Tapestry of the Ages Korvesa: Midnight Madness

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Tiko

Draconic Administrator/Mentor
Administrator
Mentor
Nexus GM
The rest of the evening seemed to pass uneventful enough and eventually even the late night patrons drifted out for the night as the Green Gryphon closed up its doors until tomorrow.

It wouldn't be until midnight struck that Xenia would be roused by the distinctive sound of glass shattering downstairs. Her arousal would not be a smooth one though and the entire room around her would seem to lurch and spin in nauseating waves. The walls and floor seemed to twist and turn before her eyes while the wooden planks stretched and warped in upon themselves, rippling hazily before regaining stability for brief moments. The experience was dizzying and disorienting as the mind tried to make sense of what the eyes were witnessing.

The next sensation to arrive was a bitter chill that seemed to sweep through the room leaving a hollow sort of silence in its wake. The dark shadows of the unlit room only seemed to grow darker and they began to shift and writhe as they pulled themselves up from the floor. Four distinct shapes from the look of it.

Others in the inn where beginning to rouse to the disturbance as well, and from the startled shouts it would seem that the situation wasn't exclusive to Xenia's room.
 
Whilst Xenia slept, she’s ever plagued with the nightmares of her past. The young necromancer was shifting on the mattress, turning and tossing, beads of sweat accumulated on her temple. It was like this every night, every time she’d sleep alone, they faces of her fallen peers always showed. The sounds of glass shattering pried her from the nightmare, she shot upright in bed, yet it seemed too fast as everything around was spinning. Her stomach did somersaults as the building warped around, it was doing the impossible; changing shape of its own will, it seemed. In a state of confusion, Xenia slapped herself on the cheek, hard as to what she was trying to make sense of.

Her confusion would only grew more when she felt it, a bitter chill sweep through the entire room. The hairs on the nape of her neck stood on end, her brows furrowed at the sudden silence. The survival instinct to fight or flight had kicked in the moment she awoke from her slumber. Xenia didn’t remain confused for long as four black, distinct shapes grew from the floor, taking a corporeal form. This sent her flying to her staff, as if the stick would actually help in her time of need. Though she studied Necromancy, she wasn’t able to pull any tricks out of her hat yet!

She rolled back, falling to the other side of the bed, running wouldn’t work. ‘What am I to do? Think!’ Xenia scolded herself, but thinking wouldn’t get far as a black, wispy clawed hand grew out of the shadow nearest to her and swiped above her – the arm growing long as it did so. In its wake, it left large, claw marks on the wall behind her, even cracking the window open. Xenia ducked, taking the time to crawl away only to be cut off by the other shadow that grew too close.

“I can’t die like this!” Xenia thought about all the past times she survived. Surviving this too, should be a feat in itself. It was, however, not when another swipe had nicked her shoulder, she hissed as she was able to dive right under the next attack. Her state of panic increased, sweat clung to every surface of her body as she grabbed the less thing a person would grab in a time like this; her torn cloak. After doing so, she took the chance to grip the door knob, yank it open and run out into the fray. It was evident, she was not the only victim falling to the shadows that lurked in her room, who were now coming after her.
 
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As Xenia barreled out into the hallway she nearly collided with an elven man as he staggered back beneath the onslaught of one of the shadow creatures. He was clad in earthy greens and browns, and in one hand he bore a gnarled wooden staff while his other hand emitted a sickly green hue from beneath the cloth wrappings that bound it.

As the creature lunged free of the shadows Orbryn caught it with his free hand, and the thing immediately began to flail wildly trying to free itself from his grip as if in great agony. The light being emitted left it separated from the shadows as the void tainted magic ate away at it, but without a shadow to flee into it seemed vulnerable in it's solid state.

"You, can you fight?" he barked at Xenia.

His grip didn't waver, but the creature proved resilient even as its flesh twisted and withered beneath Orbryn's touch. His gauntlet protected much of his arm, but still the flailing creature had managed to score several scratches through his clothing, and one that left a gash along one cheek of his face.

Around them people seemed in a mixed state of confusion. Some staggered past the pair in a disoriented rush to get out of the inn while others engaged in struggles of their own. One man down the hall was slumped against one wall, clutching at his throat with wide eyes and gaping mouth but no figure stood near him. The light cast by Orbryn's glow left distinct shadows upon the floor of the hallway though, and a clawed shadow had latched onto the man's shadow, seemingly strangling him.
 
Bursting through the door, Xenia tossed herself into the corridor, she hastily turned around, her unfurled hair whipping around her. She hadn’t noticed the Elven Male, who was holding one of those unholy creatures in one hand. She was startled at his immediate words, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. What did she really know of fighting? Xenia’s studies only provided her to learn words, and practice saying incantations correctly in her mind. The College never provided hand-to-hand combat, but she had her fair share of mini cat-fights, did that count?

Finding her voice, she finally spoke yet in a trembling manner, “I-I don’t- I mean…I-I can’t.” She was opting to run.

Whomever this Elf was, he was likely a magic user, as of the green light omitting from his hand. Xenia leaned against her own metal staff, throwing her cloak on and pulling the hood up to hide her deep in its obscurity. She needed to get out of here, but the way out was past that Elf and he was strangling a shadow…likely from the void.
 
It took all the courage he had to leave the basement at first, his eyes dilating and growing blurry as they adjusted to the stars in the sky. It was his first time out in the open, and with a deep breath Pride took in his surroundings. The gentle whisper of the wind, the rustle of leaves and branches, the slight murmur or a river not far off, all of these senses came crashing in towards Pride who felt quickly overwhelmed. What was this world, where was he, who was he?

His hand met his forehead as a pang of discomfort found it's way there, worrying about it wasn't doing him any good so he kept moving into the treeline. The further he got into the woodland the more comfortable he felt, almost as if he belonged there. Over time, the small sounds and pleasant night air comforted his anxiety of not knowing his place and he started to enjoy a more leisurely stroll as his eyes lit up and examined every little thing that he could. He let his nose brush against tall-flowers, inhaling deeply without caution, he approached woodland creatures who seemed curious about the Fae's existence and didn't bother running when he drew near. Everything about the world was exciting for him, but his peaceful venture was interrupted by another sight that he could barely glimpse through the treeline.

Smoke.

The sight drew Pride's attention quickly, and he soon found himself navigating out of the trees and into an open clearing. In the distance his eyes made out a town, it's architecture somewhat reminiscent of the home he had just abandoned; but what was this smoke? Somewhere in the back of his mind a memory connected it with fire, and a flash or worry crept over Pride's features as he thought about the forest behind him burning down. He did not like fire, that he knew on instinct as he found himself sprinting towards the town in an attempt to quell the flames. How he planned to manage that, he hadn't the slightest; no memory of his told him how to put it out or what was necessary, but something in him felt like he would be able to do just that.

Pride found himself coming through the gates in a rush, the city open as his green eyes flickered in the night. Everything was so bright under the stars, and the fire that consumed one of the buildings illuminated the rest of the street. The city was full of shouts and screams now, causing Pride's head to swivel and shift to one sound after another. It was all.... Hectic. He had a hard time keeping up with everything, but his instinct was to get to the fire all the same.

As he neared the building the screams only got worse, his eyes, previously on the flames as they flickered beside him - their heat bearing down on his skin, 'Is this... Warmth?' He found himself thinking for but a moment before a shrill cry of pain rung in his ears. This one, much closer than the rest. Across the street lay a rather large building, a sign out front read "Green Gryphon Tavern" and just inside the open door his eyes made out the sight of a man, bleeding, easily the source of the cry he heard and what looked like a shadow at his feet. Despite the heat at his side, a shiver ran down Pride's spine at the sight of it - It's presence alone made him feel ill, in fact, ever since getting into the town he was feeling a bit sick to his stomach. Taking a deep breath Pride tried to center himself and gather his thoughts, casting his head upwards so he didn't have to stare at the creature in the shadows - but this did not help Pride in the least because the sky made him feel even worse.

The stars he had thought beautiful just minutes ago in the forest were gone. As far as he could see the sky was empty, devoid of anything he could recall from earlier and yet still the town was bathed in an uncomfortable light. "They don't belong here." Pride said to himself, feeling something new well up inside him. He was lost, he felt sick, he hadn't a clue as to what was happening, all he knew was that staring up at the sky and seeing nothing angered him greatly.

If someone asked him about how he did what he did next, Pride wouldn't have an answer - He'd just have to tell him how warm he felt as the fire beside him started to flicker uncontrollably, shift and move as a portion of it smoothed out into a tendril, reaching out and wrapping itself around his forearm as he approached the open door of the tavern. "You do not belong here!" He shouted, anger evident in his voice as tears streamed down his cheeks. The fire that wrapped around his arm did not harm him, but it was incessantly hot before he extended his hand to point at the shadow on the ground and in the next moment the flames left him eagerly; rushing to envelop the shadow in it's encompassing light.
 
Inside the Green Gryphon Tavern

"Then get outside!" Orbryn growled as the creature in his grasp finally went limp and began to dissipate. "Stay away from the shadows!"

From a pouch at his side he pulled a pale blue gemstone with runes etched into its surface. He uttered 'illuminate' in the elven tongue and the stone immediately responded and lit up with a brilliant glow of light as he passed it to Xenia. Without another word he moved past her towards those further down the hall.

Inside the inn there was simply too much to cast shadows. Furniture, people, walls... it all gave the shadow stalkers ample ways to sink in and out of threat. He needed to get as many people outside that he could. Out in the open they could control access to the shadows much easier. One could never eliminate shadows in their entirety, but fewer points of attack would make it a lot easier to protect people than in these close quarters.

As he passed the open door of an inn bedroom he caught the flickering glow of light from across the street. Fire. The inn wasn't the only place under threat.

Outside the Green Gryphon Tavern:

Meanwhile outside Pride's anger and intuition served him well. Bathed in the light of the flames and engulfed in their scorching grasp the shadow stalker was unable to retreat. In a matter of moments it succumbed to Pride's attack and dissipated without a trace remaining.

Several people started to make their way out of the tavern and the burning building across the street, but no one seemed to quite know what to make of the situation.

One young lad of only about ten appeared from behind the tavern with the reigns of a horse in hand. The animal was frightened and the sight of the burning building across the street left it wild-eyed and panicked. The boy didn't hesitate to pull himself up into the animal's saddle though, and he held tight as it neighed and reared back in protest of the rider. It took him only a moment more to reign the animal in enough to wheel it about though.

"I'll get the marshal!" the brave lad shouted before he and horse took off down the street.

Others who had witnessed Pride's attack upon the fallen shadow stalker mistakenly assumed he was privy to the situation.

"What's going on?" someone demanded of him over the crackling of flames and the choking smoke that was beginning to fill the street.
 
Ti'el had been wide awake for some time now, her nocturnal schedule keeping her bright-eyed at these hours. She opted to snack on a pouch of berries she'd collected on their travels. It was very little trouble for her to zoom into the woods while Orbryn walked and collect several handfuls before she had to bound back. It kept her energy in check, something she was sure Orbryn was thankful for. As much as she tried to keep her attention on his lectures, a meandering fly was enough to twist her ears around in the opposite direction if she had too much energy to spare.

This time, that extra energy would serve her well. Screams in the hallway gave her a start, one that launched her several feet in the air from the fright. She scrambled to her feet, little nails scratching hopelessly at the wood before they hitched and pushed her forward to the door. When she opened them, she watched a mess of a scene: one woman was running through the hallway, pushing past Orbryn, who had a writhing, wriggling, ugly thing in his hand, and that was only on her left. On her right, a man collapsed, something in the shadows catching her keen eyes. She could hardly piece together what was happening, but having a simple mind could be such a gift: shadows bad, light good. Easy enough to understand for now.

"How many left here?" she asked her tutor. "I will guide them!"
 
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It spooked Xenia at the creature dying in his grasp as he barked more at her. In this situation, she was a liability, and she did not want to feel the wrath of this elf later down the road. Nodding, she was ready to book it the opposite direction. However, the elf was yet to depart her with a stone of sorts. Xenia looked down at her in her palm, then quickly back to the receding male’s back down the hall. ‘Just who are you?’ She turned and finally gripped both her staff and the rune, turning to trek opposite.

Upon making her way out of the tavern, she found others fighting their own battles. She bit back her lip, the urge to do something, to help in some way. Toiling far too long outside of one room, a shadow burst from it as another body fell beneath her. Xenia yelped back, her eyes widening at the shadow's ruthless assault as it was now turning towards her. She looked down at the rune again, ‘Opposite?’ To test her theory, she held it out in front of the shadow. It recoiled back, hissing as if shadows could actually do that. Xenia felt confidence re-surge back in her as she moved away from the shadow.

She found that it worked even as she passed rooms. The screams and yells going on sent chills down her spine. Xenia blinked back the memories threatening to flash, to come to the present at a wrongful time. The Necromancer emerged from the tavern, the rune still in her hand as she used her other as a walking staff. The adrenaline not leaving, she froze in her tracks. All around her everyone was getting attacked by whatever foul darkness came from the void. She sniffed, turning her head to see a building on fire, blazing angrily, smoke inhaling into every individuals lungs in the vicinity. Xenia used her sleeve to block out the smoke, but it didn’t help much as she choked out. The light from the rune shone brightly, her eyes watered as she passed the building on fire, her choking fit growing to fit the others running from it or just passing by. ‘Hopefully, everyone made it out.’ She thought, going to join the gathering of newfound refugees.
 
As the shadow faded before his eyes Pride looked on, his face featureless for he didn't know what emotions to express through it but the tears that ran down his face made it seem out of place. The warmth of the fire now gone along with the shadow he had focused, Pride took a moment to collect his breath and seek out another. That is until one of the humans started flooding through the door of the tavern, pushing Pride back as the chaos took hold. 'Why are they running?' He thought to himself. 'Why don't they fight? Fire, light, anything?' At least one lad had a horse, and while Pride was a bit confused as to what he shouted it seemed like he was going for help. That made sense, to get assistance from those capable - but the running? Pride felt that was one of the quickest ways to get stabbed in the back, especially if they didn't know of a safe haven nearby. If they did, that would be good for them but as the fire continued to flicker across the street he felt like it's warmth and light was one of the safest places to be.

His mind raced as he continued to watch them flee in terror of the shadows, his hand reaching out towards the flames again when a voice drew his attention. 'What's going on?' He asked, but Pride only stared at him idly. His cheeks now covered in a light film of smoke from the flames he brought towards him made the tears that had fallen more prominent, but he had no explanation for the man. "I do not know." He responded coolly, half a mind to ask him in return what was happening but if he was asking Pride he didn't seem to have an idea himself. The whole situation seemed fruitless until Pride's eye caught sight of a faint glow from within the tavern, a few voices speaking up and now easily heard as the many of the other denizens had flooded past him just prior. Pride called upon more flames, drawing them toward his arm as they coiled around him harmlessly before he wordlessly moved past the man that had asked him the question and into the main doors of the tavern. The faint glow he was able to see from just outside was coming from the stair well, and while he couldn't quite see up them he figured the man needed an answer. "Does anyone know what's going on here? A man outside wishes to know." Pride shouted up the stairs, his eyes on alert for more shadows stalking the first floor, he was ready to set them and anything that may harbor sanctuary for them ablaze.
 
Inside the Green Gryphon Tavern

"It's clear that way," Orbryn told Ti'el as he gestured the way that Xenia had retreated. "We need to clear the rest of this hall and get everyone outside"

He strode swiftly to the fallen man that lay slumped against the wall, but a quick check turned up no sign of life. Hopefully they could prevent any further casualties if they moved quickly.

The next door on their route swung open as he pushed it with one hand. Within was a woman sitting on the edge of a bed with a small child of maybe four clutching her in fear. A quick glance over the room showed no sign of the shadow stalkers within.

He was quick to usher them out of the room. Three more doors remained.

"Ti'el will take you to safety," he told the woman before gesturing for them and Ti'el to start back the way they came. "Quickly. I'll clear the rest of the hall."

Outside the Green Gryphon Tavern:

People where quick to gather together for safety in the street outside, but confusion still held strong over what they should be doing to respond to the situation. No one seemed inclined to take up Pride's question. As of yet there was no further sign of the shadow stalkers out on the street after the initial attack, but their ability to meld through shadows had everyone shuffling nervously and murmuring to one other.

Those who had personally seen the shadow stalkers where most shaken, but the fire and the strangeness of the sky over-head had everyone reeling with questions while trying to make sense of what people where claiming to have seen.

Just Outside of Town:

Guided by the glowing light in the distance, Teressa would reach town in record time. Unnatural record time that is. The horse she road upon was swift and born of great stamina, but there was nothing to explain the almost surreal speed at which she closed the distance from the farm to the town. What should have taken her ten minutes or more to reach town flew past in only a few minutes.

The journey remained as surreal and bizarre as the farm itself had been with almost no sign of life. The road, the trees, the fences, and shrubbery all seemed to exist in some spots, while in other spots they seemingly fading into nothing but the black void for entire stretches of the run.

As she reached the entrance of town it would fast become apparent that the source of the light was a fire that left plumes of smoke rising skyward from just a few streets away.
 
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Teressa reveled in the dangerous speed of her mount. Never before had she ridden a horse of such speed and power. She wondered if she could buy it off the farmer. She still had some solid coin left in her pockets, and the stallions talents were clearly not being exhausted on the small farm. Despite the effort it took her to hold on to the beast she felt a hint of sadness when it slowed down as they reached the town. Flames engulfed a building near the center, close to where the inn had been. Teressa and the horse tore forwards. People lined the streets, panicked expressions and frightened stares clearly visible on their faces. Shadows twisted in the dim twilight but didn’t manifest as far as Teressa could tell. She couldn’t help but shudder. The night air was cool and she was still wearing her nightgown. But in this situation she had more pressing concerns than to offend someone’s sense of public indecency, and so did the people around her.

She reached the square in front of the burning building. The heat hit her like a wave and took her breath for a second before it washed over her and her breathing adjusted. She tried to take in the situation and get a clear picture of what was happening. People had gathered in groups, casting nervous clances into the shadows of now deserted buildings. Quite a few of them were shouting questions and demands at a young man entering the tavern. Teressa was surprised to find that two horns protruded from his forehead. What sort of creature was he? She wondered if she should follow the strange man but decided against it. The inside of the tavern was probably crawling with shadows, and she didn’t even have her armor. The stallion snorted, clearly eager to prove himself again, but Teressa ignored it. “You!” she pointed at a man that looked like he was in his early forties. He had been one of the people shouting at the horned person. “What’s going on here?” The man just stared at her with a mixture of shock and disbelieve, almost as if he had never seen a scantily dressed, yet armed, women on a void mutated horse before. “Answer!” she demanded with as much authority as her voice could carry.
 
Ti'el rushed forward and beckoned to the woman and child. "Follow!" she told them, reaching out a hand to put on the woman's arm. A spread of fluorescent moss grew along her dress, sprouting from the vulx's hands. She did the same for the child, then for herself as they walked down the hall, keeping an eye out for any more of the volatile shadows. The moss kept them away, for the most part, and those it didn't were shredded to ribbons by Ti'el's claws. She wasn't a warrior, but she lived a harsh life in the desert against tiny beasts like this.

Swiftly, the vulx lead them out of the tavern, nearly bumping heads with a man with horns. She skidded on her pads, ears turning this way and that, catching parts of conversations in the confusion. There was another woman behind him, shouting at an older man, and another yet which had been the one who nearly bumped into Orbryn.

"There are shadows!" she began, waving her hands to get attention. "Attacking people! Shed light!"

As if she needed to tell them. There was a fire raging, casting heat onto her skin. She looked behind her, wondering if her tutor would come out soon. Worry clenched at her gut.
 
Pride watched on as a few more individuals found their way out of the tavern, he struggled to get out of the way of their rush as one collided against him. Thankfully the flames stayed clear and didn't light anything beside him, it seemed the shadows that had started here had been dealt with as a fox-like creature with glowing moss attached to her and her companions came running through the door. The sight of the moss gave him a pleasant feeling, but his eyes moved on towards the tavern once more before he let himself retire back to the main street.

A newcomer, high on horseback was asking the same man that had previously asked him what was going on here - and expectantly, he provided no answer but a look of confusion. At least Pride asked others. He glanced away from the scene knowing he wasn't getting any new information out of it just as the fox like individual started to speak. Shadows, attacking, shed light? Pride cocked his head to the side for a bit as he ran the words through his head to make sense of them. Surely light would banish shadows, and with the fire right beside them they were in a somewhat safe environment - but if they needed more light, all they would need is for the fire to spread.

Without consulting anyone Pride moved to one end of the street where a push-cart was up against a building. It carried hay, and a lot of it; probably meant to feed the horses that were kept at the tavern. It was made of a hardy wood, with metal as needed to help it move on rigid wheels and as Pride drew near he extended his hand as the flame left him, leaping at the hay in delight as a flare of heat washed over him. The hay burned easily, starting from the top as Pride moved around the cart and brought it to the congregation of people standing together. "Light." He uttered aloud, leaving it in the darker side of the street so that they were getting light cast on the group of individuals from opposing sides. While he was confident with the fire for now, he understood the extent of it's fuel; it wouldn't last forever. What were they to do with the time they had? Hunt down the shadows? Would that allow them to escape from this vast night?
 
Among the gatherers in the square, Xenia was sticking out like a sore thumb with the rune grasped in her hand. Resorting to using her staff as a walking stick, she leaned against it. All this time of trying to fade herself into obscurity, to not be in the spotlight had an opposite effect. She closed her eyes, muttering something in an unfamiliar language not known in Korvesa. Then, opening them up again to hear another over the cacophony of confused folks, “Light.” Xenia looked towards…a man with horns. It looked like pushing a cart alight, pouring another source of a safety note on the scared and confused gatherers.

She looked down at the rune in her palm, opening it fully to stick out fully. Before she was closing her hand with a tight fist, but with confidence from others around her. She felt a bit of their enthusiasm. ‘Light.’ She thought, holding her hand up with the rune shining brightly over the surrounding crowd. Xenia didn’t know how to make the thing shine brighter, but the Elf she ran into earlier likely had the idea better off than her. Her eyes darted across the faces, even more confused than ever though some with a dim-lit hope in their eye. Xenia found it ironic she was a source of light when she practices necromancy. Perhaps opposites attract. In this case, she’d rather not be the source of hope to anyone. ‘Where’s that elf?’ She pondered, feelings of being scared were all but trickling out of her system.
 
Teressa's arrival jarred many of those milling in the street out of their shock and confusion. The strength and confidence of her voice helped to give a singular point of focus.

"The shadows attacked! They killed Jeyred!" " someone shouted.

"What shadows?" someone else replied.

"The sky is gone!"

"The apothecary is on fire!"

"Where's Grimbold?!"

Voices clambered over one another shouting bits of fragmented information. The one that rung out as perhaps the most urgent though was quickly punctuated by a loud explosion from within the burning building that blew out several windows and left black smoke billowing skyward.

"We need to put out the fire before it spreads!"

"It's keeping the shadows away!"

"What about the rest of the town?!"

The sounds of coughing where rapidly beginning to fill the street though as many of those gathered began to cover their faces with their arms to ward against the smoke growing thick in the air. Soon they would be driven from the light regardless.

"She has light!"

Xenia's stone which glowed brilliantly in the night became a point of fixation for those that surrounded her.

"We need more, more light! Can you make more?" a man asked between sputtering coughs.

The pounding of hooves approached them as the earlier inquiry into Grimbold's location was met with his sudden arrival. The flames left his horse rearing and snorting wildly and it dashed off down the street the moment that the marshal swung down and dismounted.

"What in the blazes is going on?!" he bellowed.

Meanwhile Teressa's horse seemed to grow restless and uneasy beneath her as it snorted and shifted its weight. It didn't bolt as the others horses before it had, but it gave its head an agitated toss.

The horse's agitation preceded a whisper of archaic tongues on the night air. A whisper so faint as to leave one questioning if they had heard it at all. A whisper that seemed to linger just beyond discernibly, and yet it carried a heavy weight and chill that left a lingering sensation of dread in its wake. And then it was gone again.

It served to silence those in the street though as uneasy eyes exchanged fearful looks.

The silence was broken by the arrival of a woman and child stumbling out of the inn with Ti'el.

"There are shadows!" she began, waving her hands to get attention. "Attacking people! Shed light!"

The call for light was quickly taken up in unison this time.

"Light!"

Other lights began to join Xenia's as those capable where quick to offer aid. A few cantrips from those who dabbled in magic, a lantern from the tavern, a make-shift torch lit from the burning wagon.

Grimbold was quick to react to the revitalized crowd.

"Those with light, spread out and get as much coverage as you can back from the smoke! The rest of you, keep together near those with light. I need people to fight the fire over here," he barked. "We'll set up a bucket brigade. Volunteers to protect the line over here!"

The familiar voice of an authoritative figure had people jostling to move as those able bodied prepared to assist with fighting the flames.

___​


Meanwhile inside the tavern Orbryn caught movement from the corner of his eyes. The shadow stalker that had previously attacked Xenia flitted across the hall, but it kept to the shadows and well clear of him. Was it the death of two of their own that left it wary? Or was it something else that drew it away?

An unsettling whisper left icy fingers gripping at his chest as he edged his way down the hall, but the remaining rooms proved empty. And though he sought its location, he found no trace of the remaining shadow stalker.

That didn't mean it wasn't near at hand though, and it was with guarded steps that he made his way back downstairs.

___​

Outside a new figure arrived on the scene, gasping for air. "Grimbold! Eddin's in bad shape! He's back at my place, the wife is with him. He told me to find you. That half-elf that's always lurking around with the Scholar from Amarathia attacked him!" He doubled over, wheezing for air and coughing on the smoke. "Said he caught him fleeing town as if the Void itself was on his heels and tried to stop him."

Grimbold cursed under his breath. Clearly it was a night for catastrophes.

"I need volunteers to go after the halfling as well!"

Given the current state of things, the half-elf was of a lesser concern but the timing couldn't be ignored as simple coincidence either.
 
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Teressa swallowed hard. Eyes full of hope and desperation looked up to her expectantly.
She didn’t feel half as confident as she apparently seemed to others. Debris rained from the sky, as something exploded inside the burning building. Thick smoke crept towards them and the stallion stepped back a bit before Teressa even needed to encourage it to do so.

A bright light grew from within a group of people and Teressa spotted a young, black-haired women. The light radiated from something she held within her hand. Was it an artifact of sort or was it magic? People streamed towards her, seeking shelter in the light and Teressa was all but forgotten.

The attention of the crowd shifted yet again when a rider approached, apparently the Marshall of this small town. He bellowed commands with the voice of someone used to wielding authority. Teressa was glad not the be the center of the crowds attention anymore, but she couldn’t help but feel restless. A shiver ran through the horse under her and the stallion tossed its head, as if to pinpoint the location of a threat. An almost silent whisper crept through the air like a cold whiff of wind, causing Teressa to shiver but it vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. She wondered what that whisper had been. Was it the precursor of something even worse to come? The thought frightened her and for a split moment she almost regretted leaving her comfortable life in Cordelia. But as always unwanted memories bubbled up inside her. Painful scenes from her most embarrassing, most shameful moment. A grim determination filled her. She would face whatever this was head on and either succeed or die trying.

Lights sprang up around her, as those capable of magic created light sources of their own. Envy rose within Teressa. She had not been gifted with the arcane powers some people possessed. But her jealousy was quickly pushed aside by the urgency of the situation.

She ignored the requests of the Marshall. She wouldn’t carry water buckets like a peasant and she was not in the mood to chase after some halfling while in her night gown. Her gaze fixed instead on the door to the guest house. There were still noises coming from inside the building, implying not everyone had evacuated to the relative safety of the illuminated outside. Teressa felt a strong urge to go in and help, but she didn’t want to leave her mount by itself. “Better just wait for now,” she thought “something is going to happen sooner or later.”
 
Every single person outside was doing something, be it pushing a flaming cart into the middle of the town, waving a shining rune in the air, or giving orders. Momentarily overwhelmed, Ti'el fought the urge to run and hide, especially as the flames blew out the windows of the nearby building. She raised her hands up and clapped them over her large ears, pressing them firmly to her head. People were always so loud! Tonight was louder than ever!

Closing her eyes, the little vulx took in a big breath, bit her lips, and let it out slowly. There were things they needed to do. They had priorities. The man spoke of a halfling who was running, possibly the culprit. That would be the place to start, decided Ti'el.

Taking another deep breath, she swallowed down her anxiousness deep into her belly, clenched her little fists, and ran up to Grimbold. She raised her voice for all to hear:

"I volunteer!" Her eyes were filled with a frightening determination, dark brows pinched and lids wide. "But I do not use a weapon and I am small. I can help fighters! I can heal and defend. I can do lots of things! But I need others!" She lashed around, looking at the assorted peoples around them. "Any of you! If you could join me. Orbryn!" She reached out to her mentor, who just exited the inn. "We must help them! What if this happens again?"
 
The world around Pride was chaos. The warmth of the cart beside him a small comfort as voices raised and people moved about, the look of terror filling their features as his eyes surveyed the scene. A few were less frightened, a woman in rather light clothing atop a horse seemed rather collected, the dark-haired woman with a glowing stone seemed a bit more prepared for this than others but having the others crowd around her probably wasn't of much help. One individual stood out as a fox-like creature kept it's, her? Hands pressed against their ears to drone out the noise. Pride watched on with a keen interest, listening as one of the leaders explained the circumstance of a man being attacked only for the assailant to turn tail and flee.

A quick glance towards the darker side of the streets where shadows still swept with uncertain danger, he wondered just how far someone would plan to get running into the darkness - that is of course, if they didn't have a light source of their own. It'd be a downside to escaping pursuit, but it'd protect from the shadows to a degree.. And if they were affiliated, maybe they ran out there because it wasn't the shadows that they feared. There was no shortage of help that these humans needed, and as they all gathered their light and asked for assistance in either putting out the flames or pursuing the halfling.

It was the fox that spoke up first to this, declaring her eagerness to volunteer. The decisiveness in her voice drew his attention, Pride's eyes watching her expression change as she spoke about how she could help those who chose to fight. She then turned towards another man who had more recently left the tavern, and the longer Pride glanced over the man the more his body gave off an uneasy feeling. Something just didn't feel right. Pride allowed his gaze to linger there as he pondered his options, but as the noise grew louder and the human's fear began to swell a part of him knew that staying around this area would prove unpleasant for him. Pride neared the building which continued to burn, leaving his cart full of burning hay to be attended by another who had managed to create a makeshift torch from the wagon - and with a wave of his hand the fire near the base of the home, most likely to lick out at those trying to fight it swayed and coiled before reaching out to him. Much like before, Pride wrapped the flame around his arms and along his shoulder; a few inches between him and the fire as the immense heat and warmth filled his body. With preparations made, he approached the man asking for help. "Where did the half-elf go?" Pride asked curiously, glancing between the man that brought the news and Grimbold.
 
The crowd clamored around her, Xenia coughed against the smoke inhalation. Still, her hand remained in the air. She looked over to a man riding on the back of a horse, shouting just above the other voices around her. The Necromancer wish she could provide an answer, but even she, was unsure of what happened or to make of this. She awoke to being attacked by shadows, she presumed, were from the Void. She remained quiet to the man’s question. However, it wouldn’t go answered by another’s voice, Xenia looked over to see a woman of another species unknown by her. Waving and shouting shed light. Soon, other lights joined with Xenia’s.

She couldn’t help but feel her confidence surge. Xenia tucked away into her hood, letting it obscure her features from the light. Though she figured others already had a good look at her face. The Marshall giving commands to those able. Xenia remained in her steadfast, keeping the rune in the air while those without magic ability pressed against her. She stayed like that for a while until a new figured arrived, shouting a name she recognized. Her head shifted in their direction, ‘Eddin? Where’s Nathaire?’ She pondered for a moment before her thoughts interrupted by new orders to capture the halfling.

Xenia decided quietly to remain in her spot, providing light with the rune was all she was best for. Despite her other knowing abilities to create weapons, armor, and use a magic still feared. She wasn’t sure if she could even use Necromancy. All those years of reading about spells were likely for nothing. ‘What good am I but a chopped limb?’ She thought, ‘Best to remain here.
 
Orbryn couldn't help but grimace at Ti'el's ziel in putting the two of them forward as volunteers. He had been quick to aid those in active need, but the deeper they involved themselves in the situation the more trouble it was liable to bring upon the pair.

Unfortunately his compassion had already gotten the better of him when he had agreed upon their journey far from the isolation of the Shadowmere Marsh to allow Ti'el to experience civilization first-hand.

He supposed it was her journey though, even if it wasn't one that he personally cared to take again. Her gestures and words where met with a silent nod as he stood in the doorway of the tavern, but it was confirmation enough that he would accompany her.

Meanwhile the gasping townsman was quick to point westward. "He took the west road," he wheezed in response to Pride.

___​


While the Marshal was quick to organize the gathered townspeople into action, one problem it would seem was immediately followed by another, and another. The latest in the string of troubles came in the form of three riders, guardsmen from the look of them.

"Sir, we've rallied the militia volunteers but we lost three men just trying to enter the armory," one of them reported.

"We don't know what's in there yet, but we can't retake it without weapons," another added.

Grimbold let out a low curse under his breath. "Will this cursed night never end?!"
 
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