Fantasy The Order of Seven - accepting

[Saavedra]

"And it seems I succeeded."

Lady White had a velvety voice... for a ghost. The echo was there, a reminder that her voice was to a human´s like the light of the sun to a candle´s. It was there, one could feel it, yet it seemed to come from a place so far away that it might as well have been another dimension compared to the... solidity... of a candle´s. Of course, in the case of a ghost, the voice did come from another dimension.

Lady White made herself slightly more visible now that she was sure the woman was not being followed. She moved around her, though remaining as close to the wall and far from Mina as possible so as to not scare her. The ghost´s hand materialized again to close the door. "I am Lady White. Librarian of the Order of Seven. What has brought your group here?"

 

[MJ ._.]

Mina was familiar with voice of a ghost. Now she was sure that her host was the spirit the eastern boy had spoken off. She waited for her to finish her stroll around the room. Mina wouldn't care if the door was closed or open, even if it was locked she could always break it open, but seemed that Lady White preferred to be alone with her. "Librarian of the order? It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm surprised no one has told me about you." She said. "We're here to celebrate the new year with children and help them cheer up, as I've been told. But on the way we were attacked by summoned dark spirits... undead... and were almost saved by father of winter. Now I'm only concerned about keeping this building and villages and towns around it safe from invasion of dark arts." Mina explained in answer to lady White. "I should've introduced myself first; My name is Mina. And I'm almost new in chapter of England." She added.
Saavedra

 

[Saavedra]

If Lady White had still had eyelids, perhaps she would have blinked at her guest´s explanation. Her curious accent and exotic skin tone did not help. They were proving somewhat distracting. But disassociation with the physical world could do a lot to focus the mind and, therefore, the Lady followed the woman´s explanation through to the end. There was a certain logic to it, no doubt.

"I have been absent for the last three weeks. And I like to keep to myself, so it is no wonder no one told you about me." Nevermind that the ingrates in the Order disliked her quite a lot because they were expected to be polite. Of course they did not talk much about her. Who wants to talk about someone this bunch of ruffians would show no respect to, even though she had taught most of them a fair number of little life-saving tricks? A terrible price to pay, to deal politely with a lady. However, Lady White would not hold that against this new arrival... yet.

"Excuse me if I do not offer you a hand or a hug for a greeting, but... I think you would not enjoy the experience." As she said that, Lady White dematerialized her hand. Tiny pieces of frost and drops of water fell to the floor. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, nonetheless. So, undead, you say? And father of winter? An interesting circumstance, to be sure. Who has come here with you? I recognized Pascal and Oliver. Specially Oliver. Poor man is still shy about his looks."

MJ ._.

 

[St. Boethius]

The Children giggled as Kouki tried to coax them into learning the word Arashi. Though it took a few minutes of practice with Kouki’s help the children could say the word well enough to activate the charm. Kouki smiled and praised the Children for being so smart, to which he earned more giggling and a few of the children repeating Arashi over and over again. Thankfully the charms only worded in the presence of the tainted otherwise giving them to children would do more harm than good. “ Alright Children lets play hide and seek now, yes?” Kouki said overexagerating his accent to the amusement of the children. “ you get 10 seconds. And~ Go!” Kouki said covering his eyes. He could immediately hear the Children as they scattered from the area and with his mind’s eye thanks to his charms he new exactly where they were. Now it was just a matter of planning a route to catch them so that he could set up his wards and prepare to bless the home. At the end of his 10 second count Kouki had plotted out how he would ‘find’ each child and set up his wards. The process of finding a child then setting and priming a ward would take around 20 minutes. When he was finished he only had 5 tailsman left and he sent the children to go play with their new toys courtesy of the spirits of winter outside.
“Alrighty... now to bless the home and make it into a shrine.” Kouki said to himself before going through his belongings to find his haraigushi, a tool used by Shinto priests to bless and purify people or objects. “Now the only wrinkle... I need to purify the house. I’d better find that spirit and talk to her before I exorcise her from her own home.” Kouki muttered to himself before going back through the house searching for the spirit.
Saavedra MJ ._.

 

[Proletariat]

Jakob ReiterSaint Albans
After a long and lonely ride, Jakob could finally see Saint Albans in the distance ahead of him. Although he was still a couple miles away. With the cold and the snow the way it was, he never saw another soul on the road-and he preferred it that way. He had no mind for small talk or idle chatter at the moment, he spent the whole ride brooding over his recent circumstances. His cold leather trench coat was still spattered with dried blood around the collar and down the front from his mission in Hungary. Anyone who saw him slumped atop his horse might have thought he was dead in the saddle.

Jakob figured that the London team reached the orphanage already since he never encountered them on the road. The mission seemed trivial to him and he wanted no part of it, so once he found the orphanage he just planned to wait outside in the cold. The below freezing temperatures of the Alps were sewn into his DNA, the London winter had no effect on him whatsoever. He could stay out in the cold indefinitely. Everything about him resonated with the cold. His mind, his body, his heart, they were all frigid in that moment.

When he arrived at the orphanage he pulled the reigns on his horse and stopped it several meters short of his destination. Looking around he did not see anyone outside, so he walked his horse to the side of the road and dismounted, giving her a break. Jakob patted her on the side of the neck and stroked her mane.
"Ich nehme an, ich sollte dir etwas getreide bringen, mein freund." He said in a soothing voice.

 

[MJ ._.]

Mina laughed gently as White spoke of problems of hugging. "Please don't worry about greetings; I'm not a fan of hugging or shaking hands." She said and nodded in reply. "Oliver is shy about his looks? That's rare information... I couldn't imagine that vampires can be shy too. I mean... they pretty much do as they wish." She held back another laughter. "I can say that Miss Iona Grey has the lead. Her cousin, Thaddeus, is with us. Also her friend Mr. Reys, priest Valentine, Mr. Lohmeyer and Mr.... " She paused as had forgotten Kouki's family name. "...Kouki; another member from out of the chapter." She finished. "You still can see Morozko and snow standing out there. They are those who helped us and explained about dark gems inside the wraith." She added. Suddenly, they heard a man yelling from the entrance. His voice was muffled but the closed door and so Mina couldn't recognize his words. "Seems like another guest has arrived... but I don't know him."
Saavedra St. Boethius Proletariat

 

[CerpinTaxt]

Yes, wonderful. Just what Oliver wanted, someone to talk to when he very much wanted to go back to sleep. Oliver let out a sigh as he set the firewood he had been carrying down at the door of the orphanage before looking back at Pascal. "I have to admit, you're not wrong about the cold. Wish they could send me somewhere else when winter comes." His eyes focused on the flask Pascal retrieved from his saddle with a raised eyebrow. Opening his mouth to comment, he stopped as he heard a faint voice mention his name and..what did they just-

Oliver was not shy about his looks. It was bloody cold out here! That..bloody ghost could go haunt a book for all he cared. That woman...he couldn't help but respect that woman. That old woman. Oh he'd get back at her for calling him shy..just not now. He'd have to wait another time for that. Perhaps he'd rearrange her documents, leave them out of alphabetical order. Oliver didn't think he could possibly get this petty.

Whatever. He had to follow that Frenchman before he complained. He moved quickly to catch up to Pascal, more to get out of the cold with the man than anything else. Spotting the sign of the pub Pascal had entered, Oliver followed suit feeling much better now that he was out of that damn cold and somewhere that was reasonably warm. It seemed Pascal had already decided to order for Oliver before he'd even made his way fully inside. Not exactly a surprise.

He nodded to the bartender and grabbed the glass of whiskey before following Pascal to the booth he had picked out. He sat down, making sure he could look out the nearby windows for any signs of trouble, paying special attention to one that gave him a decent view of the nearby forest. Oliver grabbed the scarf that had been covering his face and loosened it, allowing it to simply hang around his neck. He brought the glass of whiskey to his lips and took a slow sip, the strong taste causing the man to sputter somewhat before swallowing the drink. "By the time I really had thoughts of drinking, I wasn't exactly human anymore. Never really had the chance." The whiskey wouldn't do anything to him other than give him a bad taste in his mouth. He had a bit of regret in the fact that he would get the chance to get absolutely hammered.

He watched as Pascal pouring the dull red liquid into the glass before looking back up through the windows. "Mm. I knew some who were absolutely addicted to the taste. I suppose I was too, for a few years. More out of starvation than the taste. Made the test to become a part of the Order easier than it perhaps should have been. But now..well I suppose I feel nothing. Strange isn't it? How you can become dull to the hunger after a time. Or perhaps..I'm the only one?" He rose the glass to his lips once more, and took a sip. "Personally? I can't say I enjoy being what I am, but I'm not spiteful of it either." He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle after that.

@ReverseWells

 

[The Gunrunner]

Prenkus Lohmeyer

"I'll need everyone who know how to cook, let's start dinner. The rest of you? Help the children with their gifts, and...make sure things are safe."
Prenkus nods, mildly grinning to himself as he cracks his knuckles. "Gladly, Miss Iona." A defensive task was probably his strongest suit. Prenkus pulls an axe from the leather rig under his coat, mentally noting the blueprints of the house as he walks about to inspect the place. Two ways in or out. An attic, a second story, and a cellar. Only one hallway, but still usable. The house had trees nestled on the side, and a stable. It was a big house. Prenkus was a fan of big houses; it meant more layers for a defense. He pulls out a spare axe, speaking to the room but no one in particular: "If anyone's interested in making defenses out of this place, I need someone to make murder-holes into the second floor, looking down to the ground level." They weren't expecting a fight, of that he was aware, but it never hurt to be prepared. And, besides, he hasn't had the opportunity to flex his talents for a while. Prenkus mutters and mumbles to himself as he steps around the house, arguing with himself over the best defenses for the various points. Boarding the windows was one idea, a compromise to proper firing holes. The hallway needed something to constrict movement, slow the riders down if they tried to come through. Blockading the back door was also a possibility, and moving some form of ladder or rope to the attic as an emergency escape route was certainly a necessity; The better the defense, the harder the escape, after all. The upstairs had potential; a choke point on the stairs, and various rooms to use as makeshift bunkers. The attic was far more open, but it opens out to the ceiling - Their last line of defense. In the worst case scenario, they would be out of reach and fighting the wraiths trying to come through a strangling choke-point. The Prussian gives a nod of approval, This is good. I can work with this.

He makes another round about the house, scribbling madly into a notebook stashed in his coat. The mad scratching of a fine point of charcoal slowly etches something of a madman's shopping list - Twine, wooden dowels, nails, wooden planes, boards, fishing nets, and a variety of others. Sure in what he plans on doing, he slaps the book shut and grabs his coat, setting out into the cold. "I'll be back soon, I need to buy some things from the village." He states, shutting the door behind him and trudging away from the house. The old prussian takes a stop at the pub, not one to let another take time off in such a situation - "Oliver! Out here if you'd please, I need your help with the house!"
SilverFlight CerpinTaxt MJ ._. Proletariat St. Boethius Saavedra ForgottenName Fenris @ReverseWells

 

[SilverFlight]

Iona had the food well under way, being helped by a few of the older children. When she had a moment she came out into the hallway to find Kouki counting.
"It's such a shame you aren't good with kids," she said with good-humoured sarcasm. "I'm glad we have you on our side...I'm not sure what is going on here, but I've got a bad feeling."
Prenkus walked by, asking for tasks for the defenses. "We'll get is done Mr. Lohmeyer." She replied to his back as he stepped out.
St. Boethius The Gunrunner

Thaddeus heard the sound of another horse before he heard the gentle voice speaking to it.
"Sie sprechen Deutsche." Thaddeus observed, peering over the back of another horse to examine the new hunter.
"Thaddeus Grey, you must have been sent straight from London."
He reached for a thick rug that was hanging over a fence post and quickly unfurled it over the back of the horse he had just finished grooming.
"Dastardly weather for horses. Hang on, I think there's a spare rug here somewhere..."
When he emerged from the small pile of supplied he was holding a thick, quilted blanket.
"Would you like me to tend your animal?" Thaddeus had seen to all the horses so far, he might as well offer to see to the last one.
Proletariat

Morozko and Snow pulled their horses around and went to scout the perimeter, their track vanishing soon after they had. A strong winter wind picked up and swept flurries of snow across the thick drifts. Suddenly the air became colder. Frost began to lick its way further up the windows. An ominous feeling fell upon the town. Suddenly, everyone who was out had a sudden and fear-inducing urge to get back inside.
If one focused very closely, they could see, in the faded darkness of the horizon, flashes of shadow, swirling and convulsing and taking form.
Riders, many ghoulish black riders...

MJ ._. CerpinTaxt @ReverseWells St. Boethius Proletariat The Gunrunner Saavedra

 

[St. Boethius]

Kouki chuckled at Iona's observation, "I suppose helping with my temple's orphanage hasn't had the effect my family wished for them Grey-san." Kouki said as he allowed himself to skip back to his native languages honorifics. As Kouki was about to continue talking with Iona he was hit with an overwhelming sense of dread as his mind's eye alerted him to malevolent energies. "Unfortunately you're about to be very glad I am here." Kouki said as he ran out to the nearest window and confirmed what he had just sensed. He had just lost a lot of time. " I need to start the purification ritual now! I hope the spirit won't mind! " Kouki shouted as he took off towards the center of the house. With no much time left he didn't have the time to call an actual Kami into the home and sanctify it. The Omnyouji would have to make do with what was available, the spirit that already called this place home.
Thankfully Kouki could sense that the children were all in room, or at least the marbles were. Hopefully with the children safe Kouki on brought out his haraigushi and started reciting the necessary prayer to purify the house so that it could house a Kami. Anyone inclined to the supernatural would find the house slowly being filled with a purifying light as Kouki waved his haraigushi through the house. As Kouki went room to room purifying went he found the children he just smiled and nodded at the Matron as he chanted. When he had finished purifying the room they were all Kouki would continue until he had gone through and purified each room only stopping until he encountered the locked study.
SilverFlight MJ ._. Saavedra

 

[Proletariat]

Jakob ReiterSaint Albans Orphanage
Jakob walked his horse to the stable and heard a voice call out to him in his native tongue. He first laid eyes on the man when he poked his head over his own horse. Jakob did not recognize him by sight or by name. In truth he knew almost no one from the London division. Before he could reply the man disappeared to find a rug for his horse. He seemed eager. Jakob took the rug from the man and raised the brim of his hat in order to reveal his own eyes.

"Deutsch ist meine muttersprache." He replied. To someone who spent a lot of time with Germans and Austrians his accent would be noticeable, otherwise his voice sounded like a typical German.

Jakob detected that Thaddeus was not a native German speaker and his clothing gave away an English fashion sense, so he switched to fluent, albeit heavily accented English. "Jakob Reiter. To say that I came straight from London would be a bit misleading, but yes, that is where I departed from most recently to arrive here. And I can look after meine own horse, danke, although I agree, these horses are most unsuitable for cold weather."

Jakob walked his horse into an empty stall, place the rug over her carefully, and fetched her a bucket of grain. Serenity began happily drinking from the water trough. The stable was a decent insulator, but the water was still nearly frozen. After he finished up with that, he reemerged into the main stable area. He brushed his hands together and dust flew off of his gloves. Like usual his assortment of equipment clanked as he walked about. While looking out the stable door into the weather, Jakob asked Thaddeus, "Say, what is the London team doing all the way out here anyway? There does not seem to be an immediate problem. Are there demons possessing one of the orphans? Is the head mistress actually a witch? I've seen both in my time and I would be glad to help with either."

Only after he finished speaking did he look back to Thaddeus to hear the response.

SilverFlight

 

[Saavedra]

Lady White nodded to herself and frowned, listening to Mina´s explanation. It seemed like a sizeable group of no little skill had been sent here, and she was a hundred percent sure this was not a coincidence. They had to have known that she was at the orphanage, or whoever had told them to come. And it just so happened that on the way here, they were attacked by wraiths? My, my, my, what fascinating happenstance. And yet, none in the group were suspicious enough to her. Not with Iona Grey in command. The girl was competent and the most loyal member of the Order in the group as far as Lady White was concerned, given their mutual distrust of werewolves (though Lady White thought Grey was still too tolerant of them, which she attributed to her cousin´s taint). If she was leading them, surely they could not have summoned a spectre without her noticing? Vampires and werewolves were not that inclined to resort to that kind of subterfuge, anyway. Well... perhaps. Pascal, Oliver or both might have contacted allies to impede the group´s movement toward the orphanage. A bold move for traitors.

The ghost was still mulling over this when she felt it.

To most humans, there was little sign. A change in temperature, a visual anomaly in the distance. To a ghost, however, a rip in the fabric of the world felt like something more. The sensation was difficult to describe, much like almost anything a ghost could feel. The best approximation would be... a massive knife made of mist punching into one´s body. It was cold and wet, and reached deep within their being. It was disturbing, uncomfortable, and quite alarming. Mostly because that sort of thing never presaged anything good if they were not the cause themselves. Worse than that, however, was the purification she could feel someone bringing down upon the manor. Of course, ghosts knew that purification was just a name for what was essentially shutting the link between the physical world and other planes. It was also a great inconvenience, because she could not tell who was doing that and in what manner, so whoever was purifying the house might banish her from this plane on accident.

Lady White did not bother with saying her goodbyes to Mina. Though she had socialized enough, the truth was Mina was no one of great consequence to her. The Lady had more important things to worry about. The ghost passed through the closed door and into the corridor where the priest was. Lady White did not give him even a passing glance, so focused was she on her task. Her misty being passed through walls and ceilings, making sure to avoid the children while not caring much about the others. Her white silhouette left the building and continued out into the night. Her feet landed on the snow, making no sound and leaving no footprint. The shadows approached, and Lady White walked toward them without fear. Her eyes passed over them from one side to the other. There was a good number of them, black and skeletal. Their eyes glowed red, and the legs of their horses tore through the snow, sending great pieces of it flying in their wake. Their charge became thunderous as they approached toward the small fence lining the road, the only barrier between the manor and the attack.

On her way to the fence, Lady White became corporeal.

Her body became more defined and began exhuding mist and snow, a trail of white crystals glistening in the air as they floated down to the ground. Those touched by the supernatural could see the details on her clothing and her white ponytail swaying behind her, almost as if she was a human painted in white against the dark night. Those without it still saw a human silhouette come into being clearly enough. The ghost´s steps now sank into the snow, but she had cleared the deepest parts of it by now. On her way to the fence between the manor and the road, there was a small stump with an old hatchet stuck in it. The tool had obviously been used to cut the lumber now burning in the orphanage´s hearth. The hatchet had been left behind. Without breaking her stride, which remained uniform like a marching soldier´s, Lady White passed by the stump. Her gloved hand grasped the handle and pulled the tool out of the stump without effort. She hefted it lazily, taking a good measure of its weight. Her eyes appraised its sharpness briefly. It was not nearly good enough, but it would have to do.

The fence was just six feet away when the ghostly woman stopped. She seemed to ignore the charging wraiths as she took a good, long look at the ground between her and the fence. Then, she moved forward again, just short of a full step. It was a distance measured with purpose, judging by the way she continued looking down and adjusting her position by mere inches. She did it again, this time looking toward the raiders, taking a couple side-steps to position herself squarely in the center of their charge. Once satisfied, Lady White simply waited, one hand on her hip and the other holding the hatchet at her side. Her posture was relaxed, and her eyes wandered over the ground at her feet, seemingly inspecting it the same way someone would inspect the tiling on the floor in a waiting room even as the dark riders´ charge took them straight toward her.

 

[St. Boethius]

Kouki was a little hesitant to break open the door for fear that he would exorcise the spirit of the home, but just as he was mulling that fact over he watched the spirit leave the home passing right in front of him. "Well I suppose the time for being subtle has passed." Kouki said as he watched the spirit exit the home. Though he would never admit to it Kouki was forced to break open he door with a well placed kick near the door's handle. As soon as Kouki walked into the room he knew that his is where the spirit spent the majority of her time. He could feel her energy hanging in the air much more consistently than any other area of the house. "Good this will be the heart of the shrine." Kouki muttered to himself before purifying the study. With the house completely purified Kouki took a moment and sat down with his remaining 5 talisman set out in front of him. It seemed the spirit had her own plans so he would need to shift his plans. His Nue had enough power to fight and kill low level Kami, but the issue was that Kouki has never managed to bring out the Nue's full abilities after the sealing. He didn't know how powerful these wraiths were, but he had seen the affect their weapons had. As hesitant as he was to attempt it Kouki resolved himself to release the Nue and command of to fight the wraiths. However to make sure that his spirit didn't just run amok the second it was freed he would have to perform a ritual. One that would bind the Nue's power to Kouki's body. It was a ritual that he had practiced many times before departing his home, but this would be the first time without a safety net.
With his plan prepared Kouki left the study and ran to find Iona.
"Miss Grey I have a plan, but it will take time to set up. Can I ask you to but time?" Kouki asked before explaining his plan to summon his spirit to fight for them. Kouki explained that in order to keep the Nue restrained he would hold the bulk of its power within himself. He also warned that he wouldn't be able to hold the summoning for long without risking his body.
SilverFlight

 

[MJ ._.]

She shivered like those days in Kilimanjaro when frost would make it impossible to see but here in a warm house a few kilometers away from London, why would she feel such chill? A look at the window and she could see a layer of ice appearing in the edges and corners on the utter side. Approaching it with a few long steps, she looked out to see dark shadows approaching from far horizon. Looking more observantly, she recognized them as ghoulish army on invasion. "There they are and so many... " She spoke at turned to face the ghost but she was no where to be seen; already gone. "Lady White?" She asked needlessly and after receiving no reply left the room quickly to run back to the hall rest of residents where celebrating their new year at. On her way, she met Iona and Kouki discussing a plan. It was mostly like the boy explaining something to the woman. "Miss Grey... Kouki..." She called as ran toward them. "They are here... in large number. What should we do? We had to find the source and destroy it when we had time but now... I can't help much with close combat. Is there a method for fighting against them in long range?" She spoke fast but seriously. "Actually... I thought of a way but it involves children which is not a proper thing to do. But if their lives is on stack... then they must fight back to save themselves. If it's possible then I'll explain that method although it's not as good as it should be." She added hastily.
SilverFlight St. Boethius

 

[The Gunrunner]

Prenkus Lohmeyer

"Quite an odd project you're working on here, sir," the shop owner comments with a chuckle, though the look on his face betrays he was indeed suspicious of the old man. Prenkus could see it plainly, silently gesturing for the man to continue - "Yes. It is." He snorts, sighing as he pulls a cigar from his coat and looks back through the windows peering outside. The Prussian furrows his brows, seeing men and women hurry and rush back to the inside of their homes and inns. Judging by the looks on their faces, something is wrong. Prenkus looks back to the shop owner, but the man was already looking at him - "You'll want to put it on hold, sir. It's best that you stay inside until morning." The Prussian barks a laugh, striking a match to ignite the end as he steps up to the counter. "Sir," he starts, waving away the fire and flicking the burnt stick to the ground, "This is the perfect time for my project." The look that follows the response ends a mild chill down the teller's spine, who forces a wary smile as he moves the order to the other end of the counter. Prenkus gathers the items, packed away in bags and rolls for ease of carry. He turns to step out, stopping at the door... "Sir? I think I may need a horse."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------​

The black riders charge towards the manor, their skulls blending with the snow but their black bodies and mounts like moving shadows. Lady White, choosing to stand again them, sees something in the distance - Another rider, trailing behind the others... only, not one of the riders. Not a black body or a white face. The horse is bucked forward again and again, straining to charge the house before the others, and its rider's beard shoved to the side from the wind. Prenkus fires four shots where their charge is weakest, clearing just enough of a gap for him to speed through like a bat out of hell. He tucks the revolver away, not slowing the horse down for a moment. As he comes closer and closer, those in the house can hear him yelling - Not a cry of blood, or pain, but... expectation. He moves his feet from the stirrups and to the saddle, his old heart thundering in his chest. "AaaAAAAHH!" is all he gives as he leaps forward from the horse, bracing his arms around his head, and tumbling along the snow. His legs flop out in the roll, kicking the door open and bringing half of the Prussian's body inside. He looks over his body, patting himself down, before pushing himself up with a look of disbelief. "I can't believe that worked," he gasps, hastily moving inside and shutting the door behind him.

The Prussian moves a wrapped bundle of planks from his back, tossing them on the ground. Reeling from the earlier tumble, he stumbles away from the door and looks about his immediate environment. "Right... yes. Yes!" He shakes his head quickly, gesturing to the planks on the ground - "Board the back entrance! Keep some of those planks in reserve should we need to barricade the attic!" it was to no one in particular, again, figuring someone would take on the task. Prenkus stumbles quickly to the hallway, a type of oversized satchel hanging behind him. He crouches at one end, where the riders would need to enter from, beginning the first trap: A wooden dowel, nailed against the wall with twine wrapped around the roll - He runs it to another dowel, nailed to the floor, setting the first tripwire. The twine continues to another dowel, set on the wall, then another on the floor, then another on the wall, and so on. Each dowel is given merely quick attention, one or two hard *BANG*s to its nail to keep it in place. Soon, the path through the hallway would be near to covered in twine, a hellishly frustrating trap but not on its own dangerous. Though, that's what another of the items is meant to fix: A nail, of sorts, pointed on both ends. Within each of the gaps, it is set as a nasty 'hello' to anyone unlucky enough to trip. "Careful in this hallway! Watch the floor!"
MJ ._. Fenris SilverFlight ForgottenName St. Boethius Saavedra Proletariat CerpinTaxt @ReverseWells

 

[St. Boethius]

With the Black Riders closing in Kouki knew that there was no more time to waste. Producing his 5 remaining talisman from his pocket Kouki clapped his hands together in prayer. Hoping against all odds what he was about to do was the right thing. When he was finished with his prayer Kouki took a seat among his allies and began to chant in his native language. After a chant and a gesture Kouki activated his tailsman, which began to glow with power. The talisman should keep anything supernatural a bay, but they could only take so much abuse before they would give way.
His wards now active Kouki began the prayer necessary to release the Nue from his seal. As he chanted Kouki placed the talisman around himself in the arrangement of a pentagram.this way when the Nue was free its power would be absorbed by the talisman and put less stress on Kouki's body. Now all Kouki could do was complete the rather long incantation, and hope that he could make it before the riders broke through.

 

[Proletariat]

Jakob ReiterSaint Albans OrphanageBefore Thaddeus could respond, Jakob's ears perked up and he lifted his head.

"Hmm? Something's coming." Jakob said.

Without waiting on Thaddeus, the hunter marched out of the stable and took a glance around. On the far side of the orphanage he spotted something that caught him totally off guard. Skeletal riders, charging towards the orphanage, and they didn't appear to be coming to adopt.

"Scheisse!" Jakob exclaimed before he sprinted as fast as he could towards the riders, his trench coat struggling to keep up with him and fluttering in the wind. He quickly withdrew one of his two pistols from the outside of his coat and aimed down range. He took a sharp breath, closed his left eye and then squeezed the trigger gently. A loud bang followed by a plume of smoke shot out of his pistol. The small lead ball zipped through the air and cracked against a skeletal horse's knee, forcing it and its rider into the hard, cold dirt. It took only another second for Jakob to sheath his pistol and withdraw the second with his other hand. With another breath and the closing of his right eye he took another shot. More acrid smoke filled the air and this time the projectile cracked against an exposed skull, shattering it immediately. Jakob sheathed his second pistol and reached inside of his coat to retrieve the third, which was armed with a ball of silver.

 

[CerpinTaxt]

"Oliver! Out here if you'd please, I need your help with the house!"

Oliver paused for a few moments. To go back into the bloody cold? Oh yes, a wonderful idea. Why don't we just leave this cozy bar and out into the cold winter. Yes. Splendid. "Guess that's my call to do some work Pascal." He rose up from the chair, setting the barely touched drink down onto the table before giving the other vampire a small nod. "We can have this sort of conversation later." With that, Oliver stepped out and into the cold winter. He made sure to cover his face once more, finding Prenkus was nowhere to be bloody seen. Just where did that man go? He couldn't be that fast.

Oliver was tempted to turn and head straight back into the pub when he noticed something was off about the town. "Where..is everyone?" He mumbled to himself, his eyes looking around to the now dead streets. Sure it was cold, but he still saw people were walking about when he was with Pascal, and he hadn't been in the pub long enough for it to just become everyone's bedtime. No..something was very wrong here. He walked about the lonely streets, making his way back to the manor as he decided if something really was wrong it would be best for him to go there.

His eyes scanned the area, stopping when they spotted the strange blackness out in the horizon. "Oh yes..wonderful." He couldn't help but mumble more as he reached for his ax. "I..Oh for God's sake!" He cried out in frustration once he came to the realization that he'd forgotten the bloody thing again. At least it would still be at the wagon right? That's where he left it. He quickened his pace, breaking out into a small sprint to make the trip a short one as he hurried over to the manor.

His boots skidded slightly on the ground as he began to slow down, dashing past the wagon and just barely able to grab his ax in time. The sound of gunshots was already present when he got there which meant he wasn't the only one aware of the now worsening situation. It was a good thing he had loaded that Colt when he had gotten here. He retrieved one of the heavy revolvers from their holster, holding it in his left hand as he moved towards the oncoming riders. He pulled the hammer back, taking aim at any of the riders he could really get a good shot at before firing away. He figured he may as well strike the neck and chest area, perhaps in hopes of hitting the obsidian gems that should be around that area. He couldn't stay out in the open forever though, even if he was a vampire. They'd certainly try to use their numbers against him and rush him down, even if he wanted to use his ax to chop them all down. He would worry about that once that time came however. He could always just leap through one of the windows after all.

SilverFlight The Gunrunner

 

[SilverFlight]

Iona threw Kouki a half smile as he dashed off. "I'm already glad you're here. Once you get the fortifications in place protect the children."
With that she hurried to complete the preparations Prenkus had asked for, hoping he would return before the village streets were swarmed with creatures.
Once she was sure things were as ready as they were going to be she drew her silver blade. The children oo-ed and ah-ed before she hurried them safely back into their rooms. It was then Kouki returned to propose the new idea. As Iona listened her face grew more and more unreadable.
"I'm not sure I like that idea." She said uneasily, "but I trust you, I'll buy you as much time as I can."
Mina appeared soon after with another idea to help them.
"The odds aren't looking good I'll admit. The last thing I want to do is put children in harm's way, but if we fall, they'll be more than in the way...what's your plan?"
A shadow raced past the door. The wraiths were beginning to enter the village.
Just seconds after that however something raced in the opposite direction and with a loud yell, Prenkus came crashing through the front door.
"Bloody Hell!" Iona exclaimed, nearly laughing with the surprise. "You sure pick your entrances don't you?" She was grinning.
The mead mistress scrambled the eldest children to hurry and do as the Prussian asked, boarding the back door tight. Some even offered to help Prenkus in the building of his traps, thinking it a great adventure.
As Kouki's ritual began some of the wraiths turned, reigning their horses toward the front door. The first few that tried to enter were burned to ash, the dark spell holding them to the corpses evaporating. But soon more arrived, each one weakening the wards that protected the house.
St. Boethius MJ ._. The Gunrunner

Thaddeus allowed the new hunter to suit himself, making room so Jakob could see to his own animal. When he began speculating as to the reason the Order was here Thaddeus tried to hide a smile. "Nothing so dire, or at least, it wasn't supposed to be."
He told Jakob of the ghostly black riders that had attacked them on the road, of the black gems they carried within their bodies and of the two mysterious figures that could somehow purify them.
"Morozko and Snow, his granddaughter, are quite the enigma. I thought they were only fairy tales."
A foul scent began to perforate the air and Thaddeus, his nose being very keen, made a face and turned to look out at the horizon.
"Draw your weapon." He said softly and began to step away from the horses, but Jakob was already moving
"There's something I should tell you about these wraiths...their blades are coated in a flesh-rotting poison. I was scratched by one and had I been untainted, I would be dead. Please, keep your guard up."
In moments Jakob was firing and Thaddeus was far enough away that he could transform without spooking their mounts.
His wolf form came level with the ghastly horses and as one neared he ducked under he blade aimed at his head and caught a skeletal horse by its hind leg, heaving horse and rider up into the air before he let go. He fell upon another as it tried to race by, now savvy of the blades and the threat they posed. He glanced up and froze as a woman in white stepped forward towards the oncoming wraiths. She did not look at all concerned, still, Thaddeus' overdeveloped sense of heroism caused him to bay a warning and bound toward her. The first rider that would reach her never had the chance as Thaddeus' great wolf form landed on it, sending the splintering sound of dry bone cracking through the air. More were coming however and he could not stop them all. They raised their swords to lash out at him, even more aiming for the woman in white. had Thaddeus known at that moment she was a ghost, he would not have been half so worried. A poison that rotted flesh, would have absolutely no power on a ghost.
CerpinTaxt @ReverseWells Proletariat Saavedra

 

[Fenris]

The orphanage was in decent shape but compared poorly to the more upscale lodging the order had provided in past few days, yet after spending the day exposed to the elements the smoke stack rising from its chimney seemed rather inviting. Last rays of sunlight turned the scene into an eerie twilight causing Alexander to squint as he peered at the small faces within and the excitement those faces showed as their group drew closer. Unable to help himself he grinned widely, feeling rather glad to have joined this undertaking; even if recent events had been rather ominous.

Shortly after entering the orphanage Iona had given some veiled commands which the duelist acknowledged with a nod, even if it would take him the better part of an hour to extract himself from the self inflicted duty of handing out toys and keeping a loose semblance of peace among the gathered children. His own preparation's for the battle to come where hardly elaborate and interrupted as a pair of younger boys drew him into a mock sword fight which escalated from him giving instructions to being overwhelmed by a growing number of would be knights swinging their might wooden blades at him.
----
As the call to arms echoed around the house in response to the appearance of the ghoulish riders Alex hurriedly glanced around, ensuring none of the children had been left outside before taking his place within a carefully measured circle drawn in salt; tiny tourmaline gem clutched in his hand. He was no learned spell slinger, but his experience with the arcane had taught him a trick or two. Falling into a low guttural chant the man gestured toward one of the black riders. Alex's mouth filled with the taste of rotting meat nearly causing him to choke but he forced the last few vowels from his lips only to watch a sudden gust kick up a blanket of snow that engulfed the rider and then fall away leaving no sign of the charging ghoul or his mount in the settling snow.

A bead of sweat formed on his forehead despite the cold; more of the fiends where coming on fast but he'd be able to repeat his chant a few more times, assuming the foul taste didn't overwhelm him. Ahead Thaddeus and a recent arrival had began a counter charge, rushing to protect the wispy figure of a maiden who seemed oddly unconcerned by the encroaching evil. While nearby Oliver was busy unloading a fusillade of lead into the dark riders, giving Alexander the confidence to renew his chanting. Yet, the sheer number of ghoulish rider had him sincerely hope the preparations within bore fruit; both Prenkus and Kouki had seemed up to something.
SilverFlight CerpinTaxt Proletariat

 

[Saavedra]

The Order engaged the wraiths according to their own skills. Lady White saw several fall to gunshots, but her view was soon obstructed. Several of the dark riders on the flanks accelerated, leaping over the fence and charging at the orphanage far faster than the riders in the center, who held formation in a more disciplined fashion but were slower as a result. The ranks in the center seemed solid like a wall, and gave a hint as to how terrifying they must have been when they were still alive. Lady White had never fought against such a disciplined formation before. Nevertheless, she knew what to do, and that had been the reason she now stood in front of the fence, the last and only physical barrier between them and the rest of the Order.

From behind her, she heard the bestial sound of a werewolf. She turned her head lazily and watched the tainted approach, thinking for a moment that it intended to attack her. However, his change of trajectory at the last moment carried him away from her. It was just by a few feet, but a ghost had plenty of time to learn the difference. The werewolf barreled right into the center of the formation, falling upon the first rider. That was not nearly enough to stop the formation, though he did distract the ones at the rear, robbing it of much momentum. The White Lady dealt with the rest.

The riders left the snow bank by the road, thundered over the path, and reached the fence. Their horses did the natural thing. With solid ground to stand on, they used all their impulse to jump over the obstacle. There was a moment of comparative silence as the first rank of horses overcame the physical obstacle, and then landed around and in front of Lady White. The closest rider´s sword was already up, ready to come down upon her head, but Lady White did not give him the satisfaction of standing still. She ducked quick like a squirrel, and sliced at the horse´s leg with the hatchet, cutting the muscles and tendons with ease. This was made easier by the horse having just landed from its jump, fixing it in position long enough for its leg to be reachable by such a short weapon. By the time the first horse and rider crashed into the low snow at Lady White´s side, the ghost was turning, sliding, and slicing into another rider´s mount. There was a commotion and a white storm as more riders fell, their bodies kicking up snow and ice up into the air. In a few seconds, Lady White ducked and glided among the formation, breaking its center with the skill and speed that only a warrior with no proper physical body could boast. Even with a corporeal body as she had at the moment, there was barely any weight to worry about. No worries about muscles and tendons being overexerted, or the low temperature slowing down a human body subjected to such bad weather. The wraiths did not have to worry as much about that as a human, either, but Lady White had minimized that advantage of theirs by using the fence to slow them down. It was the sort of thing you learned after centuries of experience fighting apparitions, and why give the tainted a fair chance?

Lady White cut one last animal´s leg and reached the fence. There were no more riders beyond except those that now fought with the werewolf. But at her back, five wraiths stood up and stepped away from their fallen mounts. Another three riders still on their horses had slowed down upon noticing the center of the formation disappearing and now turned back from the main charge. Those on foot reached her first, weilding their swords with cold and furious eyes. The first to attack slashed down from above. Lady White ducked down to a knee and slashed back with her hatchet, cutting the wraith´s hand holding his sword. As the second one stepped around his comrade to attack, she wrapped her free arm around the wounded wraith´s neck and slammed the hatchet into the new assailant´s head. As he fell back, already dissolving into a dark cloud, the cold around Lady White intensified to a degree no natural being could survive. The wraith trapped in her embrace froze second by second as a third attacker´s thrust searched for the ghost´s side. The Lady turned and used the freezing rider as a shield. The attacker did not care. His sword became lodged in his comrade´s body, so he drew a dagger and stabbed at the Lady´s head. She ducked, letting go of the frozen wraith, and attacked from below. The hatchet cut the wraith´s arm off at the elbow. Another attack found his neck. The hatchet could not cut it off cleanly, but the wraith fell anyway, dissolving together with his comrade. Then, the first rider on horse arrived, a spear aimed at her. Lady White knew perfectly well what a problem it was going to be, just as she knew her improvised weapon was on the verge of breaking apart. A hatchet for cutting wood would not hold together much longer in a battle like this even with the ice she had coated it in... most of which was gone anyway. Given the more immediate problem, Lady White decided to give the weapon one last use. It sailed through the air and hit the rider´s horse square in the head. The blade cut into the skull, cracking apart in the process, the handle trembling even as the horse fell.

That just left three wraiths on foot and two on horse. Manageable, she thought to herself, even as her eyes searched on the ground for anything she could use. Unfortunately, the wraiths´ weapons disappeared together with them. And though the situation was worse than before, Lady White could not bring herself down to using a simple stone to fight. It was as that thought came to her that she noticed the dark crystals where the wraiths had fallen and dissolved. They showed a dull purple glow, a beautifully sinister contrast with the white snow around them. They had sharp tips that pointed up into the night. And on noticing them, Lady White saw something quite subtle indeed. It was visible to a being halfway from another plane such as her, but even then, you had to know what you were looking for. Dark strands, almost like undone yarn, leading off into the distance... toward the village.

"Ah." It was the first sound she emitted since the fight had started. Had anyone been close enough to hear it, and also to notice that as a ghost, she did not breathe, gasp or pant at all despite her efforts during the fight, they would have known just how important what she had seen was. Lady White certainly knew what it meant.

The wraiths would not stop coming.

The Lady leapt over the fence and ran toward the werewolf. The unhorsed riders followed, vaulting over the fence with far less elegance, but double the menacing aura. The riders hesitated, turning back to look where their comrades had charged, and ultimately decided not to go after Lady White, and instead join their fellows attacking the orphanage. This put three wraiths on foot following the Lady, who in turn ran toward Thaddeus.

 

[MJ ._.]

Mina explained her last resort plan as Iona asked her to: “his must be done before circle of enemy is too closed. I don’t know how you make holly water in England but we do it by praying upon rain water… we don’t have spring rain water here but there is lots of snow. Also, if I try to make it I’d need hours which we don’t have luxury of… while children are innocent and honest with what they want; their prayers will work faster and they are bigger in number so if they need to defend themselves I can teach them to pray on snowballs their make and then those soft and harmless snowballs will work as effective as holly water or sacred oil on wraith. Even a kid will be able to harm them…” She was in the middle of explaining when Prenkus barged in giving some quick instructions that elder kids were ordered to perform. “I don’t think some feeble boards can hold ghouls back. It will only block our escaping path.” She spoke out her idea of the matter before going back to her conversation with Iona. “That was all. Now that everyone are on it and as I heard a new man has joined us, I hope we don’t need to make children go out and play snow balls with their lives on stack in freezing cold.” She said then listened to commotion out of the orphanage. “I’d better join them as well.” She went to supply room first and looked for something useful for long range fighting.

Mina came out of orphanage with a slingshot in her hand. She removed the snow from ground in front of her quickly and broke a stone out of grip of ice to throw it at invaders who were closer by slingshot. Although the stone hit one of wraith but didn’t cause effective harm. But the black woman didn’t care and kept throwing stone to the same spot on undead’s chest till finally managed to dig a hole there and shoot the dark crystal inside out of the corpse with the last required shot. The wraith disappeared as the crystal fell off and she aimed for the second opponent.
SilverFlight Saavedra St. Boethius Fenris The Gunrunner

 

[St. Boethius]

Kouki continued the ritual despite what was happening outside, and as the ritual reached its conclusion the Nue's power began leaking out of the seal causing lighting to arch out of Kouki's body randomly. This was what his talisman on the floor were for. Acting like a lighting rod so that the stray magic didn't hurt anyone. As everyone fought against the wraiths outside Kouki could sense that the first layer of defense he had set, the fire barrier, was on its last legs. He knew that while everyone was quite skilled there was only do much they could do against such overwhelming numbers. No sooner did Kouki stand up and start heading towards the door, his talisman literally floating around him, did he feel his barrier crumble and anyone near the talisman would see them burn away to ash. Now there would be nothing from him keeping them out, but as Iona asked he made sure to protect the children. Kouki still had a second layer, a wind barrier, that still protected the children. Kouki knew that he was nearing the end of his prayer and as he walked out of the door, to his shame, he froze. He watched as his allies fought the wraiths, slaying them one by one and reduce them to their crystalline forms. He could feel the anger, and the grief of the wraiths that had been forced back to the mortal world, and it overwhelmed the young man. It made him realize that what he was about to do would bring them only suffering. As a representative of the Kami it was his job to preserve life and help those who were suffering. How could he had the power granted to him by the Kami to cause such suffering to the wraiths who were just as innocent as the children he was trying to protect. It wasn't like purification were he cleansed the spirit and sent them on their way. The Nue would destroy them crystal and all.
As Kouki stood in the cold of winter he had reached the end of his prayer and know all he had to do was clap his hands together to end the prayer and complete the ritual, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Even as his friends fought for their lives, even as the power of the Nue threatened to overwhelm him and destroy his body. He just stood there in front of the mansion regretting his decision to use Nue and ashamed that he didn't properly think through his actions.
SilverFlight Saavedra MJ ._. Fenris The Gunrunner

 

[GoldenAgeBoredom]

The native walked through the land; his body was frozen, and his mind calm yet. The town called to him as he called to his prey so many moons ago, blood pumping throughout his body at supersonic speeds with the sounds of his heart echoing throughout the night's air. Kajika had never been one for being punctual; however, he always insisted that the perfect time to arrive was whenever he touched down in his destination, and it was now the ideal time to join his comrades. From the town, he heard gunshots, the sting of metal, he smelt the putrid smell of werewolf's blood, wraiths, horses, vampires, and he saw the waves charge against the line of tainted and hunters. Leave it to the Order to make a simple affair nasty. His mind was marinated with this thought as he approached the crumbling orphanage. Out of his pocket, he took a small drink of a peyote tea he had brewed while he released himself from all of his adornments except for his loincloth. Into the snow, he collapsed in a near-nude state and began his pre-battle prayer.

"Ga lu lo hi gi ni du da," the weathered voice of the aged man rang out loudly into the night to alert those nearby of his presence. "Nu da wa gi ni li si," his voice rang out louder into the night, almost shouting at this point. "E lo hi gi ne tse," he chanted as the peyote flask dropped from his hands whilst the air around him grew gelid with the prayer. "Ga li e li ga," he stated as the tone of his voice grew sinister with the moan of a beast while claws slid from his fingernails. "Si gi ni gé yu," was screeched as the prayer devolved into syllables escaping the esophagus of some inbred cervine beast. Lastly, as his transformation into his cervine form was complete, he uttered out the final syllables of his prayer, "O sa li he li ga."

A monstrosity arose from its knees in the snow with its flesh crawling drenched with the putrid taste of death that invaded the air around him. Fleas danced across Kajika's cervine head while his neck lurched forward feet beyond his body. Blood stained the fur that engulfed his face, back, and legs a deep crimson that could never be wiped clean no matter what compound was taken to wash the horrifying tainted creature that stood many meters off of the ground. His hooves sank into the snow as he let his knuckles drag across the snow before he made himself drop into a position on all fours with his claws penetrating the ground as swords would pierce human flesh. Kajika began to rush forward at breakneck speeds towards the hunters and wraiths as his back arched as a child burdened with scoliosis. As the werebeast's powerful thighs propelled him forward multiple meters with every step, he soon formulated his plan to slaughter the wraiths that plagued the orphanage.

Though not as elegant or as beastlike as others, there was a dance to the method through which Kajika would tear apart the wraiths. He froze for a moment by the fence before charging across the open field. Through the charge, he sliced across the gut of one apparition so that it may split in half and dissipate for a moment until he stood a hundred feet away from his starting point. Once more he strafed across the field, slaughtering another wraith with vicious intent through dragging it to the other side of the area before cracking into its skull. It was almost like a stench soaked blur that sliced down the haunting ghosts that plagued the region. Ignorant of his counterparts, he continued his slicing and dicing the unhorsed wraiths as he slid from one end of the battlefield to the other.

 

[The Gunrunner]

Prenkus Lohmeyer

Prenkus takes on the offer of the children's help, seeing it as an opportunity to perform his tasks more quickly. The hallway's traps are set and he waves them out to the back of the house, taking the roll of boards with him. The bundle is dropped on the ground beside them, along with the tools necessary - "Board the back windows, and quickly." His choice of tone would make it clear this was not an adventure, if the sight through the windows and gunfire didn't signify this already. Prenkus' personal tasks go into other areas, such as a trap should the wraiths break through: He opens the kitchen's oven, shoving a cast-iron pot to the back with the top facing towards the opening - He pulls out a handful of spare bullets, setting them inside with their backs to the bottom. He grabs the sides of the oven, heaving as he uses his arms and legs to drag the thing into a far corner of the kitchen, where its eventual fire can cover more of the room while specifically facing the door. Once in place, he wipes away the sweat on his forehead and continues to his next task: Barricading the back door. The task is crude and simple; move the chairs, tables, coat stands, and any other furnitures against it. Tossing what's lightest first, then grunting and heaving as he drags the heavier items. It would take time, but not long. "Faster, faster!"