Ludo & Elsa

It was a long time again before Meskhenet answered.

<My people are gone,> she said. <The only thing... your scholars should learn from us... is not to follow... our example.>


Bezahltag, 25th Kaldezeit

The next morning, Sieghard felt some of his strength had returned to him. A broad band of blue sky was showing in the east, tinging to pink as the dawn brightened to its full glory. Ludo already had the Thorns together, priming them for the grim work ahead.

The labourers needed a little more convincing, but the presence of the soldiers seemed to give them some reassurance that their lives were not about to be carelessly thrown away. Gathering their tools, they began the careful work of getting the carts down the steep slope into the valley, the shadows shrinking as the sun rose above the hills. As the air warmed, Sieghard could see kites circling over the centre of the ruins.

Elsa trailed behind the work party as it passed down through the streets of Nath, keeping a wary eye on the darkened doorways of the empty buildings. Shyish still hung thickly here, whispering in the wind as it breathed between broken walls. She still had the feeling of being watched that she had felt the first time she had come to this place - but the sense of keen, hungering malice that had possessed the shadows of the dead city seemed to have faded away in the sunlight.

In the square under the tower, the bodies lay scattered, their numbers no longer obscured by the merciful fog. Kites and buzzards had gathered in their dozens, flying up with powerful wingbeats when the grave-diggers came close. The smell rising from the carrion they had been feeding on was overpowering, but at least there were not many flies. One had to thank Morr for the small mercies.

Steeling himself, Ludo walked over to one of the nearest bodies. Its skin had blackened and putrefied, but it still wore the stained and faded uniform of a Thorn. Something about its rotting face took him aback - it almost looked like Ortwin.

OOC:
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I think this work justifies WP tests against insanity (let's say at +20) for Sieghard and Ludo. If Thragka and Sentinel feel that Urgrim and Elsa ought to get in on the Insanity Point action too I'll leave that to their discretion; Jarla at least doesn't really know the dead and already took an insanity test w.r.t. their general corpse-itude.

I'll break here to give you guys a chance to roleplay, but when you're ready to move on, let me know.