine on its own."

Oh, she likely /would/ heal, but without tending it would be just another scar on her features. Something that could be prevented with proper care. "They've got enough to tend to with that asshole who was smuggling those jungle insects." Rune pauses, then adds, "If I didn't know how horrific the end result was, I'd say he deserves what he got."

"Leaf Rays luckily only implant their eggs into beings who have already fallen." Harkashan notes, while continueing to make his way down to the riverside at his usual slow and patient gait. "But their poison can still cause issues." He notes.

He soon gets within a few feet of her, and rumbles; "And yes, you have had worse. But this is something I can easily treat." He points out. He motions to himself, and soon he's kneeling right in front of her. He shifts one of his legs, so his knee is up. "Put your foot on my knee." He remarks, while pulling out a small pouch, taking out a clean cloth and some herbs.

"Hrrm, I heard something along those lines. A fool, to smuggle things from Am'shere. They do not belong in these lands." The man huffs a bit; "Creatures must have been distressed by this kind of climate as well."

"Thankfully I've never gotten up close and personal enough with one to find out." Rune shoots back, a slight shudder running through her. The sight of what the rays had done to a single body is obviously enough to have disturbed her. "The party mostly came out alright, I think. Only minor injuries."

Yes, she considers this minor, even if it doesn't look the part.

Shifting, Rune puts her foot onto his knee, showing only a small twinge of pain at the motion. "The problem is, we don't know who he was delivering them to, or if there are other shipments." There is a sort of absolute trust in regards to his healing expertise, not even questioning what he tells her to do in that regard. "It's likely that wasn't the first shipment, or the last."

That bothers Rune. If those creatures caused that much damage, then imagine what more of them could do. "Sorry for not speaking up earlier about this. I didn't want to bother anyone." Perhaps due to her close relationship with two clerics, she has a bit more sensitivity about bringing forward healing problems that might cause them worry or take their focus away from their own tasks.

Harkashan pulls out some fresh water from a clean source, and then begins to run the clean rag over the wound. Staining it with blood and particles from the river she was using. Cleaning it up carefully, before he takes out a bandage.

He quiets a bit while he's working. Though that constant growling purr within his chest never really disappears. A bit of fog coming from his nose fo ra moment when she mentions minor injuries. Even minor injuries can get infected.

"You are not a bother, Rune. We both share great adoration for one-another. You'd bother me more if you didn't come to me with this, or ended up getting infected with some kind of disease because of whatever reason." He notes, as he pulls out some bandages and some herbs, crushing the herbs into a paste and angling her legs to sprinkle them over it. Some kind of pain-soothing substance that acts rather quickly. Numbing her leg a bit almost.

The bandage then goes over the cleaned wound.

He then touches over the wound, and begins to pour in his healing energies. Improving its healing rate significantly, before bumping his horns and head against her tummy for a moment. A soft bump.

"You are greatly valued by me. Do not be mistaken. In most cases, your time will be valued over others."

GAME: Rune rolls bluff: (8)+8: 16
GAME: Harkashan rolls Sense Motive: (20)+11: 31

While Rune may very well be skilled at subterfuge, Harkashan has known her quite a long time and it is easy to see the subtle signs that show when she's hiding something. In this case, it's hiding the pain that touching the wound is causing. It feels like bursts of lightning up along her leg, causing her muscles to tense. To an outside observer, she simply seems to be sitting there, but Harkashan can see the way her throat tightens, her eyes close and there is a twitch of her fingers against the rock she is sitting on.

As the numbing sensasion sinks into her leg, much of that seems to ease and she lets out a soft breath. "I know." All too recently, Rune had discussed her feelings with both of the men in her life, and it had not been an easy topic in either case. Even now, she tends to shy away from it. "I just hate feeling that I'm always leaning on others and not contributing much in return."

Self-doubt is an easy thing.

As his horns bump into her belly, Rune can't help but laugh softly, pushing back against them softly. "I'd prefer not spending time with you tending to wounds, though. It doesn't exactly seem like the best use of either of our time."

Of course he notices her trying not to show her pain.

"You prevented what could have been a political nightmare for our people. You annihilated some very dangerous monsters, and prevented them from becoming an invasive species." Harkashan answers.

He then bumps his snoot to her belly again as she pushes back. "Hardly what I would call 'not contributing'." She sometimes forgets just how much the Sith-makar in specific tend to 'think as a community'.

"But more importantly, we are both adventurers by most interpretations. If you are wounded, that is the best use of both of our times. It's part of our lifestyle - making sure we are healthy and on top of our game." He tries to impress upon her.

He then pats that spot on her leg, sending a sharp pain through that location; "Also, when you are in pain, you don't need to pretend it doesn't hurt. At least hiss through your teeth or something like you used to."

"Not just me. There was a whole group who contributed to that." Rune replies with a shake of her head. The motion moves a few dyed strands of hair across her forehead. Strands which seem to have paled recently to the point that they are only faintly blue-tinged. It is too early in the spring yet for the flowers she needs for proper dye. "Besides, we don't know that it's over. There very well may be more of those things out there." And that worries her.

As he bumps his nose against her belly, Rune can't help but just put her hands on either side of his scaled face. It's something achingly familiar, the way that the two of them used to be able to simply be like this with one another. Her hand reaches to scratch just under the tip of his chin, at a spot that tends to get itchy.

"I guess I'm still acting like I'm out here on my own." She had been, for almost a year, before stumbling upon him again while on her way to the city. "It's hard to break old habits." It had been the same way, before, when she had joined his party in Am'shere. It had taken months before she started to act more like a member of the party and not just a solo adventurer along for the ride.

And then he has to go and pat her leg. The instinctual reaction is a hiss, a faint growl, and a shove of his head out of her lap. "Ow, that fucking hurts!" Then, a finger is aimed in his direction, "You're an asshole, you know that?"

"A group of which you were a part of." He answers her. "A group moves through all of its members." He rumbles, as he looks up at her for a moment. His brow raising back, scales shifting. "We can take a look and see if we can find any signs that there might have been more of them." He then adds.

He then closes his eyes for a moment as she scratches under the tip of his chin. That growling rumble in his chest getting ever so slightly louder. Appreciating the touch.

The Sith-makar draws back a bit as she mentions acting like she's out here on her own. "Old habits are hard to break." He notes - only for her to shove his head back further, and him to stumble back a bit, before rising up.

Being called names, the male looks at her for a moment. A moment of shock in his eyes, before he closes them and bows his head and touches a hand to his chest. "My apologies. I did not wish to do such harm. I was merely wishing to playfully make a point." He points out. Sometimes, the creature doesn't know his own strength.

"Though I appreciate the earnesty." He then adds, as he opens his eyes.

There are points where someone should just give up trying to argue with a wall. This is one of those moments. Rune decides to drop the topic of her contributions completely. Or, more aptly, she is too distracted by the shot of pain through her leg to really focus on what they were talking about before.

Rune checks on her leg, which seems fine in the aftermath of the pat. She flexes her bare foot, then tugs the leg of her trousers back down over the wrapped injury. "It's fine. No real harm done." The quick reaction seems to fade just as fast as it had come. "Your point was very well made." Rune pulls on a sock and then grabs for her boot to lace that on as well.

Looking up at him, Rune rolls her eyes. "Just remember that I don't have a thick hide like your people. No scales. Only squishy flesh that doesn't take too well to being poked and prodded." The rogue waggles her fingers and gives a shake of her head.

The act of lacing her boots takes quite a while, so Rune asks, "We can scout the area where we found the monsters the first time, but I don't know that it will help if there's other shipments. For all we know, they might have snuggled them into other settlements, or worse, into the city."

"Hrrm." He nods his head in the aftermath of her rolling her eyes. "Indeed." There is a reason that the Sith-makar call them 'softskins'. It's easy to forget sometimes that those close to you have not gotten any sturdier simply because they are near.

With her having finished lacing her shoes, he motions his hand and starts leading the way to the horses. It's enough distance away from the portal to not go on foot when one is in a hurry to check out the region.

"If they smuggled them into the city, they will show themselves. But I think that if we wish to know about other shipments, the direction to look is not forwards, but backwards." He remarks along the way.

"There must be trappers on the other side of that portal. If we can find the origin, we'll no doubt find more information about where this is being sourced from."

Rising to her feet, there is still a bit of a limp that Rune carries as she walks. In general, the half-sil has to take more steps to keep up with the larger forms of most Sith-Makar. In general, most people she knows tend to be on the taller side of things. Eventually, she seems to realize that she can put most of her weight on it without too much pain.

Reaching the horses, Rune pats the bay stallion of hers, "Hello darling." She greets the horse, who nudges her in return. Harkashan would know the beast as Tinwe, having been introduced at some point earlier in their travels, and seems to be held quite dear to Rune.

Throwing herself up into the saddle, she swings her legs over, settling onto the horse's back comfortably. Despite her recent 'race' with Jacob, it is obvious that she is not exactly a skilled rider.

"You're probably fair bit better at looking for signs of that sort of thing than I am." Rune replies once they are on their way. He had tried to teach her a little bit about surviving in the wilds, but she had only picked up bits and pieces. There were far more suitable Makari to the task in their previous party, so there wasn't much use for the rogue to pick up that particular set of skills.

"So... are you suggesting we need a trip back to Am'shere?" Rune asks, brows raised.

Harkashan, though tall, has a slower gait than Rune. The armor certainly is partly to blame there, but the old Sith-makar also just likes taking his time on things.

When they get to the horses, he runs his hand along the head of that tall one. He doesn't speak to it, instead being quiet and letting his actions speak for him instead. For a speaker, he doesn't speak that often.

He lets Rune do her own thing - giving her the option to ask if she needs help getting onto the horse.

Once on their way there he notes; "Indeed, but you know where we are going. And you are oft more observant about other factors." He notes as they head on to the area the creatures were felled. "If anything, I should burn the corpses so that no diseases are picked up."

Then, a low nod of his head. "Indeed. A trip back to Am'shere." He answers her, looking to her to read her expression. "Do you think you can go there?" Without anxiety striking?

"It wasn't too far off of one of the main roads, so it isn't exactly hard to find." Which is probably for the best, given that Rune is not nearly as skilled as some others with tracking her way through the wilderness. As a messenger, it has usually been runs along roads rather than exploring unknown places.

"There was only one body that I saw, unless the monsters dragged more further into the woods." The idea of that seems to unsettle her as she lightly puts one hand to her stomach as they ride. "It should be this way." Rune pulls her horse down one of the paths, leading the way by only half a length of her mount.

The question about Am'shere seems to have a very long wait in answer. There is just the clip-clop of horse hooves over stone.

Then, Rune finally replies, "So long as we avoid running into any Charnites, I should be alright. It's... not the place that holds bad memories." She looks over her shoulder, "My years with you and the other Makari were some of the best of my life. It's only the end that was the problem."

It very much does suggest that if they were to run into individuals like the raid party that had attacked them before, that Rune may very well have problems.

"Hrrrm, let's hope so." He agrees, as they speak on the matter of victims, before quieting and letting her think on the matter of Am'shere.

"It isn't something I can promise we won't run into. The Charn do not exactly abide to any treaties or care for us. It is a war after all. But they tend to refrain from being near the portal. Probably hoping to avoid all-out war with other nations who might get caught up in the crossfire, what with the merchants." Harkashan answers Rune.

It isn't long after that they start coming up on the damage - the fallen wagon for the most part. There's a fallen tree to tie their horses to. Nobody has had time to clear up the area yet.

Rune doesn't offer any other re-assurances. It's impossible for her to know what will or will not trigger her mind to go back to that moment in the past. The sight of Harkashan performing burial rites had done it, as had the nearly corpse-like body of Telamon after he was rescued. However, the creatures from Am'shere hadn't brought on any such effect.

"This is the place." She informs him, taking a moment to tie her horse a distance away. It seems that she isn't willing to risk the creature, should there be more of those Am'shere monsters around.

Slowly, she approaches the toppled cart. "We found the two over there, just across creek to the North." The signs of the conflict are obvious. However, Rune seems to not want to draw closer than the cart, at least at first. She knows very well what the body would look like, and it isn't something she wants an up close and personal view of.

"I'll... stay here, unless you see something I should check out."

He nods his head; "Stay here with the cart. I'll give the corpse a proper burial, and burn the creatures' remains." Harkashan bids to Rune. "I'll be back in a moment."

It would be a little while as he travels up north. She'd hear the splash of water (and some cursing in Draconian) - followed by the sound of work being done.

Soon, there'd be a plume of smoke from the copse of trees, closer to the water. A telltale sign of what Harkashan is doing. But at least she doesn't have to face it directly if she doesn't want to.

It's a good hour before Harkashan is climbing back up, his armor messy and muddy, and he raises his hand. "Let's start circling the area and take a better look around the cart. Make sure this was everything." He notes.

Rune doesn't have to be told twice to stay well far away from the gruesome sight that lies to the North. She decides to spend her time exploring the cart. There really isn't much to find there, other than warped, twisted and damaged wood. Still, it is worth looking over, if only so that she doesn't spend the entire hour just leaning there, bored out of her skull.

Because bordom is the sort of thing that is bound to have her get closer to the rituals Harkashan is performing, and that is something she does not want to do.

By the time that Harkashan returns, she is sprawled out on top of the cart. Her mask is pulled up, likely to block out the stench of the burning corpses, and her hood is pulled down over her eyes.

It isn't until Harkashan speaks that she lifts her head, looking at him from the shadow of her hood. "What happened to you?" One brow raises. "Did you decide you wanted to commune with the river spirits? I didn't think that was a Death-Singer thing." She's probably just teasing him.

Giving a stretch, she clambers down, some of the wood groaning under her weight as she drops to the ground. There is a small wince, but she seems to know to keep most of her weight off of her bad leg. "Alright. Let's stay together, though. I wouldn't want us getting jumped while alone out here."

After a thought, she adds, "But maybe not too close." Her blue eyes look his bedraggled form up and down.

"It is important to consider the feelings of the river spirits. They wanted to be warm for a moment." Harkashan answers, going along with the joke as he finds her laying on top of the cart. "It looks like you didn't find anything else." He rumbles, and then motions for her to come along.

"We'll do a bit of a spiral pattern. I did a checkup of the woods while I was there, and burned some branches. But I didn't find anything else there. I don't think they had any chance to reproduce." Beyond the Leafy Rays of course.

At her remark of not getting TOO close, he rumbles; "Don't make me hug you." As a playful threat, and then begins to run the perimiter with her. Luckily, the team had done a darn good job. Though they had been ambushed at the time, they'd been perceptive in their initial scan of the area. They'd not found any leftovers, and that luckily was because there weren't any to find.

At least, near the little copse of trees.

"And the river spirits told you that you needed to smell like tepid marsh water?" Rune quips back, "At least Makari don't end up with that wet dog smell..." She sighs to herself, seeming to accept that she may be drawn to individuals who are less than graceful.

The two start to make that wider circle around the original area of the encounter. For someone coming upon the site, there seem to be two horses attached to a fallen tree, not too far from a cart which has been tipped onto its side. In the air, there is a smell of burning flesh that has a sour note to it, suggesting that whatever is burning isn't fresh by any means.

Rune and Harkashan can be seen as they come from one section of trees and seem to be heading towards another. The lava-scaled Makari is far more noticable of the two, as Rune has her hood and mask on, likely to block out the stench of the nearby pyre.

"You hug me, and you're getting sneeze powder up your nose the next time you're sleeping." The rogue threatens, though it has a playful tone to it. She boops the lava-scaled Makari's snoot as she steps forward, her eyes having caught something in some nearby underbrush. It's a good distance away from the encounter site, but close enough to be of some concern.

"Hey, over here." She motions, revealing what looks to be a set of animal bones that have clearly had some sort of creature eating them. They are spread about, but Rune isn't quite knowledgable enough to identify what might have done it.

With the recent ongoings, more of the Warrior caste had been on alert. Ergo, more were out and about on patrol, especially if the Portal is concerned. So, perhaps another going through the copse wasn't unexpected.

But what perhaps /is/ unexpected is that of trees up above cracking and groaning. Something is up on high, and is making no effort of masking their presence. A glimmer of silver in the canopy. Slowly moving, swinging methodically.

Closing in from across the way, a glimmering silver figure dangles from the trunks of trees. But not by limb. Sprouting out of their back is a set of black-bone wings, leatherless, the spars jamming through trees on their own accord as they've got a set of javelins tucked under an arm. Unsure of where the duo are, but aware of /some/ kind of presence.

A faint scene of death lingers.

GAME: Skielstregar casts Spider Climb. Caster Level: 10 DC: 15

"I'll take that chance." Harkashan jokes right on back, only to have Rune raise her hand and boop him on the nose. He stumbles a bit, looking at the front of his nose in confusion, and then at Rune herself. There's just pure confusion, not understanding what just happened.

He'd comment on it, but she calls him over. It isn't long before the Makari is kneeling at the side of the animal remains. Some of them are gnawed to pieces. But Rune will notice that he is specifically checking out... the nails of the creatures as well as their bones.

"The bones are cracked. Whatever creature did this has a lot of jaw strength and was going for the bone marrow." Followed by, "But it still has its nails." Which, in a vacuum, sure sounds like a really strange statement.

He then suddenly rises, gripping for his blade, and points it at Skielstregar just as he comes out from behind a set of trees. Harkashan getting ready for battle. Rune would immediately feel that sense of the Death-Singer's blessing overcoming her, empowering her...

Only for the bony being to get closer, and reveal to be the not-quite-dead Sith-makar.

"Okay... so what exactly does that mean, mister bone-whisperer?" Rune asks, obviously not having Harkashan's understanding of death. She had seen her fair share of dead animals in the past, but what sort of marks they would leave on the remains of their prey, that's a bit beyond the scope of her understanding. "The caterpillars sure took a bite out of me, but I wouldn't call what they have 'jaws' in the normal regard."

A moment before Harkashan reacts, Rune does first. One pointed ear twitches in the direction of a branch snapping. She turns, hands immediately drawing her two blades, stance shifting as if perparing for a fight.

Only... what she sees is something that seems to frighten her more than additional horned caterpillars or leaf rays. It is Skielstregar, with bone wings, moving like a spider through the canopy.

"Tell me that I'm just having another nightmare..." Rune's voice is soft, staring in that direction, her eyes wide and her pupils dialated. Yep, that is creepy as all fuck. Then, she's looking over at Harkashan. "I've traveled with your people for the better part of two years and I've never seen that kind of shit. Please don't tell me you /all/ can do that."

The silver sith-makar descends slowly, bone spars from wings continuing to jam through wood and make splinters fall to the forest floor. Rumbles can be heard, distant conversation. "Thiss one smellsss... sssomething..."

"I can't smell."

"... oh. Do you... hear som-"

"Yes. Unsure of where-"

Skielstregar stops. The scent of death mildly stronger. Then he drops all the javelins he's holding, them clattering to the forest floor away from them as he holds his hands up. "... peassse on nessstsss," he tries to smile, the halberd on his back attempting a jagged grin as well. "Isss all well? Erm, thisss one did not ssscare off prey, no? Can thisss one help?" he asks.

Forty feet in the air.

"I promise you, it is not. This is the kind of thing only done by those who have been cursed by the Charn, I fear. Most of which are no longer living." If one could call Skielstregar 'living'. He remains in his defensive posture, though he intellectually understands that Skiel isn't someone who with threaten him.

It doesn't remove that instinct and preparation to do battle.

It isn't until the Javelins get dropped that Harkashan eases off his posture - following up on something else with Rune; "It means this was not done by Blood or Horn Caterpillars - which eat nails. It needs to be something with a strong bite."

Like a Wolf.

"Peace upon your nest, Skielstregar." Pause. "Can you please come down and stop freaking out Rune?"

It comes as a relief to Rune that she isn't going to be seeing strange spider-Makari in the trees as a common-place occurance. The sight of one is nightmare inducing without the thought that there could be more of them.

"Oh." It's a soft exhalation of breath that comes after Harkashan explains the source of such strange abilities. She, too, had been impacted by the Charn, but not anything like this. Thank the gods.

"P..peace upon your nest, Skielstregar." She manages to say with only a hint of hestiation. Eyes shifting from the monstrous form to the skattered weapons. "And... to you as well Malefic." Because it is only polite to address the weapon as well.

"No. You didn't scare off any prey." Rune's weapons lower. Then, after a brief moment of thought, she sheaths them against her back once more. "You haven't seen any Am'shere insects around here, have you? Leaf Rays, Horned Caterpillars, or larger Blood Caterpillars? There were some spotted here yesterday, but we're not sure that all of them were eliminated."

"Oh! Right, right, right, sssorry!" Skielstregar apologizes, harried. He climbs down, which does nothing to help allay anything, as spars pierce wood with the occasional hand reaching out to guide himself down to forest floor. Black bony wings flex before folding behind him. "Thiss one apologizes, they, uh, erm..." He glances to Harkashan, then away to the bones they were inspecting. "... magicsss thisss one can do alwaysss comess out like thisss," he explains, a tinge nervous.

"Hello, Rune. Dragonfather's light upon you," Malefic rumbles warmly, grinning. "I hope you are well?"

The silverscale begins to play seven-javaelin-pickup, him kneeling down. "Erm... no. Thisss one hasss not. To be honest, thisss one did not know, they have been looking for any stranglersss from the werewolf campsss, and heard that wasss commotion around asss of late. You were presssent?"

Harkashan finally resheathes his blade, and adjusts his posture completely, creating room between himself and Rune - suggesting he's not trying to take up a defensive position. He turns and kneels back down at the animal remains.

"I think this was left behind by Wolves and Werewolves, not by the creatures of Am'shere." Harkashan notes; "At least, not the ones that were sighted. Unfortunately, the smuggling operation didn't have an inventory. That would have been most convenient."

Getting back up again, he suggests to Rune; "But the smuggler might have known a count. Perhaps we check with them."

Then, turning back to Skielstregar; "Some wily smugglers are trying to move Am'shere species into the Alexandria area for some reason. Though I'm not sure how they got through the inspection." Looking to Rune for answers on that.

Watching Skielstregar climbing down the tree is just as creepy as seeing him move within it, but Rune does her best to look completely intimidated by the sight. Thankfully, it isn't the creepiest thing that she's seen in the past few days. The creatures of Am'shere have the silverscale beat in that regard.

"As well as can be expected. Took a bite from one of the caterpillar last night, but no lasting damage." The rogue shifts her weight slightly, taking some of the pressure off of the injured leg.

"The smuggler didn't seem that interested in talking." More aptly, the smuggler wasn't /able/ to talk, but such determinations are beyond Rune's ability to decern with her limited knowledge of medical matters. "But, I suppose we could try seeing if we can loosen his tongue a bit." Even coming from Rune, that sounds a little ominous.

"I was part of the group that found the cart over there, and the monsters they'd smuggled in." Resting her hands on her belt, Rune continues, "They had something that looked like a black cloth. Apparently it's some sort of space you can stow things in, and the monsters broke out of it."

Skielstregar relaxes slightly as weapons are put away, himself taking the bundle of throwing spears and sliding it into a large quiver on his back. He huffs at the notion of wolves. "Ah. Very well. If wolvesss, then that isss the nature of thingsss, if not, well, thiss one will continue to keep an eye out for them."

He frowns at the mention of smugglers. "... why? The creaturesss of Am'Ssshere would wreck havoc upon the woodsss here," he grumbles, crossing his arms.

"That is good you are well, Rune. Sometimes we have to get our hands a little dirty to do the right thing, after all," Malefic opines.

Skiel twists his head to look at them. "... that sssoundsss very un-Dragonfathery of you."

"His light can bend, so can we. You see, Skielstregar, it is merely by His-"

He brings a hand up to clamp down on the 'mouth', silencing the weapon. "Proselytize not now. But, ah, thisss one doess not know of sssuch cloth. They mere know of bagsss that can do sssomething similar. That isss erm... how thisss one carriesss all their ssspears." He pats a bag on his lower back.

"You and I know the reason quite well, Kin. Undoubtedly, the Softskins' favorite reason." As he takes a coin out of a small purse and flicks the gold between his fingers, and puts it back. "At least, such is my theory. I doubt the Charneth would do this."

"As for the Dragonfather, even he had ways to gain answers." He points out to Skielstregar with a soft smile. He doesn't go much further into that matter. After all, he is a Death-Singer.

"Though I believe we met someone who adores Truth a while ago. We might garner their help." Otherwise, he could just cast Zone of Truth.

His hand then goes to the bottom of his chin... rubbing over his nose for a moment. Crinkling it. Snoot.

"I am not familiar with this either. But if there are bags to put things into, then perhaps this was a larger space and well hidden during the inspection." He supposes. "Either way. We've been considering going to Am'shere to root out the problem there - before something worse spills over."

"That's the question." Rune answers in response to Skielstregar's 'why?'. "Maybe a collector. Maybe someone using them for pit-fights or the like. Maybe someone who intends on using them to cause havoc in Alexandros." There are any number of options, and there seems little confirmation in any particular direction at the moment. She doesn't seem nearly so confident as Harkashan on the matter.

The interaction between the silverscale and his weapon is often a source of curiousity, but for the moment, she doesn't interrupt the banter that goes on between them.

"I imagine a device like that would be expensive." Rune comments. "The one they had was destroyed, so it's quite possible that this mishap just cost someone a lot of coin. The question I have is, who is bankrolling this and why?" Her lips press together in a thin line. "I don't like unanswered questions." She he has enough of them, already.

At the mention of traveling to Am'shere, Rune's eyes distinctly look away, taking a few steps to get an eye on the road. It might be that she's just trying to check on their mounts, but more likely that the topic of conversation makes her uncomfortable.

Skiel rumbles a tinge of a growl at the answers as to why. "Feh. An insssult to the landsss and ssspiritss, for all those reasonsss." He does blink at Harkashan. "... erm, yesss, thiss one underssstands" spoken like someone who knows what someone else speaks of.

"No you don't," Malefic quips.

The silverscale ignores that, though a tinge of frost covers his face. "A trip to Am'shere? Hrmm. If you need thisss one for a trip, do not hessitate to asssk thisss one to help essscort," he offers. "Even if sssomeone lossst much coin from a device, they may lossse more than that with thisss development. Thisss one can help!" he grins.

In the end, a collector, a pit fight, all of that sounds like the end-goal is money. At least, to Harkashan. It's not like he loathes the idea of their monetary system. But the greed Softskins often reveal is notable.

"But I agree, whomever bankrolled this must be suffering for this object's loss. If another smuggling were to occur, they'll have to escalate in how well they hide it, now that this method of smuggling has been uncovered. Or at least lay quiet for a little while." He notes.

At the little back-and-forth between Malefic and Skielstregar absolutely totally understanding what Harkashan means, the Sith-makar shifts his posture a bit. Noting Rune gazing away.

"We would greatly appreciate your aid in Am'shere." Harkashan notes. "There are far more dangerous creatures there." As he puts a hand on Rune's shoulder. Trying to give her a soft smile.

"We want to avoid the Charn if possible. I imagine you both do. Sharing... terrifying history with them."

"I just worry there may already be more on this side of the portal. You saw what happened to that smuggler." Rune motions her head back towards the site of the disturbance, where now a bit of acrid smoke is pluming into the air. The man had all but been torn appart form the inside out. "But yes, Am'shere is likely our best bet for finding the source of it."

The hand to her shoulder draws Rune's attention back towards the pair of Makari, but she seems to be making attempts to keep her breathing even. "Any help you can give would certainly be appreciated. It's... been almost a year since I've been in Am'shere, and even when we were there, this wasn't the sort of thing Harkashan and I spent much time with."

She shifts her weight again, looking thoughtful. "I do think it is worth following any leads on this side, though. Whomever is receiving those creatures on this side can certainly not be up to anything good."

Her lip quirks in respones to Harkashan's draconic attempt at a smile, but it doens't quite reach her eyes. This whole matter has her rattled a bit, it seems.

Skielstregar's attention at the greater picture shifts away as he notes Rune's temperament change. His expression hardens at the mention of Charneth machinations. "No," he chuffs, scowling. "If we come acrosss Charn involvement, thisss one will do everything they can do cease it," he growls, smacking a fist into a palm. A tiny spray of black ichor splashes from his hand.

He steadies a breath before looking towards where Rune indicates. He grimaces. "Thisss one hasss not been to Am'shere in some time, but they ssstill remember it, can lend advice and aid where they can."

Harkashan's muzzle grimaces a bit at seeing the black ichor splash from Skielstregar's hand. Ugh. He's got a strong stomach, and while his limits may be higher than Rune's when it comes to the dead and semi-undead, even he feels that grimace reach his face.

"Avoid, rather than defeat - as much as I understand your hatred." Harkashan notes. He then softly squeezes Rune's shoulder again, but this time steps a bit closer and gives her a sideways hug.

In earnest, he isn't sure how to best aid her. But he figures that letting her face things, and bringing those opportunities to her, is the best medicine he can offer. To face things in a safer way.

~Are you okay?~ He whispers to her. ~Do you need to step away?~ Not wanting to hold her if she needed a break from this. Looking down at her with those crimson eyes of his.

Strangely, the ichor that comes from Skielstregar's hand doesn't bother Rune as much as one might expect it to. The strange smell, the fact that he may or may not be dead in some way, the skeletal wing-spider-legs. There is a certain point where eerie things about someone just stop actually having as much impact as they otherwise might.

"He's afraid I'm going to freeze up if we run into Charnites." Rune explains, and her voice is almost a little blunt on that fact. Then, looking up to Harkashan, she lifts one shoulder in a half shrug. "He's not wrong to be afraid of that. It's a very real possibility."

Then, back to Skielstregar, "A lot of people here haven't experienced some of that first hand, so it actually makes me glad to see others who understand why some of us have long-held grudges."

Rune doesn't prevent the hug, but she does shake her head at the whispered questions. "I'm alright. Really." There's honesty in that, unlike the way she had been trying earlier to hide her injury from the caterpillars. "Talking about it isn't as bad as before. You can blame yourself and Jacob for that."

Skielstregar blinks at the Death-Singer's grimace, him glancing down at his hands, then to the bone-like wing spars that continue to mingle behind him. He takes a step back, the scent abating somewhat. "Sssorry."

He nods slowly to both of them. "Hmm. Thisss one undersstandsss. It isss good to know what and acknowledge onesss faultsss. There iss not shame in that." He can't help but smile a bit. "If you find the sstrength to face them, thisss one will gladly help crush them."

Their whispered conversation isn't overheard, but he tilts his head to the side briefly, but doesn't ponder it overlong. Experiences shared create intricate relationships.

"My thanks." Harkashan notes as that sense of death begins to shrink before him.

Then, there's this long rumbling grunt from Harkashan when Rune mentions freezing up around Charnites. He's not going to state otherwise. It's a concern he has, not because it might endanger himself, but because of what it might do to Rune herself.

At the whispers, he nods. Acknowledging her words, and releasing her shoulder so she is free to move about more easily again. She's not some fragile thing he needs to protect, and he doesn't want to give her the idea that he's overprotective of her.

"What places do you recommend we check on this side?" He then asks of Rune. "Or is this information we might also glean? Like a drop-off?"

"When I'm ready, I certainly wouldn't say no to having you and Malefic on my side." Rune replies. With her mask up, it's harder to see her expression, but there is a greatful look in her eyes.

"I think we need to have a conversation with the survivor. See what he knows. At the very least, there had to be a drop-off point that they agreed to." The rogue nods her head, looking thoughtful. "If I know anything about underworld operations, this guy won't know everything. They'll have made sure that one person couldn't bring down their whole operation. Even so, it might point us in the right direction."

She looks towards the road then, before looking back at the two Makari. "We should head back to Mictlan and see how our 'guest' is doing." Then, with a tilt of her own head which seems to echo Skielstregar, "Would you... like to come with us? I'm not sure if you have a horse out here or not given your... current state?"

His very creepy current state.

Skielstregar gives a sharp thumbs up to both of them. "Of course!"

Malefic just smiles wider.

Talk of a survivor gets him to quirk a scaled brow. "A sssurivvor? Thisss one can... erm, ssscare them ssstraight, the sssoftksinss say, if we really need something. But they will do ssso only if you wisssh."

The offer to join them gets his large tail to pick up a sway to it. Even he eerie bone-wings rattle a bit. "Thisss one can sssummon Voarexautha, if they need a mount, but thisss one will gladly join you two! Um, a bit apace. Thisss... won't go away for a while," he gestures to behind him.

Malefic rumbles. "Pray return to the waking Mictlan."

"... what are you talking about, it'ss the middle of the day."