Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots loaded, Armor at 24/30 TP

Jenny gave a thoughtful hum in response to Irine's explanation, and then for the next few moments would merely sit and page through the small handwritten book in her hands in silence. After a few more moments she would close it and look back at the harpy in order to say; "What will you do in the meantime?"

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

(Blame this one on me. Fuck up of the highest capacity.)

Stretching her arms and taking a moment to rub her wounded wing, Irine would think for a moment as to what she could do. She could speak to the village elder and maybe learn a little more about this curse or that strange event she saw last night, or she could head back to the guard captain and see if there was anything she could do around town following the attack. Deep down though, she knew she had to at least check on children first before anything else. Given what she saw yesterday, she wanted to be sure they were still safe and sound. "Miss Jenna, do you think I'm OK to go outside now? And would you be able to tell me where the kids are? I'd like to...check on them."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots loaded, Armor at 24/30 TP

"You are free to do as you like, I've done what I can for your wings for the moment. As for the children... There are no lessons today," Jenny replied somewhat stiffly, "so they're all at home... Probably some of them are getting ready for the funeral. I don't know. To be honest... I doubt they'd care to talk to you, with you being an... Outsider. I know most of their parents wouldn't want you anywhere near them, especially after last night."

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Well, at least she was free to do that much. But given the way basically everyone in town distrusted her, the priestess doubted that going out on her own would be a wise decision. Last time she had a helpful guide and he no doubt kept the would be harassers at bay and even won her some support from the young folk of the village with how strange and exotic she was. But hearing that many of them now would be stuck in their homes or preparing for a funeral service was a tad disheartening. Ones so young should not have to see death so closely. This also brought a certain light to the harpies eye, a call to duty of sorts. But again, the ever looming threat of fear and hatred hung over this town and despite her efforts the night before. And if what Jenna said was correct, she was potentially being blamed for what happened to the boy last night. Had they been there, they would have understood what little she could have actually done.

"I know it may sound crazy, Miss Jenna, but I think I should attend the service. It's the least I could do and at the very least show these families I only wish to help. I...I'm tired of people looking at me with hatred or fear, when all I wish to do is help people! Could you show me where it will be held?"

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots loaded, Armor at 24/30 TP

Jenna would shrug, "no one will stop you from doing that, at least. Or, I hope they won't... It wasn't like it was your fault, you got there as fast as anyone else would have, and no one else could do anything to stop that bear either. They'll probably hold the funerals for both of them in the cemetery, but they might have a wake for the boy first. We haven't been able to get into the forest to cut wood for a coffin, but he most likely won't be visible. We've wrapped the last few people that died...."

The healer trailed off, her voice having shriveled more and more as she went, but after a moment of staring at the floor she would pull her gaze back up and finish; "It's down the street, you'll be able to find it. I can give you their addresses, I know who died... But I won't show you." If Irine asked, she would be given the addresses of both the boy who'd been killed by the cougar, and the man who'd been killed by a bear at the wall, and then let Irine go and do as she liked.

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Irine simply nodded her head as the healer began explaining the situation with the coming service. Lack of proper burial arangements and the like. At the very least they might be holding a wake of some kind for the two. A tiny part of her still wishes she could have at least saved one of them, but wishing would amount to nothing right now. All she could do was offer a prayer to the departed and hope that she could solve this problem sooner rather than later."If you could tell me, that would be helpful. Offer my condolences in my own way." Once she knew where she was going, the winged priestess would leave the healers company for the moment and make her way, ready to face whatever the town had to offer. She'd be braving their stares and glares alone today, so she had to stay strong.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots loaded, Armor at 24/30 TP

Irine would be given the addresses, both of the soldier who had been mauled by the bear and of the young child who had been killed by the mountain lion. There weren't many people in the streets, and this time no children were out playing, but she could go to the wake of the young boy and only receive a handful of glares. It was at a different house than the one where he'd been killed, the woman who had been there as well and the father, who had been guarding another section of the wall, had apparently wanted it done elsewhere. The tiny body, which she had seen badly mangled the previous night, was left under a shroud on a table while a small group of people milled around looking lost and disheartened. No one would so much as speak to Irine, at least not unless she approached someone, though whom she would talk to other than possibly the parents would be a random choice since she had never met any of these people before. Likewise, no one would stop her from saying a few words, in prayer or otherwise, if she so wished, though it was clear from the looks directed at her bandaged wings that many of them didn't want her there.

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

(Sorry again. June and July were not the easiest months for me. So I'll get back onto a regular schedule asap.)

Out of obligation, Irine decided to attend the childs wake first, arriving at the new house in relative silence. The service itself seemed fairly typical: somber, reserved and beyond depressing. The death of anyone in this cruel world was a sad affair. But the death of a child was just plain tragic, especially when it could have been prevented by the right measures. But on top of all of this, the addition of resentment only added a greater deal of pressure to the situation. She would have to plan her next few moves very carefully. If she did anything out of turn here, she'd be lynched on the spot. No one even said a word to her as she made her way to the body, her head simply bowed in respect for the departed. Finding a clear enough spot on the floor, Irine would fall to her knees reciting a memorized blessing for the departed, asking certain gods various forms of protection for the departed, including her own patron deity in the final line "And may Mother Notos grant his spirit wings and a fair wind to carry him to the beyond, where he may know true joy and happiness."

Following her closing, she again plucked a feather from her body and placed it before the deceased, another tribute to her patron in the hopes that she would hear the priestesses blessing. Standing, she'd make her way to the boys parents, taking a deep breath and preparing for whatever they had to say following her condolences "You have my most heartfelt condolences. I am truly sorry that I couldn't have done more to protect him. The failure was mine." She knew it was very little, but it would put her mind at rest if she at least offered this much to the family. And whatever they had in response. She wasn't going to stay much longer, feeling that people might not want her there much longer. She didn't want to overstay her welcome.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots loaded, Armor at 24/30 TP

Irine's choice of prayers was, thankfully, not a poor one. A blessing of Notos was often a relatively inoffensive thing, at least unless one was among followers of the Star God, and she had had the wisdom to avoid calling upon Sivicine in the village being plagued by beasts. The significance of her tribute might be lost on the wingless human, but to the harpy priestess it no doubt meant a great deal more, and even if they reflexively disliked her for her aberrant appearance they could at least understand the significance of the gesture. Irine received no nasty looks as she stepped away from the body, and to the parents, one of whom she had fought beside on the wall and the other the woman she had seen in the room with the murdered child, could only nod somberly to her condolences, too emotionally exhausted to offer more.

When she departed, it would be in peace, and she would be free to do as she wished with the rest of her day. There had been no word from the village's guard captain, Samuel the cripple's father, but she could try and see him if she liked. Tracking down the strange woman that she had been told of in the town, a rumor mentioned a handful of times by that point, was also an option. She could go to the soldier's wake, which wouldn't be all that much different from that of the child even if it was a bit smaller. Alternatively, she could take another turn on the wall, albeit unofficially, or visit the altars of the gods again, or figure out something else that she wanted to do.

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

With that tragic part of her morning finally out of the way, Irine was finally free to move on with her day and seek out something else to occupy her time during this somber period. Funerals and funerary rites were the least liked part of her profession, her adoptive father normally handling the great emotional burden of the ceremonies while she only assisted or offered responses if the rites called for them. Even if she never met the person they were having the rites for, she still felt a great sadness deep inside her and would do her best not to get weepy. Doing her best to push those sad memories of the past aside, she focused on the present and it's rather bleak outlook, Irine would consider her next option. She could speak to Samuel's father about the situation and see if there was anything pressing she could take care of. The strange woman was also still floating about and finding her might prove to be an interesting distractions, especially if she knew anything about the surrounding area. Of course, there was another wake in town to attend but a part of her told her to keep her distance, lest she break down emotionally. She needed to stay strong in the face of all this and couldn't submit to fear and despair. The wall and the alters were options, but she could see those later.

Deep in thought, Irine determined she'd make a couple stops this morning. First to the guard captains office, then see if she can find the strange woman or at least get some more information on her, and finally a stop off at her mothers shrine again to see if she could try speaking to her again. At the very least get some sort of reaction out of her. It was a faint hope, but one she maintained as a beacon in this sea of bleakness. With that plan in her head, she made her way to the guard post first and would see if the captain was in.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots loaded, Armor at 24/30 TP

Going to Sir Ekthelian's office proved fruitless, as Peter would tell Irine that the man had gone to the wake of the soldier had been killed and intended to make a walk of the walls to assess what could be done to prevent future incidents after. From there she could either go and hunt him down, or could start her search for the strange woman, or could skip straight to the small shrine of Notos.

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Her search would turn up fruitless as Peter informed her that Sir Ekthelian was at the services for the fallen guardsman then planned on taking an inspection of the wall in order to judge if they could hold back another siege. Something like that must have been daily routine for such a man given his situation. Saying goodbye to Peter, she'd head back outside and move on to the next part of her day: finding the strange woman she had been hearing about since she got to town. Most likely place someone like her would be is the inn. She had a feeling this stranger wasn't as unfortunate as Irine during her arrival and was simply trapped in town like and not held back by injury. Giving her wings a good stretch, she'd set off, getting directions if finding the place proved too difficult. She'd get something done today, one way or the other.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots loaded, Armor at 24/30 TP

Abandoning her search for the commander for now, Irine went to the inn in search of the strange woman that she'd heard so much about. She found her sitting right inside, at a table in the corner of the room. Even seated it was clear that she was an outsider, being a bit shorter than was average for the town and dressed differently from the usual occupants in a set of brown and green traveler's garb that was too fine and well tailored to be locally maid. Her hair was a pleasant dark brown that was lustrous even in the dim light of the inn, and a pair of pale blue eyes looked looked through a set of spectacles and into a book. The only other people in the room were a squad of three soldiers, two men and a woman who all looked haggard, and the innkeeper who was speaking to them in low voices. Everyone looked up at Irine as she walked in, but other than the innkeeper everyone promptly looked away again, the man who tended the bar gazing at Irine simply to see whether or not she wanted anything.

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Finally finding the ever elusive woman, Irine would flash a small grin in satisfaction for a moment before returning to a more neutral expression. Maybe she would know something about all this or Irine could enlist her help in some way. She was sitting in the corner of the inn and was a dead giveaway:clothing that looked clearly foreign to these lands, lovely and lustrous brown hair and a rather beautiful pair of eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. Much like the harpy, she was not native to these lands and stood out amongst the haggard looking soldiers and inn keeper, who were talking in a very low voice. Irine's arrival did not go unnoticed as the 4 looked up from their conversation, with all but the innkeeper looking away after a moment. The innkeeper seemed curious if Irine wanted anything to which she simply shook her head. She had business she wanted to take care of first with the stranger. She'd walk over to the woman's table and took a seat in one of the empty chairs. "I've had some trouble trying to find you, miss. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you if that's all right with you. Have you been trapped in town due to the recent events? And what brings you to this part of the world?"

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots loaded, Armor at 24/30 TP

When it was clear that Irine required no service, the innkeeper would return to the conversation in which he was a mostly passive participant. The stranger, in the meantime, looked up from her book as Irine approached and sat down beside her, giving her bandaged wings a brief glance over before focusing on the harpy priestess's face. "I didn't know that I was being looked for," she replied amusedly, her voice high and possessing a slightly girly tone, "I wasn't making any effort to hide myself, I assure you. I am stuck here, yes, but it gives me an opportunity to study the.... Curse... Afflicting this village. I'm a scholar, you see. You aren't exactly a local yourself, why are you here?"

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

"Well, I was the only one looking really. Someone mentioned you were around and I felt it would be a good idea to find you. It helps to have as many allies as possible in times like this." folding up her hands the harpy would then take deep breath before continuing. "I too have been rather curious about the nature of this curse and I was looking for someone to speak to concerning the situation. But before we continue, I feel I should introduce myself. My name is Irine Courland and I'm a priestess by trade. I came to this town seeking supplies and a place to rest before continuing my mission but I was ambushed by one of the animals that had been attacking this town and he did significant damage to my wings. I've more or less been grounded But I digress. Have you learned anything about this curse since you've been in town? I was hoping I could assist the village in ridding themselves of this curse but I lack information outside of the story they told me when I arrived. Any help you can give me would be most valuable."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots loaded, Armor at 24/30 TP

"Uhhh... Indeed," the woman dryly remarked when Irine spoke of having as many allies as possible. "I'm Emily Dunwall," she replied after the priestess introduced herself, and once Irine had asked her more pertinent question Emily answered in a lowered voice; "Well, I know that the beasts attack everyone who even comes near the town. I know they are tireless and filled with rage even though none of them are apparently corrupted. I know the people here brought it on themselves by way of their ignorant superstitions when they murdered a woman they called a witch and her child, burning them at the stake and causing one or the other to return as a daemon and curse the town. I know the beasts go for children specifically and that their souls are ripped off to an unknown occasion for reasons at which I can only guess. I know that ti's getting progressively worse, that the people of this village are being picked off one at a time and are going to run out of food and ammunition eventually, and that when they do run out of bullets this place will be overrun." She leaned back, glancing at the group who had ignored them in favor of their own conversation, likely lucky for her given her phrasing, and when satisfied that they hadn't overheard she turned her attention back to Irine and awaited the harpy priestess's response.

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

So she knew about as much as she did in this whole situation: Rabid beasts, tireless in their rage and the result of a potentially misguided witch hunt that led to them being cursed by said witch. What was new to her though was the extra piece of information she couldn't recall hearing from when she was told the story. In addition to the supposed witch, apparently the woman's child was also the target of execution and this no doubt added a great deal of rage to the witches curse. That would also explain why the animals were particularly vicious when attacking the children and it would explain just what she saw last night. Someone or something was causing the souls to get ripped away and sent to heaven knows where.

Feeling she needed to remain discreet, she too spoke in a hushed tone. Last thing she needed was to cause a panic or get more glares of hatred."Well, that certainly adds a new light to the situation. I'll be honest, the addition of the child makes this a very different situation. I planned on making my way into the forest and seeing if I could find anything that could perhaps do away with the curse. Maybe quell the anger of the spirits. I know this may be a bit forward of me, but would you be willing to assist me? They don't seem to attack during the day and it would give us plenty of time to go out into the woods and explore before nightfall and more hands means faster work. If this place goes down, there's a chance we go down with it."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots loaded, Armor at 24/30 TP

"If someone could actually manage that.... But the creatures would never permit it," Emily replied softly, frowning. "They do attack during the day, they've just learned to stay away from the walls. Out in the woods, we'd be torn to shreds," she continued, "if we went by ourselves at least. I'm willing to help, if only to be able to get out of here and study what is actually causing this, but... Well, I don't see how we could pull it off."