Roshek - The Great Census of 1305

[Chasmfiend#1]

The creature recoiled hissing. It's eyes now shown blood red. Mutig felt something in him, and shuttered, realizing how bad the situation was. He felt the shadows that had been mending his ribs, and felt them moving towards his heart, closing just enough to make him unstable.

 "Put it away!" The creature snapped, "or I'll kill him here and now." It seemed as if it had thrown away a mask, it's voice no longer soothing, reverting to a more guttural bark.

 other tendrils snapped towards Algorath, disappearing just before being hit, than reappearing and hiting, it aimed for his head. It shot out another tendril, aiming and catching Amara by the throat, pinning her against a wall, slowly tightening it's grip.

@Sorana @Steel Inquisitive @Vargo Seldon @Turtle373 @Invocation @ZincAboutIt @kenod

[Vargo Seldon he/him]

Algorath parried as best he could.  The thing was as fast as lightning, striking and recoiling.  As soon as he slashed through one tendril, two more took it's place.

[+Sorana she/her]

Amara scrwamed when the thing pressed her against the wall, it's tendril tightening around her throat. She clawed at it, tried to get away.

[MacThorstenson he/him]

Thorstein turned and ran Toward Mutig, pulling out a few marbles and forcing them into the places where he had been wounded, banishing the shadow.

[Chasmfiend#1]

2 hours ago, MacThorstenson said:

Thorstein turned and ran Toward Mutig, pulling out a few marbles and forcing them into the places where he had been wounded, banishing the shadow.

The creature hissed, sending a wave of darkness pooling around them, it's tendrils grasping at junk and waste and hurtling at the company. Then Mutig saw it's wave of shadows wash over Amara... And she was gone. 

Mutig blinked, it snarled it's tendrils around Algorath, grabbing his arms and forcing him down, readying a tendril to stab him with.

 

 

 

 

The creature was brutal, but not dumb. It had learned the trick or slipping it's prize away from his foes without them seeing, as far as the rest where concerned, he had taken their healer. They would assume it had either tortured her for information, or to snack on. He dropped her in the middle of a dark room, letting her eyes adjust to her surroundings. In the dark, he had wrapped multiple victims, slowly draining them of life, but he had more purposes than just food. With dead, uninjured hosts, he could journey through the city, see his handy work unfold. It looked at her, the healer, and changed his tone to a more gentle, fatherly tone.

 "I think we got off on the wrong foot." he said, repeating himself from earlier. "I didn't want to bring you here like this, but time is of the essence." He focused , changing to a large, yet compact version of a spider, only he hadn't gotten the walking style down, so it just drifted, letting it's front legs pull him along. It went to one wrapping, and gently lowered its occupant to the ground. It was a male child, he turned the boy to expose the knife wound, and where he had done his best to patch him up. "This boy needs help I can't give him, so I needed you."

The creature hated trying to convince nicely, so he distracted himself by searching, with his mind, the Fens. He saw Karl, his soon eyes and ears on the field. He saw its followers gathering, choosing which patrols would fall tonight. He even watched as the company he had just finished dealing with struggled against him.  that sayer has sat long enough, he thought, sending a tendril towards him, aiming for his throat.

@Sorana @Vargo Seldon @MacThorstenson @ZincAboutIt

[+Sorana she/her]

2 hours ago, Chasmfiend#1 said:

The creature was brutal, but not dumb. It had learned the trick or slipping it's prize away from his foes without them seeing, as far as the rest where concerned, he had taken their healer. They would assume it had either tortured her for information, or to snack on. He dropped her in the middle of a dark room, letting her eyes adjust to her surroundings. In the dark, he had wrapped multiple victims, slowly draining them of life, but he had more purposes than just food. With dead, uninjured hosts, he could journey through the city, see his handy work unfold. It looked at her, the healer, and changed his tone to a more gentle, fatherly tone.

Amara chocked when the tendrils envelopped her. The shadows were cold, closely wrapped her body, her face her eyes. Nausea made her stomach turn around and then suddenly she could see again, feeling weak, her head hurt even more than before.

The world was tinted in sick colors, disturbing the soft glow of life of those inside the wrappings. The thing formed a body, waited for something and she blinked, tried to grasp where she was, what the wrappings meant, what was standing in front of her. It's body was covered in greens and yellows, like pus quelling out of an infected wound. It was wrong, so wrong that she had to avert her eyes, but it was everywhere, every shadow, every little bit of darkness. Amara gagged and lost the fight against her uneasy stomach, vomited on the ground.

The thing was talking to her, but she barely listened to the first words too occupied with collecting herself. While she cleaned her mouth she saw the thing open a wrapping, show her an injured boy. She focused on him for a moment. Weak, a wound of some sorts in his side. And again, the sick shadows in his body.

"What do you plan to do with him? With all of them."

She asked without moving closer.

[Chasmfiend#1]

 

"Well, for a start, I would return this child to where I found him." He said, "he is too young to undergo the process." It had changed it's eye color to a lighter shade of blue, casting his own pale light against the boy. He lifted him gently, and brought him closer to the woman. this kid had better do his part, or I am going make sure he wished to die. "Perhaps we should make a deal. If you can heal this boy and those that are here, I will address them, and give them a choice: they can stay and help their families here, or walk away from me. Is that a deal you would  except?"

 

In another part of the Fens, he saw his followers surprise two guards. They fought until Karl stepped forward. He looked at the shadows around himself and the guards, and with a flick of his wrist, sent two spikes of shadows into the guard's. They grunted, starring in terror at the spikes in them now, then the shadows engulfed them, dropping armor and weapons, and whisking them to the center of the Fens. He had made sure he didn't take this healer to the center of the Fens, she would see what he was really up to, then she would never help willingly.

@Sorana

[+Sorana she/her]

35 minutes ago, Chasmfiend#1 said:

It had changed it's eye color to a lighter shade of blue, casting his own pale light against the boy.

Quote

WHITE WALKER!!!

Amara listened to its words, looked at the child it had placed on the ground next to her. She hesitated. It was a trap, it was goading her, possibly held her as hostage to use against the others, but did she have a choice. Could she not help the boy and pray, that her friends were here soon enough.

With an unwilling noise she set her pinnate down, knelt next to the boy, felt for his pulse. Weak, but steady.

"They will need time to heal. Food, water, light and fresh air will help as well."

She stated and took a look at the wound.

"You need to remove whatever you've done. I can't do anything with the shadows all over the place."

[Chasmfiend#1]

8 minutes ago, Sorana said:

Amara listened to its words, looked at the child it had placed on the ground next to her. She hesitated. It was a trap, it was goading her, possibly held her as hostage to use against the others, but did she have a choice. Could she not help the boy and pray, that her friends were here soon enough.

With an unwilling noise she set her pinnate down, knelt next to the boy, felt for his pulse. Weak, but steady.

"They will need time to heal. Food, water, light and fresh air will help as well."

She stated and took a look at the wound.

"You need to remove whatever you've done. I can't do anything with the shadows all over the place."

 He thought for a moment, then nodded, "very good. I knew you where smarter than the rest." His mind trailed down one of his closer followers, and he ordered him to gather food, water, and to clear the highest roof the Fens had. As the follower did what he commanded, he turned back to the boy and the healer. I will have to get her name soonner or later. He moved a layer of darkness under her and the boy, and lifted them above the shadows of the Fens. It was night, the sun had set an hour ago. He carried her and the boy to the top of the highest structure the Fens had. He was impressed at how fast it had been cleared, they were currently bringing food and water to place to side. 

 " Will these be sufficient? " he asked, gesturing to the space of the roof, the food and water, and the three younger women who had arrived with more medical supplies, "these three are to help you in any way you need. But if you wish to leave the building, I shall have to give you a mark to keep my followers from taking you as a threat."

 @Sorana

[+Sorana she/her]

5 minutes ago, Chasmfiend#1 said:

 " Will these be sufficient? " he asked, gesturing to the space of the roof, the food and water, and the three younger women who had arrived with more medical supplies, "these three are to help you in any way you need. But if you wish to leave the building, I shall have to give you a mark to keep my followers from taking you as a threat."

Amara held on to the boy when he transported her somewhere, high up on a roof.

"A room with a window would have been enough."

She told it and looked up into the sky. Maybe she could send a sign, signal her friends somehow. Maybe.

"Hot water, bandages and something like a tent. I can't have him lying around in the cold. Blankets and a matress. Straw would be enough."

Her voice was firm, her eyes on the three that were to help her. She doubted she would get everything, but it was worth a try. She was trapped. He told her clearly. If she tried to leave without his permission she was dead. Fear let her heart beat faster, but she kept it in check, instead took a closer look at the wound. It was bad, showed first signs of an infection.

[Chasmfiend#1]

42 minutes ago, Sorana said:

Amara held on to the boy when he transported her somewhere, high up on a roof.

"A room with a window would have been enough."

She told it and looked up into the sky. Maybe she could send a sign, signal her friends somehow. Maybe.

"Hot water, bandages and something like a tent. I can't have him lying around in the cold. Blankets and a matress. Straw would be enough."

Her voice was firm, her eyes on the three that were to help her. She doubted she would get everything, but it was worth a try. She was trapped. He told her clearly. If she tried to leave without his permission she was dead. Fear let her heart beat faster, but she kept it in check, instead took a closer look at the wound. It was bad, showed first signs of an infection.

Two of three exited by a staircase, the third, however, walked forward and jumped off the edge.  He watched her fall, keeping an eye on her face, she showed no fear, no doubt that he would catch her. He sent a tendril after her, catching and placing her on the streets below. With her secure, and the healer soon to get to work, he left, mostly. He allowed a small thread of himself to linger, to study what she did. He had more uses from this than one would think, for although he could do patch jobs, he couldn't truely heal. He figured if he could learn from a healer, perhaps it could finish what he planed.

@Sorana

Edited April 28, 2019 by Chasmfiend#1

[+Sorana she/her]

17 minutes ago, Chasmfiend#1 said:

Two of three exited by a staircase, the third, however, walked forward and jumped off the edge.  He watched her fall, keeping an eye on her face, she showed no fear, no doubt that he would catch her. He sent a tendril after her, catching and placing her on the streets below. With her secure, and the healer soon to get to work, he left, mostly. He allowed a small thread of himself to linger, to study what she did. He had more uses from this than one would think, for although he could do patch jobs, he couldn't truely heal. He figured if he could learn from a healer, perhaps it could finish what he planed.

@Sorana

Amara ran over to the rooftop, stared after the woman, that had jumped. It catched her, placed her on the street below. Slowly she walked back to the boy, to find that it had vanished, left her alone. Covering her face with her hands she tried to grasp, to understand the situation she found herself in. She needed help and soon.

Hastily she placed her apron on a place high upon the roof, hopefully someone would see it, recognize it. And it had the perk, that it would dry.

Binding another one around her waist she knelt down next to the boy. First things first. She could worry later.

"Hey little man. This will hurt, but I need to clean the wound, try to stop the infection."

Her hand caressed his head, then she unpacked her pinnate, placed her tools on a piece of cloth next to him. She continued to talk to him, told him of the day, of the roof they were on. Announced when she did something he might feel. It helped, and although he never stired, the familiarity of the process helped to ignore her situation. When she was done she pulled her knees to her chest and waited for the three to come back. Or for her friends to arrive. Hopefully they would be here soon.

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

21 hours ago, Chasmfiend#1 said:

The creature hated trying to convince nicely, so he distracted himself by searching, with his mind, the Fens. He saw Karl, his soon eyes and ears on the field. He saw its followers gathering, choosing which patrols would fall tonight. He even watched as the company he had just finished dealing with struggled against him.  that sayer has sat long enough, he thought, sending a tendril towards him, aiming for his throat.

@Sorana @Vargo Seldon @MacThorstenson @ZincAboutIt

Aldred felt the thing before he heard it, felt the thrumming beat deep in his chest before it reached his ears. Something strange and not-quite himself bent his spine, twisting his neck so that the dagger-like tendril passed right next to him. He could feel the wind from its passing against his ear, like a soft wind.

Then, for a moment, pain. Aldred hissed, staggering forward into the tunnel wall.

"Blight it!" He pressed one hand against the cool, slick stone and another against the nape of his neck - just behind his right ear. His fingers came away dry and clean in the dim light, and the pain was... gone.

Odd, Aldred thought, moving his finger along the spot of phantom pain. The skin felt just a bit different there, like an old wound. Very odd.

"I'm alright," he said, panting a little as the rest of the group looked towards him. "Almost got me there, but missed." He looked at his fingers again, then shrugged.

[kenod]

Lilia tilted her head, wondering what just happened. She shrugged. "So," she said, "what are we going to do now? Kill it?"

[Vargo Seldon he/him]

Algorath panted, flinging a piece of black shadow aside.  He laughed like a jackal and said, "I doubt we can heal it.  What we need is to find Amara.  She's our best hope of survival, being a healer."  He paused, smelling the air, "I can scent her trail.  I can track where the thing took her.  We'll need to fight our way through, but we do what we need to do."  He started off down a tunnel, hoping the others would follow.

@Chasmfiend#1

@kenod

@ZincAboutIt

@MacThorstenson

[Chasmfiend#1]

2 hours ago, Vargo Seldon said:

Algorath panted, flinging a piece of black shadow aside.  He laughed like a jackal and said, "I doubt we can heal it.  What we need is to find Amara.  She's our best hope of survival, being a healer."  He paused, smelling the air, "I can scent her trail.  I can track where the thing took her.  We'll need to fight our way through, but we do what we need to do."  He started off down a tunnel, hoping the others would follow.

@Chasmfiend#1

@kenod

@ZincAboutIt

@MacThorstenson

Mutig staggered, blurry eyed and dizzy. He made off after Algorath.

 

 

 

 

 

The creature watched from not far off. It had one of its newer, magic wielding followers with himself. He had been amazed at how easily this magic being had fallen to his will. He was roused from his thoughts when he saw this bear of a man readying an axe and preparing to rush the two animals. "Not yet!" He hissed, holding him back.

"We can't let them find out what we're doing." The man growled . To which, the creature smiled.

"They won't find her or the center of the Fens," he said, almost empathic, "I took that girl all over the Fens, making certain she wouldn't be easily found. " he could feel the man's gaze, as if pondering what he could get away with. "Go to the tower and keep her from signalling her spot away, and that means removing that apron she hanged up."

 The man growled, clearly mad that he was doing servants work, but obeyed. Taking the swift route on a shadow platform that drifted low. I will have to keep an eye on him...

He turned back to the group, he knew they couldn't leave. They would tell, and the king would try putting him down, that's if the religious leaders didn't try first. He drifted silently to the main body of the group, speaking into the sayers mind through his brief hit. 

"They need you..." He thought it carefully, crafting it to fit the moment. "They will get themselves killed.."

@Sorana @Steel Inquisitive @Vargo Seldon @ZincAboutIt @kenod @MacThorstenson @Invocation

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

Aldred staggered a bit, feeling his vision blur and something tug at him, pulling deeper into the tunnels after the group.

I can’t leave them, he thought, though he knew he ought to go find help. Go to the temple of Vania and call out a full Inquisition against this thing. This threat was beyond his own ability to fight, unless he could find something it wanted. Some way to make a deal. The perfect deal.

They will die without you, his mind whispered. They need you. Aldred gritted his teeth against the throbbing in his head and sloshed through the water.

”Algorath is right, we need to find Amara.” Something else dawned on him as he watched shadows flicker and dance along the walls in the dim light. “And try not to speak unless you must - and if so only at a whisper. Who knows what fell things are creeping in these shadows...”

[+Sorana she/her]

4 hours ago, Chasmfiend#1 said:

The man growled, clearly mad that he was doing servants work, but obeyed. Taking the swift route on a shadow platform that drifted low. I will have to keep an eye on him...

A man entered the roof top, walked straight to the apron and removed it. Amara sighed, then she had an idea. It might work, and it was better than sit here and wait like a Damsel in distress. She checked on the boy again, the hurried over to the man, took her apron back. Cloth was expensive.

"Can you deliver a message to your master for me?"

She asked him.

[MacThorstenson he/him]

Thorstein looked around incredulously. “Guys, what are you doing? Yes she’s important, and yes we are likely the only people who can do something about this monster, but we are in no condition to help her, I am the only one who has weapons that can significantly damage the monster, half of us are extremely wounded, cmon! Let’s regroup first then go in for a glorious charge!”

[Chasmfiend#1]

10 hours ago, Sorana said:

A man entered the roof top, walked straight to the apron and removed it. Amara sighed, then she had an idea. It might work, and it was better than sit here and wait like a Damsel in distress. She checked on the boy again, the hurried over to the man, took her apron back. Cloth was expensive.

"Can you deliver a message to your master for me?"

She asked him.

The man looked at Amara with hatred, but before he could do anything the first of the woman returned. She was the one that jumped, and now she returned on the shadows, carrying a bale of hay on her back and her arms full of tent. She began setting up the tent, but the man growled at her.

 "That will be seen, no tents." The woman looked at him, sizing him up, than returned to setting up the tent.

The man almost swung his axe at the woman's head, but barely kept his temper.

 

@Sorana

9 hours ago, MacThorstenson said:

Thorstein looked around incredulously. “Guys, what are you doing? Yes she’s important, and yes we are likely the only people who can do something about this monster, but we are in no condition to help her, I am the only one who has weapons that can significantly damage the monster, half of us are extremely wounded, cmon! Let’s regroup first then go in for a glorious charge!”

The creature smiled, watching the group beginning to break apart. He eyed one of the marbles, but didn't go for them. He floated closer to the mage, and whispered into his ear, "live to fight another day." He hadn't gotten his voice down, so he tried to make it a passing thought.

@MacThorstenson

Edited April 30, 2019 by Chasmfiend#1

[MacThorstenson he/him]

4 hours ago, Chasmfiend#1 said:

The creature smiled, watching the group beginning to break apart. He eyed one of the marbles, and with one fast motion, sent a sharpened spike at it. He grimaced in pain, but pressed on, striking it and breaking it, killing the light. He recoiled from the group swiftly, his tendril burning from the exposure to light, but he did it. He could kill these lights. He floated closer to the mage, and whispered into his ear, "live to fight another day." He hadn't gotten his voice down, so he tried to make it a passing thought.

Quote

The marbles are still in his bag, it’s like a net that holds them together, so unless he tried to get close to Thorstein, you might want to edit that.

 

[+Sorana she/her]

On 30.4.2019 at 6:17 PM, Chasmfiend#1 said:

The man looked at Amara with hatred, but before he could do anything the first of the woman returned. She was the one that jumped, and now she returned on the shadows, carrying a bale of hay on her back and her arms full of tent. She began setting up the tent, but the man growled at her.

 "That will be seen, no tents." The woman looked at him, sizing him up, than returned to setting up the tent.

The man almost swung his axe at the woman's head, but barely kept his temper.

Amara touched his arm.

"Thank you for your service. You can go now. A strong man as you, is surely needed somewhere than with two women and an injured boy on a roof."

She smiled politely.

[Chasmfiend#1]

4 hours ago, Sorana said:

Amara touched his arm.

"Thank you for your service. You can go now. A strong man as you, is surely needed somewhere than with two women and an injured boy on a roof."

She smiled politely.

The man looked at her suspiciously, but began talking. "We should be in the palace, breaking down our foes and resting control of this kingdom. Instead, I'm stuck here babysitting." He was mad , but not as much as he had been.

The woman looked at him, finishing with the tent and hay. "Than what?" She asked in a accented voice, "the people must see our Lord as strong and merciful. Otherwise, they will beg for Vania to strike us down, or worst, summon the inquisition to break down what we have built."

" then we hit the inquisition... "The man said, as if forming a plan, "we break them, and the people will see us as untouchable. The king would bow before us, the people would worship us as gods! "

"Perhaps our Lord hit your brain, or you are genuinely an idiot." The woman responded, looking at him closely, "if we attacked the inquisition, the people would see it as a test of their faith. The king would call upon every able bodied soul he had to fight us to the last breath."

The man was about to respond, but stiffened. The woman seemed satisfied, but froze. She darted to the tent, knocking it down. The man grabbed Amara and put a hand to her mouth, preventing her from crying out. They both stopped moving, and Amara could hear what they had heard. Footsteps, big, aggressive foot steps. The woman looked over and mouthed "wolf, bear, man" to the man, and she came over and took over keeping Amara silent as the man snatched his axe and moved towards the stairs.

@Sorana @Vargo Seldon @ZincAboutIt @MacThorstenson

[Turtle373 he/him]

When Chadwick had first seen the shadows attack and injure his friends he had realized that this wasn't a fight he could win, so he didn't join. He thought that the others might think he was coward for not fighting so he stayed behind, out of the way. But when Amara was taken and the others weren't going after her Chadwick knew he had to do something, he thought that maybe if he found and rescued her the others would forgive him for not fighting. So he began following the shadow from a little ways behind, it was taking a very roundabout way, trying to lose people that were following it, but Chadwick had a lot of experience hunting things that didn't want to be followed. And he had a secret advantage, his sense of smell was extremely acute, the shadow's smell of wrongness was strong and covered most of Amara's scent but it was still there. So Chadwick followed slowly, keeping his distance and making sure to stay away from areas where the shadow's smell was especially strong, until he found the end of the trail at a tall building. Chadwick didn't know what to do, the place seemed like a base of operations, he saw at least three people coming and going from it. so he sat there and tried to come up with a plan that consisted of more than attack.

@Chasmfiend#1 @Vargo Seldon @ZincAboutIt @MacThorstenson @Sorana @kenod

Quote

do you want to have everyone run into Chad while he's waiting there?

 

[+Sorana she/her]

On 2.5.2019 at 0:17 AM, Chasmfiend#1 said:

The man was about to respond, but stiffened. The woman seemed satisfied, but froze. She darted to the tent, knocking it down. The man grabbed Amara and put a hand to her mouth, preventing her from crying out. They both stopped moving, and Amara could hear what they had heard. Footsteps, big, aggressive foot steps. The woman looked over and mouthed "wolf, bear, man" to the man, and she came over and took over keeping Amara silent as the man snatched his axe and moved towards the stairs.

Amara bite into the hand of the woman and when she fliched back, she screamed for help.