And what a week it had been. After her failure at breakfast the other day, Kathryn shied away from everyone for the rest of breakfast. Attempting to hide the embarrassment and the taste of cheese. She did her best to correct her manners after The Incident, but the damage had been done. Thankfully! The week was passing at a good rate, and soon everyone had their own problems to worry about! Kathryn would work on her physical condition a fair amount through the week, carrying as much as she could and taking it as far as she could for as long as she could. With mixed results. Twice in the week she had to set down the barrels she used for weights prematurely. She kicked herself for that and would make up for the failure with pull ups using the railing to the stairs up to the second floor, and with crunches until she was flat in the dirt.

She went easier on herself when Lizbeth was with her. In part because every muscle in her body ached all the time now. As well, she didn't want to give Lizbeth the impression she was trying to show her up. "We're going to work on endurance and stamina a lot this winter. Adrenalin can carry you pretty far in a fight but the last thing you want to do is collapse due to exhaustion. And when you're fighting, you're not just pushing your own limits, but so is whoever you're fighting. If they can't beat you in a strait fight, they'll work on breaking you down until you can't fight anymore." Kathryn said trying to educate the young Lizbeth during their workouts. But Kathryn wanting to have fun with this girl who was like a sibling to her wanted to do more than pushing physical limits.

After a few days of doing discipline and physical work, Kathryn brought Lizbeth to the base of the lookout tower she had explored her first day here. "Now, we're not quite ready for proper fighting training yet. Buuuuuuuut..." Kathryn said with a less than subtle hint of excitement. "We're not far from that point either." Kathryn said giddy like a little girl! Kathryn pulled out the short sword from the back of her belt and laid it out on top of a flat stone by the two woman. Then she pulled her family great sword from her hip and laid it out by it. Still chipped in places, and scratched to hell, the old blade looked like it had seen a thousand battles. "I have a duel coming up in a few days here. And I would love for you to be my squire for this event. I don't expect it to be a particularly challenging fight, but Baronfjørd may have a few tricks up his sleeves. Normally squires help set up armor, polish and clean weapons, and hand a knight their gear and supplies as needed. Wine and water when in need of a drink, a sword when fighting, and to assist a knight in problem solving difficult situations. Granted, we're not going the full thing here. Proper squire and knight training takes a long time. For all intents and purposes, you'd be my assistant before I kick Blackberry's ass in a fight." Kathryn chuckled, rather full of herself.

Kathryn then sat down on a nearby stone, and picked up her family sword from the flat rock. "However, you should know how to maintain a weapon. And mine is in need of a lot of love at the moment." She said a bit embarrassed. "SO this is a good chance to show you how to do so." For much of the rest of the day Kathryn would show Lizbeth how to oil, clean, and sharpen a sword. Letting the small girl work on Kathryn's short sword which was already in pretty new condition. After some hours of showing Lizbeth how to maintain her gear, Kathryn then pulled out a pair of wooden swords, a little longer than a short sword, but by no definition a long sword. And a pair of very simple made shields. "These wont serve you in a proper fight. But it'll probably be safer to train with than blunted swords. When I kept insisting to my parents I wanted to learn to fight, my uncle agreed to teach me. That day he had the blacksmith make two long swords and told him to not sharpen the blades." She chuckled at the nostalgia for a moment. "I got to dance at the spring harvest ball with my hand wrapped up to let it heal. And it was the funnest winter I have ever had." She said with a giddy expression. Much of the rest of the week was spent on much the same. Pushing physical limits, polishing armor, and by the tail end of the week, Kathryn was showing Lizbeth the basics of stances to use with a sword. Even showing her how to counter and block attacks. As a whole, a productive week.

The rest of the week was pretty simple for Kat. Working out, long walks and jogs, finding new places to get a good view, the works. Though at one point Master Urmdrus had surprised her cutting her off with a rope and a stool in hand. Kathryn froze in shock as the smith began to measure her. But not before letting out a surprised "Eeep!" In a pitch way higher than someone her size would normally make. But after a brief recommendation to pee more and a quick measurement, the moment had passed without further incident. But this wasn't her only interaction with the dwarf this week. Earlier, she had approached his shop to work on the training weapons that she and Lizbeth would be using together while Lizbeth learned to handle a blade. She had asked the man a few questions here and there, but she wasn't really sure the best routes to go about them.

While working in the shop setting up the practice weapons that her and Lizbeth would use later in the week, Kathryn turned up to listen to the smith talk about the bug armor he was crafting. "So like... totally acid proof? I suppose if we come across more of those things we'll be in a much better spot. The way they hit us before was pretty brutal. But their acid attacks were the real killer in that fight. Plus, the idea of not being melted like a lit candle on a hot day sounds rather nice." Kathryn joked unable to help herself to the small jest. Realizing the joke may not be as funny to him as to herself. Changing the topic Kathryn moved onto other matters. "So, I haven't seen a lot of dwarves in my lifetime. But you seem... different." Kathryn wasn't sure the best way to ask the question, but curiosity was winning out in this case. She had a solid admiration for the dwarf. He was a skilled trade worker, an experienced warrior, and despite all of that, he was still willing to teach young Lizbeth how to fend for herself. She had seen many people fit that bill, who would never do such a thing as to show a young woman how to fight. Either due to cultural social norms, or due to the fear that they may experience what they had when it was their turn for war. To see Master Urmdrus help Lizbeth was a huge win in her book.

The rest of Kathryn's week wasn't as exciting. The rest was spent working out by herself, drinking, and reading. Lots, and lots of reading. A question she still hasn't been able to find an answer for. A question that has only gotten more complicated the more she thought on it. The goblins. The question had many parts to solve though. Why were they there? They clearly weren't some random bandits. They were also too well equipped, how did they get said gear? What the hell were they doing with old runic magic? Old runic magic which its origins can be traced back to across the world? With little to no sightings from there to here? It's not something that can just find itself somewhere random. A private library of a former traveler or merchant? Maybe. But a pack of well equipped goblins? Something was up. She already had some suspicions on the goblins to begin with due to the nature of their quest. But now? What were the chances that magic that that was considered outdated and rare in her homeland, where it's roots began, found its way out here? From her homeland. The place she was trying to avoid. She spent hours every night, dedicating herself to learning more about this situation. She needed answers.

Kathryn was finally allowed a moment of respite. Something relaxing to calm her nerves as the week drew to an end. A duel until one yielded. With arguably the only person in the party who could go toe to toe with her in melee. Baronfjørd "Blackberry" Chedgusah. Walking up in full gear with Lizbeth in tow, who got the privilege to hold her sword in it's sheath, and the hammer attached to it's same belt. She briefly saw Kosara and Victoria as she walked her way to the Gazebo patio. Kathryn's powerful stride broke to a stop when she overheard what Kosara was explaining. "I uh... Yeah that sounds pretty weird huh. But sounds fun to explore. First, Blackberry has brought a fate onto himself that only he will understand the true cost." Kathryn said confidently. "You're both welcome to watch Blackberry and I beat the shite out of each other down by the Gazebos. Lizbeth will be my acting squire for the event. And, I am expecting a rather fun time." Kathryn said proudly with a grand old smile on her face.

The week had passed by without much comment.

For starters there had been his and Victoria's little trip to Southmoor. The pair parted soon after arriving to handle their own affairs, BlackBerry had made a beeline for a shoemaker who had understandably been surprised by ar having Dragonborn for a customer. But a customer was acustomer, and after taking the necessary measurements suggested BlackBerry return in a few days to collect his purchase. The Shoemaker understandably didn't have anything that would fit properly already made.

What followed after the little trip had been several days of hard, gruelling, thankless work both at the Coach House stable with Old Boy.

The battered Dragonborn had gotten his wish and been given many of the unglamorous jobs which needed doing before the first snow, namely mucking out the stables, cleaning various tools, counting the bags of feed. Now that Jon, the head Stableman had seen the Battered Hero could indeed pull his weight outside of ‘flashy, magic heroics’ there was now promise of more laborious tasks to come.

However, it was not all bad. While the mornings and afternoons were indeed hard work, Jon had been a man of his word, his evenings had been a change of pace going through the basics in horse-care. There had been a lot to go through and Jon was a man who adored the animals in his care. He would spend hours go

Jon taught BlackBerry mostly the basics in horse care; keeping an eye on the animals gait in case if injury, how often each year to have his shoes cleaned, how much to feed and whatnot. BlackBerry ended up asking for a lot to be written down for him so he could refer to it later.

Right now though, he was sitting around the table with the others and turning his nose up at the rancid smelling parcel Kosara had just put on the table.

“Madame L'Rose did mention some fruit was being left on the vine did she not? Perhaps these had been left on a bit too long.” Giving another sniff he then added with no small amount of disgust. “Definitely been left too long. Any longer and it very well may walk off on its own.”

He didn't dare unwrap the parcel in case what Victoria had suggested were true and he unleashed a swarm of midges, flies, or something equally horrid in the room. There were numerous songs, jokes, and cautionary tales of masterful adventurers being laid low by the smallest of creatures and he didn't want to follow them.

His leg bounced rapidly as he followed the thought. “Does the cold not kill off bugs? you tend to not see many bugs other than during the summer. Especially those horrid little midges that like to fly by your ear. Ghastly things.” BlackBerry pinched the air to illustrate the size of them.

“Though perhaps you should inform Madame L'Rose about that, Kosara. I doubt she would want any crop going to rot in the field. The wall though does also sound interesting, might prove a fun pastime to go investigate it as well. I wonder if Madame L'Rose knows of it. I bet you Lizbeth would; she continues to strive as the sort for whom exploration and wanderings come easy to. That is of course if you can convince the Girl to take a break. I do believe I have seen her asking our fair knight for as much training as she can handle. And then a fair amount more.”

“On the bright side however. It does seem we've hit a stroke of luck in a calm and benign time here seems guaranteed. the debacle with the bugs last week notwithstanding. I have had plenty of time to talk with Jon, the stablemaster here, who has yet to mention anything much of interest going on. Nothing more than a worker going places they ought not but I fail to see anything overly nefarious though.”

A thought then struck him. With an annoyed click of the tongue he said to himself “Drat. I still need to get those letters sent off. So that the rest of you know Southmoor does in fact offer a postal service shoukd anyone else have anything to send. It seem well organised to my mind.” But there wasn't time to dawdle. He had a battle to fight which was heralded by their knights arrival and departure from breakfast, armed to the nine hells and back stopping only long enough to invite Victoria and Kosara to watch.

“Was that today?” He frowned and then stood up so fast when he remembered the chair fell back. He grinned excitedly.“Goodness gracious me, I had plum forgot. Yes, one moment I shall be after you in just a moment! Oh this will be fun. Do not alarm yourselves.” He paused for a moment between stacking the plates to reassure Kosara and Victoria. “We shan't be going overboard. Just a short and friendly spar is all.”

His words trailed off. He was watching Lady Kathryn striding down the road to their agreed battleground with Lizbeth trailing behind, almost bowing under the weight of the Knight's weapons she carried.

“I believe those were training weapons young Lizbeth was carrying, were they not?”

Weather: No fresh snow falls upon the hills and vines of the Rose River Vineyard, and the day is bright enough through the even cover of clouds as to make things easy to perceive at a distance. The existing snow remains a wintry, bright blanket on the ground, muddled in places of usual foot traffic. Wind gusts only occasionally, and it is most assuredly cold enough to keep the present snowfall from melting.

Time: Officially now, let us give it the label of Late Morning, as opposed to the more generic "mid-to-late" of the previous update. Some time had passed, but not enough for the remaining laborers to pause for midday repast.

Ambience: It is a brisk morning here in the start of winter, proper. White and bright, a curious rhyming scheme to describe the day, is accurate as well as catchy. Folks here find themselves in warm clothing and thicker footwear than just a month prior as they work out in the vineyard. And work must be done, of course. The late harvest grapes must be harvested late, as the name implies, when the conditions call for it. Apparently, this is not to occur on this day.

The grapes which remain upon the vine, cared for by the staff still, were once pale green of color but now begin to have a yellow tinge and a touch of malformation to the skins. These details are marked by their handlers and appear satisfactory. Work continues. These grapes look in opposition to the few stragglers found by Kosara earlier in the week - them being small, dark, and generally unwholesome. The white ones are clearly intended to have some age before picking.

A couple of smaller barges make landfall at the beach underneath the Estate House. Cecily could be seen walking down to meet them, pointing and giving instruction as things began to be offloaded. The few persons crewing these boats were all Human, evident by their relative heights and builds from the distance as they delivered staple products to their clients.



The talk with Urmdrus was, per the older Dwarf's proclivities, very short and very direct. He answered questions with as few syllables as possible and a gruff voice. "Armor resists acid. Not person wearing. Helps. Needs magic, better help person wearing." His grasp on the Common language showed its lack of complete fluency as he spoke, but he figured something out eventually. "Different. Yes. Different Dwarf." Urmdrus looked a little annoyed. But it passed, and he got back to work.

Kosara's discussion with Cecily concerning the partially uncovered rock wall bears a little fruit, but after said fruit was skinned and seeded, not a truly satisfying amount. There was a haze of confusion at first, until mention of a Sycamore tree was made. "Yes! I know that tree. Hugo and I had a picnic there once! Before it began to rain it was actually a lovely time. We harvested that area for the year already and if I'm not mistaken, it should be dormant for now. I'm sorry, I don't think I know anything about a buried wall over that way. It has been a while, and I don't walk the grounds so much. My husband was the one who grew up here; I just married into the L'Rose family." She gave some light consideration and added, "You have my permission to find out what you can about it, if you like. The Vineyard grew from diverse products at its founding. Perhaps you've stumbled across an old workshop. Wouldn't that be exciting? Yes, do look into it, please. You may acquire hand tools from any one of the worksheds attached to the fields."

Kathryn's time spent poking around with the local laborers was even less informative, but they did not particularly shoo the towering Knight away. The most useful bit that could be gotten from them came in the form of, "Ancient horrors lurking beneath the opulent manor? What? No! The only thing under the manor (most as I'm aware) is the main winery, proper! You can get there through the main house or..." The fellow pointed up to the easternmost gazebo, "That's how us paid-by-the-week folk get in." What was inferred from speech was that the main winery was below. Another point of idle gossip, such as only a rare few were being idle, came the vague opinion that everyone felt sorry for Lizbeth, as most of her family dropped dead on her at a tender age and something might happen to the Vineyard if Cecily died as well. Past that, it was hard to gather much that sounded remotely reliable.

For those who actually decided to take the trek out to the place mentioned, one would find it easy to locate. A sycamore tree standing by itself nearish to the Southern parts of the vineyard tended to stand out among the rolling hills of grape vines. Climbing the hill was also a relatively easy task, though the steepness of it made it slightly less useful to grow crops upon without terracing. Hence, only the sunny side was planted, near the river. Kosara's experience was also a useful tool in locating the place, as it could be indicated with a point and an utterance of thataway, or nearabouts. The description of the spot was dead on, as well. It was a spot on the shady half of the hill, just to the side of a worn path large enough to accommodate a farm wagon, now covered in a layer of crunchy, white snow. The mild hollow which held the rock wall looked like an excellent spot to step to the side as agricultural folk passed through with heavy burdens of their profession, or turn a wagon like that around, and likely was used for that purpose precisely. This time, about shoulder level for most of the taller races (Human sized, give or take) one could make out the space where frigid ground had cracked away under the weight of someone leaning on it, revealing a vertical space of intentionally stacked stones. It wasn't but a half-yard of exposed rock, but the very nature of its piling gave one heavy inclination to believe that it was much bigger than just the part showing.

V’s interest in the buried wall was a huge mood boost for the tiefling. She was genuinely happy for the crew to gather for any reason at all. The last few days they mostly gathered up for mealtimes and Kosara kind of felt lonely all things considered once her adventuring out in the snow ended and she gets back for mostly being alone until mealtimes.” I don’t think so…?” She quite doubted it was insects. It was a bit too cold for insects, wasn’t it?

She turned with a huge smile towar’ds Kathryn’s direction, the one where she heard her voice from. Kosara’s expression fell just a tad.” But… exploration?” She asked, wondering why Kathryn didn’t want to come join them for the fun of exploring buried marvels…

“Maybe? But it looked weird… so… I’m not sure. Pulsating rotten grapes can’t be a normal thing.” She shrugged in reply to Berry who apparently was up with Kathryn for beating the hell of each other for some reason.” Yeah my thinking too. I was always told bugs didn’t like the cold! Which admittedly wasn’t a thing back home much. Sure nights can get chilly, but the days were scorching.”

“Alright, I’m going to talk with Cecily about the wall and we can then go check it out, V.”

Kosara’s dash was fast and energetic as only she or a kid could be. In any case, locating the Lady of the Manor wasn’t too difficult a task. In the end the talk with Cecily proved to be both fortuitous and not so much. On the bad side of things, the older woman had nothing on the way of information about the possible buried secrets sans possible ideas of forgotten buildings from times past. On the plus side however…

“V, let’s go. Cecily gave full permission to poke around!” The tiefling energetically called back when she returned, positively giddy with excitement and brimming with energy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Locating the spot wasn’t difficult, after all Kosara had it on her mind since she found it. Same with the spots where the got the grape, but she will try to drag V there later for the bard to see for herself. In any case, now at the point of interest, she pointed out to V the place she had leaned and revealed the stacked stones behind. It wasn’t much, but it was clear something was there.” See, it’s here! It looks like somebody blocked something! Do we dig it out now?” The tiefling woman asked, looking around, trying to spot any of the toolsheds for the fields that Cecily mentioned. A good pickaxe or a shovel would do wonders. Or maybe a hammer. Alternatively she recalled V's spell that seemed to shater that tree in that fight with the goblins.

The morning was delightfully crisp with a freshness that snatched the breath from a persons lungs and delighted in showing it off in short lived clouds. White snow bounced the bright sunshine back up into the crystal blue sky. It was a marvellous day for a battle. Kathryn was the first of the combatants to arrive at the Gazebo patio, with her faithful squire-int-training Lizbeth carrying the knights great sword and hammer behind her. A few pairs of eyes had caught sight of the armour shining in the sunlight and their owners were now hurriedly either tidying up their tasks or calling over to others nearby in excitement. A small crowd began to form in the fringes and edges of the patio with a few exchanging words and coinage with eachother.

Lady Kathryn cast a well trained eye over the patio while she waited patiently for her opponent to finish jogging up the freshly cleared path towards her. The knight waited for BlackBerry to set foot upon the patio before she nodded with a grin, then turned and moved away from him to point about 30 feet away on the other side of the patio. The blue dragon born came to a stop wearing his own excited grin as he began hoping from foot to foot, twisting his torso, and stretching out each limb in preparation.
Lisbeth stood turning her head between the two combatants.

"Until someone yields right? Let's not hold back. As long as no one suffers anything permanent I think we'll be okay. But I promise to not light you on fire yeah? I hope that same courtesy goes both ways." Kathryn said in a calm manner, a giddy smile on her face. The tall woman just loved a good fight.

“The terms are most reasonable and I agree to them.” BlackBerry called back after one more twist. “I do say it would be no fun if either party were to hold back.”

To start things off, she locked the helmet to her head as she held out her hand for Lizbeth to have her weapon brought to her. At which point, the young squire scurried over and, after juggling the equipment in her arms, held out the sheathed greatsword. Kathryn pulled the sword from its sheath, the polished castle forged steel sword glistening in the sunlight. The snow and ice particles on the ground making it seem to glow further. But to those who knew a thing or two about swords, this wasn't a sword intended for duels. The flat tipped blade was a style popular amongst executioners. The sharp sound it made as it was pulled from the sheath sending a metallic echo across the patio. Despite it's rough looking shape a few weeks ago, some clean up, and the few chips and scratches still visible made the blade look more experienced than worn. A blade with the sole purpose of killing the enemies of Kathryn's home. "Gods I've been waiting to do that." With a smile on her face, she placed the "Decorative" blade back into its sheath. Taking the hammer from the same belt that Lizbeth was holding. Removing the shield and cape from her back, and equipping herself for battle. She faced Blackberry. "Are you ready?" She said surprisingly warmly despite the friendly battle about to take place.

The battered DragonBorn pursed his lips eyeing the weapon in Lady Kathryns hand. His head tilted to the side and he momentarily paused as the only inkling of doubt evident on him. His hand went to the belt holding the Viscious Shortsword to his waist and, undoing the clasp, wrangled the sword into his grip which with a quick flick spun the tightly around the guard and handle. “Now, I am ready.” Then, without taking his eyes of the Knight, he called out. “Young Lizbeth. If you would be so kind as to count us down from three please.”

The young squire nearly bounced with excitement from behind the Knight. She didn’t need asking twice, and with a grin called out. “Three!”

BlackBerry softened his knees and fell into his stance.

“Two!”

Lady Kathryn secured her grip on the Warhammer.

“One!”

The combatants locked eyes. Their hearts beating as one.

“Fight!”

BlackBerry powered forwards with powered snow erupting behind him, struggling to keep up with his speed. The monk pulled at the power sitting at his core and pulled it into the world for Spectral Fire to blossom out from his shoulders like wings. He planted a foot down hard on the ground, coming to a dead stop in front of Kathryn, but the spectral force at his shoulders continued on and washed harmlessly over the shining armour. BlackBerry scowled up at the knight who dared stand tall, unaffected by his spectral attack. He changed tactic. The spectral force retreated, instead he lashed out with the sheathed sword, stabbing with the same motion trained by his opponent, up and high towards the target only for it to bounce harmlessly off the armour without any fuss. Back to basics, the left fiery limb curled in on itself, edges rounding into the vague shape of fingers rounding into a fist. With blinding speed the limb snapped forward and the hit landed with a dull ring against the metal chest piece.
Kathryn found herself unprepared for the blows and attacks Blackberry had at his disposal. She wasn't sure what to expect from her dragonborn friend, but it was clear that maybe he had a trick or two up his sleeve.
“Your Turn dear Kn-” BlackBerry started. He didn’t get to finish the sentence.

The second Kathryn got a moment to strike back, she did, and hard. Stepping back a pair of steps, she then shifted her weight forward for the six or so steps it would take to close the distance between the duo. In that time, her height changed from nearly 7 foot, to nearly 14 feet. Swinging the hammer like an underhanded instrument, she struck BlackBerry in his lower torso like a pin in some sick game of alleyways! But as he fell backwards from the blow she had struck him with, she used her speed and power, assisted with the force of Gravity and brought the blunt weapon down again on his chest. Yes, he had a good hit, but she hit harder.
"You can yield at any time, there's no shame in it." She said with a soft and warm tone as she reeled back the hammer to strike the down BB again. It was a shame really, she was looking forward to a solid fight.

The hammer had come down on his torso. Hard. The air had been forced out of his lungs, and a dull ‘crunch’ could be heard. The crowd gave a low ‘ooh’ and not just one cheer. BlackBerry, finding himself suddenly horizontal, fought against instinct to curl up in pain. Instead, when the hammer rose he flung himself to the side and with a hard kick of his left leg spun back upright onto his feet. Darkness circled the edges of his vision, he fought to drag into his lungs, he had to act fast.

“Good hit.” BlackBerry wheezed as he circled Kathryn. His eyes hunting for a weakness in the knights defenses. He had underestimated her by a long shot. This wasn't going to be as easy as the other night. “I was using that rib.” Not to say he wasn’t going to try. He knew speed was he real advantage right now. BlackBerry Knew he couldn't let up for an instant; another hit and he'd have to concede! Against the pain in his ribs he dragged in another breath to fuel the fire in his being. The flames around his shoulders surged to a roaring inferno. He step forward to close the gap between them. The left lashed out but missed, the right however struck the knights helmet making it ring.

But he didn't let up, BlackBerry flicked the sword in his grip again and making it spin. He grabbed the handle and charged at Kathryn who showed off her own fleet footwork and manoeuvred around the attack with ease. BlackBerry followed her steps and lunged again.

Kathryn had clearly underestimated the monk. And was now in a surprising amount of pain. Though she was able to block many of his attacks, and Blackberry's blade had trouble doing much against her armour, those magic fists hit hard. Really, fucking hard. But something about that last blow…she had seen the left fiery limb curl around BlackBerry’s arm and flow across the swords sheathe to where it struck at the centre of her chest, felt the hit collide with her armour. But then she felt the strike again without BlackBerry moving for another attack, her training and experience distinguishing the second blow hidden somehow in the first. Her muscles seized up, like a muscle spasm. She bent back as her body was unable to respond to anything but pain. Nothing but pain. What had BB done to her?! Had he meant to do that?! If so could he always do that?! Maybe Kathryn underestimated her opponent. A fight she thought would be quick and easy, was quickly turning on her head. Then, he stepped back with a grin an forks of lightning dancing frantically across sharp white teeth. All she could think was... Oh shit. BlackBerry let out a yell unleashing a torrent of lightning towards her. The electrical breath struck her and her body continued to only respond in pain. She failed to take the fight seriously, and now she was getting the shite beaten out of her. She fought to regain control, but that last blast had taken a ton out of her. She felt weak and dizzy, unsure how much more she could take. Not wanting this fight to escalate, and not ready to take any more tricks that blackberry had up his sleeves she found the strength to speak up. "Wow wow wow." She called out regaining her balance. "Alright my guy, I yield. You won." She said in a cheerful tone. Yeah, she lost a fight she thought she was going to win by a landslide. But she still had fun. Shrinking back down to her normal size.

“Beg your pardon?” Small sparks jumped across his puzzled face. He looked Lady Kathryn up and down wondering for a moment if he had heard her right. And then realised he had heard her correctly as he watched her shrink back down to normal height. After laying his sword, with only a small amount of complaint from his ribs, he stepped forwards to lend a hand catching the arcs of lightning trying to jump across the seams in Kathryns armour. “Here one moment, allow me. I find lightning does try to reach the ground by any means, and if it gets stuck it will give a nasty shock if you are not resistant to it.” He patted the Knights armour as if he were simply wiping away dust. “A simply marvellous fight Lady Kathryn. I truly mean it when I say you land one hell of a hit.” He winced and rubbed his stomach and then bit back a cry when his hand touched a very sore rib "One more and I would be the one conceding.”

"You're a good fighter my guy. And you have far more tricks up your sleeves than I thought." She said patting him on the shoulder, a satisfied grin on her face. Turning to Lizbeth she continued. "Let this be a lesson in humility. Never underestimate your opponent. And be a good sport when you lose." She chuckled before turning back to Blackberry. "Now I know however, I can hit you a little harder next time." She said in a sweet tone still, but clearly excited to try again in the future. "Not today though, I gotta rest and see how bad that damage you dealt to me was." She chuckled removing her helm, and her charged hair magnetizing to her helm as she pulled it off. Only the weight of her braid keeping most of it in place.

Kosara seemed excited to get underway. It was a small mystery, after all. Despite the past few days she had spent under the tutelage of an authoritarian healer (not to mention the independent study and transcription of numerous written works Annick had insisted upon because "writing dedicates to memory") had worn her out, mind and body both, Victoria found that this curious point had quite energized her. She was going to spend the day in leisure, but this was just too interesting to pass up.

This was a rather adventurous occasion, and as such Victoria made sure to outfit herself for an adventure. It hardly mattered to her that this particular one was likely the dramatic uncovering of dirt from rock to find more dirt. And probably more rock. But the possibility of a payoff that something interesting was behind that rock demanded to be met with one's best. Perhaps she went a little too far touching up her cosmetics, minimalist though they were, but it was as much a ritual to center herself as mild vanity. Victoria was fine with both.

A tendril of necrotic energy, delivered unnoticeably through a mental connection, spurred the animated porcine beast of burden, Morty, to action. The burlap-wrapped creature moved with its choppy gait to Victoria's heel like a silent, subservient dog. It remained by her, following, as she strode out of the door and into the biting air of the morning. Another mental expression coupled with a raise of her hand summoned her great, black corvid to her; the raven Familiar appearing from parts unknown and already to wing, circling overhead. It dipped down to meet the Bard, landing briefly on her forearm before taking to the sky again with a rasping caw. Smiling, Victoria mused to herself, "Sometimes, being a Necromancer is just fun." While she could not claim to have the full abilities of a Wizard, let alone one specializing in Necromancy, she comforted herself in having a firmer grasp than other spellswords or lute-strumming Bards. And few True Necromancers could boast her sense of outright style and showmanship.

With her magical menagerie of two, Victoria accompanied her Tiefling associate to the site. Sure enough, it did look like there might be something to this. There wasn't a whole lot uncovered, but what showed was definitely put there with a purpose. Responding to Kosara's suggestions, she said, "Yes... You have Cecily's permission, correct? Then let us see what is back there." A spark of impatient wonder touched her voice as she pointed in the direction of a tool shed at the edge of this field, "They must have shovels we might borrow."

A few minutes later, Victoria had two shovels and passed one over to Kosara. "I never did get a taste for manual labor, if I am being honest." Luckily, they did not have to toil for long before the vertical earth over the stones fell away in clumps, thanks to the thinness of the layer and the recent freeze.

Soon, the majority of a wall made of stacked, more or less flat stones was exposed, approximately seven feet high and six wide. A few of the rocks at the top slid down, revealing what appeared to be a corner of a long rotting wooden door, clogged with years or decades of root growth. A sudden, sour-sweet scent of old organic rot stirred from the small aperture they has just cracked. "Kosara," began the astonished Bard, "I think you might be onto something here." She smiled and looked to her adventuring associate. "Should we try to rip through this or wait for the others? I think I saw a couple mattocks in the tool shed." Her grin was near to mischievous.

BlackBerry sat beneath the gazebo while Lady Kathryn did her best to tend to his injuries from their little battle,. All the while his legs kept bouncing, protesting at having to sit still for so long. A few of the staff who had turned up to watch had had the forethought to bring some cloths, bandages, and a few herbs with them just in case of any serious injuries happened to either the combatants, or even the audience for that matter knowing these adventuring types.

“Oh! That is painful!” He squeaked. Grimacing, he held himself still for Lady Kathryn to work her best bit of healing along his now very bruised ribs. “I hear tales of lizards whom spend their days doing nothing but lounging on rocks and soaking in the warm rays of the sun. What I would not give to be one of them now. I bet you the desert Kosara is from has them.”

He winced when Lady Kathryn continued touching his ribs just in time for a gust of wind to come sailing through to add insult to injury by making him shiver. The muscles all along his sides cried in protests at having to move. But despite his grumbling the blue dragonborn endured the treatment while stubbornly refusing to fully take off his shirt, and instead pulled it up about his pits for Lady Kathryn to work.

“Thinking about it.” He said quieter than usual. It was a bit painful him to talk not that it was actually stopping him. “I think I shall take a page out of your book Lady Kathryn and begin training in more earnest than I have done. Perhaps even one day I might land a strike as strong as your ow-ah! careful, careful.” He nearly jumped out of the chair in his attempts to scoot away.

BlackBerry peered over the bundled cloth of his shirt to the splotch of dark purple scales. He grimaced then clicked his tongue. “Well, no doubt it would have been a lot worse without. And I shall say it does look anywhere near as bad as the Abominations own work the other week. I think that shall do me for now Lady Kathryn, you help is very much appreciated.” He rolled down his shirt, gladdened to be given a bit more protection from the cold. Why they hadn’t chosen to go inside was beyond him.
“Here. Allow me to check over your injuries as well. It would not do otherwise, and I do wish to check I haven’t left any serious marks on you.” He waited for Lady Kathryn to be as ready as she would be for him to check her over. Once she was ready he began his quick checks over her and continued to talk, “Gracious me, if Old Brother Rorvil saw that he would have boxed my ears and have me scrubbing all the chamber pots in the Monastery for a month. On my own no less!” A few half hearted chuckles filled with memories followed.

He spent a few minutes simply applying a cloth, dampened with very cold water, onto the worst of the burns and bruises he could find but unfortunately missed quite a few. “Yes, I think that is the last of them. I do apologise Lady Kathryn you have suffered a few minor burns but nothing that will cause you much bother. I normally find such things clear up after a few days and bit of cold water here and there.” BlackBerry spoke with the confidence of a man who didn’t quite realise scales and human skin heal differently.

“Well, I suppose with that we should go and find the other two. If I recall Kosara had found a rather interesting wall the other day and wished to go investigate, possibly with Victoria in tow. With any luck the pair will still be at the Coach House, or otherwise may have gone without us to investigate.” He stood up from his seat with a joint cracking stretch and retied the Viscous Shortsword back into place around his waist. “Unfortunately Kosara neglected to mention the exact whereabouts of this interesting wall she found. However I imagine we can find it without much trouble. Are you ready then?”

They were in fact not training weapons that Lizbeth had been carrying for Kat. A small great sword, used for home defense and for executions, and a magical warhammer taken from a cheeky warlock constable. That was what Kathryn saw as good instruments to a sparing match. Albeit, she did end up losing. Partially because she went to try and disable Blackberry instead of outright punishing him physically. And partially because she didn't think he would be able to effectively retaliate against her. She was also wrong there, and both herself and Lizbeth would learn a lesson at being humble, and to never underestimate your opponents. And to never get too full of yourself. "If you have the time Lizbeth, I would recommend talking with Blackberry here on some of his skills. Any other bloke in his situation would be in a rough spot or in a real battle, dead. And not only did he save himself in that case, he had me on the back foot immediately." She said admiring the monk's abilities. Then with a big grin on her face, she turned to face Blackberry as she slid the hammer back onto her belt. "Next time, I won't underestimate you. And I'll kick your ass!" She sang song in the most musical of tones to the dragon-born monk. He hit far harder than she thought someone of his stature could hit with their bare hands. Well... magic flying ghost hands.

Giving a quick stretch audibly cracking a few joints as she bent about, she turned to Blackberry and spoke up. "Here, you still got pretty bruised up." She approached Blackberry and waited until he was ready for whatever treatment she could provide. "Lizbeth, watch closely. I may not be the best doctor, but its good to know these sort of things just in case you gotta help out from time to time too." The correct response was she had absolutely no training in this regard. Only what she had seen Ser Lucas pull off when he was treating his wounds and hers. But taking a cloth she wet from her pack, she attempted to treat the places she had attempted to flatten him. And even did some lite bandaging work on him to make sure nothing would fall out of place. She didn't think she hit him that hard. Buuuuut, better safe than sorry. "Like I said. Nothing fancy. But it should help over time yeah?" She asked more than told, a little unsure of herself. In turn, to a little discomfort of Kat, she allowed Blackberry to do the same to her. Patching up her injuries she sustained and recovering from the blows she took.

"Training may do you some good. Doesn't hurt to have a few extra tricks up your sleeve, or to be able to strike an opponent harder than they can hit you." She said confidently. Maaaaybe she wasn't as lady like as a lot of noble woman. But she could hit harder than a lot of people who wanted to do harm to those around her. That came in handy a lot. Even if as a deterrent to more violence. "I think you're right. We should catch up to the others. While at the couch house maybe pick up a broom or shovel. If the wall is old enough, there may be debris blocking some fun stuff!" Kathryn said very excitingly. "That, and if we end up digging I'd rather not do it with my bare hands." She mused before standing up stretching again. The audible crack echoing from her back. "Ow.... was waiting for that to go..." She mumbled as she bent over to stretch more, and stood up right. "On our way lets ask about see if anyone knows about this weird structure? Sure like you said we don't have an exact spot, but I am sure if anyone knows something we can figure it out."

Off on adventure again, Kat asked about learning not as much as she would hope. She did learn of the underground wine making section, and how it could be accessed not too far from the Gazebo that Blackberry and herself beat the ribs out of each other not too long ago. Kathryn would take Lizbeth with her to investigate should she want to come more, but this time not to act as a pack mule for all of her gear. Grabbing a broom, a pair of shovels, a trowel, and some weird metallic poker looking thing, she walked off encouraging Blackberry and Lizbeth to follow. "Come on my fellow adventurers! Let us explore! Daylight is a burning!" The half giant exclaimed carrying her full kit and an assortment of tools she had gathered up.

Weather: The cold wind gusts a little harder this morning, giving the occasional whistle over the landscape-encompassing sheets of white snowfall. No new precipitation as of yet, but the sky does indicate a real possibility of more to come. It is cold, but not bitterly so at the moment.

Time: It is now late morning. The sun, or what can be seen of it from behind the blanket of cloud cover, lays high in the sky.

Ambience: The immediate landscape around the partially deconstructed wall in the southern field appears cold and empty. Gifts of the high winter sun are more than ample to see by but provides little in the way of warmth past the barest amounts necessary to make the outermost bits of snow glisten and form frigid drops which threaten to freeze when the sun rests.

The landscape looks similar to those approaching from the Coach House - bobbing white hills, ornamented by inactive grape vines upon their frames, but this one also features a mostly flat stretch of pathway leading off of the grounds and onto the main road beyond the Vineyard. The remaining field nearest to the Estate House is unique amongst the rest of the nearby hills, being the only one with workers tending to vines which still bore fruit.

Getting to the "dig site" is a relatively simple affair for even the most marginally observant of people; whereas many footprints can be seen in high traffic areas of the Vineyard, only two pair can be seen moving to the south. Following those for a relatively short length of time will reveal a sycamore tree atop a hill near the river, at the base of which one might find two motivated women pulling rocks away from a tentative opening.



Behind the dirt there were stacked rocks. The utilization of shovel and mattock were enough to break through these two barriers readily enough. It might even be stated that the barriers wanted to be cleared, thanks to the ease with which they could be brought down initially by two women with no particular claim to great feats of strength nor endurance.

But behind this lay something more interesting than an earth and stone wall. Not in the way of a grander bulwark which required breaching, but the more natural formation of roots, burrowing down through the soil, finding the path of least resistance to push ongoing growth in the pursuit of water and fertile soil. These proved to be more meddlesome to get past than anything else, and it was quickly deduced that the roots slid between two barriers: The piled rocks and what was likely once a stout, hardwood door.

The door might have once swung outward. It might have been on decent hinges. It might even have had the secrets of the divine carved upon it in perfect Orcish script, but one would never know it now. The brittle, once tough material had succumbed to the ravages of having being buried for an as yet undetermined amount of time. Years, probably. Or more. What could be sussed from the remains of the door was that it was once stout, fit within a stonework frame very neatly, and was heavily barred - from the outside. Removing it was easy enough.

The hole left in its place was approximately seven feet tall and six wide, possibly a little wider if one really took some time to clear things out, but immaterial to the necessity of exploration. Within lay a short tunnel, maybe twenty feet, with a more or less intact door at the end of it. The tunnel itself is earthen with stone supports, the integrity of which seems to be decent, if not optimal. Roots from the great tree above can be seen snaking in and out of the ceiling and walls here, possibly providing a greater level of stability than what would be present otherwise. A scent fills the air within this place as well; old organic decay mixed with something as sour as it was sweet. It gets stronger as one moves closer to the door.

The door itself is slightly ajar. This is only obvious as one comes upon it, but once within a few feet of it a tiny crack of brick flooring is visible on the other side of the doorway. Pushing the door open is an amazingly easy task to perform for whomever is in the lead. But all actions come with consequences, no matter how mundane.

Whether this consequence came about because of a hand upon the door, the presence of people within the dirt corridor, or some other thing which provoked the will of randomness incarnate, a shimmer expressed among the group. It was subtle, like a strange trick of the light that could be dismissed just as easily as an odd ray of moonlight filtering through trees. But in that moment, several things happened. Like the shimmer itself, some of these things were subtle. Not all, but some.

Kathryn suddenly felt her helmet scrape the top of the corridor. She hadn't moved a step since the easily dismissed shimmer, but it was a definite tactile feeling of her head making contact with the low ceiling above. Victoria noticed that her perspective had changed slightly. Nothing incredibly different, but just enough to be noticeable. That, and the cut of her light coat felt a hair different. Like a dimension about her had changed in a slight way. Baronfjord didn't seem to gather any difference about himself, though he might have immediately picked up what had happened to the others - subsequent examination of himself revealed that his scales seemed a bit pluckier of hue, like he had his scales freshly shined. Kosara had the most dramatic alteration - flowers now grew among her hair, as if they had always belonged there. Healthy, average representation of seasonal flowers of the area in nearly full bloom, making her hair a braided bouquet of color.

The party took what actions they required to come to grips with these alterations, but the room beyond still waited. The long and short of the place can be described as such: This was a thirty-five by twenty-five foot room with a lain brick floor. Rock walls with wooden supports held things together evenly enough, leading up to vaulted ceilings which, by look at the size of the roots which made up most of the ceiling, was directly underneath the great sycamore. The tree gave the room greater stability and likely was the reason that it was in as good condition as it was. There were several barrels in great condition and two large distilling tanks as soon as one entered, to the right. A few stacked crates were nearby, some with simple tools upon them, unused for long period of time. A thin layer of sediment and/or dust covered things here.

If one was concerned about feeling lonely, there's good news! Two corpses called this place home. Or they might, if not for the fact that they were quite dead. And they looked like they had been quite dead for a long time. Regardless, very dead Human remains tended to alter the nature of the discussion after the fact.

“Let’s dig!” Kosara happily exclaimed with shovel in hand as the duo had geared up with tools of the trade for their sudden excavation efforts. The peace and calm of the winter was nice and all, but Kosara being Kosara was in need of some excitement! The duo’s attack on the spot soon revealed that yes, there was something well of note there. Especially when some of it crumbled and let out the odor of rot of some kind or another. She turned to look at V, her own grin wide.” Ohh… we can let them do it, but let grab the mattocks just in case.” She confirmed.

Eventually the group had well reassembled, Kathryn and Berry looking a bit ruffled up from their fight… training…? Whatever it was, but point was that the crew well undertook the job of breaching the hidden room. Or maybe it was a tunnel? A secret dungeon!? Whatever it was, must have been there a while, what with all the roots and everything. Or the way the wood had rotted up. Even if it was buried that still took time. In any case with some team efforts and mainly letting the bigger people do it faster, the entrance was well uncovered!” YAY!” Kosara exclaimed when the way was opened, only for blink in confusion when a sparkle of magic… or was it a shiver of magic... glimmer of magic? There was something that happened that caused her to blink and look in confusion at the others.” Anyone else felt that?” She asked before her head tilted in confusion when she took in her friends. Something was just off. Not by much, but there was something off.

She stared at V who to Kosara was most easily to spot the difference… kind of. V looked taller. Visibly so. Kathryn at first glance didn’t appear too different outright. Berry on the other side was… shinier.” Hmmm… So V, you are taller and Berry’s shinier? Huh… weird! Anyways, exploration!” She quickly recovered, not noticing her own change, mostly cause with the exception of the fringe the rest of her hair was pulled in that braid behind her so nothing she could directly see without manually pulling her braid to check. So merrily she stormed into the newly opened space instead having confirmed her friends were alright( probably).

The room they had found seemed to be a distillery of sorts. There were crates, barrels, stills, tools… the room seemed remarkably well preserved actually. Kinda looked like a nice place for an earthen home. Of course there was one main feature that pulled quickly on the white tiefling’s attention. Though it was probably fairer to say two features as it was 2 dead bodies that Kosara ended up bolting over to to examine them.” Well… they are dead yes.” She stated the obvious as she looked at the two very dead looking humans.” This place must have been buried for a long while. Wonder if anyone around knows who these two were. Cecily said she had no idea of this place too.”

Getting dirty was not in Victoria's "to do" list for the day, though it was fair to say that it was a unfortunate side effect of things which were. To that end, the necromantic Bard availed herself of a spell often used, notably the most often used, of her repertoire. A simple manipulation of the threads of magic, gently pulling the bow of her mind across taut strings to play a single, clear note - which bent reality just a fraction away from its mundane standard in a way which pleased Victoria. In short, she cast a quick Prestidigitation to clean herself up. Now quite tidy and smelling faintly of lilacs, the Bard strode boldly into the aperture and down to the darkness below with her adventuring party, Morty taking to her heel. Her raven Familiar (for which she did not have a dedicated name yet) remained above, ready to alert in case of an unexpected approach.

The corridor was not long. Easily traversed and at a downward angle, making gravity do most of the work for them as they delved the few paces to get to the end, and to the room which lay beyond. Unfortunately, the sudden release of something she could only assume was magic had other plans. Not a plan to the detriment of her own, but plans nonetheless. In her case, everything suddenly seemed to reorient in a way that seemed familiar. Comfortable, even. A sudden shocked look rolled over her face and she said, "Did that just..?" followed by a confused expression. "Curious." Victoria breathed. She looked over herself, examining her limbs and patting along her torso, getting a feel for dimensions which should have been familiar. One might even have seen a touch of disappointment. Then she began to notice the others. Kathryn didn't seem affected by whatever this was, or so mildly as to escape her immediate discernment. Baronfjord looked like he just got buffed and polished with his new vibrant tone, and Kosara? "I think you've got something in your hair, Kosara," mentioned Victoria offhand, as if a bit of springtime fluff had found its way into her locks.

She continued, in response to the Tiefling, "Yes, I am. I rather missed..." She faded off thoughtfully and finally said, "...nevermind." For reasons of her own, Victoria chose to concentrate on the effect of the magic which touched them instead of the room they had all just entered. It only occurred to her in hindsight that Morty seemed to be unaffected. While the others took to their surroundings in the long forgotten distillery, Victoria attempted to translate their present situation in regard to the magic at work, as this clearly had to be a something arcane. The party lacked a Wizard, and so befitting her words in The Infamous Pear (and after the Goblin fight, for that matter), it was her place to be what they needed. Lucky for Victoria, she had formal training in Arcana. So she made her observations and came to her tentative conclusions.

When she finally spoke, it was with some level of understanding, be it incomplete. "I have to assume that this is Wild Magic, even if it dioesn't make a lot of sense. I have so many questions. But this feels isolated. And over with. Like... Hmm." Victoria tried to choose her words carefully. "Like dragging your feet over a lush carpet and reaching for a metal doorhandle. It stings you, but then is gone away. I believe this surge of Wild Magic is like that. An incidental buildup that has burned out now that someone touched it. I cannot say what caused the buildup; it is quite beyond me. The same magic that removes minor curses should handle it, if we choose."

While the others saw to the corpses in the room, Victoria took some interest in Kathryn's desire to tap one of the barrels and sample its contents. She was just about to vocalize a warning when the tall Knight took a sip for herself. To this, the Bard waited for a moment to see if anything odd happened to Kathryn. Satisfied that she did not perish right away, Victoria moved to join her. A small sip for herself turned the fair Half-Elf's face to a shocked scrunch, which slowly morphed into an impressed beaming. "This is delightful, past the initial shock. I was never a big fan of brandy, but this? Amazing." The initial worry of poison or some other trap to the liquor faded somewhat. After all, it has been sealed underground in a non-dungeon setting (debatable) for an undisclosed but sizeable amount of time. What could happen? "Did you find out anything from the corpses?" This did not refer to Morty, of course. Morty held no secrets from Victoria.

Kathryn understood that much of her skills for the party consisted of her ability to wield All the weapons, and her ability to fight well with them. Her ability to physically overpower her foes came in handy often, as for many enemies it removed that option for them entierly. Otherwise, she didn't have too many skills to offer to the party. Raw strength helped, but not as often as she would like. She had the introduction to a high quality formal education, but never finished. She wasn't as dumb as a rock, but she wasn't the wisest either. She wasn't fast or agile, but she wasn't slow either. She supposed she could reach the top shelves for her shorter party members? But with magic many had a work around for that too. So when the chance came to literally brute force the dirt until a doorway appeared, Kathryn was excited! Sure, she wasn't the best of laborers, but she was strong as an ox and wasn't afraid of a little dirt. Though thinking on it, she was probably stronger than an ox. As well, she had more than just a little dirt on her. "damn... there's dirt packed into the links." She muttered. Doing manual labor in full armor after getting into a one on one with Blackberry was exhausting, and her concern with taking off her armor were hindering her probably more than it was helping to keep it on.

Her thoughts on keeping the armor on when she saw the reinforced door bar from the outside were reassured though. But as the party was already likely to go in despite concerns, Kat simply attached her helm, gripped her shield, and kept a hand on her hammer taking point and preparing to face off against whatever poor sap had been locked in here. Or monster. She wondered what could be in here? Treasure? Undead? Mimics? Could mimics survive so long on their own bared down here? She wasn't too sure. An old prison maybe? Or simply an abandoned building that the locals wanted to deter kids from exploring? She was determined to find out! Thankfully, the exterior once bared door was for all intents and purposes, not a problem. The second door, was still very much intact. And could present a problem or two. Until she saw... it was open. Creepy. Taking the edge of her shield, she prepared to face whatever came out head on. And if need be send it deeper into the dirt. But nothing came. At least... not a monster, or a humanoid.

Kathryn wasn't sure what she saw. But... there was something for sure. She was still getting used to dark vision with assistance of her runic magic. And the gentle glow from her hammer made it even easier to see in the dark. Other than more exaggerated shadows, it was almost like looking at things in the daylight. But there was... a gust of wind? Or maybe... a ghost! Kat reflexively swung the hammer, missing entirely the non existent target and taking a small chip out of the wall. She didn't swing too hard in the confined space, not wanting to risk a cave in. But whatever it was, she had missed it and probably looked like a paranoid fool. She stood up strait, attempting to move on from the situation. Until... "Thunk" She paused a moment, confused. She hadn't changed her footing, and unless the tunnel was about to cave in, she didn't understand how she could have hit the ceiling? "Ow?" Kathryn spoke in a confused tone. She wasn't in any sort of pain, just shocked as she tried to process what was happening. Did the tunnel get narrower as she walked along?

The weird ceiling wasn't the only notable thing that had happened. Blackberry was... shinier?! Kosara had flowers in her hair?! Though... Kosara may have done that while they were working in the dirt. She would have to check to be sure. But Victoria had probably the most noticeable change to Kathryn. She was taller! Visibly taller! She couldn't be too sure without measuring, but the short woman had gotten average! "V, I think you're taller..." She paused, then looked up to the ceiling and let out a frustrated sigh after thinking for a moment. "Mother fucker... I'm taller too!" She exclaimed when she put the dots together. Maybe not as much as Victoria, or maybe because Victoria was so short in comparison to Kat that the same height change is more noticeable on the smaller woman was more noticeable. Did this mean she was over 7 foot now? That would be at least 4 inches in half as many weeks! She was joking when she said she was a half giant, but now she is concerned that she may not stop growing! Problem for later though. For now... weird underground room.

Kat moved on into the next room prepared for... whatever may be there. She first noticed the two corpses in the room, and wondered if they were intentionally trapped in the room. The room also appeared to be a storage cellar of some kind. Putting the hammer away, she walked up to the closest body to see what she could tell on the corpse. The answer? She wasn't so sure. They had definitely been here a really long time. Past that she had no clue. She had no idea how long though. Listening to Kosara's line of questions Kathryn soon spoke up as well. "No one I spoke too knew either. But, it looks like it used to be apart of the winery. Maybe someone knows of the old distillery, even if not the wall as we described it?" A chance to rephrase the question could help ten fold. But for now, they would have to figure out their own answers. Taking a chance to get buzzed, Kathryn grabbed some tools from a nearby shelf, opened up a barrel, and poured herself a cup of what definitely smelled like alcohol. "Can't say I know a ton about wild magic... but what if it's not a one time thing? And passing through will cause other effects?" Kat asked pouring herself a cup of the strange alcohol. "Or, what if we find a way to trigger it again?" Kat said right before taking a few very long sips of the wine. Rather good wine at that! Though... familiar. She sampled a few flavors to be sure, and no matter what, the booze was a win.

"I think this is still the L'Rose brand of wine. This one tastes a lot like the one I had the other day that paired so well with Morty." Pondering that, she would have to ask if there was much left of Morty. He was a great treat, and nothing tastes sweeter than loyalty. "Can't say I know much on the corpses. Though I am concerned that they were locked in here. The fact that it is a storage room is even more concerning. This is not a small inventory of expensive alcohol. So maybe it was a rush job? But why seal these two inside? There has to be some history on this somewhere right?" Kat asked concern. But pondering what Victoria said about something causing a buildup of magic. "You don't think that the alcohol could be causing the magic build up do you? Because it's either that or the bodies. And dead bodies to my understanding, are rarely a source of magic." She supposed there could be some sort of magical artifact hidden away in here. But she wanted to know if she just drank 100ccs of raw magic.

BlackBerry shuffled uncertainly through the darkness, following gravity’s downward pull with his hand brushing against the wall over first, rocks, and roots. Thankfully there weren't any branches to the tunnel and it was wide enough for them all to get through. At least that is what he thought,

“Careful Lady Kathryn." He threw the warning over his shoulder after hearing the unmistakable sound of metal scraping against rock.

Finally, after more shuffling and stumbling, he emerged behind Victoria into the room beyond. Casting his eyes about the room, thankfully somewhat lit by shards of sunlight that burrowed their way through cracks in the earth and between roots from the tree above, he could make out the shapes of barrels, casks, jugs, and all sorts of tools buried under years worth of dust. He deduced that it must have been a store room of some kind for the Vineyard in years gone by, somewhere they did something to the grapes and other fruit used for making wine. What exactly that would be he hadn’t he fainest idea.

Two very important question he was about to have were put to the side as Kosara and Victoria then made their observations.

“Good gracious me, I believe you are right Kosara.” He drew up to Victoria and Lady Kathryn to measure them against himself in turn. The pair had definitely grown slightly. “I shall trust your eyes and believe I have become shinier, whatever that entails, it is too dark for me to tell. Do you all feel well in yourselves however? Out of us all I am more worries for you three as you have experienced the more dramatic changes.”

Something had to have caused it. Victoria’s description put one obvious culprit in BlackBerry’s mind for if not the cause of the Wild Magic build up then at least it’s trigger. He approached the door frame and began running his hand up and down it trying to find any tale tell dents of ridges that might be…well something, he wasn’t sure what he was looking for, and in the darkness he came across nothing on the door frame that could have caused their changes. He did however admire the care that must have been taken to keep the door frame the past for it to be in such good condition now.

“While I agree it is likely Wild Magic I would say something must have triggered it to act. Whether it is just our presence or some action we took in particular I would be interested in finding out. Nothing on the door though. I suppose another question is…well…why there would be any Wild Magic to begin with? I will admit my knowledge on the subject is rather lacking beyond stories, tall tales, and the like.” He turned back to face the room and his eyes wandered over to the barrels stacked neatly onto shelves and racks in the middle. “Perhaps something in these is a source of Wild Magic?”

Approaching the barrels he gave one a sturdy knock, but couldn't tell by the sound if it was empty or full. He ran his hand over the barrels trying to see if the was anything like…well…like something to say what was in them. Instead, all he found was years upon years of dust and dirt now rising up in front of him after being disturbed for the first time in what could be several decades.

BlackBerry sneezed loudly and briefly disappeared behind a blue flash of light.

“Bless me.” He sniffled with a few stray sparks still dancing over his snout.“Nothing here eithe-what are you drinking?” He had rounded the barrels to see Lady Kathryn and Victoria drinking. His eyes jumped between the cup in Lady Kathryns hand and the newly opened cask. His jaw nearly hit the floor in horror. “Is that really wise? For all either of you know that there may be why this place was barricaded and buried in the first place.”

Weather: The weather outside remains a beacon of relatively calm early winter out in wine country. While no new snow falls, the thickening clouds despite the continuing day hints at a possibility in the near future.

Time: Still late morning. The sun remains behind its veil of overcast grey-white.

Ambience: The hidden distillery contains only as much light as you bring into it. Not even so much as a torch sconce or lamp is available to illuminate this thirty-five by twenty-five foot room. Feet tap upon a relatively even brick floor, and the same sort of rocks which made up the wall the party tore down to enter here seem to form the walls. Wooden supports maintain the tunnel, walls, and ceiling, though the ceiling was mostly a network of thick, gnarled sycamore roots. A deceptively thin layer of dust and/or covers things in here, though not enough to prevent a casual inspection of things. There are crates, several stacked barrels, and two large distillery tanks present.

The corpses don't have a lot to say at present, being that they are, indeed, corpsing very nicely as far as one can tell.

From the outside, one might barely hear a low whoosh of wind blowing past the unearthed tunnel's entrance.



To recap:

Investigating the bodies has yielded marginal results. One trying to find anything of importance upon them or anything past that which is obvious was not the epic event of deductive logic one might have hoped. The good news is, they ARE clothed, so their shriveled bits and pieces keeps to the general concerns of social modesty for the area. For whatever good this does... you've at least got that proverbial feather in your cap.

The effects of the magic surge remain; Kathryn is slightly taller, Victoria is marginally taller, Baronfjord is ...blue (imagine that), and Kosara retains the flowers in her hair as more than a fashion choice. A bit of time has not changed the changes.

The barrels in this place, for those who took some time to check them, are mostly all full, having been produced and stored in this room for at least as long as the place has been walled off. Examination and sampling of the liquid therein had revealed an amazingly balanced and smooth hard alcohol. If it ever was wine, it stopped being that following the distillation process. It is, at this point, quite flammable in addition to its other properties and strangely familiar note of flavor.

The previously mentioned crates, following the Kathryn's search for tools to tap, revealed a number of hand tools of the trade of distilling, barrel sealing, and liquid retrieval. Due to the wonder of their being packed in a manner consistent with their continued use over time, they have not received the ravages of dust and only a little of the ravages of time.

Things are going rather smoothly, all told. Nothing new with the setting. No sudden drops or raises in temperature. No giant insects burrowing up from the loose earth, nor attacks from small, green humanoids. In fact, it's only Baronfjørd "Blackberry" Chedgusah who even thought that something might be slightly out of order within this place, being as he thought he, at the extremes of maybes, swore that the dead guy in the back was facing away from everyone when they came in. And now, it was facing toward.

“They are pretty dead!” Kosara called back an answer to Victoria’s question about the finding from their unfortunate hosts in this lil hidey hole they had found themselves into. As far as the tiefling woman could realize, yes death was present here and she was fairly certain it wasn’t an organized burial service like back home in some cases with lavish tombs and what not. Though it all begged a few questions: Seeing as these two apparently died here, why did they die here and more importantly who walled them off afterwards? People didn’t just wall off random places with dead bodies inside them unless they wanted to hide them away… or didn’t want to risk moving the dead for… reasons.” Looks like they’ve been here a good while.” She added, given the state of decay, wondering why mummies didn’t decay quite like this. Probably those special treatments that grandpa was going on about years ago? She didn’t exactly pay too much attention to some of the history lessons.

She kind of loosely listened to the others going on about theories when it came to the various possibilities that could have caused the apparent build up of magic to cause wild magic? On that note, she pulled her braid to check what was that about that V informed her of. Something in her hair…!?” Ohh...” She made a sound of realization when she found her braid neatly braided with flowers too!” OHHH! IT’S SO PRETTY!” She squeeled in delight, finding her hair now was a very nice boquet of flowers! It took time to braid flowers into one’s hair and she got a free makeover! She did a spin on the spot from joy. So this must have been the result on her form the wild magic surge. Others got taller… Kathryn too it seemed, though it wasn’t easy to notice since the difference was small.

Her attention then was pulled away from a flash of energy and light. It seemed their resident monk sneezed! SNEEZED ELEMENTAL MAGICS! Kosara blinked in shock and confusion.” Bless you!” She chimmed in as it was only proper, but then blinked in thoughtful manner as she eyed the monk.” You could breath elemental magics like a true dragon! That’s amazing! You should do it more often!” Kosara honestly told him, always happy to witness interesting and impressive pretty visual feats. Even if it was sparkly magical lights being sparkly and pretty. Though now that her attention returned to the matter at hand, she gloriously looked at the corpse she had Kathryn had examined and then went to search him, whistling a tune. For some reason she really wanted to get a whip… and a hat.” Time to loo… ahm time to search for clues and treasures of the past!” She corrected herself. This was no official tomb… or a grave… so it wasn’t grave robbing. Especially since she was just curious on what they had on them rather than taking possession of it. Yes. She concluded, whistling a tune, imagining herself, with a wide brimmed hat and a whip, outrunning a boulder. Like a true adventurer should.

The brandy was phenomenal. No doubt about it, it was some of the smoothest, most interesting hard liquor that she had experienced. Her ability to pick out the more interesting notes and flavors of the potent potable did very little to bring greater understanding, unfortunately, and it was precisely this feeling that there was something just beyond her understanding that was rather bothersome. All she could do was appreciate the brandy for its apparent, mundane qualities as observed by someone with exposure to life's extravagances. As a result, the additional sampling was practically mandatory. The sudden discharge of electricity from Baronfjord snapped her concentration away momentarily, but she quickly came back to a thought: "It would be polite, even prudent, to bring one of two of these barrels back to the L'Roses. There must be a fortune in distilled spirits here that they hadn't a clue even existed."

It occurred to Victoria that they were probably far away from the appropriate equipment to comfortably move something like a full barrel (or two) of liquor to the estate house, so gingerly reached out her senses to her Raven outside. She still marveled at the idea of doing this, as it was something she had read was almost purely the wheelhouse of Wizards to do this. In truth, her Familiar could only come by means of Ritual Magic, a longer and more elaborate affair than simply casting the spell as normal. The results were the same, however, and that was all she cared about. She was a Bard with a Familiar, and that was just fine by her. Satisfied with her status, Victoria placed her senses within her bird's and gave the immediate area a look. She didn't recall a wagon about, but it couldn't hurt to check.

Outside, Victoria's cloak lay over a shovel handle which stood perpendicular to the ground as the blade was unceremoniously driven into it. This seemed as appropriate a perch as any, and it was from this point that it launched itself upward for a better view. There was no one in this part of the Vineyard as far as she could tell, and certainly no extra wagons around. Maybe something near the shed, or further out in the next field. Disappointing, but an issue to resolve a little later.

Inside, the not-quite-living Morty stuck close to its Mistress who had placed her senses elsewhere. This was by mental command as opposed to its own sense of propriety, as it was sadly lacking in appreciable empathy or free will. Victoria's mental commands bound the flesh and bone animation. It protected her purely at her discretion, an automaton of smoked, tasty, once living matter. Compared to some of her compatriots, Victoria was a bit toward the fragile. Every little bit of additional support helped.

Then a thought occurred to Victoria as she stood there, weighing her options. She was versed in Necromancy, after all. A penchant for the darker arts, one might venture to say. And she did muse just a handful of days earlier, "I can speak with the dead." Her abilities in her preferred school of magic had developed. This was within her repertoire. And one might have noticed the availability of two deceased persons within spitting distance. Persons who, she just came to realize, needed a proper interment. Finally speaking aloud, Victoria suggested, "I might ask a question or two of the distillery's residents, if you will excuse me." She randomly selected the one toward the very back and moved within ten feet of the corpse.

Victoria drew her bone flute from the cylindrical bag on her belt and held it in a manner not unlike a wand. She gestured, intoning words of power at a singing whisper, letting necrotic energy build and drip from her words. Her face immediately formed the marks of black tears moving from shadowed eyes, a thing common to her when she cast from her College's pool of arcane knowledge, and one would witness wisps of shadow smoulder from her form. It was a coldly beautiful form of spellwork, showing a clear difference in method of casting from a pure Wizard's art. Victoria was a Bard of the Grey Requiem, and this was her performance.

Unfortunately, despite having done everything right, the corpse did not stir. It did not ready itself to speak. It lay dormant upon the dusty, brick floor. Victoria seemed puzzled. "That... should have worked. I felt the power build and release; more unblemished Necromancy than I have channeled before." Puzzled, indeed. "That should have worked," she insisted. Something was wrong.

“Well.” BlackBerry sighed at Victoria and Lady Kathryn, and dragged his hand over his face.

Lady Kathryn, yes he could see her doing this but Victoria, choice of arcane study not withstanding, he had expected at least some level of common sense or even self preservation. The withering stare from the Dragonborn lingered upon the pair of them in way that directly translated to I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.

“I suppose as adventurers such actions are par for course. I shall take glad solace that neither of you appear worse for wear currently.” His mind played catch up and recalled the snippets of conversation he had overheard from the other side of the casks and barrels. And was just about to offer a suggestion, but Victoria beat him to it. Nodding, he then added in agreement, “You took the words right of my mouth, Victoria. No doubt it could be classed as quite a vintage by now.”
Kosaras squeal of delight bounced around the confined space.

“Well, I can see one of us may choose to keep this new change.” He smiled after Kosaras delighted squeal had finished bouncing around them. Her comparison of him to a True Dragon did draw out a small but loud chuckle. “Why thank you Kosara. Perhaps I shall should the opportunity arises.”

Stepping forwards to follow Kosaras investigation of the corpses he was thankful that enough time had passed that they no longer stank. He curled his nose up at the sight of their bodies; withered skin, eyeless sockets, twisted limbs, and rotten clothing. They were human, or at least very human-ish as far as could be figured given the state of the bodies and how time had removed many features.

“With any luck one of them might have a journal or something of the like on them, Preferably one that could answer all our questions with this whole situation. It is unfortunate that we are unable to simply ask…” His eyes settled on the furthest Corpse. “…them.”

He squinted at the corpse with suspicion as he tried to match what was seeing now with what he remembered. The problem was he hadn’t been paying the corpses a huge amount of attention but he was certain that the one at the furthest wall had not been facing them. BlackBerry grabbed Kosaras shoulder before she could get closer. He did allow Victoria to pass after her cryptic statement and he watched with a rising sense of unease in his stomach a her construct her spell, the whispers of her voice somehow refusing to echo as all their other words had done. And then…nothing happened.

“That spell you used Victoria, I can assume safely it allows you to communicate with the dead?” BlackBerry twisted moved passed Kosara and then Victoria, stepping towards the corpse in question. BlackBerry gently nudged the corpses head with his toe. It didn’t move.

He the squatted down by the corpse and eyed it as closely as he dared. His eyes narrowed as he visually inspected the corpse for anything unusual but found, in the dank darkness, nothing. But there was something very odd about this corpse, and possibly even the other one. He momentarily eyed the other corpse as well before returning his attention to the one before him. It was still dead and hadn’t moved.

BlackBerry held his chin as horrifying thought was promptly followed by a very stupid one. Victoria would see him bounce in his squat and wrestle his head side to side. Finally, after a few seconds of the odd looking dance, he then took a deep breath as if bracing himself against against a painful strike.

“You.” Jabbing a finger into an eye socket and noticably shivering in disgust when something squelched. “Were facing the other way but a few moments a go. Victoria here, is a very skilled magic user so I know her spell would have worked had you actually been…well…dead. As you have yet to attack us let us assume the best of each other shall we?”

So far the investigation into this weird place had yielded little results. What it had yielded, was a rather large stock of alcohol, something Kat would never turn down. After sampling a cup, Victoria even joined her as well! As a whole, solid win. Even when Blackberry seemed to disapprove on her antics. "Who in their right mind would poison or curse all this brandy? And to get enough resources to sabotage this much alcohol? Someone would have to be pretty petty or spiteful." Kathryn said confidently, before looking over at the bodies of the duo who were locked in the cellar here. Looking at them, looking at the drink in her hands, she decided that maybe two people trapped in here would be that spiteful... But alas, She and Victoria were still fine. "Plus, the barrels were sealed. If they were the cause of the wild magic, shouldn't we have seen another boon of magic take place when the barrel was opened?" She said rather confidently towards Blackberry. Though internally, she had no idea how this sort of magic worked. And maybe apart of her wanted to be ignorant so she could keep drinking a tad bit more.

After clearing her throat, taking another sip of the brandy, Kathryn figured she should probably do some to help figure out more about this place. First taking attempts to read labels on the barrels, and to also see if she could maybe find shipment papers. And hell, if she could learn anything from tasting the drinks? Even better!! Apart of her was tempted to open another barrel to see if it came across as any different, but she held off for now. She didn't want to risk spoiling the brandy by opening them all up. IF Victoria said was true, these were worth a small fortune to the L'Rose family. Confirming the label on the side, it was definitely theirs at one point... Maybe she should go easier. After this cup though. She also after spending several moments, failed to find much in the form of documentation on the barrels. "I am not finding anything here for records for these barrels and their contents. But like our much dead friends here, they have been here a long time. If I had to guess, likely pretty fresh when they were loaded up, and sealed since." Maybe it was standard practice, but maybe she could figure out a way to use it to tell how long the bodies were here. There's no way they were here longer than the barrels were. So that would at least be a maximum window to work with.

On a more light hearted side of things, Kosara seemed to really be enjoying her new flowers. "Those flowers look good on you Kosara. Really fit with..." she stumbled for a moment, thinking of her words. If she was ever going to return to nobility, she would have to work on this. "With you. They fit you rather well." She said sweetly. "We could probably find a way to braid them into your hair so they look a little less random? Unless you're into the randomness of it. But it could be fun non the less." And as well, she wanted friends to socialize with. Kosara is the closest Kathryn has had to a proper friend in a long time. The previous closest attempting being a woman Kat later learned to be... An aid to Ser Lucas. While he was out working, Kat was trying to dress up and make herself pretty for a big event for the regional nobility. The desperate attempt to reinforce her noble titles. Go to dance, introduce herself to a knight or lordling, get married, obtain power, get justice. Catalina was the one who finally helped her work up the courage to do this, and she had goofed it when she panicked thinking of her whole life ahead of herself with this knight. And had blurted out a random step along her life plans. Alas, her proposal was likely declined. And though Catalina reassured her things were fine, and amusing, she and Ser Lucas had to flee as Kat had overstepped some boundaries. She hadn't seen the woman since. And hoped she was well. Kosara on the other hand was here right now! So having a chance to compliment her friend and keep reassuring that friendship was a win to Kat. She probably wouldn't take dating advice from the tiefling woman though. She seemed a little on the immature side for that. But she was fun to spend time with.

Kathryn's attempts to reassure friendship were quickly ended when she heard a rather sudden and startling flash of light and sound. She jumped back far more steps than she would like to admit, drew a hand axe, and looked ready for a fight. Thankfully, not thrown. Upon seeing Blackberry recover from a rather violent looking sneeze Kat slid the axe back into its spot on her belt. "Are you alright my guy? That sounded lethal." She paused, looking around the room filled with well aged brandy. "Potentially very lethal..." She said considering just how concentrated the juices in the barrels must be. "Let's uh... no blow up. In small confined rooms." To be fair looking about, the room wasn't as packed as it could have been. She figured she could still fit in most of the room in her Runic Giant's form. Likely at least.

The last leg of the investigation yielded different results. Or more concerning, lack there of. Kathryn watched as Victoria cast her spell, and nothing seemed to happen. Kathryn didn't know a ton of magic, but between Victoria's confusion, backberry's concern, Kat was worried that things were about to kick off. "Are they too dead maybe?" But as Blackberry pushed forward, she wondered if maybe the opposite was the case. "Or not dead enough..." Kat mused. Locking her helmet back on. And making sure her shield and hammer were ready. A cold shiver went up Kat's back though as Blackberry poked the dead fellow in the eye socket. "ew..." The warrior half giant mumbled as she looked for a good way to approach. There wasn't enough space to travel through the group, especially with Blackberry already in the way. So she would go around the other barrels to be able to approach the likely less than dead things from the other angle.