Staunton Bluffs Episode I: To the Borderstone

[BigBadQDaddy]

Alain stops a moment to look to his freinds.
"Look, We can't stop now. We have not pushed on so hard to let Lodissio die in the middle of this horrible bridge."
He then runs his fingers through his wet hair and looks over the party, then turns and continues on.

[Le Noir Faineant]

[Is either shore in sight?]

Nothing can be seen in except the mists, far away, and the cruel rain...

[Boccaccio Barbarossa]

Avra finds some small comfort in carrying Lodissio's body - at least it feels solid enough, and is easily explained, unlike the girl, the rain, the bridge, the beast, the silent sea... "Are we in a dream?..." He mutters to himself aloud. He shakes his head as if the mists were only in his mind and he could gain some clarity in the reflexive action.

"Perhaps we should just leap into the sea..." He spits, bitterly...

(Can he see his reflection in the water? Or is the wind distorting the surface too much for that anyways?)

[Le Noir Faineant]

(Can he see his reflection in the water? Or is the wind distorting the surface too much for that anyways?)

Indeed. To see somthing down under would mean to stare into sea for a quite while, and to be concentrated solely on this... Like Nicholas did when he got that stroke...

[Le Noir Faineant]

[Move on?]

[Boccaccio Barbarossa]

Yes. Avra presses on.

[Le Noir Faineant]

So, you force your tired muscles to bear you forward, a while longer.

The rain and the wind, hit your faces and your skin, and you wet cloth rubbs over your battered bodies.

Again, hours and hours seem to pass, as you press on and on.

The mists croach nearer and nearer to the supernatural bridge, making the phantom sea below vanish under a gray cape.




We keep what we take...




Soft voices whisper in your heads and lull your minds into a wakened sleep...




We keep what we take...








Suddenly, you can see the narrow stone path widden before your feet .

You're standing on an broad ledge, and the ground beneath your feet is not slippery stone any more, but solid earth and flint.

Twenty meters before you, a giant column of natural stone - a mountain, you would say, if it wasn't that exaltedly high and had that twisted and wicked form- broad towers into the misty sky.

A small stone house stands in the centre of the rocky ledge, wether-torn and ruined. In a circular line around it, around the opened door, the corpses of ten or fifteen persons.

Even through the rain, you can see that it must have been only a short while ago that they died.

[BigBadQDaddy]

Alain stops dead in his tracks as he chokes on the very air he breathes.
The shock of coming upon the mysterious bodies leaves him breathless for a moment or two before he inhales sharply.
"What in the name of..."He trails off. He stands in horror of the sight before him, unable to move for the time being.
"What...What did this?"He asks everyone and no one.

[kintire]

Shana gazes in numbed desbelief at the sight, then looks slowly around

"I really hope we don't find out..."

[DamienJ]

Relief at finally reaching the end of that bridge turns to dismay as they spot the house and its victims.

"Gods, again..."

At the ghastly sight, Nicolas is quick to turn the child away, hoping he's prevented her from seeing the worst of the carnage.

"Despite your young age, it seems you have seen far too much already." He holds her close to him, facing the mysterious sea.

"I wonder what she has seen...where could such a child have come from? He keeps his thoughts to himself, trying not to upset her too deeply.

[Don Fernando]

The sight of the stone house allows Jarryd to rest his exhausted body. He manages to find a rock nearby and lets his body lean hevily against it. Not letting the house out of his sight, Jarryd tries to identify something in particular.

"Have anyone of you heard something whispering??" he asks curiously to the group. "It was like people were speaking to me....something about keeping what they take...."

He remembers that Lodissio is badly wounded and that he needs help. With difficulty, he manages to stand up, his aching body still responding. "That house is certainly the last place we should spend the night in.." he says while making his way to Lodissio. "But our friend here needs care..." he says pointing to Lodissio's body. Jarryd reaches his arm, hoping that he's still alive.

I will try to wake him up, maybe he knows were we are...

[Le Noir Faineant]

"I wonder what she has seen...where could such a child have come from? He keeps his thoughts to himself, trying not to upset her too deeply.

The girl shivers, but still doesn't say a word. Her lips are like blue, and she looks as if she will faint in any moment.

I will try to wake him up, maybe he knows were we are...

The satyr stays unresponsive and doesn't wake up - it seems indeed as if he had fallen into some sort of coma.

As you stay in front of the horrific, yet somewhat... sublime... scenery, the wind seems to blow even colder. If possible at any rate, the sky of the dark nightmarish dimension is darkening even more - although the rain seems finally to soften...

[Tavian]

"Their deaths seem recent. Whatever did this is not far." Tavian says.

[BigBadQDaddy]

Alain face grows with panic.
"We Need to leave this place..."He says to the group.
"What ever did this is STILL here, I know I heard the same whispering Jaryd spoke of." He begins to pace about nervously.
"Look, If this building is here, there is a good chance there may be other structures nearby that would hopefully be more inviting than this."
He stops pacing and wraps his cloke tightly around himself as he gives a visable shiver.
"We have to keep looking, we can't stay here."
He then gives another shiver as he looks to the party.

[Le Noir Faineant]

If you look around, you will realize that you stand on relatively small ledge in front of that mysterious mountain. Nothing grows on the ledge; just the wet stones are there.

Indeed, it seems as there is no real choice between going back or facing what may lurk right before you...

It's quiet around you. No sign of life, just the cold and freezing weather... You might all get sick if you stay where you are...