Mokley

Lantern

Thomas said Turning back towards the vial and reaching for it, he began to question whether drinking a strange liquid was a good idea or not. Whatever, he'd get it unstuck, inspect it closer, and decide then. After wrapping his fingers around it, he pulled.

It took a bit of wriggling and twisting, but eventually the little glass bottle popped out from between the roots and was secured in Thomas' hand.

The bottle itself was slightly conical in shape, and it was stoppered with a wide cork that would come out with a bit of twisting and elbow grease. The bottle was small enough that Thomas' fingers could only just wrap around it.

The liquid had the consistency of honey, the color of grape juice, and it smelled like sugar and tarnished silver.

Should he choose to taste or drink it, he would find that it tasted like pickled peaches. Nothing immediate would come of the experience.

Kituo said Unfortunately, right when he got close enough to properly investigate the tree, his lightness of the head fully returned and he was overcome with weakness. Trying to support his own weight, Kituo’s shaking hand reached for the tree and latched onto its bark.

“I…I don’t think I’m…going to make it,” he gasped.

The tree under Kituo's hand hummed and ticked and whirred. Near his stomach, there was a hollow in the bark through which he might perceive a meticulous collection of brassy gears and springs all working together for some common, imperceptible goal. The entire interior of the tree was filled with gears. But that wasn't what was alarming.

The runes that had appeared in the twisting wood had begun to glow the moment Kituo touched them with a blood-streaked hand. They shimmered from deep within, and they pulsed together while the ticking inside turned to a constant whirring noise, as if a metal string were being wound up.

The lantern over his head began to rise into the treetop.

At the same time, a wolf in the forest howled long and low, as if it were in pain. The sound was close by -- and by the depth of that animal's voice, it was a huge beast.

A minute later, the lantern reached the end of its journey, and it stopped with a woody tap against the bough of the tree. It swung there for a few moments while the whirring in the tree began to strain, pulling on the line that was stuck.

RRRRRR-CLACK! WHIRRRRR-CLACK!

The line snapped. The lantern crashed to the metal platform below, barely missing Kituo's head, and the green light that had illuminated the clearing now only shone in a very small, limited space. Thomas' symptoms flared.

The metal platform was still vibrating and shifting only slightly. There was a tremendous crash and clamor inside the tree as all the gears and wires tumbled into one another, useless now without the lantern.

Something in the darkness was panting, like a dog. The distinct smell of rotting flesh, though, was probably the remains of the minstrel still being digested in the root coffin -- but the big yellow eyes that stared down at Kituo from a height of ten feet were not easily explained away.

The great, beastly black wolf stood just at the edge of the lantern's diminished light. It stared down at Kituo, and whined.

Lantern

Excellent, Zealous!

Ok guys, because of the very delicate plotwork that's going on here, my next few mod posts might seem out of chronological order. Actually they take place at the same time. It works in my head. Ssshh.

Edit: Blue and Gold will have to wait til tomorrow -- today's been hella distracting.

Lantern

Seconded! Love Princess Anise. :D

I'm super thrilled with everyone's posts, you guys are awesome. I just want to make sure no one forgets that character action drives the RP; if you do nothing, nothing will happen. Also I encourage you all to surprise me. You don't have to do what you think I want you to do. For every mod post I've got at least two possible outcomes, and I love it when a character forces me to come up with a third.

This is definitely not in response to any recent posts, just hoping to instill some inspiration!

A Cold Wind Blows...

As more hands worked to staunch the flow of blood -- Pavel, Vasily, Nadejda -- Chiudka found that her own hands had become too empty. Too pale. She needed to save them, she needed to ease their pain, as if a cup of tea to Adrian's lips would somehow dull the claws that scraped at the back of her own skull. She at once was grateful for the help, and she wanted them to turn their backs so she could do it all herself. She could busy her hands to the point of stiff exhaustion, and therefore she would have no time to acknowledge her fears.

Since first stepping into the tavern, she had not dared glance at the corner of the room, where her parents still huddled in a soak of blood.

Someone mentioned that a pyre was being built outside. But weren't their bodies still warm? The color had yet to leave their cheeks. For some, it was unclear whether they were dead or dying -- and Chiudka didn't possess the skill to declare one way or another with any shred of confidence.

But as long as she didn't go to her parents, one or both of them could still be alive. That hope was maintained as long as they were left undisturbed. The fear that someone would take them to the pyre without her ever touching them to be sure -- to know -- manifested with a tremble in her hands. She was weak, selfish, and a glaring hypocrite.

She put the water down, and she watched David, stiff and vacant, being carried outside. Chiudka swallowed. She stood, and she went to her parents.

"Okay," she whispered to them and to herself. She touched her mother's face, felt for breath and a heartbeat, but her neck had been torn wide open. "Okay, okay, it's okay." Her father, the healer, was slumped over her, his ribs cracked wide from behind and his spine destroyed. She touched his face, felt for a pulse, both hoped and dreaded that he was still breathing. "All right." Gone, both of them. Blissfully unable to feel the pain of these mangled bodies.

She wiped a cold sweat from her brow, and she carefully laid each of them down on the floor and closed their eyes and mouths. She kissed each of them, whispered her love and a prayer, assured them that their daughter and their niece were unharmed, thanked them for their selfless lives. She kissed them again, touched them, and stood, resolved that the fire would take them.

It was with calmer and warmer hands that she continued her father's work. Her ears no longer rang, claws no longer scraped at her thoughts, the anger had gone. She occasionally wiped tears from her cheeks, but her encouraging smile was genuine while she offered it with tea to those in pain.

Lantern

Anise said She was drinking from the water when she noticed a yellow light within the cavern.

The water was cool and sweet, with a wonderfully delicate taste. Immediately Anise would feel very much refreshed and clear-headed.

Anise said "Um... Hello? Can you help us?"

The boy swung the light in one hand slowly back and forth, casting the light to perceive who was speaking to him. The shadows of his white mask lengthened. He crouched a little but remained where he was, silent but keenly interested in the way Randold lifted Anise to her feet, while Randold himself could only stand on one leg.

Randold said After a minute of uncomfortable silence Randold decided to speak, "Do you have a name? We are not going to harm you, we only want to return home."

Hania said She settled for silence then and smiled warmly at him. She shifted her body to face him and pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

For a long while the boy stared at Randold, and then he turned his head a fraction to look at Hania. He took a few quiet steps closer, stretching the light forward, to see the smile on her face. But there was something else he noticed, glinting in the light. He stopped, and would not move farther. He lifted his other arm and pointed at Hania.

"You have an iron sigil," he told her calmly, though there was a hint of accusation in his young voice. He was pointing at Hania's rosary. "Throw it in the water, and I might consider your honesty."

Lantern

Arin said He pulled himself away from the window and positioned himself squarely in front of the door. With his right hand he held the lantern up just below his neck, enough to illuminate both his face and whoever may come to the door. Arin made a fist with his left hand and took a deep breath before knocking. The thimble on his finger made contact with the door exactly three times.

Knock...knock...knock

"Hello?" His tone was gentle and soft. He waited briefly, then knocked three times once more.

Knock...knock...knock

"Is anyone here? Please come to the door. I've just been attacked by a beast and seek shelter.....Hello?"

In the blue light of the lantern, the array burned into the door sparkled dimly, deep inside the charred lines.

The thimble on Arin's finger, as well, began to glow ever so slightly in the same pale shade of that sparkle in the door -- but it could all just be a trick of the lantern light.

click-clack

A lock inside the door sounded. Old hinges groaned, and the door swung just a little bit open -- but inside the flickering darkness of the room, there was no one.

Well, almost no one. As the lantern light peeked inside, it caught the reflection of an alert, beady eye. A tawny stripe-tailed rodent sat within a cage at the far side of the room -- wedged between a skull with a rune carved in its forehead and a shelf full of oddly labeled jars full of odder liquids. The animal had one eye and one wing-sized ear; half of its face and one leg had been mauled away. It stared attentively at Arin, but shied away from the light of the lantern.

A few big, dried jellyfish hung morbidly from the ceiling along with tufts of sweet-smelling herbs. There was an old helmet, rusted and and corroded; a stuffed otter curled on the table, staring emptily out the window; bones of every shape and size; a vase of flowers made of stone; parchments and papers; ashes in the fireplace, and used dishes balanced precariously on a big jar with a spindly and unidentifiable animal floating in it. The candle in the window was burning low.

Lantern

Thundercat said
Mokley, is Arin cleared to continue inside the little house

Working on your post as we speak!

Edit: aaand done. You've got everything here and from the last post to investigate if you so choose (or not) -- or if you want to hunt for something specific, go for it.

Lantern

XLegs said
I'll finally get a post down tonight.Quick question though, is the skeleton exposed and easily accessible now, or did the cocoon cover it back up after it had its, uh,

Ooh, good question! I could write something in regarding that if you like, and it didn't occur to me. I think a few pieces of the skeleton and its belongings must be sticking out or were flung away when the roots found their dessert.

I'll go ahead and add a couple sentences to my recent post.

Edit: Done!

Lantern

It's a tough job!

Hmm, should I be putting the NPC pics in their IC introductory posts? I think that might be helpful.

Speaking of pictures, all the runes just updated to a shinier version! Yay!

Also! How do you guys feel about opening up the interest check again?

Lantern

Kituo said He was now shrilling, the volume of his voice pushing his vocal chords to their limits. . . . He continued to swing his arm hoping to pry the rat free. If it had bitten him by now he probably would not have noticed - okay he would have but in the midst of trying to get the rat off of him, fearing its teeth did not seem to be his utmost priority. He still had his other arm and his legs to put to use. So what does a coward like Kituo do with these resources available? He uses them to run around in a circle and cry.

The swinging of Kituo's arm only made the rodent cling harder, drive its claws deeper, and screech louder in distress.

EEEEEKEEEKEEKEEE!!!

Kituo's ear rang from the powerful screeching noise that squealed out of that little animal. The combination of the rodent's cry and Kituo's wailing reverberated in the clearing and pierced the darkness of the woods around them.

The forest began to creak. The leaves all around the clearing began to rustle, as if a great many small things were leaping and scurrying through the branches.

TICK-TACK TACK TACK TICK TOCK TICK

The half-ruined tree behind Kituo shuddered, and leaves fell from its branches, as if in distress at Kituo's fear. Runes began to appear on the bark of the tree where they certainly had not been before: they burned into the wood of their own volition, as if being written by an invisible fire, and they matched the lightning-gash in the side of the tree. The green lantern swayed and cast warped shadows throughout the clearing, giving the trees and the falling leaves a ghastly moving silhouette.

In swinging light, the lantern illuminated the stark white and tattered silk of the skeleton's arm protruding out of the munching cocoon; a silver ring sparkled on one finger. Part of the embroidered robe was draped in the weeds. The stoppered bottle was stuck between the roots, and it glimmered with each swing of the lantern -- a good yank might pry it free. The white skull had dropped halfway out of its prison, its jaw gaping wide as if it were screaming. But the true screaming had stopped, and blood seeped into the ground.

The metal platform began to groan and tremble, but there was a grinding noise as if gears were stuck.

The rodent tensed and screeched every time the lantern light swung toward it. Finally, it sank its teeth into the cartilage of Kituo's ear, as if it took comfort in the gush of blood that resulted. It ripped off a coin-sized chunk of his ear and leaped away with it, launching off of Kituo's shoulder like a rocket. The rodent scurried into the weeds, dripping blood as it went.