Summoned!

[Pervy]

"Owww.. you little.. evill.. grr.." She looked around.. she could retreat.. but no! She could do that! And no napping yet, either! She twirled her blade and cut apart the second shadow-creature, growling: "Crescent moon!"
Before eying the others.. still 4 remaining.. oh well! She thrust her blade forwards with determination, impaling the next shadow, pouring her light into it as well. "Lunar Resonance!"
(Crit on the already damaged one, for a minimum damage of 14 should be enough to just down it outright.
15 slashing and 12 Radiant on shadowthing no.3!)

These things were tougher than anticipated, and dangerous.. more than one would definitly be troublesome for the ordinary lumberjack or hunter. Just what was with this forest?

 

[Aenon]

Two more of the creatures were destroyed by Cyra's blade...however the remaining three counter attacked with all they had, with two of them striking her true, despite her best efforts to dodge them.

The coldness felt even more pronounced...and she felt her vision blurring. Wait, was it cold because of the snow? No, it wasn't the snow...it was her sister's hair and her cold gaze...did she know how much Cyra enjoyed the 'training' she had to go though? Cyra couldn't help but feel shame on that thought. She wasn't supposed to like the shameful training...what kind of pervert was she?

No, wait...she was still fighting the little creatures...she had to keep a firm grasp on reality...or otherwise....!

[13 necrotic damage, and 8 more wisdom dmg!]

 

[Pervy]

HP: 39/74 Wisdom 1/13, Spells: Grade 1: 0/4, Grade 2: 2/3 AC: 16

These shadowy ghostly hands were hard to defend from.. all she could do was try and dodge, and that didn't work all that well either.... Cyra's teeth shattered a little.. she didn't remember it being this cold here.. damned undead.. wait, snow?
What.. what was going on? Her sister.. what.. training.. she shook her head, and readied her blade.. she could handle these things!

She stumbled a little, allowing one of the shadows, for the first time, to dodge her strike.. at least the next she impaled, and, with another searing of divine energy, disperse it into nothingness. (18 to hit, 9 slashing, 10 smitin!)

But she wasn't in a good situation.. she could tell.. if it had been only five of the creatures.. alright. but.. this seemed her limit.. she focused and.. "Lunar step!"
Disappeared, in a flash of moonlight, stumbling past a tree.. right... now she just had to find her way back, before the creatures caught up to her..

Yeah.. that was the right direction.. she figured..

Wait.. a minute.. these trees looked familiar..

(Cyra uses her misty step to disengage, but flees in kinda the wrong direction.. and runs back into the two remaining shadow creatures, nues! New initiative to see who goes first after her failed escape? -13)

 

[Aenon]

Cyra vanished, easily escaping the shadow creatures! Yey!

Now she had to run back to the city! After the tree she had to go through the valley...no wait there was no valley, she would remember that.

Of course those trees looked familiar. They were like, all made of wood, and with leaves and a bit fuzzy...well they also had two shadows under them...yes, how can one tell one tree apart from the other? All trees look suspiciously the same!

Wait! Those were the two shadows again! Or two other shadows? How one could tell? After all they all looked the same....!

 

[Pervy]

HP: 39/74 Wisdom 1/13, Spells: Grade 1: 0/4, Grade 2: 2/3 AC: 16

"Like oh my god, these trees are sooo unimaginative.." She complained, before noticing the shadows, and pondering for a while. She stepped forward, and smacked the first mean shadow, because it was cold and not fun.. but it kept moving, so she smacked it again, hah!
(28 damage to the first shadow, all slashing!)

Then, she flipped the second shadow off. "Yeah, that's what you get messing with Cyra. You want some too?!?"

 

[Aenon]

Apparently, it did. The second shadow rushed to attack her uncaring about it's possible death...however, it's claw was easily dodged, leaving an opening for Cyra to counter-attack and defeat it!

~~~

 

[Pervy]

HP: 39/74 Wisdom 1/13, Spells: Grade 1: 0/4, Grade 2: 2/3 AC: 16

Cyra chuckled.. stupid evil things, trying to get at her.. She was a paladin of the Court of Stars... although her first strike only scratched the things shadow-stuff, the other bit into the creature and, expanding some more spellpower, moonlight melted away the evil creature into nothing.

It was a small victory, likely, this forest held more shadows and evil creatures.. and until she dealt with the source of it, she could hunt dozens of the evil things futily.. but it was a start, a victory for the light, nonetheless.

She smiled, and then continued her way back to the village to rest from the damage her body.. and mind.. had recieved from fighting such wicked things.. the direction to the village was.. that way, yes.
(-2 survival check total!)

 

[Aenon]

Cyra curiously navigated through the forest, trying to find her way out.

'I think you should go left here.' the sword would chime in. 'No, that's not left. I mean the other direction. No, I meant left from the direction you were heading before...'

However it was just so confusing. After all, there were two lefts, how was one supposed to know which left to take! And that without mentioning that left on the back!

'At least we get to see what's in this forest.' the eye sighed, before giving up.

Luckily, no more shadows attacked Cyra. Unluckily, the sun was going down...


And right then, probably by sheer luck, noticed an old wooden cabin lying hidden between the trees! There was even light coming from the inside the windows...

 

[Pervy]

HP: 39/74 Wisdom 1/13, Spells: Grade 1: 0/4, Grade 2: 2/3 AC: 16

"Huh, a cabin in the woods. thats.."
(14 wis hah!)
"A bit suspicious, actually.. but I really need to clear my head and it's getting dark.. I don't want to fight shadows when I can barely see them, even with my ... suprisingly good eyes, thanks Love..."
She decided, approaching the forest-shack, and knocking on the door.

"Helloo! So I'm a bit lost, mind if I come in, shelter for the night, maybe ask a few questions and.. sleep?"
She did feel really weary...

 

[Aenon]

No one replied.

It seemed as if there was nobody inside, after all? Maybe she should turn back?

However, suddenly, the door burst open, and Cyra found a giant crossbow pointing at her face!

"Don't move! Or do....if you wanna get two new holes..." the woman that was holding the crossbow threatened.

"Now. I'm gonna take a step back. I'm not invitin' you inside. But. If you manage to get in without an invitation, that'll prove you ain't no sucker in disguise. Got it?" she continued, taking a few steps back to make space for Cyra to move inside.

 

[Pervy]

HP: 64/74 Wisdom 1/13, Spells: Grade 1: 0/4, Grade 2: 2/3 AC: 16 -lay of hands used up mostly!

"I'm fine with the holes I already have...
I mean.."
She shrugged, and stepped in.

"Ta-da!"
She nodded, putting a hand on her chest, demonstratively, healing energy flooding her body! "Oh look, I can heal myself from whatever the uh... meanie shadows did to me, I'm propably some sort of awesome holy cleric you should help out.. also huh.. invitation... sucker.. there's vampires around here? Great. I thought the shadows were the biggest uh... what was the word.. problem, yeah.. Werebats, vampires.. shadows... this whole place is a mess.."
She sighed, looking around in the hunters hut, .. trying to find a comfy place other than the womans own likely solitary bed.

"Beat up a bunch of shadowy beasts but feel really woozy, mind if I rest it off? I'll be gone in the morning if you don't try anything funny..."

She nodded.

 

[Aenon]

"Hmm. Holy healing?" she asked without lowering her crossbow "Or just magic healing? I thought the priests were dead as doornails by now, aren't they?"

"I swear, if ya be an other trick I'm so gonna end ya." she vowed "But I guess you did get in...and the heal thing did look real, hm."

"Well. You look ok, 'guess." she concluded, lowering her crossbow "I can't wait for you to try and backstab me. Hm."

"Werebats I know not of. Every other shit we got it, tho. So, what you be doin' here then? Sit." she offered, pointing at a wooden chair next to a table half filled with weird gear Cyra couldn't really pay attention to right now.

"Since you got here, I'm gonna feed ya some soup, and you can sleep till the morning. We shall see if you burst to flames then!" she mused.

If she followed along, Cyra would soon be served a bowl of hot garlic soup!

 

[Pervy]

HP: 64/74 Wisdom 1/13, Spells: Grade 1: 0/4, Grade 2: 2/3 AC: 16 -lay of hands used up mostly!

"Do I look like the average priest though?"
She grinned to the brash huntress, taking a closer look. Rugged, but not too nasty looking, good. Just how she'd expect folks out here to be. "Actually well met, I got questions about this place but..."
She yawned, staring at the soup half asleep...

"Bit too much garlic... just kidding, is that only garlic? You take vampires really serious, eh? I'd.. really.. really like to make a joke right now. But you might shoot me and if you do that a lot it might start to kill me, so can I just sleep?"
She stretched, still feeling woozy.

"Anyway, I came here to kick Garus ass, so he and his knights are some vampires eh? Great, and I don't have my holy symbol. Wait, no, his knights could go in the temple... so I guess they are necro-constructs after all.. hrmnn. Know any fairies or angels about that can help me rebuild my holy symbol?... goddamn shadows, I really feel woozy.."
She mumbled, scrambling for the nearest comfy looking place and yawning again.

"Names Cyra by the way, sorry, am more talkative normally, but a half dozen or so of the shadow-things made me really fuzzy-headed.."
She complained.

 

[Aenon]

"Dunno, the average priest is dead. I got questions too, hmm." she countered.

"No, it has potatoes and other things too. And no, I much prefer stabbing from so close. Does the job faster." she explained.

"Good, you came in the least place Garus is probably gonna show his ass. Pff...just go to bed then. And you can call me Jack." she said keeping staring at Cyra.

~~~

The next morning Cyra woke up just in time to witness yet an other staring contest between the sword eye and the hunter. Who knows how long this has been going on, or how many rounds there have been?

'First time I see someone blinking one eye at a time. Besides me, I guess.' the sword complained.

"Hmm....you woke up. Guess you ain't no creature of darkness, after all. So...what's the fucking deal with you, then?" she asked, taking her eyes away from the sword.

It also seemed, that someone had covered Cyra with a blanket, while she was sleeping.

 

[Pervy]

Cyra had mumbled something. She thought. Perhaps she was asleep before she could do the mumbling. She awakened to her host trying to win a staring contest with her sword, which was more than a little impressive. "There's also Aboleth I figure... oh right, good morning!"
She smiled
"Me? Well, I like the beach, toppling tyrants and pretzels. So what's for breakfast?"
She was still rather chipper, despite the earlier threatening. Getting up, putting the blanket aside with a cheerful smile.

"Oh crap, I missed the nice were-bats message.. eh will still be there today propably...
Anyway!"
She folded her hands and pondered.

"Pretty sure I -am- a creature of darkness, actually. You are very cautious, which means you have reason to be. Problem with the local lord? Don't tell me, it was taxes, taxes are a pain...
Joking aside, I actually wandered to check out the forest. The villagers.. townagers? It's a town but really small.. I was told that the forest changed before the castle arrived. I want to find out what made this land the way it is, the source.. before I risk confronting Garus. You seem to..."

She looked around, diplomatically adding: "Know the forest. I'd ask you to tell me more, but you wont trust me I figure.
I honestly don't know if the evil started within the forest, or the mines, if the world changed first and Garus just came, or if he prepared it before revealing himself. I know he needs an ass-kicking, but not how. So I need to learn the abilities of a man I've never met.. and a way to stop them, where all others have failed.
And yet I know I can do it."
She nodded, her expression turning serious.

"Usually, when I joke I'm scared. Often of things around me, like being murdered by shadows, or ending like one of these soulless folks. But aside that, it's usually of myself."
She picked up her sword, her hand circling over the pommel thoughtfully, before sheating it back up. "For the first fifteen years or so of my life I was raised to by someone propably a lot like Garus to be a worthy heir. If you want, think of me as his vengeful daughter. I believe I can defeat Garus because he wouldn't be the first Tyrant I had to deal with."

"I don't really like telling people much about me. It usually invites a bunch of questions. Like.. yes, there was black magic involved that's what changed my haircolor, no I didn't ask why, I saw it as sure sign of superiorty at first and was too busy with other things later.
No, my upbringing was strict but fine to a point, dad loved reading stories when he wasn't ruling with an iron fist. I had a great education too.. one of my teachers was a flying tome. No, I didn't have my own slaves, I had servants like any noble not down on their luck. Yes, I did actually participate in evil rituals to enhance my abilities. I don't think they did much, more superstition than anything...
Anyway, your turn."
(16 persuasion, rawr!)

 

[Aenon]

"....Garlic soup." she offered.

"His secrets I can give away even if I don't trust you." she nodded, fiddling with her dagger.

"Quite the story I imagine. You aren't from around here then...that's a first. Then again, its the first anyone finds my hut too."

"But make no mistake, white hair or otherwise, noble daughter or not, you can easily die...or worse. At least if you go like...that." she said, pointing towards Cyra and her attire with the dagger.

"What's there to know from me. Dad was a hunter, so am I. We just had to hunt...different things. Say, have you ever eaten a human or sacrifised someone in those rituals or things like that?" she eyed Cyra suspiciously.

"Like I was saying, you are almost naked. Where are you going like that. And very ill equiped. You seem unaware of what's going on, aren't you."

"Well, no one knows the details, like why or hows. But Garus is a vampire, of some sorts. He and his...brides however not only can suck blood, but they can suck some...soul-mental-whatever thing out of you."

"Also, he uses illusions, mind controls, and unholy magics. Now, you gonna ask, what's with the forest? I'll be damned if I knew." she shrugged "There are shadow creatures all around. Now, how to beat them is the next question."

"The silver mines." she concluded to something that didn't really make sense.

"Garus takes silver and sunstones from there. Sunstones and silver is what you need to beat both those creatures of the forest, and keep the vampires away. Don't ask me why he does with that or what the fuck is the sunstone, I just call it like that. He has the miners take it and bring it to his castle."

"Right. You gonna ask something silly like why I don't tell others at the city." she guessed "Have you seen those empty-eyed folks?"

"Whatever they see, Garus also sees. Or can see. Not sure if he can peek everyone at all times." she shrugged, 'shaving' her palm with the daggers edge.

"Thing is, he can also control them if he wishes to. So...if you go to the city you are gonna find only trouble. That been said, if you don't stir shit up he won't go after you too hard." she explained.

"There were rumors the church had a weapon that could go against him...but forget 'bout that, we need at least to steal a shipment from the mine if you plan to survive here." she explained, pulling out a bad from under the table and giving it to Cyra "Those will have to do for now...the water has some sunstone leftovers in it. Think of it as poison for your weapon that only works on the creatures of darkness."

(Inside the bag there is a silver dagger, a hammer, 5 wooden stakes, a flask of a sparkling water (2 doses), two torches, a tinderbox and 50ft of rope.)

 

[Pervy]

"I used my special hut finding technique. Believe it or not, this is the second time I used it, but this time I wasn't drunk!"
She enthused.
"No eating humans. No direct sacrifices either. People have been sacrificed in my name, not proud of it, but then you could say the same for every general."
She shrugged, avoiding to comment on her level of equipedness.

"Vampires that suck soulstuff.. that would explain the 'sickness' going around. Also the garlic soup. Also good to know, need to make some stakes.."
She noted.

"Hrmnnn. I mean shadows naturally gather were things are.. problematic, but you have a serious infestation. I wonder if it is linked to Garus and if removing one would help weaken the other.

Illusions hrmn? Good to know. I am decently resistant to evil magic. Oh, perhaps I can ally with the werebats, they are known to dislike vampires if I remember right, something about territory.."
She mused. This Garus sounded like bad news..

"Ah.. interesting, very tactical man..... Garus can spy through the soulless ones? That's bad.. he might not have seen me yet, but best to operate under the assumption he did.. good to know, thanks."
She nodded, sorting through the goodies bag the hunter had given her.

"Hrmn.. fighting people that are controlled isn't really my taste.. I was really hoping to start some trouble.. I am.. not bad at subtlety, but no good either.. guess I should start with the mines. Perhaps occupy him, do a little misdirection..."
She nodded.

"Oh, do you happen to know something about the knights or did you stay away from them? Anyway, thanks for your help."
She pondered. She could propably deal with everything but a stronger vampire in direct combat, if it wasn't too many people.
"So, let's say I want to steal a shipment from the mine, I'd need a smith to refine the stuff, unless I plan to just drop it on him... actually.. hmnn.. yeah, that'll do fine for a start, it'll propably only take out a knight or bride but it's a starter and if it goes south I can just go back to stealing the silver. Alright, thanks!"
She enthused, before adding..

"Way back to town from your hut was...?"

Either way, Cyra would say her goodbyes and return to the town, briefly visiting the fisherman to check for any messages from the friendly werebat before looking for the woodcutters.. perhaps she'd catch one early. Failing that, she needed to find someone that knew the schedule of the miners.. She didn't want to trap any of them along if she could help it.
(17 on gather info for the minin' schedule, hah.. if you dun mind me rushing ahead! *hides from random forest encounters!*)

 

[Aenon]

"Yep, I've a small farm, and shadow creatures aren't edible...I think. So soup it is. Sometimes I manage to catch a rat and roast it too, for some reason rat's are of the frew beasties still around..." she mused.

"Mines are over there, at the foot of the mountain. But you wouldn't need a smith, at least not for the sunstone. You can grind it down and mix it with water to make a paste to coat things up...or if you find a big enough piece use it to throw light on the shadows. For the silver you would need a blacksmith, I guess. One daring enough to go against Garus." she said, pointing towards a direction.

"City's over there. If you go a bit south however, you'll find traces of the old road, that would help you not get lost." she said, pointing first towards a different direction, and then a bit to the left.

"But if you go for the mines, you probably will need my help. I am fine with that, but I get to keep half of what we find in that case." she nodded. "Also, if you go back in the city, see if you can get some crosbsow bolts for me. I always need more..." she sighed.

[Survival roll to return/go to the mines, DC depending on where you go!]

 

[Pervy]

Cyra nodded, remembering: "Some bolts and maybe ask your help with the mines, got it.. once I find money for the bolts anyway.. didn't find any on the shadows, hrmnn.. oh also, find sunstones, the bigger the chunk the better hrmn? Well, talk to you again, soonish!"
Cyra nodded, confidently. Well more confident than she felt. She knew -what- to do, yes, but lacked a lot of details on the 'how'. The biggest problem was the controlled, but still innocent citizen that could be used against her. A mine without workers would be a much easier problem to solve..

(heading south to the old main road, then back to the city.. survival: 14!)

 

[Aenon]

It seemed that the forest was safer during the day, since Cyra managed to avoid encountering more of the horrors that lived (?) in the shadows on her way back...

However, that was just the start of what would probably prove to be a long day. To begin with, there was indeed a note, not given to the fisherman but left outside of the window of her bedroom.

"Hello Cyra!

Where are you tonight, I wonder? Do you still want to meet me?
If want to listen my story, you should meet me in a place where there are many stories to tell, but no one to tell them!
Come after sunset!

Jade, the totally not suspicious werebat girl!"