Ooog. Redmane's eyelids feels heavy. In fact, everything feels heavy. She's having a hard time waking up from her rest. AS sensations slowly flow back into her consciousness, she notices that her mouth feels dry and if it was full of cotton. No, more like full of an old sweat sock. Blech.
The air around her face feels damp and the air smells rather musty She even hears the slow drip of water somewhere in the distance. So, that's the bad news. The good news is the bed at least still feels very comfortable and she's pretty sure her honor is still intact.
Just to confirm if she's been moved, bed and all, into a dank dungeon, Redmane put extra effort into getting her eyes open.
Redmane discovers something amazing when her eyes open! Dark. It's very dark in here. The only light in the room is dim firelight that flickers through a very small set of bars in the door. She's obviously in a different room since the door she remembers didn't have bars.
Okay, so it really is a dungeon, Redmane thinks. Vrani must have had help moving me though.. unless the whole floor descended or something. Morrighan was exposed, so it couldn't have been easy - unless a half-transformed wolf helped. She didn't seem keen on them though, given her reaction to Einsam. Next comes the supreme effort of trying to rise up on her elbows to see if she's really in the same bed.. and if so, is her sword still at the foot?
Muscles complain but Redmane manages to sit up. Once her eyes adjust, sure enough, she's in the same bed. Not only that, Morrigan is still sitting at the foot of her bed. And even more amazing, Redmane finds her travel pack leaning up against the bed.
"Not welcome," she slurs. So, if she's supposed to take the hint and leave, then the door is probably unlocked. It's just.. a matter.. of getting out.. of.. the.. BED! "No rush," Redmane decides, and just lays propped up for now to see if the sleep-heaviness effect is wearing off at all.
Redmane sits there for a good half an hour before she feels strong enough to move again. It has given her time to look around the dim room. While she can't see much, she does make out the walls are extremely rough stone and shimmer as if damp. The floor is a mix of gravel and dirt except for a square of fine wood about a foot out around the entire bed. The ceiling is a mishmash of timbers. It's funny, though, that she realizes at least one of her theories was right ... there are hinges on the ceiling. So, it's likely the entire bed was lowered along with part of the floor. There is also what looks like parchment pinned to the door by something long and thin.
Taking her time until she feels strong enough to walk, Redmane changes into her traveling clothes. She sheaths Morrighan, but leaves her pack where it is for now. Then she tries standing up and walking to the door to get a closer look at the note and whatever is pinning it to the door.
The parchment is a good two foot long and about a foot wide. This isn't too odd, except all that is written on it is 'You are not welcome here.' Up close it's easy enough to tell what is holding the parchment to the door, a butter knife wedged in-between two of the boards that make up the door.
"Yeah, Vrani definitely needs a pony," Redmane mutters and tries to open the door, expecting it to be unlocked.
Wrong. It's locked.
"Well, this is silly," the knight claims. "If you want me out, why lock me in? For that matter, who has a guest room rigged to lower the bed into a cell?" She tries pounding on the door to see if anyone responds, and yells, "Hey! This isn't funny, Vrani!"
No answer. All Redmane can see through the small opening in the door is a long, dark, hallway.
Fuming now, Redmane pulls the butter knife from the door and removes the parchment. She folds it lengthwise to give it some stiffness, and then kneels down to try and slip it between the side of the door and the jamb. "Let's see if this thing has a lock or just a latch on the outside," she mutters.
After a few minutes of fiddling Redmane concludes the door is secured with a sizeable bolt, not just a latch. Something is nagging at Redmane as she fiddles with the parchment, but she can't quite place what it is.
"If it's morning, Thomas should have come around to wake me up," the woman muses, then switches to trying the butter knife instead of the parchment.
Redmane continues to fiddle ... and about two seconds in, the knife gets stuck. So, in her current mood she jerks on it ... and the result is comical. The knife comes free almost immediately, which cases the knight to fall back on her butt, hard. The low flickering glow of candlelight mocks her through the window frame. She can see freedom ... just not reach it through that blasted dark door.
"Right, enough of this," Redmane says as she gets back to her feet (and pats off her rear). She turns back to the bed, and sees her pack. If it hadn't been ransacked, then the camping supplies should still be in it, including a small kerosene lantern. "Let's see what we've got."
Everything is right where she left it in her pack, including her lamp.
Sitting on the bed, Redmane goes about filling the lamp, testing the wick, and then lighting it with a safety match. Now that she has better light, she gives the room another looking over - especially the door and ceiling.
Yep, it's a cell all right. There are even rings in the walls where chains were probably once used. The ceiling is at least twelve feet up and unlikely reachable. The door under light looks like it's made from heavy oak (or similar) timbers and some thick bronze strapping and rivets. There are two notable points to the door, best she can tell so far. The first is that in the middle of the bottom there looks to be a hinged flap, maybe two inches tall and a foot side. Probably used to slide food through. The second is the heavy bronze plate indicating where the door lock is. There's even a keyhole. That's when it strikes her ... if there's a keyhole, why didn't she see any light through it?
Bending down, Redmane looks through the keyhole.
With help from the lantern Redmane finds herself staring at the head of a large key. Cruel, really. The key is just on the other side of the obnoxious door.
With a sigh, Redmane sets down her lantern. She unfolds the oversized parchment and slides it under the door beneath the keyhole, and then starts to gently prod through the hole with the knife.
There we go. There's a loud plunk on the other side as the key falls from the lock. Of course there's still a problem, the current gap under the door isn't large enough to slide the key back through.
Slowly, Redmane drags the paper sideways until it's under the flap. Only then does she draw it back inward.
The flap thankfully moves and in a couple minutes Redmane finds herself holding the key to her prison.
She eyes the key, and the lock, trying to decide if there's a booby trap. Eventually, she just puts the key in and turns it.
CLICK! Wow, that lock was loud. Nothing blows up, though, or shoots her with poison darts, arrows, bolts, or squirrels, thankfully.
Before attempting to open the door, Redmane goes to retrieve her pack. With that securely on her back, she pockets the knife and parchment, picks up her lantern, and then tries to open the door.
And the door opens quite easily. The hinges don't even squeak. Ahead lies the dark hallway. And sure enough, just outside the door Redmane now sees the torch that was taunting her. It's a mere two inches from the door frame.
Pocketing the key, just in case, Redmane glares at the torch. She leaves it though, using her lantern instead as she starts down the hallway.
There appears to be a few more cells down here. If Redmane had to guess on their positions, they're likely just below the other bedrooms as well. Further ahead is another large door leading who knows where. Closed, of course.
Redmane checks the other cells as she passes them, both for occupancy and for keys. She frowns at the sight of the closed door ahead, anticipating more hassle.
All the other cells are empty. Looks like she's alone. Lord only knows where Thomas and Einsam are. For that matter, she's not even certain what time or day it is.
"Probably still asleep," Redmane mutters, thinking it could still be night time. She checks the door at the end of the hall for a blocked keyhole.
No keyhole. In fact, the door is unlocked and easy to open, it looks like.
Red decides to open the door a crack to see what's beyond it before trying to open it all of the way.
Redmane finds a spiral stairwell on the other side. It goes both up and down.
This gives the knight some pause. What could be lower down? "Might as well find out while I'm here," she decides, and starts down the stairs to see what lies below a dungeon.
As Redmane heads lower she notices two things ... there looks to be light down below and perhaps movement, given the shifting of the shadows. Secondly ... this stairwell may very well lead into some ancient catacombs. She starts finding insets in the walls that contain the long-rotted remains of ancient fey.
Making an effort to be silent now, Redmane draws her sword as she gets closer to the light.
Redmane manages to head down the stairs with only a few nervewracking moments where she accidentally kicked some pebbles. The noise wasn't too bad and no one seemed to notice, at least. Soon enough, Redmane sees the source of the light, a stone archway. Not only that, she hears muffled voices.
Carefully, Redmane sets down her lantern and pack, before trying to get closer to the archway.
And of course Redmane manages to step on a formerly unnoticed femur bone on the floor. It makes a rather loud snap when it breaks in two and the voices suddenly stop. There's a pregnant pause and Redmane then hears, "What was that?"
Nothing, just a ghost, Redmane thinks, while trying to get an idea of who might have spoken from the sound of their voice.
Redmane can't place the voice, unfortunately. "It is likely another has been woken, pay it no mind," another voice replies while she's trying to figure it out, though. The new voice she recognizes ... and it causes a knot in her stomach. The tone is tired and defeated, but she would never forget the voice of the knight Bravil.
That nearly makes Redmane gasp out loud. Still, she keeps it in and starts moving again, needing to confirm the identity of who she heard with her eyes.
This time there are no bones to betray Redmane as she inches to the archway. She sneaks a peak around it and sees two men clad in ancient armor some twenty feet down another hallway. The lighting is enough to make out that both bear worn crests of December upon their armor. Not only that, one of them isn't wearing a helmet and though there is a shimmer of unnatural darkness around his head, Redmane can make out the craggy features of her old and long dead friend. What she's looking at registers immediately; it's a shade. The soul of someone unwillingly bound to serve some master. Such arts require the remains of the intended servant.
No way am I going to let Bravil be used like this! Redmane thinks to herself, and then frowns. Breaking the binding generally requires 'killing' the Shade though, as well as recovering the remains. She'll need to plan this out better.. and find out what the Baron and his daughter know.
It isn't easy, but Redmane pulls back from the archway, and makes for the stairs and the rest of her gear.
"Have you heard the rumors from above?" the unnamed knight asks of Bravil as Redmane retreats.
The knight pauses again, wanting to hear this..
"No," Bravil answers, "What have you heard?"
"Of all people to how up at the castle, the Knight Redmane and the Lord Explorer," comes the answer. "They still live."
Well, not still live, but live again really, Redmane mentally corrects the second Shade.
A forced, humorless, laugh comes from Redmane's old friend. "That brings me no solace," he says. "I ... knew them in life. They were my friends. I am bound to follow orders and I fear I would be ordered to kill them. I cannot disobey; but it doesn't mean I would not feel. I ... may the Gods and Goddess grant me damnation and oblivion over the possible fate of being ordered to harm them."
Feeling she's eavesdropped enough, the dour-faced girl continues her retreat. I have to find Thomas. He's fought a Shade before, she tells herself.
"You should let go of your former life; it is meaningless now," Redmane hears the other knight tell Bravil, "You bring yourself only pain." As Redmane is picking up her pack, she hears the reply, "Shade, undeath, whatever it is called now, it is just a prison crafted from the dark arts. It may enslave me, but it will not erase the truths I still hold in my heart. If there is any fairness left in our world, then may it grant Redmane the strength to fell me again."
Damn it, Bravil, Redmane thinks. That's a lot to ask of me, old friend. She puts on her pack and picks up her lantern as quietly as she can, certainly not wanting to face either Shade on her own right now.
Redmane finds the stairs a bit too slick and ends up slipping! She hits the stairs in a loud clatter. A few seconds later she hears one of the shades say, "Someone is in the stairwell." The next thing she hears is the sounds of swords being drawn.
"I should have stayed in bed," Redmane moans, and then shakes off her pack and draws both swords while keeping to the stairwell as much as possible to protect her back.
The sound of the approach of two well armored knights is anything but subtle as Redmane begins a slow retreat up the stairs while maintaining her defence. Soon enough, the large knights pass through the archway and face Redmane. For a brief moment her eyes lock with Bravil's. The expression that follows in his face is not unlike had she stabbed him through the heart. His eyes clench closed for a moment, then reopen. "Redmane," he says, his voice actually cracking; something she had never heard from him before.
"I'm not entirely the same woman you remember, Bravil," Redmane warns, feeling sick. "Tell me who did this to you, and.. and I'll do what I can to help you."
Bravil chokes a laugh. "That makes too of us," he says as he stiffly heads towards the woman. It's obvious that he's fighting the movement, but failing to completely resist it. "Run," her old friend says. "Or you too will be serving that bastard Adalric Shergan, traitor to the Lord of December."
"That's all I needed to know," Redmane says. "I'll get you out of this, I promise!" She then turns and scoops up her pack, hurrying up the stairs as best she can.
Redmane leaves her old friend behind as she hurries up the stairs. "Cerrdiwen grant you speed," she hears the voice of her friend as it fades behind her. Thankfully unwilling shades are a bit slower than someone who was a willing servant, which gives Redmane the edge in her ascent. Soon enough she's passing the passageway that led to her cell.
"The next door had better not be locked," she growls as she keeps going up.
Redmane finds out soon enough as it looms just above her. She reaches it and throws it open. On the other side stands Adalric Shergan, now draped in the robes of a warlock. He clutches a well-worn tome in his arms, the cover leathers faded, and cracked. Even from here she can see the edges of the pages contained within are all frayed and decaying. His pale skin looks almost ashen and all the kindness she saw in his eyes when he greeted her earlier is gone. Behind him stands a dozen soldiers in full armor, weapons at the ready. "It is impolite to snoop in the home of your host," he says with a slow, hissing, voice. "I welcomed you, I gave you drink and a warm bed, and you betray that generosity by snooping in my private chambers. But no matter, I will forgive you ... once you are also serving me. Guards ... take her."
Before she can be swarmed, Redmane brings Morrighan to the fore and declares, "If you obey the Baron out of fear, then stay back. If you obey willingly, then step forward and die by iron!"
"Fear? Of you? A woman so cowardly she threw away her own horns?" retorts one of the cloaked and armored guards as he steps forward. "You're afraid to fight," the man further claims as he draws his own sword, "I've got her.". There's something obnoxiously familiar about that voice...
It takes a supreme effort, in that moment, for Redmane not to sigh. She turns the point of her sword towards the Baron, and says, "Surrender now and release the Shades from their binding, and I'll turn you over to Lord December instead of killing you."
"My dear girl, I had tea with the Destroyer himself when he trained me in the darker arts. Do you think I have any fear of you being able to harm me?" the Baron remarks in an almost bored-sounding voice. He waves his hand dismissively, saying, "Guards, kill her."
"Does that include your books?" Redmane asks, as she throws the kerosene lantern up hard toward the middle of the ceiling. "And I had an ice-cream soda with him! So.. nyaa!"
The lantern smacks into the high ceiling overhead. Unfortunate it's not hard enough to shatter it, but it does put a sizeable crack in the side. When it clatters to the floor, the kerosene starts to seep out, leaving a short, trailing wall of fire in its wake. This does at least have the effect of causing the guards to scatter some and the Baron to at least take a few steps back. Meanwhile, the guard that challenged her darts towards her. "Keep the chaos going," the same familiar voice hisses at her, "Einsam and Vrani are trying to locate the binding stone that is fueling his spells."
"Chaos.. I thought I was against that," Redmane mutters, and advances on the Baron. "Tea, eh? Did you get one of those big fancy mirrors too?"
Almost growling, the Baron flips open his tome and quickly flips through it as he's backing up. And probably as Redmane now expected, the guard that charged her passes right by, rebounds off the wall, and turns to face the other guards who are regrouping on the other side of the small wall of fire. They're finally drawing their own weapons too. "I really hate helmets, they always smell like feet," Red's ally says as he reaches up and pulls back the hood and removes the helm. Good Ol' Thomas, of course.
"So, Vrani is on our side?" Redmane asks, before taking a slash at the Baron's book.
The book, alas, is not close enough to actually hit yet. The Baron, though, smiles darkly and raises his hand. "Do not think I do not know your origins," the fey says, "I may not have the power to disperse you such as Lord Eoin did, but he did pass on the arts of binding your kind, monster."
"Good luck with that," Redmane says, hurrying to close the gap. "Being reborn as a mortal and all, I don't know if any of that will make a difference."
"Apparently. She was trying to warn us at dinner," Thomas remarks as he crouches slightly, brow furrowing. "I cornered her after I found your room empty and got some explanation from her. She was hoping you could destroy the shades directly, so she sent you down to the chambers below." Thomas' own form begins to shimmer and blur as glamour goes into effect.
"Gee, she could have just said so in the note," the knight complains.
Redmane feels something like thick cobwebs stretch out over her body, trying to restrain her. Her advance does slow ... but then the iron sword in her hand flares, the blade taking on a glow of almost being white-hot. In the next moment, she feels the restraining strands snap and her body surge forward. The baron ... well, looking surprised only describes half of it!
"Moron," Redmane chides the warlock. "If that would have worked, don't you think the Destroyer would have used it on me?"
"Moron," Redmane chides the warlock. "If that would have worked, don't you think the Destroyer would have used it on me?" she notes as she swings the glowing sword once more at the book.
"Not if someone else found it before you woke up," Thomas points out as he now launches forward towards the guards. Or does he? It's actually rather hard to tell where Thomas is; there are numerous 'after-images' of him as the blur darts about. A yelp from one of the guards when the sound of sword hitting sword reveals where he is for the moment..
The sword strikes true, but alas does not cleave through the book to reach the Baron himself. Where the iron touches, though, the pages and leather curl and blacken.
"The flower of the loins of Balor of the Fomarians, and Jarnsaxa of the Jotun," Redmane recites. "No single spell can work on both halves of my lineage. Or maybe Eoin didn't tell you that part? Why confide in a pawn more than he needs to know?"
"Demon bitch," the Baron growls as he shoves back with the book, dislodging the iron blade from its binding. "Why could you not have been a good little mindless knight, not snoop, and just leave in the morning. This matter does not concern you. And now thanks to you, I must also deal with my own offspring for betrayal."
And the Baron continues his retreat. Several of the guards now move to intercept Redmane. "You will not harm the Baron!" one of them shouts.
"You've broken the laws of Mirari," Redname notes, getting ready for another strike. "And raising the Shades of heroes? Why not just kill your own men and turn them into undead slaves? Or was that for tomorrow?" She glares at the guards trying to impede her.
"Simple, I need a strong army to overthrow Lord Blaze of December, and why pass up an army composed of December's greatest warriors," the Baron remarks as he regains his composure and once more leafs through his book. "With them alongside my men, I can take what should rightfully be mine. It is time for my family to rule these lands. What gives his family the right over all others?"
"Nobility?" Redmane suggests, and tries to warn the guards off with her still-glowing sword as she goes after the Baron.
The guards hesitate, but the three still approach her, swords drawn. Looks like she'll have t deal with them first, alas, or leave her back exposed.
"Nobility? He spends half his time as a mongrel of four legs sniffing the asses of dogs," Adalric sneers. "And if I can't touch you directly with magic, well ... there are always other options..."
With a growl, Redmane turns on the guards.. but draws her silver blade as well. With both weapons in hand, she moves to engage the trio.
The initial onslaught lands several blows against the guards, though nothing serious yet. The guards may not be very skilled, but they outnumber Redmane and their sometimes wild and uncontrolled attacks keep her on her toes if not penetrate her defenses.
"Dammit, where is he ... EEEEEEEEEk!" Redmane can hear one of the guards that isn't bothering her at the moment shout. She also happens to notice that somehow his cloak has been lit on fire ... and he doesn't seem to be near the fiery mess Redmane made earlier...
With a bell-like CLONG, Redmane brings the butt of Morrighan down hard atop one of the guard's helmets - leaving a big dent in it and possibly in the man's head, as he drops to the floor. "If you run away now, nobody will hold it against you," she tells the remaining two.
The two other guards pause and look at each other. Neither actually say anything ... instead they turn tail and run out of the room as fast as their feet can carry them.
"Cowards," the Baron mutters as he looks up from his book. The scowl he wears quickly turns into a sadistic smile. His fingers roll and dance as he mutters under his breath...
The air around Redmane starts to feel ... odd. It grows worse and the disturbing scent of ozone now reaches her nose; a smell she recognizes well from her days of working the farm during a thunderstorm. The feeling of her arm and leg hair starting to stand up is also all too familiar. 'Lightning' is about to strike very close by. Even her swords start to crackle uncomfortably in her hands and blue arcs of electricity zot back and forth between them.
"Tricky," the knight mutters, as she reverses Morrighan in her hand and throws the blade right at the Baron's chest.
Clang! "Ow! Dammit, Gregori, watch it!", one of the other guards shouts. "I was aiming for ... him!" the supposed Gregori claims. "Well, you hit me!" comes the retort. "He won't stand still!" "Dammit!"
Redmane's aim is amazing, especially since a sword makes a terrible spear. The Baron somehow manages to bring his book back up in time to catch the blade and avoid being imapled. As he's about to gloat ... the lightning hits. Specifically it hits the silver sword in Redmane's hand! All the muscles in her arm seize up in her arm and Gods does that hurt. But what happens next likely hurts the Baron more! The electricity arcs from the silver blade to the hilt of Morrighan. NEarly all the power of the BAron's spell now surges into the book in his hands. The book very literally explodes blowing Adalric backwards! He slams hard into the wall and slides down. He's barely breathing now, each breath sounds like a wheezing struggle. Redmane's worst take from it ... well, the arm holding her silver sword feels rather numb up to the elbow and all pins and needles from there to her shoulder.
"Nnnnngh," Redmane hisses through clenched teeth, and then uses her right hand to take the silver blade from her numbed left. "Oh, I'm so glad I don't have fillings in my teeth or braces," she says. She doesn't even want to know what her hair probably looks like. She goes to retrieve her other sword, asking, "Are you done yet, Thomas?"
One of the guards is flailing around blindly; his cloak wrapped around his head. Another is trying to hold up his lower armor and pants. And well, another still is trying to beat the flames out of one of the cloaks. "Done what?" Thomas asks from behind Redmane, "Embarrassing them?"
Red's fingers on her left hand barely move and once free of the weight, her fingers and wrist curl up a bit. She can make them twitch if she really tries, but for the moment ... the muscles just don't want to do anything.
"Have them put out the fire at least, would you?" Redmane asks, trying not to jump (those Shades are still around, after all). "I'll promise to look away if they pee on it. But could you at least tie this guy up? My hands aren't up to it, and I think that when the numbness fades it's going to hurt a lot."
Adalric is weakly trying to push himself upright (and failing at it). So, Thomas salutes Redmane and heads towards the downed nobleman. "Now, this will hurt you more than me," Thomas claims as he jerks the Baron's hands behind his back and uses the baron's own robes to tie his hands together. Not looking satisfied yet, Thomas ties up his legs too, leaving him in a rather indignant hogtie.
Redmane finally takes a moment to look around while trying to sheath both swords one-handed. "I wonder if he has a medicine cabinet?" she says aloud. "Is my hair frizzed out?"
Speaking of the shades ... there's now steady footsteps heading up the stairwell Redmane came up on. And within moments, the shimmering form of Bravil passes through the doorway. "I told you to run," the older man says, sounding strained. "I can't ... "
"Yes," Thomas remarks quietly to Redmane as he moves to stand in front of her, arms spread. "Yes, you can," Thomas insists, "I know the man you once were. I remember the strength in your heart; the conviction and will you had. Even when you knew you could not survive it, you held the lines so that others would survive. As I know now that you will not strike either of us down."
"I got sidetracked," Redmane says, looking for a chair now. "Just.. hang on a bit, until Vrani finds the magic rock. Or do you still have to do stuff if your 'master' is knocked out?"
Bravil's sword is drawn again, though his hand shakes has he does so. "Miurenn, Thomas, please," he says, "You both know that a soul bound cannot refuse. He ordered me to kill any intruders."
"We're his guests, technically," Redmane suggests, smiling hopefully.
"And I know your will is stronger than any spell he could cast," Thomas insists as he stands his ground.
"Kil...kill them!" the Baron wheezes from where he's tied up. So ... Thomas just back-kicks him in the head. Ow, that had to hurt.
"It's nice to see you again though, Bravil," Redmane says. "I don't have all of my memories back, so I don't recall what your life was like before the war. Did you start a family?"
Bravil's sword-arm remains shaking, though he doesn't advance on the pair for now. Instead, his expression falls at the question. "I .. I retired briefly, before the Lord needed all of us to fight in the great war," the shade admits, "I ... even took a new wife. When we were called, she was with child. I could not refuse, for she would have been in danger in time if December fell. Yet, I knew in my heart I might not survive the war. When darkness finally took me on the fields of battle, my last thoughts were of her and my child. Of all the things in my life; I regret that I wasn't there when my child was born. If he or she was born. I don't even know if a name was chosen." The old knight's head shakes. "Why do you ask me this?"
"I think we have your great-great-great-grandson with us," Redmane says, "and also because I just needed to know you were happy. And the Baron didn't say 'kill them now' so you should be able to relax a bit, right? We aren't going anywhere."
"She named him Ril," comes a quiet, if a bit gruff, voice from the far doorway. Standing in shadow, Redmane can make out the outline of a broad-shouldered fey and a waifish girl standing next to him. She's clutching something in her hands.
"You sly old ... you kept a secret from me," Thomas grumbles at the shade. "How could you?"
"You probably didn't ask," Redmane tells Thomas.
"You don't have to know everything," Bravil remarks, though for a moment there's a hint of actual humor in his voice. His eyes are drawn to the figure in the doorway. "Ril," he repeats, then nods. "A strong name."
"It was in honor of his father," Einsam replies as he steps into the room. In the firelight, Redmane can make out a broad-shouldered fey with long, coal-black, hair. Though now completely shifted, his face still bears the hallmarks of a wolf; the yellow eyes and narrowish jaw line. Even with all that, there is remarkable resemblance to Bravil himself. Had he the creases and wear of Years, the similarity would be amazing.
Redmane's gaze shifts momentarily from Einsam to Vrani, to see if she's got the magic whozit needed to release the Shades.
She's holding a stylized crystal skull in her hands. Either that's it, or she does collect weird, creepy, things.
While rubbing her left arm, Redmane looks to Vrani and asks, "Do you know how to use that thing to set them free?"
"Not completely, no," the grim girl admits as she looks down at the object in her hands. "I do not deal in the dark arts."
"See, you don't have to deal in dark magic to still get a head in the world," Thomas quips.
"That was unnecessary," the shade of Bravil remarks.
"But someone knows?" Redmane asks, turning to Thomas. "You've dealt with Shades before. Unless Bravil wants to remain like this, what do we have to do?"
"The ones I dealt with involved burying their bones again to release them. It all depends on how they were bound, I think," Thomas says, stretches, then rubs the back of his neck with his left hand.
"We know Adalric has his remains - and others - here somewhere," Redmane says, gritting her teeth through the extreme pins-and-needles-from-Hell that are waking up in her left arm now.
"My time is long past, and frankly, I think I have earned the rest," Bravil says, "I wish to return to history and find the woman long lost to me."
"Well.. any unfinished business you want to get off your chest while you have the chance?" Redmane asks the shade, after glancing back at Einsam.
"If she meant that much, then why did you leave?" Einsam counters. He's trying to sound mad, it seems, but it comes across more sad than anything. "You should have stayed with her."
"It takes more courage to leave than to stay," Redmane mutters.
"And let others die instead? Wait until the threat is at our doorsteps before standing against it?" Bravil says, "The Lord had few with the experience I had then. I was needed. Not only that, I did not want the hell of war coming to my new home. I did not want her to see bloodshed; to see her friends killed, children starve, or worse. It tore my heart to leave her, knowing that I might not return. But knowing that I was giving her, and all the others, a chance to live peacefully; to continue to rebuild their homes and hopes. It wasn't just that I went to answer the Lord's call, I went for them and their future too. I went for you."
"Einsam, you need to go home and let people know that you're proud of your ancestor's sacrifice," Redmane says. "Show them they're wrong. They do respond to that, I know."
"There are many things greater than yourself in life and worth dying for. Many who have learned this find it simpler to keep others distant to minimize the feeling of loss," Bravil adds and this time looks directly at Thomas. "But that is no way to live forever. You shouldn't deny that which you're trying to protect for others. Yes, it will hurt at times, but it will also help you find strengths you never knew you had."
"This isn't about me," Thomas mutters.
"Show them how?" Einsam argues. "No one living knew him. He's just a story."
"How, indeed," Bravil concedes. He's quiet for a bit before saying, "Redmane, I have something to ask of you."
"You want me to bring the skull thingy to Abnehmenvolf?" the knight asks.
"No, but that is not a terrible idea," the former knight concedes. "I want you to take Einsam as your squire. If he is to show them, then the best way is to learn what being a knight means and so that he can show them the honor of his bloodline."
"What?" both Thomas and Einsam blurt!
"I don't know," Redmane says, rubbing her chin with her right hand and looking at Einsam. "I've always been one of the roughest of the Knights. How important is it for him to learn all the courtly stuff? I mean.. I'm a Countess now too..."
"Plus, there's the issue of my never having had or BEEN a squire before," the woman adds. "I'll need a bit of guidance. I mean.. do I get to spank him or anything?"
"And I was the epitome of courtly manner?" Bravil counters, "If he wants to learn about his ancestry so that he can show others, then there is no better teacher than one who fought beside me many times. Or perhaps you're concerned that one of my bloodline will finally unhorse you."
"And I must also point out that I was a forester before I became a knight," Bravil notes, "I was never a true squire either."
"Don't I get any say i this?" Einsam asks.
"No, unfortunately you don't," Thomas remarks, "You're now dealing with the two most stubborn people in the land. I'm pretty sure Redmane counts as ten stubborn people by herself."
"Of course you do, Einsam," Redmane says sweetly. "You can say 'yes'. And I don't have my horse with me. Or lance. Do you even have that stuff in December?"
"Of course we do," Einsam notes.
"And ... should you find my remains, I wish them to be buried in Abnehmenvolf. If they allow it, of course," Bravil adds. "I also imagine my old weapons are with my remains, given Adalric intended for us to march on the current Lord of December as a 'show' of the land rising against him."
"They don't have antlers are anything though, right?" Redmane asks. "Ah, doesn't matter. So long as they're big enough."
"Yours aren't the only remains," Redmane notes. "But I'm sure Thomas can sort that out. It means you'll still be.. sticking around.. until we can give you a proper new burial though, right?"
"At some level, I suppose," Bravil says and even shrugs a bit.
"Since when did I become the expert on bone sorting?" Thomas has to ask, "And what do we do about Adalric? And his barony for that matter?"
"We'll take him to Blaze," Redmane suggests. "He's got an heir, after all. Any law of December saying the daughter can't rule in his place?"
"After the trip," Thomas suggests. "He can be held here until then. And no, there's no law against it. The question is more does she want to?"
"Well, Vrani? Want to lock up your old man in the dungeon and stay up late eating candy whenever you want?" Redmane asks the girl.
"No, I do not want to," Vrani admits, "But I do not suppose I have much choice in the matter. There is much of his corruption to be undone. Plus, I owe my mother that much; I was too young to help her when she took her life after she uncovered my father's ... allegiance to the Destroyer. The least I can do for her now is to try and heal the lands he damaged."
"Well, do you at least know of any smart people to help you out?" Redmane asks. "Surely one of the neighboring baronies can be trusted to send you an advisor."
"I know a few. It should be manageable. Most of the guards will also aid; only a few were willingly assisting him," Vrani says.
"So ... if that is settled, we should secure the former Baron and search the lower chambers for the remains. Return those to their rightful place, then head onward. Why can't our trips ever be easy?" Thomas complains.
"Yeah, figured they were more afraid of him than willing," Redmane says, then turns her attention to Einsam. "Are you any good at sniffing out bones?" she asks, perfectly straight-faced.
"Since when did you ever really want things to be easy?" Bravil asks.
Einsam ... growls.
"You make it sound like I want difficulty and danger," Thomas grumbles.
"Rule 1, Einsam: you will most certainly hate me with strength of a raging bull," Redmane notes. "But you will do what I tell you too, and you will control your temper, and you will not go wolf during training."
"Then I will have a hard time sniffing out bones," Einsam points out.
"I'm not training you to sniff out bones," Redmane notes. "You can be as hairy as you want when helping out Thomas. Just don't pee on him if you can help it. The temptation will be great, I'm sure."
"I prefer being a wolf," Einsam grumbles.
"You do not," Redmane claims. "If you did, you'd have accepted your lowered status because of your heritage. You clearly do not accept it. You just like being able to resort to instinct."
"Look at it this way, she didn't say you couldn't pee on her ... so just aim for her," Thomas quips. "Come on, scruff, we have some stuff to find. Red can deal with her new Baron Boyfriend. Don't think I didn't see the cutesy eyes you were making at him earlier."
"I was just trying to see if he was our culprit," Redmane says. "Besides, it's part of my duty as an unwed Countess to mess with the heads of other landed gentry."
"There is nothing wrong with following instinct," Einsam grumbles as he now heads past Redmane and down the stairwell she ascended earlier.
"Keep it up and you might find yourself in over your head," Thomas notes. "Or with one of them under duress. Your duress..."
"Hmpph, you'll learn better," Redmane mutters, and stands up with a wince, since her arm is still screaming at her. "Okay, Vrani, can you get some guards that you trust and carry your dad to one of those convenient luxury cells? And.. should I even ask why the entire bed is part of a trap door?"
"My father indulged in strange ... hobbies with female guests," Vrani offers by way of explanation. Letting Redmane work out just what that means, the girl leaves.
Alone with the ghost now, Redmane turns to Bravil's Shade, and asks, "Could you tell me about your wife? I guess I never got to meet her.."