Pallanche

[dauphinous]

Darkness…
A darkness so total and complete that it defies the mind.
And floating. It's a peculiar sensation, like being fully submerged in water, and yet…not. No pressure, no frantic need to breathe, just floating.
It lasts an eternity, yet it ends in an eyeblink with a wrenching tug that pulls every ounce of your being.
Then pressure from a weight on top of you, around you, covering your whole body and making it difficult to breathe.
And the smell: of smoke and the coppery tint of blood...and something else like death.

Westcliff
May 10, 2712PF
Just after dawn

The buildings have fallen, rendered down to ruined, charred shards of wood sticking up a few feet, surrounded by ash and debris. The trees that once stood here, proud and tall, are now barren fingers of blackened wood that still smolder from yesterday's fires. A thick haze of smoke hangs over the area, dampening the glow of the early morning sun down to a pathetically dim whisper of light. Piled in heaps, hundreds of corpses - some burnt, some not - bear the signs of a brutal death. Halflings, satyrs, humans, elves, dwarves, gargoyles, mephits, and more; all the dead have been lumped together unceremoniously, their location determined simply by where they died.

The burnt remnants of the buildings run to the base of the cliff, where smooth, round tunnels delve deep into the rock. The tunnels now are covered in blood, some deeper pools not yet fully dry. Smoke curls out of a few where the fires still burn within. The rock of the cliff face higher up, riddled with the holes that mark the entrances to the lairs of aerial creatures, is scorched and blasted by fire and acid.

As far as the eye can see to the north, east, and south, there are more blackened, broken spears that once must have been trees. This town was surrounded by a forest with two paths through it, but no longer. A second location, just to the south along what must have been one of those paths, is throwing a plume of black smoke into the sky. Like that from the tunnels, though, it is wispy and probably just the late remains of one or more fires still burning.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Darkness. The smell of death. Where am I? What happened? Falling. Oh, putain, that's right. I must have fallen through that hole that opened in the floor into a tomb of some kind. And passed out? Maybe I hit my head. She worms her way around the pile to put a hand to her head, unaware that what she finds is a vestigial horn. Must have. That's quite a lump. I feel like a building fell on me. Which may not be far from wrong. She starts to try to work her way free of the pile, and stands around confused at the devastation she sees-- and the notable lack of anything resembling tombs, ruins, or even desert. She is momentarily unaware of her current appearance and lack of clothing.

[Newbie101]

Adam Corinoff

As the darkness receded, a sense of touch returns to Adam's limbs. He is wedged, crushed, surrounded by something. The sudden rush of feeling is so overwhelming that he almost passes out again. Where am I? I can't move. Am I dead? What happened? Why can't I move? Was I buried alive? Oh my god! I... I need to calm down and breathe.

He finds that he can breathe, albeit with some difficulty. He takes a few practice breaths, as deep as he can, and finds the sense of smell has returned to him as well. The odor is foul. It burns as it goes into his nose and leaves an unpleasant aftertaste on his tongue. Smoke. That's smoke, just like from a campfire. That's okay. And, it smells like blood - my blood? I'm injured? What am I buried in? Why does it feel so strange? Where am I?

He realizes that his eyes are still closed shut and he slowly relaxes and opens them. It is still dark, but that is likely because his face is pressing into something fairly soft and ... fleshy. He tries moving again and discovers that with difficulty he can move his arms and legs. There is something funny about his legs, but he does not think about it now. He has to get out. Alright, I can just dig my way out of here. Pull in and push up. Huh, that felt like some kind of fabric. And that almost felt like skin - where the hell am I? What, what are my legs doing?

He freezes, and thinks again about his legs. They do not feel quite right - something is off. He tries to wiggle his toes and, to his horror, he can not feel them at all. It is as if he can not figure out how to do it properly. He raises his legs at the hip and then bends the knees as well. It gets a little weirder around the ankle, which seemes to be in the wrong place, way too high up and instead of his toes, there seems to be something else there. Okay, okay. I got injured when helping that girl and these are some kind of prosthetic legs. That's why they feel so weird. And all of this is probably some kind of vivid anxiety dream. I need to just relax and go with it. Just relax and I can wake up.

Slowly, Adam tries climbing out again. It is tough going, but he feels like he is slowly making progress and it is getting a bit lighter. He finds it best to not think too much about the pervasive smell, or his legs, or his almost complete lack of clothing. His strange legs seem to work best without his focusing on them and he pretends he is swimming. Arms in, out and pull; legs in and push. There are other strange things going on - his head keeps on getting caught on things and he has to periodically shake it free. It is as if he has some kind of funny hat glued on that is getting stuck in whatever he is climbing out of. This is a lot like that one time I tried to play football and got tackled by everyone on the team. These... these can't be bodies. This is just a dream.

As Adam finally climbs out, the low sun is too bright for his eyes and he looks down. Down at what he just came out of and what his "legs" are standing in, his middle barely covered by some dirty, torn, leathery scrap tied around his waist. Down at his hairy horse legs - left hoof resting on some kind of burnt torso, the right one standing in between two others. He picks up his hands and looks at them - darker-skinned and hairier than he remembers. He shakes his head slightly to clear the confusion, and the strange weight draws his attention. He touches his head slowly, making his way up from the surprising little beard on the chin. When he reaches the horns, he grasps them with his hands, squeezing tightly to assure himself that they were real. His mouth opens slightly and he thinks the words he is too shocked to say out loud. Oh my god.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

At least the cold was gone, she thought as she woke.

No, that was not quite true, she decided. The air was sharp, like an early morning in spring or autumn, but the biting wind, at least, was gone with last night's terrible chill. She shifted, feeling as if something were pressing atop her lungs, making it hard to breathe. Is this how it will take me, then? By stealing my breath? It was a very calm way to think of dying, she realized. But then, she was fevered, as she suddenly recalled. Or she had been; she was no longer shivering with heat or cold. Why has it left me?

She shifted again, easing her leg and running it into something unseen. Instantly, reflexively, she winced. But no stab of pain came. Cautiously, she shifted it again, testing the wound, and found something was pinning it in place. But the pain, it is still gone. Why? She opens her eyes to darkness. It was hard to breathe, she realizes, because something was pressing atop her. She tries to wriggle out from under, but apparently she was buried under some weight. Not dirt, though...

In the dark, it takes her a moment to realize what is atop—and all around—her. Bodies. Her calm lasts several more seconds before a wave of revulsion overcomes her. Gasping suddenly for breath in the stifled air, she scrabbles upwards in panic for a few seconds, the only sound her own breathing. Even as she starts to recover, she continues trying to extricate herself, with more success.

She emerges from the pile, stumbling out onto the ground, and looks back at it, shuddering involuntarily. Something tugs at her mind; her leg does not hurt. She looks down, drawing up tattered, stained robes to stare at healthy, unmarked flesh. How... I was dying. Am I dead?

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Finally dying and at peace. Finally the pain subsides.

Wait, what's happened to me? Where...Where am I?

Just to your left you see a young man push his way out of a pile of corpses. He's bruised, battered and in tears. He surveys his surroundings with tears still flowing down his face. He composes himself enough to talk, athough his words are not aimed at you but at the sky.

"This can't be real. This is some dillusion, some insane dream before I die."
and then he closes his eyes and mutters to himself
"Wake up, just wake up... Maybe I am dead?" He looks at himself for the first time, at his hands and arms. "I'm young again? No pain for the first time in years. So it must be a dream"

He is tall and broad shouldered, though his stature is diminished by his current state. He's wearing commoner's clothes.
Finally he turns to the woman in front of him. [Janelle]

Are we dead?

[Santanya]

Vorel

From the burnt out ruins not far away comes a rustling, followed by a long, sad trill of some sort of animal. It continues for a short while, then stops for a mere moment before a sharper trill lances out in the air, followed by a loud crash and a small cloud of dust and ash rising into the air. The softer trill starts again as the rustling moves closer to the front of the burnt out building.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

It was the smells that Lily noticed first. Smoke and the awful stench of burned flesh assaulted her senses. Her body tried to vomit, but her stomach was empty, and she achieved only a painful case of dry heaves.

Am I still dreaming? Lily wondered, but quickly put the thought aside as her stomach began to cramp. I have to get out of here. That became her mantra, as she struggled to shift the weight that bore down on her.

But Lily was stuck fast, trapped beneath what felt like a broken statue.

Finally, she remembered what Nywm had said, and relaxed. Calmly, she thought of fur, and claw, and fang.

Moments later, a wolf began to ease itself from the press of bodies, easily pushing aside the gargoyle above it, and climbing to the top of the small pile of corpses that had entombed it, baring its teeth viciously.

Lily struggled to adjust herself to these new senses. The world was dim and dark, but oh, the scents! She could smell delicious roasted meat (and struggled to ignore the hunger it engendered), and ash, and smoke, but also sweat, and confusion, and fear. There were more than corpses here. Dim shapes moved nearby. She squinted, and climbed up a bit to get a better view. They looked like people. She smiled weakly at them.

[Nighteyes5678]

William

That was strong wine. It had seized control of his senses almost immediately, dragging him into a state of euphoric bliss that William had never before experienced. It surprised him, for he was unaware that Keith had access to such quality of wine. The implications of such information would have to be thought about later.

First, however, William had to concentrate on sobering up.

It was warm and dark and there was a comforting weight pressing on him, but this was no time to be in bed. William tried to shrug the covers from his body, but found his limbs pinned to his side. His eyes opened. Blackness. Something crawled on his stomach; another tickled his thigh. Skin pressed against him from all sides. William took a deep breath to keep himself from panicking. A mistake. The smell of slowly decaying flesh assaulted his nostrils, churning his stomach. Enough, it was time to leave this place.

The drink had robbed him of his strength. He gritted his teeth and struggled to push a hand through the veil of blood-clotted hair in front of him. Weak sunlight drifted through cracks in his tomb of flesh, but all he knew was the senseless death around him. William managed to get both hands above his head, pushing at a body, his entire form straining to move the carcass. It shifted and slid, oozing out of the pile. He tried not to breath through his nose, but his body had obviously been weakened by his stay in this hell; by the time the first body slide away, he was gasping for air, putrid or not. As the corpse moved, William was rewarded by a widening glimmer of sunlight before another fell, blocking his view.

He broke into a rhythm. Push. Claw. Pant. Rest. Push. Claw. Pant. Rest. His muscles screamed with agony, but he ignored them, forcing his limbs to continue working. Finally, he emerged from the pile of bodies, his heart thudding in his ears loudly.

He was in hell.

Bodies were piled, not only in his own unlit pyre, but all around him. Desolation as far as the eye could see. The air was thick with the smell of death and black with flies. Something ran across his foot and he screamed, kicking on instinct. His foot connected with something soft and the rat squealed in anger. Other rats turned their attention away from their feast, regarding him with glittering black eyes. William swore under his breath, moving back a few feet, his legs unsteady and weak underneath him.

His mind spun as he struggled to understand the utter destruction of his castle, so completely ruined that no trace of it could be found. The smell was nauseating, worse now that he was in the fresh air, the stark contrast dizzying. His people had been slaughtered and his eyes went to another pile as he vainly struggled to recognize a face; any face. No one seemed familiar and William groaned, sinking to his knees.

"Merciful Lord, what have I done to deserve this?" he groaned, bending over, his hands tearing at his hair. The pain mixed with the pain in his heart as he tried to understand the weight of his sin. "Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa," he muttered, feeling his grip on sanity begin to slip. His mind struggled with his surroundings and William felt the heavy hand of Father Benard settle on his head.
"Deus meus, ex toto corde poenitet
me omnium meorum peccatorum,
eaque detestor, quia peccando,
non solum poenas a te iuste
statutas promeritus sum,
sed praesertim quia offendi te,
summum bonum, ac dignum qui
super omnia diligaris.
Ideo firmiter propono,
adiuvante gratia tua,
de cetero me non peccaturum
peccandique occasiones
proximas fugiturum. Amen."

The words he had memorized by the time he had turned six came to mind and he poured his soul into it, struggling to find the mortal sin that had resulted in the loss of everything he had held dear. His spirit flew to God and he lost himself in his prayer. How long he remained like that, he didn't know.

A voice filtered through his consciousness, male and tinged with panic. Either it was a survivor or an enemy. William struggled to his feet, his eyes tinged with a rage he had fought to keep under control. He would find out sooner rather than later. He cast about for a weapon, but found none; with disgust he realized that his enemies had stripped him to his small clothes before leaving him for dead. Never mind, he would take their armor and weapons and he would make sure they were dead before leaving them.

William stalked toward where the voice had originated, using the piles of the dead as cover. Memories of past battles flickered into his mind, but he had been fighting for the Lord. They could not be the reason for this punishment.

Focus.

It was a man, his clothes that of a commoner and he was facing a naked woman. Williams blood heated inside of his veins and he stepped from his hiding place. "If my kingdom tolerated the likes of your filth, then no wonder Jehovah burnt it to the ground in punishment." He balled up his fists and charged the man, howling in anger, letting the pain and confusion flow into his attack. This, at least, was something he knew how to do.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle finds the question a rather strange one, and reaches down to feel for her own pulse, "No, not dead." Some bizarre dream. I must have hit my head in the fall-- or been exposed to some spores in the room below. For the moment, believing none of this to be any more real than a mold- or virus-induced fever-dream, she ignores her lack of clothing, attempting to make sense of imagery in the dream. The bodies-- likely a manifestation of her work digging up old tombs and cities-- easily explained. Same with her nudity-- her own self-consciousness and fears. The caves-- perhaps the city itself, buried under a mountain of rock instead of one of sand. The man before her-- she draws a blank. Any further meditation is interrupted as another charges the man before her in her dream, before she can think to act, she has reacted, leaping nimbly away from the scuffle, her breath hissing between her fanged teeth and her blood-red hair swirling momentarily around her face, one hand unconsciously reaching for a weapon-- any weapon-- no longer at her side.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

"If not dead then what? I've never had a dream like this, maybe we're in hell."

Initially startled Tann catches sight of a man rushing towards him. While his mind is conflicted his body acts. He moves his feet parallel and apart and hunches down, his hands stretched out before him.
The man smiles, seemingly enjoying this simple movement.

Dead or dreaming friend, I have not felt so stong in sixty years. Look around you, don't we have enough problems?

[Newbie101]

Adam

The sounds of voices jostles Adam out of his internal maelstrom of confusion and he looks up and around. The bodies strewn all around looks strange and too real at the same time. He finds himself wondering how they died.

There do seem to be others around and he takes a few steps, climbing out of the pile he was standing on. As he is deciding what to do, one of the men rushes towards another. What the hell is going on here?

The standing man changes his posture, looking ready to receive the charge, and speaks, though Adam does not understand what he is saying. He speaks loudly towards everyone he sees, [in Sylvan] "Hello? Who are you all? Where are we?"

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

This... this cannot be right. I am fevered, dreaming. It didn't feel like that sort of dream; too coherent. Or I am dead, she thinks with a touch of hysteria.

Eventually, though, she looks up from the unbroken skin on her leg, letting the burnt remains of the white robe fall. The piles of bodies no longer sicken her as they had—she had seen death before. It was only being caught amidst them that had unhinged her. The smell of smoke was familiar as well, could not help but be familiar, as was the stench of death—that had clung to her the past few days. She could not tell if it still did. What has happened? I was never on the fields; why would anyone bring my body? It made no sense. And if she were truly dead, why would the other bodies not also be moving?

Her confusion is brought sharply to an end as she turns to see a wolf, standing upon the field of bodies. She freezes for a moment, suddenly accutely conscious that she had no gun. She looks about for something—anything—that she could use as a weapon, and stands up straighter, taking an aggressive posture and staring the wolf in the eye to show she was not afraid—a partial lie, but a show of strength would surely convince an animal to find its meals elsewhere. She even half-bares her teeth in a snarl.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Whipping her head around at the sound of the new voice, Janelle laughs silently to herself. A satyr? I really must be ill. All that mythology is finally catching up to me. Let's just hope I don't come to in a rubber room. She's unsurprised that she can understand the foreign words-- it's a dream after all-- and responds in kind. <Sylvan>"Your guess is as good as mine, I expect."

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

The wolf's ears perk up, and Lily has no trouble making out the various conversations, although she's surprised to hear someone recite the Act of Contrition in perfect Latin, and unsettled to hear people talking in a language she understands but cannot name.

Lily's unease was only amplified as she struggled to make out the forms in front of her, for sight was proving as recalcitrant as smell and hearing were cooperative. Everything seemed to be in her peripheral vision, and the more she tried to focus, the harder it was to see anything at all. Someone was smiling at her, though, she was pretty sure of that. Lily tried to ask the stranger what was going on, but her mouth wouldn't cooperate. She had to get closer, to try to get a better view.

The wolf growled at Sylvie, and tensed to jump at her. Instead of leaping, though, only the creature's hind legs left the ground, sending it in an awkward somersault down the side of its pile of corpses. Landing in a heap, it whines, and, after several unsuccessful attempts, rises unsteadily to its feet.

Before, it was just me in the dream, and Nywm. Who are all these people? And shouldn't I have woken up by now? It feels like I've been dreaming for days. Suddenly, Lily remembers, Wait, I have a paper due tomorrow, I need to wake up!

With that shock, her mind kicks back into gear, displacing the wolf. Its form shifts, and a woman rises to her feet. She blinks rapidly, notices Sylvie, and asks the first thing that comes into her head. "Who are you?"

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie shies back involuntarily as the wolf growls and tumbles down the pile, glaring at the wolf as it rises—what manner of wolf was this, that ignored the bodies of the dead to come after her? Her fierce look turns to open-mouthed amazement as the wolf... blurs, shifting upwards into a woman.

She backs away, barely noticing the strange voices and cries on the wind. Suddenly, the source of part of her confusion became clear, as the bodies behind the other woman jump out at her in perfect clarity. A coppery-red little man with what looked like horns and wings—something that looked like a winged statue of burnt stone—strange shapes, mixed in with what looked at a casual glance to be perfectly normal. It was impossible—surely she was in the grip of the fever still. But everything was still cold with the morning chill, not burning hot or cold as the fever would be, and she could think clearly.

"Who... what are you?" she cries at the question, looking about wildly. "Where is this place?"

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam is surprised at the strange words coming out of his mouth, which do not sound like English at all. He is even more surprised when the red-haired naked woman responds in kind and he understands her. <Sylvan>"Well, my guess is I am unconscious and having a very strange dream. With dead bodies and naked women."

Once he wraps his head around the idea, it begins to make more sense to him. Of course, it's a dream. And I should just follow along and have fun. Maybe everything went fine with the booze run and I got real drunk and am passed out on the green couch. It's still weird as hell though - be one heck of a crazy story to tell when I wake up.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

"Oh, right, sorry." Lily says, with an apologetic smile, "I'm Lily Duncan. I don't know where we are. I was dreaming before, I think, or something very like a dream, but this is stranger and more terrible than my dream was. It's a pleasure to meet you, in any case." Lily says, extending her hand in greeting. Her gaze is warm and open, and her smile seems genuine.

[Nighteyes5678]

William

The man ignored him, speaking casually to the woman he intended to rape. Enough, this filth had no place here; the bodies were strewn with the dead and William was determined to add another corpse to the pile. He lowered his shoulder and slammed into the man, his arms already moving up into a position to throttle the man, his thumb ready to gouge out his eye.

The corpses were cold and rigid as William was thrown from his target as effortless as if he was a child. Pain washed through him and he lay in the embrace of the dead, struggling to make sense that William the Bear, feared in battle and honored as lord, had been tossed. By a young man.

For the first time, he took an inventory of his body, his mind working slowly as if it had been filled with molasses. His hands were smaller, smooth and delicate. Woman hands, unfit for true work. His biceps were unsightly, small and whithered away; his thighs were almost the same size as his upper arms. He reached to his head and gripped a handful of hair, pulled sharply and ignored the pain. Midnight black. William stared at it, expecting the silver that once adorned his head; at the very least the gold that he had in his youth. "It... it cannot be," he gasped, his voice raspy. Even that, now that he was turning an ear to it, was changed. It was higher, almost juvenile. He, Lord William, master of one of his own keep, ruler of serfs, leader of knights, undefeated in battle, had been turned into a girlish man, hardly fit to clean out stables much less be the lord he was meant to be.

His mind swam with the implications of such a thing. Fevers, he knew, could be produced by magical herbs that warlocks and witches grew, spreading seeds of madness and doubt among God's children. These fevers could produce hallucinations... but wouldn't he, blessed by God to lead, gain the power to thwart Satan's schemes?

A movement caught his eye and William could only lay there as the devil himself walked around a pile of corpses. The satyr, he had been instructed by Father Thomas, was the form that Satan took when he was in the world, usually sleeping with whores and gaining new converts. Warlocks and witches, and William only knew this for Father Thomas was seeking his approval to turn a witch over to the Church, kissed the anus of the devil when selling their soul to him for earthly power. Clearly, this delusion had been forced upon him by a dark power. There was no other explanation.

William staggered to his feet, making the sign of the cross over his whithered chest. "Get thee behind me, foul father of lies. I serve the One True God, He whom you fear." He struggled to lower his voice into a threatening growl, his voice wavering as it resisted his manipulations. "My soul is the refuge of God; I have received the Holy Mass; you have no place here. Take your human servants and leave this place."

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie stares at the woman blankly. A wolf one moment, and a woman acting as if all this was perfectly normal the next... A dream, yes—where else would wolves turn to women? But such a strange one for a fever to bring... She stamps out a faint spark of hope that someone had found her and was tending her wounds. The leg, it was hopeless, and no-one who found her would have been friendly to her.

"I do not know," she says, although what she means by that is unclear. "A dream... Is this a vision, perhaps? I have heard that the dying see visions, sometimes... and this is surely a vision I might see," she adds bitterly. Aside from the fantastic nature of the bodies, the scene was no longer strange to her. She feels a faint surge of sadness that such sights were familiar to anyone...

... Where had that come from? She had thought herself above self-pity. And flights of fancy—men were fools, and so long as there were fools there would be killing. "I am Sylvie," she says, finally recalling the other woman's question. Perhaps speaking to the visions would change them.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

The young woman blinks at the satyr for a moment. <Sylvan>"We can't both be-- oh, yes." She looks down at her naked body, quite younger than what she remembered, and then at the piles of corpses, finding a likely candidate near the edge of one of the piles, and stripping it of its shift and shoes, donning them as she speaks. <Sylvan>"As I was saying, we can't both be dreaming-- can we?" <French>"None of this makes any sense." Once dressed, she settles gracefully onto the nearest rock, looking from the satyr to William and the other man (Tann) with consternation, speaking more to herself than anyone else, reverting to the body's usual mode of speech without realizing it. <Common>"I was at the ruins of Khirkesh. We'd unearthed the observatory. I slipped in a night to see what could be seen. There were some bright stars-- Orion in particular. And several of the planets in conjunction. The floor opened up. I fell in. And I'm here, but this isn't really me. And there's a creature from Greek myth, and what-- some sort of priest or squire, I really should have paid more attention to medieval history-- and someone I can't identify. And a scene that looks like a Heironymus Bosch painting. It has to be a blow to the head-- or some sort of mold or germ causing hallucinations. I've never heard of such a mix of myths as this." She looks up from her self-musing and asks, <Common>"Who are all you people anyway, and what on Earth is going on here?"

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam looks at the naked woman and the dark-haired man who seems to be making the sign of the cross at him and babbling in some foreign language. Should have taken Greek and Latin Roots more seriously. Man, Freud would love this dream.

He does look down as the young woman starts putting on clothing and listens to what she says, though appears confused as she switches languages. He walks towards her and the red-haired man (Tann), moving hesitantly, half-expecting his legs to disappear from under him at any moment. After the woman finishes, he addresses her and the red-haired man. <Sylvan> "I'm sorry, I didn't understand a word you were saying towards the end there. Now, I haven't taken any classes on this, but I am pretty sure two people can not share a dream. So, either I am dreaming or you are. And, I think it's got to be me. I don't have goat legs in real life you know." He pauses for a bit, as if to think, <Sylvan> "It's a bit of a strange dream though - looks like it could turn into a nightmare at any moment."

He ignores the dark-haired man, hoping that this silly part of the dream will change and go away if he does not pay attention to it. Is that not how dreams work after all?

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

<Sylvan>"Well, if it's drug or disease-induced, we could. I don't suppose you've recently been in northern Egypt." She still looks puzzled at the whole situation.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily drops her hand back to her side, still smiling. If Sylvie didn't want to shake hands, well, in a place like this, Lily could hardly fault her. "Sylvie is a pretty name." Lily says. Her smile turns into a thoughtful expression. "I don't think this is a vision, either, although that's a good word to describe what I've just been through. No, Nywm said that I'd know reality because it has a certain durability to it; things don't go changing into other things all willy nilly." Lily looks slightly smug, and certainly pleased at her clever argument, for a good five, maybe ten seconds. The look on her face as she realizes that she disproved it mere moments ago is priceless.

"Well, that is, hmm. Things other than me, I mean. And I can only barely manage it, not like Nywm. Say, there's more proof that this is real; if I were still dreaming, my imaginary friend would still be here. Wait, that came out wrong." Lily is starting to look genuinely flustered. "You get what I'm saying, right?" she asks, looking hopefully at Sylvie.

Another thought crosses her mind, and Lily frowns, "Wait, what did you mean, 'dying'? We're not dying, last I checked, and we're certainly not dead, though there are plenty here who are." she says, gesturing at all the corpses for emphasis.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie does not look like she quite does understand, but she has at least relaxed, straightening up so that she's no longer poised to flee or attack. "No, we are not dying. It is that that is confusing me." She frowns down at her left leg again.

"I am no doctor, but I know enough to say I should never have walked —walk—again..." The tense seems to be giving her trouble. "...even if someone found me in time. I would think that it is a vision brought on by the fever, but you are right, it is too coherent." She glances about at the surreal scene. "Mostly. You could be a real person, and I imagining the rest, but I'm thinking too clearly to be dreaming."

She looks again sideways at the other woman; the speculation seems to have overcome some of her wariness. "How is it you... changed?"

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam snorts at the red-headed girl's words. <Sylvan> "Egypt? I've never been out of the US in my life. Are you sure you're not the one who's lost?" The situation begins to seem a little absurd to him. This dream was quickly getting very weird and those bodies on the ground still looked very dead, and upon closer examination not all of them were human.

He reaches up and scratches his head a bit in confusion, before making some kind of internal decision. <Sylvan> "Look, uh, this is really weird. But you what? I was heading back to a big party and I think I'm probably passed out on the couch somewhere and this is not really happening. Some people are probably smoking up nearby and that's why this place smells so bad. Maybe you're real and maybe you're not - it doesn't really matter, I'm just going to go along with this until I wake up. So, uh, my name's Adam and it's good to meet you."

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily's eyes unfocus, and she loses herself in thought for several moments. "It's difficult to explain. Nywm was very clear, but I don't think I understood his explanations perfectly, and they're getting muddled as I try to sort them back out again. He said the key is 'to surrender the Self to the endless Now.' I guess you kind of have to let it happen without forcing it to happen, but that's hard. I'm not sure if I could have done it if I hadn't been trapped, before."

Lily makes a face and clenches her fists, obviously concentrating, but to no obvious effect. "I don't think I have the hang of it just yet. He said I wouldn't, not until I understood how a person is like a pot, or a house." She relaxes, and smiles again.

"But enough of that! I heard more people talking back there, we should go investigate." Lily suggests, pointing to the tallest pile of the dead.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

It is clear Sylvie does not think much of the explanation—a person was not like a pot or a house—but for now she accepts it in favor of doing something practical. "Yes, let's. And bring your wolf's body with you." She looks about for anything that could be used as a weapon. A rifle would be too much to hope for, of course, but even a heavy stick or a rock would make her feel better. "Perhaps they can tell us more about what is happening."

And perhaps they were responsible for it, too, the reason she wishes for a weapon. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be even a properly sized stone nearby, and so she follows the faint sound of voices that the wind had carried to her earlier, listening for them again. The blonde-haired girl moves quietly and circumspectly, keeping the corpses (strange creatures with wings and horns jump out in stark relief against the mundane bodies) and the burnt-out shell of a building between her and the source as long as possible. Her state of dress seems to be an advantage; the white robe would have stood out like a beacon in the early morning light, but the ash, dirt and blood staining it a sooty grey and brown keep it from standing out, and thanks to the fact that most of it is burned away over her left leg, it does not provide any great hindrance to her movement.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

He takes no further action against the strange impatient man but instead seems curious about his own reactions.

Dumbed by the strange people and languages around him the young man slowly takes a few steps back. Taking time to register this odd new body he runs his fingers over his clothes, his short ragged hair and his muscled arms. In quiet contemplation he ignores the madness around him. He speaks to himself, though he makes no attempt to lower his voice.

"Whoever and wherever I am I have gained another life. A chance to do better than my last, perhaps this is a world as evil as my own."

He examines those around him and listens, crossing his legs and sitting, noticing those who mention familiar places. He watches curiously, especially at those who do not look human. While his mind is reeling it is calmed by the steady breathing of his body. He feels somehow in control and within his element, despite the death around him.

"Perhaps they are also here to redeem a shameful life"

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

The woman shakes her head, still puzzled. <Sylvan>"No, I'm most assuredly real. Although I don't know how we could end up in a similar institution if we're both having some sort of shared hallucination. Unless it's a Jungian thing-- which I suppose is possible, although I've never heard of anything like this. Oh, and I'm Janelle Batiste." She looks at Tann and William. "There's nothing shameful about my life. And I'm not sure who the two of you are, or what you represent, but satyrs aren't devils. They're the Greco-Roman personification of virility and masculinity. Sort of the 'wine women and song' school of thought."

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam thinks for a bit, before replying, <Sylvan> "I've had a few lucid dreams and I've never had anyone else admit to being in a dream when I met them there. Though usually, there was less talking and more moving about. You know, if this is really my dream, then I should be able to understand you better."

He focuses and furrows his brow a bit, finally summoning words that were more familiar to his ear, though not to this mouth, <English> "Yeah, there we go. This is a proper language. Do you speak English, Janelle? Or any of you - do any of you speak English instead of whatever the hell has been coming out of all our mouths?"

[Nighteyes5678]

William

The devil looked at home in this earthly version of hell, standing among the piles of the slaughtered. William took a few steps backwards, his movements annoyingly jerky. Damn woman's legs. His eyes roamed the surrounding area, looking for a place of escape.

His foot caught on a sprawled leg and William went down hard on his rump, swearing softly. The movement caused the near-by pile of corpses to explode in large black flies, the air growing thick with the vermin. Despite his best efforts, the insects crawled over his face and mouth; it was all he could do to stand again. A body in the pile caught his eye and he peered closer. It was a monstrosity. He looked at another body, his eyes widening as it slowly occurred to him that there were more than humans among the dead. "Sweet Holy Mother," he breathed. He scanned the countryside once more, registering the near-by sweeping cliffs, the ruins, the large amount of charred woodland. This was not his home. His eyes returned to the growing gathering of people babbling in strange languages.

He was alone in a hellish mockery of his country with the insane and the disfigured.

He was away from his keep; his people.

He was trapped inside another body much inferior to his own.

He was lord William, dammit.

William squared his shoulders, his mind seizing upon the familiar, comforting reassurance of his own name, and spat to the side. "I don't know who you people are and, in some cases, what you are. That's not important right now. What is important is that we are surrounded by the bodies of the dead. Unholy power has been at work here, demons, devils; certainly the Lord of Flies is in this place. I will not stand here any longer and, if any of you know what is best for you, you will follow me." He pointed at Tann. "You, search the area quickly and discover if there is anything usable at all. Be mindful of the ground; tracks will be necessary to learn what happened in this place." Without waiting for a response, he turned to Janelle and Satan, "You did not fear the sign of the cross and so though I suspect both of you of witchcraft, your trials will have to wait until we come across members of the Church. I will trust God for protection until that day. In the mean time, make yourselves useful and go through the ruins of the town and discover if there is anything we can use there. The rest of you," he said, as he turned his back on the group and began to walk briskly away, "follow me. I believe that it will be the most advantageous for us to investigate those cliffs and learn the tale they have for us."

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam sighs as the dark-haired man again spits a bunch of nonsense in their direction. As that man begins to stalk off, Adam shrugs at Janelle and the other man in confusion, raising his palms upwards at his sides. Where the hell is he going? Maybe he's going to disappear out of my dream now.

He turns around slowly, taking in the surroundings. The ruined buildings, the burned trees, the other piles of corpses all paint a bleak picture. Something catches his eye - a sign of movement in the smokey haze, near one of the heaps some distance away. Figuring it's probably better to be friendly until he figures out this strange dream, he waves his right arm and yells in that direction, <Sylvan> "Hello? Who's there? Come on out?" Pausing for a second and focusing, he tries the same in English.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

"Well, I don't so much bring it with me as, oh, never mind." Lily starts to say, but gives up explaining as Sylvie checks for anything that could be used as a weapon. It's for the best anyway, as Lily hardly understands what she's trying to explain in any case.

Lily follows quietly after Sylvie, lost in thought. Why was I arguing so strongly that this place is real? It wouldn't matter to me if it wasn't. Right, but I know it is. So why the difficulty admitting it, to myself? Because, well, because if this is real, then hundreds of people are dead. Murdered, from the looks of it..

Lily does not make any special effort to hide, and her nightgown shows much more of its original white than Sylvie's robe. If she hadn't tripped over an outstretched arm, the other group probably would have noticed her right away. As it was, she missed hearing most of William's speech, and got to her feet just in time to see the Satyr wave in their direction.

And then shout at them, in English. Lily realizes that she's been speaking some other language with Sylvie, and takes a quick inventory of her mental library, where she's quite surprised to discover that she now speaks almost twice as many languages as she did before.

Stifling the urge to respond in all of them, she settles for <Sylvan>"Hi! My name's Lily. Who, no, what are you?" as she approaches the group, and then repeats herself in english, just as the strange creature did.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie stares for a moment at the odd tableau—two men, a woman with hair red as fresh blood, and... a great horned beast-man. A faun, she remembers; wasn't that what they were called? That is impossible...

It calls to her in a strange language, and she realizes that she spent a moment too long in the open. Or perhaps it had been Lily, she realizes as the other woman calls back in the same tongue. Was she a fool? Why had she not been cautious, when hundreds had clearly just been killed? What if they had been shot before it was seen they were harmless—or shot anyway? Too late now.

She steps closer warily. English, she realizes; some of the words are English. Well, there was no reason Lily could not speak English as well, although her accent was a native French...

No. Her breath catches. "Mon Dieu," she murmurs. How had she been talking to Lily? It had not been French, but it was so familiar to her she had not even realized it was different!

Well, whatever tongue it was, it would have to do for now. She addresses the faun, which is surprisingly easy. Lily had been normal after changing to human shape, almost more normal than Sylvie was accustomed to, so talking to her had been easy, but this... "I do not speak English. You understand?" She gestures to accompany her words, and switches to French, listening closely to the words to make sure they are her mother tongue. "Parlez-vous francais?"

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

<English>"Of course I speak English," Janelle replies, with an accent a mix of British and French. She stares after William, trying to determine what reason the boy has for assuming she'll do anything he demands the way he's acting-- as strange as he looks, the satyr's at least being reasonable. She starts as his eyes pick up someone she hadn't noticed. "Janelle Batiste," she says in response to Lily's question, slipping naturally into her native tongue as she adds, <French>"Yes, of course. It's my mother tongue, after all. Who are the pair of you?" She repeats the question in English as well, her gaze shifting to the boy (William) walking away from her, and to the indecisive figure still standing by (Tann).

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam is relieved when the strange movements in the haze resolve into two women of almost comically unequal heights. He looks down at himself with an understanding smile as the taller one speaks. When the shorter one adresses him, he stares at her with a slightly apologetic and sad expression and shakes his head slightly at the conclusion of her words. Damn it! I knew I should have argued with Dad. Instead of flunking Spanish, I could have passed French and not be standing here right now looking like half a fool!

Janelles response brings a small smile to his face. He is not totally lost here - maybe this is a dream and she is meant to be his guide. He faces Lily and responds, slipping into that strange tongue without thinking about it, <Sylvan> "I am Adam. As for what - well, I don't normally look like this. Probably something out of a movie - maybe Narnia. I think we're in some kind of crazy dream."

He pauses to think for a few seconds. Except those furry dudes in Narnia didn't have these huge horns. Or did they? Can't remember now. What I need is a mirror. Oh damn! I was speaking that weird language again and I didn't even notice. That's kind of cool actually, for a dream.

Then he looks at Janelle and back at Lily, before continuing, <Sylvan> "I am afraid I do not understand your friend. I think one of you might have to translate, or we will have to rely on gestures."

I wonder if I can try harder to look like an ignorant American. Maybe if I talk really slowly, wave my hands around and ask for a Big Mac. Why do I even have French people in my dream? I don't know French. That does not make sense. And I should have woken up by now. I've never had a lucid dream this long.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

The faun might not have understood her, but it—he seems to have gotten her meaning anyway. She looks at Janelle. <French> "My name is Sylvie. Sylvie Martin. We met only a minute ago..." She glances sideways oddly at Lily, deciding to leave it to her to say she'd been a wolf. She wasn't sure how she would explain it without sounding like a madwoman anyway.

<French> "Do you know how we came here? I do not remember being..." She trails off, muttering, but her voice rises quickly to a normal tone. "None of this makes any sense! Fauns, corpses—I was not on a battlefield... and most of all, I am walking again, without even a twinge or a mark! How is this happening?" She's no longer speaking to Janelle through most of it, or anyone,, but at the end she looks at the three standing there as if they might have answers—particularly Janelle, since the faun can't understand her.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

He raises his eyebrows at the odd man, then at the group.

<English> "I know a little English. But I am Russian. We are all in the same..."He searches for the word "Situation, so we must look for someone else to explain this place.

He stands up

"and whoever did this may come back, we should move from here as soon as we've found the other survivors"

[Santanya]

The soft, sad trill echoes from the burn out ruins of the building. The rustling amidst the ashes continues as well, coming from the same location. Once againt, it stops just long enough for a breath to be taken, then a sharp, forceful version of it echos out, punctuated as a small beam seemingly shatters of its own accord. It collapses, sending a cloud of soot and ash into the air around it. From the same location the soft trill echoes again, a long, slow sound calling out.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam is about to reply to the man (Tann) when he hears the sounds of the beam collapsing. Turning to that direction and listening more closely, he hears the trill. It sounds like some sort of animal, though no candidates spring to mind. He starts to speak, <Sylvan> "I think..." and pauses to switch to a language that the other man might be able to understand. <English> "I think there might be someone trapped in that building. Why don't we see if it's somebody who needs help? I know I was stuck for a while myself, when I woke up here."

He motions and takes a few steps towards the building and then turns to see if the rest are following him. Now why did I say, 'wake up'? That was silly - I'm already asleep. I've got to be. Maybe, maybe this is some bizarro anxiety dream about vet school. I just have to go and help whoever is trapped there and then I'll wake up.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

The girl shrugs, slipping into the role of translator, repeating everything being said in both English and French, trusting that the Russian will speak up if something is beyond his grasp of English. When the satyr suggests that they investigate the noises, Janelle speaks for herself. <French, then English>"Dream, hallucination, or whatever this is, we should probably stick together, despite what the god-obsessed boy was going on about. Do we stay, or do we go see what's making the noise?"

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily taps her chin, thoughtfully, and muses, "Janelle Batiste? Where have I heard that name before?"

Once again, her train of thought is interrupted, this time by Adam's declaration that he is Mister Tumnus. She quickly slips into scholar mode. "Faun is the proper name, since you have hooves rather than normal feet. Fauns and satyrs were conflated by the Romans, though, and judging by those horns, you could be a Late Roman Satyr." She pauses, looking confused, "Sorry, usually I'd be analyzing a figure on a mosaic, not a flesh-and-blood person. It's disconcerting."

Lily listens to Janelle's translations, and nods along, offering a simple "Très bien fait!" at the end, before replying, "Yes, let's go investigate, as a group. This whole situation is too strange--we shouldn't split up." She begins walking towards the ruined building, this time taking care to watch her step.

She leaves no footprints.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

She doesn't seem surprised that someone would know her name-- it only lends to her belief that this isn't real. <English>"I have some notoriety in certain circles," she says modestly to Lily, walking along with her, expecting the others to follow. "Although no one outside of a university or historical or archaeological journal will have heard of me, I'm sure."

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie half-listens to Janelle's translations; she's not really interested in whether this faun looks like the Romans imagined it or not. A fool thing to worry about on a battlefield. <French> "Yes—let us go. We won't find anything out unless we try to."

Just as before, she moves cautiously, keeping silent and partly behind cover at all times. She is rather amazed to find that the others are making no such effort; not only that, they are walking together. In plain sight, while speaking! I suppose it is to be expected, but can they not see how many people died recently here?

She moves closer to them, hissing, "Do you wish to die? Look around you—this is not a safe place!" She realizes she has slipped into that other language again—how oddly familiar it is!

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"And how many soldiers, bandits, or whatever do you expect to be guarding piles of bodies? They obviously took anything of worth, and just as obviously assumed everyone was dead. Why stay around?" she asks Sylvie, responding in the same tongue. "Besides, if there is someone around, maybe they'll explain what's going on here. None of this really makes any sense, you realize."

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

"Of course I realize," Sylvie responds, somewhat acidly, "but until I know this is real, I do not intend to risk my life without need."

She tries to moderate her tone; maybe it's been too long since she talked to people. And she finds she doesn't want to be alone here in this odd-yet-familiar setting. When she continues, it is no longer in a whisper, and is a more normal tone. "Nobody would guard dead bodies, but they may have camped nearby. Caution is a good habit to have."

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam is relieved to see that the three women at least are coming along. For some reason, perhaps because it is a rather disturbing dream, he does not want to wander off alone. He is curious as to what Janelle and the shorter woman seem to disagree about, but figures its not worth the bother of asking for a translation; if it's really important, they'll share it with him and if it is not, he's better off not taking sides in anything right now. He waves to the man, <English> "Come, come," and continues walking towards the strange noise, getting closer to the burnt out building.

[dauphinous]

The apparent footprint of the building that the noise is coming from is relatively small, certainly no more than 20 by 20. The amount of debris suggests more than one floor to the building, though the walls have been rendered down, just as in all the other buildings, to irregular shards of wood and daub no higher than a few feet at their highest. A portion of a doorframe remains, sans door. The floor, if it still exists, is not visible under the ash, and soot, and partially burned planks and beams.

There is a hint of movement near the other side of the building, of something small and black. At the threshold, Lily chances to notice a small stone of some kind: smooth, flat, oval, and about the size of a pebble. It lies in the ash, and is sooty itself, though it looks to be a deep, rich blue color.

---

William's initial investigation of the cliffs shows that they are, indeed, quite close. Some of the remains of the buildings even look as if they might have been built using the rock face as one of the walls. Numerous tunnels, smooth and round, lead deeper within, all of a height that a tall man would have to stoop to walk. They are blackened along the top, and a few still have smoke trickling out. They seem to be sloped outwards very slightly, as several have tiny streams down the middle of what must be drying blood running sluggishly out of them. At a guess, each tunnel is likely about 30 feet from the next.

There is also a stair carved into the rock, narrow and steep, that looks to lead up to the holes above. It has no handrail, just the wall of rock to one side, and the lower steps are covered with dried blood.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily takes Sylvie's advice to heart, and walks with greater caution and somewhat less noise, still slightly ahead of the others. When she sees something move in the ruins, she turns to the others and holds a finger to her lips, for silence, then points over to where she saw movement.

Keeping one eye on the remains of the far wall, Lily edges up to the doorframe, and reaches down to brush the soot off of the blue stone and pick it up. Whatever it is, it's out of place here, and therefore worth investigating.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam paused as he sees (Lily) motion to the other side of the building. I suppose it can't hurt to be careful - might be a wild animal. If you don't approach those carefully, they can get very aggressive and we don't want that. He starts to carefully walk around the building ruins, heading towards where Lily pointed her finger. He does his best to not make too much noise and keeps glancing at the general area for any further movement.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

"I'll be back in a moment"

As the others head off, Tann stays back, looking elsewhere for survivors and survaying the area for the probable exit route of the army that did this. He doesn't move quickly so will be easy to follow if anyone chooses to. He also instictively searches for a weapon, or weapons. He feels uncomfortable without a weapon to hand, a feeling he hadn't had for many years.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Some deep instinct leads the woman to start sifting loosely through the rubble, looking for anything of interest, particularly anything that might give more insight into what is going on here.

(Taking 10 on search for 16)

[dauphinous]

The path taken by those who walked from here is not difficult to determine. They clearly were numerous and made no efforts to hide their trail. While there are assorted tracks everywhere that suggest movement, they merge together on the west end of the village and proceed down a gap in the blackened trees that has the packed earth quality of a dirt road. It looks as if it is straight, at least for as far as can be seen in the murky light.

As people begin to search the ruins, it becomes clear fairly quickly that no weapons of any kind were left behind. There aren't even any shell casings, spent bullets, broken blades, or really anything that might be considered a weapon of any kind. What there is plenty of is burnt wood, dried blood, broken glass, and ash. If one had the skill, a crude sort of knife or axe might be fashioned from the debris.

Examining the small stone, Lily finds it to be quite smooth, as if it has been polished. Once the ash is rubbed off, it shines in the dim light, and a pattern of white lines that form a five-point asterisk with the midpoint in the center of the stone can be glimpsed at the right angle.

[Santanya]

In one corner of the burnt out building, a very small being can be seen, just barely visible for all of the soot and ash. It appears to be trying to dig through a pile of ash, pushing at small pieces with its claws, and using its whole body to shove larger pieces out of the way. As it digs, it lets out a soft trilling sound, coming out long and slowly.

Its body stretches about a foot long across the floor, its head peering into the pile of ash as it continues its call. A tail lays unmoving behind it as it searches through the ash and a pair of wings are held tightly against its back. As the others get close, it raises its head and peers across the ruins. Bright golden eyes look out from a soot covered face, very draconic in nature, with a pair of black horns curling backwards over its neck. Two bright lines of clean blue trail downward from its eyes, clean of soot and showing its natural coloring.

It lets out its sad trill again as it peers towards the others, then looks back down and starts to crawl across ruins towards them. As it moves something falls from the corner of its face, landing with a slight tick. It pauses to claw at a small flat board that barely looks big enough that it might cover a hole. The little lizard is just barely able to lift it high enough to shove its head underneath to look.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Her curiosity overriding her caution, Janelle approaches the strange, winged lizard, looking at it with some interest. <Common and English>"Well, here's something, anyway. Some sort of strange lizard species I've never heard of before. Maybe a scavenger or someone's pet?"

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie stares at the creature in bewilderment, taking a cautious step backwards as it begins to crawl towards them. It didn't look like it was about to spring forward, but one never knew. "A winged lizard?" she asks, with less disbelief than might be expected. Why should they expect anything normal here?

"So much for something that could tell us where we are and what is happening. What is that, Lily?" she asks, seeing the other woman examining something.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam approaches the creature from the opposite side and examines the creature after pronouncing his judgement, <Sylvian and then English> "It is rather funny looking and it isn't acting like a scavenger - there's plenty for it to eat without any digging. I think your other idea is better - it might have been the pet of somebody who used to live here. Animals often try to return to their homes, even if they have been made inaccessible, or destroyed."

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily holds up the gemstone to the light, inspecting it. "It's a gem, a sapphire I think. It has some kind of pattern on the inside, though."

Lily looks over at the creature, and shakes her head at the other's suggestions. "I don't think it's a mere animal, or a scavenger. See those eyes? I'm guessing it's intelligent, maybe even looking for something. You poor dear." Lily says, crounching down next to its head, and lifting the board.

Suddenly, inspiration strikes. Could it be mere coincidence that both the stone and the creature were blue? Well, probably, but if this is a dream, then there's likely a connection between the two of them. Besides, what use is a sapphire in a dream, anyway?

Lily holds out the gem to the creature, and surprises herself by instinctively choosing a language she's never even heard before. <Draconic> "Looking for this, lovely?"

[Santanya]

The creature withdraws its head as the others speak, its eyes looking directly to Sylvie. He quickly spreads its wings, ignoring the gem Lily holds out and launches itself towards Sylvie. He flairs his wings and hovers before her, grabbing the edge of her robe with its little claws. He tugs her towards the burnt out ruins eagerly.

For Sylvie:

In Sylvie's head she hears eager words.

Rynah, you have to help me find them. They have to be in here. They have to be. They could not have been killed too. They have to be alive.

It comes across as frantic and sad, a great morning in the words. Now closer, moisture can be seen washing soot from the little beings face, streaming down and collecting in a roundish facet of its maw.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

She almost jerks away as the little lizard springs at her, but something halts her for an instant, and then she stops suddenly, staring at the lizard in amazement. "Of course, little one, but..." She looks about sadly, not sure those who lived in the house could have survived.

Then she realizes what she just said, without meaning to or realizing she was going to. "What? I..." The winged lizard's obvious distress has removed any wariness of it. "Who is it you are looking for?" She follows its insistent tugging, reaching out before she knows quite what she's doing to stroke its side.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam hears the strange words and ignores them, his attention on the strange creature. He is surprised to see it fly over to Sylvie and tug her towards the ruins. I wonder if she looks like its owner. It must be a really smart animal. Of course, I don't look so smart myself right about now. If it starts speaking, I'll know this is a dream for sure. Though I thought it would be over now that I've found this flying lizard.

He turns to Janelle and Lily, looking a bit concerned, <Sylvan> "What do you think we need to do to wake up? I don't think I've ever had a lucid dream last this long. I have to graduate in a few weeks, you know."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"You're assuming we're merely asleep. More likely whatever we're experiencing is drug induced. Several ancient cults used various hallucinogenic compounds to induce visions in their priests. We could be experiencing something similar." She continues to look at the little lizard with some curiosity.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam chuckles a bit, <Sylvan>"Oh, I think some of my friends have done the same as well. It still does not explain how we're all here in the same place. I suppose if it is a hallucinogenic, it will wear off, in a week at most. Though our perception of time here is, of course, skewed." Why is it that I can not remember how I got from going to help that car to the party? Is this just a crazy bad trip?

He pinches himself suddenly and grimaces as he feels the pain. <Sylvan> "Well, that did not work and so I am a bit at a loss as to what to do now. I think we should get our new little friend and get to a different, better looking, area. If I have some power to make this crazy trip a more pleasant experience, then there is no real reason to hang around here if we think we've found everyone we are likely to find."

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

The blue creature darts past Lily, and she finally gets a good look at it. That's no ordinary animal, at least she decides, not sure why she's so certain.

Lily glances at the sapphire again, thinking I guess it's not that special after all, while patting her hips to check for pockets on her nightgown. Finding none, she transfers the gem to her left hand, and holds onto it.

Listening to the other's explanations, Lily looks skeptical. She had been dreaming for weeks before she even met these people <Sylvan> "I don't buy that explanation. I was writing a paper in Sarah's apartment when I fell asleep. I don't know why anyone would break in just to administer some kind of powerful hallucinogen, much less how that would cause this kind of connected hallucination. And it wouldn't explain my dreams from before, either." She looks disappointed. "In the absence of any other explanations, I'm starting to lean towards something more, um, mystical, I guess. I don't know." she concludes, her shoulders slumping in frustration.

Lily glances over to see the small creature insistently tugging Sylvie further into the ruins. <French> "Sylvie? Are you okay?"

[Nighteyes5678]

William

None of them were following him and, from the quick backwards glance, they certainly weren't following his order either. Fine then. He would catch up with them in a moment and discipline them. The thought occurred to him that he might be better off without them, as they were clearly untrained in any skill necessary for survival. There was an intense struggle within at that moment until finally, it was decided. He would protect them, but only because he knew what lie in store for the women should he abandon them.

The air was thick with drying, clotting blood and William stood at the base of the cliff for a moment, gazing at the scene. His memory took him back to the first time he had killed a man in battle. Even after all these years, he still remembered the taste of the blood as it sprayed, the smell of the new corpse, the look of terror in the man's eyes. He remembered being amazed at how much blood came out of such a small man. Again, he found himself wondering how many people had been slaughtered to create such a stream of blood. He made the sign of the cross and began to climb the stairs, hoping for a better vantage point to learn what had happened.

[Santanya]

Vorel

The small sooty blue creature looks up to Sylvie pleadingly as it tugs at her robes. In her head, she hears the same begging voice. Astera and Koril! They have to be here! It calms ever so slightly as she touches it side, but just as quickly releases and dives back away towards a large piece of debris and tries to lift it to peer under it, letting out the soft, sad trill again as if it was calling out to someone. As he struggles, he shakes his head once and something small falls to his side with a soft tinking sound against the debris.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam is intrigued by the lizard creature who seems to be trying to get Sylvie to help it dig. Curiouser and curiouser, or crazier and crazier. So far, it does not seem to be dangerous or hostile, so he decides to observe how the situation progresses without interfering.

Lily's words irk him for some reason, reminding him of his own vague and hazy dream with various semi-familiar voices. No, it's got to be some kind of drugs. That makes the most sense. He turns to her and replies, <Sylvan> "Mystical? Come on now. Occam's razor - the most logical solution is the simplest one, the one that relies on the fewest suppositions. I can buy some kind of drug induced hallucination. Mystical - that's reaching quite a bit. After all, we do not have any actual proof that everyone else we are seeing is another real person and not something spun out by our subconscious. As such, I believe a strange dream, perhaps drug induced, is the best explanation."

[dauphinous]

William finds that the steps lead up about 30 feet to a small ledge that runs about 40 feet long and is just wide enough for a person to walk across. Four of the holes in the wall are positioned to allow access from this ledge. Up here, the could of hazy smoke is even more obvious. The village looks like it must have been fairly small. Unless many people lived outside the buildings, it could not have held more than about 750 people. Of course, the purpose of these holes in the cliff, both above and below, will remain a mystery until someone ventures inside one.

The ground and walls up here have very little blood. Almost every surface is blackened, though, or melted in a way that suggests acid or a similarly caustic substance was sprayed on it.

---

A few more of the small blue gemstones can be seen here and there amongst the debris of this one particular building, sparkling in the dim light. As Sylvie is standing right beside the small blue creature, she can see that this seems to be the what the things falling from its eyes are.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

"Of course," Sylvie hears herself responding gently as she follows the little blue lizard. With an odd sense of detachment, she decides this must be a dream brought on by the fever. The names, names she had never heard in her life, bring faces to mind, and she has a sudden vision of the burnt-out building as it once had been, a comfortable dwelling place. It is no longer too clear to be a dream.

It is comforting, in an odd way, because it means that none of this matters, and she watches through her own eyes as if from a distance as she picks up the blue creature's tear. Again, she reaches out to pat the little creature, trying to help it overturn the debris—not that she thinks it would help. "They may have escaped," she hears herself murmur soothingly to the winged lizard. "They might not be here anymore."

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Finding no more survivors and nothing else of interest among the dead, and nothing of worth in terms of arming himself, Tann returns to the group. Gazing with increasing interest at the oddities, from the lizard to the horse-man, he's not inclined to talk when others are busy with their discovery so leans against a wall and listens patiently. Despite the strange and in many ways grim situation he seems contented, his curious stares shared equally between the group he finds himself in.

[Nighteyes5678]

William

William cast a critical eye on what could only be a crude attempt of battlements. The entire area looked devastated and he found himself wondering if the invading army had gone as far as sowing the ground with salt, so through was the desolation. Still, these tunnels might hold refuges, however unlikely that appeared. Determined to see if any had been left alive, or if there were any further clues of what had transpired, William began to carefully steal into the cave, for once thankful that he appeared to be shorter than he once was.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

<Sylvan>"Unless after falling asleep, you fell ill and you're in a hospital on some sort of pain medication," she says to Lily. "Not that I'm inclined to rule out something mystical, however. I've seen a number of strange things in my time, and read about many more. Last thing I remember was exploring an old Egyptian observatory-- well, Greek, technically, since it was built after Alexander's time, but the ruins are in Egypt. And strange things happen in ruins. I've not ever heard of anything like this though," she indicates Adam, still not aware of her own physical abnormalities. "Seems more a setting for some sort of macabre Midsummer Night's Dream than any mysticisms related to ancient religions. Which is why I think something drug-induced makes more sense."

[Newbie101]

Adam

Seeing the man (Tann) follow after them, Adam gives him a smiling nod. He grins at Janelle in satisfaction after hearing her words, though he finds himself curious about her background. <Sylvan> "You were exploring Egyptian ruins? That sounds pretty damn cool. I was just celebrating getting into vet school with my buds." He chuckles to himself and then continues, forgetting where he is for a moment. "It's funny, some guys had this joke that we were extra lucky or special, because we were class of '07. I never really believed in that kind of lucky number stuff, but I guess this is a pretty special kind of trip. Man this'll be a crazy story."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

It was dark.

Of course it was dark, it was a cave. He hadn't really expected anything more. The cave appeared to be man-size and man-made if the unusually square walls and ceiling were any indication. William squinted his eyes, trying to see down the tunnel. It made a sharp turn not far back and despite how he might try, its secrets remained in darkness.

Fine, let it keep its secrets. William growled to himself and turned to walk out of the cave. He'd just get a torch, there had to be something down there to burn. Then let it try and keep itself dark and hidden. No, where light was, darkness fled, just like lies fled from the bright light of Truth, just like Satan fled when one of God's children came into view. Or, at least, that's what Father Mathew had said.

The bright sun's light stung his eyes, but William didn't mind. It was light. He stepped out onto the ledge, surveying the scene below, looking to catch a glimpse of something flickering that would indicate flame. Not that building his own would bother him, it would just take time.

He saw the shadow gliding along the stone face too late. Something passed in front of the sun and William looked up, his eyes widening in shock. Feathers. Talons. Two bright yellow eyes as the raptor dove. He reacted instinctively, stepping to the side. His foot scrapped against the edge of the cliff and William knew a moment of freedom before he tumbled backwards off of the cliff. He saw blue sky and what appeared to be a very confused, but beautiful hawk. He found himself wondering what kind it was, a hand outstretched toward it in an unspoken longing.

No.

The word echoed in William's mind, reverberating throughout his body and soul. He knew fear then and as the assurance of his death settled around his shoulders like a cloak, he was still. The air was his blanket; the air was his pillow; the air was his bed. Time stood still and swirled around him and all he could think about was that voice.

The voice of God.

So, when the air began to move once more and he slammed into the ground, William hardly noticed.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily nods at Adam. <Sylvan>"Oh yeah, the Class of James Bond. I remember last May, when they had their graduation party. I didn't think Berkeley could get weirder, but then they all wore tuxedos." she says, with a grin.

Then she turns to Janelle. "I guess that's possible, but it still wouldn't explain why we're all here, together. Unless you're proposing that we all ended up in the same hospital. Last I checked, California is pretty far from Egypt." She pauses.

"Hold on, an observatory, in Egypt?" Lily murmurs, half to herself, then, louder, "Now I remember! Janelle Batiste, the archaologist. Who disappeared. Ten years ago." She grows pale.

In the distance, something hits the ground with a soft thud.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

About to comment on numerology, she doesn't immediately catch the significance of the date Adam mentions, until Lily recognizes her name. She reverts to her native tongue in the shock, <French>"What do you mean 'ten years ago'? And disappeared?" She goes nearly as pale as the woman she's speaking too.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

<French> "Wait, you didn't know about that? But you were there! This is making my head hurt." Lily says, rubbing her temple. She continues, more deliberately, "It was just after I graduated, when I was working in the Yucatán, so I only heard about it in passing. I wouldn't have remembered it, but I graded a paper on it a few years later, as a TA. Maybe in 2000; I think I remember the elections being underway at the time. But basically, Janelle Batiste, that is, you, if you're the same Janelle, was, I mean, were." Flustered, she reverts to her 'native' tongue. <Common> "There was a dig, on the coast, I think, near Alexandria. This would have been in oh, '96, '97. Janelle Batiste was working there, and she vanished. There was some speculation that she'd been kidnapped, but no one ever demanded a ransom. They, ah," she hesitates, with an apologetic glance at Janelle, "They never found a body."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

<Common>"Why are you speaking of this in the past? It's the twenty-seventh of May, 1996-- perhaps the twenty-eighth if midnight has passed. If ten years have passed, I can't have 'disappeared', as I'm right here. I suppose I could have hit my head and been in a coma, but that doesn't make sense with having 'disappeared'. I was standing in the ruin, watching the stars-- there was a planetary convergence of Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn going on, and the floor opened up beneath me and I fell. If I fell and wasn't discovered, I'd be dead long before ten years could pass, yes? So either your information is wrong, and I fell, hurt myself, and was comatose, was transported to the United States for treatment for some reason, and have recently awoken when you'd be in the same institution, or I somehow moved ten years ahead in time in my fall, and arrived in a hospital in a similar state, which is unlikely, or we're interacting in some unknown fashion through Jung's conception of the collective unconscious, or none of us are where we thought we were, and are somewhere else. Although I know of no place that meets this criteria-- or his appearance, for that matter-- so I don't see how that could be possible either." She gestures at Adam towards the end, quite clearly confused.

[Newbie101]

Adam

While the women talk back and forth in french and that other strange tongue, Adam stands still, Lily's words echoing inside his head. <Sylvan> "Last... last May?" He shakes his head vigorously and continues, his speech full of emotion and even a bit of fear. <Sylvan> "No, you see I'm graduating in a few weeks. I am the class of '07. You're wrong. I shouldn't be in any hospital, either." He pauses for a few seconds, his face now looking more confused than frightened. He seems to remember something. His speech is slow and halting, as it comes back to him, <Sylvan> "Wait, when I went to help that crashed car, there was.. there was a spark. And then voices of some kind. I, I don't think I'm in a hospital. No. That... that can't be. There were power lines on the ground and... there was a spark. I touched the car door and there was a spark. Oh my god..." He stops and just looks blankly at Lily and Janelle.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Tann stays quiet, listening for a while and taking note of the conflicting dates, before saying

"While I would not claim to know anything more of this place or the reason we're here, I do know that I myself died. I felt death's approach and then I woke up here. I would not deny you your comforts, but do not treat this place lightly because we will not wake up, this cannot be a dream."

"I died before the turn of the century, perhaps there is some reason we have arrived here together since it's obvious we are not grouped by our nationality or by the hour of our deaths"

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"None of this makes any sense," she complains, translating again for the benefit of Adam. She leans against a charred wall as she tries to think. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm definitely *not* dead. There has to be someone around here who knows what's going on."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

His mind swam, desperately trying to understand what was happening, what he had just experienced. Half-formed shapes drifted past his eyes and the world spun and then was gone.

I have brought you here for a reason, William.

The voice was huge, encompassing his entire world. It was his reason for being; it was the voice of God. Shapes spilled through the darkness and light again illuminated his world. It was a woman, her rich purple tunic cut to reveal a perfectly sculptured breast. Precious stones and metals adorned her body and she was laughing, holding an ornate goblet filled with blood red wine. William felt his body stir with desire at the sight of her, yet his mind recoiled in revulsion. He saw that she had a woman robed in the purest white held between her fingers and she was squeezing the woman, the blood running into the cup.

And there was a clap of thunder and the woman in purple threw back her head and from her mouth spewed all manner of vile misshapen creatures and these creatures went out into the earth and the earth was covered in blood. The woman laughed and laughed and opened her mouth again and fire came forth, igniting the earth in flame and death.

Above the woman, an angel appeared - clothed in brilliant white, skin radiant, hair golden, eyes blazing - and blew on a trumpet, proclaiming in a loud voice, "Fallen fallen is Babylon the Great! Woe to those who sleep with the Harlot, for they have drunk deep of the wine of God's wrath!"

William fell at the feet of the angel, tears of fear and elation streaming down his face. "Please," he cried, "Please explain to me what this is!"

"These are signs of what is to come. Go forth, William, and protect those who God has given to your keeping. Know that His hand is upon you always." The angel blew on his trumpet once more and then there was a flash of light and nothing.

He was lost, drifting through an ocean greater and more terrible than he had ever known. He was found, his eyes opening on a blue sky. A golden sun appeared framed by brown clouds. William blinked and cocked his head, the world coming into focused. It was not a sun, but an eye and he became aware of a gentle weight on his chest. He groaned, his head pounding. Sitting caused a wave of nausea and dizziness to overwhelm him and he collapsed on the ground again. The bird, a hawk of unusual size and markings, hopped from his chest and glared reproachfully at him. Somehow, the bird's intense stare caused him to feel ashamed and he marveled at the feeling.

"You are a sign of God's favor, a sign of His sending," he said softly, surprised by the sudden emotion. Hesitantly, he reached out his hand, his fingers ruffling the hawk's feathers. It didn't shy away, but nipped at his fingers in what he hopped was an affectionate manner. William laughed softly, holding out his arm and patting it. "You are Azriel," he said as the hawk hopped to his arm. "And we must go and do the Lord's bidding. The sheep have been unprotected for too long, let us hope that the wolves have not yet carried them away." He chuckled and tried his feet once more.

It did not take long for him to locate the others, their voices carried far in the silence of the desolate slaughter field. They were gathered in and around a charred building. A flash of blue alerted William to the small lizard, but with the hawk on his arm, it was not surprising that they be given another living sign of God's favor. It was true, he would not have expected the second to be a lizard - a winged one at that! - but who was he to question God's will? He smiled at the others, holding the arm with Azriel perched on it outward. "I have been sent to you," he said, his voice recovering some of the confidence and depth that it had once held. "God has shown me that the Time of His Glory is nearly at hand. I am to protect and guide you as He protects and guides us all." He did not expect them to immediately obey and follow him; the prophets of old always had to go through a time of testing, a time of trouble, before they were accepted by God's people. It was true, many of them had been killed by the very ones they had been sent to lead, but wasn't that the way of the Jews, those who had killed God's son? Surely, these were of God's elect; things would be different with them. In time.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle looks up as the boy enters with a hawk on his arm, translating his statements, and her reply, for Adam. "Sent? What do you mean 'sent'? Do you know what's going on here?"

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam is still mulling over Janelle's words when the young man returns to them. His attention is drawn more to the bird perched on the man's arm than the man. That's unusual. Hawks are rare as pets these days, and this seems to be a bit on the large side as well. I think I agree with Janelle - I wish I knew what the hell was going on.

As if on cue, Janelle then translated what the young dark-haired man had been babbling. Adam looked at him with an incredulous expression. He turned to Janelle and Lily and spoke, his disbelief showing, <Sylvan> "Isn't he a little bit young to be preaching about the end of the world? I thought only crazy old guys did that."

He shakes his head and takes a deep breath. The whole situation begins to seem surreal to him, from the slaughtered bodies on the floor, to the smoke making his eyes water slightly, and the stench of dried blood that makes him feel slightly nauseatous for a bit. This whole place was just too crazy and he needed a change of scene soon. <Sylvan> "I don't think we need to stay here at this point. Let's go and find someplace more pleasant to figure this out."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

The devil-man was speaking, but his words were that of babble, which suited William just fine. The Lord had commanded him to protect this group of individuals, not like them. He turned to the fire-haired woman and pushed away doubting thoughts that were comparing her to the Whore of Babylon.

"I cannot share with you more than I know, my lady, but I can tell you that God has granted me a vision of what is to come. I was up upon the cliffs that you see behind us, investigating the caves as I informed you was my intention earlier." He smiled to show that there was no longer any anger about their failure to obey him. If he was truly a prophet, it would take time to win his people's loyalty. William quickly prayed for patience and continued. "Azriel here came toward me, obeying his Creator's will. I, however, misinterpreted his intentions and fell from the ledge. The fall should have killed me, yet I heard the Lord speak out and stop my fall. Indeed, I should have been a dead man, yet I am here before you. It was then that the Lord granted me a vision of His Glory and commanded me to protect all of you and lead you into the coming Time. I do not know where all of you have come from, nor do I claim to know why you are here. I do not even claim to know what some of you are. I do know, however, that I have been sent by God to protect and guide you all, so do not fear. The Lord is on our side and, so, who then can be against us?"

[dauphinous]

As there is little in the way to prevent anyone from seeing or hearing it, it is obvious to everyone that a chestnut horse is moving at a walking pace towards the village, down the path that seems to have been a road. There is a figure riding the horse, wearing a black hooded cloak. The horse's saddle and tack are all black, also. The haze and distance make it seem as though the cloak obscures every inch of the rider's person, though it could be that this is the actual fact of the matter.

You have time to hide if you wish to. It is unclear if the figure has seen any of you or not yet, and it is still more than 400 feet away.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie listens with only one ear to the speech of the others (or the parts she can understand, at least), vaguely interested in hearing what her mind would invent in its fevered state. Some of it was nonsense, speaking of places and times she didn't know of. Some made sense to her even in her detached state. The red-haired girl protested she could not be dead—Sylvie's own wishful will to live. The man said fatalistically that she was dead. She knew that; it was only a question of whether the infection or the cold claimed her first... It was a blessing that the fever had taken away her ability to feel the chill. Lastly, Lily (and possibly the faun, unreal as it clearly was) was her wish that none of this be real, that by some fairytale magic the past three years of her life could be undone, that the war itself had never happened, that she could have her family again. Well, if she could not allow herself foolish fancies while dying, she never could. Irrationally, she decides she likes Lily the best of the three visions.

She listens with no small bitterness at the young man's pronouncement as he returns with a hawk on his arm. "God has sent you to protect us?" She stands, smiling bitterly, and gestures with one arm to the scene around them; death and misery. "You are perhaps a little late, hmmm?" The world is suddenly clear again, startlingly so. Why was that? She had been comfortable knowing she was dying, or resigned, at the least. Was she hovering at the brink between life and recovery, and death?

Why was the vision so clear? Irritably, she looks about once more, and freezes on catching sight of the rider. Who is he to be riding so casually onto a battlefield? Does he know already what happened? She crouches behind a burnt-out joist, motioning the others after a moment to do the same. This felt real, and even if it were not, she would act as though it were.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

She's about to respond to William when she catches sight of the rider, and instinctively ducks behind one of the wall remnants with a hiss of breath. She watches carefully from her position of hiding.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Dazed by the other's revelations, Lily remains silent, kneeling by where the little creature had been digging. When the strange man with the hawk bursts in, though, she stands up, shocked back into sensibility.

Then she swears under her breath as the rider comes into view, forestalling her rant. Well, the preacher and his angel of death could wait, as could the strange man who claimed to be dead. If they wouldn't introduce themselves, though, perhaps she could set them a better example.

Careful to avoid drawing attention to the two hiding women, Lily strides forward, out of the ruins, and towards the charnel fields. A slight breeze ruffles her white nightgown and long hair, a curious anomaly in the otherwise still and stifling morning. She waves to the oncoming figure. It's clear that the grim and macabre setting has not truly impinged itself on her.

Lily advances towards the path, calling out to the stranger. <Common> "Greetings! I'm Lily Duncan. Who are you?"

If she fails to get a response, she'll run through "Hello, do you speak English?" in as many languages as she gets a chance to try.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel continues his digging through the wreckage, desperately searching for any sign toe refute what he already knew in his mind. He ignores the craziness of the young man that returns with the hawk for the moment, only looking up as Lilly moves out towards the rider. He lets out a small hiss and crouches int the ash, moving towards the edge of the doorway to get a better view of the rider while still remaining hidden among the ashes. The small bit of his shining blue scales that are visible beneath the ash fading to a dull color.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Seeing others take cover, while the tall woman walks on towards the approaching stranger, Adam is momentarily torn. Maybe he knows what's going on. Or maybe he is here to finish the job. She is going out there alone. But the others are not. Finally, he crouches behind a broken down wall, trying to keep out of sight, but still be able to see the tall woman and the man on a horse.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Muttering"Sent by God? The ignorant turn to God when they have no other explainations, keep your simple thoughts to yourself, the situation is already difficult enough"

After a scathing look at the man who claims to be sent from God, he hears the horse approach. Watching the others hide and considering it himself he instead walks into the clearing as Lily moves, following close behind. He walks calmly, still enjoying the simple act of moving with such fluidity, and while he does not appear aggressive he is clearly prepared and on the defensive.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Reacting by some hidden instinct, Janelle finds herself sifting through the nearest rubble for something to use as a weapon-- part of a beam, or a piece of furniture, or anything that can be reasonably expected to induce blunt trauma, since nothing better seems to be available. She also finds herself tensing to run to the aid of Lily if things should go foully.

[dauphinous]

The horse's path changes slightly to meet Lily. As it gets closer, it can be seen that a black boot sits in the one visible black stirrup, and a black gloved hand holds the black leather reins. Another black gloved hand pulls the hood back from the cloak to reveal a woman with dark red hair, long enough that it disappears into the cloak. Her face is fine and sculpted, with pale skin and green eyes.

As the horse walks, the woman scans the ruins. If she sees anyone else, it is not clear from her expression. Her gaze snaps back to Lily as she pulls the horse to a halt about ten feet from her. "I did not expect survivors," she says in a low pitched and husky voice, words clipped and enunciated well enough to be understood by everyone. The tone she delivers the statement with offers the barest suggestion that she is displeased, though by exactly what is unclear.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Maybe it's just the movies, but people dressed in all black are usually bad news. Sam keeps hidden and waits to see what happens next. At least that guy is out there with her. And maybe we will find out more of what happened here.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily arches an eyebrow at the stranger. "Then you know what happened here?" she asks, suddenly wary.

Craning her head to look up at the woman, Lily's eye catches on a small shock of blond hair in the pile of corpses to her right. It looks strangely familiar, although she can't place it for the life of her.

Looking down, Lily's surprised to find that she's already in motion. Ignoring the woman in black, ignoring the blood and ash and limbs under foot, she runs through the smoke and the haze towards the oddly shaped pile. With a start, she realizes what's so different about it; the bodies are tiny, the corpses not of adults, but of all the children of the town.

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Lily pulls aside the body of a little girl to uncover the corpse of a small blond boy. His empty blue eyes present a wordless reproah. Lily had never seen this child before, but she knew him. She had never born a child before, but she knew this one. Somehow, impossibly, this was her son, flesh of her flesh, blood of her blood. She knew this, as she knew her own name.

Lily kneeled down, and gently lifted the limp form of the child in her arms. holding him to her breast, she wept.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Her hands find a charred lump of wood of sufficient size and weight to feel right in her hands, and she hefts it, risking another look out as the stranger's voice is heard. She's puzzled at Lily's actions, but remains where she is and silent, waiting for the stranger to react.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Stunned for a moment by Lily's actions Tann finds himself the only one facing the rider. Unsure if her statement is an admission of guilt he remains readied. The question asked by Lily still wait to be answered but he adds his own.

"Who are you and what is this place?"

He wants to ask much more, but stops short.

[Nighteyes5678]

William

The rider approached, halting the discussion. It was important to deal with the newcomer, true, but it was also aggravating that they had been interrupted. Never-the-less, God's will would be done.

The woman to meet the rider, which rankled William some. It was not for she to be greeting potential enemies; she should be where William could protect her. She was then followed by the Doubter, who should not be entrusted with negotiations either. His course was clear; he followed.

As he approached, the rider revealed herself and William's steps slowed and his eyes narrowed. A woman arrayed as the Rider was could either be God's Chosen or His Enemy, there was no middle ground. No mere peasant could afford such clothing and money was only given by God or the Devil. Time would tell which hand had given the gift. Though he missed his sword, William stood in the middle of the road, shielding the others from her direct line of attack with his body. His faith in God would keep him safe if she was foe. Let the doubter take the first blow.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie watches the rider warily—her words do not bode well. So the woman had expected this, and did not sound as if she liked that some were still alive. She tenses as Lily suddenly turns and dashes to the side—had she seen something? Was the woman drawing a weapon? Staying low, she slips after Lily, keeping half an eye and half an ear on the black-clad woman and the man still in view—who seemed to show proper caution at the newcomer... as made sense, if he were the part of Sylvie that accepted hard truths.

Lily is moving far faster than her, but she is close enough to see where Lily drops, cradling a small body. Once again, Sylvie finds herself moving without meaning to. The world seems to lose its immediacy once more, and she realizes only distantly that she is now walking in clear view of the rider. For some reason, that alarms her not at all as she kneels by Lily and puts an arm around her wordlessly.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam watches as most the group ends up coming out of hiding, leaving only him, Janelle and the lizard amongst the ruins. Lily and Sylvie's actions confuse him further. I thought they did not know each other, or anyone else here. What's going on?

Looking over at Janelle he sees her holding a piece of charred wood and his unease deepens. He tries to catch her eye and give her a questioning look. Does she think this is dangerous? His dreams have never been very violent, but this is a strange one. Who is that rider and what does she want?

Unsure of what to do, he remains hidden, hoping the situation will become clearer soon. He thinks about perhaps also finding a weapon and immediately rejects the idea. His job is to make people feel better, not hurt them. Even in dreams.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel remains hidden, but begins slowly to move, creeping along through the last bit of ash of the house. Those still close to him hear a low, slow angry hiss eminating from him as he moves. Once he reaches the edge of the house, he keeps to any wreckage/roughage still available to him as he gets a better position, attempting to line up on the woman on the horse. Nothing but the barest of hissing sound comes from him.


Just because I can!
Hide: 22 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=3412)
Move Silent: 26 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=3412)

[dauphinous]

The rider lifts an eyebrow as she watches Lily, then turns her attention back to Tann. "I suppose missing 5 out of a thousand is probably forgivable." The horse gives a grunting neigh and paws the ground once with its left front hoof. The cloak lifts on her right side, offering a flash of metal underneath and the head of a crossbow bolt. "It seems that I am your executioner. Pity."

Initiatives and first round actions, please. Let's keep all the mechanical stuff in spoilers.
Map (http://dauphinous.coyotecode.net/pallanche.jpg)
It's a pretty crude map, yes. The outlined squares are piles of bodies. Squares are 5 feet. Squares outside the black lines should be considered to have rubble of one sort or another, but no one will suffer impeded movement form any of it.

R=Rider, S=Sylvie, A=Adam, J=Janelle, T=Tann, W=William, L=Lily, V=Vorel

If you think your positioning is incorrect according to your mental picture of the scene, please say something in the OOC and I'll adjust it.

[Santanya]

Vorel

(Use of readied action when she makes the executioner remark and reveals the crossbow)

Vorel trills angrily as he launches himself into the air, swooping forward around the horse. He draws a breath in, ash and soot blowing off his scales as his voice lances out again in a loud, clear sound.


Initiative: 23 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=3418)
Flight to J-10 in a wide arc around the horse.
Using Baleful Utterance upon the saddlestrap.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Upon seeing the woman show a weapon, Adam freezes with his mouth open. This can't be happening. This is isn't real. He cautiously crawls a bit towards Janelle, seeking comfort in company.

Initiative. (1d20=15) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1410311)
Move: Moving to B6.
Standard: Total Defense.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Having dealt with desert raiders in the past, Janelle wishes for some sort of real weapon-- a pistol or even a knife. Especially as she claims to be their executioner. Working with what she has, she moves closer to the rider, stoops to pick up a rock, hefts it for a moment, then lobs it over the pile of bodies, sending it winging in the rider's direction. She stoops a second time and retrieves a second lump of charred wood, holding a makeshift club in each hand.


Initiative: 1d20+3=19 (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1410383)

Five foot step to C7, throwing rock.

Attack/Damage:
1d20+5=15, 1d3+1+1d6=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1410394)

[Nighteyes5678]

William

It never took the devil long to reveal his hand and this was no exception. As the woman revealed herself to be a witch, William was already acting. He took a step closer to the bodies on the ground and knelt before them, raising one of his hands to the sky and using the other to touch one of the corpses. He raised his voice to the heaven, concentrating as much as possible on the words. "Socer divum , exsequor cruor of vestri sanctus quod premo scelestus unus. Effluo vinum of vestri ira quod animadverto vestri fidelis vindicated is dies. Amen."

Right then. William steps to E7. We're using the regular fire seed, so that's +2 to upgrade to 1d6, +4 to +3d6 giving us 4d6, +5 for the normal seed and then -4 for shouted, both hands, full round action and material component giving us a result of DC 7, DC 16 Reflex for the black witch to avoid the spell. And my spellcaster roll is: [roll0]

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lost in a fog of grief, Lily accepts Sylvie's consolations, leaning on her shoulder for support.

"I am your executioner." The lady's words echo in Lily's head. But she does not hear them. There is a yawning emptiness where her heart should be, and she is falling, falling.

Eyes as blank and empty as the child's, Lily softly sets him down, and turns to face the rider.

As she does, she once again transforms, limbs stretching, body growing, claw and tooth and fur appearing. Then, all at once, it is finished, and an enormous grizzly bear stands where Lily had been moments before, standing nearly nine feet tall; almost twice the hight of nearby Sylvie.

The bear lumbers forward, towards the lady and her horse.

Initiative: [roll0]
But it doesn't really matter what I roll, because Lily will Delay to act last in the round.

She sets down her son as a move action, turns into a bear as a standard action, then 5' steps towards the rider (I'm assuming she occupies D/E 10/11 once Large, so can 5' step to E/F 10/11, but I can always do that next round instead).

Here are her stats in bear form:
HP: 24
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+14
Attack: Claw +9 melee (1d8+8)
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee (1d8+8) and bite +4 melee (2d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +5
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 13, Con 19, (mental stats same)
Skills: same, except for Hide (gets -3) and Move Silently (gets +1)
Feats: Endurance, Run, Track

Oh and incidentally, I forgot to mention in my last post that she dropped the star sapphire back in the burned out building.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

The words, coldly spoken as they are, manage to impinge themselves on Sylvie's dreamlike state. She feels a crushing grief she hadn't before, not at thinking she was dead and not at seeing all the bodies. How could anyone so coldly condemn a thousand to death without caring? So blithely speak of it, after? How is it that men and women kill?

What an odd thought. Had she not accepted that men and women both were fools long since? She glances over as Lily rises and flees. And finds she does not know what to do. If she had a gun... but she didn't. Should she, too, flee? No. It was only one, and she was tired of fleeing.Kill her fast, before she puts a bullet through you, too.

Blessing; everyone gets +1 to attack and damage rolls. Full-round action, since she doesn't have a holy symbol.

Initiative: [roll0]

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Standing ready and silent, apart from a short curse in Russian, Tann stands in an agressive stance. Naturally shifting his body into a ready position he waits for the face of evil to act.


Readied action. If she moves within range or makes an aggressive gesture Tann will make a grapple attempt. This is irrelevant to any attacks which may injure him as a result (ie fire) since he either won't know it's coming or it'll have happened already.

Initiative [roll0]
Grapple [roll1] touch attack
opposed grapple roll if successful [roll2]

[Dib Monkey]

Rolls
Initiative: [roll0]
Grapple touch attack [roll1]
Opposed grapple if successful [roll2]

[dauphinous]

The loud trill that sounds as the woman raises the crossbow has no apparent effect, but the cloud of little spiders that forms at the horse's feet causes it to stamp a little and make some odd, confused noises. They start to scuttle up the horse's legs, apparently seeking to engulf both mount and rider. Janelle's rock seems to become engulfed in the voluminous cloak the rider wears, and it is unclear if it even hit any part of the woman at all or not.

The light twang of the crossbow sends the bolt directly into Tann's chest, burrowing and burning its way in. The horse takes a couple of steps forward and to the side, then kicks out with its hind legs, apparently displeased by the spiders. The crossbow disappears and the head of a heavy flail tumbles into view. The woman barks out a pair of sharp syllables, "cha-nek!" and Tann, William, and Lily feel a wave of dread clutch at their hearts. Tann and Lily, unable to see or think or even breathe past the raw terror turn and flee for their lives.

Sylvie's lips begin dropping the words of a prayer to Rimach. The language defies the ability of those around her to understand or even remember them, but they sound and feel comforting somehow. It is akin to the whisperings of a mother for her babe as she soothes it to sleep. While Adam makes himself as small as he can in the rubble, William begins to shape a beckoning for power to smite his foe.

Initiative order:
Vorel 23
Janelle 19
Rider 18
Tann 16 (fleeing, 10 damage)
Sylvie 15 (in prayer)
Adam 15
Lily 11 (fleeing)
William 8 (casting)

Map (http://dauphinous.coyotecode.net/pallanche.jpg)

I rolled the saves against this effect to keep this moving. Tann and Lily are fleeing for 1d4 rounds. You may roll this for yourselves. This round counts as the first one, so if you get a 1, you can do as you please in your next post. Both moved at x4 in the direction directly opposite the rider. Lily started in D10, Tann in G7.

William can take an alternate step option.

Both Sylvie and William's effects will manifest on their action next turn.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel continues his circling of the horse. Svent thric Wux yth! VALIGNATWUX! lances out in everyone's mind as he rolls over mid-air to face the woman. A silvery blue line of flame lances out from his wide open maw.

Movement/Attack:

Swooping to F14.

Attack: Attack(+2BAB+4Dex+2Size+1PBS), Damage(+1PBS): 1D20+9 = [13]+9 = 22
2D6+1 = [6, 4]+1 = 11
(http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=3475)
Damage: Attack(+2BAB+4Dex+2Size+1PBS), Damage(+1PBS): 1D20+9 = [13]+9 = 22
2D6+1 = [6, 4]+1 = 11
(http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=3475)


Speech (Only if you know draconic)

"You will not kill us! BURN!" (You can look it up (http://www.fantasist.net/draconic.shtml)!)

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle closes the remaining distance between herself and the rider and swings at her with one of the chunks of debris in her hand. She finds herself throwing out a retort in the same foul language that the woman used. <Abyssal>"Their torturous fall into the deep pits of burning pain is not for you to cause. Leave us alone."


Move to E8
Attack/Damage: 1d20+4=24, 1d6+2=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1411940)
Confirm Crit: 1d20+4=22 (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1411942)
Crit damage (if applicable): 1d6+2=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1411951)

[dauphinous]

The swarm evaporates just before the line of blue fire slams into the woman's back and she recoils from the blow. Then Janelle runs up. She feels the same bone-chilling terror that William and Lily and Tann did, but pushes past it and swings her crude club, impacting it solidly on something under the cloak, possibly the Rider's leg, possibly something more vital. She follows through with her swing, sweeping the cloak aside to reveal that the woman is clad in a breastplate that has been somehow blackened, though it has lost none of its metallic sheen.

The movement of the cloak also gives Janelle and excellent view of the flail as the Rider swings it expertly into the side of her head and neck. The head of the flail rips away flesh as she pulls it back, covered in Janelle's blood. A cruel sneer forms on her lips as she seems to relish taste of the few droplets of blood that managed to fly far enough to hit her mouth.

The horse moves then, without her making any sort of direction with the reins. It rears up, which does not unsettle the rider in the slightest, and lashes out with both front hooves at William. One thumps solidly into his chest.

Initiative order:
Vorel 23
Janelle 19 (13 damage, at 0/13)
Rider 18
Tann 16 (fleeing, 10 damage) <-paused here
Sylvie 15 (in prayer)
Adam 15
Lily 11 (fleeing)
William 8 (9 damage, casting)

As those who go before the rider already posted, I thought I'd just go ahead and resolve that right away so people can react to what she does.

William gets to make a concentration check to keep his spell.

[Newbie101]

Adam

As Adam sees the crossbow bolt impale itself in the man, he feels something in him want to reach out and fix it. As the injured man (Tann) and the tall woman (Lily) flee, his thoughts swirl in his head. Maybe they're being reasonable - why stay around and get killed? However, as he watches Janelle move towards the rider and attack, he feels a burst of shame inside him. I can't just leave these people here. They might need my help if they get hurt. Whether this is real or not, I have to stay and help.

With that internal discussion settled, he feels an energy welling up inside him, like it was waking up too. He knows that he can help them somehow and he lets his feelings guide him. As he sees Janelle get hit, he yells, <Sylvian> "No!" and the energy flows from him into those injured around him. Acting half on instinct, he takes a step the others, his fingers tingling. Getting closer to Janelle, he pushes more energy into her. Seeing her wounds knit themselves closed, a part of him is amazed and a part is simply content that everything is the way it should be.

Alright...
If Tann comes back before my action, then I am using Healing heart on him, Janelle and William for +7 HP to all three.
Then I am moving to C7.
I then use Lay on Hands to heal the rest of Janelle's damage. +6 more HP to Janelle.

If Tann does not come back, then I do the same, but just healing William for 7 and Janelle for all 13.

If Janelle attacks, and loses another hitpoint, I am healing her for a total of 14.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

The wind and still-cold morning air lends an odd contrast to the fight; Sylvie watches Janelle's fall almost impassively. The quiet sounds of the wind, the slight breathing of the horse, and the surprisingly soft sound of metal on flesh provide a background to her words. She couldn't tell exactly what she was saying, but it was the sound of a plea, oddly comforting, like a remembered childhood ritual, and when she stops speaking, she wishes she had more to say, that she could continue. In the dust, her hand finds a well-sized stone, and grips it tightly.

She rises to her feet, and finds herself moving towards the rider instead of hurling the stone as she had intended. The black armor and red hair strike her, suddenly, as if she'd recognized someone, but no conscious realization accompanies it. She tries to find words to call at the woman, to break her attention from Janelle and the other wounded ones, but nothing comes.

Moving about to G10, into flanking position, and picking up an improvised rock or club. I'm assuming the swarm is gone since you mentioned it dissolving; if not, she'll move to F10. Should be enough room to move about without drawing attacks of opportunity.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Terror, stark and total. Fear, abject and cowering. Lily's mind would not cohere.

A hungry darkness wrapped around her heat, and Lily ran.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Those who understand Russian hear a torrent of screaming fear, of those killed by an unstoppable force of Evil, of millions of dead and of a man who did nothing but flee.

Tann's mind is plagued by guilt as he relives the lowest point in his life yet again.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Pain. Intense tearing pain. She starts to waver and nearly stumbles to the ground under the pain before it washes away at the touch of the satyr. Not understanding this blessing or the dream, Janelle nonetheless realizes that she doesn't want to be struck again, and figures the safest place to be is where the rider can't easily reach her. She does her best to scramble aboard the horse behind the rider.


Climb check: 1d20+7=23 (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1413734)

[Nighteyes5678]

William

The pain from the horse's hooves tore through him, causing him to gasp in shock. There had been many times on the battlefield where William had suffered wounds of a greater nature than mere horse hooves, but that had been a long time ago. A long time indeed.

His mind struggled to hold onto his faith, willing the power to complete itself. Memories of the Lord Jesu's face as he hung on the cross filled his thoughts, the blood, the tortured cries, the brave son of the Holy Son enduring so much more than mere horse hooves. The image shamed him; the image strengthened him and he felt God smile and channel fire through him, lashing out in a brilliant line from William to the witch.

We might as well get this out of the way before I write the rest, yes? Concentration - [roll0] against a DC of 21, yes? >_< There's a reason I don't play mage's often... EDIT: Holy... ok, the dice roller loves me! I've finished up the post and do I need to make another spell? ^_^ *does a happy mage dance* Oh, he also negates 4 damage using spell defense.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel lets out an agitated hiss as he circles the horse, rolling back over mid air to beat his wings and pull himself higher into the air. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew his friends, those that he had loved for most of his short life were laying dead somewhere, and every ounce of him blamed this woman before him. He screams out again, the blue-silver fire lancing out in a tight line at the mounted rider again.


Circling to B9 and gaining enough altitude to clear the buildings.

Attack: 26 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=3537)
Damage: 11 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=3537)

[dauphinous]

As Sylvie finishes her prayer, everyone can feel a light caress of warmth and power that instills a whisper of calm, of certainty. Adam responds to that power with his own, flinging invisible tendrils of his own life energy spinning out to heal the wounds of William and Janelle. The pain they carry evaporates, along with any trace of the wounds.

William's spell, held through the horse's assault, brings power to his call. Flames spring up and swirl around the rider, though it seems that perhaps her cloak takes the brunt of it for her. Vorel circles and breathes out another angry blast into the rider's side. She brings her flail around into Janelle's back as she climbs up onto the horse's back.

The rider issues a wordless snarl and the horse takes off, jumping into a full gallop.

Janelle takes 12 damage and can start a grapple against the rider to stay on the horse, or can jump off(no damage for the fall).

The horse goes 240 feet away from the main part of the group.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

As the rider starts to send the horse off at a full gallop, Janelle decides that staying with the people who are at least friendly on the surface is better than staying with the madwoman. She abandons her position on the back of the horse, surprising herself with an agile landing and roll. Given the crushing pain in her back, however, she choses to remain where she lies when she comes to a rolling stop.

[Newbie101]

Adam

As Janelle rides off behind the woman the horse, injured from her attempt to climb on and hinder the rider, Adam feels something inside of him again, urging him to act. He is no longer unsure of what to do. We can't just leave her! He runs after the rider, failing to catch up to them.

While he runs he thinks about what he has just done and is still amazed and wants to figure it out and analyze it. How is this happening? How could I be doing this? Why does it feel so natural? Is this truly a dream?

Running after Janelle. I was 15 feet away from the horse and I can run for 160 ft. So, not enough to catch up and actually do anything, but close enough to Janelle so that she can see me running after her.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel lets out an angry trill, beating his wings as fast as he can streaking after the woman on horseback. He falls quickly behind and finially lands in the grass not far from where Janelle. He starts after the woman and shorts angrily once, then flaps up into the air and over to Janelle. Are you alright? echos inside her head in common as he hovers over her, beating the air slowly with large wings, peering down at her.


(Ok, they would be large if he was at all big....)

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Still unwilling to move just yet, and not really getting what the deal is with the lizard, she groans to herself, "That was stupid."

[Newbie101]

Adam

Finally catching up to where Janelle is lying, Adam feels the energy build up in him. As he approaches Janelle, panting slightly, he releases it into her. He speaks, breathing heavily with relief, <Sylvan>"You're alright... I thought you were going to be taken away by that woman. What... just happened here?"

Janelle, heal 12 HP.

[dauphinous]

The rider leaves sight quickly, and Lily and Tann both regain their senses, though nowhere near the spots they fled from. Lily finds herself amongst the burnt trees, while Tann has run into a tunnel lit from within by a few still burning fires. The interior looks like it might have been a living space, and there is dried blood everywhere, even on the ceiling. Just as with outside, there is nothing of apparent value, only charred wood, clumps of earth, and ash.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Tann returns to the group, disturbed and shaken. He avoids your gaze as he walks towards you. Blood is still dripping from the crossbow wound.

"I am sorry, I cannot explain what happened to me. He pauses, We need to go before she returns with others.

He remains looking at his feet

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie stands as if in a dream for a few moments, watching the fleet-footed beast-man run after Janelle and the horse. The black armor and the red hair fix themselves firmly in her mind as she stares in the direction of the rider, accompanied by a quiet sense of dread. Something makes her wonder if this is not the only such burned village. Of course it is not... A war has more than one casualty, and this was surely not done by bandits.

As Tann returns, still bleeding, she moves towards him to look at the wound. "In a minute. Hold still..." Very carefully, she draws out the crossbow bolt, thankful that the rider possessed no gun; she would never have been able to do the same for a bullet wound... The metal-tipped bolt seems to have done quite enough, though, and she wonders that he can speak so calmly. It almost feels to her that she can feel the pain of the bolt sliding into her body...

The wound on Tann's torso vanishes, and she can feel the pain of the wound all of a sudden. She takes a step back from Tann, grimacing and half-bent over. A hand clasped to her side discovers that it is not only in her mind—beneath her slightly tattered robe, blood is flowing.

Sacrificial Healing; Tann is healed of all damage. Sylvie has 8 hit points left.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

<English>"That was stupid," she repeats as Adam reaches her. As the pain leaves her body, Janelle looks at Adam with wonder. <English>"How are you doing that?" Pain has, for the moment at least, dispelled any assurances of a dream, and she's more confused than before.

[Santanya]

Vorel

The little lizard splays its wings, dropping slowly and landing on Janelle's torso. He moves his head close and sniffs a couple times, then shakes its head. <Sylvan>She must have hit her head, echoes through her and Adam's heads as it looks at her, then moves off to the ground next to her. He peers after the riding quickly making her exit for a moment, letting out an agitated hiss.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle strokes the lizard's head briefly, assuming the words came from Adam. <Sylvan>"No, I didn't hit my head. Not recently at least. Although hitting my head may be how I got here." She rubs at her head again with one hand, lightly fingering the horn she found earlier. <Sylvan>"I've got a right sharp bump too, but I don't remember hitting my head."

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily's grief was her touchstone; measured against it, her fear was no more substantial than the morning mist she ran through.

No sooner did she realize this, though, then the feeling of terror vanished utterly, disappearing as swiftly as it had first manifested itself, and causing an equal shock.

Lily gasped, and leaned against a burned out tree for support. It was as though all the air had been torn from her lungs, and she could not catch her breath. She sank to the ground, still leaning against the tree, cradling her son's body in her lap. She felt utterly drained, unable to even look around, or think about what had just happened.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam shrugs and puts his hands up, <Sylvan> "I'm not really sure. I just feel this energy within me and then I can push it into you. I really want to know what's going on now, but I think your head should be better now."

When the lizard's voice appears in his head Adam is not looking at it and just assumes he heard the words being spoken. I guess it can talk... This is just all so confusing.

After she mentions the bump on her head, Adam moves closer and peers at where she is rubbing it, <Sylvan> "Let me take a look at that, Janelle, and then we should probably go back to the others. I'd feel safer in a bigger group. And then we can sit down somewhere and figure all this out."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

<Sylvan>"If you like," she says, removing her hand to let him look. <Sylvan>"But be quick. We probably shouldn't linger. She may be back with others."

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam brushes her hair away from the spot she indicates and pauses, seeing a small blunt horn. He looks on the other side of her head and spots another one hiding in her hair. He steps back and touches his own large horns with his right hand briefly, to reassure himself of something. <Sylvan> "Janelle, you're not hurt there. You just, have, uh, horns."

He looks even more confused and just sighs. <Sylvan> "Why don't we all head back. I am sure we can figure this all out somehow."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

<Sylvan>"Excuse me?" she says looking shocked. She reaches up with both hands to feel the small horns. "Mon dieu," she whispers softly, her face going pale. She scrambles nimbly to her feet, cradling the lizard with one arm so as to prevent it from falling as she rises. <Sylvan>"What's happened to us?" she mutters, as much to herself as to anyone. She'll walk back to the others, keeping pace with Adam, her face still quite pale, still lightly petting the lizard in her arms (unless it chooses to fly on its own power).

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam alternates looks at his hands and Janelle as he walks back to the main group. She does seem fully healed, though he is still not sure how and why. After a while he speaks softly, partially in response to Janelle, and partially just echoing his own thoughts, <Sylvan> "Someone must know."

As they approach the main group, Adam looks up at all who are there with a slightly lost and tired expression.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel allows himself to be carried, wrapping his tail around Janelle's back as she walks, but keeps the barbed tip away from her. His demenor slowly fades from the agitated state back towards a slightly sullen one as they near the others and the ruins. He looks up at the pair for a moment as they speak. Healing isn't that uncommon an ability, Rynah did it for the children many times. The wyrm's head drops slightly at the thought, as he looked about. A soft sad trill escapes him again.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Tann keeps pace with the others, but doesn't speak, distracted by the unbroken skin where the severe wound once was. He is also not looking anyone in the eye, his shame obvious from his whole demeanor.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

She starts as she realizes the lizard is speaking to her. <Sylvan>"You talk?" she asks surprised, following up the question with <Sylvan>"Who's Rynah? Maybe he or she will know what's going on."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

The witch fled and William let her. In truth, the fight had left him drained and a little mystified. Power had flowed from him and it had felt good, clean and fresh. His wounds burned, this frail new body unsuitable and incapable of combat, but his spirit soared. His flesh ached, but his spirit rejoiced. Things were as they should be.

The others were scattered like sheep without a shepherd, but he didn't blame them. The witch's attack had been fierce and her terrible power had could drive the courage out of a man; women wouldn't be expected to stay and fight. He was thankful that most of the fairer sex had the sense to run and let the men handle her. Most of them. His eyes drifted over to the fiery-haired woman and he frowned.

The black-cloaked one was a witch, that much was certain. Sent by the devil, empowered by hell to ensure God's holy ones destruction. Yet... the Scriptures and Church had taught that any who stood against the evil one could not be direct enemies of God, or else the house would crumble and fall.

William's steps brought him toward the devil-man and the woman, the lizard in her arms, more blue than black now. He did his best to smile, but the pain made it difficult. "Praise be to God for the deliverance he has shown us." He raised his voice a little so others near-by could hear as well. "This place is not safe for us. I will pray and God will lead us to a safe shelter, like He led the children of Israel of old out of slavery to the promised land. Come now, make ready and we will leave."

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel looks up to Janelle, tilting his head at a slightly. Of course I do, why wouldn't a dragon be able to talk? He was about to continue as William begins his speech. The little lizard tilts his head curiously at the man then the question that is in his mind flows out to everyone's, Which one?

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam looks up and is slightly surprised to see Tann unhurt. It's a dream. It has to be a dream. That's the only way this all makes sense. He realizes Lily is not with the group and looks around for her, finally spotting her in the trees nearby. She ran off too, didn't she... oh there she is. I wonder if she is alright.

Adam blinks and sighs inwardly as the young man speaks to him and Janelle, not understanding a word. He turns and says to Janelle and the lizard in her arms, <Sylvan>"I am going to see if that woman is alright - she ran off so suddenly, maybe she's hurt. Then we should probably get going." He then points to the trees where he saw Lily and walks towards her.

[Nighteyes5678]

William

The voice flowed into his head, holding a distinctive reptilian sound and William felt a shiver run down his spine. It was a creature that had been sent by God, he reminded himself, his hand aching for his sword hilt. It was a talking reptile. It was a talking snake.

He shook his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. "The only God who rules in the heavens, Lord Jehovah and his son the Christ who are one. He has brought me to this land, to guide and shelter His Holy Ones and lead them into His purpose." William cocked his head, examining the winged lizard. "And what are you and what do you know of this place, little one?"

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie keeps a hand carefully over the side of her torso, wondering. Intuitively, she knows it is the same wound the man had taken, although she has never been shot with a crossbow before. The pain of the initial wound is gone, leaving only the insistent, impossible-to-ignore ache that comes afterwards. It's painful, but somehow, it also feels as if something is right. Looking about at the field of the dead, she realizes it. I couldn't take their pain for them, but this much I can do.

She walks after the two men carefully, keeping a hand clasped to her side and gritting her teeth. Walking sends a twinge through her, but she had endured worse. She would endure this without flinching. It is not without relief that she notes Janelle's wounds are gone already, though. Listening to the smaller man proclaim his intent (and what a grandiose intent! The gods guided their followers, but when they saw fit, and no prophet she had ever heard of could be so sure of guidance), a thought comes to her. She voices it. "She will bring others..." She can't tell why she feels such deep grief and regret at the thought of leaving the village... or even at the thought it was destroyed. I lived here.

She spares the small man another glance. She knows what he is talking about... but at the same time, she knows another truth. "He lived here," she answers for him, remembering and speaking before the supposed prophet's question dragged out too much of the little lizard's pain. "Before..." She blinks back tears, realizing that his pain had the same cause as her own. "... any of this," she finishes, tears beginning to run down her face.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"You're right," she replies to Sylvie. "We should be gone before that happens." She picks up one of her erstwhile clubs and all the small blue stones that she can find readily. "We might be able to hide in the caves until they're gone," she says in a dubious tone. "Although it might be better if we can find someone named 'Rynah'. The winged-lizard mentioned the name. Whoever he or she is, we might be able to get some answers."

[Santanya]

Vorel

I did Vorel thinks, his resolve found during the fight with the cloaked woman beginning to fade slightly. He pushes himself out of Janelle's arms and flaps over to Sylvie and lands gently on her shoulder. Most of you did. Why you act like you did not I do not know. Everyone was killed... His thoughts become slightly shaky as he looks towards the burnt out buildings. Rynah helped with the children... He looks quizically at Janelle. She is right here.

He looks towards William, golden eyes slightly sparkling in the light of the day. I do not know who 'Jehova' is, but she is not a god I have ever heard of. Did you hit your head?

[Nighteyes5678]

William

One Sunday, William had sat in the keep's elaborate chapel, listening to Father Thomas discuss the evils of laughter. After all, in order to laugh at something, one had to not take it seriously, which either meant the laugher was disrespecting Truth or not fearing evil. Either way, the sound was an affront to God and instilled doubt in the hearts of men.

So William tried to hold the laughter in; tried to take it seriously, but a little blue "dragon" was asking him if he had hit his head. Instead of laughing, William tried to smile kindly. "I woke up surrounded by death, little one. I do not know how I have come to inhabit another tent, nor do I know how I ended up in a pile of freshly killed people. I do know that evil is at work. The Lord granted me a vision that showed the Whore of Babylon spewing forth all manner of vile demonic creatures that swept through the Earth, killing the Lord's Chosen. Take heart, His hand is upon us all, even if you do not know who He is." William cleared his throat and looked around. "I must pray for guidance and then we must leave. The caves will not shelter us for long, it is better that we set off immediately toward the place that the Lord has prepared for us."

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Stillness, and silence. After a time, a man's voice, echoing in her mind. Child, it is time to wake.

Lily's eyes, already open, begin to focus. The first thing she sees is, of course, her son. Once again, she begins to weep, quietly, but no less fiercely than before. Tears flowing freely, she carefully lays him down next to one of the burnt and broken trees.

Lily begins to gather nearby stones, starting to pile them around the body. When she sees Adam approach, she blinks back tears. "Help me gather stones for a cairn." she asks, softly.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam approaches Lily and sees the dead child upon the ground. Though he does not understand the words of her request, the sadness in her voice and her actions make it clear. Feeling akward, he gathers nearby stones, handing them to her. Somehow he feels it is her place to build this little shrine and he is just helping.

After she is done, Adam waits for a few minutes to give her time to grieve and then tugs on her sleeve gently, pointing back to the main group and speaking softly, <Sylvan> "We should go back to them."

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel tilts his head again at William. You made much more sense before all of this happened, he thinks. 'Lord'? Rimach is the Lord of Mercy, is that of who you speak? Havrek might, but not many call him that, only his Chosen and clerics. Vorel shakes his head. They do not speak to many though most offer their words and hope that the gods smile down on them. He shakes his head. If one were lording over the others there would be much chaos though. He pauses looking around. All the gods are equal, even if you do not like them, but this is the work of Mezanne. The woman's garb looked it at least.

[Nighteyes5678]

William

"I do not recognize those whom you speak of, little one," William replied, not unkindly. "You may refer to saints that I am not familiar with. I am a simple man and my education is not as great as it could be, but rest assured that Jesus is Lord above them all." He gritted his teeth then, his fist curling and then relaxing once more. "Or it could be pagan images of old. I know that in my homeland, before the Truth came to the isle, the men there worshiped all manners of false gods, bowing before the demons and sacrificing children upon their gruesome alters. If this is indeed the work of this 'Mezanne', then it is surely a demon or devil mascarding as an angel of light, just as the scriptures tell us will happen at the End of Days." He took a deep breath and walked away a few paces from the others, kneeling in the dirt. William closed his eyes and knelt, his hands folded in prayer, his head bowed.


"Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio;
contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.
Imperat illi Deus; supplices deprecamur: tuque,
Princeps militiae coelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus
malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in
mundo, divina virtute in infernum detrude. Amen

Actiones nostras, quaesumus Domine, aspirando praeveni et adiuvando
prosequere: ut cuncta nosta oratio et operatio a te semper incipiat et per
ta coepta finiatur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen."

He poured all that he was into the prayer, focusing with his spirit, seeking the connection with the divine that he had so recent enjoyed. Then, his soul spread its wings and took fight, soaring over the landscape heading North-east. The land was desolate underneath him, but landmarks here and there that his spirit recognized and rejoiced over awaited him. There, below him, lay a great and beautiful city, unlike any he had seen before.

This is Pallon City, where you shall lead my children, the voice of the Lord rang through his mind and soul. He rejoiced in his God's protection and his soul began to make its way back to his body.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel tilts his head slightly. Your education was fine, you learned from Astera and Koril. He shakes his head. What is wrong with you people? Our homes were burnt and friends slain. He lets out a soft trill, leaning his head down against Sylvie, who seemed to be the only one who cared at all. Why is it you all are acting like this?

We do need to move though, he raises his head, looking in the direction the woman on horseback fled. She will not give up that easily. We do not have time for insanity at a time like this.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle puts her hands to her temples at the cascade of information. "Okay, slow down a moment. You said your name is Sylvie, right? Not Rynah. Or did I mishear? And if that's the case, little lizard, why would you tell me otherwise? Or that I lived here? I'm not even sure where here is, and this," she gestures to her body, "isn't me." For the moment, she ignores the man in the throes of religious fervor.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam comes back to the main group, walking slowly and looking a bit awkward. <Sylvan> "She'll be along in a bit." He looks around at the small man praying and the others talking. Sylvie's hand over her side catches his eye. <Sylvan> "Are you hurt?" he asks, moving closer to her.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie starts at the name Rynah. For some reason, it is as familiar to her as her own. It is my own. The thought hangs there surreally, along with Vorel's assertion that they all lived here, and her own grief at seeing its remains. "Yes," she murmurs at the litte dragon's last... words, for want of a better term. That was the thing she had remembered about the rider, the one that had inspired a quiet dread. "This is surely her work."

She raises a hand to stroke Vorel comfortingly; the other one stays unconsciously clasped over the wound in her torso. "I... I don't know," she says aloud. "Something very strange has happened... I..." She trails off. She can remember the village before it was burnt, but nothing of the burning, and other memories intrude. Why does that seem strange? Of course I remember living here... I remember also France and the war. But are those gone? Which is real? She doesn't voice all her thoughts; there is no need to upset Vorel further. "Either name will do," she manages at last. "You do not feel... yourself, either?"

The faun's return distracts her, bringing a welcome, if momentary, distraction from her confusion. His gesture towards her side is clear enough, even if his speech isn't. She could not usually tell one satyr from another, but this one had healed Janelle; she thought she knew him. She shakes her head. "Tell him to keep his strength. I am fine, and he may need it."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle translates as needed for the satyr. "You might be the key to everything, little friend," she says to the lizard. "Do you know what happened here? Will you tell us?"

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam frowns after Janelle translates and nods. <Sylvan> "I hope I won't need to do much more of this, but it seems like this dream is more dangerous than I thought possible. If her wound gets any worse, I will do something though."

As Janelle speaks to the lizard, he looks around nervously, and listens, hoping for silence, but paying attention to anything that sounds like more danger coming their way.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily nods at Adam when he suggests returning to the group, and, a few minutes later, slowly trudges back towards the others. Her demeanor is much changed, though; gone are the easy smiles and friendly greetings.

"Is everyone else all right?" she asks, without enthusiasm.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel drops his head along Sylvie's shoulder. An army attacked... he thinks. Astera and Koril tried to stop them, and others did, but it was no good. There was a big dragon, a bronze one and demons. He sighs a soft trill out. Astera told me to hide so I did. They killed everyone, and worse to the women. He shudders and lets out a hiss. I don't know why they attacked. I don't know why they did not find me. I don't know why they left you alive...

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam is startled to hear the lizard's story. Army? Demons? Dragon? This is just madness. He frowns and opens his mouth as if to speak.

He stops and decides that it is no use arguing about things that are impossible. If I try to figure this out, I am going to go crazy. This is a dream and things here do not make sense, but I am going to go along with them and take everything as seriously as I can. I don't even need to tell anyone when I wake up. It's just me here and maybe these other people.

After that short pause, he does speak, <Sylvan> "Alright, so we need to go somewhere and hide, if that woman or any army is going to come back. I say, we get up on those cliffs and have a look at what's around us. Then we'll know where to go." He then taps his head lightly, feeling annoyed, and repeats himself in English.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"There's a faster way," she says, repeating herself in Sylvan for Adam's benefit. She looks at the little dragon-lizard. "Little friend, you're familiar with the area, I trust. What other towns or cities are close by?"

As Lily walks up she looks somewhat concerned at the changed demeanor. "Are you all right? You look awful."

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

"I feel awful," Lily replies. She looks on the verge of saying more, but holds back at the last minute, with a pointed glance at the two strange men in the group (William and Tann).

Instead, she asks, haltingly, "What happened to that rider? She said something in a language I didn't understand, and I was terrified. I don't even know why."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"She ran-- well, rode-- away. She'll probably be back with reinforcements. We should get going, though, now that you're ready, and our zealot seems to be done groveling. As for the word 'chanek'--" she shrugs helplessly. "I don't know why it affected you. The word means 'terror that stabs through your heart like a poisoned dagger of ice'-- more or less. And don't ask me how I know this, but the name of the language is Abyssal. Demons speak it." She laughs, the sound a mix between rue, humor, and hysteria. "Maybe I've become a demon, since I can speak it." She looks around a bit theatrically. "It looks like Hell."

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie looks at Lily with the same look of concern, but she doesn't ask anything. She thinks over what Vorel said, slowly, consideringly.

She realizes she is almost clutching at Vorel's tail as she does so, and softens her grip; well, it was no wonder she was not calm, considering what she had escaped. Why were we left unharmed? The rendition of what had happened here is chilling. Some small part of her wants to laugh bitterly and protest madness at the thought of demons and dragons; most of her turns over the thought of demons and dragons, loose and apparently destroying villages. And if the rider was any sign, not yet finished. "You're not a demon," she replies without thinking to Janelle, looking at her.

"If you were, you wouldn't have helped us." She hesitates, taking in the blood-red hair and the sharp teeth visible as Janelle speaks; particularly with the backdrop, it makes her appear almost fiendish. "It... I think maybe you have old demon-blood, or were tainted. Perhaps that's how you understood."

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam nods. <Sylvan> "If our lizard friend knows a safe place to go, I will gladly follow." He pauses and looks at Janelle, smiling slightly, <Sylvan>"You know, it was pretty brave of you to go charging that woman. Why did you do it?"

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

She appears to have no words to say in reply to Sylvie, although faint traces of relief flash briefly across her young face. She again offers a helpless shrug, this time to the satyr. <Sylvan>"I don't know. Some sort of instinct, I suppose. I reacted before I had time to consider my actions."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

His soul firmly back in his body, William stood, his mind reeling with what he had just experienced. The conversation drifted back to him the dragon's voice echoed in his mind, finally illuminating the situation. It made so much sense now.

"Don't you understand?" he asked, striding back to the circle of huddled people. "This is all prophecy being fulfilled. The holy book of Revelation tells us that in the End of Days, the Dragon, that is Satan, will pursue the woman and when she escapes him, the dragon will send forth all manner of demon filth to destroy God's chosen. Don't you see?" he asked, his voice raising in excitement. "This is what my vision was telling me! The demons and the dragon have descended on the Earth; we have been brought here for God's purpose to combat the dragon and its followers."

He took a deep breath to settle himself, a hand running through his black hair. "Do not worry, God has given me a vision of where we are to go. It is called Pallon City; it lies to the North-east. I have been given a vision of the way and we must go. Now. Answers and help await us there, but we must move swiftly."

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam frowns slightly at Janelle's words, <Sylvan> "Yes, instinct - that's a good way of putting it." Looking at the young man speaking emphatically, Adam glances at Janelle and Lily, to see how they are taking his words. The young man seems to feel very strongly about something; Adam briefly wonders why his dream includes someone so unlike anyone he knew in real life and dismisses the thought. No questioning, just go with it until I wake up.

He speaks to the women near him, <Sylvan> "Well, I don't know what he is excited about, but why don't we walk while our lizard friend thinks of where to go. Given that the woman rode off that way," he points behind him, "we should probably start going in the other direction. If she has friends who also have horses, they'll be back real soon."

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Increasingly aggitated while the others speak around him and possibly impatient, though still yet to speak himself, Tann moves in the direction suggested by Adam. He doesn't look behind him to see if the others follow, at this stage it is simply vital to begin putting some distance between himself and the rider and her kin.

He walks with a steady and determined pace

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel lowers his head in thought a moment. He looks to William quizically a moment. Pallan City is the capital of Pallaxis, everyone knows that. It does not take praying to know. Especially to some lesser god, he says. Moriskit is about the same distance, but is the capital of Rusenia... he swallows hard once. It was their army that attacked us. It would make sense that the army would continue to Pallan itself.

There are towns between Westcliff... What was Westcliff and Pallan, he adds. Daverton is to the east, but... the army that attacked us followed the road that way. There are other towns though as well...

He looks pointedly at William. And dragons do not tend to chase others unless they've caused them harm, or they are working with others. Some are good, some are evil. Don't attempt to lump all of us together, human.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Slowly walking in the direction he indicated and Tann has started upon, Adam converses with the lizard, <Sylvan> "I don't think we want to go anywhere near the army. I think for now, we will head away from the woman and the army. If you can fly up and take a look, maybe you can see where it might be safe to go? We also will need food soon - we have to reach some town that this army has not attacked."

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily looks a Janelle, surprised and slightly afraid. "That's a very, ah, accurate description." Lily doesn't seem reassured by Sylvie's explanation, but then William makes his proclamation, and she turns to face him.

Lily begins to raise her voice, "And you! God's purpose? You think this," she sweeps her arm out to indicate the piles of dead, "is god's purpose?" Her voice drops back to normal and she shakes her head, "No, forget it. I'm in no mood for another *expletive* theology debate."

Lily watches the stranger, and then the satyr, head off to the north. Not liking the look of those caves, she prepares to follow them. Now, talking to a little dragon would be normally at least somewhat disconcerting, but she is well past that point today, and simply asks him, "What is the country like in that direction? And what's this about kingdoms? You make it sound like we're in a war zone."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

(Assuming the group is moving north at this point?)

"What's the nearest town in this general direction?" she asks the lizard. "We should get food and supplies, if we can. And probably warn them, I suppose."

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie looks askance at the man as he speaks. If you think that only devils could have done such as this, you are wrong. Men do as much with no outside aid. But they do need to leave this place. She begins walking after the others, realizing that the pain from the wound in her side is fading. She takes her hand away for a moment to peer down at her side. The bloodstain there is fresh, but it isn't spreading.

Her mind returns to what Vorel had said, unwillingly. "You said that Rusenia sent the army?" she asks the dragon on her shoulder quietly. "They are in league with demons, then? You are sure?"

[Nighteyes5678]

William

Her words angered her, but more than the words was her tone. It was everything that he hated about the puffed up, intellectual circles back in the growing cities. The scholars wrapped in their robes, their minds rotted by bookworms, bragged about how much they knew, completely dismissing anything that did not come from their great store of knowledge. They preached about understanding new things, yet they did not wait to understand an idea before dismissing it. She was no different and why was he surprised? She was a woman, simple in the mind and slow to understand. She would be no different simply because she had been chosen by God. It was well known that He used the most simple of vessels for His work. That was why He had chosen William and there was no doubt that this woman was an example of the lowest creature being used in a divine manner.

He unclenched his fists and took a deep breath. "This is certainly not God's will, to think such a thing would be blasphemy. I thought I made it clear that this carnage is the doing of the devil, who seeks to destroy all men. But if you refuse to understand, than so be it." He turned his attention to the dragon who, he couldn't help but be fascinated by. The creature was much like Azriel, yet so very different. "I meant no offense, little one. I did not mean to insinuate that all of your kind were evil. Would God choose an evil creature to serve him? Not directly. I, instead, spoke of a great evil dragon, the one spoken of by prophecy."

William stayed silent then. They were going North, but perhaps later he would convince the others to turn toward the East, to Pallan City. In the end, it was in God's hands, not his own.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

She speaks casually to William, <Latin>"And what year do you think it is?"

[Newbie101]

Adam

After walking a bit, Adam looks over his shoulder and is relieved to see that the others are following. He notices the exchange between Lily and William and feels a need to say something. <Sylvan> "Lily, don't let him upset you. I don't know what he's been talking about, but there's no reason to let it get to you." Adam seems to think about something as he continues, <Sylvan> "He's probably in a mild form of shock from the wounds and this general crazyness. Usually when that happens to animals, or people, they want to reject everything that is unfamiliar and that's probably why he's being rude or saying whatever he said."

Or at least that's what I think is supposed to happen. I guess I did deserve that B minus.

Looking at the burned remains of the forest as he walks, he realizes it is possible that they might encounter others who wish to hurt them. He voices his concern, <Sylvan> "You know, we might run into others who are part of this army. We should decide what we want to do next time that happens. If half of us run and hide and the other half try to resist, we're all going to be screwed."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

William blinked in surprise at Lily, unaware that any of these spoke the Holy Tongue. "It is 1414 in the year of our Lord. Henry the Fifth sits upon the throne of England and John XXIII is the Lord's Vicar on Earth." He blinked and narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, what year do I 'think' it is?"

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

She shrugs. "The year I last remember was 1996-- Anno Domini. These," she indicates Adam and Lily, "two tell me it was 2007 by the same calendar for them. Your comment about the 'end of days' made me curious. I don't claim to understand what's happened, but it apparently didn't occur on the same day for all of us."

She translates Adam's request for a plan, but doesn't appear to have anything to offer on her own, wrapped up as she is in trying to figure out where she is and how she got there.

[dauphinous]

Once the group begins to move through the burnt forest, it becomes clear that the way is littered with not just ash and burnt branches, but also dead animals. Small birds, squirrels, rats, and other small animals have been charred and, in some cases, look almost melted. There do not seem to be any carcasses of larger animals about.

The smoke thickens a little during the walk away from the town, and there are a couple of relatively small clearings with scorchmarks on the ground and wood debris scattered around in the area, as if something exploded in the center of it.

[Newbie101]

Adam

As they walk through the forest, Adam occasionally pauses to examine the dead animals, or the burnt trees, shaking his head in disbelief. Why would anyone want to do this? There is nothing left alive here or in the village.

As they pass another scorched clearing, he turns to the lizard and asks, <Sylvan> "Did a dragon do that?"

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

As they walk along, Janelle picks up a few of the more intact animal carcasses. After collecting a couple, she tears a thin length of cloth from the hem of her shift and uses it to tie the animals with, for easier carrying. The sight of death doesn't seem to bother her.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Noting what Janelle is doing, Adam turns his thoughts to more practical matters. That's a good idea. We might not get to a town before nightfall. And it could be just like the one we woke up in. Thank god for my uncle taking me camping all those times.

He points to her bundle as he speaks, <Sylvan> "Smart of you to think of that - who knows where we'll end up by nightfall. Let me see if I can help out." He keeps an eye out for any edible looking nuts that might have survived the fire, or animals that Janelle might have missed, picking them up as well.

[Santanya]

Vorel

The closest town to the north is Hampsille, Vorel thinks. He looks towards William and shakes his small head as he takes flight, hovering with long slow strokes of his wings. And you are speaking jibberish again. There are nine gods, once more common knowledge. Jehovah and this 'Satan' are not one of them. Things would probably be much worse off if one of them did rule over all. He takes to the air circling high for a few moments before rejoining the group, flapping in a slow circle listening to the others.

As the encounter the clearings and Adam asks his question, Vorel shakes his head slightly. I do not know, he thinks. Breath does not normally explode...

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

The ruined forest puts Sylvie on edge even more so than the burned village had. Men killed one another, and always had, but there were reasons—idiotic reasons, foolish and often evil, but reasons nonetheless. There could be no reason to systematically hunt down everything that lived. No reason for anything human, at least. She shivers, and tries not to think about it too much.

There is plenty to think about to take her mind off their surroundings. 1414... The date holds no meaning for her, no more than when Janelle gave 1996. One more than five hundred years older, and the other not even happened yet... and what's more, when she thinks of her own date she can remember two, not just one. "We need to figure out what is happening here," she says, mostly to herself as she starts but looking about at the others as she continues. "I thought this had to be a dream at first, but I don't think so, not anymore. I can—I can remember too much, it feels like. Do any of you feel this?"

She lapses back into French, muttering, "The years, how can they be so different?"

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Tann answers Sylvie without turning round.
"I do not believe this is a dream. I am dead, and I have every reason to believe this is hell. Time will tell."

He turns his head to face Vorel
"You have said you recognise some among our group. Do you recognise me, or perhaps at least the body I find myself in?"

He is speaking with a sharp edge to his tone, but considering the surroundings it is no surprise his mood is affected.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily


The same sunlight that burns away the morning's mist seems to thicken the fog in Lily's mind. She walks with the group, putting one foot in front of the other, but finds it more and more difficult to concentrate on what they're saying. She ignores Adam's friendly advice as readily as William's objections.

Even the devastated forest holds no impact for her. Lily seems lost in a mental haze. Adam's diagnosis of shock is closer to the mark than he realizes.

Finally, though, she catches Sylvie's words, and rouses herself enough to reply, "Too much? No, I remember far too little." That final word seems to aggrieve Lily, out of any rational proportion, and she turns her head aside to hide further tears.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Walking through the burnt woods, Adam zones out a bit himself. As he walks, he keeps on imagining how these trees must have been like when they were still alive. It feels like he almost see them growing here, leaves shaking slightly in the wind. As a healer and a lover of nature, he feels a sharp pang of sadness at the destruction wrought here. As the others converse, his thoughts keep spinning around one question. Why destroy all this life?

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

After walking along in silent thought for a time, Janelle says, repeating herself in Sylvan for Adam's benefit, "It seems unlikely that a small town like Hampsille would have either the scholars or the library necessary to help us determine what's happened, but at the same time, it does seem an ideal place for finding food supplies and some better clothing. And blankets. Maybe even a cheap rifle, if we can afford it. Then maybe we should make for this Pallan City. Perhaps we'll find someone there who can explain things to us." She finally addresses Sylvie's question with a shrug. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean. I remember things just fine-- although I can't explain how I have command of certain languages I didn't before."

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam responds, in <Sylvan> and then after a bit in <English>, "I don't know if we would be able to afford anything, let alone a rifle. If there really is a war going on, with armies and everything, then supplies are likely to be lacking. What I am really hoping for is some news of what is going on. The last thing we want to do is to trek out to this Pallan City and find it under siege, or run into an army heading the same way. I just hope this Hampsille town is still standing."

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

"We can bring them news of the army, also, if the town is still there," Sylvie adds. "It will not do the country any good, but it will give the people time to flee."

"You think you are dead? I..." Sylvie grimaces, shaking her head. "I do not remember being placed in with the bodies, or anything about an attack, but we should not have been left alive. The army, they didn't even leave animals alive—how could they have missed us?" She picks at a hole in her robe, stained with what looks like dried blood, and takes a deep breath. "And I also remember lying in the woods, with a fever and a bullet wound in my leg. I don't think we are dead, but I do not see how we could still be alive, either."

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel continues to circle the group, looking to each of them as h does. He doesn't answer immediately, but lets the others speak as he continues looking to each. I do not specifically know any of you save Rynah, he thinks. I could not see anything when I was above, he adds. There's too much smoke in the air, but the entire forest does seem to have been burnt.

[dauphinous]

Eventually, the burnt spears end. The ground at the edge of what was the forest is barren for a short distance, perhaps 40 or 50 feet, then a short grass covers the ground as it slopes up and down in gently rolling hills. Perhaps an hour has passed, and those who are paying attention might note that the sun's angle suggests it must be late in the summer or early in the fall.

The temperature is mildly warm, like that of a late summer morning, and once free of the wood, there is no indication of any sort of destruction to the north. The rolling plain is free of anything to obstruct the view, save a lone tree or shrub dotting the landscape, and it seems to go on infinitely.

Far off to the east, there is a dark smudge in the sky with a fat column spreading downwards from it, as if a dark cloud chose to station itself over something in particular and reach down to the ground below. Or as if a great fire burns there. It is distant enough that nothing can actually be smelled of it at all.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam's mood improves once they are out of the burnt forest. While the plains are empty, it gives him some hope that the town they are going to will still be standing. His step grows lighter and he looks to the sky more, enjoying the rays of the sun and the lack of hazy smoke.

Seeing the dark cloud in the distance, he remarks, <Sylvan> "I think we should stay away from there; it does not look good at all." He then remembers to repeat himself in English, though it still feels like both languages are native to him in some way. In fact, English feels less right than this other language. He still remembers to look down and collect any edible plants he finds, but for now he tries to put the morning horrors out of his mind.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"Hopefully that isn't Pallan City," she says, squinting at the smoke. She scans the rest of the horizon looking for the village, unaware that she's rather less winded than she would have been normally.

(Assume for the duration that she's translating for Adam when she speaks.)

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam shakes his head in agreement with Janelle after she translates. <Sylvan and then English> "If it is, I hope we can find some answers elsewhere. It is strange us being alive when everyone else in that village is not. Or us all being here and not looking like ourselves one little bit. Though, if someone actually did this on purpose, I can not fathom what they could possibly gain. Therefore, I am leaning towards some unusual accident or coincidence as the likely explanation."

Like... a strange and confusing dream.

After he picks up a strange root that he recognizes as being edible, he considers something else and speaks to the group, <Sylvan and then English> "We should really consider finding water before nightfall. In fact, if we find it before then, I would advise settling down nearby before moving on. Unless this Hampsille is only a day's walk away, of course."

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

As the group exits the burnt forest, Lily seems to shift from lost to lost in thought. Some natural instinct kicks in, and her eyes scan the horizon, alert for danger, looking for signs of water, while her mind is elsewhere, ruminating on the names of cities here.

She points to the distant cloud of smoke, and offers, "We shouldn't get lost with that for a landmark, though I can't seem to shake the sense that I could find my way around these plains without it." she says, puzzled. "But this ruins my theory. I don't know where--or when--on earth this could be. I mean, I could understand a lost language, though that did narrow things down. But the technology level here! You all saw that rider, she had stirrups. That means third century China, or sixth century Europe, at the very earliest. That's too recent. To say nothing of our little dragon, here. I mean, there are stories, but they're not supposed to be real." Lily is growing upset that this conundrum will not yield to simple logic.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Seemingly still lost in thought or under his own personal cloud Tann is walking quietly with the others. He listens carefully, taking note of the various languages and their translations.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

At first, it is a relief for Sylvie to be out of the burnt forest and into a place where things were normal again, but the plains quickly make her edgy. It is the distance, she thinks. Finding food could prove difficult on the plains, and she is suddenly glad Janelle and the satyr are carrying the dead animals from before. There were few plants that would be edible, and even if they could find deer or other animals, there was little cover to hide behind. And they had no gun, or anything. Not a good place to hunt. It was not so bad as a desert, but it looked bad enough.

There's something more, she realizes—the plains simply feel too open. They could be spotted easily on the open plain, and there was not much they could do about it. It was the sort of place she would have skirted around, if she could. The sight of the smoke, though, elicits a sigh through her teeth. "Another town, I think, if not Pallan City. It is the right direction..." She trails off, not wanting to think that the city had been destroyed; but if the army had reached the city, she rather thought it had. A battle in a city is an ugly thing.

She looks at Lily oddly. "I don't follow. What theory is this? You think you might have figured out... something, about all of this?"

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel's demeanor improves slightly as they leave the burnt forest. Hampsille is... was about a day away from Westcliff, he sends out. If we keep moving we should reach it, but water would be a good idea at some point, he adds. He keeps mostly to the air, circling the group, occasionally swooping higher into the air to get a look around. Occasionally he swoops and lands gently on Silvie's, or any one who looks interested in him, shoulder, riding along as she walks.

A little ways into the grasslands, he lands in the grass a short distance from everyone and begins to rubs his body against the short grass, removing the remains of the ash from his hide the best he can. He fades slightly to the color of the grass as he rolls onto his back, wiggling back and forth to scrub between his wings.

As he rejoins the others, much cleaner and bluer, he peers towards the black cloud. That would not be Pallan City, he thinks. It is much to far to be seen from here. He looks towards Lilly as she speaks then asks curiously. What is europe and china? Or earth?

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Responding to Sylvie first, Lily explains, "Originally, I suspected we might be in western Russia. I've never heard of Rusenia or Pallaxis before, but that would make sense if their language had been lost along with the kingdoms, possibly when the Mongols passed through. But the geography is all wrong, especially if there's a major city northeast of us."

Then she turns to Vorel, clearly caught up with the idea of figuring this out. It's not hard to see that she's (perhaps unconsciously) keeping herself distracted from other thoughts. "Those are all place-names, little one, and relatively modern ones at that. I'm not surprised you don't recognize them." A sudden thought strikes her, and she asks him. "Can you read and write?"

[Newbie101]

Adam

Though he is not following the other discussion, Adam answers the lizard's questions. <Sylvan> "Europe is a large area of land and China is a large country - or at least where I am from. Earth is what we call our world in my time. What, are the big countries around here called? The major seas, oceans and mountains?" Adam blinks, as if realizing something, and speaks again to the little lizard, <Sylvan> "What is your name? I am Adam."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"This could be Atlantis," she muses, speaking half to herself and half to Lily and Sylvie. "Or some other sort of mythical realm equivalent. Many of the myths we know so well have basis in fact. Lost or distorted over time, but fact nonetheless. Atlantis, Avalon, El Dorado-- even elements of Hades-- have some basis in factual accounts. And our known history is much smaller than what has actually occurred. Much knowledge has been lost-- Aristarchus' model of the solar system, or Damascus steel. It wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility for stirrups to have been invented in some ancient past we've lost knowledge of. You'd be surprised what can be found in old cities and tombs. And Prossos' history of the world detailed over 400,000 years of time. Pity we don't know what it contained," she says with a sigh.

[Nighteyes5678]

William

What was there for a prophet to say? The landscape had stayed as strange and unfamiliar as William had suspected it to stay, changing slowly around them, destruction yielding to a harsh and unforgiving land. He did not bother to speak to the others, watching them move around him. It was not that he was neglectful, rather he easily slipped into the watchful role of a shepherd of sheep who did not know the dangers of the land. To his eye, none of those around him were born fighters - several were even women! - and they certainly lacked the faith in the Christ to be protected by divine might. Yet, William had been assigned to guard and protect them, belief or no, and so he would.

Still, the walk had not been without its surprises. For example, the red-haired woman had claimed that she and others had lived hundreds of years in the future. It was impossible, of course. The Christ had promised to come soon and Father Thomas and the holy church fathers had foretold that these were the last days. And even now, William had seen visions that had foretold the end; he had been selected, impossibly, to play a part in these events. How, then, could such a tale be true? Yet, she couldn't be expected to understand such complex ideas. Perhaps it comforted her to believe that the world would last, especially since she had a closer connection to the base, material world, tied to it by her flesh, her blood escaping regularly to mingle with the dirt of the earth.

Such thoughts led him back to his wife, her raven-hair swept back in complicated knots, her figure undiminished even after so many years and three births. William felt himself stir at her memory and found himself wishing that he had more time for her, instead of always being busy with the art of ruling. It was true, she was pregnant once more, almost ready to give birth with his fourth child, so they had not joined in some time. Still, she was one of the few women able to speak intelligently and it surprised him that he missed their discussions. She would have believed him and William couldn't help but wish that his helpmate was here, next to him instead of the unbelieving women he was currently stuck with.

And then finally, the devil-man, or Adam as he revealed himself to be, finally stopped speaking babble and spoke English instead. William wasn't sure how he felt about being able to understand the creature; though his name was surely a sign. Father Thomas' sermons on the nature of man came back to him and he wondered how much it wise to read into the situation. After all, the first man had doomed the human race to misery through the sin of his wife. It was for this sin that Christ had to come, shedding his blood upon the earth, washing away the sins of all man. Yet, it was not for Eve, nor for women, to be saved from such a sacrifice, for was their blood not spoiled and drained into the earth monthly? And so, woman was saved through childbirth, for it was then that her blood was held into her body, allowing Christ's sacrifice to take hold in sacred communion. But if this Adam was to doom their mission, who was the Eve that would bring the opportunity to him and tempt him through sensual passions to do so? He found himself looking at the horned woman and frowned.

His companion's conversation finally filtered through to him and he spoke up softly, not caring if they listened or not. They would see God's power, he simply had to inform them of its prophetic nature. "Do not concern yourselves with food and water, my friends. Just as it was supplied for the Sons of Israel as they traveled to the promised land, so will it be given to us as we follow the Lord's leadings. Have faith. Water will be supplied this night and bread will be given in the morning." He fell silent, not willing to cast too many pearls before the swine.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Now fully engaged in the debate, Lily dismisses William's comment about manna from heaven (though it sets her perhaps more on edge than she would otherwise have been), and rolls her eyes at Janelle. "Atlantis? Please. It's developed quite a place in modern myth, but you can actually read the book where Plato invented it. And 'El Dorado' is just a corruption of 'El Rey Dorado'. There was never a City of Gold, merely a golden king." She rubs her chin thoughtfully, "Avalon is nearer the mark, though. There's a much richer vein to tap there; between the golden apples of the Hesperides, and the island of Tír na nÓg, all in the distant West, you could more reasonably impute a factual basis to those stories."

Lily shivers at an unpleasant thought, "I hope we're not losing a hundred years at home for this trip, though that might help explain how we all seem to claim a different time."

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Almost before William finishes speaking Tann's temper has snapped and he's standing in front of him staring down into his eyes.

I have seen what happened to "God's chosen people" with my own eyes and they never found a promised land, only death and torment. If you will not cease spouting nonsense I will make you, so keep your ignorance to yourself."

Tann turns and continues to walk, furious and bitter.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie looks oddly at Lily and Janelle as they go back and forth, confusion reigning in her own mind. They thought this was some sort of myth, or story? Or that they had been thrown somewhere into the distant past, as Lily seemed to be saying? She would have thought it madness, except... they were here, after all. Something had happened that she would have thought impossible.

What is truly confusing is that at the same time, she disagrees. She knew what year it was, and where they were: Pallaxis, in the year 2712—wasn't it? She couldn't remember the destruction of Westcliff, so it could be later... but this talk of places that never existed made no sense.

Tann's outburst drives her out of her thoughts, and she looks sidelong at him. It was... satisfying, almost, she admitted to herself, to see someone contradict the smaller man. She couldn't place what it was about him that bothered—his arrogance was irritating, of course, but that wasn't it. It was the way he was so certain of everything, she decides, never admitting the possibility that he might be wrong. Such men were dangerous, and even if he did have the guidance of a god—God, it was all too easy to misinterpret a symbol. Whenever he spoke, it reminded her of the way men had talked with another before the war, looking to it as a good thing and never really thinking about what might happen if they lost. They hadn't admitted the possibility they might be wrong, either. But they had been. For now, she ignores them; Tann does not seem to be inviting conversation right now, and she doesn't want to talk to William.

"I still don't understand. You think this is... Avalon, you said? Somewhere in the past?" She shakes her head. "Lily, I don't know how, but I can remember living both here and in France. If this were the past, how could I have done both? How could I have done both even if it were not?" Her voice sinks to almost a whisper at the last sentence, meant more for herself than anyone else.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Now that they have left the forest behind them, Adam has settled into a steady routine of walking and looking around for edible growth, while he listens to the bits of the conversation he understands. At some point, the thought crosses his mind that walking on these strange hooved feet feels fully comfortable and natural. He briefly considers the anatomical implications of such an unusual method of locomotion and dismisses the thoughts. Clearly things here do not make sense and to try to apply logic to them is a foolish notion. However, talking about it with others serves to keep his mind off the more disturbing parts of this morning's events.

He replies to Janelle in <Sylvan and English>, "I don't know if we're in some mythical place or not, but I think that the where is not really so important. Janelle, I felt some energy within me flow into you. Into your wounds. Whether we are in China or Toy Story, that's pretty crazy stuff."

When Tann rounds on William, Adam looks at them with some concern and speaks to Tann, remembering the man's English is supposedly not so good, <English> "Hey, hey, calm down a bit. Whatever he's saying, don't let him make you angry. Don't listen to him - he just does not know any better. We need to stick together right now. Just don't listen to him, if he makes you upset." His words are accompanied with a few placating gestures to help get his meaning across.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Pleased to have someone willing to discuss ancient theories, she largely ignores William and Tann's argument in favor of continuing the conversation with Lily. She does look over at them a touch irritably as she replies. "Yet several distinguished scholars feel that Plato was drawing on other traditions now lost to us. Some have even postulated that Plato's Atlantis refers to the Americas. Many scholars believed Troy to be a myth, yet there's work progressing on a dig that could very well be that city. Technical details aside, though, the thrust of my argument remains. If we're in some distant past society, with as little as we know about our own ancient history, there may be all sorts of inventions lost and rediscovered. We still can't duplicate some of the construction techniques of the ancients even today."

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

"Well, that's true for construction." Lily concedes, "But stirrups are an inherently mobile technology, because horses were for moving around. Any peoples that invented them would have quickly encountered all nearby societies and spread the stirrup meme. It doesn't make sense to say that they'd have been invented and then lost, unless we're somewhere that had no geographic contact with Eurasia--and the Americas didn't have horses until the Europeans showed up, so don't pretend we could be there either." she says, clearly enjoying the back and forth of this debate.

Lily manages to pause and consider Sylvie's question, though she starts to show signs of profound sadness once again, her voice dropping to almost match Sylvies. "I don't know. Things happened before we woke up this morning. Happened to us, I mean. But you, you remember?" she asks, sounding almost hopeful.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"Unless the society crumbled before the technology could spread. There is apparently a war going on. If their society collapses under the aftermath of war, then perhaps the stirrups were lost with them."

[Santanya]

Vorel looks quizzically at Adam as he tells him about this 'Earth'. It was becoming more and more obvious the trauma was getting to these people. Even the healer was showing signs of it. He wasn't sure if the satyr was from the town or not, but he seemed like he could have been. The others though had been more obviously from it.

There is only one Ocean, he says, shaking his head slightly. There's two mountain ranges on Lesmere. One between Gelest and Chemeny, Mageeno, and the other between Rusenia and Chemeny, the Nenderlin Cluster. There's also a big lake called Bahrrie Lake in east Pallaxis. Its part swamp and on the border with Gelest.

I am Vorel Darastrix Ulhar, he sends out proudly. His little chest puffs out as he flaps through the air, striking as noble a poise as he can. He swoops over and lands on Silvie's shoulder again, sitting up proudly. And be nice, he's obviously hallucinating after everything you all have been through. he adds, looking towards Tann.

[Nighteyes5678]

William

"Stupid, sniveling childish fool," William growled, his temper snapping within himself. He felt a faint chill of panic from another part of him spread through his body, but it just made him angrier. Who did these fools think they were, spouting their "knowledge" while wearing their hypocrisy on their foreheads? The Church would have chained them all up as devil worshipers and heretics! Let their blood be on their own heads! "You cannot make me do anything, you have no power over me, nor power over anything on this earth! Oh man of violence, you condemn yourself!"

He stood there, trembling with contempt, glaring at the rest of them. "All of you speak wise and powerful words as you are wrapped up in your cloak of knowledge. 'Let us consider this thought,' or 'This is a particularly fine doubt." You insist that all ideas must be heard and tested, yet what do you do with a man's faith? You dismiss it, despite the evidence otherwise. What shall I do to convince you? Shall I call down fire from heaven? Shall I strike a rock and cause water to pour forth? Shall I call shebears to maul those who mock God's chosen like Elisha of old? What would be convincing, what would be evidence?" Anger and scorn dripped from every word and he spat onto the ground in front of them.

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel looks towards William, tilting his head slightly. None of what you just said requires any of the gods influence to do, he thinks. Any mage of sufficient power can do so, though those who are closer to the gods can perform similar feats. Astera was quite good at some of those. You might be a cleric, but does not prove any of what you said.

[Newbie101]

Adam

When Vorel relates the news about the local geography, Adam can not help but think, Those are some funny names. But it only serves to reaffirm in his mind that the details do not bear examining too closely. If that is what the talking lizard calls things, then that's what Adam will call them, if they ever get to any of these places. The key for them is to work together right now, to escape any more people like that rider. Despite his attempts to avoid thinking too hard about it, he feels a strong desire to live and a deep worry and fear about something actually happening to this strange body that was now his. Adam rarely remembered feeling fear in dreams, except for the abstract kind you get in nightmares. He told himself that he should not care what happens in this dream, but the thought lacked conviction.

Though he did not understand William's angry words, his tone and body posture made it clear that now he was getting upset at something or other. Vorel's response seemed to indicate it had to do with more talk of God and such. While Adam was not a religious man in the slightest, he started to feel a bit bad for this poor man who was obviously not dealing with what was happening to them very well. Of course, if this was the real world, all of us would need some serious therapy after this morning.

They needed to work together, if they were to get out of this, whatever this was. Adam was never much of a mediator, but he had some duty to these people as a the closest thing they had to a real doctor. Alright, how did that whole interaction course go? A doctor has to be courteous and kind to his patients and their owners. Smile and be polite.

Adam turned to William and spoke to the thin man in slow and calm <English>, making sure to smile, "Look, I understand this is all very confusing for you. It is a little bit confusing for all of us. For example, I can't understand that other language you are speaking, at all. But I have not been getting upset and you should not be either. We need to work together right now. Just try to think about what you are doing next and relax a bit. Vorel here seems to know a lot about this place, but none of us know very much about each other. So, if we say things that upset you, or make you angry, just try not to think about them and focus on something positive. For example, the weather is pretty nice today. And I think Janelle and I can find enough food for all of us, just in case we do not reach the town. And we escaped from that rider woman. So, things are not so bad."

Adam finishes his little speech with a big final smile and nods at William. He seems confident that what he has said should resolve any issues William is dealing with.

[Nighteyes5678]

William

William fixed the devil-man, Adam, with a look as fierce as he could muster. <English> "Do not speak to me like I am some young whelp. I am not a fool, however you and your friends paint me! You attempt to placate me with sniveling words, yet I wonder what you would do if treated similarly! I am not panicking because of the situation, I am trying to get the rest of you to understand the reality of this situation." He turned, gesturing to the world around him. <English> "All of this, this is fake, a shattered, cloudy reality of the Truth found in the mind of God. The dragon's knowledge is valuable, I will not insult him by claiming that it is not. Already, it justifies the truth I already have been given, that Pallon City is real and must be our destination. However, I suspect that even he is unknowing of the true reality." William struggled to control himself and a peace from another source spread over his body. His mind cleared and he took a deep breath. <English> "I do not demand that you believe me, Adam, nor any of you. I am not some pup that must be placated with sweet, calm words. However, next time, before you decide to talk down to me, search your heart. What is it that you truly believe in? What is it that you are truly willing to fight for?" He turned to the rest, his voice filled with convicition, addressing everyone now. <Common> "The rest of you would do well to do the same. We all saw the Rider and the destruction that those she works for brought to that place. It was carnage on a scale that I have not seen for some time, but I know that type. I have fought against it before, and my ancestors earlier on the fields of my homeland spilled the barbarian's blood. They sought then to overwhelm us, to cover us with bodies so that we could not fight any longer. They brought with them death, chaos; they sought to rape our women and enslave our children, caring not for anything good and holy. That was the reality then and the only answer was to fight back, to protect that which we loved. Praise be to God, my ancestors were victorious. You think that I have been deaf, unhearing and not understanding your words. Some of you think that this is a dream, others refuse to cope with the reality that you find yourselves in. This will be the death of you. Do not doubt my words: this land will be the death of you if you do not recognize it for what it is. That rider, she served the Dark One, he would who blot out the sun. That is the reality that we face. So, as I said to Adam, I say to you now. Search within yourselves. What is it that you would fight to protect now that all that you knew has been stripped away; taken from you? What is your reason for living? Before you know what it is that drives you, I do not suggest you attack that which gives me purpose. For when despair clutched your hearts when the Rider whispered in the dark, many of you turned and fled. I did not. I do not claim greater strength or wisdom, but I urge you to ponder my words." He shook his head and began to continue along the trail, slowly.

I do not understand your words, my small friend, he thought to Vorel after a second. What is this mage and cleric that you speak of? I would not have you think that I am unwilling to listen to your wisdom, for you know much of this land. William raised his arm, like he would for Azriel who was hunting in the forest, a clear invitation for the dragon to join him if he was willing.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

"My son." Lily whispers. "For his sake, I will walk with you."

Lily strides towards William. The breeze around them dies down, as the calm before the storm. The warm sun begins to feel stifling in the still air.

Lily's mind is chaos. She thinks, I can not, no I will not believe in a god that would let a child die before his time. What god and here her mind is filled with venom [i]would bring me here, to find my son, to find him dead?

Her shoulders sag, and she speaks to William. "I will not challenge your faith. If you will stand against those murderers, I will stand with you, until the end."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

"I am humbled," William says to Lilly quietly, his voice for her alone. "I know that it is not for my sake that you stand with me, but for your own and that is how it should be. I would not be a thorn in your side, nor a stumbling block. If there is anything I can do to aid you, please, let me know and I will do my best to ensure peace between us."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

"Philosophical discussion keeps my mind occupied," she replies mildly, unwilling to rise to either William's outbursts or his exhortations. "It's not like we have much else to do at the moment, and I'm doing my part to provide for the moment." She indicates the string of dead animals she's carrying. "And I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get back to my life. So I'll work to that end. I'm surprised the rest of you don't appear to feel that way. At the moment, it seems the only thing for any of us to do, for whatever reasons we have, is to keep walking."

[Newbie101]

Adam

William's response is not quite what Adam expects and he is suprised at what he hears. He composes himself and forms a response, somewhat uncertain, as if he is thinking over things as he is saying them. There is some annoyance in his words, now that he better understands what William has been talking about.

He speaks to the thin man, <English> "Well, to be quite frank, I am too familiar with the idea of stress-induced hallucinations and such to have much confidence in your sudden plan to head towards some city, especially one that may be under attack from an army. Speaking of which, I am not about to fight for anything or anyone. I've had enough of warmongering in my real life from my country's glorious leaders, thank you very much. Janelle is right, we just need to keep walking and survive until we figure out how we get out of here."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

William looked with pity at Adam and Janelle. Now, he understood their form and the significance of Adam's name. Just as Adam, after the fall, had nothing left to live for, having surrendered his majestic birthplace at the whim of a woman, so too this Adam held nothing worth valuing. It appeared that all they truly valued was their own lives. It made more and more sense, the more William reflected upon it. The fire-haired woman longed to go back to her own life, a life of knowledge and mystery. But wasn't it the desire for wisdom and the lust of knowledge that caused Eve's downfall in the first place? So too was this woman thrown out of Paradise and yet, she could not accept that, so she was trapped looking for a way back to a world she would never fully know again.

It was tragic, that they would have nothing worth fighting for, yet William knew they would not welcome his pity, nor would they understand why it made them pitiful. Adam's statement did not require a response, nor was any asked for. So, he would not receive any. William did not want to anger them more than necessary, after all, and fighting with those without hope or purpose was no fight at all.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle's attention is focused on the ground as they walk, despite her ability to carry on conversation. She occasionally scuffs at a rock, or scoops one up to inspect before tossing it away, or adding it to her increasing collection of stuff, strung about her body wherever she can manage to store such things-- many of them tied on with narrow strips from her clothing, or from particularly flexible weeds and grasses. When not picking up stones, she's plaiting together a small, very crude net from the grass, weaving it with nimble fingers. Although surprised at her own agility, she hides it well.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Ignoring the direct insult and then, as William begins ranting again, Tann increases his pace and moves ahead out of earshot. He seems to have no more interest in the discussion taking place.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie keeps her head down as the others speak, occasionally shaking it, although it is more to try and sort out her own thoughts than it is an expression of denial. Their argument—both the discussions of Janelle and Lily, and the firmer exhortations of William—is almost a backdrop to her own troubled thoughts.

It was her memories. When she thought of her mother, it brought memories of Alice, a smiling, pleasant-faced woman in an apron, age lines not yet showing on her face. She could summon up countless memories of being washed by her as a small child, or helping to clean up the shop after hours... She hadn't seen her mother for over three years. But she also remembers Darra, who she had always liked to remember as the beautiful, laughing woman of her earliest memories, not the woman whose beauty had begun to fade with age, and more so with frequent melancholy. After her father had died, she had started to take care of her mother, more than the other way around... Remembering her brings a sharp pain as she realizes that her mother is almost certainly dead with the rest of Westcliff. But that takes second place over the jarring confusion, remembering two very different women. Like the two dates, the contradiction hangs impossibly in her mind, until finally, she shakes her head sharply again, resolving not to simply think about it until her head hurts. The others seem to be done arguing by the time she surfaces, but snatches come back to her.

"Can we get back?" she asks into the silence, looking about at each of them. "I... do not know about you, but I don't think I have much to go back to." Truer than she had realized, she thinks suddenly; she had only meant that she had been injured and unlikely to survive unless she were captured, but even if she could go back to France completely healthy, she had companions here. "He—"she motions to Tann, walking ahead of them—"claims he remembers his death. I do not, but I do know that I was unlikely to live the month, not alone in the woods with an infected wound and a fever."

She looks towards Lily. "And... well, I remember some. I cannot remember the demons Vorel told us about, or the burning of the village, but I lived in it, grew up there. I am sure of that much." The almost nauseating impossibility of it threatens to overcome her again, and she grimaces, looking down and then back up again at Lily.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Tann comes running back to the group pointing to the sky.

"Look! There's something heading our way. There's some cover ahead of us though."

He stands, ushering them towards a small tree and a couple of bushes one hundred feet away, the only cover in a field of grass. There's not enough room for all of them, but it will benefit those in the group not suited to the front line.

Tann stands watching a slow moving speck in the sky, breathing calmly and standing in a ready stance. He looks resolved and unwilling to flee a second time.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie does not need to be told twice; the possibility of somebody spotting them had been in the back of her mind since they left the cover of the burnt forest, minimal as it had been. She reaches the nearest and smallest of the bushes quickly, crouching behind it and making her figure as small and still as she could. Peering cautiously out to the side, she realizes that while Tann has followed, he has not made any effort to hide. "Lie flat, you fool," she hisses, "and they may not notice you." He had bothered to keep his eyes on the sky—why did he seem to lack survival instinct, too? In a war, men often shot first and questioned later—or not at all. And if this flying thing was a demon, or a dragon such as the one Vorel had spoken of...

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Janelle spots the speck in the sky seconds before Tann speaks, her eyes already surveying the terrain. She heads for Sylvie first, and pushes her lower to the ground under one of the bushes, scattering tufts of grass over her. "Stay low and don't move," she says, the words almost hissing out of her mouth. She doesn't wait for a reply, ducking under the other shrub herself, "Under the tree," she says, gesturing urgently, repeating herself in Sylvan.

(+8 to hide, and presumably, giving an aid another check to Sylvie.)

[Newbie101]

Adam

Slightly distracted, Adam is startled out of his thoughts by Tann's warning. After briefly glancing to the sky, he quickly makes his way to the bushes and hides near Janelle, as best as he can. He does not quite understand why Tann is not doing the same. What is he doing?

He whispers to Tann, <English> "Come here! You should hide too!"

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel looks towards William a moment as the man holds his arm out towards him. His head rears back slightly as if he was insulted and his snout turns upward and a silent harumph flows out through his mind. He swoops away from the group a moment, circling them in his continued slow glide til he eventually lands upon Janielle's shoulder.

***

As Tanin shouts his warning Vorel quickly takes to the air again, giving long hard flaps of his wings til he is near the brush, but lands quite a ways away and lands amidst the grasses. He points his snout upward, watching as his coloring fades quickly to the same as the grasses mottled color.

Hide:1D20+14 = [13]+14 = 27 (http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=3748)

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Tann lies flat on the grass once the others have made their hiding places.

[dauphinous]

The speck in the sky is clearly moving, and in the general direction of the group. It isn’t long before it can be discerned that it has wings of some kind that are flapping with great speed. It flies almost directly overhead, as such incredible speed that it seems impossible that it could have seen anyone. The inky black flying lizard has great black horns sweeping forward with a graceful curve around it's head, and its four legs are tucked tightly against its body. The long tail, which ends with a wicked claw, sticks out straight at the moment. The whole beast must be over 30 feet long, with almost half of it tail.

It begins backwinging furiously just past the group, then lands with a resounding thump that can be felt by everyone. The wings furl in, and it starts sniffing the air, head about 7 feet off the ground. "Humanss…and a ssatyr. I can ssmell you, bipedss. There iss no point to hiding." The voice is deep and booming, with a rich, meaty tone that is suggestive of a mouth with far too many teeth. Looking at that mouth, it is easy to see why. Its teeth, upper and lower, are long and sharp, and fully visible. Its chin has spikes sticking from the corners, as well as all along the jawline, and aside from the horns, the rest of the head is also spiky. With its sunken eyes, lack of any sort of lips, and no protruding nasal structure, the head looks very much like the fleshless skull of some nightmarish creature.

There is a smell that the creature seems to have brought with it, of rotting plants and something else, sharp and bitter. It is looking directly at Lily.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Lily refused to hide, choosing instead to stand by Tann. If it was friendly, she reasoned, then better to be noticed. If foe, well, had she not just said that she would stand and fight?

Of course, at the speed the creature moved, she had no time to reconsider her decision in light of its sheer size. At least this dragon was not the bronze color that Vorel had spoken of.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

Surprising herself, Janelle stands up from her hiding place, moving slightly away from the bush, finding herself having an inkling of an idea from seemingly nowhere. She bows low to the beast and says in a respectful tone, <Draconic>"Hail, mighty seer of the sky. Might I inquire as to your purpose here?"

[Newbie101]

Adam

Having the creature spot them so easily destroyed any hope of hiding they had. And given how fast it was flying, it was unlikely they could escape it if they ran. So, it seemed like speaking was the best option. It looked like Janelle had come to the same conclusion, though he'd be damned if he knew what she was saying - it was a different unknown language this time. If this dream were to last for any amount of time, he hoped to eventually be able to understand what the rest of the group was saying without having to rely on them to translate.

Stopping that train of thought before it derailed his attention completely, Adam figured it might as well be best to reveal himself. It is possible that the creature did not spot all of them, but since it picked him out, there was no point in hiding anymore.

Adam stands up and moves near Janelle, shrugging at the creature, as if to admit the futility of hiding any longer. His previous thoughts come back to him to give him an idea. He whispers to Janelle in the language that feels increasingly foreign to him in this dream, <English> "I hope you have a plan, because I don't think we can get away and it looks vicious."

[Nighteyes5678]

William

The Devil, He who was the Dragon, Antichrist, Satan, had landed before him. The creature was everything he had imagined while sitting in the cushioned pews of his chapel, listening to Father Thomas speak on evil. Everything, down to the smell, was perfect to represent evil and William almost trembled in awe before the beast.

He stood; there was no point in hiding, no point in running. William was aware that this may not be his fight; his encounter. God worked in mysterious ways and it was quite possible that this was what his friends needed to see the Truth. If so, he would be content to wait until he was needed.

Still... Satan. It was a little awe-inspiring.

[Dib Monkey]

Tann

Tann stands with the others, looking into the imposing creature's eyes, trying to measure its intent.

[dauphinous]

The dragon's head turns and it regards Janelle. <Draconic>"Hail to you, as well, learned one." The dragon makes a low rumbling sound that could be chuckling, or might just be its dinner disagreeing with it. <Draconic>"You fooled me, tiefling. You smell human. Too far removed from your brimstone, eh? No matter. I am looking for someone." The dragon's head scans across the whole of the group, resting briefly on each person. It either has not noticed Vorel, or is ignoring him. <Common>"Clearly, you are not the oness I am looking for, but: Lytheliss, Khonar, Vantir, Maraleissce. Do any of thesse namess mean anything to any of you?"

[Santanya]

Vorel

Vorel sinks lower against the grass, his hide keeping the color of the terrain as he peers up at the large dragon. One of the names had keyed his memory, but it wasn't anything more than stories. He lets out a silent huff as he peers up at the dragon. What did it want with him those people he wonders quietly.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

She shakes her head slightly, the names meaning nothing. "No, great one. But I can't claim to, ah, be entirely myself at the moment. If they resided in Westcliff, however, I fear they're dead. My companions and I are all that appeared to still be alive when we left the charred remains of the town." She's puzzled by the dragon's description of herself, but feels it best to not bring it up at the moment.

[Newbie101]

Adam

Adam stands silently and lets Janelle do the talking, not following her or the large lizard's speech. So far, so good. Let's hope this thing just leaves us alone.

The dragon's words (which he can not understand) do not seem to make any special impression on him, except amazement and a healthy dose of fear, which he attempts to hide. He wonders about its diet and how it goes to a vet when it gets sick before he focuses back to the situation at hand and waits for some sort of clue from Janelle, or the others on what they are doing.

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

As the thing... the dragon lands and the others give up any attempt to hide, Sylvie stands as well, regarding the black creature with a mixture of awe and wariness. Close up, the only word that could describe it was impressive.

And worrying; the teeth and claws were a clear reminder, if she'd needed one, that dragons were carnivorous; its demeanor is another such reminder. She stands warily, as if ready to turn and flee; she realizes there is no way she could escape the dragon on open ground, but she can't force herself to relax. One of the names does, though, as she abruptly remembers something. "Maraleisce? I..." She presses a hand to her forehead as the face comes to mind, trying to recall more.

"I think... I remember her, yes. Why, what did you want with her?" She's looking downwards slightly, frowning; the temerity of asking such a creature what it intended does not seem to have struck her yet.

[Jacob Orlove]

Lily

Struck dumb, Lily cannot at first make her thoughts encompass the creature before her, much less address it coherently. Nevertheless, she steps forward, moving to keep herself between the others and the dragon.

Finally, she manages to overcome her shock at the dragon's presence, and is relieved when she realizes that the creature seems to pose no immediate threat to her pack, though she does not relax her guard.

Lily addresses the dragon in the same tongue Janelle had used, as it seemes appropriate. <Draconic> "I do not recognize any of those names. The only other living being we have encountered this morning was a woman ahorse. She wore a black cloak, had long red hair, and attacked us without provocation. She spoke a Dark tongue, and I fled." Lily shudders for a few moments as she recalls the incident, then points south and continues <Draconic> "If she's one of those you seek, continue south. We were heading north to put as much distance between her and ourselves as possible."

[dauphinous]

The dragon's head turns to Lily and rears back a little bit. The gesture suggests surprise, or perhaps some degree of distress. "Wesstcliff is burned? The ssmall town that way, yess?" It lifts up a foreclaw and points in the correct direction. "I do not sseek anyone who matchess that desscription, though."

Then it takes a few steps closer to Sylvie and speaks with urgency, sticking its head close enough to her that with just another few paces, she could reach out and touch one of those horns. "You know something of Maraleissce? Tell me. Whatever you know. It'ss very important. I need to find thesse people and bring them to the King."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Janelle

She rapidly brings Adam up to speed in English before replying to the dragon. <Draconic>"Indeed it is burned, mighty one." For some reason, the flattering adjectives seem the right thing to say. <Draconic>"Might I inquire as to which King-- of which country, I mean?"

[The_Snark]

Sylvie

Sylvie barely seems to notice the dragon's close proximity, shaking her head once or twice as she looks down. "She was at Westcliff. I think..." She remembers the face and its short-cropped brown hair, and she remembers it as she last saw it, framed by bodies, with a single arm outstretched. "She is dead," she says after a moment, and looks up at the dragon. "I'm sorry. She arrived at Westcliff... yesterday, I think."

"Which king?" she asks, unknowingly repeating Lily's question—she doesn't speak the dragon's tongue. She's looking up, but her brow is still furrowed as if thinking. There is something else, but she can't quite seem to grasp it...

[dauphinous]

"Edward the Third, housse Dainwhyn of Pallaxiss." The dragon looks down and spits out a light expletive in Draconic. "Thank you for the newss. I can offer little in return, as the reasson for my ssearch is not ssomething I may sshare. Good luck to you all. May Bessille's Light guide you. I musst be on my way. Time iss not our friend right now."

The dragon turns and starts running to the south, spreading its wings once it is clear of the group, and taking off as it gains some speed. Even some distance behind it, the powerful beating of its wings blows a breeze past the group for a few moments before the dragon is airborne and headed, apparently, to Westcliff.