Necromancer News

Log Info

• Title: Necromancer News

• Emitter: Dolan

• Characters: Auranar, Dolan, Ravenstongue, Telamon

• Place: Auranar and Verna's house

Rain lashes against the windows of the residence that the Lúpecyll-Atlons share, the wind howling across the portico and driving the rain enough to rattle the windows. It's a good storm that Alexandria has going at the moment, and thus is a knock at the door all the more unexpected, and not exactly easy to hear above the wind. Still, it's quite the firm knock.

Auranar is awake, alive, alert, and enthusiastically baking in spite of the weather. Today it's cinnamon rolls. She dusts her hands off as she finishes the batch and starts putting them on a tray only for the distant yet firm sound of the door being knocked upon to enter into the space. At first she's almost certain she imagined it. "Did anyone else hear that?"

Which is why most people have retreated indoors, behind stout walls, closed windows, and sturdy roofs. Telamon is unpacking a brand-new set of alchemical tools and gear from its well-padded shipping crate. "At last," he remarks, the side table in Verna's workshop now populated with neatly arranged glassware, measuring tools, and other equipment. Shoveling the packing material back into the crate, he hoists it back onto the floating disk and begins 'pushing' the disk back out into the hall towards the living room and entrance when... "I... is someone knocking? Who the hells is out in this weather?" He catches sight of Auranar and smiles. "I'll check it," he announces, as he walks to the door.

Cor'lana's off in the lounge with a cup of tea, and she's mid-sip when the knock comes at the door. Her brows furrow as she chokes down the rest of the sip. "If it's Marsward or the Corpse-Eater, send them off, would you, Tel?" she asks. "I have no intention of sullying Verna and Auranar's home with blood."

She puts her cup of tea down and walks behind Telamon anyway, clearly not intent on letting him greet whoever's at the door alone. Pothy, meanwhile, is fast asleep on the couch in a nest of blankets, completely undisturbed by the knock. Cozy raven.

When Telamon opens the door, it's to reveal a very, very drenched Dolan, soaked head-to-foot, and wearing and carrying full Guild kit. The massive blade over his back, the hilt at his right shoulder, is different-looking, a finely-worked and brightly silvered metal with a nearly-new leather grip wound in brown and black leather. That is definitely not the greatsword anyone here is used to seeing him carry, nor is the prosthetic in his right eye-socket the same. The bronze-and-steel ring this time encases a black garnet, and the runes etched into the ring are different.

The rest of his kit looks very much the same as it always has, if drenched and with the cloaks, trousers, pack, and leathers liberally laced with something unsavory-looking and not smelling so great. The breastplate also has a fairly significant dent on the left side of the breast along the side. The cheeky grin, though, when he sees Telamon, is definitely all Dolan, if short-lived. "Brightest of days, Tel. Thank the sweet and holy gods you two are home. Sorry to drop in on you like this, but I just ran across something you two need to know about."

Drip drip drip on the porch.

Hearing that there is indeed someone at the door - if the sound of a man's voice is any indication - Auranar pushes the last cinnamon roll into place and makes her way slowly toward the door. By the time she's mostly in the living area she's correctly identified the voice as being Dolan's. "Dolan? Is that you?" She calls out curiously, dusting off her apron and glancing toward the kitchen a moment. "I'll get the food cooking. If he's been out in that weather he'll be glad of something to warm him - is there more tea Cor'lana?"

Telamon kind of goggles at Dolan, though it's less the man and more his current state. Then his brain catches up with him and he says, "Her light shine upon your path, Dolan, and hells, it must be important to come out in this weather." He opens the door wide to allow the man to enter, shutting it against the blasting rain. Then he begins casting cantrip after cantrip to strip the worst of the water from Dolan's clothes.

"You look like you've been in a proper scrap," Tel comments. "Not criticizing, mind you. New sword? That looks to be mithril -- clever, it'll be lighter, easier on your shoulder, and it'll strike like a silvered weapon against those creatures repulsed by such."

"It's Dolan! Yeah, some hot tea is a good start. Alright, I think I've got you mostly dried off -- let's go sit down and you can give us the bad news."

"Brydion!" Cor'lana greets, although the look of him is just enough to put concern on her face. "Telamon's right, you look like you just came out of a war. Please come in. Auranar, the teapot in the lounge has just enough for a couple more cups."

Her violet eyes fall on the sword. "Oh, that's the sword your wife-to-be made?" she asks. "It looks beautiful, even after combat. Here, let's get out of the way..."

She walks back into the lounge. Pothy finally awakens from his nap, but since he's tucked into all of those blankets, no one can see his excited tail wagging when he figures out Dolan's here.

"I was out in it anyway. I just got back in through the gates when the storm hit," Dolan answers, breathing a sigh of relief and shucking the boots, armor and weapons while Telamon works. He's not moving the dented side very much, and his movements are careful enough to suggest definite discomfort along that side, but he otherwise seems hale enough. "Thanks for that, Tel," he remarks once the work is done, and follows the pair back into the house. "I'm needing a good bath, but that'll do to start. Yeah, it's a damned fine blade. Andie was right about it hitting just as hard and being a lot less troublesome. I mean to thank her for it properly when I get back." The grin that comes with that is positively wicked. "I ain't meaning to stay too long -"

He stops short, sniffing. "Somebody baking? That Auranar? Verna said she was back right before she tossed my ass out in the rain," he laughs, brightly. "Brightest of days, Pothy. Good to see you again, Auranar."

Immediately and without hesitation Auranar sets to pouring Dolan out a cup of tea, bringing it directly to him and then offering him a warm smile. "Yes, I'm baking cinnamon rolls if you've any interest." She offers him the cup of tea and then tilts her head at Dolan. "Verna did what now? Make yourself comfortable Dolan; it seems like you've a lot to tell us."

Telamon helpfully putters around, putting the storage crate by the door before dismissing the disk. Escorting Dolan into the parlor, he remarks, "Someone tagged you a good one, judging from the way you're moving. Are you all right?" It's not condescension, merely concern for his friend.

Once Dolan is settled, Telamon takes a seat next to Lana and Pothy, giving Aura a grin before he gestures for Dolan to begin his tale. His free hand slides almost reflexively into Lana's, squeezing gently.

There's something that's beginning to dog Cor'lana. It can be read in her violet eyes and in her mouth, the way that they take on the qualities of lead and fall into hard and lowered moods, even with Dolan grinning and his greeting for Pothy, which is returned with a mimicked "Hello, Brydion," in Cor'lana's voice.

She takes Telamon's hand as she sits down with him and squeezes it, too. The look on her face is the rather anticipatory narrowing of eyes, like she's bracing for impact with something horrible. "Please begin, Brydion," she requests, an edge to the voice that suggests one thing: rip the bandage off so the pain's done in one quick and solid stroke.

Dolan trails Telamon into the parlor and immediately takes the teacup from Auranar with two careful hands. "I haven't looked yet, but it's not hindering anything, so it can't be too bad. Just hurts." He does take the opportunity to wander over towards the hearth and, instead of picking a chair or a sofa, seats himself carefully on the edge of the hearth, mug in hand. "Auranar, it's like you don't know me or something. I'd love one when they're ready. Anyway, I took an emergency Guild job to a mining town that was overrun with undead," he explains, then takes a slow, careful sip.

He exhales with satisfaction and goes on, still cradling the cup, the smile now entirely gone. "We and the townsfolk ran the fuckers out, but turned out that it was none other than that necromancer that's been harassing you, Lana. Karan'taara. He knew me, too, and ran like the little chickenfucker he is the minute he spotted me. Couldn't chase, we had three mohrgs in our faces. His little pets."

Auranar follows Dolan into the main living area, and starts to settle herself only to realize a bit belatedly that Dolan is injured. The dent in his armor hadn't registered to her as something that might have been damaging, but his words are more than sufficient. "Dolan... I could try healing you? It doesn't seem to work for everyone, but I believe it worked the last time I tried to do so for you." That memory doesn't bear remembering. Save that...

It seems that it does after all have something to do with the matter at hand. She shudders lightly at the memory of the necromancer that had kidnapped Cor'lana. "Unfortunate that he was so quick to flee." There's a darkness there in her black eyes that bespeaks her willingness to have helped teach that particular individual a lesson.

It's never a good sign when a smile falls off someone's face. Especially when it's Telamon's. His dark eyes flash with starlight, and he stiffens. A particularly blistering curse falls from his lips, and the fingers of his free hand curl into a fist. "Son of a bitch. We thought he'd left Alexandros for good, especially after both Alexandria and the Mythwood put a price on his head. You'd think he'd have stayed away."

Telamon takes a deep breath, focusing, forcing his hand to relax. "Alright. He threw his pets in your way and took off running. Anything else? Clues, information, anything he might've let slip?"

GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Will: (3)+16: 19

Karan'taara. Cor'lana goes still. It's like the amount of preparation she did doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, sometimes, the walls you build or how many spiked fences you put up. The dark of night doesn't need to vault over obstacles in order to approach, in order to descend, and it arrives for her.

There's immediately the mental struggle. There's immediately the panic. Her violet eyes go everywhere in the room, looking at windows, looking at all the weapons in the room, looking at her hands, looking at Pothy, Telamon, Auranar, Dolan. Taking stock, taking inventory, of all of the people she has to protect and all of the things that could be used against this predator that's out there in the world and will surely descend on all of them soon. "How soon is he coming?" she asks. Calmly and yet with an edge to her voice. "So long as I get him first then nobody gets hurt. He can't do anything if I get that spell off on him first. Him, not me. Him, not me--"

"Lana," Pothy says in a mimic of Telamon's voice, peering at her with more than a little concern in his blue eyes.

Almost at once, there's the clink of a teacup being set aside on the hearth, and Dolan's eyes are on Lana, completely alarmed. "I ain't know," he answers Telamon and Lana together, shaking his head. "He teleported out and I was fighting for my life a breath later. I ain't have time to look. Lana. There's a teacup in your hand. Feel the edges of the chair. What does the tea smell like?" The questions are rapid-fire, but with focused, determined intent.

"Don't you worry about me, Lana. There's a price on this bastard's head, and I'm meaning to collect. Stupid of him to show his face, but I'll take it and either send him to the Halls myself, or let the law do it, and I ain't minding which it is. I'm wagering I ain't alone in that." Auranar and her questions are forgotten for the moment. This was why he didn't wait to bathe, collect from the Guild, or find Andelena first.

Auranar might have been a little put out by the fact that Dolan ignores her offer of healing, but the truth is that she can see the priority in making sure that Cor'lana is alright. She doesn't interrupt Dolan's questions to her sister, instead she remains silent for the moment knowing that Dolan and Telamon are both better equipped to help Cor'lana find her way back to herself than she is. What she can offer however is an offered hand when it might be useful. Patience, and the determination to help where she can.

Telamon's icy rage drops away the moment he realizes how disturbed Lana is. His arms go around his wife, holding her close, so that she can feel him. Pressing his brow to hers, as he closes his eyes, focusing on the bond they share. "Come on, Lana. We're all here. Breathe, darling." His voice soft, trying to be the stabilizing rock that she needs.

He glances over at Dolan thankfully, offering the man a smile. "Indeed. He's made a mistake. Now we're going to burn him for it."

GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Perform/Oratory: (5)+23: 28

Cor'lana's eyes close.

"Teacup. Tea. Warm. Fire. Friends.

Fire. Fear. Hope. Rage. Brother.

Sister. Friend. Beloved.

Mother. Grandfather. House. Home."

The cadence of these is strangely musical and it doesn't take long to realize that it is another fit of Cor'lana's poetry. It's not exceptional by any means, not lyrical or beautiful in the way her poetry usually is. It's simple and has a specific purpose, concerned only with catching the rhythm that's in her head that she clings to now as a lifeline, taking Dolan's prompt and running with it into acknowledgements of what's here, what's important, and what's keeping her here and what's keeping her alive.

She takes in a shuddering breath and shakes her head, tears falling from her eyes as they open again. Her free hand goes to brush them away.

"Someone needs to kill him." That's her conclusion. "I don't care if it's one of us or someone else. He needs to die. This needs to end."

The tears, at least, tell Dolan that Lana is, at least, present in the here and now, and he seems satisfied, picking up his teacup again. "Oh, he will. For a pile of things." That settled, he allows Telamon to pull Lana close, instead turning to Auranar. "Sorry, Auranar. Wanted to make sure Lana ain't lose where she is. If you ain't mind," he tells her. "We tried to take care of the townsfolk first. A lot of them ain't get their gear out before the zombies took over, and a few of them took it pretty bad. I've had a little but it still feels pretty rough."

Auranar nods to Cor'lana seriously. "He will not endure much longer." This is more promise than statement even and the wild elf turns her attention on Dolan. For all that it seems rather like her absence from this region hasn't changed her much, there is a sense that there is something different about her. Something more than the fact that her hair is a touch longer. Something more than the keen determination in her dark eyes. "I'm no healer, so you should have someone more skilled than I look at it when you have a chance, but I can at least make you a little more comfortable in the meantime."

With this she lays a hand on his forearm, a gentle thing as she concentrates and builds the warmth of her magic up inside her. When it's ready, she presses it from her own self and into Dolan. This seems to happen much more quickly than it has done in the past though Dolan's only been healed by her once before. "There you go. Better?"

Telamon lets Lana cling to him, lets her weep a little on his shoulder. "Agreed. I know... I know we have more dishes on the stove than a half dozen cooks, but... we don't need this bastard getting in our way again. He needs to be dealt with."

Tel looks to Dolan. "I assume you weren't there by yourself. Did you brief any of the others on this fellow? We're going to have to track him down -- presumably by scrying, magic, and spreading a little coin in the streets. Someone out there has to be dealing with him -- they may not know who he is, so I won't offer any threats yet. But someone knows where he gets his meals, where he sleeps."

And while Cor'lana certainly does cry on Telamon's shoulder, she doesn't stay there for long. There's intrigue in her teary eyes as she watches Auranar tend to Dolan. It's a type of magic she's not seen her use before, and when it's done, there's the faint, faint upward perk of a corner of her mouth.

But the matter of what Telamon suggests causes her to nod gently. "He went all of this time without having a sighting reported," she says. "He's either not been interacting with people much, or he's been staying in rural communities, I would imagine. Places where it's harder to hear about their ongoings from here in Alexandria."

It does indeed help, and Dolan lets out a long, slow breath when the magic has faded. "You're getting good, Auranar," he grins up at her. He'd allowed her to finish before taking a sip of his tea, and when he moves, it is more easily, the ache dulled.

A long swallow lets him collect his thoughts, and he turns to the lovebirds. "I ain't say too much," he answers. "Rune and the Deathsinger Harkashan were with us, and a couple of others." The mobile half of his expression tightens in the way that says he wasn't happy with all present. He leaves that alone, though. "Wasn't rightly sure how much to explain. Some of that ain't my secret to tell." He nods to Cor'lana. "I did tell him he's been harassing you, but no more than that. They might have seen something I didn't."

Auranar settles back, looking satisfied and pleased when Dolan seems more at ease. She takes a seat nearby and settles into the spot comfortably for the moment. "Rune and Harkashan?" She inquires curiously, remembering the pair from their visit to Grandfather's home. She notes the way his expression tightens and looks at him questioningly. "Did something happen?"

Telamon sighs. "That can't have been pleasant. Rune and Harkashan have been good friends to Lana and I, and I can't imagine they were enthused to encounter that filth. Exspecially if he was bragging, like he's prone to do so." He suddenly moves Pothy into Lana's lap, petting the raven familiar before resettling his arm around Lana's shoulders.

His eyes flick to Aura, and he nods slow, turning his gaze back to Dolan. "Did you lose anyone? Or was it just..." he makes a gesture. "Horrific?"

Cor'lana now has a small mountain of blankets and bird in her lap. She's not exactly complaining. Especially when Pothy just looks up at her with those shiny blue eyes of his expectantly, and she goes to pat him on his fluffy head. That finally returns a small smile to her face, and she continues to stroke his feathers.

"I'll have to talk to them both," she says. "Rune... understands things. She should know. Both of them should, really. The undead are abhorrent to those who have made vows to Vardama, after all--I can only imagine how enthusiastic Harkashan was to aid you in your combat."

Seeing that Telamon and Auranar have already inquired about Dolan's tension, she gives only a nod to their questions.

"Rune and Harkashan were a wonderful help. Harkashan was about what you'd expect from a Mourner with an undead foe in front of them. No bragging, he was all business this time." Dolan continues to sip at his tea, letting the warmth of the fire flood him. Healing or not, rain is not, and never will be, his friend, although he does move more easily after Auranar's ministrations. "Nah, one of the other sign-ons is someone I'd as soon throw off a cliff. It was pretty nasty, but no real trouble. There wasn't time. You know how that is."

"You want me to explain, Lana, next time I see them? Or do you want to?" He looks up then, turning his face towards each in turn. "I agree, they ought to know who that one really is."

Auranar maintains her silence and then suddenly perks up. "First batch is done!" She says cheerfully in spite of the fact that their conversation is pretty dire. She moves toward the kitchen. "Would anyone besides Dolan want one?"

Telamon makes a face. "That happens sometimes with those guild jobs. You never know who you're going to work with, and sometimes you get tossed in with people that... you really don't like too much." He gives the others a smile. "I haven't quite had that problem yet, but there's always a first time."

At Dolan's question, though, Tel firmly nods. "If we don't talk to them before you do, lay it out for them. Rune and Hark have been good friends and they deserve to know what they might be facing. I'd rather go aware of the dangers than ignorant." At Aura's announcement, Tel perks up. "I'll take one, Aura. You're going to have to show me how you get them to swirl like that -- the last time I tried it they turned out like simple buns."

"Pothy certainly will want one," Cor'lana calls after Auranar as the accomplished baker goes to get the rolls. "I'll take one, too, especially if it's anything like Grandfather's recipe." Goodness knows that man makes a good cinnamon roll.

She looks to Dolan and nods. "I've yet to really experience combat with them--but I get the impression they can certainly hold their own. I'm sorry you had to deal with a less-than-ideal ally. As Telamon said--sometimes you can't help what you get. It's like buying the bag of variety discount bread from the bakery. Sometimes you get some lovely treats... And sometimes you get some things that probably should have baked a while longer. If even that could help, that is."

Pothy's tummy gurgles. "Snacks," he says sweetly. Clearly he's looking forward to Auranar's sweet rolls with all of this food talk.

Whether it's the prospect of cinnamon buns, getting that off of his chest, being warm, being dry, having some healing, or all of the above, Dolan has begun to relax as the warmth of the fire sinks in, and his grin is wider and more ready than it was. "Yeah. I've got no end of respect for those two. I'll let 'em know what's what, soon as I see 'em. I need to square up with the Guild, I ain't even done that yet." Which means he walked through the gates and came straight here.

"I ain't mind most of them as I've worked with. There've been a couple of damn fools." An expressive shrug of his good shoulder dismisses the matter. "I'll be with the Guild a good while yet, looks like. Anything else I ought to know about?"

Auranar smiles at everyone warmly, responding lightly to Cor'lana, then Telamon. "They are as close to that recipe as I can make here. I'm having to adjust everything just a little bit I'm finding. As for you, I'll be happy to show you the next time that I'm baking them." She seems more amused by these things than anything. Then she's in the kitchen getting cinnamon rolls for everyone.

She returns a moment later with plates and forks for all, she by necessity makes a few trips, interrupting as little as possible. By virtue of being the guest, Dolan gets his first, but Pothy gets his at the same time so the bird isn't going to starve while she gets the second round. Telamon and Cor'lana get theirs only a moment later anyways, and when Auranar comes out the last time its with a little container that she offers to Dolan as well as one for herself. "For Andelena. Tell her I fully expect her to come by and have tea with me as a thank-you."

"I've said it before, but the world's got no shortage of fools." Telamon's eyes glint. "Of course, the trick is to make up for one's foolishness by trying to do the right thing." He leans back in his seat, measuring Dolan.

"We're making progress, in fits and starts, on our more... serious problems, as you know. The timing on things is going to be tricky, because I don't want whoever wins in the little tug of war between Zinskas and Seraquoix to have any time to consolidate their position." He rubs his temples. "Plus, Lana and I have to make a visit to Quelynos. Again."

"That we do," Cor'lana says, sobriety returning to her expression. "But that is nothing that requires either of you to come along. In fact, where we're going... It's safest if it's just the both of us."

She looks at Auranar. "Can you babysit Pothy while we're out?" she asks. "He can't come along on this visit. It's far too dangerous for him, and he'll behave." So Cor'lana says, of course, as she helps Pothy eat his treat, and the bird makes very happy noises. It's true. Pothy is a well-behaved boy when he's getting his snacks.

"Other than that... Not much else. I've asked Verna to help get Zalgiman's ashes from the Temple since we learned from Dace Zinskas that Marsward likely wants to steal them to resurrect the man. She's working on that now. She also gave me a lead on where to acquire a scroll of the spell known as wish--the Arcanists' Society might have some leads there."

Cor'lana sighs. "I hope and pray I do not have to use it. But given what Marsward is capable of and what he consorts with--I fear that it may be a necessity."

Dolan happily takes the plate, fork, and cinnamon bun, and after a moment of study, cuts into the bun with a fork. He doesn't answer for a minute or two once he's taken that bite, losing himself in a cinnamon bun happy place while the others talk. Once they're done, though, he chews and swallows. "Incredible, Auranar." He points at the cinnamon bun on the plate in his hand with the fork.

"Yeah," he acknowledges. "We're still waiting for Seb to wake. Soon as he does, I'll let you know. We'll need to talk to him in short order, see what we can learn. I'm hoping to get enough to have Lady Calogref and her friend thrown in jail. I know what happened to that maid who disappeared." He pauses suddenly, a shudder rippling through him, and it seems to take a moment to regain his equilibrium. "That should cut some of their funding off. I just want to make sure they don't go raiding the locals to make up for it."

Auranar blinks at Cor'lana a moment then smiles. "Of course I'll stay with Pothy. He can help me clean up and then maybe he'd like it if I read him a nice book..." She flashes a warm smile at the bird, clever light dancing in her eyes. "One of the cook books perhaps? He can help me pick out something to make for your return."

There's no mention made of the fact that if the pair intend to go to the fae lands that the length of time they are gone might be... a while. "I'm glad you like it Dolan. As for the rest of that... it sounds complicated. If there's anything else I can do to help please let me know. I've got to talk to Magpie soon and see where she is with the book. It's been... well too long since we last talked."

Telamon takes a bite of his cinnamon roll, letting the warmth and sweetness chase away some of the discussion. "Whatever must happen, will happen. A shame we can't arrange for some of these bastards to wind up at cross purposes and outright fighting each other, instead of harassing or attacking decent folk."

He chews thoughtfully, his eyes pondering. "...Hm. Maybe. Let me think on it first. I need to consider this before I get anyone's hopes up." He looks over at Aura. "Thanks, Aura. Incidentially, if you need anything, let us know before we leave. I don't think we'll be gone long, but it IS Quelynos, so..."

"Yes!" Pothy answers Auranar emphatically, imitating Cor'lana. Clearly, he likes the idea of being Auranar's little helper.

Cor'lana takes that opportunity to have a bite of the cinnamon roll herself, humming appreciatively. "This is lovely, Auranar," she compliments, following on Dolan's heels with the praise. "If there's one thing I've learned about Marsward--he's a wrathful person. If you deny him one avenue, he takes it out on someone or something else. I'm almost positive that if he succeeds in resurrecting Zalgiman, the first thing he'll do is..."

She shudders. "That's not worth thinking about," she says. "But yes. Telamon and I will endeavor to be back as quickly as we can."

"Best to be rid of both of them," Dolan agrees around another mouthful of cinnamon bun. He's eating fairly quickly, a thing that is unlikely to surprise anyone who's been in a fight. "I still say we start with the portal and see what V does when their toy's taken away from them."

It doesn't take him long to finish off the cinnamon bun, and take up the one that Auranar handed him for Andelena. "Look, I ain't meaning to be rude, but I ain't told Andie I'm safe yet, and I ain't squared up with the Guild. As much as I'd love to not go back out in the rain, I'd better go. Thank you, all of you."