BogMod/RisingSun2
Rising Sun, Session Two
When we last left off our protagonists, they had been on the eve of the annual Calibration Festival. But all was not well, as the valley's residents were assaulted by blood apes. In the resulting persuit, the characters discovered an ancient First Age manse, and in a realization of their own and the manse's power, destroyed the persuing demons.
After some time investigating the tomb and retrieving items long lost to the sands of time, the characters returned to the town, to discover that someone, or something had destroyed the bell which protected the valley. What dangers lay over the next week are now to be seen.
We return to the scene at the Temple of the Bell. The crowd is edgy, murmering and distrust is rank in the air. The priest raises his hands and they quiet, listening for his next words.
ST-Mod - "People...now is not the time for fear. Now is the time to find who did this. Now is a time for justice to be done. I am sure if we all help we can find out who caused this most horrible crime."
ST_Mod - The crowd murmers and you see head nodding across it, and begins to disperse. Orchid was hiding in the shadows so no one spots her but you do overhear some people muttering 'I bet it was that little faespawned witch."
Grace clears her throat awkwardly and calls to the priest, hopefully distracting the crowd all the more from where Orchid stands. "I know that I have never worked with metal quite so thick, but I would be willing to put my metalworking skills to use in helping to repair the bell."
Hopeful_Dream slides into the crowd. Her slightly shorter than average height for a 16 year old and mousy brown hair blends into it easily.
ST-Mod - The priest hears Grace's words but shakes his head. "Child...how could you hope to restore the ancient magics woven into the Bell? No...I fear we shall never rebuild it."
Hekaton just stands frozen, staring into nothingness and only half noticing the ongoings.
Haraka walks along the periphery of the crowd, standing just a bit above average, thus allowing him atleast a decent view from the back. Instictively, he remembers the use of the jeweler's-lense style device now on his glasses and focuses a bit, the device zooming in on the priest.
Hopeful_Dream slowly works her way over where she can see the bell and the crowd better, while not easily noticable. For a moment, a twinkle glows in her eye as the scene before her seems to slow and lines seem to almost connect everything, then fades leaving her with a subconcious understanding
ST-Mod - The priest is a normal fellow for his order. Old, respected, bald. Teh bell itself lies within the temple, not visable unless you enter inside.
ST-Mod - Their are city gaurds now at the 4 doorways into the temple, two at each entrance with long pikes.
Grace glances over to her friends, observing their reactions.
Hekaton is busy eying everyone around them suspiciously, and even grabs a few to briefly stare at them, only to quickly let them go and apologize.
Haraka simply stands watching the area, his dragonfly's eye seeming to be opening and lcosing slightly as he looks about, but he seems to be mainly waiting to see what the priest has to say.
Hopeful_Dream glides back into the crowd, listening for clues, letting her instincts guide her along while remaining easily overseen by others.
Orchid has jumped from balcony to balcony and now lies on a roof away from the crowd and listens while observing the stars above.
ST-Mod - The priest seems finished now, and the hour is late. He turns and goes back into the temple as the crowd disperses.
Orchid looks over the rooftop at the dispersing crowd. "Hmm.. seems like I can go down soon."
ST-Mod - Soon the square is empty.
Hekaton goes over to Haraka, glancing around at the darknening streets. "I don't like this at all. Not one bit."
Hekaton subconsciously plays with the strange daiklaive he found at the tomb, that sits strapped to his back.
Haraka shakes his head also, turning off his eye, and flipping it up a bit, "Me neither. The only reason someone would break the bell is that they probably want in. And if they are using demons to do it, I don't think they are the least malicious of folks out there."
Orchid suddenly pokes Hekaton on his shoulder, hanging by her feet from the side of a balcony. "Hi."
Orchid - "I am more worried about the combination of events tonight."
Hopeful_Dream moves on, keeping to groups, intent on checking on her mother quickly... then stops and looks around, and walks over to Grace. "I'll return in a time. But there's something I have to do."
Grace raises a brow. "All right, but be careful."
Hekaton jumps a meter into the air from Orchid's poke, then calms down and looks embarassed.
Hopeful_Dream hurries on to her home.
Orchid - "The-hee."
Orchid - "First we get attacked. As if somebody knows we are in some way a treat. Then we become a rather beeeg threat. Then the shield of the valley is destroyed, likely opening the way for worse attacks on us."
Orchid smiles cheerfully to the two boys. "Catch my drift?"
ST-Mod - A few of the gaurds, the ones standing outside the temple doors watch you, though you are too far away for them to hear you. They scowl as they spot the wyldspawn but do nothign.
Hekaton - "Yes. All too well."
Hekaton - "It can hardly be a coincidence."
Haraka nods, "I agree, things aren't looking the best right now." He folds his arms and taps his feet soem as he thinks, "Do you think we should jsut wait it out ot see what comes for us?"
Hekaton - "Although I don't see how our... new condition is connected to the demons."
Grace snorts at Orchid, smirking a bit. "You're still not much of a threat, m'friend. Unless you plan on lazying someone to death." She winks.
Orchid - "Oh, I might..."
Orchid winks back.
Haraka shrugs to Hekaton, "Well, if all else fails, it seems to handle little ones okay."
Hekaton - "Come on, be serious. We could be facing a demon invasion here."
Hekaton - "There are worse things than Blood Apes. Much worse things."
Haraka - "Little injured ones, granted but smaller ones in the chain of things." The scavenger nods to Hekaton, "I might very well be that. Though, if they oculd of sent worse, I think they would of."
Grace chews her lip thoughtfully. "On one hand, it would seem logical to assume the demons were sent after us. But if we try to lure them away from the valley and we're wrong.."
Hekaton - "But how could whoever is behind the demons know what would happen to us?"
Orchid shrugs, a weird movement while hanging upside down.
Hekaton tries not to get distracted by what hanging upside down does to Orchid's female anatomy, and starts pacing back and forth.
Grace - "Whoever sent them, sent them in such a way that they kept us from town and chased us towards the ziggorats. I'm just saying, it's a possibility."
Orchid lets go with her feet, and swings down, using her hands on Hekaton's shoulders as the axle, and with her neigh superhuman grace and flexibility attaches herself to his back, arms and legs around him as if he was carrying her, her body against his.
Hekaton stops and nods. "Yes... I say would should count on that until we know better, Grace."
Orchid - "Hmm... I would like to have a closer look on the bell. I might learn something."
Orchid adds thoughtfully.
Grace - "I'd like to do the same, Orchid. Think they'd let us?"
Haraka nods, then glances over the guards, "They do seem to be a problem It hink."
Orchid - "i didn't intend to ask."
Haraka hmmms at Orchid's statement, "That the safest of actions you think?"
Hekaton doesn't mind Orchid on his back. In fact he doesn't seem to notice much as he is preoccupied by dark thoughts.
Orchid slides down Hekaton's back as if she never intended to do anything else. "I have never been inside before. The place... disagreed with me. As for safe? Nothing is safe."
Haraka nods, folding his arms again and tapping his foot, "Alrighty then. If you need, we can atleast keep a look out. In case soemthing goes wrong and all."
Grace shrugs. "Well, I'll go with you, Orchid. In for a bit, in for an obol."
Hekaton - "I can distract the guards, if you want."
Orchid - "I am going to use a window."
Orchid goes away from the temple, avoiding any people, then doubles back to behind the temple looking for 'alternate' entreances.
Haraka hmmms as he watched Orchid scury off, "So, shall we distract, or wait and see what happens?"
Hekaton - "Yes."
Orchid looks around as she moves to the sides of the stone structure, and spies a high open window that she could reach if she just were to scale up the stone sides a ways.
Hopeful_Dream returns, her mother obviously as well as can be expected.
Hekaton walks up to the guards and bows to whoever seems to be their commander.
ST-Mod - Gaurd - "May we help you sir?"
Hekaton - "Yes, I would like to speak with the priest, if possible. About the bell."
ST-Mod - "One moment." He heads inside and the other gaurd stays in place.
Orchid points at the high window. "See that?"
Grace nods to Orchid. "You know if you fall you'll be killed, and if I let go to save you, which I won't, I'll get killed too."
Haraka follows behind Hekaton, keeping his hands clasped and his poise straight as he does so, "Hmmmm, always my preferred way, I'd say."
ST-Mod - The priest and the gaurd return. The priest smiles to the two young men. "Hello sirs, how can I help you this dark night?"
Hekaton bows respectfully to the priest.
Hopeful_Dream shrugs. "You know, if you're going to risk it, now is the time, Grace."
Grace deadpans at Dream. "You did NOT just call me craven." Before she can answer, Grace scampers up the side of the wall, flitting from shadow to shadow in a serpentine path up the craggy wall.
Orchid has little patience for climbing, grapping a slender tree branch in the garden across the road she pulls it down and then lets it swing up again, catapulting her into the housewall which she lands on feet first in second story heigth and then leaps across the street to grab the lower ledge of the window with her fingertips.
Haraka bows as well, holding his head down for a moment before lifting it again, looking over ot Heketon for his questions. He did start this.
Hekaton - "I have come to ask if my services are needed in light of the theft of the Bell."
Hekaton glances over at Haraka. "I mean... WE have."
Hekaton - "I suspect there might be a terrible evil behind it." dramatic pause "Demons."
ST-Mod - "Of course. I am trusting to all the people to be on the look out for things and people of suspicion. Someone is sure to have seen something, we just need to wait until people have had a chance to sit down and think of what happened today."
Haraka nods, "Do you have any clue who broke the bell? Aren't there wards against many of the evil beings which lurk around here?"
Hekaton exclaims "Wait?" He then remembers who he is talking and calm down.
ST-Mod - Out of the corner of one eye Hekaton and Haraka see Orchid jumping up and sliding into a high window.
Orchid hangs by the window, using a few minutes to listen for noises inside, then slips inside.
Orchid - "Silk - smooth and noiseless in the warm dark night.."
Hekaton - "Hrm. With all due respect, honored priest, but with demons you don't wait. You drive them out with fire, steel and wards!"
ST-Mod - "The bell itself is like a great ward over our entire region. I fear this is the work of a man or woman."
ST-Mod - "Demons? You saw demons?"
Hekaton - "Uh, no. I didn't exactly SEE demons."
ST-Mod - You spot Grace then leaping up and after Orchid.
Hekaton - "But I strongly suspect there are demonic powers about. I've seen their work before."
Haraka nods, "The people we are dealing with might indeed be skilled occultists."
Hekaton - "There have been troubling omens and inauspicious signs."
ST-Mod frowns and nods, concerned clearly about this. "The bell should keep demons out...but I suppose they might have had an agent..."
Hopeful_Dream moves from the shadows in a run towards the temple.
Haraka hmmms as he think son this, "Well, if all else fails, I believe that my father and I could offer to help enhance the temple's wards some atleast a small bit."
ST-Mod the priest smiles. "I thank you for the offer but...the bell's time has passed. It is an ancient artifact of the first age. It can not be repaired. Gaurding it now is...well pointless."
Hopeful_Dream slides to a stop before the temple, looking at the priest and head of the temple guards. "Sir, I've heard what happened, and I'm afraid for my mother this night in her delicate condition. Would you please do what you can to help protect our home?"
ST-Mod - One of the gaurds leans in to whisper something to him and he nods before turning to Dream. "I am informed the gaurds are patrolling the streets now. Things will be allright."
Hekaton - "Do you know who would wish harm on the valley? A place like this must be tempting for spirits and demons alike."
Haraka - Maybe some errant god thinks its his time to get some worship from us?
ST-Mod - "There are a few who might...those who worship gods still. Perhaps the girl who is descended of the fae."
Hekaton - "She has nothing to do with this."
Hekaton - "Faeblood or not, she doesn't deal with demons."
Haraka quickly pips in to agree with Hekaton, "She was with us all evening. She couldn't of been involved with the breaking anyhow."
Hopeful_Dream looks to the guards and priest in worry. "I know your guards are among the best in all the world, but... I fear things that those of us who deal with the normal world have no protection against. I beg of you good sirs, please. My mother as you know has been unwell these months, and I fear the worst. You have always provided the people protection good priest, and I ask that you aid by warding my house against ill will this night, please!"
ST-Mod - The priest has the decency to look embarressed. "I..do not know the art of warding. I am a caretaker of the bell which wards..once warded out cities. Haraka and his father are the people you should see about it."
Hopeful_Dream - "I just would feel better if you were there to grant aid of the spirit as you have these long months."
Haraka blinks a bit, and ohs, "THat's correct actually when I think about it. Heheh." He rubs his shaved head some as he thinks onit.
Hopeful_Dream looks to the guards with pleading eyes and a mouth that quivers in a hope that is all to easily dashed... one that these men might aid her mother, and that the mother might live.
ST-Mod - The priest smiles and nods. "Of course I will come with Haraka here and talk with your mother."
Hekaton - "Priest?"
Hekaton - "Would you mind if I looked around the temple?"
ST-Mod - "Please, call me Donoan. I am afraid I can not permit that, we are still investigating the matter."
Hekaton - "But you have noone who knows demons, right? I've studied them and even killed one or two."
ST-Mod - "And no demon could approach the bell to harm it. This is the work of a normal man or woman."
Hekaton - "If we are truly dealing with demons, you'd want all the help you could get."
Haraka nods and motions onward for Dream, "Well, lead the way I guess." He shrugs to Hekaton, "THis area has been demon ree for years. ONe of those lack of practice things basically."
Hekaton - "A man using demons to do his bidding is even worse. Without someone controlling them, they're usually just random malevolence. With a hand that directs them..."
Hekaton looks grim.
Hopeful_Dream walks and leads the way to her home, where her sick mother lay.
ST-Mod - The priest will go with Dream and Haraka back to her mothers house where he will talk and assure her how things shall be allright.
Haraka looks through his pants and finds a piece of chalk, deciding that the simplest wards are atleast still wards.
Grace and Orchid hop out a window as Hekaton unleashes his mysticly augmented voice on the priest as they walk to Dreams house.
ST_Mod - As Haraka finishes the priest finally relents. "Fine fine...no demon could have done the damage but you may investigate the Chamber its held in...with a gaurd of course."
Hekaton - "Of course. Thank you, Donoan."
ST-Mod - "Tomorrow though...its late and a lad your age needs his rest."
ST-Mod - After calming down Dream's mother the priest returns to the Temple.
Orchid reaches cover of an alley with Grace, panting in exhaustion and excitement for a few minutes.
Hekaton rolls his eyes and bites back a disrespectful reply.
Hekaton - "Very well. Tomorrow. Good night."
ST-Mod - "Good night."
Hopeful_Dream - "Thank you good priest, from the bottom of my heart. And you Haraka, thank you."
ST_Mod - The next day everyone gathers at Grace's house all bright eyed and bushy tailed.
Hekaton has sold his two old swords and buy wine for the money until late, so he is a little bleary-eyed next morning.
Orchid waves to Hekaton. "Had a rough night, handsome?"
Grace slides a cup of coffee his way. "Let's get down to business. The hammer that broke the bell was obviously not made of mundane materials. And the head was shaped like a ram's horns. I think this rules out mortals."
Hekaton - "Yeah. I'm all nerves."
Hopeful_Dream looks to Grace. "I hope my distraction helped and hmmm. Interesting."
Orchid is smiling for no appearent reason as uaual and humming to herself as she idly strums a small lyre of bone and wood.
Orchid - "I think we might be talking about somebody heroic, like the Dragon Bloods from the stories."
Hekaton fingers a mysterious, meter-long, thick rod of some kind he's brought, wrapped in cloth.
Haraka whistles as he steps into Grace's home, and takes a seat, trying ot keep atleast somewhat lighthearted, but soon joining his friends in serious conversation, "A Dragon-BLood? Why would they carea bout the bell?"
Grace - "I doubt whoever did it was much of a hero."
Hopeful_Dream walks along, thinking. As she moves, it stimulates her memory, thinking of all the times that she has been across and through the valley, thinking of if she saw or heard of anything like that... especially recently.
Orchid makes a slight mischievious grin. "The Blooded I have met were all rather ordinary persons with ordinary needs, though. Not much tlike the heroes of fame."
Orchid eyes Hekaton's rod. "Hey, what's that thing? Something important?"
Hopeful_Dream - "Old Wolf told me many a time, that men may do evil because they believe it is right. We may be dealing with someone who we think of as a villian, but that's not what they likely think."
Hekaton - "Dragon-Blooded have their Immaculate teachings. I doubt they'd want spirits ruling this land."
Haraka - "If anything, they'd of prolly wanted this thing. They'd of stolen it, not break it."
Hekaton stops fingering the package. "Nothing important. Just... something I brought from Nexus. I haven't used it for years, but niw I'd like to keep it handy."
Orchid - "Ooo... nice."
Hopeful_Dream - "We can't think of the person who did this the way we want to... we have to think as they see themselves and the world. That's the way to catch them."
Orchid - "You look awful, though. Shouldn't drink so much."
Haraka hmmms, and nods, "Well, do we have any leads though? They were human, that's for sure. But we don't know why, who, or what. And since its Calibraiton, its not the best time of year to go about and look int he woods."
Orchid slides up behind Hekaton with only a slight ruffle of her silken clothes, and begins rubbing his shoulders with quick, clever touches, massaging him with great skill, then begins down his back.
Orchid - "Button down and take off the shirt, I can work better then."
Hekaton - "I just needed to drown some unplesant memories this has stirred up."
Grace - The girl's eyes get distant for a moment. "I think.. I might be able to fix the bell. If I had a forge, I could do it." She sighs. "But of course, there's no way the priest would believe me. Only the Princes of the Earth are supposed to have the power to work Jade."
Orchid whispers in close to his ear, just high enough for other to hear too. "And I work better than any alcohol."
Hekaton reaches for his shirt, but stops. "Um. You'd better not, Orchid. I haven't bathed in a while."
Grace stifles a laugh at the scene between Orchid and Hekaton.
Hekaton - "Grace, do you think we can take the bell and tell them we know someone outside the village who can repair it?"
Hekaton - "They don't have any use for a broken bell anyway."
Orchid - "What? It's fine." * She says even as on hand has slipped under and begun unbuttoning his shirt from below, getting halfway before he even notices the light velvet touch.
Haraka grins as he watches the others and sighs, looking over the situation, "This is very bad right here." He hmmms, "That might be a way to go about it I think. Since they think its busted anyhow, it won't hurt."
Hopeful_Dream looks at Orchid and Hekaton with a jaundiced eye. She sighs, "We can not make repairing the bell our priority for the moment."
Grace - "Depends on how sweetly you think you can talk them, Hekaton."
Haraka nods, "That's a bit true. They can always just break it again."
Grace frowns. "And I still wouldn't have a blacksmithing forge."
Hopeful_Dream> "Exactly, Haraka. We must find the person who did this first... then worry about the bell."
Hekaton jumps at Orchid's touch, spins and takes her hand. "Please, don't do that. It seems heavenly, but I really do need a bath and a change to properly enjoy it."
Hekaton attempts a charming smile to placate Orchid for now.
Orchid - "Fine."
Orchid moves back to her lyre and begins playing it again.
Hopeful_Dream had started looking for a bucket of cold water... then hears this and sits down again.
Hekaton sits down again, correcting his shirt and looking longingly after orchid's soft hands.
Haraka thinks a bit on all of this, pushing his glasses up on his nose, "Well, we can ask around, but I don't see what that'll do."
Suddenly there is a knocking at the door!
Hekaton - "I agree. First we slay the demons, then we make sure they don't come back."
Hekaton tenses and grabs his wrapped package.
Grace goes to answer the door.
Hopeful_Dream sits watching the door.
Orchid looks up and then slips out the window like a breeze.
ST-Mod - A gaurdsman is there, he bows lightly to you. "Sorry to disturb you Lady, the Mayor has decided to put the town under an 8pm curfew for the time being. Just wanted you to know."
ST-Mod - He salutes then leaves.
Haraka blinks a bit, "Well, it makes sense. Going to be the first really dangerous Calibration this town's had."
Grace salutes him back and closes the door. "Hey.. What if we somehow convinced the town to SAY the bell has been repaired?"
Grace - "I mean, you're right, they probably would just try to break it again. But if we're waiting for them.." She grins.
Hopeful_Dream - "A few problems with that."
Haraka - "We gotta repair it for one thing."
Orchid waits for a minute, then siniously slips back in, her body bending slightly at the joints to fit gracefully through the window.
Hekaton - "I like that idea. We could say we're repairing it, and hope it provokes the same reaction."
Hopeful_Dream - "First, convincing the town to lie. Second, repairing the bell, or keeping it so they won't notice it's broken. Third, making sure we're there is going to be hard without permission, and well, do you expect them to trust most of us?"
Grace - "We could disguise someone as a visiting Dragon-blooded sorcerer, here to help."
Orchid - "They certainly won't trust me."
Hekaton - "I've played dressup before. I think I could fool them."
Grace - "And we don't have to convince the WHOLE town to lie, just the right people to lie to everyone else."
Hekaton - "I even do a good mystic rambling."
Hopeful_Dream - "If you want to try that, good, I'm going to go off and check on a few things."
Grace - "I could certainly outfit you in the right clothes."
Haraka nods, "Seems like an idea to try I guess. But what about the issue of actually fixing the thing? Where are we going to reforge it?"
Grace glances at Orchid. "Sleep with any good blacksmiths lately?"
Orchid shrugs. "Nope."
Orchid - "None traveled through, and you know how I feel about the locals."
Hopeful_Dream heads out the door and through the areas looking for signs of Old Wolf.
Orchid - "And the last outcaste Blooded has been motnhs since."
Grace tries to remember if any of the local blacksmiths have wives with a taste for jewelry.
ST-Mod - Most men and women around here have a taste for your jewelery.
Grace - "I could probably trade a good necklace for some no-questions-asked time at Falcon's forge. His wife really likes my work."
Haraka hmmms, "Well, I think we got ourselves a plan people."
Orchid - "Sounds like it... Just one thing."
Hekaton nods. "Grace, you should leave for a few days and return with a mystical stranger Dragon-Blood whom you will assist in repairing the bell."
Haraka hmms to Orchid?
Grace nods to Hekaton. "It will give me time to secure the forge and make your clothing."
Orchid takes Hekaton's hand. "You're coming with me for a while. See? You're right you smell."
Hekaton sighs and goes with Orchid.
Orchid gently pulls at his hand towards the door.
Haraka chuckles to himself some as Orchid takes Hekaton away, "Interesting those two."
Orchid takes him to the bathhouse/room of the house, and locks the door slowly behind them.
Hekaton - "I don't want to become too presentable. I want to ask around in town if someone has seen anything suspicious."
Orchid - "I will. Just have one thing to do first."
Grace - "I'll be working in my basement at night-- Orchid, if you could sneak me some food, I'd appreciate it."
Grace - "Haraka, why don't you make some wards in the meantime? We could certainly use them."
Haraka nods, "Sure, its my skill milady."
Haraka - "Well, that and selling the wards, some nice thaumaturgical dealies and some scavenging."
Grace goes to her safe and pulls out an ornate, jeweled necklace she had noticed Falcon's wife eyeing. "Great. I'll see you in a while." She locks up the safe and slips outside.
Orchid looks Hekaton deep in his eyes in the seclusion of the room, her presence pushig him against the tub, even as she is merely leaning back on the door.
Orchid - "Something you want to talk with me about, or shall I really strip you?"
Orchid's eyes are suddenly changed to calm, not the joyfully happy ones from before.
Orchid is silent with Hekaton in the room for a long time, a whispered conversation heard while water is being poured and steam comes out the window.
Orchid is heard laughing out loud for a sceond, then the quiet whispers continue.
Haraka hmms, "Well, better get the chalk I guess."
Haraka gets up and bows a bit as he heads out, "I'm going to get some supplies and books. Then I'll start getting the ward designed and we can get this thing on the road I guess."
And Grace is left waiting for Hekaton to finish his bath so she can measure him.
Hopeful_Dream pounds on Grace's door, then walks in. "Get your stuff ready, I have a likely place for where they are."
Grace raises a brow. "More demons?"
Grace - "Or summoners?"
Hopeful_Dream - "No, but there are lights on the hill. The guards even... we'll have to hurry to make it there before them.
Grace looks at Dream distrustfully, but sticks her hammer in a knapsack and grabs up another, smaller hammer from her workbench. "Well, all right then." She scribbles a hasty note for Hekaton to try on his clothes and follows Dream.
Hopeful_Dream - "You know where anyone else is? Other than Hekaton and Orchid in some love nest that is."
Grace - "Yeah. We should go get Haraka."
Hopeful_Dream - "Agreed. I don't want to see what Orchid and Hekaton are doing though."
Hopeful_Dream starts heading off to get Haraka
Grace snorts and heads off as well.
Hopeful_Dream - "Are you telling me that you don't think Orchid and he are...?"
Haraka is at where he said he would be. At the moment he has a small leather box filledd with various colors and formulas of chalk. And copying a bunch of diagrams and charts from his books inot his reading crystal.
Hopeful_Dream - "Haraka, I've found out where the culprits may be."
Grace - "..I don't want to interrupt them, and that's all I'm saying. Let's go kill some demons. Get your stuff, we need to be quick."
Haraka blinks, "Ahh, sad. And just when I was getting ready for some intensive labor." He sets the crystal down, and grabs his throwing knives, "Lead the way."
Grace said, the last bit directed at Haraka.
Hopeful_Dream leads them to where she understands the lights to be coming from, taking the fastest routes she knows, while staying out of sight of any guards.
ST_Mod - Off you go up into the mountains to where Dream leads. You clamber up, getting to the still waters of the lake are. The door stays open, the stones still lead into it.
Grace peeks in quietly.
ST-Mod - All is calm and empty.
Haraka draws his knives and wats to the side as grace looks in.
Grace glances back and shakes her head, looking somewhat irritated. "No one," she mouths.
Haraka nods and just in case, activates the link between him and his weapons so he does not loose them. He then slowly steps in, seeing what's inside.
Hopeful_Dream thinks.... "What if the demons drove us here to open it?"
Haraka - "That could be a possibilty, but I don't think they are that samrt though."
Hopeful_Dream follows Haraka in, pulling the tube from her coat and extending it. "They don't need to be smart if controlled."
Grace - "Speaking of which, this secret demonic lair seems to be light on the "demonic" bit."
Haraka hmmms to Grace, "What do you mean?"
Hopeful_Dream - "Who said anything about demons? Never I."
Grace - "You said you found them. Unless by them you meant stones.."
Haraka nods, "Good point. Why are we all the way out here anyhow?"
Hopeful_Dream - "I said, I found a place where the people... people who did this could be. But even empty, think about this place."
Haraka hmmms, "But we have nothing here right now to show for it. Maybe we killed all the summons?"
Hopeful_Dream points to the signs and whatnot around there, the depictions. "If this place stays open, the people are going to likely call to the Realm for aid against the "Demon Princes"
Grace - "Yes, well, it's certainly quite empty."
Hopeful_Dream shakes her head in frustration. "Look at it.... as far as the people will be concerned, if they learn about it, who in this valley would be Demon Princes? Who would they blame for the bell?"
Haraka - "Well, how did we open it anyhow? There has to be an activation mechanism."
Hopeful_Dream slowly points a finger around the room... then at Haraka and Grace.
Hopeful_Dream - "Yes, and I'd like to make sure it's closed before we leave.
Haraka hmms, looking around for a sigil, sign, or botton or something.
Hopeful_Dream slowly moves looking through the statues and treasures, looking for anything hidden, but that would have been obvious to one of the "Anthema".
Hopeful_Dream stops to examine a bell and cord, then pulls on the cord.
ST-Mod - A small yellow dog appears. "Hello." it says to those who speak the Old Realm
Haraka acks as suddenly there is a little yellow canine, and lets out a yelp, "What the Hell?"
Hopeful_Dream blinks and slowly looks around the dog.
Grace - "What on Earth did that just say?"
Hopeful_Dream - "I don't understand, can you understand me?"
Haraka ummmms, thinking a bit, "It said hello."
Grace - "Er.. Hi."
Hopeful_Dream turns to Haraka, "Can you understand it? More important, can you talk to it?"
ST-Mod - "you called?" (Old Realm)
Haraka clears his throat, and begins speaking in Old Realm, soemthing he isn't quite use to at the moment, "Good day. Umm, yes, we did. What is this place?"
ST-Mod - "Her manse." It says as it looks at Grace.
Haraka ahhhs, nodding to the dog, "See, we're new here. SHe is too. Ummmm, who built this place? And why was it all hidden so long?"
Hopeful_Dream - "No offense, but we don't have much time. Can it wait? Why not close the door and lower the bridge after we leave, and raise it at a time sometime later?"
Hopeful_Dream - "We wouldn't want to get caught here. That'd be worse than just leaving the place open."
ST-Mod - "The solars did. It waited for its owner."
Haraka oooohs and then nods ot Dream a bit, "Ummm, sorry to be in such a rush, but we have things to go to. Is it possible you can cause this manse to hide again until we come back?"
ST-Mod - "I can close the door yes."
Hopeful_Dream - "Can it close the door and lower the bridge?"
Grace looks quizzically at the dog, thinking it looks familiar somehow.
Haraka nods, "And can yo lower the building?"
Haraka - "Or just the bridge?"
ST-Mod - It shakes its head.
Haraka hmmms, "Well, atleast close the doors when we leave please?"
ST-Mod - The dog nods.
Hopeful_Dream - "We should get going if we want to get back without being seen."
Haraka nods, "Let's head out. He can close the door, but not the bridge. Wait a seocond."
Haraka turns to the dog once mroe, "Can you keep folks form getting into here?"
ST-Mod - "Yes I can."
Haraka nods, "Alright. Close the doors, we're out of here for now."
Grace - "Good idea, Dream. I'm still supposed to be out of town getting the Dragon-Blooded who owed my father a favor."
Haraka tips his head to the girls, "Well, let's get going folks."
Grace waves to the dog and leaves.
ST-Mod - And off you go, avoiding the party from town that comes up to investigate the strange lights they were told we seen here last night.
Hopeful_Dream waves and leads the way out by a hidden trail that she suspects Old Wolf wouldn't use.
ST-Mod - You return to the house.
ST-Mod - And I suppose you now meet with the other two who have concluded their affairs.
<Grace> Right.
Haraka gets his books from his home and returns, looking through and taking notes.
Hopeful_Dream - (Nah, Dream is going to check on a few more
things, and after a while see what Old Wolf found with the guards... or think they found ^_^)
Grace slips into her basement after making sure no one was watching.
Orchid is lying on Grace's bed, quietly playing a flute and with a few books lying opened about her. Wearing a robe of dark silk this time.
Orchid - "Back already? Where did you go and what did you find?"
Haraka begins going through the house over the next while, examining the archetecture and figuring out how to best work the ward.
Hekaton sits maintaining a firewand, which was the contents of the package.
Grace - "Did the clothes fit, Hekaton?"
Haraka blinks as he comes to the bedroom, "I will not question what happened here. Just checking the shape of the room." He looks about, and takes some more notes, before wlaking onward.
Hekaton - "Yes, very well. I can definitely work with them."
Hekaton - "Nothing happened, you dog. Do you want help with your ward?"
Grace - "Now, all we have to do is come up with a good story about who you are and where you came from."
Hekaton - "Yes. I... Remembered something that will come in handy. Noone will be able to see through the disguise with it."
Grace - "Excellent! I was able to secure myself some uninterrupted forge time, so as soon as you get the bell, everything will be perfect."
Haraka hmmms, looking around the door, "I think some help would be nice. Just taking some time on this. Its always good to take a bit to get the best ward possible."
Hopeful_Dream returns to the house. "Well, it's not perfect, but better than it would have been if the manse was open."
Hekaton - "The Manse? You went back?"
Grace glances at Haraka. "I don't suppose you know wards against hammers shaped like rams' horns, do you?"
Hopeful_Dream - "Yes, because leaving it open when the guard went up there seemed like a foolish idea, unless you wanted to sacrifice yourself to the Realm's Wyld Hunt.
Orchid - "Fair enough. Was that all?"
Haraka shakes his head, "Nope, no Ward veruss Ram Hammers. But I can atleast make sure blood apes won't get in."
ST-Mod - There is a commotion outside!
Hopeful_Dream looks outside.
Hekaton bounds to a window a looks outside.
Orchid glances out, hidden behind the curtain.
Grace glances outside stealthily.
Haraka follows behind the others, looking out the door.
ST-Mod - There is a group of the gaurds....stoning another one of the gaurd!
"Maybe he was the one on duty when the bell was destroyed?"
ST-Mod - They are shouting things how its his and his kinds fault, those who worshiped the gods who did this and that they will get them all.
ST-Mod - And with that scene todays game ends.
