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Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Lissa

“Hmm hmm… interesting dynamic between the two, huh? If I have to negotiate with them, I’d rather do it with the Kyrsa and Yaga, then,” Lissa mused, making a mental reminder to herself to see who in the village would be most knowledgeable about them after her chat with the dwarf. As for the Kyrsa, though, Eirhild wasn’t giving her a very good first impression of them, at least. She was about to thank her for her time and information to do her own further investigation when she remembered Nylah’s words, and that the other two had left with them. The little elf girl seemed alright, and pretty cute actually, but Lissa really didn’t like her bodyguard’s awfully sour personality.

She decided she might as well go over to her house and see what the mothraki had wanted to discuss with her in private, and bring Eirhild back together with her other companions rather than let her idle about in an increasingly empty room. “I need to see Nylah about something, actually. I think she went to her house with your friends. If you come along, she’ll probably have a meal for you, or at the very least, be able to help find you some lodgings,” Lissa offered. “I’m serious about the expedition though, so once I’m prepared, I’d still like to have you onboard if you’re willing.”

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Giselle de Farry

Undead Princess, de Farry

---

The white-haired vampire clicked her tongue in annoyance as the creature continued to scream, despite having its skull caved in and a chunk of its chest cored out. Giselle quickly changed strategies and pivoted, yanking out her blood lance and taking bits with it, before willing her weapon to change shape once again. Keeping its pole, the lance blade immediately morphed into that of a reaper’s scythe. With a swish, she moved to remove the zombie’s head altogether, even as more undead began to creep down the stairs.

Finding herself unwilling to deal with this escalated mess, she bounded over to the weapons rack. In a few seconds, she picked over the rusted weapons before finding a serviceable lance. Trickling her magical energy into the mundane relic, she merged her blood scythe together with it as it became liquid once more, coating the weapon with her blood. With a flourish and a spin, the weapon glowed with energy, even as her blood rushed back into her body, reinvigorating her, or at least to almost as much as she had felt when she woke up. The portion of blood that remained fused with the lance, shaking off its rust, reinforcing and restoring the ancient weapon to a form that it would have envied even in its best days. Still, even this was a fraction of her former creation abilities.

New weapon weapon in hand, Giselle was still sorely tempted to blitz past the new group of walking undead. But without Akyasha with them, it was probably ill advised, even if she did annoy her. With a frown, she glanced over at the ice princess. “It would seem the priestess has fallen behind. As much I wish to hurry on… we should probably clear out these beasts, lest she might lose our trail.”

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Lissa

Lissa couldn’t help but to sniff at the continuously rude treatment she was getting from the child’s so-called bodyguard, but elected to ignore her in favor of continuing her conversation with the more amiable elf. It seemed the two were leaving anyway; she gave Nylah a small wave as the three of them headed off to her house.

The Raam glanced over curiously at the gems the dwarven girl had received as payment. There was definitely a story to be had there, what with a dwarf being a hired hand to protect a young noble girl, but she decided to pry at a better time. There were better things to do right now, and it seemed the girl knew about the groups that she had been talking about. Lissa had intended to ask Haruno or Nylah more about them, but she hadn’t gotten a chance with the repeated interruptions.

“Mhm, seems like it,” she nodded. “I don’t know too much about them myself, so I’ll appreciate any information about them, but I think it’s likely the recent disasters in the area might have made food and supplies scarce. Food insecurity’s a good reason for tempers to flare if any… it might just be as simple as the two of them teaming up to survive,” she mused. “Ah, right, I’m Lissa, a pleasure. I’m sure the village would make it worth your while for your assistance. If not, I have the means to make it right,” Lissa nodded, inclining her head towards Eirhild’s recent payment. She had a reasonable amount of coin with her after offloading much of her things recently, and she wasn’t afraid of spending it for a good cause.

Lissa offered a hand. “You can consider it another job, then. As for the operation itself… it’s my plan, but I’m still in the early stages of planning it out. I’m going to ask around for more information on the three groups in the village, but I want to keep it simple; we get in, intervene, and figure out a way to drive off the Kyrsa and Yaga, or convey Mie’s group safely to the village. Failing that, scout out the situation and figure out a contingency from there.”

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Giselle de Farry

Undead Princess, de Farry

---

Giselle had been right, as she had expected. Alavaris was too old, too lived in, and too storied to not have such little entrances, despite the decrepit state the city and the land was in now. In this case, it was the easiest of alternative entrances they found, a simple guard door. Time had ensured that whatever door or lock that might have gotten in their way was not an issue. Still, it seemed to have done its job enough that the contents of the guard room seemed relatively unscathed for their age. Perhaps, if she was so inclined, she could quickly restore one of those weapons herself and stow away her blood to conserve her energy.

Before she could do that, though, they had to clear the room. There was a single undead beast here. Giselle had been about to smack the degenerated body aside when it stared at her and Aleksiya, and screamed. She winced, placing a hand to her ears even as she lashed out together with the smaller vampire lord to destroy the lesser being for its heinous offense.

“Nasty little thing, aren’t you?”

She could barely even hear herself as aimed for center mass, intending on eviscerating its undead heart if Aleksiya’s headshot wouldn’t do the trick. Immediately after, she began to move towards the weapon racks, intending to inspect them for anything that she could restore and use on the spot once the trouble in the room was dealt with.

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Lissa

Folding her arms, the Raam-in-disguise nodded in agreement as Nylah elaborated on her own explanation. Lissa wondered what the mothraki had wanted to her ask her in private, but with these newcomers, she guessed that it could wait for later. She was about to respond further when she spotted the village’s resident demon sneak in among the trio to… reverse pickpocket a sweet roll into the young girl’s hands.

She briefly tensed up, the same as the clearly noble girl’s escort did. Lissa herself was still unsure about the demoness, but she was equally concerned how the travelers would react to something obviously unusual as… Vammy. Lissa held up her hands in placation. “Everybody, let’s not be too hasty,” she began, but made sure to shoot a very dirty look in the lewd demon girl’s direction. “As far as I know, she hasn’t done anything of harm yet, and with the disaster that has befallen this village and general region, it can use any body or helping hand it can get. It’s why I’m staying here myself, so I’ll have to kindly ask you to refrain from any potential arson!”

Thankfully, the trio’s talk only remained on the level of bickering and was moderated by the half-elf girl, of all things. How important to them was that girl if a couple uncertain words in Nylah’s favor was able to calm her escort? Curious and curiouser, Lissa wanted to know who these people were exactly.

Well, a basic introduction would do for now, even if it was tainted with the threat of violence. “Lissa, traveling knight and part-time merchant. Nylah and the villagers would never do such a thing, but if you act against the village, I’ll be obliged to intervene.”

She sniffed as the girl and her charge began to bicker again. Thankfully, the dwarf was more approachable, and Lissa lit up as she mentioned her rescue mission. “Looking to join? There’s a merchant caravan some ways away from the village that are bogged down in the snow and are being sieged by some local groups. I’ve been told they’re the Krysa and the Yaga, but what’s important is that they’re in a bad way, and the village itself also needs their help. I intend to mount an expedition to either relieve them or at least get a better idea of what’s going on. Your help would be… really appreciated, and I’m sure both the village and Mie and her caravan would duly reward you for the assistance."

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Lissa

“Well, that’s fair,” Lissa frowned, but accepted to Haruno’s answer. Really, it would have benefited everybody if she had asked, though. The next best thing was accepting her broken mask as a means of identification. Despite the oni’s help, there really wasn’t much to go on, but interrogating Calra’s injured patient any further was not going to do anybody favors, either.

She was about to turn and leave herself to contemplate what to do next when Nylah stopped her to have a word in private. “Sure. Something important? Let’s step outside, then--”

Even that she wasn’t able to do, though, when a trio of newcomers entered the cathedral. “More travelers?” she muttered, taking note of the demeanor and gear they wore. They certainly were an eclectic bunch. A young elf noble and her escort, perhaps? A strange escort, if so.

Nonetheless, she couldn’t help but to make a light joke as they approached. “Ah, reinforcements for the rescue expedition, I presume?” Of course, it was obvious they were not, but on the off-chance they were willing to help, that would be nice, wouldn’t it? Still, she raised an eyebrow at the rapid-fire questions the two adults of the group began to ask.

“Perhaps not then. You’re in the town of Dawn, and I do believe we’re above ground, rather than underground,” she responded. “As for who’s in charge…” she thumbed in the direction of the village elder had previously been. Right, he’d been dragged out earlier. “Ah, it seems he’s left. Well, you’re going to want to speak to Enli, he’s the village elder.”

Prophetiae Adventum: Envoys of the Pantheon

Kyra Pfalz-Karstadt,

most definitely not Lutatia Eichenwald von Brudel

---

The knight was already entering the house when Lutatia was asking her question. As she hadn’t spotted an obvious threat from above, and Aurelian had not indicated anything other than that the hamlet was not occupied, she dismounted to get a better look. With years of partnership with her Pegasus, she could trust her to not wander off and get into trouble without needing to tie up her mount.

She noticed the movement only a moment after Aurelian, and she immediately tensed, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword as the shape suddenly ran out towards them.

It was a villager, a child.

Lutatia let the tension flow out of her as she relaxed, though a worried feeling remained as she removed her hand from her sword. “It’s alright now, we’re here.” Her face softening, she affected a reassuring smile as she knelt down to console the girl and give her a pat on the head. “What’s your name? I’m Kyra, and this is Aurelian. We’re here on behalf of Marshal Dunham to see what’s going on,” she explained. It seemed the half-elf girl had been reassured by either her Corissian clothing or Lede, but either way, letting her know that they were officially from Coris would go a long way to reassuring the girl.

“We’ll do our best to help you find your mommy and daddy, but we’ll need to ask some questions to help us find them,” she nodded, speaking carefully as she fumbled through one of the pouches on her belt before finding what she was looking for. It was a good thing that she had brought those cream biscuits. She offered the little girl some of the sweets before she continued. “Do you know why the village is deserted, or where they or the other villagers went? If you’re not sure, just a direction would be helpful.”

She shared a glance with Aurelian. Either way, this was quickly growing far more worrisome than a simple missing patrol. Between the burning fields, and empty village, she had a bad feeling about what they might find beyond the threshold of the village. Whatever it was, she dearly hoped this young girl wasn’t already an orphan.

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Giselle de Farry

Undead Princess, de Farry

---

Despite their number, the hordes of undead gave the vampire trio little resistance as they cut their path towards the cathedral. The shrieking beast continued to linger in the periphery of their senses, however, so Giselle wasn’t able to affect as leisurely a pace as she wanted to examine the state of the city. Indeed, the thing that gave them the most resistance in their drive away from the creature was in fact the city’s architecture.

“Well, this is troublesome.”

The great iron doors to the Cathedral ward were sealed shut, barricading away the hordes of the mindless undead… but also higher beings, namely herself and her two companions. The white-haired vampire frowned at the ornate structure. It seemed centuries or even eons of neglect had not tarnished the grandeur of this structure and its ornate metalwork. That was good if they were to eventually rebuild, but here in the now, it was no small inconvenience.

Once upon a time, such a barrier would have been little obstacle to any of them, but now was another thing. Giselle was confident that their combined might could siege down the gate eventually, but at what cost? At the expense of what meagre power, they had remaining, to destroy a valuable fixture that had withstood the test of time, and would otherwise continue to, if unmolested?

No, that was a last resort.

“I am loathe to squander what little power we have trying to blast our way through a relic,” she decided, giving a nod of allowance towards the cleric. Giselle doubted Akyasha would approve of damaging fixtures in the Cathedral, religious nut that she was. “As it is, it’s too tall to jump or scale at our current ability. I’m going to look for an alternative way in.”

Not wasting further time to dawdle with a soft deadline on their entry, she began to make her way down a side street. There must be some sort of side entrance, guard exit, or secret passageway somewhere along the wall. They always existed.

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Lissa

“Just a helping hand passing by,” replied Lissa, returning her smile with her own. “You were out for most of it, but Nylah and I got you back to the village.” There was also the whole fighting off the giant chameleon thing, but she really didn’t need to know about a superfluous detail like that. She slipped into a nearby pew, giving her some space to rest and to allow Calra to fuss over her patient while she gave more details on her ill-fated trip.

“Forgive me, but given I’m not from around here, I’m not too familiar with the Kyrsa and Yaga, though I’ve heard of them in passing.” She frowned as the girl descended into a coughing fit, but it did sound like they were in a dire situation. She couldn’t help but to grimace further when she elaborated that she set out to the village with an entire party.

“Did she say why they were being unreasonable? I’m of a mind to at least scout the situation myself. I can’t in good conscious sit still to let them be sieged out until starvation, and the village needs the caravan, too.”

Prophetiae Adventum: Envoys of the Pantheon

Kyra Pfalz-Karstadt,

most definitely not Lutatia Eichenwald von Brudel

---

The last of the tea had run out, and Lutatia had nothing to show for it, but she had been prepared for an extended search. She had packed enough for two full meals for herself, plus a little extra if her companions needed an extra pick-me-up. She had long finished her inflight meal of some toasted sandwiches, and was tucking into some delightful cream-filled biscuits when something on the ground below that she was idly observing caught her eye. Or, rather the lack of something. She popped one last baked treat into her mouth before she nudged Lede to descend to a lower altitude for a closer look.

The anomaly in question was a village, but it seemed quite abandoned, and abandoned recently. There were some easily explainable reasons that could have a village deserted so, but considering the circumstances of the missing patrol and the rumors of meddling by Nuniel, it was a point of interest.

“Ser Aurelian,” she spoke, putting power into a communication spell to the nearby knight. “There’s a village off the spur of the main road to your left. It’s been abandoned, and I think we should check why.”

There was no response from the knight, but she hadn’t expected one, because it was one-way. He didn’t have the knowledge of the spell to reply. Frankly, that was probably going to be an issue going forward. With the party already split up, fast two-way communication could mean life or death. She would have to figure out a way to teach everybody the spell or some close equivalent, somehow.
She continued to provide overwatch as Aurelian headed over, in case something went wrong. If the village had been taken over by troops from Nuniel, for example, then it wouldn’t do if she went down with Aurelian and was ambushed together. From the closer view, though, it was obvious that something sinister had happened here. A field had obviously been torched in the recent past, which didn’t bode well for anything good.

It was only when he casted his signal flare spell did she react, first, with a wince, before finally making a lazy descent onto his position. After all, if there was enemy action here, he’d just alerted everybody else, as well.

Glancing around carefully as she landed, she made her way over to the knight. It was obvious up close that there had been a struggle, and it seemed Aurelian was investigating one of the houses.

“Well, we’ve certainly found something,” she idly commented. “Anything important?”