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[i]Pap pap pap pap pap pap....

Shlock shlock shlock shlock....[/i]

These were the sounds that Lord Barret heard as he rode alongside the refugees of what was once the small village of Dornwich, his breath fogging as the cool air nipped at his skin and as the rain came down on this, a cold and dreary Saturday morning. The old raven and his apprentice, the young Lua; had manage to track the plague to the small village of Dornwich were they found that their enemy had already begun overtaking the village, slaughtering what innocents came across their tainted path. They had killed all those who had become afflicted with the curse and made damned sure that they wouldn't rise again to take revenge. Even though the old raven knew that they were truly dead, he still had nightmares that they would return from the Earth to rend the flesh of the living.

A young girl, perhaps 7 or 8, looked up at the older man as she walked beside her father. The man rode a massive black steed he'd called "Daredevil". He wore a set of black armor that appeared to be a combination of chain mail and leather, light but strong. Across his right shoulder was a black wool cloak that bore an insignia she didn't recognize; 3 crows with their wings spread forming a circle on a red field. Across his back was a longsword that her father could have forged, on his left hip a mean looking hatchet still stained with blood. Beneath the cloak, the older man had a strange looking [url=https://media.sketchfab.com/urls/95a99b9fb0c541a5acce2172632ecccd/dist/thumbnails/12aa318651174ed1858e0c8a39462f39/1024x576.jpeg]crossbow[/url] with a quiver of bolts strapped to his thigh in a leather pouch. The man had a strange silver bottle that hung around his neck and looked no longer than her hand. The woman had a similar bottle that hung from her neck as well. What was in the bottle she wondered. Wine? No. Water? Unlikely. Perhaps it was a magic potion. When the man glanced at her, she looked away towards the city of Kenfort.

Barret glanced back up to the road and could see Kenfort was less than 15 minutes away. He breathed a heavy sigh as his breath fogged up once more. He felt weary and troubled as he glanced to the pair of ravens that followed them above. Something was eating at the old raven as the walls were beginning to grow in size as they approached. The man had been alive for a long time and had come to learn that trusting his gut was always a wise decision. However, his intuition told him now that Kenfort was perhaps not such a wise idea. There was a heaviness to the air, like the air was constipated but would ease up once it had a good storm. He couldn't quite understand why he felt uneasy but these people were now homeless and at the mercy of the elements and the plague itself. As they approached, a dog barked and howled in the distance. Not normal barking, angry barking. As though it smelled a predator nearby. His attention however was brought to the gates ahead and a set of guardsmen armed with spears. 

Lucian glanced to Lua and motioned for her to follow him to the front of the refugees. He gave Daredevil a light kick to pick up the pace as he rode ahead of the group to meet with the guards. The leader raised his hand and approached.

"[b]Oy! That's far enough. What business you have coming to Kenfort?[/b]" he asked. Lucian eyed the guards with their spears but spoke plainly.

[b][color=darkred]"We're escorting these refugees from Dornwich. The village was attacked and they need asylum. Open the gates and let them in"[/color][/b] the old raven said. The man raised an eyebrow as he was ordered by the older man. 

"[b]Oh really? On whose authority?[/b]" he asked. Lucian scowled.

[b][color=darkred]"Mine. Open the gate. Now"[/color][/b] he said with a growl. His mood was not to be tested and he didn't have any wish of killing guardsmen that were simply doing their job. The man glanced at the refugees, noticing the little girl and feeling his expression lighten a bit. He had a little girl of his own back home and they looked harmless. He glanced back to his men and nodded as the gates raised. Lucian breathed a sigh of relief and motioned to the refugees to go ahead. [b][color=darkred]"Go to the church, the priests will find you all a place to stay"[/color][/b] he said in a raised tone. There were scattered nods among the refugees as they crossed the wall's threshold. Lucian watched as they all went through and glanced to the soldier.

[b][color=darkred]"Has there been any violent acts of note committed recently?"[/color][/b] he asked. The soldier scowled slightly and nodded, explaining that a man was recently hung and buried for dismembering his wife and daughters with a wood ax. Lucian frowned and nodded. [b][color=darkred]"Thank you"[/color][/b] he said as he rode through the gate himself. He looked to Lua and sighed. [b][color=darkred]"I think the Cursed have made a presence in the city. The animals seem to be on edge and agitated. The story about that man doesn't make me feel any less suspicious either. I propose we investigate lest we have to deal with a city of Cursed"[/color][/b] he commented.[/center]