Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: Master Bedroom --> Tap room Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

Kathryn woke short of breath, tense, unsure if she was breathing in or breathing out. She must have been loud though, as Lizbeth was already up asking if she was okay. Thankfully Kathryn was already in a panic, as seeing Lizbeth in her current form would have drawn a gasp from the half giant. It was in that moment though she realized how tense she had gotten from her dream. Her hand was beginning to ache from how hard she was holding the dagger under her pillow. The silver blade she liked to keep close, just in case. And Kathryn looking at Lizbeth now could only think of the words Cecily told her the night before. "She died, you know." And here she was. Looking only a stone's throw away from returning to the dead. "I'm... I am okay. Just startled is all. I hope I didn't disturb you." She may look different. Unwell even. But she was still the same girl that had been assisting Kathryn these last few months. The same girl that she had been training with blade and shield. It was only a matter of time before secretes that were kept closer to heart came out. "Try to get back to sleep yeah? We got a busy day tomorrow." Kathryn said reassuringly to the small bean. Before returning to bed herself. She had to fight to return to sleep. Much of the remaining night was spent eyes closed fearful of what she had seen.

She did eventually fall back asleep. Though it felt like it was only minutes. She felt well rested enough. Ish. She felt terrible but she thankfully felt okay enough to take on the day. Then Kathryn realized to her horror, she has a room mate to contest with this morning. She had to change into her armor now! Which meant kicking Lizbeth out, or going out in her sleep wear to find somewhere to change. How could she be put in this position?! Right... she tried to shield Lizbeth and now she was in this position because of it. Only when she sat up, Lizbeth was already gone? Well, that solved that problem. Setting up her weapons, armor, other gear including her nets, axes, the sending stone, one of the cursed looking daggers from their new undead work buddies, and the other bits and bobs she could fit into her belts, she quickly had to find a home for it all on her person. Hammer, sword, her axes, one silvered one not, the silvered dagger, rope, shield, and an assortment of other things. Dressed in her under clothes, the padding that sat between her and her armor, her armor over top of that in several layers, the tunic that sat over that, and her cape that helped keep her warm while in her full kit. Then came her friendship ring, the wooden hammer necklace Kosara gave her, the magic amulet that turned booze to healing potions, her two water skins of water and brandy, her gauntlets, then before she could put her helmet on she had to make sure her braid would be covered. Or she would have a nice convenient pull string going down her back that some arse could pull down mid fight and knock Kathryn out. Once that was safely tucked, she placed her helmet on with her back on spare gear and snacks under her arm. Was it a lot? Yes. Was it well placed, packed, organized? Abso-fucking-lutly! The bulk of anything Kathryn needed was right at arms reach! And the spares were all packed away in her pack!

Coming down the steps sounded like a massive creature with an even bigger will of ill intent was stomping down the stairs as she stepped down into the tap room, having to bend over to not bump her head again. "Good morning Lizbeth, you're looking well and truly prepared for battle. At this rate I'll be able to stop holding back on you in no time." Some of it was teasing the younger girl like a sibling, but a lot of it was pride. Kathryn knew how much of a force of nature she could be in a one on one battle. If the bones she accidentally broke on BB were to mean anything to that statement. Not that BB couldn't give her a run for her money. She was far stronger, but he was fast, and had some martial arts tricks up his sleeve that Kathryn simply had no reliable counter too. So thought there was some teasing, it is important to mention that Kathryn holding back still never meant she allowed Lizbeth to win. She still had to earn her wins. She still had too play things carefully. Kathryn could still not go all out on Lizbeth. If she returned Lizbeth to Cecily bruised, beaten, bones broken, teeth missing, and with the happiest smile only gotten from a small child who was having the time of their life through extreme danger, she didn't think it would go over well.

"You seem to be doing rather well this morning, did you sleep well?" Kathryn asked warmly before taking off her helmet and setting it down on one of the tables, then grabbing herself some breakfast, and taking a long sip strait from the bowl. "This is really good Lizbeth, thank you so much!" Like a classic noble woman, Kathryn had few skills outside of her combat skills. Her cooking was limited, her baking was a tad better, but she had no real skills in cleaning or other house work. That actually left her a bit worse off than most noble woman. Many still did some house work around their homes. Kathryn couldn't even do that effectively. When Master Urmdrus arrived, Kathryn was quick to let him in, and he was quick to get to his business. "Uhm... good morning..." She said a bit meekly as he went about, ate some food, drank some brandy, showed Lizbeth her new stuff, then promptly left. "I uh... Have a good day!" She called out to him as he left.

Once everyone was in the room for the day, Kathryn took a moment to think about how to bring up her next question. Because it could just be a string of bad dreams, or it could be... something more. Before she could think herself into a corner and freeze up with the questions, she blurted it out just to make sure it got out there. "Has anyone else been having really weird dreams recently that you're a bit concerned could be either someone else's memories or some morbid predictions of the future?" Kathryn blurted out, decided that this was too stressful, and took a shot of brandy to go with her breakfast.

Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 5 HP: 33 / 33 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Coach House Action: Spellcasting (Prestidigitation, Minor Illusion) Bonus Action: Morty, Familiar stuff Reaction: N/A

At some point in the night, Victoria woke. In hindsight, she could not remember whether it was before or after the strange dreams, such was the nature of the subconscious mind blurring with the waking one, it seemed to be with purpose. Beyond the sound of her roommate's nocturnal breathing and the soft crackle of the fireplace, now burning fairly low but still providing adequate heat, Victoria could hear notes playing out of doors - the very distant plucking of strings in a familiar, yet not especially comforting way. The sounds were beautiful, no doubt, played by an expert hand. It took a while before she realized that this was the same type of music that she heard, and played her violin to accompany, some many nights ago. Between this and her odd romp into dreamland, the rest of the night provided uncertain rest.

Nevertheless, she rose the next morning. Her day bean earlier than she really wanted it to, and so contented herself with laying there, beneath her warm blankets and comfortable (if not exactly luxurious) accommodations, offering up the occasional casting of Prestidigitation to warm up the bedclothes around her. It wasn't until her own personal call of nature that Victoria finally gave up any pretense of staying in semi-blissful morning repose. So finally, with a hint of a pout across her face, the Bard rose. She ran her fingers through her hair to untangle what few strands may have gone out of place (scandalous!) in her sleep, but it was oft spoken among her people that Victoria was immune from bad hair days, so this action wasn't exactly required in the broader sense of the term.

Still in her black silk chemise and pantalettes, she quietly conjured up the image of a dressing screen before tending to business via chamberpot and selecting for herself appropriate clothing for the day. Owing to the weather and the fact that she fully expected to have to exert herself today, Victoria chose close-fitting black trousers as opposed to a skirt, along with an appropriate top of the same color. Wool, as opposed to linen. This was bolstered by the black and green mottled, custom segmented, Dwarfcraft light armor - better than any standard leather she had worn but so very flattering to form and movement - and concealable beneath clothing.

Over this she layered a flowing purple robe with side-split skirting and a black, hooded mantle. Naturally, she chose to maintain wearing her new black and gold pashmina (as she really liked that garment, regardless of the questionable source). A black waist wrap provided additional support for her swordbelt without sacrificing mobility. Today, she was probably going to go without her very, extraordinarily bardy hat, as her hood was well enough and she didn't expect to need it. High boots and long, fingerless gloves completed her ensemble. Her appearance didn't immediately give off an expectation that she was a Bard, professionally, though her mannerisms might immediately correct this.

Being as this place kept feeling more and more "adventurous", Victoria equipped herself for a potential adventure with her kit and gear, then exited the room as quietly as she was able. There wasn't a good reason to wake people who didn't ask for it. There was a final glance at her "biggest, jauntiest, bard-iest hat ever," like she was leaving a friend behind, but ultimately thought the better of it. Hair was good, cosmetics were light, necessary swagger had been achieved; it was time to greet the day.

She noted Urmdrus's departure, carrying a mostly empty sack. Pity that she couldn't do nay more than call his name and wave a greeting; he seemed like a decent, if gruff fellow - regardless of his somewhat questionable background.

Downstairs, Victoria entered the room like she was expected, to find a simple breakfast set up and an almost serene hearth. Morty trotted along at her heel, the ever-loyal if mindless sidekick to the dazzling necrobard, mummified in burlap for ease and convenience, its tusks yet still exposed for whatever utilitarian or martial uses they may be put to. Morty took its place out of the way yet near its mistress in case of some unforseen eventuality and settled into a motionless form of standby.

Victoria politely took a bowl, a seat, and looked across the table to Kathryn, who had arrived before her. She thoughtfully placed a spoon into the oat porridge and stirred it once and gave a tiny smile. She focused her attention inward, bringing a mote of magic into the room as a sudden fluttering could be heard from the horizontal roof joists above. A smallish, black feather drifted earthward, only to disappear before it reached the eye level of the more humanoid guests present. A great, black corvid flapped its wings as it descended, lighting upon the back of a nearby chair.

A quick bite of breakfast and an noncommittal shrug later, Victoria addressed Kathryn's question. "Just the same things I usually see when I close my eyes..." There was a trail-off and a smile attached to the statement, but it was only to hide a glimmer of shock. "But yes, I indeed did have some dreams that most would consider unsettling. Maybe the others did as well?" This did seem unnatural, and the coincidence of their recent issues could not just be taken for granted. "It was like ... It was very much like dreams I had a number of nights ago. Blood, conquest, slavery, and I used Necromancy with power and control that are vastly beyond my present abilities." She thought for a moment. Then concern etched her features. "They called me 'Prince' in my dream. 'Prince.' This raises questions."

Rather than belabor that particular issue, Victoria instead moved onto another. "I was surrounded by a small army, or a detachment of a bigger one, in a place with small towns perched upon rolling hills with wet lowlands - a moor - and mountains in the background. I am led to believe that I arrived from behind those mountains, for specific purpose." She looked quizzical, as a lady confronting a jigsaw puzzle which was missing several connecting pieces. The clear image simply could not be fathomed without them. "I shall give this some thought while I'm in town. Medician Floquet was very clear that even an Undead Uprising is not an excuse to miss training today." She tucked into her breakfast, mind processing but not quite figuring out some connections or the significance of the details. Hopefully, they had time to ponder. But she did have to hurry this morning, as there was perilous snowfall to brave before she could get to Southmoor.

Kosara Tiefling, Warlock (Celestial), Level 04, Barbarian, Level 01 HP: 34/ 34 Armor Class: 12(15 Mage Armor) Conditions: N/a Location: Coach House Action: Perstidigitations Bonus Action: N/a Reaction: N/a

There was a certain thing to her dreams that Kosara couldn’t quite every properly explain once she woke up. The white tiefling’s dreams were almost all the time a jumble of weird scenery amusing happy scenery and nightmarish grotesque events, when she wasn’t just dreaming about something silly or wild anyways. This time it was a rather heavily grotesque sequence of dancing undead with floppy bits that were all dancing to the tune played by some horned beings, possibly devils or demons… or maybe succubi in really thematic costumes who could really tell. At least until it devolved into her defeating them all with the power of goodness that took the shape of big stick of light that she was whacking people over the head with cackling like mad while riding a majestic golden unicorn.

“...” Kosara was quiet as she woke up and the usual transition a person does from dreams to reality happened, leading to most of her memories of her dreams going away. Gone were the hellish scenes and fiends. All she more or less recalled from her dreaming were field of grass, flowers and riding a pretty horse while laughing merrily…” That was a nice dream.” She concluded, having decided that was all she really needed from said dreams. Yes, Kosara was a happily rested woman. Despite the events of last night, she had gotten a decent sleep for the most part.

With a yawn and a stretch, she stood up to a sitting position, looking around. She was alone in the room, meaning that V had left at some point, but she suspected it couldn’t have been too long ago. In any case, She swung herself into sitting position at the edge of the bed and stood up. She made her bed, changed her clothes into her normal getup for day to day and began performing some light exercises and stretching routines. Had to keep in shape if anything, her main job was dancing and she really needed to maintain her flexibility and dexterity for it.

After dealing with the warm up, she used a towel to dry herself and then prestidigitation to clean her clothing some. The last thing she did was to undo her braid and let her hair fall loose in gentle waves behind her. She just felt like letting it loose today or at least for the time being. She was probably going to have to rebraid it or ask somebody to help her with braiding it later, but for now she enjoyed it loose. Finally with all that done, she picked her back, swung it over her shoulder and happily headed downstairs. The scent of breakfast hit her right away once she entered, her long loose hair swaying behind her back for a change.

“Hey, everybody! Breakfast smells amazing!” She called as she entered the main hall of the coach house.” Did I miss anything?” Kosara asked as she stormed inside like a blur of white and found herself the closest empty seat to the fire, eyeing the breakfast offered with hungry eyes, before she eyed the others.” Why do I feel I’m really missing something?” She quipped, looking at V and Kathryn, the later of which was already moving on alcohol… in the morning! Kathryn was turning into a layabout!" Kathryn..." Kosara begain, staring at the bigger woman. The tielfing's loose white wavy hair was framing her pale face." You aren't trying to get drunk the first thing in the morning... are you?" Her eyes narrowed at the woman's choice of drink! Brandy in the morning! At least it should have been beer if you were to drink it so early!

Baronfjørd "Blackberry" Chedgusah Dragon Born, Monk (Astral self), Level 05 HP: 40 / 40 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Coach House (Downstairs) Action: Sneezing Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A Ki: 4/5

It was the sound of movement and conversation from below which awoke BlackBerry from his dreamless sleep. He gave a low pitiful groan, blearily looking through the darkness of early morning, and then promptly sneezed a few times. BlackBerry gave another groan as he turned over and pulled the duvet and blankets up over his head in an effort to hide away from the cold morning which had invaded his room.

Muted chatter from below and the general sounds of life, and people entering and leaving continued to rise up even through the mattress and blankets. Meanwhile BlackBerry, hiding within his little cocoon, felt like he had been hit by a wagon; a tight invisible band had wrapped around his skull, snot filled his nose making it hard to breath, and something small tickled his throat making him cough. He had a cold and knew it was all that time last night running back and forth in thin robes which had done it.

Time was not on their side however, he reasoned, and there was too much at risk to delay their plans any further. Selfishly, he also thought downstairs would be a lot warmer than hiding in his bed with a now stone cold bed warmer. So BlackBerry with monumental effort pulled himself up and then sat on the edge of bed to recover. It took BlackBerry what felt like an age to ready himself for the day and put on his clothes with frequent pauses to sneeze, cough, and sniffle, not necessarily in that order. But he did survive the ordeal. Just.

"Good Morning All." BlackBerry said with his voice thick with snot when he entered the main tap room. "I trust you all slept well, and are ready to begin our investigation anew?"

Over his jumper, robes, and scarf, BlackBerry had also taken and wrapped around himself two of the thicker woolen blankets from his bed. A spectral arm feebly pulled the door closed behind him, while his actual arm stayed out of sight and safely warm within the blanket he wore.

"Would anyone by chance have a spare handkerchief please?" He sniffled pathetically.

Weather: The utter bitterness of the night has finally given way to the merely freezing cold of the morning. Snow no longer falls in the growing light of the morning, but it is so overcast that the sun is more of a broad assertion than a direct, line-of-sight orb burning in the heavens.

Time: The darkness has passed, for the most part, and we find ourselves in the early morning, sometime just following first light.

Ambience: It is a little bracing this morning inside of the Coach House, at least in comparison to the evening before. If the same metric is applied to the outdoors, then the taproom of the Coach House is a veritable paradise of warmth and vigor. Fine (if plain) smells of cooking and cookfire accent the area within, giving notes of simmering starch and toasted nut.

Out among the grounds of the Rose River Vineyard, a dull but alabaster-vibrant countryside stretched out as far as one may see from the top of the stairs. A couple lines of smoke dotted from a chimney here, a chimney there, but for the most part the overcast, grey morning bore light yet sharp winds and a promise of snowfall which was here to stay unless displaced by shovel or other physical means. The tops of the grape vines which stretched across hill after hill were mostly visible, though drifts did tend to drift and the laden lines upon regular posts formed marginally effective places for snow to pile upon itself.

The accumulation of snowfall seems lessened around the Estate House, likely on account of a lack of natural barriers and the fact that it all sat atop a tallish hill. This does not leave a differing spot in the waves of pastoral white, rather simply demonstrates the advantages of surveyed dwelling development. But getting to the structure, or any other for that matter, looks to become a trying task indeed. One may inquire into the likes of the company's handy man, as there is a rather disrupted line in the otherwise smooth and unblemished snowscape.



"Good morning!" responded Lizbeth cheerfully. Kat had been the first to rise, as they had intended, and so she addressed her knightly mentor first. "Oh yes, I do hope that one day, you won't have to hold back when we train." She seemed a little excited at the prospect, but stifled back the lion's share of her giddiness. "You're welcome for breakfast," she said curiously, "It's just oat porridge, really. Do they not feed Knights? Or Adventurers?" Whomever the enigmatic "they" might have been, the concept seemed to truly puzzle the girl.

The entrance of Victoria into the taproom had Lizbeth greeting her with smiles and the offering of a bowl, which she was pleased to see was accepted. "Good morning, Mademoiselle Belmont!" she greeted, again with a youthful, cheerful disposition. Seeing the raven manifest brought on a longing sort of empathy, altering said disposition quickly as she confessed, "I really wish I could do that..." Luckily, the change was temporary. Victoria was also a mentor, of sorts, or a cousin, even if Lizbeth couldn't place why. But even this feeling of camaraderie gave way when she mentioned the word Prince. It did not get any better when the Half-Elf described her dreams. Lizbeth attempted to stifle a shudder and turned her head away, presumably to get back to her self-assigned duties.

There wasn't much interaction with Kosara beyond the initial pleasantries of the morning, but she did beam a polite, "Oh, thank you!" when the aromas of breakfast were described as amazing. Lizbeth steered very clear of the conversation as soon as the Tiefling lady asked if she was missing something.

Personal dialogue was also not amazingly entered into, and Lizbeth could see why. She didn't placate with ante meridiem greetings nor ask how his night went, she immediately dropped farther into the role of a caretaker, sliding a cup of steaming tea with honey under his face and handing him a bowl of hot oats. Following this, Lizbeth handed him a cleaning rag with hadn't been used that day, and apologized, "It isn't a handkerchief, but you can keep it if you want. And before I forget..." Lizbeth motioned to the brooch and scabbards on the table, "Master Urmdrus left these for you! I'm not sure how he got through all the snow, but, maybe they will help you feel better!"

Attempting to delve into something upcoming rather than dwell, Lizbeth asked the table as a whole, "So after we finish our morning training," this part obviously aimed at Kathryn, "how's everyone spending their day?" Yes, there were obviously evil things afoot and yes, creatures most foul roamed the lands, but Lizbeth didn't seem quite as bothered about this as she might be. Instead it was a whirl of adventurous possibility, even if some of these included rigorous study and labor, which she was hopefully girding the party for with a hot meal and cheerful send-off.

The various platitudes traditional to meeting one's acquaintances and colleagues on a new morning slipped flawlessly from Victoria's lips, as the subtleties of social graces were hers to play almost as proficiently as the strings of her violin. And much like her musical talent, though she was known primarily as a violinist, her capabilities were much broader than that which was immediately apparent. Even so, the words, gestures, and body language presented were not acts of dishonesty - she was genuinely pleased to see them all. Especially Lizbeth, as she had grown quite fond of the kid. But one practices one's art where one could. Warriors sharpened their swords and drilled their bodies, Clerics prayed and meditated on the philosophies of their ethos, and Bards, well... socialized, when they weren't obsessing over their art. There would be time enough later to obsess, so for the meantime, she extended the same levels of energy to her fellow Adventurers as they extended toward herself.

Victoria was feeling more wakeful now, and the relative isolation of their situation was weighing on her mind. Sure, not as much as the probable undead guests somewhere else on the property who likely didn't have their best interests at the forefront of their motivation, but weight nonetheless. She used this better formed wakefulness to move from the merely genial to the ever-so-slightly, perhaps even playfully, sarcastic. "Why, Miss Kosara, I haven't an idea what you might have missed." She smiled a bit. "Excuse me, please." Victoria rose, bearing her teacup with her and crossed over to the barrel of fine and totally not cursed brandy. She poured a bit into her cup - just enough to spike her morning tea a little - and returned to the table. "It is a lovely morning, if abysmally cold. An ounce of fortification never hurt anyone. And I do have to ride into town today." Was it the best idea ever to follow Kathryn's example, when Victoria herself did not possess the same raw hardiness that her associate did? Probably not. But the brandy was excellent and it was only a little. And in her defense, it was unseasonably cold out there.

The subject flowed naturally into Baronfjord's point of order, whereupon Victoria responded, "Our investigation... yes, I believe there were some questions that you wanted me to ask my winter mentor. Remind me, if you would please, and I shall attempt to do so without getting a knife twixt my ribs." It was difficult to tell if she was being serious with her last sentiment. "But I will be going into town today, if this is at all possible. The snows have been very liberal with their gifts over the night, but I can summon the fastest, most sure-footed horse in the land in about ten minutes. I'm sure I can make the trip without serious issue; do let me know if you need anything in Southmoor. ...you should probably stick close to home, Baronfjord. You've had a hard night, and you won't do anyone any good if you get sicker."

The Bard noted with some satisfaction that Lizbeth, despite her tender age, took on a more maternal role with their Dragonborn associate. This was good, in her estimation. Even if she did not have those nurturing instincts herself, it was a positive thing that someone in under their roof did. But she did take the time to respond to Lizbeth, around her care-giving to the rest of the group. The first part concerned with application of her Familiar. "Maybe one day you might be able to, Lizbeth. It is a common enough spell to summon a Familiar to aid you, but I confess it is not usually in the repertoire of a Bard to cast. If it's possible for you, I will try to help how I can." It was doubtful, if she was being honest. For starters, Victoria wasn't sure what Lizbeth was, but she was almost positive that she wasn't like her, persay, in terms of bardic profession. She had suspicions that went back to the day they all met, but nothing she had any reliable points on. "But to you question, I intend to spend the day in Southmoor with Medician Floquet. I have my work with her. If there is anything to research there, I shall, and then continue with our work here in the Vineyard. And speaking of which, I ought get to summoning my horse soon." Victoria recovered her Ritual Book from her knapsack and opened it to the appropriate page, bearing the image of a ghostly steed and script in an cultured, flowing hand.

But first, she made sure to finish her tea.

Kathryn was a bit excited that Lizbeth was excited for the day that the two could truly duke it out with one another. Kathryn could only beat down the same people so many times before it was a bit less fun, though she would want to make sure Lizbeth could defend herself and take a hit before the half giant began to beat the common sense out of her. Alas beating small children with a warhammer was frowned upon in most cultures. Kathryn did let out a soft and warm chuckle as Lizbeth questioned the they that could be starving Kathryn so badly that she craved oat porridge. "There is no they, only me and my coin. I don't have any retainers in my employ due to some financial burdens at home. And my own cooking skills are... a little lacking. Outside of blade and steel, the lists that make up my skillsets gets really short. So I am thankful for any effort anyone can offer me." Kathryn then lifted the bowl of porridge with a smile as if to toast. "So like I said, this is wonderful. Thank you." She said as she finished off the bowl. Maybe her explanation was a little misleading. However, sharing just how bad things were was rather hard. And now that she had a chance to get something going, she had to be careful with what she shared of home. If things were stable though, she would have staff. Her cooking was lacking, her cleaning skills were non existent, though she was a passable baker. With help. "Knights from most noble families have a whole staff who take care of their needs so they can focus on training, fighting, and maintaining their selves and their gear. Though most knights have a horse too, and are a skilled rider with one too." Kathryn just let out a soft shrug. She couldn't really ride a horse all to well either.

Kathryn leaned in close when Victoria described her dreams. At least the ones according to her were weirder than normal. Though it did leave Kathryn questioning what V's normal dreams were like. Kathryn's pale skin seemed to drain of blood even more hearing Victoria's dreams. They were... all too familiar. "There was a prince in my dream. We were waiting for their arrival. We we're... doing awful things. Things that would make any decent person question their sanity. I wasn't in control of my own body as I did unspeakable things." Things that scared her. Things that would provoke her into a rage. Things that would mean nothing but pain for everyone if there was any merit to these dreams. "If you can, can you ask her if any sort of event ever took place near here? The scary part of the dream was not only how real it felt, but how familiar it felt." She paused again when she heard Victoria say that she has had another dream like it recently too. "This is my second dream like this. Do you think that something on the land could be causing it?" Kathryn asked their resident magic expert.

When Kosara arrived and chimed in, Kathryn was already pretty spent. But she didn't want to exclude the tiefling woman. Victoria seemed to brush her off a bit, but the woman probably had her reasons for such a thing. "Just some really weird dreams. Really unsettling and scary dreams. You haven't had anything like that have you?" She asked the tiefling hoping maybe she knew something too. Then Kosara called out Kathryn's breakfast drinking, and in a moment of panic, Kathryn froze, and tried to make up an excuse. Even debated tossing the cup she was drinking the brandy from. In the panic, she grabbed the cup, downed the whole thing, and set it down. "Noooo...." Kathryn said in the absolute most convincing manner. In a way an expert would be impressed! Even the best would have trouble seeing through her falsehood!

BB also created the perfect distraction for Kathryn to divert from this accusation that she was being an alcoholic! "Could have slept better but ya know? well enough. Just... weird dreams that cause nightmares." Kathryn said a little rushed, but she found herself unsure how else to quickly describe the unsettling dream. Lizbeth soon opened up with how everyone is spending their day, Victoria shared how she was spending hers training and asking about questions in the local hamlet. So Kathryn shared her plan too. "I'll be investigating the house, seeing what I can find out before anything else tragic can happen. Staring in the study. Lizbeth you're welcome to join me after training, I could use your local expertise on the matter. And if you have any questions for me about your training, knighthood, or anything else you'd like to know about you can ask about. I can't promise much outside of that as like I said before, my expertise is niche." Kathryn said right before tipping the bowl into her mouth emptying breakfast.

Kosara gave Lizbeth a big smile in return. Their interactions weren’t the longest in general, but she liked the younger woman quite a bit and wanted to be great friends with her! Still she kept respectable distance and politeness since the… barrel incident. Yes, a bit of a shocker for Kosara to learn back then, but learn she did. Though it also made her consider stories of people bathing in the rivers in these parts in the summer hot months. Did it mean they bathed with their clothes on or something? She supposed she’d learn once she had a chance to experience a local summer properly and try to enjoy it, but that was quite a few months away. For now they had things to do and hopefully evils to be stopped before it got that far. Yes, Kosara was a woman with a lot of things to do in the upcoming days… her and everybody in the general geographic area. These things rarely only involved adventurers after all.

On the topic of adventures, V wasn’t especially informative, making the tiefling woman raise a single trimmed white eyebrow at her in questioning manner. Then she went ahead and poured alcohol in her tea, much to the horror of the tiefling. Her eyes were jumping widely between the warrior and the bard with a face clearly expression horrified realization.’ There are two of them now! It’s contagious!’ Kosara’s hands were experiencing mild twitching of her fingers as she debated hitting both of them with lesser restoration right away.

“Scary dreams what now?” Apparently Kathryn had a good distraction as Kosara’s attention was pulled away from the alcohol issue… for now anyways. She made a thinking face.” Not that I can remember… Mine were about riding a golden unicorn through a field of flowers. It was VERY fun.” She said fondly, but her expression was an almost feral wide toothy grin that wouldn’t out of place on the face of a crazed berserker who was drowning in the bloodlust of battle. The shift was sudden and intense, one moment merry Kosara, next crazed Kosara and then just as it appeared it vanished, replaced with worried Kosara as she turned to Berry.” Hey that doesn’t sound too well. Are you sick, Berry?” She asked, voiced filled with warmth and worry. MAYBE the crazy Kosara was a mirage earlier? Trick of the light?” I can cure you of the more common diseases if you wish? It also works VERY well against being drunk.” And her attention was back on Kathryn and V too. Kosara could be distrated, but she rarely completely forgot… unless it was convenient.

In any case, throughout the whole set of happenings, Kosara had also paid some attention on their youngest unofficial member of the party, Lizbeth. Who through the talks of dreams and things seemed VERY uncomfortable. Given their revelations in the previous night.. among other things, she figured it was best to not bring it up at this moment. Instead Kosara decided to focus on the question of what they were going to be doing.” I will stick with my plan to try to visit the local settlement. I will ask around, see if people are already starting to form against us and try to see if the temple has anything going on… Will also check traders and if there’s an inn, will also around there for news. Unlikely for visitors given the state of the roads, but still.”

BlackBerry settled down in his seat without any complaint especially once Lisbeth had placed a warm bowl of fresh porridge in front of him. He wasted no time in ladling a few spoonfuls of honey into the oats.

"Thank you graciously, Young Lizbeth. I shall endeavour to thank Master Urmdus sometime today should I get the chance." He eyed the gifts and marvelled at how handsome they looked. Never in all his days he would have thought one could turn bug shells into such fine and intricate items.

The frail fiery limbs vanished from the world. He had been using them to help him dress earlier and beneath the smothering headache his concentration was about to go. Most importantly though, as had been drilled into him since he was a child, it was rude to display such abilities at the table. There was an audible sigh, followed by a sniffle, when BlackBerry started eating and the porridge quickly got to work warming him.

On the topic of dreams he added to Lady Kathryn, "Nothing too worrying I hope?" He recalled then that Young Lizbeth had been sleeping in Lady Kathryns room last night.

A buzzing sensation at the back of his nose distracted him, he grabbed the dishcloth and managed to catch the sneeze. "Kosara, I would happily take you up on such an offer, but it is simply a cold so I would not wish to trouble you. Simply staying warm and perhaps even some more porridge after this will suffice." He genuinely was already feeling a little better just for being up and about, and the warm room and porridge had taken some of the snottiness from his voice. "I would also not wish to tire you for in case any danger should arrive while you and Victoria are in town. Even more true if word from last night has spread." BlackBerry grimaced with regret for putting his worries out into the world the moment the words left his mouth.

"Victoria, if I recall from last night you mentioned speaking to Medician Floquet about her time during the War. May I have the Teapot please? Thank you. With any luck she may know something" BlackBerry put aside the now empty porridge bowl, despite his cold he had demolished his helping with vigour, and poured himself a steaming cup of tea (two spoonfuls of honey). "Myself, I shall be visiting Jon to make sure he got home safely and to see that no one else suffered any attack or scare." He took a sip of tea and let out another sigh as equal appreciative of the warmth as he was tired from being ill. "Once I am feeling able to of course. I do wonder as well of any tale or rumour of another place buried or forgotten as was the store room that was found."

BlackBerry sneezed again.

Weather: The day is overcast and cold. Wind is behaving a little better and while there is plenty of yummy sunlight, the lion's share of it is blocked by thick cloud cover. It may seem just a bit dreary, but the snow is actually quite lovely.

Time: We have passed beyond first light and are stepping into full dawn. It is early.

Ambience: The temperature has mellowed into something livable inside of the Coach House, thanks to hot food and the giving, controlled fire in the hearth. Maybe the kitchen has a little something to do with it as well. The occasion of the door opening might interrupt the constant warmth, but so long as it isn't for too long, the ambient comfort pours back into the gap.

The grounds themselves are, upon the surface, a picturesque blanket of untamed, ice-white glory, with the exception of the few areas someone has pushed through the snow to reach a destination within the grounds of the Rose River Vineyard. One can track a rather easy path from the open front gate of the courtyard to Master Urmdrus's workshop in the distance. The depth of snowfall here ranges from a foot to two feet deep, but drifts along the buildings of the Vineyard can readily double this, or more. Perhaps more dangerous is the leveling effect that the snow has had with the lower laying areas of the landscape - drifts have covered over holes and hollows, making the lower areas perilous. In some areas, one can barely see the tops of the frames and posts which hold the now dormant vines.

The snow, while still a half foot deep at least around the Estate House, seems to have spared the area immediately around the worst of its ire, thanks to the wind from the previous evening and the higher elevation of the buildings. Access to the building is going to be a touch toward the difficult until things melt or are shoveled out. Otherwise, it's going to be an interesting and very chilly jaunt. In truth, anyone taking a step out-of-doors at all is going to be in for a jaunt that is both interesting and chilly.




"Really?" There was an element of hope, even excitement in Lizbeth's voice when Victoria mentioned the possibility, however remote, that she might one day have access to a Familiar. She barely gave a thought to the idea that this was the first open conversation that she had about any potential ability she may or may not have had toward matters of this nature, merely skirting back along to the task she had at hand. In this case, it was tidying up the table after a warm, simple breakfast. Armor and weapons still on her person, trying to do so as expediently as possible so that they could get to physical combat training. Lizbeth was absolutely sure that she was close to some sort of breakthrough that might make her the equal of at least the Avonshire town guards. Maybe even one of the soldiers of greater Aquitainia, if she was able to keep up with a realm Knight and a retired Dwarf smith.

The mention of dreams from both Kathryn and Victoria did manage to set Lizbeth back from her outgoing personality a bit. She leaned a little closer and asked, "You have bad dreams, too? Do, um... Does something make you things you don't want to? When you see yourself in windowglass, do you look like you've died already? Do you ...do things you're not supposed to be able to?" Suddenly looking a touch self-conscious about butting into a conversation, Lizbeth gave a quick, "I'm sorry, let me handle those dishes, okay?" and hurried about her work.

Continued discussion about the day's activities, per her request, brought Lizbeth back into the conversation. "Sure! I'd be happy to help. I'm not sure what you might need to see inside of the house proper; Grandpa kept to only a couple of places there at the end. One of them was his study. Mostly, it was that study. I rarely even heard of him going up to his bedroom anymore." She thought for a moment, "But I'll help however you need me to, sure."

Kosara's end of the dream/nightmare discussion sounded a lot more of what Lizbeth might have preferred. Dreams of Unicorn rides were just the way for Lizbeth to spend some shuteye. "Oh. That sounds really nice," she uttered, sounding a little dejected. "I've never seen a Unicorn before, except in a book. Have you?"

There wasn't much time for an answer directly, as Baronfjord has put in a request for more oatmeal. Lizbeth seemed happy to oblige. "Yeah! Did you want more toasted nuts or some raisins with that?" Maybe she waited for an answer, maybe she didn't, maybe she would rely on either raised voices or sharp, youthful hearing to get the message after the fact, but she had already grabbed the bowl and was hurrying to the kitchen to get out what she could to put into the bowl for her blue scaled guest. "How about some milk with that? It's still good!" The colder temperatures were appreciated for that task, at the least.

The morning had begun in earnest.

Victoria made a mental note to, as reminded by Baronfjord, pick Annick's brain as to her experiences during the last war and see if it relates to their present situation. She gave him a little nod in appreciation, fixing it into her mental "to do list", and returned to her Ritual Book. While she prepared to summon her otherworldly yet majestic horse, Victoria gave a passing listen to what the others intended to do with their day. It seemed that she would have company going into town, at least, though getting there seemed like it might be a bit of a chore overall. Hence, the summoning of a swift and sure-footed spiritual mount that she would most likely not have the ability to safely control in these conditions, were it not a product of her magic.

At the very last instant before the Ritual's conclusion, Victoria cracked open the front door just enough to get a line of sight to the outside. It simply would not do to bring the phantasmal creature into being inside of the Coach House, after all. Sure enough, the great beast appeared just outside; a potentially thundering beast of a horse with hair the color of fresh bone and socks of ebon black, the same color as its mane and tail which flowed as if underwater, untouched by the wind around it. An eerie, purple luminescence reflected from its eyes, steadfast and intelligent. It had the build of a warhorse and the poise of a noble as it waited patiently to be of use to its mistress.

Victoria had prepared herself for the day with an emphasis on being ready for an emergency, were it to arise. This meant that she kept her weapons and violin on her person, as well as her ritual materials (just in case). Her porcine thrall was another story - helpful as it was - Morty would raise some concerns amongst a population of folks who might have turned away from them, depending upon the rumormill kicked up by that pompous landowner, Laurent, who couldn't stand to be inconvenienced in the slightest. Victoria reminded herself that she still had, at the very least, her Raven to act as a second pair of eyes for her. With a quick mental effort, she brought her Familiar to herself and set it out into the world with a robust "CAW," allowing it to ascend before committing her senses to it for a literal bird's eye view.

"I am off for Southmoor now, unless we have other business?" She paused for just a second, recalling that she wasn't the only one going on that direction. She held out a hand to Kosara and beamed a smile in her direction, offering, "If you don't mind, I can ride you in this morning. It's a little safer than walking. Faster, too." Southmoor was a straight shot from the Vineyard, but there was a bit of distance to cover that might have been notably uncomfortable with present temperatures.

It was at this moment that she dipped her vision into that of her Raven, who she had sent to scout from above. Her expression suddenly shifted. She had gotten a good look at the immediate countryside through her Familiar's eyes, and this view mixed with her memories from the odd dreams she had been having and the details that Kathryn shared about hers. She immediately rushed out into the cold, clutching her black and gold shawl about her shoulders. "Kathryn?" she called from outside of the courtyard, eyes fixed on the mountains to the south and the snow-covered hills before them. She recalled that, in her dream, she gave a similar gaze in the direction of mountains with a sort of longing, as she had arrived from somewhere behind them. Victoria realized in that moment that, despite the difference of season, the horizon bore the exact shape as that of her dreams. The same mountains, viewed from the same angle and from the same distance. The same cluster of hills, be it that these were capped with white, rose in front of her.

Understanding, not quite complete but building into something more whole as each moment passed, fueled Victoria right then. "Kathryn, you need to see this." She had more questions now than ever. This meant that she had to get into town, had to convince the Medician to share what she could, had to figure this out. Something was messing with their dreams, for good or for ill, and Victoria needed to know what it was and why. "You know what this means, right?" She turned back to her horse. It was time to get herself and Kosara into town.

"Golden unicorns sound much better than the dreams I had. Maybe your dreams will catch on and I can sleep a bit better from a while yeah?" Kathryn said to Kosara in hopes that the bad dreams were over. Though it was concerning Victoria was having the exact same dreams. The grin Kosara followed up with was mildly concerning. But Kathryn tried to chalk that up to Kosara being... Kosara. When Kosara turned to go assist BB with his morning flu, the glaring daggers Kathryn got from Kosara about her ever so slight alcohol abuse were hard to miss. Very hard to miss.

Speaking of BB, it seemed he was struggling from not only physical conditions from his assault last night, but it seemed the weather wanted a bite out of him too. Not much worse than not only getting the snot kicked out of you, but then getting sick when you should be recovering from it. Though BB did win, he was in rough shape. Then he did something that Kathryn was hoping he would forget about. And asked about Lizbeth. What Kathryn did next wasn't exactly freezing, but she did visibly hesitate. "No... nothing of note. just weird dreams." That empty face Lizbeth had last night when Kathryn woke. "Everything is just roses and peaches." Kathryn said in her best totally not guilty tone. A sweet totally innocent smile to go with it and everything!

What really unsettled Kathryn, was Lizbeth and the dreams she shared. Kathryn did visibly freeze. The poor girl was having dreams that were not only comparable to what Kathryn and Victoria were having, but with an extra leg of Mother Fucker to go with it. "I guess so, some of the dreams I have had are kind of like that." What was she to tell the girl? That Lizbeth's dreams seemed to be far worse? No, not in front of the team. She would have time where it was just the two of them and she could try to talk more to Lizbeth about things then. What if the party thought Lizbeth was not only connected to the cause of everything? But also a direct cause in some form? What would they do then? No, Kathryn needed more evidence first. With a reassuring smile, Kathryn let Lizbeth return to her morning duties. And what if Lizbeth was a direct cause? Or related to it? What would Kathryn do then? The reassurance of assistance in the house was nice, and hopefully made it easier to help give Lizbeth to focus on something else, and a chance for Kathryn to have someone local who may be able to answer questions for the half giant as she went from smashing her foes, to learning to they were. A task that proved to be rather difficult, but not impossible!

As everyone listed off their plans for the day, confirmed what they all needed to do, Victoria had called Kathryn over. There was a thought on the edge of Kathryn's mind relating to the dream, but she couldn't place it. As a whole, she was unsure what was trying to connect. Maybe the setting was familiar? Maybe she knew something more? Had forgotten something by the time she woke and then remembered it? It was already weird how vivid the dreams were. But to this? She couldn't be sure. Stepping into the snow also proved rather difficult, forcing Kathryn to step as high as her legs could take her. Then she saw what the bard wanted to point out. "Son of a mother fucker...." Kathryn uttered when she saw the mountain in the distance. "Victoria, see what your teacher knows. Insist if you have too. I'm getting worried these are more than just dreams." Kathryn said before turning back to the public house. "Lizbeth, grab your gear, training's gonna be short today. We got work to do." In an ideal world Kathryn would skip today. But things were getting bad, and she wanted to make sure Lizbeth could keep herself safe should Kathryn not be close enough to assist.

Training was short today, and first Kathryn had to clear enough space in the snow so that Lizbeth could train effectively. If training was all they were doing today she would have Lizbeth practice in the several foot deep snow so she could learn to fight in disadvantageous positions, either making her own advantages or learning to make the most of a bad situation. But that would require a lot more recovery than she would have time for today. So Kathryn brought up points that could be useful, how high ground is a bit misleading for a melee battle unless you have some good reach, but it may come in handy if fighting an opponent far bigger than you. Kathryn made several strong points on making sure Lizbeth stayed fast and on her feet, emphasizing that someone like Kathryn would only really need to get one good strike on Lizbeth to knock her out of a fight, so the best thing for her was to not get hit at all. Tiring out an enemy and out lasting them was a viable strategy. Then they went into blade practice. Sparing, parrying, some disarming, and another session where Kathryn refused to give Lizbeth the win, though every day she was able to hold back less and less. Today's practice ended when Lizbeth got confident, tried to get a good poke well within Kathryn's reach making her a harder target to hit, and forcing Kathryn to either back off, risk the hit, or to make Lizbeth back off. Unfortunately for Lizbeth, it was the latter. Out of reflex a boot massive enough to support a half giant hit Lizbeth square in torso, sending her into a snow embankment. "Oh my gods I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!" Kathryn was still to a degree holding back, but the small bean was getting better and had triggered a fight reflex. "You caught me off guard and I panicked. Nothing is broken is it?" A short check, no broken bones, probably minimal bruising, but in terms of combat training it was a pretty minor blow. "That is probably enough sparing for today. Good job, I don't spook easy." Kathryn said with a relieved sigh as she made sure Lizbeth hadn't been folded like chair too badly. "Let's go... get to work yeah?"

“Well it’s your choice, Berry. If you decided you need to get that dealt with quick, tell me once I return later today. It’s not much of a bother really… No more than potentially Kathryn. Kathryn, getting dead drunk is not okey, being slightly tipsy only is fine! Drink in moderation!” Her eyes glided over to the big woman in a very ‘I’m keeping my eye on you’ manner. Warning her that no being dead drunk would be allowed on her watch! Getting lightly tipsy was alright though, it might lead to a more calm Kat who was more willing to have fun! Also massages, those were important yes.

The following breakdown from Lizbeth and the things she was speaking off was a bit unexpected… well not really. Given what they knew, it was probably to be expected all things considered, but for some reasons every word that left the young woman’s mouth struck quite deeply at Kosara. Her heartbeat spiked as she gripped a cup of tea tightly. Kosara herself on occasion had experienced similar dreams… well not like she was dead, but the nature and feel behind them anyways. She had almost forgotten about it until they had the fight in Avonshire… Now she could faintly remember herself, younger, weaker, crying and being consoled by her Gramps that promised the dreams can’t hurt her… A brief spike of a headache hit, as she grimaced, rubbing her temples.” Ugh.” She grunted while the pain went away. Trying to not think of the bad dreams.

Luckily her attention was pulled away by the question about Unicorns and with the change of topic and focus, the headache quickly melted away.” Not a real unicorn, no. That said, Grandpa Horny Golden Dragon Horse is a huge golden horned dragon horse as the name implies… he’s a Ki-Rin, but looks close enough I suppose? He is great!” She mused and pulled her journal to show a rough sketch on one of the pages where she had doodled. She was sure she had mentioned him before, but couldn’t for the best of her remember if it was in detail… maybe…not? Ohh well, it was explained now!

“I would love to, V! Thank you!” Kosara exclaimed and practically jumped out of her chair, though she did very carefully arranged the chair back by the table afterwards and then she bolted to stay by V’s side, grinning merrily and completely forgetting to braid her wavy hair. It was wavy cause had kept it braided till she woke up today and it had retained some of the shape. She also cast a quick Prestidigitation on her inner upper clothing to warm it up.” Hey, V, want me to warm your clothing with a Prestidigitation for the time being too?” She offered, Kosara knew that V was capable of it, but it was just polite thing to offer, yes!

She then followed V and Kathryn’s reactions as she stared at the mountains. What was with that? She tilted her head at both of them, making a quick mental leap or two and reaching a conclusion that the mountains might have been in those dreams.” Ahh, I see, you dreamed of those mountains then?” She quipped, nodding.” Well I will ask around about them too, maybe somebody will be willing to answer!” She smiled at the others, staying glued to V’s side, ready to depart and half a day on the village. There were things to do, questions to ask and ideas to ponder. Also she was wondering if there were any stores of any kind there.

BlackBerry had seen Lizbeth leaning in towards Lady Kathryn as a hushed conversation between the pair snuck below the main talking points of everyone's plans for the day. He narrowed his eyes at Lady Kathryn over the rim of his tea cup after her stammered response to his question, but found nothing of note in her words and so left it at that, feeling a sigh of relief escape him that all was well in the end.

"The tea is marvelous as it is, thank you, of course in no small part to your efforts, Young Lizbeth. I shall however help myself to some more porridge in a bit." He sniffled and wiped his nose as politely as he could. BlackBerry had to raise his already loud voice to make sure she could hear him after already dashing into the kitchen
"Do not trouble yourself worrying about me; it is just a cold is all. And anyway you have your training to focus on."

Even saying this, he was thankfully for the refilled bowl of porridge presented to him now ladder eith nuts and berries and steaming in the frigid air Victoria, in her earnest to summon her hourse, had let into the room. BlackBerry shivered and retreated back under his blankets against the cold breeze.

"Please take care on the roads Victoria and Kosara" BlackBerry called to them over his shoulder and the biting morning air. "Do make sure to take a Stone with you please before you leave. There is one in my room on the table should you wish to take it with you."

When the others had left and BlackBerry was alone in the tap room. He quietly enjoyed the extra helping of food and tea which had been handed to him while inspecting the marvelous scabbards and broch he had been gifted. If he hadn't thought they were handsome, now with a chance to properly investigate the craftsmanship he could only marvel at the skill Master Urmadus must have to twist and carve the insect hide into shape. He found the broch as well to be a very fine piece, quickly putting it on to hold the blankets around his shoulders, decorated with a simple though no less recognisable image of an Ankheg.

The next hour BalckBerry spent tidying up as best he could; moving the remains porridge off the heat, cleaning his plate, putting away those that had already been cleaned, tending to the fire and then finally, as a bit of reassurance equipped his shortswords on either side with the new scabbards. BlackBerry did spend a bit of time in front of the looking glass marvelling at the new scabbards, a deep green hanging from leather straps without getting in the way of his movements and as he turned this way and that. The old scabbards lay abandoned atop his neatly made bed somehow with an air of jealously.

Now with all his affairs for the morning in order BlackBerry rallied himself once again to face the outside world of snow and ice, and stepped out to start the day sniffling and sneezing all the way.

Weather: A full sky of white, backlit with morning sun. It's bright, but not directly so with the diffusion of total cloud cover. It is cold, with occasional gusts of wind and no precipitation to mar a rather clear day otherwise.

Time: We are in the full throes of morning. If you haven't risen and are shining, it is the best part of the day to both rise
and shine.

Ambience: The warmth and comfort of the Coach House is contrasted by the unyielding cold of the countryside beyond its walls. The extra caloric fortification is likely to be greatly appreciated as the morning progresses. The land remains coated with a uncertain depths of snow from last night's storm, but now eerily quiet, as if the violent, pre-blizzard events never took place. Even peaceful, in its own way. Caution would be best paid when navigating the landscape away from the already trodden areas or the obvious pathways, as the snows have tended to fill hollows and stretch thinner along the tops of hills. The exception to this is apparent when one looks at the formidable drifts along buildings and gravevine frames. The latter of this, the posts and frames which hold dormant vines, still poke above the highest pilings of the frozen white stuff against them, showing darkened leaves and still grasping tendrils in the distance.



"GAAHHH!" gasped Lizbeth as the air was driven from her lungs. It wasn't the initial kick that got her thanks to the rugged durability of her breastplate (though that did hurt considerably), but the sudden jolting stop in the heaped snow. She had taken her lumps multiple times in the pursuit of learning this new craft, from her and from Urmdrus, but this one had a certain unexpected flare that seemed to touch a nerve. Mostly, the nerve that held the breath in her body. The silence following the initial gasp was worrying, but almost preferable to that first, wrenching pull of air back inside when she could breathe. A moment or two later, she was able to right herself, panting, "Yeah, I'm fine. Really. Let's go."

Persons leaving the Rose River Vineyard will find that the path down to the main southern road of the Avonshire region, being a little higher than the land around it on one side and a touch removed from the hill on the other, wasn't exactly clear of snow, but level enough to navigate if one is careful. Drifts held along the hill side and seemed to extend the width of the path on the drop side, but the center is safe enough, so long as one keeps to it. This all seems quite on par with the storm from the night before. But in an interesting twist of circumstance, one will easily note that the depth and severity of snow decreases rapidly the farther one gets from the overall property. This persists until it becomes a respectable few, puffy inches upon the ground, easy to navigate on foot, by horse, or pulled, wheeled vehicle. It appeared that the worst of the storm was localized to the Vineyard grounds.

For those remaining on the Vineyard grounds, things have come to a near halt, at least in terms of outdoor traffic. It is next to impossible not to notice a path physically plowed through the snow by persons attempting to move from place to place, made evident by the steady trench carved out of the snow which connected Urmdrus's workshop/home, a nearby storage shed, and the Coach House. There also appeared to be some foot traffic around the Estate House and the beginnings of effort to remove some of the snow from the nearest walkways to the structure, the work in progress by two of the small domestic staff.

Otherwise, the area is a downright peaceful looking section of rural farmland, quietly holding onto something bloodsoaked and foreboding.

The enigmatic yet openly hospitable Bard mounted her ritually summoned mount and took up the reins in one hand. She extended her other hand down to Kosara and with a smile, said, "Come along up. It won't slow him in the slightest." While the truth of it was that she wasn't completely sure how much weight the otherworldly horse could carry before its performance began to drop, but the total of the two women surely wasn't enough. "Oh! If you would, please get the Sending Stone from inside. I'm afraid I was involved in the summons, here." One way or another, upon stone acquisition, Victoria began to haul herself and her magically inclined associate away from the Coach House atop the back of a steed that Bards generally were unable to conjure for themselves. Victoria marveled at that for a moment - not for the first time and very likely not the last - before commenting quietly, "Just sometimes, I feel more like a Wizard than a musician..." She let the thought linger for a moment more. She had mentioned before and still believed wholeheartedly that although she might have made a decent Wizard, she had the potential to be a legendary Bard.

When the Sending Stone issue was settled and Kosara was on the back of the horse, Victoria urged the arcane creature onward. Its steps were steady but slow at first, pushing through piled and/or drifted snow until it delivered them to the higher ground, and eventually, the main thoroughfare leading off of the Rose River Vineyard grounds. She removed her hands from the reins just long enough to secure her pashmina scarf, and then her hood, about her moderately pointed ears and perfectly coiffed head. The cold was significantly less than comfortable, but at least she was dressed for it. It was always a wonder to her how her full blooded Elven relatives were able to deal with all but the most extreme of temperatures with significantly less complaint. Her Human ancestry must be the culprit in that particular tradeoff, though it came with other advantages. It did remind her of Kosara's offer, which despite her ability (and history) to do precisely that herself, Victoria thought it was a very polite and reasonable thing to offer. Who knows? Maybe Kosara cast the same spell differently than she did and this would be a learning experience. "Please, yes. That's very sweet to offer."

As they crossed the boundary of the Vineyard, turning into the thoroughfare, Victoria noticed that her Phantom Steed had picked up its pace significantly. She looked down, noticing that the depth of snow that her horse's hooves drove through was getting lower and lower the further they moved away from the estate. It was still cold, the land was still covered with a blanket of puffy, white snow, but it was more manageable. Victoria placed her senses into her raven Familiar, flying above. Maybe a different vantage point would be useful - and it was. "The worst of the snow," she began aloud, "It's... confined to the Vineyard. This weather isn't fully natural."

The pair of them approached the edge of Southmoor, to see a town which was in the process of coming active for the day. "Hey, let me know where you need me to drop you off. There's still some time left before the Steed unsummons, but I'd rather not walk the rest of the way to Annick's. You know how I do love to make an entrance." She kept her voice light, but there was a more serious reason as she wished to be able to bolt at a moment's notice if need be, and the Medician's place was technically outside of town. There was still a little way to travel.

Eventually, Victoria found her way to Annick's. The Healer's cottage, as it were, didn't seem to have received a visitor since the snows from the previous evening as the blanket which covered the yard around appeared unbroken. She entered the home with respect and permission, and immediately got to work as she was informed that no, an undead uprising was most assuredly not an excuse to stay home. Victoria had a feeling that the older Medician was being serious. In this particular instance, she was back to copying a medical text, slowly, determinedly placing smooth penstrokes upon blank pages to transcribe a treatise on humanoid anatomy and the treatment of physical trauma. While she worked, she took every opportunity to speak to both Annick and her daughter, Annabelle.

"...it was a long time ago, I know, Madame Floquet. But you have done so much and witnessed so much more. If there is even a possibility that something similar is happening here, around your home, then we need to know what we're dealing with. I guarantee that it won't end with Toombes. And here, this time - probably for the first time in your life ever - the 'evil necromancer' is on your side. Fire with fire, Annick. Please, tell me what you know." The words were calm but dire. Impassioned yet reserved. Sincere of tone with the barest hint of frustrated sarcasm bleeding through. Something seemed to get through, even if it was only evident in Annabelle's face to begin.

The younger Floquet looked to her elder counterpart, "Mother?" Part question and part plea, this did serve to break through Annick's emotionless visage.

"You want to know about that name? Fine. I'll tell you everything I know about it:" A hard expression held for a second with silence, then, "NOTHING." She shook her head, then continued "But there is some history here. Don't know what it means, but I'll tell you what I know. You keep working while I talk. This isn't a gossip circle."

"Thank gods you're okay." Kathryn breathed out in relief. Though there was a moment where she had thought she had killed her squire, the small girl had begun to breath again, and seemed to stabilize in an okay manner. "I'm so sorry about that, you caught me off guard for a moment there and I guess reflex took over. You're getting good, we're going to have to find a better balance between casual training and fight or flight reflex though." Kathryn joked with the small child she briefly used as a fill in foot ball. With training finished up for the day, Kathryn gathered up her assorted gear, and before leaving remembered that she had a meeting planned with the Mosswaters. That, may get delayed a bit. Not wanting to totally stand the couple up, Kathryn wrote a pleasant and hopefully polite note for the halflings, leaving it attached to the door to be easily found should the couple make it out today.



With the note left, Kathryn was on her way with Lizbeth to get to work! They were going to solve the case! Kathryn was going to help the bean! Then she was going to prove to her party that she was more than just a wall of muscle! It didn't take long before the deep snow began to be difficult. Kathryn was tall enough that though it was annoying, she was going to be okay. She did have to stifle a chuckle watching the determined Lizbeth tough through the snow. "Would you like a hand?" Kathryn asked amused. At first the small warrior in training refusing, determined to make a go herself. Admirable, but she was clearly struggle. A few more feet, and one minor slip face first into the snow, Kathryn asked again. "Come on, it'll be fun. Let me help." And with some relenting effort, Lizbeth agreed. So Kathryn picked her up with the ease that most people may lift a plate of bread, and set the bean on her shoulders. "Come on, CHARGE!!!" Kathryn cheered trying to bring some fun to the moment to make it feel more like a game. Kathryn though attempting to go fast, also almost slipped and fell. So was quickly forced to slow down with a soft chuckle. "Okay, maybe instead of charge, a brisk walk yeah?" The rest of the walk wasn't too much harder.

Kathryn gave her warm hello's to those about the place as she passed them, and helped Lizbeth off her shoulders once the snow was clear enough she could walk without major difficulties. Now, things got serious. For real this time! Kathryn briskly walked down into the basement of the big house, moving her way down deep into the tasting room, and towards the office door that Cecily said should be locked. Kathryn knew though, that was not the case. And thankfully it had not relocked. The office was... unsettling to say the least. The giant sarcophagus was the first thing that brought attention to Kathryn. Kathryn did take note of the various work stations, but what stood out was the desk with a locked box by it. Kneeling down, Kathryn took out her hammer, and gave the box an ever so slight tap, and figured if need be she could smash the box. However, that could destroy whatever is inside it. She wanted information, evidence. Things she could use! Taking out her short sword, she placed the tip, and figured she could snap the lid off if need be. But she would give it a minute. Maybe a key was nearby? So she decided to give the desk a once over.

Kathryn began pulling out and laying out an assortment of ledgers, business records, a ton of paper and ink, some rather nice looking wax seals and their respective signets, it reminded Kathryn of someone running a small kingdom. She was sure her father must have had some sort of office like this back home, and if she was to have gotten her keep she would have had a work space much like this herself. Then something stood out, a stiff drawer. With some gentle brute force, it opened. With a gentle feel about she found something of note. A brass key. "Wicked." Kathryn said looking over the key. Then holding it up so Lizbeth could see it she called out. "Look what I found! Think it goes to this thing?" Kathryn said pointing the key to the box. Leaning back over, and setting aside her short sword, Kathryn set the key into the lock, and tensed. It fit perfect. Given the events of the last 16 or so hours, now she was anxious on whatever could be inside. With one hand on the lid, the other on the key, she carefully opened the box, ready to slam it shut should the need arise. So, she opens the box, and prays to the gods nothing jumps out at her.

Stepping out into the courtyard BlackBerry realised that earlier he had failed to appreciate just how deep the snow had gotten during the night; it blanketed all in view and even managed to climb over the low courtyard wall, and was now attempting to clamber over the Coach House itself. Despite this the courtyard was still easily passable with only a small layer of snow with a pathway from the door to the gate carved through it. He gave the sight beyond the wall a hateful sniffle and retreated further into the rudimentary cloak of blankets. He'd deal with the trouble of getting to the Stable House in just a bit.

BlackBerry wondered if Kosara was enjoying all this snow or if the novelty of it had worn off, remembering her mentioning the desert had very little rain so likely very little snow as well.

His first task for the day was to check on Old Boy. Once he had managed to brush away the brittle ice and snow encasing the door, he found the mule lying quite happily on his bed with the only sign of discomfort being annoyance that BlackBerry would dare open the door and let all the warmth out, but this was quickly remedied with a tasty carrot BlackBerry had snuck out from the kitchen.

"My Apologies, Old Boy. With the weather so disagreeable today I shall not take you out today. On the morrow however I believe you deserve a good long jaunt somewhere." BlackBerry explained as he refreshed Old Boys water and feed.

While BlackBerry worked, Old Boy, got up to stick his head out the door and assess the situation for himself. After several moments of hard thinking and deliberation he then turned around and returned to his warm bed of hay which BlackBerry had just finished putting back together in a comfortable pile.

With Old Boy sorted and safely tucked away in his stable, (and reading the note which had appeared on the Coach house door from Lady Kathryn, they must have just missed each other) BlackBerry turned his mind to the next task of finding Jon. Anyone watching from afar would have seen a lone blue figure trudging through the snow, trying to follow the already made trenches as far as they would go towards the stable house. They would also have heard every so often a loud sneeze, 'Achoo!' ringing across the landscape.

BlackBerry was relieved to find the snow become shallower and shallower as he progressed upwards towards the Stables lying in the same direction as the Estate House. Worryingly though, there was no sign of Jon when BlackBerry arrived, searching the stalls and rooms for the man and calling his name offered no results. Somewhere between worry and fear, BlackBerry then remembered last night asking for Cecily to keep her guests at the Estate house just in case.

Arriving at the Estate House, BlackBerry looked more dishevelled and deflated than he had done at breakfast, now weighed down the blankets he wore which had been greedily soaking up the water from the snow he had waded through along his travels. Under the awning of the Estate House he took a moment to rally himself as best he could, wiping his nose, make himself appear at least somewhat presentable. He planned to join Lady Kathryn and Lizbeth in their investigation in the study but first he still had to check on Jon.

He nocked on the front door, and called, "Madame L'Rose? Are you there?" He managed to stifle a sneeze before continuing. "I simply wished to see if all was well, and to ask if Jon is still with there if he had attempted to return home last night?"

“Will do, Berry! Will kick any miscreant and evil doers between the legs and in the shins if they try anything!” Kosara reassuringly promised to the shiny blue dragonborn that was just a bit too colorful when compared to others of his kind. It actually made him contrast fairly well to the drab pale winter scenery they had around them. Also made her think of berries indeed! Well not quite fair, she hadn’t grown up with colorful tasty northern berries., but from what she had seen on the market stalls and tasted in her travels, it matched!’ Or maybe he’s closer in color to a sapphire? If we polished his shiny scales more, would he appear even more gem-like?’ She pondered briefly. Now THAT was an interesting proposition and she was eyeing his scales appraisingly. Let it be known forever that Kosara did like shiny things. She liked shiny things a LOT.

“On it!” Kosara exclaimed and her shapely legs carried her with utmost speed to where Berry had pointed the location of said sending stone as. Run there, run back and practically jump up on the horse with V’s offered hand to help her. The bundle of potentially chaotic energy that was white tiefling was happily sitting behind to V, offering her the stone.” Here, one sending stone as requested, yes!” She grinned at the bard. She wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with riding a horse. She had ridden on Grandpa Horny a number of times, but that wasn’t something that could quite be counted as riding. You do not control a big Ki-Rin that can smite you if you are naughty, you are just carried around like a good little child and act to your best behavior least you get sent to the corner of the cave without supper.” Not a bad thing, I think? It means you are smarter than the rest of us.” She grinned at V’s comment about feeling like a wizard.” We will need to find you a wand of fireballs though. I hear that every wizard needs to be able to throw fireballs at their problems to be considered a real one.” She added with an impish grin and happy voice.

With them merrily on the way and wit the cold air hitting at their clothing as they moved, V finally decided that yes she wanted warm clothing too.” On it! Prestidigitation.” The dancer said, softly though with a slight accent , as the golden light formed at her fingertips that moved in a few patterns and she focused it on the bard’s clothing, putting the same warming enchantment she had put on her own clothing. That left one more prestidigitation effect she could have active at the same time that could be decided at a later point as needed.” There we go, all better!”

“Wow...” Kosara commented as she looked around, following V’s statement on the weather and how unusual it was.” That’s concerning, but not quite unexpected if we think about it?” She surmised calmly.” We now know that something is going on with the estate, powers involved with the family or maybe the land itself… maybe both. Something influencing just the L’Rose lands is not impossible… though the exact causes, can’t even start to imagine them. I always kinda fell asleep through most of Grandpa’s lessons in magic.” She admitted with a happy voice and a grin that was hidden behind the bard’s back because of how they rode on the horse.

“Making an entrance is very important.” Kosara agreed entirely with V on that subject. As a performer herself, the tiefling was very well versed in how making a good entrance could dictate how things unfold. A bad start of a performance was way harder to recover from and well… a good entrance dazzled the senses and opinions. Very good thing to happen for any situation. On that note as they neared she spotted what was probably the local temple that Lizbeth mentioned.” You can drop me here.” She said and once she was off the horse smiled at V.” I will go ask around now, probably check if there are any stores or workshops that have good things too. See you later, V!” Kosara exclaimed as she began moving away, trying to skip along the way, but any snow was proving counter productive to merrily skipping along. Eventually she got a proper pace going even if she wasn’t merrily skipping along, she was instead merrily stomping along.

When she reached the temple she grinned, mouth forming a huge happy smile as she made her way inside.” Hello!” She greeted, face bright and expression smiling as she looked around to take in the temple and it’s scenery… mostly trying to figure which gods had representation here too, but also trying to spot if anyone was here already.

Weather: Diffuse light filtering through cloud cover prevents the warmer rays of the sun from effecting the snow on the ground. The wind gusts regularly, pushing cold air into exposed skin, not that skin should have much exposure in this season. There is no precipitation, which at this point classifies as favorable.

Time: It's mid-morning. Maybe early-to-mid morning, but let us be clear: It is not early morning anymore.

Ambience: Pushing through the snows to get to one's destinations on this frigid morning, at least on foot, makes any walk seem much longer. The ends of skirts and pant legs are bound to dampen considerably for anyone making a trek on or about the Rose River Vineyard. Moreover, while the snow seems to be more or less evenly sloping fro place to place, it does not always keep to the inclines and relative heights of the land beneath it, as one may discover via misadventure if they're not careful. The main roadway, at least, is a little less deceptive in this way.

Those exiting the Vineyard are, after a short distance, treated to a land far less ravaged by a blizzard. Snow remains, even drifts, but it is significantly more reasonable than over the estate directly. While it raises a few questions, it can be argued that the sledding is probably a lot better there, anyway.

The town of Southmoor is not exactly bustling, owing to the time of year and the large amounts of seasonal labors that have concluded. It feels a lot more subdued than the party's original visit on their way from the Township, though there are a decent few people going on about their days - mostly craftsmen plying trades which are nonseasonal in nature or occupations of service. The smells of controlled woodfires are here, which mingle with the pleasantries of cooking, more acrid tannins of leatherwork, the open freshness of cut wood, or less appealing aromatics common to Human town living. Cold accents or numbs everything a little, including the speed with which the few townsfolk, bundled against the temperature, go about their mornings.

The usually singing river has fallen quiet now, dormant under a sheet of ice of indeterminate thickness.



In the Study, Kathryn fits the key into the keyhole in the front of the locked box. Two things become readily apparent in this moment. First, this key most assuredly is intended for this lock. Second, the box is somehow secured to the floor. But no matter, this box is open. Within, there are a few obvious contents, most of which are smallish sacks secured with woven cord about the top. Each bears a thick, paper tag with writing in a strong, steady hand of blocky, legible letters and numbers. A random sampling of these tags bears a number, a denomination of currency, and a short notation like, "Tinker's Retainer", "Expansion Fund", "Quarterly Domestic Staff", etc. Next to this is a fuller style indentation in the wood, just about the size of a standard gold coin of the realm, which is generously full of the coin in question. The interior of the top of this box is crisscrossed with ribbon, underneath which is tucked a folded letter with Cecily's name written upon the showing face. It reads:



*****

The Temple in Southmoor was a single story structure with a somewhat vaulted ceiling. Grey, baked clay tiles made up the entirety of the floor, which was bare for the most part except for two thick, woven mat-like rugs near each of the main entrances. There were two of these, each double doors at opposite ends of the single room building. The temple itself looked to be designed to be as nondescript and symmetrical as possible while allowing the maximum amount of daylight inside throughout the day. Four decent-sized braziers radiated a goodly amount of heat, evenly spaced along the room, and a fair amount of light to supplement the overcast sunlight from the windows. Two even rows of smallish shrines featured equidistant from one another, flanking a raised, rectangular dais in the center of the temple. It resembled a long table from which one may procure and light candles, either for the general center or to place upon shrines for individual deities.

Deities represented were a mixed bag, though Chauntea, Lathander, Yondalla, Liira, Selune, Silvanus, lesser known Nuada, and naturally the Luck goddess Tymora. The central dais with all of its candles made up a more neutral area whereupon one may, among other activities, put their prayers toward other powers who were not given a specific shrine.

Kosara's grand entrance into the temple and resounding Hello was met by a total of three people. Two were gathered around one of the handful of shrines which dotted the room, while the third approached. He wore common but clean clothing, over which a decently knit woolen cloak hung. His hands clutched a broom with which he seemed to be particularly acquainted, and his eyes had a glassy, bloodshot charm to them. He appeared to be a human of middle to later years. A gravelly, slightly nasal voice issued from him, along with a hand held out beside him as if to show off the area just to his rear flank. "Ah! I see the Chosen One has arrived, and not a moment too late! Dark tidings fall across the lands of Avonshire, and I, your humble Priest Militant, shall guide you into the light of truth and... and...."

The older fellow immediately fell into sputtering laughter that he tried to stifle at first, but failed miserably. "Sorry! Sorry. I can tell you're not from here. It's my turn to sweep up, and um, answer any questions for folks who don't know what to do in here or need anything simple. What can I do for you, Miss..?"

*****

The front door to the Estate House opened just a crack. It took a long while before it did, and just when there was a question as to whether anyone would answer the summons from Baronfjord. It was not Cecily, as he had called for, but one of the domestic laborers who was present for the Day-After-Brunch. She looked a little meek, even tired, as if the previous evening was not the most restful. She was rather quick to answer the question which was put forward to the absent Cecily, "No, eh, Monsieur Jon did not leave the Estate last night, because of the weather. Pleas wait here and I shall fetch him for you. He is almost ready to leave, anyway." The woman quickly pressed the door shut, trying to balance the need to keep warm with the desire not to slam the door in the face of a welcome guest.

It took a few minutes, but Jon did appear from behind the door. He was bundled in what looked like a borrowed coat, to look at the relative level of finery as compared to the very utility oriented clothing he usually wore. "Hey there, BB!" he said almost at once. "You're out and about early. I figured on having to come to you this morning. What's the occasion?" Truly, he was spared the worst of the previous evening, and it showed. "Come help me mix some oats into the horses' winter feed and we'll talk about it." He waved the much taller Dragonborn along to follow him as the Human fellow crunched out into the snows of the morning.