Necrophage

Caravan: Resurrection

Baeshri Pass - Caravan Ambush Site

Rem moved at Ellorei's pace, arriving right behind her as she discovered the caravan. It was indeed a wreck. The smell of blood and meat was heavy in the air from the literally blown apart venbu. The older druid brought his wrist up to his nose and kept his voice low. "When it comes to the fair races there is always a reason." He answered in response to Ell. "I don't see any movement around us yet." He paused, lifting an enchanted rein left in several pieces with the tip of his staff. He dropped it quickly as he heard more muffled talking from further beyond. The caravan itself looked to be mostly intact. A marvel that this kind of mess happened and yet that metal can was still whole. "Either bandits are still looting the cabin or we have survivors." Rem verbally noted. He hadn't seen any humanoid remains yet, of course he wasn't able to look at every angle of the scene either. He moved toward the cabin, his staff clacking against the ground every few steps.

The spell was readied in Rem's mind as he approached the door. There was no subtlety to his movements, no intention to hide. He moved straight to the door and clamored his staff against it three times.

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Baeshri Pass - Caravan Interior

Daelin nearly jumped... nearly. More of a small hop, really. Taking a good step away from the door, he raised his crossbow in preparation for the worst. "I really hope that's Marilyn." He prayed. Whatever was out there didn't seem like a beast, what the hell kind of beast would knock courteously? Daelin turned his head to the gathered crew. "Captain?" He addressed.

Caravan: Resurrection

Baeshri Pass - Crossing to Baeshri Forest

The dusty, beaten trail of Baeshri Pass narrowed as it became less hilly before running through Baeshri Forest and reaching the trade route. Ellorei and Rem were crossing this highway on the path to his cottage in Eastern Baeshri Forest. Night here was dark and generally quiet except the shuffling of animals and the breeze blowing through the trees. The noise coming from a little further up the path was out of the ordinary. Men shouting in the middle of the night were almost never heard unless it was some drunkard dancing around Lalifell as Rem passed.

Rem paused at the side of the pass, looking down the road and magically enhancing his vision to meet the low light. Rem spoke up with a hint of worry in his voice. "You hear that, Ell? There shouldn't be anyone out here. It's too dangerous." He rubbed at his brow with his forearm, pondering whether they should go and investigate. From here they could see the spire of stone just over the tree line like a single fang. Perhaps it was just a caravan crew turning in for the night. "What do you think? Should we see what this is? My friend can wait just a little longer without worry. My home is protected so she is safe for the time being." He asked Ell.

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Caravan: Resurrection

Baeshri Hills

As the purple dragonflies fluttered in Ell relaxed. She seemed no longer to be alert of the dangers as she probed her questions which was understandable. She was young and didn't realize that these dragonflies weren't acidic. The larvae on the mushroom wasn't there's. Rem huffed out a relieved sigh.

Rem planted his staff firmly against the ground and faced Ell to answer her question. "A friend? Sure. Anyone that means no ill will may be a friend of mine." Friendship came easily. Trust did not, even if it appeared he did. Ell was out here pursuing many of the same ideals that Rem did but their true goals didn't necessarily line up. Rem lived in the cities and pursued the secrets of sorcery for a majority of his life. His reasons for becoming a druid were not the same as Ell's and one day he would tell her why, but that was not today. He couldn't help but feel an admiration for her pure love of nature. Here she was looking up to him for his veterancy in the craft, one she aspired to and was practically born for. She was the ideal druid, someone worthy of the mantle and worthy of teaching and protecting.

Ell's second question was more complicated, one worth pondering and so Rem didn't answer for a few moments. It was clear he was thinking about the true answer to it when he finally shrugged. "Life is complicated and Gaia's answers are not always as cut and dry as we would like them to be. The cities are deserving of growth and nurture just as much as the wilds. Men, eldi, lok'sha, it does not matter who so long as their ideals are admirable and deserving then they deserve a chance to grow, to prove and to overcome. Your point with Marrenfall is well founded. I would deem them unfit of continuing their growth until they have learned how to maintain cleanliness and preserve what is around them. In this regard we become nurturers, teachers. We show them the way they should take." Rem turned his head to stare off into the night. "If only it were so easy. These days druids don't agree on much of anything with each other. The last time a gathering of druids agreed on something it led to a war." He shook his head at the thought of the event. "It didn't end well for anyone."

Rem outstretched a hand to the south. "Come. I have a friend to help and we still have a pass to cross before we get home." He directed.

Caravan: Resurrection

Baeshri Pass - Ambush Site

Daelin caught the key and did as told by shutting the door and locking it but he wasn't done with the subject. "I know it's dangerous outside but why are we hunkering down now before we've got proof that Marilyn's gone? Venbu are dead sure, that don't matter. What does matter is that Marilyn was a person. The whole feeling is sour, not knowing what happened. If she is alive then waiting will make sure she's dead." He reasoned. Daelin knew the chances of her being alive out there were slim but not pursuing the truth of her fate made him feel dirtier in a situation that was already a mess.

The caravan was still a mess and staying was like betting on chance that something with the power to break into the caravan wouldn't come. Zay was right. No matter what they did this whole circumstance was awful. After a painful silence Daelin spoke up. "I took us on this path. It's my fault we're here but I know where we are and where we can go. There's a village along the Pass. It's a stretch but I think it's better than getting eaten out of the caravan like canned meat. The venbu are out there. Whatever predator or scavenger comes through is going to want a piece of that. Assuming staying goes well there's no telling if or when the assassins come back."

Daelin turned around and slammed the wall with his fist. "Damn right, sir. We have options and they all suck."

Caravan: Resurrection

Baeshri Hills - Near Southern Baeshri Pass

"Buzzing?" Rem queried. He moved close to Ellorei and noticed the burn mark lit by the bio-luminescent mushrooms. "Trouble." He whispered to her quietly. Insects were Rem's least favorite creature to deal with. Many were a necessary force of nature while others were arguably a pestilence on the world with little redeemable aspects. "Make sure the mushroom is clear of any of these bugs. We don't want to bring them home." Rem moved around her in a half circle, keeping his back to Ellorei as he studied their surrounding. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and reopened them. What were once human eyes became reflective horizontal circles like a night-dwelling animal. He could see the shapes fluttering around in an aggravated state. They had woken the hive or at the least whatever amount were calling this grove home.

"Stay close. These creatures are already agitated and I have no feelings for them. I cannot calm them." Rem warned. "Ell, whatever you were thinking of using before against the hounds, now may be the time to use it." Rem himself readied a spell, knowing exactly what he wanted to use to defend them should the insects swarm.

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Caravan Centaurus

Daelin reported quickly to his captain. "Only a few of us escaped unscathed from the crash, Cap'n." He looked around at the others. "Broken bones and fractures are spread liberally. Lyullia's leg seems to be broken or sprained. Flin's got some problems with his arm, Noru is doing well all things considered. Good thing too. Pyra has some fractures. The worst of it is that we haven't found Marilyn yet. Unless you give me permission to scout around we can consider her missing." Daelin concluded. They weren't in a good position to move right now with all the injuries. It was likely the best bet to hunker down but something didn't feel right. Hunkering down was just as bad of an idea as trying to move if they still had explosives out there. This whole ambush made a mess of any plans they could do.

Caravan: Resurrection

Baeshri Hills - Near Southern Baeshri Pass

"No, she isn't a druid but she is the best friend I've ever had. I owe her my life." Rem answered. The sun was almost down. He paused on the natural trail near a small copse that opened up to the star-lit sky. Mushrooms, flowers, vines. The forest was heavy in vegetation here. The mushrooms in particular seemed to line the sides of the natural pathway. Rem knelt down beside some of them a sniffed at the air.

"These are what I am looking for, the mushrooms." He took a seat, criss-crossing his legs. "Or rather what is hidden among them. You see, most of these are poisonous. They all look the same, smell the same, they even taste the same I'm told." He shrugged. Not like he'd eat poisonous shrooms just to find out how they taste. "There's a trick though. A beautiful trait in some of nature's more secretive flora and fauna." Rem sat back, leaning the palms of his hands against the ground. "Just watch closely."

As the last rays of light ascended and disappeared from the horizon the mushrooms in the grove began to glow. Not just a few of them, all of them. They lit up in a cascade of several different colors: red, blue and green. The forest was dark around them but in this small grove the bio-luminescence of the mushrooms gave enough light for them to see each other's faces.

"The people who know about them call them Wisp-caps. Beautiful aren't they? Go ahead and pick a couple of the red ones. Just don't touch any of the other ones." He smiled wryly. "They are known to have paralytic effects. Wouldn't want you joining my friend now."

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Caravan Centaurus

Daelin waved the can through the air to clear the mist, coughing slightly as some of the backspray of the mace wafted through the air. "Whew! A couple more seconds and you'd have officially made this my worst caravan run yet." Daelin commented. He was thinking purely of the kill count of course. No one had ever tried blowing him up before. A tactic that he definitely didn't approve.

The caravan was a mess inside and out but as it stood they were sitting ducks. They had no idea how many marksman were outside or if they had any more unapproved tactics. Daelin stowed the can back into his belt and rummaged around through the cabin for what he really wanted. He spotted just what he was looking for in the back where Lyullia had initially fallen. It must have been thrown back there in the crash. The crossbow! He rushed over to it, pushing debris off and pulling it out from under a partly broken box. It was scuffed up a bit and the stock had a new scar that he didn't put into it but it seemed operable. He tested the string, unsatisfied with its tautness he twisted a small crank along the center of the bow. He nodded at his work and turned to face the others. "I'm checking outside. I know they have marksman but we can't sit here either. For all we know they want to dump that rock above us on the caravan and be done with it." Daelin mused. He stopped at the ladder and looked up. "Cap'n! You okay up there?" He asked.

Caravan: Resurrection

Baeshri Hills

"I think you did an admirable job stalling for the children's sake. I have no doubt you would have figured something out, that is after all what we do." They started heading down an incline as the sun set in the distance. "I think that is part of what drew me to this role over everything else I did in life prior. The power of nature responds differently than sorcery. Nature itself listens when we ask because Gaia put her trust in us to watch over it. That means we can do almost anything that we can see and think of in nature so long as we have good cause to do so." The darkening skies didn't in the least slow Rem down, he moved with purpose. "Have you ever walked the wilds in the dark of night?"

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Southern Trading Route - Ambush

Daelin stepped his left foot back to conceal what he was doing with his left hand at his waist. "That is the worst stalling tactic you could come up with!" He commented to the myti. "Whose to say that we're gonna even care after what you did to our driver?" He questioned. As he spoke he popped the lid off the monster strength spray and got himself ready. "Your going to try slitting the throat of one of our mages. Then what? Nothing. You'll die like your friend on the floor." He flashed his eyes to Pyra, directing the next part to him. "Don't die, you're going to hate me for this." He drew the spray suddenly and blasted both of their faces since they were in such close proximity.

Caravan: Resurrection

Baeshri Hills

"So many questions." Rem commented as he gently tugged his hand free of Ellorei's double-handed handshake. "I wish I could tell you we were close by my home. Then we could sit down and perhaps enjoy a good discussion. One of the things I miss about good, quality interaction. Unfortunately, that is not the case. It is quite a distance further into the dense forest." He brought a free hand up to the blue bird on his shoulder and rubbed beneath its beak with his index finger. "And I am looking for something to help a friend of mine." He revealed. "I can answer your questions if you're willing to walk with me." He offered.

"First, explain to me what you were trying to do. Then I'll explain what I did." Rem started.

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Kel, Marvis Astorian's Manor

"That is gravely unfortunate Marvis. With people like you having no real say in this matter I suppose it was only a measure of time until the people came to this awful conclusion." Kanna lifted her dress in a curtsy. "I am deeply grateful you listened to me, Marvis. Best of luck to you, we're all going to need it if we can't stop this." She stepped, smoothly to the door. Before she left, poking halfway into the hall she commented. "Stay in good health, cousin. Kel still needs you." The door creaked to a close.

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Kel, Underworld; The Whispering Cove

"Thank you, Mister Finnick. A professional as always." Vetch quipped. He placed the jingling bag into Finnick's waiting palm and took the bag of powder off the table. "You'll be hearing from the Lady or myself soon for more services, count on it. Goodbye, Mister Finnick." He said. He placed the sack into an open pocket in his long coat and turned heel to leave. As he pushed through the door he nodded to the brothers and made his way out.

Caravan: Resurrection

Baeshri Hills

A man with a bark mantle and fur cloak set across his shoulders stepped in from the denser forests. He walked right between the two and turned to look straight at the maw beasts. They were slavering, the rows of teeth in their gaping maws were twitching excitedly. The force the poor druid here was using was working but only just enough. He looked at the beast in the front sternly and addressed it like it were another human. "Hungry are we? Well, we aren't an easy meal." He turned briefly to look at the druid behind him. She was one of the youngest druids he had ever seen. "Are we?" He smiled and a transcendent calm settled across the area. A small blue bird found itself relaxed enough to settle on his shoulder even in the midst of the drama. The elder druid turned back to the hounds. Several started to close their maws and look down and around. They seemed to be disappointed. Several of the pack turned away, ready to leave. The man chuckled and pointed off into the forest. "Go back to your grounds, food is waiting." He suggested. It was obvious that he was using magic to speak to them, it seemed like it wasn't altogether necessary for him to even speak out loud but he did it nonetheless.

The supernatural calm started to lift from their senses. The man let out a weary sigh before he addressed the young druid. "Strange circumstances to meet a new person. It's always better when there is peace in a meeting. Then again, a dramatic circumstance makes a meeting like this all the more memorable and exciting." His green eyes practically sparkled when he grinned. He swapped his staff to his left hand so he could use the other, extending it to handshake the young woman. "The name's Rem."

Caravan: Resurrection

Daelin was able to react in time to brace against the hit aimed for his head. He raised his ax against it and wound up getting a nasty claw across his forearm and getting knocked back against the wall. He still clutched his ax and the grapple in his other hand as he faced off against the myti that had jumped down. He kept his guard against the assassin from the roof but he still had a hold of the myti that was assaulting Flin. The loose grappling line drifted lightly across the floor between Daelin and its victim. He hit the return lever and the spring mechanism sparked back, pulling the line sharply. He held onto the device snugly. With the spike still in her gut, the myti was in a poor position to evade Flin's projectiles while being reeled back to the front of the caravan.

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Kel, Marvis Astorian's Manor

"It makes me happy you are willing to listen." Kanna expressed with a smile. "You may not know it but I have been working hard myself. I've become privy to a nasty bit of information regarding magic extremists in the lower quarters. I couldn't pin down their location with my limited resources but I do know that they plan to do something far more dangerous than they have done before." She warned. Her face took on a serious tone to help convey the gravity. "The extremists are planning to destroy part of the south wall. They were even talking about it in the middle of the day." She shakes her head at the thought. "They're so brazen with their confidence in how lax the government has become. I have this on good report from a friend of mine. If someone isn't ready to stop them or clean up their mess then we'll have bigger problems than just the wall being broken. Something might get in." She paused to let it sink in.

"I come to you with this because the guard wouldn't listen to me. If we can be ready with enough men to make a move on the wall when this happens or even get the information to stop it outright then you can garner more respect as a hero and we can both save lives. Just like grandpa always wanted from us, right Marvis?"

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Kel, Underworld; The Whispering Cove

Vetch shook his head with a groan. "Prissy? A shame you don't know the Lady Kanna like I do Mister Finnick." The wretched looking eld peered around the shop at the various piles of junk strewn about in Finnick's strange style of ordered chaos. "The Lady was very busy today. So much that I haven't had the privilege of seeing her. It was my honor to do the tasks that burdened her beyond a single day." For being normally silent, Vetch was quite talkative with mention of his Lady.

Vetch fished around in a pocket inside his long coat for a jingling bag that he held close to his chest. "If you have the special blend powder from Marrenfell, the Lady has procured the requested payment." He jingled the bag a little for emphasis. "As promised, Mister Finnick."