Theodore couldn't help but notice everyone in the room seemed to have a different idea when it came to dealing with these stones, other than him and Birbin seemingly being fine with just tossing them outside and letting them sort themselves out. Wick wanted to bury them in a bottle for some reason, whereas Katia went for the less obvious approach and pondered on the possibility of tossing them into a cask. The Monster Slayer briefly regretted giving away the stone he had had to this wildly unpredictable girl, but what was done was done.

Birbin's reaction was something he had expected, the gnome getting flustered and encouraging the stones to be just tossed away already. Theodore nodded almost invisibly at the suggestion, but since he had given them off his hands he didn't believe there to be much for him to make decisions on. That was, until Cesar inquired on his expertise regarding handling animals, perhaps even training these birds. He entertained the thought for a while, that was for sure. It would be amazing to fly among the clouds, to strike at the enemy from the sky with his weapon, to deliver swift justice from places others could not reach... but the grim reality was, it'd take considerable effort to get there. Effort they could not spare right now.

"That is an interesting idea, Cesar. However, you are trusting on me being able to tame a completely wild giant of a bird. Birds are quite free spirited creatures, I don't know if taming them is possible in the first place... And while I could think about that some more still, you do realise that it would take a long time to try and see. We are not able to spare that time, we have the kingdom of Darkness to vanquish. And the kingdom of Light to save", he responded, the answer ending in a sad note. He truly hoped they would have the time, but right now it didn't look like it at all. "Besides, where would we keep them anyhow?" he added, this question being quite genuine. They couldn't just drag around a wild bird that could easily lift them off the ground.

@Cu Chulainn - Theodore has provided his answer
@The Harbinger of Ferocity

Cesar Lorenzo Tidesong Bolivar
The Vale, The Mystical Martin.

"Actually, I was thinking it would be a team effort, but I'm sure not all of us would be too interested in the idea, after all, now that your point has been raised. We certainly don't have a cask or bottle to safely keep in them, either!" Cesar laughed, in referenced to the previous ideas stayed. It was a jest not in ill will, but to make a bit more light of the situation.

"But you are right, regardless. Time is of the essence and we cannot spend it training birds! I say, then, we rest now, so that in the future, we may even greater beasts, such as a pegasus, or... a flying dolphin! But we really should get rid of those stones, first."

Cesar flexed his fingers before taking a long yawn. He seemed quite tired from their day's journey.

"If we can, then I wish to retire early, if that's fine with everyone. I'll wake everyone up come morning with a beautiful tune, and we can get back onto exploring this strange, strange land!"

“Agreed, Cesar.”

The dance between the wardens of the light and Birbin, the Absent, eddied into tango of equivocating on whether to salvage the vicious wildlife entombed within stones, evolving into a window flung wide open and gnomish demands of discarding the entities as debris outwards to reunite once more with its midnight.

“Sleep is, unfortunately, in order; a natural edict suffered in this new corpus.”

We slumber, to only arise anew. Death seemed likewise as an outdated concept to the forgetful wizard, despite his claim of imminent rebirth at dawn, with only a ghost town as ironic evidence. A demise led to Wick’s new life, yet not in a recurrent tessellation, stripped of frenzy and mourning, nor captivity with gravel.

“In regards to our fowl, I trust my Beloved.”

She uttered plainly so that everyone including the frantic mage would heed Katia’s future plan. The Warlock nonetheless ceremoniously persisted unabatedly with her conjuration; the circular cordon was only minutes away.

“My vote funds her decision.”

Katia hummed with annoyance. "I don't see why everyone thinks we're in a hurry. We just got here. We have no real goal except to explore. If we can get back to our world, great! Until then, why would we not enjoy ourselves?" She gave a shrug as she pondered her next option. Her allies definitely were not being conducive to the plan. Even Cesar who had suggested just the thing she was hoping for had immediately retracted his suggestion.

"Your insistence, Sir Gnome, makes me think I should hold onto these gems. However, you have given me little reason to distrust you, except for your sheer lack of understanding of the term 'stealth.' As such, I shall defer to the group on this one." Katia approached the window and opened it, dropping an orb next to the building and throwing the other as far as possible. She turned around and scowled at the group, obviously not happy about the decision. "You owe me a Really Big Crow. Or something better," she muttered as she crossed her arms in a pout.

Thea's eyes fell on the Tabaxi and her scowl as she muttered, causing her own eyes to harden slightly as a slight frown crossed her features. "Something tells me those birds aren't something we could tame, even with a group," the woman said, "They are large and unpredictable, as well as far too different than the birds back on our own home plane. Then there is the fact that none of us are actually getting hurt when we get attacked, we feel nothing really, which is dangerous in and of itself. I wouldn't trust anything creature wise while we are here."

As the woman spoke, her eyes flitted over to Haemar, wondering why the Wizard had been so silent during the entire time they had been with the Gnome. Was he thinking about things or was he simply too tired to really care about his surroundings? It was not like him to remain silent when things of this nature were being spoken about. "I will have to agree with Wick this time around, we need to get some rest, all of us. We have had a few battles on our hands that would make everyone second guess what has been going on, or at least I would hope. Any information we could want can be gotten tomorrow during the daylight hours and if we are lucky, we can find someone to ask who isn't all over the place with his words. I mean no offense to you Birbin, but you haven't really given a whole lot of coherent straight answers to our questions. I would also like to suggest that we try to find this Green Man as soon as possible. If he does not belong here, then maybe he can tell us what exactly is going on and why he is here. Maybe what happened to our plane has been happening to others. The more we can find out about these shadowed creatures the better off we shall be I think."

Taking a few steps she rested a hand on Katia's shoulder, "Your idea was not bad," she told the woman kindly, "But it would be best if we wait to attempt to tame animals here until we know how the rules of this plane are. What if, if they should die, we have to try to tame them all over again the following day they revive? What if they simply are not tamable because they are nothing but spirits with a stone keeping them on this world? I fear that spirits, animals or not, are not entirely tamable." She gave the feline a gentle and comforting squeeze on the shoulder before smiling a bit, "I do like your idea of relaxing though, maybe there is something good to eat and drink around here so we may try to gather our wits and energy after what we have just endured."

@JBRam2002@The Harbinger of Ferocity

The Town

The Mystical Martin,
Currently

The gnome shrugged, as seemingly happy to have this outcome as any other. Their complaints and concerns really did not appear to affect him, not that he hadn't heard them - on the contrary, his eyes were lively and he leaned in throughout the conversation despite his perch atop the large wood windowsill. Whatever school of the mind and thought the little man consctibed to did not realize or know actual concern. He had some experience with the darkness, enough to see a whole town disappear, but had no real surrender of his odd, almost hysterical approach to life.

"Don't be sad! There are plenty of things that uhm, come back here. Just not the shadows... yet... but that is a guess." Birbin answered the downtrodden cat of Katia, closing and latching the window by him.

With a hop he was back to the floor and going over to their two bottles of healing elixir, to which he gathered up. "Don't forget these. I am not sure if the rules apply to you! Birbin hasn't tried for himself... but Birbin knows the townsfolk used to come back. They were from here though."

The bottles clattered audibly as he hefted them and their deep crimson contents, obscured by the dark green glass they were crafted from. He presented them to Katia, passing by the rest of the entourage that was Wick, Cesar, Theodore and Thea. It was clear that despite his frustrating nature, the gnome probably had no idea what a grudge was; a better wizard might have been flustered at these events, but the purple Birbin was not exactly good at being a wizard.

Presenting them he added only with, "When the sun comes up, we can find the Green Man and go save the town! Or you can..." Birbin paused tilting his head, "Come to think of it, you are now the town's heroes! That means you can go to the Hall and get inside!"

"That is a great idea! We can go when you wake up and find our missing friend, fight the baddies and save the day!"


@Big Dread, @Cu Chulainn, @Gordian Nought, @Hekazu, @JBRam2002, @Zverda

Cesar's sudden agreement with him surprised Theodore, but the bard's laughter and further arguments towards not keeping them further hinted that the original suggestion might have, at least partially, been made in jest just as well. While some of the party still seemed to be considering doing something with these gems, Katia solved the dilemma by giving in to the sensible suggestions of throwing them away. She did express her disdain regarding said move, but at least she had done so.

"You say that we are not in a hurry, but that is a notion I have to disagree with Katia", Theodore voiced his opinion. "As far as I know, the world that was ours is no more. It has fallen to darkness, and that happened when the shadows were little. Here, they seem much more powerful and only time will tell how powerful they will become. In my honest opinion, we are still at great risk and should not delay. We are the champions of light from our realm and if we could not save it... we can only hope we can help another." Granted, the message was grim, but the zealot could not set aside his conviction.

But in the end, resting sounded perfectly reasonable right about now. There was no way of knowing what was out there in the dark and if Birbin who had more experience in this realm than the group combined (and quite possibly multiplied by two) was to be trusted going out there would be a bad idea nonetheless. While the world could always use some more heroes, the heroes could not go on forever. "But about resting, I concur", he added, to make sure his earlier statement could not be misinterpreted as an idea to head outside immediately.

It pained him slightly to see Thea giving much more attention to the tabaxi monk than him, but there was certain reason in that too... Katia had been denied her fun, so the free spirited monk might have needed some consolation. Not that it helped his feeling any. Birbin also bringing the healing potions to her further drove forward Kat being the centre of attention. Wanting a piece of the spotlight, Theodore raised his hand and opened his mouth, but reversed that action once he realised he didn't really know what to say. He crossed his arms, choosing to wait and see where this would go.

@The Harbinger of Ferocity

There appeared a few ways to escape this recreational detention:

Bathing in the fabled waters of yet, another realm.
Death.
Bargaining further with Birbin.

The gnome promised all with ears to hear, the Green Man. In the Hall. None of these fleeting thoughts, which sporadically etched into the forefront of her attention, pledged a dawn to herald a new venue, with potential further comrades to aid the cause of light. As the gems were discarded into the engulfing darkness, the incantation, for the fortification by discus, ironically prefigured the eclipse of the night.

“The remains of those vessels now litter the shores of this abode. The morning light will prove the occupancy of those phenomenal tenants. My bones will also withdraw shortly, but, please, venture ahead and retire in your cradles.”

Immediately, a floating circle of force, whose namesake attributed to Tenser himself, materialized before the door, hindering any meddling from the domain outside. The warlock, once all departed to their rooms, investigated further the bar, scouring only mead and ale, but nothing of particular value. After collecting all the glass perishables, Wick, then, strewed bottles before each door and window, hoping that if an invasion transpired, a ruckus would beckon arms to meet the intruder.

Once satisfied with the array of spirits abutting every possible portal into the Mystical Martin, the reincarnated cleric took to cot, eventually dreaming of parchment and ink, a requiem of dreams long past, swindled by the nightmare that rages beyond Turyn.

The Town

The Mystical Martin,
Currently

The protection of the Mystical Martin afforded the outsiders a much needed rest, a time to clear their thoughts and mend their wounds. Oddly enough, these seemed to go hand in hand; the more injury they sustained, the more their very character, their very person, seemed to weaken and fade. Even with the potential promise of rebirth at dawn, the stakes here were distinctly more weighty than ever before. After all, they might not even return in the first place - none of the missing townsfolk or their heroes had.

But the great ravens? That was another matter altogether as the entire tavern briefly rumbled at the first ray of light that hit the earth. A small concussion rocked the still morning air and immediately the squawking returned in a paired fury. This noise, if it were not the shuddering of the sturdy wood building itself, was almost assuredly enough to awaken the sleeping cadre of light-sworn paragons. It lasted not long, as a moment later the great beating of wings signalled the sizable fliers were off and away; likely back to their roost if they were anything like their smaller, less devious cousins.

Whatever number of shadows that were lurking just beyond throughout the night had almost certainly scurried away as well, but unquestionably never far. There some concerns were to be alleviated, if the purple wizard was to be believed at all. Speaking of the gnome, the arcanist was already awake and shuffling about his quarters, gathering his belongings and organizing the mess of parchment and paper he had strewn about.


@Big Dread, @Cu Chulainn, @Gordian Nought, @Hekazu, @JBRam2002, @Zverda

With most of the commotion settling down and the matter of everyone getting their rest becoming more and more urgent, Theodore slowly edged closer to Thea before finally trying to draw her attention with a short cough. Whether she reacted or not, he addressed her right after: "I think now's as good a time as any to have that little chat you have wanted us to have. Shall we have a table?"

Thea turned her attention from Katia and the Gnome to look at Theodore when he cleared his throat, the corner of her mouth twitching up in a small smile. "Sounds like a plan, are you allowed to remove your mask if we sit at a table?" she asked him with a raised brow, reminding him of the promise he gave her if the two of them were alone. While it was evident that they would not be completely alone thanks to the group they travelled with, she figured it would be close enough.

While he had not showed it, Theodore had been extremely nervous for the brief moment of silence between them, as if the question had held some weight that had not been apparent in the words themselves. Well to be fair that was the case here, but the nervousness gave way as the Paladin's reply turned out to be favourable. The Monster Slayer reached for his mask, which was now hanging next to his bolt case, on a small hook added specifically for these brief moments the doctrine did not ask to wear it out-of-combat. "Ah, good. No problem with this one, for if there was I would not be talking with you bare faced as is", he responded and began making his way to one of the tables in the common room, a round one with three chairs around it for the time being. This move was accompanied by a hand gesture at Thea to follow.

Thea's smile broadened as she followed him to the table before taking her seat and setting to work removing both grieves and her gauntlets, there was no way she was going to sleep in her armor. "Good, no need to hide that handsome face of yours," she said to him as she set her armor off to the side and set to work removing her breastplate, "So, what's up?"

Theodore sat down with her and followed suit with his combat gloves, leaving his legguards for later. While still occupied by this process, a small smile appeared on his face, accompanied by a bit of a blush as his company had just called him handsome. He wanted to say something similar back, but didn't really know how. While Thea got to work with her breastplate though, he got his chance: "Well, now that I've sat down here with such a... such..." he stammered with his words for a moment before smacking himself on the side of the head to get the words out, "such a pretty lady such as yourself, things are much better than in the morning when we fell down here." The small smile had turned into a broader, although now visibly nervous expression. "Y-y-you?" he managed to add before leaning back and letting some of his hair fall before his face. He felt like he needed the cover.

"I am doing as well as one can expect," she told him, resting her chin on her hand as she watched him, "Mildly aggravated with being taken from our home and thrust into a world we clearly know nothing about. Then there are these shadow things..." The Paladin let out a soft sigh and shook her head, she was tired of everything already and she honestly just wanted to not have to deal with everything that was going on. "A lot has happened in a single day huh?"

Theodore took a deep breath and sat up straight. He placed his righ elbow on the table and leaned his head against his hand as he spoke: "Yeah, it's been a lot... first we try to save our home... I can only assume we failed... then we fall down here, end up skirmishing with them big birds which nearly beat me into a gem... and as if that wasn't enough all that took place in this town, including the bigger and meaner cousins of the shadows... It's a lot to take in for sure." To be fair, he could not be sure how he had endured it all so well. Perhaps some of the training of the templar had really streghtned his spirit against things like this. "But if it's not us who are to save the Kingdom of Light, who is there to do it? We've no other direction but to press on I'm afraid..."

"What if we can't though? We haven't exactly found out what these creatures are weak against and if we have to face another one of those huge ones..." Thea let out a sigh and shook her head before gently grabbing onto one of Theodore's free hands, "The attacks I took didn't even hurt, there are no wounds on me anywhere and the fact that I survived that blast... everything here is so weird."

Theodore raised his head up and set it on top of Thea's, which she had brought forward on his. "Weird for sure. But we don't have an option, Thea. We've got to at least try, or we risk all of the worlds falling to the same fate as ours. If we die in the process, so be it. But it's something we'll have to do." He took a deep breath before squeezing her hand gently, but could not say out loud what he was thinking... how with this group of people by his side, especially Thea, he believed in their chances. He began slowly drawing his hands away, back towards himself as he made an attempt to change the subject: "But I think that is a matter of tomorrow. Before that, we have the chance to rest and think. Speaking of which, how have you..." he spoke, his voice trailing away towards the end. He didn't have the guts to finish that sentence.

"How have I what?" she asked him with a curious look on her face, her head tilting to the side as she was confused as to why he had trailed off at the end. She understood what he was telling her, but that did not stop her from worrying her, she was scared for her friends. While she waited for the response she looked at his hand, wondering why he had pulled away from her, maybe he was far shyer than she had thought?

Theodore turned to look at the roof for a moment, his thumbs fidgeting around each other, trying to summon the courage to end that one sentence. Come on, it's not that special! he tried to convince himself with little success. But since she had specifically asked, he tried just barking it out: "How you've thought to... ah, you know... we only have so many rooms and all... ah, dammit", he cursed and hit the table, unable to really ask what he wanted to ask. On the other hand, perhaps it would be too early anyhow. Perhaps it was for the best that he couldn't.

Thea remained silent for some time, clearly trying to figure out what he was saying to her before her eyes gave way to showing that she knew what he was talking about. "Are you asking me where I plan on sleeping?" she asked him, "Do you want me to share a room with you?" The Paladin shifted a bit, her breastplate finally released from her torso and joining the pile of plate she had removed. The release of metal from her body allowed her to relax and simply watch the male before her, curious.

The momentary silence had Theodore's thoughts racing. What was she thinking about now? Did he seem like a total fool to her? Was she simply flabbergasted at how he even dared to bring such a thought up? And when she finally spoke with that surprised tone of hers, he could swear he felt something both die and be reborn within. He could not quite explain it, but it was an odd feeling of both success and dread. It had to be the fact that she had realised what he had been going for, but... she didn't tell anything about what she thought of it! "Uhhh... y-y-yes and n-n... yes", he managed to answer, surprising himself at how he had dared. His hands instinctively rose to his face, as if seeking the familiarity of hiding beneath the mask without actually donning it.

More silence followed, the fact that he had dared asked her both thrilled and confused her. While she had much interest in the male, she had not expected him to ask her... or try to ask her rather. "If you would like..." she murmured softly, brown eyes moving up to meet his, "I would not be opposed." This time it was her turn to be nervous and a bit embarrassed as a light pink tinge spread across her cheeks, her bottom lip slipping between her teeth.

: When she finally answered, Theodore sighed. "Yeah, I thought... wait, what?" he reacted, slowly lowering his hands off his face and raising an eyebrow. Had he just heard her correctly? Judging by the slight pink on her pretty face and how she looked at him... "I... I guess we could... do that then... I think..." he mumbled. "Share a room I mean... you know, we won't all have our own rooms and all..." he continued, as if there was any chance of a mistake to have happened earlier in this discussion.

Their discussion would shift to other more trivial matters for a little while longer, but the two of them managed to stay firm and not chicken out of their choice of sharing a room for the night. To Theodore's horror, he found out that there were not nearly enough beds for everyone to have their own, but after copious reassurance from Thea, he could believe that perhaps it would be okay to share.

---

Come morning, Theodore was one of the first to rise, and the very first in this room if nothing else. He gently guided Thea's hand off of him and rose up from the bed, picked up his things as silently as he could and slipped into the clothes he wore under his armour. With that done, he sneaked out of the room and sought a seat in the common room, placing his crossbow on the table and getting on with the process of checking it for damage.

Once he was partially done with the process, an infernal commotion outside distracted him. It sounded like the two birds had risen from the grave, just as Birbin had suggested. A lopsided smile appeared on his face and stayed for a while: It had been for the best that they had not tried to keep them. A wild animal in a state of that much agitation would not have spelled anything good for them or their endeavours. Once that was over and done with, Theodore returned to inspecting his gear. The others would come down eventually... they had a Hall to check today.


@The Harbinger of Ferocity
@Zverda - Includes lots of things from Thea

Fatigue finally encroached upon the armored cleric, despite the perpetual energy fueled by this peculiar realm. She could not recall the last exhaustive trek she undertook, as her body was oft spoiled by her frequent meditation and intermittent skirmishes with lesser shades. This lassitude warned her of an impending lethargy, that would alleviate with only slumber, to which she inherently detested, from her prior millennium of a sleepless existence as an Eladrin. Katia seemed to watch intently as the warlock assembled bottles of ale, as improvised alarms, in case doors or windows haphazardly opened and tilted their glass shells to be dashed onto the oaken floor.

“If you desire to assist, juggling is not required.” A slight tease bellowed to her Beloved, suggesting a benefit from another’s facilitation.

Katia stood in the doorway to the hall, her arms crossed. She could overhear the conversation between Theodore and Thea from her position, and her face was somber. “I didn’t want to interrupt,” she replied to the aasimar as she stepped back into the kitchen. A quiet silence fell over the area as Katia approached, carefully avoiding any bottles still on the ground. Suddenly, her arms were thrown around Wick’s shoulders, and the other woman could feel wet droplets on her neck as Katia held back her ragged breaths.

The diviner’s parade was interrupted by the moans of the Tabaxi; the embraced components rattled in her vise-like grip, refusing to return the warmth Katia instinctively offered. This one-sided abstinence of emotional remuneration never slighted her Beloved, which reemphasized the unconditional passion that this furry female possessed towards the reborn Celestial.

A sigh eventually broke the taciturnity. “Not now. My flesh is not prepared for your promised gifts.”

After a pivot and a few steps dissolved the hug, the mage finally discerned that a waterfall of sorrow riddled her companion’s face. The muted sobs struck an unusual chord within Wick, as her feline confidant never once cracked a sliver of sadness before.

Ever.

“Katia. What troubles you?”

Katia shook her head. “It’s... it’s nothing,” she forced out, wiping away her tears. “I’m sorry.” She looked away from her longtime friend for a moment. “It’s just... everything is moving so fast, you know? Everyone we know is probably dead. And we get here, and everything is shadows and misery and...” Katia sighed, closing the gap. “I just needed a hug. I know that’s not really your thing, but... could I please stay in your room tonight? I don’t want to be alone, and Th-- I mean, I don’t have any other options.”

Another exhalation.

Not of disdain, nor of complaint, but of empathy. This fuzzy woman bereft with lacrimation, grieved for their whole world, altruistically bearing the wretched woe and weepy desolation of countless souls, now lost to the ebon darkness. It was curious how someone so young, happy and naive could be reflective enough to reap the nefarious considerations of their helpless plight.

Wick, Katia and the other wardens of Light seemingly failed Turyn, and now history may repeat itself for Birbin’s realm.

“Come, Beloved. Obedience always sways to the rewarding master of rest. Forget such crude thoughts. My company will fend off such fearful apparitions.”

Katia smiled at Wick, a small and vulnerable grin appearing on her lips. “Th-thanks Wick,” she said, her arms wrapping around the aasimar for a quick embrace. “Let’s get to sleep,” she suggested, tugging at Wick’s arm. "We’ll be safe here tonight.” The two eventually shared the same bed; Katia’s arms holding Wick close the entire night.

Repose settling within and from without Wick, while she maintained her protective, metal sarcophagus, provided a spiritual struggle. The adjacent Tabaxi’s purrs emitted boisterously, as the reincarnated librarian attempted to seek her elvish roots of trance-like meditation, isolating her thoughts from the tempting surroundings, but unfortunately to no avail. Angels, apparently, required physical respite; the lull postponing the vowed hiatus, mentioned over the bottled mead. Eventually, a stupor consumed the scholar, against her best attempts to resist.

Morning soon dawned, impregnating her mind with horror as her half-plate was not on her corpus but shed alongside her clothes at the foot of the bed.

Katia’s arms still clung to Wick, holding her close even as the cleric stirred. Her embrace tightened and she nuzzled Wick’s shoulder as the morning light pulled her into consciousness. "Just a few more minutes,” she murmured before her eyes opened. “Oh... Milya... thanks for last night,” she muttered, her head laying down on Wick’s shoulder as a smile crept across her face.

Mouth agape, the scantily clad aasimar shivered in dismay. This violation must have transpired mutually, but there was no evidence of a cognizant breach. The maniacal rays of the laughing sun tickled her bare skin, as fur nestled ever closer, nuzzling her bed mate with a soft afterglow. Terror and shock snaked onto the warlock's face, while her memory sought desperately the rationale behind the previous evening’s apparent tango and moonlit sonata. Soon, legs freed themselves from the shackles of the sheets, struggling to savor dignity as quickly as possible. Once clothes and later the metallic breastplate snugged into place, Wick offered an awkward pause with a belted rebuttal, before racing to meet the others.

“Reciprocity is ecstatic and erratic with its flippant members, blessing one with joy and another with a fugue. Relish these experiences, Beloved, for I am doubtful our future will hold such a consensual commune ever again.”

Cesar Lorenzo Tidesong Bolivar
The Vale, The Mystical Martin.

Cesar had awakened earlier, making his promise of waking the others with a song, playing in the common room after getting himself a quick drink at the bar. He had fallen asleep on the ground last night, completely exhausted from the previous day's escapades, and hence, didn't really interact with the rest of his friends before they, as well, went to bed. Strumming his Vihuela, a shirtless Cesar began to sing.

"The Shadows, they lurk,
In the Darkness so near,
The people of this town,
Have all gone and disappear.
These demons run amok,
But there is nothing to fear!
For we, the brave heroes,
Will kick 'em in their rear!"

Cesar continued playing a song of heroics to inspire everyone for today's long journey, grinning as he played every note and sang every exceedingly ridiculous line. He always did this on the ship... except, he also had a choir of crewmates to sing with him, to wake everyone else up. Cesar only wished there were others with him that could help with his performances. Others added to the "grandness" of his performances. As if on cue, however, the crashing of the Giant Ravens flying off made for an excellent conclusion.

I guess those fat gaviotas had a use, after all...

As his song reached its conclusion, Cesar drank from a tankard of mead. As he took a sip of his drink, he looked at everyone else who had awakened and gathered. Cesar, himself, had his gear all up and readied right next to him, although he did remain shirtless at the time, as usual. Wiping the foam from his mouth, Cesar looked at a few of his party members with an expression that's best described as a "shit-eating grin."

"So it looks like some of you got along all nice and cozy, last night..."

The Town

The Mystical Martin,
Currently

The liveliness of the morning signaling that their adventure was once again on its way, the merry band - or as much as they could be in what was no easy business - were wholly awake in full. Now of course this did not mean they were quite prepared to go on their way, having some time, but the immediate interruption of their careless gnome was not readily overlooked. This came from the clumsy wizard, weighing himself against a door to open it and let himself out, slamming it broad open. The dense wood of the Martin knocked and below, in the tavern, all of the glass shuddered. Birbin however, was no worse for wear and instead hurrying along down the few stairs that led to the few tables of the dying fireplace.

"No time to waste, up, up! We need to go get the Green Man... or go to the Hall... or both? Or was it to stop the shadows?" The gnome shouted, already a flurry of activity from having been perfectly still in sleep the entirety of the night, "Or maybe it was that other person..."

The pattering of his feet moved to and fro as he went about gathering things from downstairs, crusted bread and a few bottles of ale specifically, "Birbin cannot recall, but this is why friends are great! Surely you remember!"

Just as fast the little man packed them away into a bag as large as he, larger in reality and made up of old leather and iron buckles. He continued muttering to himself, adjusting his broad brimmed had here and there, but leaving no moment without deeds done. If anything his chaotic energy was... motivating, at worst nothing more than potential untapped. He paused only for a breath, surveying his work before fumbling around in his pocket for coinage which he then cast into the box of the inn's owner; it clattered in, not atop other coins as it well should have, but on to wood. At least that much was apparent truth although it only opened up more questions rather than any answers.

"No matter which way you choose, Birbin can get you there. We need to do all the things! Especially before night." His voice trailed off, becoming almost impossible to determine as he rummaged through his own pack which he buried himself into and retrieved pages of what seemed to be spellbooks.

Thumbing through them, his beady, energetic eyes poured over the arcane formulae and perhaps insane writings; even to other wizards a gnome's spellbook might not be worth the effort to decipher, at least not this one. After reading it for a moment, he looked up to find himself atop the stone floor not far from the fire.

"When you are ready, just say the words and we will go, yes!"


@Big Dread, @Cu Chulainn, @Gordian Nought, @Hekazu, @JBRam2002, @Zverda

Theodore saw Cesar arrive downstairs and listened to the song from a position much closer than most of the others in the building. Once the Bard finished, he began clapping slowly, ceasing after five or so to say something. "A boasty song, but a welcome one at times such as these. We've got to give 'em shadows what-for since there isn't anybody else we could trust to do that job right now." If nothing else, it had made him feel better about their situation. While Thea also had a point, at least there was someone who saw this like him. The shadows would be beaten and driven back. After all, there was no keeping down the forces of light and good.

Once more people gathered around, Cesar commented on people getting nice and cosy for the night. The words served as a cue for Theodore to peek at Thea's direction, but he was quick to blush and draw his gaze away. But so what if they did? It was nothing but a shared bed, even if they happened to have a liking to each other. Yet the words managed to bother him. Curious. It wasn't only him and Thea who had shared a bed though, for he was pretty sure Wick and Katia had also been there somewhere. Not that he would have specifically been looking for them.

Fianlly the bunch of adventurers was joined by their as-local-as-one-could-get guide Birbin, who rather characteristically seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing and in what order. The cases of the Hall, the Green Man and the one more guy out there somewhere were brought up, but Theodore was rather certain of the place where they should be starting from. "My instincts would say we head for the Hall. It's close, it won't move and we might even run into our other goals there." He believed others would agree and began preparations for getting on the move.

The crossbow was fine, his armour was in good shape, he could feel the magic and the light within him and his bolts were also all accounted for. Well, all fourteen of them he still had on his person in any case. "Remind me to acquire more crossbow bolts before I run out", he requested not really from anyone specifically. It was more of a trick to get his own head remember. The final step of the preparations was to don the mask, but since they were yet inside, he let it stay on his hand for now, flashing a shy smile to Thea.


@The Harbinger of Ferocity
@Cu Chulainn - Have a polite applause

"…nice and cozy, last night…"

Yester evening’s blackout wilted into wrinkles, emaciated upon Wick’s forehead, as she stood in the lower lever bar area, now riddled with glass and applause. The shirtless bard served as another enticement, tickling the fancy of a hidden yearning, which was not evidently satiated by the pooled mattress shared by Katia and the warlock. Was this yen unique to her new reincarnated physique? Or youth? Or had the darkness urged a betrayal of her vows?

While deviating her vision away from the chiseled torso of Cesar, she swept the broken debris away from their exit. Glancing at the frantic wizard provided some comedic solace as virgin fear still perforated her stoic demeanor. Not of the unknown, but of the recent sensual past.

“The Hall has my lot. Today will be anointed with either feast or famine. Friends or foes. I dread that fortune no longer whispers but booms serendipity upon our venture.”

Noting the avians' flapping heralded distant squawks, Wick motioned the gnome with a welcoming arm, beckoning Birbin to lead the way.

“Let’s go, friend."

The Vale

The Town,
Currently

It was not long as the adventurers and heroes of the light set about on their early morning in this strange land that the emptiness caught up with them. Like a town inhabited at most by wayward ghosts, no more did a candle burn or a fireplace billow. It was silent, lit only by the dawning radiance of the great sun's golden beams as they shown down from the impossible mountain tops well beyond in the distance. This, despite their welcome warmth and protection, did not erase the feeling of unease that they held with them; that every dark corner was an avenue for the Kingdom of Darkness to spring a trap from.

The guide that was the purple gnome however, offensively dressed as he was in such a humble neck of the wild wood, marched himself out the door and saw it fit to collect one of the feathers of the great birds they had cast out the window. Admiring it, almost as large he himself, he presented it to the entourage of fellow wanderers.

"Yep! Just as I thought! They still came back to life when the dawn arrived!"

He looked about for a moment, noting a few others and then the place the midnight orb had landed. Now not a trace of it but the earth's indent remain, instead the tremendous tracks of avian feet and but a few more pitch feathers. The gnome gathered a few more and pocketed them, presumably to serve as quills for his appetite of magical inscription or even for some sort of arcane ritual; Wick and Haemar were the most likely to know of such things if at all.

"Anyway... on to the Hall we go, hopefully the Green Man will meet us-"

The gnome leapt back as darkness erupted from all around them, their walk through the town not having gone far. Shadows twisted and manifest, bleeding up from the ground into roughly human silhouettes and shuddering to life. More worrisome, something different accompanied them; it stood beside the two dark soldiers and their shadowed blades and shields, yet instead it carried a sizable axe, one that could easily strike down a man in a fell blow like an executioner's stroke.

"Not good, not good!" Birbin chimed in as he stepped back anxiously, looking to his cohorts, of whom by comparison were far more heroic in nature. "They're out too soon! We need to hurry!"


@Big Dread, @Cu Chulainn, @Gordian Nought, @Hekazu, @JBRam2002, @Zverda

It didn't take long for the group to leave and head for the Hall. Even Birbin seemed to think they might find the Green Man there, so Theodore dared be quite confident in their chances of indeed meeting the fellow sooner rather than later. But unfortunately for them, something else would also be encountered sooner rather than later, that being the shadows. They erupted from the ground, most remaining small like those they had seen but two showing resemblance to those they had fought yesterday... and then there was this thing.

Theodore was shocked to see the axe wielding shadow, especially so since both the soldiers and the big one were more or less closing in on Thea from the front. She was a powerful warrior on the field, but even she couldn't take those three on without help! Theodore relieved his face of the mask and prepared his crossbow with a bolt as always before. He began taking aim at the biggest threat there was, now that he still had the option of shooting without interference and summoned the supernatural insight of the light. It did seem like the thing was just a shadow among others. It would not show if it got hurt, but it could be killed.

The Monster Slayer took aim and fired their bolt at the towering opponent, trying to take advantage of his quick reflexes to the best of his ability, but to his dismay it appeared these enemies had been more than prepared. An ambush, not too far from what he had feared just last night and what some had ridiculed him of. He would not remind them of this though, but hoped they would remember this the next time he suggested the enemies might lay in wait.

@The Harbinger of Ferocity
@JBRam2002 - Your turn!

When Wick had left the room, Katia giggled into her pillow. The poor girl was so tense, but the tabaxi hoped that she had helped change that. At Cesar’s remarks, Katia had shot a wink to her embarrassed friend, but spoke no words. Nothing needed to be added, and part of wisdom was learning when one should keep their thoughts silent.

The fact that their gnome guide was correct about the birds was unsurprisingly, albeit disappointing. She still believed that taming the bird would have been mostly trivial, but with few others willing to consider such a course of action, it simply wasn’t worth it. Birbin’s early morning piping was enough to make Katia consider muzzling him, but befriending this abrasive annoyance would hopefully yield rewards beyond simply a place to stay, something they could easily have found on their own, and a tampering of any fun or strategy they could have.

And so, as they left the inn, the entire group traipsed forward without a care to the potential of enemies surrounding them. Birbin even stopped to admire the feathers of the Really Big Crow they had fought off. Katia could have told him that was a moronic waste of time, and was about to do so when her fears were realized. Quick as a flash, her claws and staff whipped forward to assault the closest shadow before she leapt up the side of the building. Her attacks were more to scare it and soften it up than to actually kill it off, and she cared little whether it would attack her in retaliation or not. Safety was at the top of the roof if her previous encounters were any indication.


@The Harbinger of Ferocity - DM (next)

The Vale

The Town,
Currently

A whistling bolt was sent flying dangerously close to the marauders, so close that it grazed the sizable looking axe wielder upon its shoulder. Had fate been ever so slightly different, it would have undoubtedly planted itself deep within the inky "flesh" of the dark being and brought upon it well deserved wrath. Owing to this, and being so keen of eye, the hunter of dark beasts who had made the shot could notice the intense, almost spiteful gaze of the quarry; its eyes, nothing but glowing orbs of violet light, were fixated upon the paladin in a way that suggested terrible menace. Theodore knew then, for certain and beyond a doubt, that the sizable and minimally armored shadow was dead set upon assaulting Thea. If the black, wisping axe it carried was any indication, the man knew too that such a sustained assault would not end well for her, especially not as the two other armored figures set in against her, shields at the ready.

In the meanwhile, a small dusky figure, no larger than a halfling albeit very thin in build, dodged as gracefully as it could the lightning fast strikes of the feline monk. First the staff then a fist, but Katia was unquestionably faster; the second hand landed a square blow and in a breath, the tiny shadow up and dispersed. Racing across the roof with hardly a sound upon light feet, she saw what transpired below.

The two figures that accompanied the other shadows, these ones armed and armored with shields, moved in on the other woman below. The first stepped wide around her, paying the bard but a few feet away no mind for the moment and drove its sword at her side; it landed, if only because the other black being rushed forward at the same time, striking out and missing. They then positioned themselves, shields set to block at moment's notice, setting up an obvious trap.

Fortunately for the heroes, the enemies were not particularly wise, let alone intelligent. One exposed itself to another swordsman and the other interrupted the far more dangerous seeming axe wielding being.


@Big Dread, @Cu Chulainn, @Gordian Nought, @Hekazu, @JBRam2002, @Zverda

During the time she had gotten to spend with Theodore that night, Thea was rather pleased and uppity the moment she woke up, having curled up next to the male during the night. Before they had left she asked him to assist her with her armor, cutting the usual 15 minute chore down to about half that. Her good mood even had her agreeing that the Hall may be the best place to go see the Green Man, what she wasn't pleased with was the fact that she ended up with two baddies in her face first thing in the morning. "Every time," she muttered, clearly cross, "Every time they have me in the front and every time I end up with goobies in my personal space, someone else can take point next time."

Eyeing the rather large Axe wielding creature before her she frowned, her eyes focusing on the smaller creature that had opted to start moving to flank her, someone had better get next to her because if she was stuck between two there were going to be some problems. Squaring off her shoulders, she focused once more on the creature in front of her and let out a huff of air, murmuring under her breath a few choice words. "علامة هنتر," she breathed out once she finally got her annoyance under control, marking the creature before her much like she had the enemies of the day before. Once that was settled, she hoisted her Great Sword from its place on her shoulder, the cloth covering sliding to the ground as she readied her stance.

"I am sick and tired of you guys coming out of no where when all we want to do is figure out what in the Seven Hell's is going on!" she snapped as she brought her sword down on the enemy before her, the blade biting into the creature's body as it attempted to get out of the way. Despite the lack of blood, the Paladin was pleased with this hit and yanked her blade free, getting ready for the next attempt from one of the baddies. "Too bad I couldn't just Thunderous Smite you, knocking you back would have been rather beneficial."



@The Harbinger of Ferocity - Night Furies up