Adventure! RPG: Dark Tidings - Chapter 1: The Long Night

[SalmonMax]

Marion laughs as she gets carefully to her feet, a surprisingly good-natured sound from someone who'd just been punctured.

"Thanks, Catori. That's a handy trick. But don't worry too much about me. I'm tougher than I look."

She looks around and asks more loudly, "Is everyone else all right? Sorry about that little...wrinkle there at the end. That really should not happened...I was very careful in the preparations."

[Dawn OOC]

Daphne rolled into a sitting position, her fingers already probing her wounds. Grimacing, she drew out a piece of the chilled glass out of her chest, holding it carefully between two fingers. As Spot, who had been knocked over when his mistress had been knocked into him and had nothing worse than bruising, circled her and nervously whined. He could smell that Daphne had been hurt and it aggitated the hellhound. Anyone who gets too close gets an angry snarl from the canine.

"That bad," she said softly as her fingers tested a cut on her forehead, glad that she didn't find any glass there. "Shade wrong."

[Rachel Fiore]

Hearing Daphne and how Spot whined Catori walked over to her reaching for her bag again and taking out some herbs.

"Let me take care of this.", she said waiting for Daphne to accept her help.

(ooc: Assuming Daphne lets her, another use of Touch of life to heal her wounds)

Then she placed her hands gently on Daphne's chest and hummed the same soothing melody just as she did with Marion. Within seconds a greenish light spread through her fingers and sealed Daphne's wound easing the pain.

"There you go.", she smiled at her and retreated carefully to let Spot check that everything was alright.

[Katalyst]

Arch grateful thanks Janos for the helping hand. "Thanks big man."

After reaching his feet Arch turns towards Marion. "Christ women, that almost got us killed what the hell went wrong!" he anger is only tempered by the pain he is in.

[Dawn OOC]

Daphne bounced to her feet and put herself between Arch and Marion. "Not her fault!" the small woman snarled. "She did right! Shade wrong!"

She was now eying Arch like he was a threat, though Spot, who had moved to her side, wasn't growling. He was showing his teeth, his black lips curling back in a silent warning.

[SalmonMax]

"Magic isn't science," Marion replies evenly to Archie. "It's not circumscribed by mathematics or nice, predictable laws. These are the forces that create and destroy and remake the cosmos, and if a little shattering glass is too much for you, I suggest you avoid it."

She inhales deeply, rather impressively, and reaches back over her head to smooth her hair.

"That said...Daphne is right. That spirit was no ordinary shade. There are wards and protections. It shouldn't have been free-willed. And it most -definitely- should not have been able to cause any of us harm, by action or inaction. This 'Russian' was not an ordinary man, I'll wager. But I won't know more until I've had time to consult my sources and see if anything like this has happened before."

Her voice softens. "Are we well enough to move? It's probably best if we don't linger."

[Katalyst]

"Yeah well just make sure you don't let it happen again is all I'm saying." Arch sighs. "Sorry about that, I'm just a bit shocked about what just happened. I know it's not your fault, it's just from what I've studied things like this don't aren't supposed to happen to the best of my knowledge. So, let's get out of here so that we can get our wounds taken care of."

Looking at Daphne he also adds "Calm down, nothing is going to happen, just blowing off a little steam. No need to for any more trouble okay lady?"

,,

[Count Janos Rakozi]

Three things had become obvious. Those outside the ritual had been knicked and bludgeoned, but were going to be okay. Those inside the ritual had been much more critically hit. Lastly, Catori had a magic touch.

Janos addressed his most immediate concern.

"Daphne, we need to get Marion and Ben out of here. Archibald isn't threatening anyone, by our customs. We need to leave."

To Catori, he notes,

"Lady, you aren't taking care of your own wounds. Noble, yet dangerous, with the way this night has progressed."

"Now let us please to move to the cars. I know nothing of the occult, but I know we just got some bad news and we are the ones with the prize that those with lethal intent are after."

[Lee Deity]

Ben brushed himself off, attempting to downplay the shards of glass in his person. This was not a successful endeavour - for one thing, a glass shard had hit his forehead, and he was bleeding more than a little. Subsequently, he was a little dazed. "You know, death has not become Mr. Strakovski at all! He was a much nicer person when he was alive! Must be the company he's in. Rasputin... never a popular man..."

Ben heard Janos's comments and replied "Yes, that's a good idea, I could use a rest, but we'd probably better clean our mess up first..." Ben started to walk back into the circle, not quite in a straight line.

[Dawn OOC]

Originally Posted By: Katalyst

Looking at Daphne he also adds "Calm down, nothing is going to happen, just blowing off a little steam. No need to for any more trouble okay lady?"

Janos' words were soothing to the young refuge from Hell. Daphne calmed herself with effort, hating a world where she couldn't just kill this man for angering her. The fact that her attitude weren't helping the troubles that Nikoli had alluded to were missed by her. "Not lady!" she insisted. "Ladies dumb, boring, closet-whores. Not dumb. Not boring. Not whore."

Her attitude changed in a second when she saw Ben. Daphne caught Ben, her eyes worried. "You to oh-to-mabile. We clean mess," she ordered. "Catori fix me and Marion - you rest." She felt for rents in his clothing, trying to see if he had shards in him as well. Any she finds will be gently removed - Ben was a member of her pack, after all.

[Katalyst]

Originally Posted By: Dawn, OOC

"Not lady!" she insisted. "Ladies dumb, boring, closet-whores. Not dumb. Not boring. Not whore."

What is it with this woman. Something is not right with her at all. I'll have to ask Ben about her later Arch just looks and shakes his head at Daphne's words. "Ben are you okay to drive? Looks like you took a good blow to the head" he asks.

[Rachel Fiore]

Originally Posted By: Count Janos Rakozi

To Catori, he notes,
"Lady, you aren't taking care of your own wounds. Noble, yet dangerous, with the way this night has progressed."

"Now let us please to move to the cars. I know nothing of the occult, but I know we just got some bad news and we are the ones with the prize that those with lethal intent are after."

"I'm going to be fine, Count. I wear my scars with pride.", Catori treated her wounds to stop the bleeding but didn't use her innate powers of healing. She felt she had to save those for later, she was going to be alright, she was an Apache.

"I agree with Marion, we should make haste and leave, but not before cleaning up this mess.", she looked at the summoning circle and started to remove what could be cleaned up or thrown away.

[Lee Deity]

Ben tried to focus briefly in reply to Arch. Okay, successful focus. Oh wait, okay, not so successful focus. "...I may need a few minutes to rest a little before I attempt to drive. Oh! Thankyou Daphne! Much better."

[Dawn OOC]

The second Ben said he was better, Daphne stepped back from him. She was maintaining that distance that he'd said he liked, touching him only when necessary. To Arch, it must have looked like she was violently pulling away from him. "Ok," she said, patting him on the head and limping back over to the mess on the pier. With Catori and Marion, she began to clean up.

[jameson (ST)]

As you go to clean away the circle you all notice that the materials have scattered about the area. The breeze, returning after the bizarre magic effects of the ritual, has caught the silver filings and strewn them about blowing some off into the water and others swirl about in little eddies. The candles have burned down to waxy stumps and the dove has already grown cold and stiff in the brutal winter evening. Quickly cleaning up what remains the group then piles into the cars and heads for the ferry back to Abel Island. With six hours to midnight there is much to discuss and prepare if they wish to harness the Solstice to force the box open.

[SalmonMax]

Marion is quiet during the cleanup. She runs over the ritual over and over in her mind; reviews every step, every rune, every word. She's both relieved and disquieted to conclude that there hadn't been any error in the rite that would explain what happened.

The more she thought about it, the more she reinforced her earlier notion. There was something about that shade itself that allowed it to overcome, to a limited extent, the restrictions placed on it by the spell. But a shade was a shade, wasn't it? Regardless of who it was in its mortal life.

When the task is done and they have regrouped, Marion puts forth, "It may be wise not to open this until we've looked into it further...as much as it pains me to say."

Even as she says it though, she's not sure it's an option. Could she really doom herself to six months of looking at that box without opening it?

[Count Janos Rakozi]

Janos seems to weigh his words before speaking.

"You may not have the luxury of time, Fraulein Abel. They have already killed to get at the box once. Undoubtably they have been looking into who has it now."

"Also, could they use the knife that killed the man to get similar information from his shade?"

"One rarely has the circumstances return to thier control by waiting on events to come around, but rather by taking direct action."

"I recommend you open the box because the opportunity may not come again. Err on the side of finding knowledge and learning, not the fear of the unknown."

[Dawn OOC]

By the time they'd finished cleaning, Daphne noticed her cheek hurt. She must have taken another shard to the face; if it was only starting to hurt now, it must be very bad or very minor. As the others regrouped nearby, she hung back to use the mirror on the car to assess the injury.

To her surprise, the cheek where the spirit had touched her had gone bone-white. Whimpering a bit, she touched the white skin and found it numb. Sighing, she pulled her knife and made a quick cut on her cheek. If the shade-touched area would heal, the cut would bleed. If it didn't bleed, she was probably facing death as the skin died and dropped from her face.

For a tense moment she waited, then the small cut welled with red and Daphne sagged with relief. She put her knife away and followed the others into the study, catching the end of the conversation. "Should open box. Need answers." She looked very serious as she stood a little aside from the others, clutching her spear with Spot sitting nervously beside her. "What happen... not right. Need answers."

[Katalyst]

Arch was grateful that Ben's place had some medical supplies to cover his wounds. He was still rather upset about the evenings failure, and his choice words with Daphne, and he avoided her as best he could.

At Janos words, Arch's voice still hints at that displeasure. "I'm afraid that we must open that damm cursed box now. To not do so would be a rather big waste of time."

[Rachel Fiore]

Catori watched Arch fumbling for the medical supplies and walked over to him to help him with first aid. Shaking her head with a half smile she cleaned the wounds of any dirt and applied the bandages with uncanny skill.

"Men and their injuries... but I agree with you. We need to open the box. But we also need to find out about this other man the Shade was talking about. I believe he is the one that gave the Shade its unusual power."

[Lee Deity]

Ben had been quietly thinking through most of the trip home, though his focus was a little off. Rasputin... Rasputin... That rings a bell. But no, he's been dead over a decade. It couldn't be, could it? Then Ben actively critiqued that response, considering what he'd seen in the last 4 years of adventuring. Death was not an easy barrier to overcome, it was true, but it wasn't impossible, clearly. And as clearly shown, you didn't necessarily have to come back from death to have an impact.

At Catori's comment, Ben piped up. "I recall of a Rasputin. Grigori Rasputin, I recall his name was. He was a rather larger-than-life character over a decade ago, when Russia was still under a tsar. I recall the details around him were rather foggy though, he was something of a man of legend. A million and one stories around that man, I'm afraid, and I only remember a few. I'd have to look up the stories again, truth be told."

"I think I agree with everyone else - we should open the box, I don't think we have the option of waiting. Also, honestly, I'm damn curious as to what's inside, and I don't relish the idea of waiting six months to sate my curiosity. This time, however, we'll be prepared for whatever comes this way. We'll do it here, where the ley lines are best aligned, and where we can best build defenses against whatever might be against us."

It was only then that Ben noticed that Catori and Arch had fully bandaged and cleaned up his head. "Hmm! I barely noticed that! Excellent work, you two!"

[Dawn OOC]

Subtly, Daphne gave Spot the 'stay' command. The big hellhound sank to his belly, looking uncertain. She bent and gave him

a quick rub on his ears before slipping out of the room. This was something she wanted to do alone.

They had told her to stay out of the library, something about a guardian, but Daphne wasn't worried. Few things in this world scared her very much, though that was because she only had a passing acquanience with those things that would scare the pants off the displaced girl. And it wasn't like she as an intruder; she lived here. She just wanted to take a closer look at the box, alone, so that she didn't have to hide what was wrong.

She was lucky, she mused as she opened the door to the library, that no one caught what the spectre had said to her. That might have been very awkward. She stepped into the velvety darkness of the library, her sharp eyes looking for the box.

[jameson (ST)]

Moving into the Library Daphne closes the door behind her with a quiet click. The room is mostly dark but the light from outside is enough to see by. Her back resting against the door she scans the room before seeing the Box resting on a table. She steps away from the door toward the table with the Box on it and the candles in the chandelier burst into flame. Around the room other lamps begin to burn and the room is soon lit with soft flickering yellow light. Startled Daphne pauses a moment before continuing towards the book. As she took a step forward a spectral form coalesced in front of her. Though it did not speak Daphne was aware of its question to her, Whom are you? You are not allowed in this place!

[Dawn OOC]

"I Daphne," she said, dropping into a crouch. "Live in house. Pack with Ben and Marion." She shivered a little; running into another spectre right after her bizarre encounter earlier was making her nervous. "Look at box." She gestured toward the box while eyeing it, trying to see if she were close enough to do what she needed to do.

[jameson (ST)]

You are not known to me, leave now. The spirit being loomed even larger over Daphne as she crouched low. It made a gesture toward the door and it flew open of it's own accord. You have been warned. I ward this room from intruders. You are not welcome here. If the mistress wishes you to enter she will make me aware of you. The spectre looms over her it's eyes dead and empty it's hands cold enough to chill the moisture out of the air.

[SalmonMax]

Marion feels a rush of relief as everyone weighs in on the opening issue. Thank God...she could open it now, and still look like the voice of reason rather than a reckless magelet.

"Well," she says heavily as she hangs her coat on the rack, "If you all think that, then I suppose there's no help for it. I'll need some things before we start. Ben, I think this should be outside, behind the house. Just in case there are...unforeseen consequences. The gazebo, perhaps."

She looks around, thinking. "Of course, we may need the extra power from the Library..." As she muses, her eyes linger on the candles over the study's fireplace.

Abruptly her demeanor changes; becomes tense and focused. "Ben. Someone's in the Library. They may be after the box. I'm going to check."

Marion produces her book from its case, and strides purposefully off towards the library.

[Dawn OOC]

Daphne nodded to the spectre, as if agreeing to its demands, then dashed deeper into the library. She made no attempt to touch anything, only to get close enough to the box to see it and to feel it. She knew that she was risking what the spirit would do to her, but being raised in Hell had inured her to fear of risks. One had to take some risks, or one got caught in their place of safety.

She had to know if the box was an artifact of Hell... or worse.

[jameson (ST)]

Daphne, her legs already bent beneath her, springs forward with a burst of speed. He feet land surely on the carpeted floor and within moments she is staring face to face with the box. Behind he the spectre lets out and unholy scream, the sound like metal tortuously grinding against metal. Flying after her, it's hands outstretched the, creature plunges icy talons into Daphne's back, raking bits of frozen flesh and blood from her back.

Off balance from the blow Daphne is thrown to the floor face down. Rearing up above her the ghostly form prepares to plunge it's cold dead hands into Daphne once more when Marion steps into the room Grimoire at the ready. Ben and the other just behind her crowd the doorway. "Stop!" she cries out as the situation before he becomes clear. The guardian freezes and turns toward Marion awaiting further instruction.

[OOC: Daphne takes 2 lethal from the icy claws of the Spectre]

[SalmonMax]

Marion closes her eyes, forcing fear and anger to stay under a momentarily calm facade.

"Leave her be. She has my permission to be here right now."

She closes her eyes and puts a hand to her forehead.

"Daphne...come here right now."

(using the knack 'Mom Voice' )

[Katalyst]

Arch from behind the others looks on at the scene, trying to see what excatly was goiing on. From his view he saw Daphne on the floor and other shade floating above her.

Great, what the heck was she trying to do, steal the box?

Arch goes, "Is she alright?"

[Dawn OOC]

Daphne lay still on the floor for a moment, feeling the pain lancing through her back. She really wanted to stay where she was. Still, when she pulled herself to her hands and knees, she looked up at the box, staring at the unfamiliar runes. She also reached out, feeling toward the box, seeking something familiar.

It wasn't. It was wasn't like anything she'd ever sensed, and the young woman snarled in frustration and slammed the side of her fist into the carpet. Moving slowly, she stood and limped to Marion.

[SalmonMax]

Marion reaches out in a surprisingly tender gesture to tuck a stray lock of Daphne's disarrayed hair back behind her ear.

"You could have died, do you know that?" she asks. "If I hadn't seen the candle...you could have -died-. Why didn't you just ask me to let you in?"

She looks around at Catori with a mute plea for help in her eyes.

[jameson (ST)]

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

"Leave her be. She has my permission to be here right now."

Yes, master. The spectre glides off into the stacks of books as though nothing at all had happened. The room gradually began to warm as the warm air from the hall cycled through the door and reheated the suddenly very chilly library.

[Dawn OOC]

The tenderness got a better answer than yelling might have. "Wanted to see box," Daphne said softly, looking down. "Wanted to... see." She faltered, uncertain of how to say that she was a damned creature who was afraid of being hated by them. She wasn't sure she would be able to handle seeing the look in their eyes, like she'd seen in its eyes. "Wanted to see alone." Her voice became vaguely accusatory. "Never said anything about ghosts."

Clearly, she felt this was a poor choice on Marion's part.

[Katalyst]

Is she for real? What the heck is wrong with this lady? She keeps acting like a child.

"Do you believe that's all she wanted to do? I'm not conviced that's what she was really there to do?" Arch says rather skeptical.

[Rachel Fiore]

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

She looks around at Catori with a mute plea for help in her eyes.

Catori nodded hesitantly at Marion but smiled nonetheless reaching for the herbs in her leather bag. Would Daphne been her sister she would have just bandaged her and left her to bear the pain of her careless actions. She hoped that the young warriorwoman learned her lesson.

Without waiting for permission Catori started to hum lowly and placed the herbs carefulls over the wounded back where the Spectre had raked her. The familiar green light spread over her fingers and flowed into Daphne healing her almost instantly without leaving any marks.
(ooc: Touch of life and I'm only assuming that there are no marks)

Once she was done Catori nodded to Marion wordlessly but her eyes spoke of her disapproval. "The lonely warrior may win a fight but he won't win the war." Catori said without looking at Daphne. She was obviously holding back more but she felt that it wouldn't lead to anything constructive.

[SalmonMax]

"I did tell you never to go in here without Ben or I present," Marion reminds her, though she winces a bit from guilt. She hadn't told the spirit not to attack Daphne. A grievous oversight. "That wasn't just to throw rules around...even the guardian spirit isn't the only dangerous thing in this library."

Something occurs to her at that moment, and Marion frowns and asks quietly, "The shade said something to you...is this about that?"

She hadn't quite heard its question clearly, but if it had told her to steal or destroy the box...

[Dawn OOC]

Arch's suggestion that she was lying - which is how the young misplanted woman was interpreting the remark - earned him bared teeth before Daphne snapped, "You not pack! Not concerned with your thoughts. Don't lie to my pack! Wanted to see box."

She gave Catori a beaming smile when the icy agony in her back faded, but the woman's follow-up comment brought a frown of confusion. Allegory was never a strong point for Daphne, but she dutifully tried to interpret what Catori meant. She finally decided that Catori meant they were at war with ghosts, with she could completely support.

But Marion takes the cake with her last question. Daphne flinched so hard that her hesitant nod was unnecessary. "That why wanted to see box alone," she said softly. "It... not what I thought, though. Don't know what box is."

[SalmonMax]

Marion nods slowly.

"We should talk later," she says...then steps back and looks around at Arch.

"I trust Daphne," she tells him. "I realize she must seem unusual to you, but she has been here long enough that I know her heart. Whether or not that's enough for you is up to you."

[Katalyst]

Originally Posted By: Dawn, OOC

Arch's suggestion that she was lying - which is how the young misplanted woman was interrepting the remark - earned him bared teeth before Daphne snapped, "You not pack! Not concerned with your thoughts. Don't lie to my pack! Wanted to see box."

Arch looks at Daphne directly "Yeah right. I was there in the circle, I heard what the shade said to you. I think that's the real reason your in here." he says matter of factly.

To Marion he says "Yes it is unusual, but I think that there's something to Daphne that needs watching, but if you say she's earned your trust, well I guess I'll leave it at."