Staunton Bluffs V: New Blood

[LouisVendredi]

"By the hawk's feathers!! Is there no end to these ghosts!?"

George attempts to ignore the girl and just walk past.

[kintire]

Shana glances at Moorkroft and hisses

"you're the priest...say something!"

[VAN]

Inovidil steps back, unsure of what to do. She only graps her staff with both hands getting a diffensive posture.

[steveflam]

Brethana grabs her Great Sword and runs the ghost through "Begone foul undead creature from where you came from!" She shouts.

Jarg shoots another arrow at the ghost, following safely behind Brethana.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Brethana grabs her Great Sword and runs the ghost through "Begone foul undead creature from where you came from!" She shouts.

Jarg shoots another arrow at the ghost, following safely behind Brethana.

Master Fallenleaf grabs Brethana as she darts forward, and the raven which rides on his shoulder darts toward Jarg, flapping around his face and disrupting his aim.

"STOP!" he says, the red points of fire in his empty eye sockets flaming brighter. "Now is not the time for strength but humility."

Releasing Brethana and turning back to the girl-ghost, he kneels slowly, as one might do to talk with a little child--despite the fact that she hangs in the air above the group's heads. "Forgive us, child," he says. "We wanted to help you, and we are trying to help your mother now. We need your help to find her. Is she in the castle? Can you help us get there?"

[Ken of Ghastria]

Blaise's first reaction to the appearance of the ghost child was to raise his arms to attack, but he remembers that appearances are not always what they seem. As the bizarre-looking Fallenleaf calls for reason (An astounding sight, he thinks), Blaise too steps forward and tries to prevent anyone from attacking the ghost.

"Please! Wait! It ... he is right! I know that not all these creatures mean harm. It may just be a lost spirit ... and I've seen their type before. We're likely doomed in any event, so give it a chance." He nods to Fallenleaf to continue, and will try to interpose himself between the ghost and any attackers.

[steveflam]

Brethana stops, rearing back from Fallenleaf, moving away from him.....

Jarg stops aiming, instead trying to shoo way the raven "Its ok ill stop shooting just call off your bird" eyeing the brid warily hand clutching his crossbow tightly."What are you?" Jarg asks Fallenleaf "Certainly nothing Ive ever seen living"....

[ewancummins]

Jamethon steps forward. ''Blessed child, think not that I have forgotten you. I would give my life that you and your brother were with us still. You know that. Let us help you now , if there is any way we can. I serve your most holy mother, and so I serve you too, little one. '' He approaches the ghostly girl with his hands empty and outstretched. Tears are rolling down his cheeks and his hands shake ever so slightly.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Jarg aims his crossbow on the girl and fires Better to shoot first and ask questions later. "Back foul demon from whence you came!!!"

[DO'H!]

While Jarg's arrow crosses the spectre without causing any harm, the obvious answer is devastating: Suddenly, you all - except Moorkroft - will find yourselves frozen and unable to moveyour bodies from your necks downwards...

Your flesh will hurt as if it was stabbed with icy daggers, and you will be in danger to faint away and fall into the sea of lava...

Bitter cold will crawl from your feet up towards your hearts...

Jamethon steps forward. ''Blessed child, think not that I have forgotten you. I would give my life that you and your brother were with us still. You know that. Let us help you now , if there is any way we can. I serve your most holy mother, and so I serve you too, little one. '' He approaches the ghostly girl with his hands empty and outstretched. Tears are rolling down his cheeks and his hands shake ever so slightly.

YET YOU DIDN'T SAVE ME FROM THE DEMON

YET YOU LET ME THERE

The ghost's words - thoughts in your brains that are not your own - come full of anger and disgust.

AN INNOCENT CHILD

YOU LET THE MISTS TAKE ME

YOU ARE NOT WORTHY TO SERVE THE MAIDEN ANY MORE

AND I SHOULD PUNISH YOU

The girl's messages thunder through your minds like the very storm that torments the lands around you...

YET I HAVE NO CHOICE

BUT TO SACRIFICE MY ESSENCE TO SAVE

Something stings into your heads, again - like a feeling of mourning, or loss...

MOTHER

The spectre's body begins to glow, and, even while blinded by the light,
you can see how the girl desintegrates in the brightness, until she is nothing more than a shining ball of energy...

And then, unable to see anything any more in the explosions of magical energies, you hear the sound of breaking earth and the hissing of expiring flames...

"Forgive us, child," he says. "We wanted to help you, and we are trying to help your mother now. We need your help to find her. Is she in the castle? Can you help us get there?"

GO

Is all you hear, and as you open you eyes again, you feel that your muscles are free again, and see a narrow stone bridge that start a few meters before you and leads over miles and miles towards the horizon...

Towards the island in the lava where Castle Stonecrest stands...

The girl's ghost, however, is nowhere to be seen again...

[VAN]

Inovidil still surprised and with 1000 questions getting her mind flexes her arms in order to verify that she can really move them. Then she turns to Fallenleaf and Moorkroft and asks:

"Shall we... trust it... her? Does she really want to help us or this bridge will be her punishment as she has said earlier? You seem to know her what do you suggest? We don't have much time."

[Ken of Ghastria]

Blaise looks at Inovidil with astonishment. "Question this at another time!" he says with a note of desperation. "In case you haven't noticed, fiery death is approaching us from all other directions! I happily accept the thin thread of hope from the ghost child!" Shielding his face from flying embers, he starts moving quickly across the stone bridge. "Are you coming?

"And YOU --" he points at Jarg "--whoever you are -- next time please do not shoot the ghost!"

[steveflam]

Brethana flexes her muscles making sure she can move again , then just waits on what the party does, hoping to get out of this godforsaken place soon.

Jarg just shrugs at Blaise"Next time you can deal with a ghost , thats not natural from where i come from and should stay dead". Jarg just moves off, waiting to see what the rest of the party is going to do.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Brethana flexes her muscles making sure she can move again , then just waits on what the party does, hoping to get out of this godforsaken place soon.

Jarg just shrugs at Blaise"Next time you can deal with a ghost , thats not natural from where i come from and should stay dead". Jarg just moves off, waiting to see what the rest of the party is going to do.

"Yes, next time please do let others deal with the ghost," Master Fallenleaf says, disgusted. "Why you should care what is natural in a situation like this is beyond me, but it seems your rashness has not ruined us. Yet."

Summoning the raven to him, he points in the direction of the castle; the raven darts off toward it*, and Fallenleaf follows Blaise up the bridge.

*If the raven sees anything dangerous it's supposed to return and make a ruckus; if it gets to the castle without seeing anything dangerous it will wait there for the party to arrive and snoop around a bit.

[LouisVendredi]

Not bothering to pay attention to the banter and quite disturbed by the recent paralysis and pain, George responds to the command in his head and begins to run at top speed toward the castle.

[VAN]

Inovidil looks one more the bridge and then the lava around them. Hoping that they get the correct decision, she holds in her fist the silver moon for a second, as wanting to drain courage from it and then follows Blaise and Fallenleaf up to the bridge.