Blackburn's Crossing Chapter 3: A Ball to Die for

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Still playing with the beads, Kallisto adjusted herself on the bed as she listened to Ialay speak. Under her breath she muttered, "Things will be as they'll be ..." Speaking louder, "Only one other time have I been given the name 'Daughter of Blood'..." She glanced towards Bernard's hand, seeing it relaxed now, but since the door had not opened, she figured Arissa was still nearby. "It was a few days ago, while I was still infected with lycanthropy ... he appeared at night, and spoke that name to me -- saying my 'people' were safe, and that someone had bargained for me." Her eyes cast around the room, trying to find where Arissa had gone.

Switching out of Sylvan she spoke to the room, "Why do you hide, Arissa? You seem tied to this in many places ... Finding this one, leading her here with Bernard, and now pretending to not be here?" Kallisto gave a low growl as she played with the beads more, the small wooden pieces clicking against each other.

She ran a clawed hand through her hair, "Ialay ... I would like to help, but ... I cannot make any promises that I -- that this is even a possible task! I don't even remember anything about your people... my people, whichever."
 
Church of Ezra:

Ialay walks over to the water basin picks it up and drinks all of the water. "Lost Sister now Found, She who has been Cured of the Rabid Sickness by the Shadowman. You must be important for him to have done so. If the Angel of Shadow is the one who convinced him then she must know your importance as well. I understand you have been raised by the Others. You have forgotten the Old Ways, but the Answers always lie in Blood."

Ialay draws a knife cutting along her missing the knuckle where her missing pinky finger should be and lets it drip into the basin. "Drink of my Life and have Fear and Uncertainty wash away," says Ialay offering the Basin out for Kallisto. "If you feel not the Surge of Life than you are not the Lost One I seek nor are you of my People."
 
Arissa looked up from her position on the ground, ashamed of the way she was acting and grateful that no one could see the state she was in. As Kallisto began to call out to her in Mordentish, Arissa felt a sense of dread take over as the walls of the room tightened around her. There really is no way for me to avoid dealing with this... She then called out in Sylvan. “Kallisto, I mean you no offense by my lack of appearance... something has happened to me independent of what Ialay is saying. I swear to you that none of this is by my design.” Arissa then stopped as Ialay began to speak, and her stomach dropped as she told Kallisto of what Arissa had done. I suppose she now knows... I fear for how she may react.
 
Bernard sighed and grabbed the bridge of his nose, pinching it before responding, "Kallisto, do not judge Arissa so harshly, she is in a hell of her own making and hiding from her demons, not you." He breathed a deep breath before continuing, hoping that any further misgivings could be put aside.

Bernard approached Kallisto, interposing himself between Ialay and the strong woman on the bed fiddling nervously with her beads. He reaches out his hands for her, hoping she extends her own, trying to make a more human connection before he continues, "No one is going to force you into anything you don't want. Ialay may have answers but if you don't want them or you're not ready or this is not the right way, then we will find another. You don't have to do this alone, I am here, for you, as a friend. As your friend. Make your choice when you are ready. I hold no judgement."
 
Marsh House:

"You sure did make a large mess, well I best be going now. I'll let your mother know your fine in here, and that you were just.... 'attuning with the land' as they call it," she says before flashing a smile and a small wave and zipping through the thick brush leaving you back alone with your thoughts.
 
Ludwig nods as he follows Léone out of the manor.
Hearing about James Blackburn also working with science his ears perk up, "Oh really? A wealthy nobleman and a scholar? How interesting! I'll be sure to ask him about it later on." Ludwig quickly takes note of James being a potential interest for progress. "But I digress, let's get a move on indeed!"

Casually strolling next to the river bank, Ludwig looks around and takes in the scenery while it's lit by sunlight this time. "The choices are overwhelming, there's so much to see and do!" When Léone mentions the church, Ludwig physically cringes slightly as he remembers how well he was recieved at his local church back home. "You're not far off, going to church isn't exactly high on my priority list. They don't like me and I don't like them, we both have our respectable reasons.."

Ludwig chuckles sheepishly and turns towards Léone. "Thinking about anything specific you say..? Does this place have a pharmacy? I wonder how people handle their medicine up in Blackburn. Maybe there's new experiences for the both of us, who knows! I have enough time in the world at the moment, it's not like I have any specific appointments I need to be at... atleast not here. Also feel free to ask questions, I don't want to hog the entire conversation!" He kicks a small rock into the river and looks up into the sky, a small smirk forming on his face as his worries back in Garmonn seem to disappear slowly.
 
Three sets of voices spoke to Kallisto: Ialay who offered her a way to put doubt to rest, Bernard who offered an escape, and Arissa who still stayed hidden, her voice coming from low and in a corner -- in Sylvan no less.

Kallisto frowned as Arissa spoke in Sylvan, realizing she had been listening in the whole time, and had likely overheard Kallisto and Bernard's conversation on the way to Tumbledown as well. Her eyes went towards where Arissa's voice had come from as Bernard stood infront of Kallisto, his hands outstretched. "I ... do not judge her. I only wish ..." She sighed, "Nevermind -- if Arissa wishes to hide from her demons so be it." Searching out the corner again for where the voice came from, "Just realize that seems to mean hiding from those who thought you a friend as well ..."

She brought her attention back to Bernard's hands as she still played with the string of beads in her hands, the wood making small noises as they connected and slid along the thread. Standing she placed one of the threads in his waiting hands, moving towards Ialay. "I ... do not like uncertainty. If this is a way to know truly, then I would rather do so." She glanced towards the blood in the small basin as Ialay offered it into her hand. Closing her eyes, unsure of what to expect, she lifted it to her mouth, tipping it back and expecting the usual sharp metallic taste of blood.

Instead of tasting anything, she felt a heat move through her, her heart beat faster -- then things slowed. Things calmed ... her thoughts stilled in the moment as she recalled ... being younger, playing with a large bear, its paws as large as her head and yet its swings were gentle as the two played. In the distance a figure watched, a greataxe by their side, one Kallisto easily recognized as hers... or at least it was now. Continuing to play, the mud of the swamp cool on her skin, a sudden noise -- the figure and the bear both suddenly shifted position, Kallisto herself unaware of anything. Tugging on her clothing, the bear pulled her away as the figure ran off, beginning a low growl Kallisto recognized as one she too made in her moments ... the bear eventually left as well, leaving her in a small dead tree, a final huff of its warm breath as farewell.

Then time passed ... she shivered from the damp, nearly falling asleep from the cold ... until she finally wandered out -- attempting to call for the others as she made her way through the swamp, her eyes struggling in the dark. Eventually she stumbled over something laying in the water ... the greataxe. Its blade covered in blood, she reached out hesitantly, tears forming in her eyes as she slowly understood what she was looking at. Struggling to lift the great weapon, she wept and cried, dragging it behind her, attempting to find her way back to the tribe, but got lost instead -- stumbling out of the swamp towards strange structures and figures dressed unlike what she was used to -- her cries not finding any meaning.

The memory faded as she opened her eyes again, releasing a long breath she didn't even realize she had been holding. She gently set the basin back on the bed then rubbed her eyes from the small tears that had begun. "... that answers that." Kallisto looked at Ialay, "As I said ... I will help as much as I am able, but please ... understand I can make no promises that I will actually defeat the Undying One." Rewrapping the beads around her wrists, "I ... would like to speak to some others around town about this if I may. If this is a task to be done ... I will likely need all the help I can get."
 
Bernard held the string of beads as Kallisto sipped the blood. He watched as she paused, holding her breath, as he readied to move and catch her. He feared she might pass out or fall, but as he shifted in place, she moved again.

He relinquished her beads, glad she was ok. "When you need me just ask and I will be there. Until then I have things that I must attend to." Bernard smiled and nodded moving toward the door. He paused with his hand on the handle, turning back into the room. "Who will you be joining Ialay? And you Arissa?"
 
Bernard and Kallisto's words stung Arissa down to the core, but she knew they were right. "I... I'm sorry Kallisto. I want to believe that I am your friend... But if you were to see me right now, that would change in an instant. I am a lie." There is the sound of scrapping heels on the floor as Arissa stood up. Though she was invisible, the wooden floorboards she had been sitting on were stained wet with tears. She approached Bernard and placed a trembling hand on his shoulder. "I... I think that I should not be wasting any more time being inactive... I had a thought on someone who could possibly help me with a temporary solution. James is a skilled alchemist, ja? Perhaps he could come up with something... I need to try, at least." She seemed to be trying to convince herself as much as she was Bernard, but somehow speaking the tongue of the gods began to have a calming effect on her, and her hand slowly began to steady.
 
"Whatever you need." He smiled and took her hand which was touching him then followed her arm to her body and embraced her. "I must finish things here, with the church. I will join you at the manor when my business is concluded." His hand followed her back up to her neck and he leaned in kissing her on top of the head. "Be safe, Arissa."

He released her and held the door open. She has caused herself such pain. I can only try to make it bareable. Until it is fixed. It will be fixed.
 
Arissa was taken aback by Bernard's embrace for a moment, having thought that he was still angry with her for her mistake. She then tightly squeezed him back for a few moments before it ended. "To you as well, Bernard. Please, do not concern yourself with me for now. Your role in the town is far more important than a single person's troubles. I hope to see you soon with good news in hand." Arissa then quickly took her leave of the church, walking towards Blackburn Manor with a tunnel-like focus. I must speak to James... He can help... He has to be able to.]
 
Yelcan wakes very early on the twelfth morning, the sun just beginning to creep above the trees. He crawls quietly out of the bed, careful not to wake Hyde, then gathers his things and heads to the kitchen. As per usual, Grimdosh is up before him, and quickly whips him up a great breakfast. He thanks the large man, and sets out through the town that has just begun to get lively as its residents woke, and into the swamp. He followed a path that he had taken a week or so earlier to a fine clearing in the swamp, where the vegetation grew rampant. He set about looking for a few familiar plants that he had been taught about by Peri, and managed to gather a cluster of cat tail and meadowsweet plants. Yelcan had been thinking last night about how Peri must have been feeling after everything she had gone through these past couple weeks, and he thought she could use a little pick me up. He smiled as he remembered how she had laughed as her and Hyde played tag in this very clearing, and of their cat tail sword fights. He looked at his makeshift bouquet of cat tails and meadowsweet, and while he thought she might enjoy the gesture, he was a bit disappointed about the lack of color. He worked his way outside of the clearing, making sure not to lose his sense of which direction town was, until he came upon a particular wide lake-like stretch of swamp. He caught a glimpse of some bright pink colors along the edges of the water and he grinned as he realized what he had found: Orchids. This would be the perfect addition to the bouquet, colorful and pretty, but not so gaudy and extravagant as to take over the show...much like Peri in fact, Yelcan realized.

Yelcan worked his way out of the swamp, and headed towards the Marsh house happy with how his morning had went so far. He reached the front door and knocked twice. A woman opened the door, looking at him curiously. Yelcan had not seen this woman before, but he could see the resemblance in her facial features to Peri and to a lesser extent Bernard. He smiled widely at the woman, then he bowed deeply. When he rose again, he said "Ah, so you must be Mrs. Marsh. It is so nice to meet you finally; my name is Yelcan, I am a friend of Peri's. I actually brought her back to the house with Bernard last night, but I did not get a chance to introduce myself at the time. Anyways, I was wondering, is Peri around? I just wanted to see how she was doing, and give her a little gift." He waggles the bouquet in his hands slightly as he continues to smile at Merris.
 
Peri sighed moving to her hands and knees crawling under the over grown foliage, the thorns and wines pulled at her hair and night gown making her going slow as every so often she had to untangle herself.

Covered in little scratches and thorny vines still stuck in her hair Peri stood and brushed off her dress sighing at the dirt patches at her knees staining the green fabric. Looking out and around Peri chuckled to herself as she began to see the extent of her spell. The tall grasses under her feet and overgrown shrubs and weeds surrounding the greenhouse and paths between homes.

Taking in a long breath she breaths out again slowly feeling renewed. Smiling to herself she weaves through the yard to the front door only to hear Yelcan speaking to her mother and in rounding the corner seeing him upon the doorstep.
 
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Marsh House:

"Yes she's around give her a minute however," says Marsh smiling at Yelcan. "Peri! You have an admirer at the door!"

After shouting back into the house she motioned for Yelcan to come in. "Come in, come in there's no use standing out there in all those shrubs while you wait."

Church of Ezra:

Ialay's eyes watch Kallisto as she can see that something resounded within her. She was one of the Children of Blood, at last she had found the lost one. Bernard asked her what she'd do and she thought about it for a moment. "I must tell the Children of Blood that the Lost One has been found. We will await your return and rejoice at your victory. Thank you Angel of Shadow, and Son of Swamps"
 
Blackburn Manor:

Grimdosh carries a table past the front door when it suddenly opens by itself. He suddenly stops and tilts his head for a moment. Then he goes back to carrying the table to the Ballroom. Meanwhile James worked on a few alchemical potions and when finished he started for the public library in the house to double check he had sent out all the invitations to families he wanted to hopefully garner support from. If he could convince them then maybe he could then invest in many of the businesses around town and make this town even bigger and more important than it already was. Upon arriving he pulled out a book that kept decent records of noble families of other lands, and small bits of their history and began to look through it once more.
 
Arissa froze briefly as Grimdosh appeared to stare directly at her, and then let out a sigh of relief as he moved on. She quickly thought of where James might be and began to search the house for signs of him, finally spotting him in the library. She glanced around the room to confirm that he was alone, and then knocked on the doorway. “James? It is Arissa. Forgive my lack of image... I am not myself today. Something has gone very, very wrong... and I desperately am in need of help.” Arissa crosses the room over to where James was seated and put a hand on his shoulder. “Please... can we speak somewhere more private?”
 
Léone chuckles. "Indeed. James seems to be a man of surprises, does he not?" She nods, following Ludwig down the river bank. "I really had no plans for today - looking like it's going to be one of my least exciting days since I got here myself. Not that I mind." She takes note of his discomfort at the church. "Ah...my bad. Well, hopefully the church here is more welcoming. Quite a few people worship 'round these parts." She shrugs, continuing to walk.

She takes a deep breath, listening to him speak while taking in the riverbank scenery. "Appointments, huh? Oh, you did say you were a doctor...I reckon you'll want to find a way to make a living now that you're here. If you plan on staying, of course." She mulls it over for a second. "There isn't a pharmacy or anything of the sort, as far as I'm aware. Perhaps you can look into that - I know James was hoping to invest more into the town as well, maybe you can convince him to help you get started or something."

She looks back up to him inquisitively, not sure what to make of the older man. "Hrm. Questions of mine? Well, I'm obviously curious in how your formulas work, but I figure that's a conversation best saved for the house, with the proper equipment. Aside from that..." She pauses, thinking about it for a second. "I haven't heard much about your homeland - never quite asked Arissa about it. What was it like?"
 
Blackburn Library:

James looks up for a moment and then around the room scanning before he feels the touch on his shoulder, and peers over at Arissa. "Sure, follow me." he says standing up and leading them through the maze of hallways, and eventually to an empty room with a few seats left. Apparently Grimdosh had already grabbed the table from this room. Here there was a picture Blackburn Manor painted as if viewed from the river floating away. "What's going on?"
 
With Ialay interested in leaving, Arissa having already left, and Kallisto looking uninterested in leaving the cot, Bernard waved his hand, "Come Ialay, we'll leave Kallisto to her thoughts and get you home." He smiled at the girl who looked so uncomfortable in her sparkling dress and mismatched weaponry.

As they left the room, Bernard nodded to Kallisto, "If I see the others I will tell them you are looking for them." He heads back down the halls, pausing at the acolyte, "I'll be taking Jeremiah's place, please leave his things as they are. I will be back once I've taken my friend home."

He leads Ialay off toward the swamp, pausing outside of town to hand her a sack full of leathers. "I'm glad you were able to find the one you looked for. I'm sure Kallisto will do her best to help your tribe. I'm curious what you know of my father though?"
 
Edge of Swamp:

"The Father of Swamp? He wandered the swamp lands keeping the balance between hunters and prey. Sometimes we came into conflict with him but we always understood his role. It was a surprise when he offered to be taken by the Great Maw. So he took my place," says Ialay regretfully. "For that as I have said I owe you a Day of Blood. I would hunt your enemies, and Kill those you said to kill."

Ialay talked as she walked further into the swamps. She seems to be focused on the conversation but she kept looking around to be aware of her surroundings constantly.
 
Bernard followed as she led, keeping track of their location, mapping the geography in his head as they headed for the village. Bernard knew he would have to find his way home alone and that he would eventually bring Kallisto back.

"It is good to hear about the work he did here in the swamp. I knew of it but he rarely spoke about it. His job now falls to my sister Perian. I hope she is treated with the same respect and understanding you showed my father. She is kind and wise, I am sure she will do the work justice. That is a matter for another time. What can you tell me of the Great Serpent?"
 
Swamplands:

"The Father's seed is strong then, both the Son and Daughter will be shown the same respect but you are not without danger among us. We hunt to survive, and sometimes we Hunt the Others when animals are scarce, and when we cannot find an Other, than we hold a Great Feast," she says walking along. She thinks about what to tell Bernard about the Great Serpent, there is a loud shifting of water nearby, and a reverberating hiss. "Hide!"

Ialay pushes Bernard away with a horizontal spear bunt and then stumbles over herself into the mud pulling herself up only when she got behind a tree holding her spear close. The sound grew closer as she holds a finger up to her lips.
 
Still gazing for a moment into the sky, Ludwig lowers his head and chuckles. "Everyone is full of surprises at this moment, Léone. Mr. Blackburn does seem like a man with a vast amount of unique knowledge, even though he's pretty young." He gives Attimer a quick glance from the corner of his eye as he continues, "One of the least exciting days you've had? A public funeral held with such a crowd is a minor event to you already? I'm curious to what you consider a reasonable exciting day then!"

Ludwig laughs out loud for a moment, holding his hand to his chest in laughter. "Yes, I also assumed I'd make the best of my stay here by making myself useful in town so I don't have to rely on my social skills too much. I mean, what are the odds of talking to a lady and finding a place to stay for the night shortly after?" He lets out a small cough and puts his hands in his pockets. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy it happened, and I am certainly planning on staying. Going out in uncharted territory isn't the wisest idea, not when you're already in a civilized area. I'll inquire James about starting up a Pharmacy, I couldn't believe there isn't one present. Medicine is a basic need, without it people would die easily."

He looks lightly agitated for a moment about the lack of medicine, but calms down and puts his glasses back up his nose. His eyes light up as Léone shows interest in his formulas. "Oh! I'd love to show you some, I have tons of different mixtures and outcomes written up in this thing here!" Ludwig taps the leather strapped tome on his back as he smiles with anticipation towards her. "But as you said, it might be best saved indoors. I'd rather not risk it getting soiled or damaged when opened."

As Léone asks him about his home back in Garmonn, Ludwig displays a spectrum of emotions. "Ah.. yes. Garmonn. It is a great land to live in, we Garmonians pride ourselves on our work ethic and quality of craftsmanship. My hometown of Stuthgarn was also called the 'Wachsende Stadt'. That's Garmonic for 'Growing City'."

Ludwig lets out a small grin. "It earned that title by being a beacon of progress. Sadly enough it was selective in it's choice of advancement. There were certain aspects that are frowned upon, like not abiding by the law of equivalent exchange for example. I myself am a devout practicioner of medicine, but I took a different path from my colleagues in archieving my goals. That choice led to some... disagreements between me and the national council. I didn't want to give up on my archievements, so I went out of town to prevent them from forcefully halting it."

He scratches the back of his head and sighs. "So that's what eventually led me here, an unplanned visit to what seems to be a place full of surprises."
 
Swamplands:

The large creature gets closer and closer stalking forward as the hissing seems to almost reverberate the trees you both are leaning against. It looks one way and then the other, tongue flicking out and you hear a low chuckle. "I sssssmell you Child... you did not think you could run away did you? And I smell someone else with you..."

"Son of Swamps run, it is here for me not you!" The creature then begins to cast, and a calming wave of energy comes forth from the snake as it's hissing becomes almost hypnotic. Ialay seems to calm down no longer frightened of this creature, and walks out with her spear to better speak with the snake. "See now there is nothing to fear Child."

The large snake almost as long as a small ship brings it's head down to Ialay's level.
 
Arissa hesitantly follows after James, still not fully trusting the man but unable to think of anyone else who could possibly help. Entering the room behind James, Arissa pauses at the threshold before following behind him and closing the door behind her. She took a moment to look over the newly groomed James in surprise. “You look... well.” I wonder what the occasion might be... no matter. “I have dabbled with powers that I should not have... you are familiar with Legba, ja? I have spoken with him several times now against my better judgement... and it has taken its toll on me, both mentaal en lichamelijk.” Despite her distrust of James, somehow explaining the situation to anyone helped her to calm down. She took a deep breath, before dropping the spell to reveal her current state to James, no longer the beautiful, confident woman, but a scared, desperate girl. She once again repeated her plea. “Please... help me.”
 
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