[i][b]Deep in the Nightwood...[/b][/i]

The ruins of Woldin jutted out of the undergrowth here and there, moss-and-ivy covered. A column here, an arch there, and many tumbled stones. Masef was familiar with the place from his youth, but all of them were. Sunlight pierced the forest canopy, here and there, but it was a place in the shade and through the passage of time. Woldin had long since been picked clean of secrets, except for a few carvings one could study here and there, but it was also a place of nature and spirits. 

It was also the place where Brand was being laid to rest, in among people like him. Druids, rangers, and other worthy folk. It was a place of peace. Few knew of the place to seek it out, and what once were rooms and buildings were converted over to catacombs for these people. 

Qazar noted how thin the boundaries between this world and the spirit were, but otherwise was silenced. There were other things Masef was listening to with new ears, such as the almost-song on the wind, a language he could only partially decipher. In his childhood, these things came to him once in awhile, but less indecipherable was still indecipherable. 

Usually, this place of serenity would be a place to linger, but here it felt like they had a sad duty to carry out, with Brand's body in tow. They'd buried the gold for later, figuring that was best hidden away if Bloody Harold had a good use for it, but they'd have to determine what could be done with it later. Lingering in this place was not, in Masef's mind, an option, but they had to spend some time to ensure that Brand was properly laid to rest. At the same time, it was hard to shake the feeling that Brand's body on that cart meant something, though Sachevia was vague and none of them had any idea as to what that purpose was. His instinct, and he listened to his a lot, was that there was a darker purpose than merely some display. A sense of unease flitted past him, but he wasn't sure where it came from. It was there, but he didn't have the means to decipher it.

Once the family was there, what was left of it anyway, Masef broke the silence; they had the coffin, lugged through the woods painstakingly, and they had the burial ground, "I think we need to burn his body. Whatever purpose they had for it, ashes scattered over Woldin would be hard to desecrate."

Brand would, hopefully, approve and understand. He'd be one with the land.

[@Flagg][@Naril][@R31GN][@Gunther][@Airbender][@POOHEAD189][@NickTrano][@Noxious][@Hellis][@The Survivor]