Adelaide arrives at the gates of Krystad. Throngs of people are entering the city, finishing their work for the day and returning home. He integrates himself with the crowd, passing himself off as the child of an unknowing peasant, and enters the city. Krystad has the reputation of helping those in need, through the many temples that care for it's streets. Each building is clean and well kept, but sitting outside them are beggars and vagabonds, waiting for the temples to open their shelters for them to go to sleep and repeat the next day.
"We're finally at Krystad." Vivienne said, floating above Adelaide's head. "What're we gonna do first?" Adelaide needs a place to stay for the night, but first, he needs to find food.
Looking into the windows of each building, Adelaide comes across a tavern named The Winking Dog. He enters. The tavern is as clean on the inside as it is on the outside. The place is packed with laughing patrons, all dressed in fine silks and sparkling jewelry. Adelaide lifts himself up to the counter where an equally well dressed bartender is organizing wine bottles, his back to the entrance.
"Excuse me." Adelaide said. The bartender turns abruptly. The initial confusion upon hearing Adelaide's voice turning into disgust as soon as he looks at him.
"Haven't we told you urchins that you're not welcomed in here." The bartender sneered behind his well-groomed mustache. Adelaide looked at him in shock, he continued. "You come in here and dirty my shop with your stink."
"I just want some food."
"Don't you get enough at the orphanage"
"I have money!"
Behind Adelaide, a man shouts "Hey, Barkeep! Bring us another round." The man was large, round, and wore the most gaudy robes Adelaide had ever seen. His sausage fingers were covered in massive rings and gold chains wrap around his neck. This man was obviously the richest man in the room.
"Yes, magistrate. Right away." The bartender said, bowing his head nervously.
"Is that little girl bothering you?" The rich man said. "Just give her a piece of bread and she'll run off!"
"I'm a boy." Adelaide said to the man, but he had already checked out, returning to the stories being told at his table. The bartender leaves to a back door and returns moments later with a small piece of bread. He forces the bread onto Adelaide, pushing him off the counter.
"There. Now take it and go!" The bartender said. Adelaide was about to interject and ask for more, but the bartender has started filling the order for the rich man. He realized that he wasn't going to get any more than this, so he leaves with his sole piece of bread.
"Well, there's one good thing about being dead," Vivienne said mockingly. "You don't need to eat or drink anything." Adelaide ate the bread. It relieved some of his pain, but he was still hungry. "Are we going to the orphanage, then? Sounds like they have free food."
"Are you crazy?" Adelaide exclaimed. "We can't go to the orphanage! Don't you remember what mom said?" Orphanages are places were bad kids are sent. They are put to work gruelling jobs, and when they're too tired to work, they're sold for body parts. His mother would often threaten to send him to an orphanage whenever he was out of line. "They'll trap me and take the dagger. Then I won't be able to kill Loviegna, like Jenai wants!"
Adelaide looks at the blood-red dagger. This entire time he had been carrying it in the basket Ms. Kulmmird had given him, but with the jostling he'd done during travel, the blade has cut a hole in the basket. It needs a proper sheathe, but looking about, all the shops aside from the taverns have closed for the day. He then noticed several beggars, all walking in the same direction.
"Where are they all going?" Vivienne said. Adelaide didn't know, but he decided to follow.
As he trotted down the road, Adelaide continues to play his fife, to Vivienne's horror. He played until his stomach forced him to double over. He looked around, in the bushes beyond the trees, and spots blue little berries hanging from one of them. Without a second thought, Adelaide grabs at them, shoving the berries down his throat. He felt them drop to the bottom of his stomach one-by-one. As he began to slow down, he got a good look at the berries. They were old, wrinkly, and moldy. Under the skin, he saw something moving around. He didn't know if the berries he ate were the same, but the thought of it was enough to make him vomit every bit he had eaten.
Vivienne laughed at Adelaide's dismay, seeing it as payback for the terrible music. His stomach now feels worse than it was before. Adelaide thought back to other times he's had stomach problems. Ms. Kulmird used to always cook a dandelion salad whenever he had these pains. It was easy to find some dandelions, but as he collects its leaves, he found something else. Stramonium weeds.
Adelaide remembered that Ms. Kulmird used to make poisons with these. Strong poisons that she claimed could kill an ox. Adelaide only had the dagger to defend himself, but perhaps, if he could make this into a poison, he won't need to worry about his safety. Adelaide collects the weed, making sure to set it aside, away from the dandelion leaves, and continued down the road.
Further down the road, Adelaide discovers a set of clothes on the road. Looking around, he sees no other person in sight. He picks up the clothes and looks it over. It was an old tunic and a pair of leggings, but it was still intact and looked to be his size. Are these boy clthes, Adelaide wondered. Either way, it looked different from the clothes he was wearing. Before he could put it on, there's a rustle in the bushes. A goblin appears.
"Hands off, kid! That's mine!" She exclaimed. The goblin was a short, dirty woman, covered head to toe in pilfered cloth and silks of many different colors. On her back is a large sack, possibly filled with more stolen goods. "Give me back my merchandise, you rotten thief!" Adelaide thought to give it to her, but his hunger told him to do otherwise.
"I'll give it back if you give me any food you have," Adelaide said while making himself look bigger than the goblin.
"What did you just say?" the goblin sneered, brandishing an ornate dagger. As soon as he saw the dagger, Adelaide ran with the clothes in hand. "Get back here, thief! I'll gut ya!" She chased after him. Even with the bag of goods weighing on her back, she was agile. She was able to quickly catch and trip him up. The goblin waved the dagger over him, Adelaid relented.
"Okay, okay! It's yours." Adelaide tossed the clothes at the goblin and covered himself in defense.
"That's what I thought!" The goblin picked up the clothes and stored it in her large sack. Looking back at him, the goblin swung her dagger, slashing Adelaide on the back of his hand and backed off. "You ain't even worth my time." The goblin walked back into the bushes, leaving Adelaide alone again.
Adelaide played a tune on his new fife as he walked down the road, though "playing a tune" is a awfully generous description.
"Please, stop playing! My ears can't take it!" Vivienne screamed as she covered her ears. It was the first time Adelaide has ever played the fife. In his attempts to play one of Mrs. Fenwick's old tunes, he may have accidentally been playing at an octave that was like a dogwhistle to ghosts. He continued to practice his fife. If he can learn to play this instrument while also annoying Vivienne for a change, then he was happy.
Further down the road, Adelaide sees a carriage fallen to one side. It was a bright blue color with golden trimmings. Even at a distance, Adelaide could tell that the carriage looked rather fancy, probably belonging to some noble or wealthy merchant, but it was stuck in a bush. He also sees something, or someone, hovering near the thing. Walking closer and closer, Adelaide realized what it was. It was a ghost.
Vivienne grew excited at the sight of another spirit. It was a man, dressed in uniform, like a coachman. An arrow stuck out from his head and his lean body, though mostly whole, was covered in bites and scratches. It was obvious that the main cause of his death was the arrow, then a pack ate at him as his spirit slipped away. The ghost didn't notice the children approaching, he seemed to be too busy with the carriage.
"Where did that wheel go?" The ghost said, frantically floating around the carriage. "We are going to be late to the party, and if we are late to the party, Lady Madeline is going to fire me!" With each word, the ghost became more frantic, looking all over the area for the carriage's missing wheel.
"Hey, mister!" Vivienne yelled. The ghost doesn't seem to notice. "HEEEEEEEEY! I'm talking to you!" The ghost continued to look around for the missing wheel, to Vivienne's annoyance. "He must be deaf." She said, shrugging. She was hoping to find another companion to talk another spirit.
Adelaide approached the carriage. He didn't notice from a distance, but the carriage has taken some weather damage. The paint is peeling off and the wood is getting eaten up by water damage and termites. What he thought was a bush that the carriage fell into is actually thick layers of vines that have consumed the carriage. This has been here for quite a long time. Adelaide stepped closer, hoping to see what could be within the vehicle, when a sudden force pushed on his chest, causing him to fall backwards.
"Don't you dare touch a thing!" The ghost yelled, now looming over Adelaide. "I am tired of my tools and pieces getting stolen from right under my nose! You stay away from that carriage!" Adelaide lay stunned at what just occurred. Did the ghost just push him.
"Ah! There it is!" Under a collection of vines, the ghost finds the missing carriage wheel. As easily as a living human, the ghost pulls the wheel from under the vines and carries it over to the carriage. Adelaide and Vivienne watch in awe. How could a ghost move physical objects? Vivienne herself has never been able to do so, only phasing through them.
The ghost fixes the wheel onto the carriage and looks around. "Now, where is my hammer!" The ghost screams. A very chilling scream that forces Adelaide to jump to his feet. He ran as fast as he could, until the carriage was no longer in sight.
"How did he do that?" Vivienne asked as Adelaide caught his breathe. "He pushed you like you were a piece of paper."
"I don't know, and I don't wanna know." Adelaide wheezed. He'd rather Vivienne not know either. If she figured out how to affect the physical world, there is no telling how many ways she will annoy him. Adelaide felt a chill on his back and chest. Looking down, he saw Vivienne's arms phasing through his chest. Please don't figure it out, Adelaide thought.
Adelaide came upon a crossroads and a signpost with arrows pointing at each direction. One, labeled "Fisch", was pointing west where he had come from, another points east with the label "Krystad" on it, the last points north to the village of Eschbrand, which Adelaide could see from that point. His stomach grumbled as though to tell him to walk in that direction. Adelaide had thought that it was a bad idea to go there, considering that they probably hired the adventurers that killed his mother, but maybe that wasn't true. Perhaps the adventurers that destroyed Fisch came from another village, or just so happened to find the village and realized it was run by witches. If that were the case, it wouldn't be much of a problem if he stopped at Eschbrand and convinced a family to give him food. He had 400 gold with him, after all.
Adelaide began to walk toward Eschbrand when he noticed a group leaving the town. Adventurers, five of them, and they all looked strong. Among them was a tall muscular man, with an equally long sword. There was a slim, panther woman who held her head high and walked with grace. The shortest of the group looked to be the oldest, a gnome man with large goggles and a metallic arm. A metallic arm, Adelaide thought.
His drifted back to the metal circle Thetch found at the village. He said that the circle belonged to one of the adventurers, an artificer. It looked to be of a similar color as the gnome's metal arm. Could it be? Before he could process this, one of the adventurers called out to him.
"Hey, girlie! What're ya doin' here all by yerself?" It was a halfling woman, no taller than him but much more cunning. Adelaide froze. There was no way of avoiding them now. "You shouldn't be out 'ere all by yourself. Where's yer mum? Yer dad?" You killed my mother, Adelaide wanted to yell out, but he was afraid that they'd kill him too if they knew, and if they ask too many question, they might figure it out eventually.
So, Adelaide did the one thing that has been working for him so far. He ran. He ran back to the crossroads and toward Krystad. He could hear the adventurers yelling and chasing after him, but he didn't look back. He was just face to face with his mother's killers, but he knew he was too weak to fight them. But he will remember them, because one day, he will get his revenge.
Adelaide awakes to creaking wood. Many of the homes in Fisch were made unlivable by the fires, but he managed to find one that was still standing, mostly. Looking through the house, he found no food. The women must have taken everything they could during the escape, leaving nothing for him. His stomach grumbles. He hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon.
Stepping outside, he hears the sound of light footsteps. Ducking into some rubble, he scans the area. Did the attackers come back? Are they going to kill him next? He readied himself, gripping his dagger as the footsteps grew closer, when, around a corner, a deer limped into view. Adelaide felt relief. He thought he would have to fight for his life, but a lame deer posed no threat to him. His stomach grumbled again. Adelaide was hungry, and the deer was looking a little tasty. He readies himself again and waits for the deer.
"You're not going to catch that thing." Vivienne mocked. She may be right, but Adelaide had no choice. He was so hungry.
Adelaide waited as the deer slowly approached. When he felt it was close enough, he struck. Adelaide jumped from his hiding spot with dagger in hand and lunged toward the deer. He thought he was fast, but even in its state, the deer was faster. The deer dodged Adelaide's blade just in time. As it escaped, it managed to kick Adelaide in the face, knocking him down to the ground.
Vivienne laughed at Adelaide's incompetence. He is no hunter, but he thought he could at least kill one weak deer. This only confirms what he had been thinking. He can't stay in Fisch, if he did, he would starve to death.
Fisch has two roads leading out of it. One to the south, leading to Nortum, where the coven might be. That road is a definite no. The other road goes west, leading to Eschbrand and the city of Krystad. The attack on Fisch was most likely done by Eschbrand, so he should avoid that town. His best bet would be Krystad. There will be more people and perhaps he could find a living until Jenai deems him ready to face Loviegna.
Adelaide looked for anything useful he could find for his journey. Sadly, there wasn't much left. The coven has left him with nothing, and Yodde probably did, too. He had not seen her since they argued last night. He imagines that she made her own pack and left for Nortum, leaving him with all the scraps. Still, there may be something left for him.
Adelaide went to Ms. Cartwright's house. Ms Cartwright wasn't much good at magic herself, like his mother, but she was really good at putting spells into scrolls. Even though she couldn't cast spells well by herself, with her scrolls, Mrs. Cartwright was one of the more powerful witches in the village, only below Loviegna and two other witches. If Adelaide were lucky, one of her scrolls could still be at her house, and he was. Laying under a table in her main room, Adelaide found a spell scroll: Meteor Swarm. He recognized this as a very powerful spell. One of these can level a house. Perhaps he could study this scroll, Adelaide thought. Perhaps his not being able to do magic has nothing to do with himself, but that Loviegna is just a lousy teacher. He would take this scroll and learn from it so that maybe he could use it against Loviegna.
Next, he went to Mrs. Fenwick's house. She was one of the more "whimsical" witches in the coven. She liked to enchant objects and make them do things like sweep the floor or cook her dinner. She would often entertain the kids of the village with self-moving puppet shows and instruments that play themselves. Adelaide thought she was very nice, but then he remembered of one time where Leppi tried to steal one of her objects for a prank. Mrs. Fenwick was so angry, she grafted a set of bagpipes onto his throat. For a whole week, Leppi could only speak through bagpipe noises. Adelaide hopes that none of Mrs. Fenwick's items are cursed.
Her house is, sadly, one of the houses that was most affected by the fires. It was barely even a house anymore, just a few support beams and a bunch of ash. Adelaide searched through the ashes for anything of use, but all he could find was an old fife. It looked like an ordinary instrument, but he felt a hint of magic in it. It could be enchanted, it could not be, but at least he could use it to make money, Adelaide thought. He could learn to play it and become a bard.
Adelaide then checked Ms. Cromelon's house. She was in charge of bringing unknowing travelers to the village to be used for rituals, experiments, and sacrifices. Sometimes the travelers had expensive things, so some of the other witches would go and sell what she would find. Adelaide thought Ms. Cromelon was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, which would make sense why she would be the one to lure travelers in. It hasn't been long since her last conquest and the witches haven't sold anything from it yet. Perhaps they are still at her house.
Adelaide checked the home and found nothing but a leather vestment. This doesn't make sense, Adelaide thought. The last guy Ms. Cromelon brought in was a full-blown adventurer, with a magic sword, enchanted boots, and a large backpack filled with who-knows-what other goods inside. Then Adelaide remembered, Thetch said that the people who attacked Fisch was most likely adventurers and the witches always told him that adventurers liked to kill people then take their things for themselves. The people who attacked Fisch must've taken the man's stuff, leaving only the vestments.
Adelaide found the largest mirror he could find. He was completely covered in ash and dirt, from the green dress that hung from his bone-thin body, to his short, black hair turned gray and dusty, to the large, round glasses that cover half his face. Adelaide began to feel a little self conscious. Did he really look like a girl, like Thetch said? He put on the leather vestments and checked himself in the mirror. Once he arrives in Krystad, he'd buy himself new clothes. Boys clothes. For now, he hopes these vestments were enough to distinguish himself.
He checked every house in the village and couldn't find any food, spells, or enchanted items other than what he already found. He did find splatters of coins here and there adding up to 400 gold pieces. If he managed to survive until Krystad, he could buy himself a good meal, Adelaide thought. Maybe even sweet bread, or chocolate, or any other candy he wanted. It then dawned on him, there were no adults around, which means there was no one to boss him around. He could do whatever he wanted. Then, his stomach growled for attention. Food first, then candy.
Finally, the ritual was a success. Partially. The elixir was successful in killing one of the twins in Elise's womb. Our chants was successful in tying the dead twin's soul to the body of the living one. What upsets me is that the twin that died was a girl and the one that survived was a boy. Our dark lady may not be happy inhabiting a masculine figure, but perhaps I can still turn him into a proper vessel.
Elise turned out to not be as useless as she seems. Had she not bore twins, I would have sacrificed her, but she has provided me a vessel. She may have realized my plan for her considering how eager she was to became pregnant, but I cannot be too mad, she has furthered my goals. I will allow her to raise the child as her reward, but I will take over his studies. I just hope she is not as incompetent in raising children as she is performing magic.
I can tell that this boy is overflowing with power. I can see the ethereal energy in his eyes. I will name him Adelaide Miriam Rosebone, but one day, once I'm through with him, he will be Lady Jenai."
5th of Suran, 1488 2e; Early Morning
Adelaide stared at the page. So, he was made into the vessel through a ritual, but not only that, he had a twin sister. A dead twin sister, whose soul is now intertwined with his. He looks over to Vivienne, who is just as shocked and perplexed as he is.
"She killed me." Vivienne whispered. "I'm dead because her! SHE KILLED ME!" In her rage, Vivienne flew all across the room. Her anger manifests into strong gusts of wind, blowing books of their shelves and still lit embers to fall toward Adelaide.
"Vivienne! Calm down!"
"You have to kill Loviegna!" Vivienne screamed in Adelaide's face.
"I can't! Jenai said I'm not ready!"
"You're my brother! You have to avenge me!"
Vivienne continues make a mess of the home until the front door creaks open. It was Yodde. Her eyes was puffy and red, but lacked any tears. She had no more to shed.
"We need to find Loviegna." Yodde said, sniffling. "She can bring mom back." Loviegna could do that. She was powerful, bringing someone back from the dead would be easy for her, if she were willing.
"No." Adelaide said, choking back tears. "We can't go back to the coven."
"Why? She can bring back your mom, too!"
"No she won't! She never cared about my mom or me!" Loviegna already had plans to sacrifice his mother years ago, how could he expect her to bring his mother back now? She only cared for people who are of use to her, and as of yesterday, Adelaide was deemed useless. "She's going to sacrifice me in one of her rituals."
"If you're worried about Lulesi, we can say the skeleton killed her. I mean, he did."
"Shut up, Yodde. You don't understand."
"No, I don't!" Yodde got angry. This was probably the first time Adelaide saw her angry. "High priestess Loviegna has always been nice to us! She's protected us, and now you want to kill her? She doesn't deserve that!"
"If you love her that much, why don't you go marry her!" Adelaide snapped back. "She took everyone and went to Nortum. Go and ask her to bring back your mom, but don't come crying to me when she decides to sacrifice you, too!"
"Fine! I will!" There was a strong silence between the two before Adelaide couldn't hold his tears anymore. Yodde's anger subsided as she attempts to reach out to him. "Adelaide, I'm sorr--"
"Don't touch me!" Adelaide slaps Yodde's hand away and continues to cry. She backs off and leaves the house.
Adelaide stood in the middle of the room. Before, he had always felt strange in this town. No friends, no one to truly talk to. But for the first time, he truly felt alone.
Everything is on fire. Adelaide rushes home. The house is engulfed in flames. From the door, he looks in, hoping to at least see a hint of his mother, but there was no one there. He then remembered, his mother was helping Ms. Kulmird with a potion. Adelaide runs to the Kulmird house. As he approaches, he hears cries coming from inside.
What he saw was a terrible sight. The home is burning like all the rest. All the furniture has been turned over and glass littered all over the floor. Yodde sat in the middle of the room, crying over her mother's body, and Adelaide's own mother lays dead in the corner. He couldn't believe it. His mother couldn't be dead, but as he approached, it became more clear, the large gash on her chest that caused her demise.
Then, a sudden loud crackle. Adelaide looked up to see the whole ceiling consumed in flames. He could tell that, at any moment, it could all come crashing down.
"Let's get out of here!" Adelaide yelled, grabbing Yodde. She resists him as she clings to her mother, her face full of ash and tears. "You'll die if you stay here. Come on!" He continued to pull on her, but the young dwarf girl was much stronger than him. Another crackle. This time a ceiling beam snaps and falls directly in front of Yodde, causing her to jump back. This gave Adelaide the opportunity to drag her out of home just as the roof collapsed in on the house.
The two sat there, watching as the house burns.
"Well, isn't this a fine little party!" Thetch laughs as he hobbles over. "Looks like a group of adventurers got here before I did." With his rusty sword, he bats an object over towards the kids. Adelaide catches the object. It was a flat metal circle with holes and sharp teeth. "I doubt any of the ladies here even know how that cog works. One of the arsonists here was an artificer."
Thetch continued. "So, kid. Which one of these houses belong to Loviegna?" In a daze, Adelaide points toward Loveigna's house. Without a word, Thetch hobbles over to the home of the high priestess.
Adelaide looks back at the Kulmird house. He watches in silence as the house burns, with his mother in it.
It was well past midnight when the burning stopped and the flames reduced to cinders. Adelaide and Yodde reenter the home. It was difficult to traverse through the fallen wood beams, but they eventually found their mothers. The women were unrecognizable. Their hair and clothes were completely gone, most of their flesh was burned off, and what was left was shriveled and blackened by ash. Had he not seen her body earlier, Adelaide would not believe that the corpse that lay before him was his mother.
He pulls out the Bloodfang Dagger and holds it up in front of him. "Bring her back." he said, tears welling up in his eyes. "Bring her back!" He pleads to the dagger, to Jenai, to bring his mother back from the dead, but receives no response. The presence he felt before was not there at the moment.
"Why would she ever do that?" Vivienne said, as mischievously as she normally does. "Why would Jenai ever bring back your mom over anyone else here? Your mom wasn't that good at magic anyway."
"Shut up!" Adelaide yelled, tears down his face. Vivienne was right in a way. Why would Jenai bring her back? She would normally protect those who still have a purpose in serving her. If his mother died in this fashion, it's because she is no longer of use. Still, Adelaide couldn't leave her. He knew that Loviegna has the ability to bring people back from the dead. It is possible that she has a spell in all her books that could be of use. Even if he isn't able to cast spells on his own, Yodde could, and they could bring back both their moms.
Adelaide walks over to Loviegna's house. Aside from the hole in the ceiling, the home is mostly intact. The bookshelves that line the walls of her home are still standing. Some of their books were completely burned, while others have light damage. There is no body here, and the skeleton, Thetch, is no where to be found. However, it seems that he left behind a book opened on a specific page.
"29th of Kusha, 1476 2e
That hick from Eschbrand has become much too nosey. I will have to deal with him later. These country folk are useful for our sacrifices, but they ask too many questions. Thankfully, Elna has made her sect in Nortum, just southeast from here. If anything happens to us or this village of ours, I'm sure Elna would take us in. She owes me."
This is Loviegna's journal. She was prepared for this situation. Most likely she grabbed all the women and kids she could and made her way to Nortum. Thetch must be heading there, too.
That wasn't the only thing Adelaide noticed. The entry was written on 1476, the same year he was born. He couldn't help but wonder what Loviegna had to say about him. He flipped through the pages, looking for the entry written on the 18th of Jhoelah, the day of his birth.
Adelaide fell back. That was Jenai speaking through him. It had to be. She wants him to kill Loviegna with the dagger, but there is no way a 12 year old boy like him could possibly defeat a powerful high priestess such as her. Either way, Adelaide needed to get out of this temple. He picked himself up and ran to the left-side room.
It was another bedroom, a little less decorated than Yengedt's room, but seems to be of a person more important than the others. In the middle is a pile of corpses. Someone was piling the corpses in this room before deciding to stop at four. Adelaide looked through the corpses. If what Yengedt said was true, one of them has to have the key.
Adelaide pulls on their bodies. With each movement, a body part detaches from the whole, blowing corpse dust all over the small room. On one of the bodies, Adelaide finds a small pouch. He pulls it open to find a thick, metal key. This must be the one.
Suddenly, a loud shriek followed by metal hitting stone. It seems the skeleton has reached Lulesi. The shrieking continues as echoes of a blade cuts through the musty air. Yelling, crying, a splash, then suddenly, silence. An uncomfortable silence. Adelaide runs back to Yengedt, key and dagger in hand.
"Sounds like that Lulesi has kicked the bucket!" Vivienne laughs. Even though she had never interacted with the girl directly, Vivienne had no love for Lulesi.
"Do you have the dagger?" Yengedt asks.
Adelaide shows her the dagger and key. "When a grabbed it, Jenai spoke to me. She told me to kill Loveigna and take back the coven!"
"Then she has chosen you as her champion. Go to your village and fulfill your purpose."
"How?" Adelaide yells, dumbfounded. "How am I suppose to kill her? I'm probably gonna get killed by that skeleton first!"
"Yeah, he's definitely going to kill you." Vivienne said. "He's already giving the dwarf a hard time!" Though he cannot make out what is being said, Adelaide can hear the skeleton yelling madly. He can also hear a faint whimper.
"That skeleton was made for one purpose, to kill Loveigna Seirgelas." Yengedt said. "His name is Thetch, and if you present him the dagger, he may assist you. Now go." As she said these words, her image begins to disappear.
"What's going on? What's happening to you?" Vivienne cries out.
"Now that my purpose is fulfilled, I will be taken to Jenai's domain." Tears begin to form in Yengedt's eyes. "Finally, I can be by my lady's side." Not a moment later, her image was gone. Yengedt was no longer in this plane of existence.
"No fair!" Vivienne cried. "I finally have someone else to talk to and just like that, she's gone!" Adelaide can feel Vivienne's frustration. He was the only one in the village who could see her for many years, and even then he tried to ignore her in order to seem normal. He would feel sorry for her, if not for the fact that she always takes out her frustrations on him.
"Well? Don't you have somewhere to be? You have the key, so let's go already!"
Adelaide retraces his steps to where he believes the entrance to be. He passes by the room which he fell from. Looking in, he sees Luleni's lifeless body floating in the water surrounded by a pool of her own blood. Rather than sadness, he felt relief that he no longer had to hear her voice again. Yodde is cowering in the corner and the skeleton, Thetch, looming over her. He noticed Adelaide's gaze.
"Hey, girlie!" Thetch called out. "Maybe you'll be more helpful than your useless friend here!"
"I'm not a girl!" Adelaide claps back.
"Well, you're dressed like one aren't ya?" Adelaide looks down at his clothes. They were hand-me-downs from a witch in the village who outgrew them. It was a long purple dress and a small hood that draped over the shoulders. Everyone else in the village wore something similar; Yodde, Lulesi, even Leppi and Robin. "But who cares, right? Now, you two were walking around with that little elf girl! Where can I find her mother?"
"She's in the village where we live. I can take you there." Adelaide replied.
"Finally! Now we're getting somewhere." Thetch's bones trembles and shakes in excitement. "What's your name, kid?"
"Adelaide."
"Oh, you're definitely a girl, 'cause that's a girl's name."
"No, it isn't!" Adelaide yells that out, but to be honest, he didn't know. He has lived around women his whole, he wasn't sure what was boy's things and what was girl's things. He only knew what he liked and what he didn't like.
"Whatever." Thetch shrugged. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have found a key lying around here have ya?" Adelaide presents the key. "Good. Now give it here."
"No."
"Give it to me if you don't want me to separate your head from your body!"
"You can't!" Adelaide brandishes the Bloodfang Dagger at Thetch. "Jenai has ordered me to kill Loviegna! You were made to serve the dark lady, so you can't kill me!"
"Oh, fuck! You're her chosen?" Thetch sighed. He seems a little disappointed that he couldn't shed more blood. "Fine! You can keep the key, but stay out of my way! I'm gonna kill Loviegna, and I don't need a wimp little kid with a flimsy dagger to help me!" He pushes Adelaide to one side and starts walking toward the exit. "She picked a kid? What is she thinking?"
Yodde rushes over to him. "Adelaide, what're you doing? That skeleton is gonna kill high priestess Loviegna!"
"Yodde, I found this dagger." Adelaide shows the blade to Yodde, it's flawless sheen glistens in her eyes. "Jenai asked me kill Loviegna with it."
"Jenai asked you? You talked to her?" Yodde looked surprised, but not so much. To her, Adelaide was the weird kid who would sometimes talk to himself. It wouldn't be strange to her if he was speaking to their lady, especially since he was meant to be her vessel.
"She spoke to me. She wants me to take back the coven. I think she wants me to be the leader."
"Loveigna is a very powerful sorceress. You shouldn't do it, Adelaide."
"I have to. It's an order from Jenai."
"She will kill you!"
"Hey, 'champion'! I don't have all day!" Thetch's voice echoed through the halls. He was right. Looking at the hole he fell from, Adelaide can see that the sun is just about to set. If they don't leave now, they will be traveling the woods in the dark. Before they go, Adelaide walks over to Lulesi. He remembered that she took something here, an Amulet of Detect Lies. He takes the amulet and rwith Yodde, they rush over to the skeleton, who is standing next to the locked door. "Use that key and let's get out of here!"
Adelaide tries the key on the lock. A perfect fit. The door swings open to what looks to be a frozen cave system. Thetch marches forward with the two kids following close behind, huddled together for warmth. The cave was a winding tunnel, climbing up and up. Eventually, they made it to the mouth of the cave. It lead them high into the mountains looking over Icefall Glade. Adelaide could see the hole he and the girls fell through.
"So, kid. Where is this village of yours?"
Adelaide had never been this high up the mountain before, but he could still recognize the area, even with the small glint of sunlight left.
"It's over there." Adelaide points to the direction he believes Fisch to be, and in that direction he sees smoke. But it was not the same smoke he would often see coming out from the chimneys. It was a lot of smoke. There was no mistaking it. Fisch was on fire. As this realization dawns on him, he hears his voice once more:
A Rose in the Dark: Session 4.a “The Bloodfang Dagger”
4th of Suran, 1488 2e; Late Midday
The skeleton hobbles towards the children, swinging his sword and cackling madly. Adelaide is rushed out the room by Yodde, who has Lulesi in her other hand.
"We need to get out of here!" Yodde yells as she rushes forward. Lulesi picks up the pace, running in tandem with Yodde, but Adelaide's feet drags. The skeleton is frightening, yes, but it wasn't interested in him, he thought. It has it's eyes on Loviegna, and by extension, Lulesi as her daughter. If he slipped away, the skeleton surely wouldn't follow him.
The kids run past one of the previous rooms they had entered. Adelaide takes this chance to slip into the room and hid behind some rubble. The girls continued to run without him and, after a few moments, the skeleton limps past, laughing to himself.
"That skelly is going to butcher those two." Vivianne said with glee. "And he's going to butcher you, too!" Adelaide got out from the rubble and return to Yengedt. Relief fell over the ghost.
"You slipped away. Thank Jenai." Yengedt said. "As I was saying, go down the hall. There is a door on the left and right end. You will take the door on the right and take the dagger."
"What about the key to get out of here?" Adelaide asks.
"One of our acolytes had it before our demise. She may still have it. Her body can be found behind the left door. But, please, I must beg you." Yengedt pauses, her voice quivering. "Take the dagger with you. You children were the first to step into this temple for years, and who is to say one would ever arrive, especially one who is a follower of Jenai. That you are here, one who can speak with ghosts, is a gift from the dark lady herself."
"Maybe you should come with us!" Vivianne chimed.
"I cannot. My soul is trapped in this one room. At first I believed it to be work of Loviegna, but I have come to realize that Jenai has placed me here to guide you. Now go. Take the dagger and return to me."
Adelaide stepped through the door that the skeleton barged through. A long hall stretches in front of him, with many doors on either side. Looking through the open doors, it seems that these are all bedrooms for the acolytes that used to stay here. He looks around and notices that Vivianne isn't anywhere to be seen. It seems she decided to stay with the ghost woman. Good, he thought.
The hall spills into a large room. From the looks of it, it was a place of worship. Rows of benches covered in corpses sit on the left and right, leading to a stone altar. Behind the altar was a large tub, caked in old blood. Adelaide wondered what type of rituals they performed here. The woman of the village performed all their rituals at night, in the basement of the communal building. None of the kids were allowed in during a ritual, so Adelaide never got to see one himself.
A loud scream echo through the halls. The skeleton was still chasing the girls. How would he be able to escape that thing, Adelaide thought. He had a crowbar, but that thing has a sword. He could use the dagger as extra protection.
Adelaide went to the room on the right. It was a little more elaborate than the previous rooms, Yengedt's room, most likely. On the left wall, there was a massive black tree taking over the whole wall. Stuck to the is a glistening metal object, the dagger. With one pull, Adelaide removes the dagger from its trunk. The dagger looked plainly made, but the metal was of a dark red color.
As he looks over it in his hands, he senses something. A presence in the blade. Is it a ghost? Before he could give it much thought, he felt words leave his lips.
"The Bloodfang Dagger."
He did not say that. It was his voice and it came from him, but it was not him. As Adelaide tried to process this, it happened again.
"Kill Loviegna Seirgelas with this dagger… Take back the Black Rose Coven… Then you will have my blessing…"
Adelaide pushes through the double doors. At the other side is an ransacked room, like the rest. On the wall is a carved mural of The Lady of Decay, and standing in front of it is an old, robed woman. She looks down at the children and speaks.
"Ah. So it was little girls making all that noise. How did they get here?" She looks over the kids, then her eyes land on Vivienne. "And a little ghost girl follows them."
"You can see me? Wait, you're…" Vivienne stares at the woman. Upon closer inspection, the woman looked slightly transparent. "You're a ghost, too!"
"Great. Now there's another one." Adelaide pouts.
"Ugh. Are you talking to yourself again, weirdo?" Lulesi said.
"No. There's the ghost of an old lady right here!"
"Yeah, sure…"
"Ask her if she knows where the key is, Adelaide." Yodde interjects. "Lulesi, let's look around." As the girls start their search, Adelaide turns to the woman, but before he can speak, Vivienne grabs her attention.
"I've never met another ghost before! What's your name? How did you get here? How did you die? What is this place?"
"Calm down, little one. One question at a time." The old woman said. "My name is Yengedt. I was once the high priestess of this temple."
"What kind of temple?"
"It…" The woman hesitates. "It was once a temple dedicated to worshipping Jenai, The Lady of Decay." She looked a bit uncomfortable saying it, but she reminded herself that she has nothing to lose anymore. "Myself and several followers once lived here in peace, pouring our love and devotion onto her, until one of our own betrayed us."
"Who?"
"A terrible woman. She claimed to have had a vision from Jenai herself, that Jenai wanted her to create a vessel she could inhabit and use to spread her influence. Of course, I turned her down, but she would not listen. She and some of her sympathizers attacked us, killing everyone who didn't agree with her, and running off with anything that wasn't bolted down." The woman is beginning to look visibly upset.
"Who was that woman?" Vivienne asked.
"You do not need to worry, little one. She cannot harm you. Although I do worry for the girls you follow." Yengedt looks over at the three living kids. Lulesi has moved into an adjacent room, looking under a pile of broken furniture, Yodde has stopped her search and is now staring at the carving of Jenai on the wall. Adelaide is looking intently at the ghost, although she doesn't realize it. He has a feeling of who the woman she speaks of might be, but he wants to hear her say it.
The woman looks back at Vivienne. "If you have any power to affect the material plane, protect them. Kepp them away from the elf woman known as Loveigna Seirgelas."
"I knew it! Loveigna was here!" Adelaide exclaimed, surprising Lulesi and Yengedt.
"What did you say about my mom?"
"The ghost lady said that Loveigna used to live at this temple!"
"You can hear me?" Yengedt is taken aback. "You can see me?"
"Yeah." Adelaide replied. "I've been able to see Vivienne for as long as I could remember. It's probably because I'm a vessel of Jenai."
"You're a vessel of…" Yengedt looks Adelaide over. She looks into his eyes hidden behind his large glasses and notices a ghostlly blue glow emanating from them. "She performed a Ritual of Possession on you, but normally it only allows you to see a single ghost. Just what is she thinking?"
"A ritual of what?" Adelaide asked.
"A Ritual of Possession. We attach a soul to a living host, allowing them to speak with one another. We use this ritual to allow clients to see their loved ones that still exist in the Ethereal Plane, however, I do not understand how this plays into Loveigna's plans."
At this moment, Lulesi enters the room. "What did the ghost say about my mom?" She rushes over to Adelaide and grabs him by his collar. "What did it say? Tell me!" Her abruptness causes Adelaide to fall back onto Yodde, who was till inspecting the wall. She slams onto the wall, and as she does, something clicks. A switch hidden in the wall activates, opening the door to a secret room. The room is small, and the only thing within it is a skeleton wearing robes similar to the one Yengedt is wearing. The kids look at the skeleton in shock.
"Yodde, check for the key." Lulesi said, pushing Yodde toward the skeleton. She inches forward and slowly looks over the skeleton. It did not have a key, but it did have an amulet that looked rather expensive. Lulesi grabs it immediately. "I'll take that!"
Yengedt bends down to Adelaide. "Little one, you have no love for that girl or her mother, do you?"
Adelaide looks over at Lulesi, making sure she doesn't hear. "I don't."
"Further down this temple is a dagger, red as blood. It was provided to us by the Lady of Decay herself. She has asked that her loyal followers kill the traitor with this knife." Adelaide's eyes go wide, but she continues. "Take this dagger and use it to kill Loveigna Seirgelas. If you make this vow, I will tell you where the key to the main door lies."
Adelaide hesitates. He's always hated Loveigna and has wished that she would disappear, but he never thought of having her dead. However, if the god he's been raised to worship wants her gone, then he has no choice to accept. If anything, he can hand the dagger to a more capable killer. Adelaide looks at Yengedt and nods.
"There is a hall beyond that door." Yengedt points to a door in the room Lulesi was searching in. "You will go to the far end of the hall and enter the door to the right. But be mindful, there is a ske--"
As she spoke, the door she was pointing to swings wide opening. All eyes face the door as walking skeleton enters, armed with a round shield, and a large broadsword sheathed at his side. The skeleton looks at the group.
"Can't you all shut up!" The skeleton yells. "I'm trying to rot in peace!" The children freeze. The are used to walking skeletons, but this is the first time they heard one speak coherent words. "You loud brats! Don't you know you're suppose to be quiet in a… wait a minute." The skeleton sniffs the air and leans closer to Lulesi. "Your stench is familiar. You smell like… Loveigna." The skeleton reaches for its blade.
"Run!" Yodde yells, grabbing both Adelaide and Lulesi and rushing out the door they came. The skeleton hobbles after them.
A Rose in the Dark: Session 2.b “Exploring the Depths”
4th of Suran, 1488 2e; Late Midday
Lulesi raced through the hall, turning left into the hall Adelaide didn't take. "Come back here!" Adelaide calls out as he and Yodde chase after her. She walks through an open room into another hall and spots a large set of wooden double doors, with depictions of skulls carved into them. She immediately turns toward it, but before she could reach them, Adelaide grabs her and turns her around.
"What are you doing?" Adelaide said. "We need to stick together! We don't know what's in here!"
"Don't be such a baby." Lulesi attempts to open the doors again, but Adelaide stops her and takes the glowing chair leg from her.
"We should check this area first before opening any doors." Adelaide continues. "At least this side doesn't have monsters, I don't think."
"I agree with Adelaide." Yodde chimes in. "And what if the key is on this side? We should check everything."
"Ugh! Fine." Lulesi groans. "You go first."
The trio return to the previous room. The entire room was overturned, crates and chairs thrown everywhere. Among the rubble, Adelaide found 2 candles and a crowbar.
"Did you find the key?" Lulesi asked.
"No. Just some candles, and this." He holds up the crowbar. "Yodde, could you light it?" Yodde casts a spell on the crowbar, causing it to light up. Adelaide hands the chair leg to Yodde.
"Let's check the next room." Yodde said.
They move to the next room, which is just as messy as the previous ones. There are tables flipped upside down and ceramics smashed on the floor. The more rooms he sees, the more Adelaide believes that a fight took place here a long time ago, but before he can make anything out of it, something snaps at him. From the darkness, two large snakes appear, slithering towards them.
Lulesi screams, running out of the room, back the way they came. Adelaide and Yodde attempt to move, but the snakes begin to surround them. With no other choice, Adelaide and Yodde swing at them. The snakes were quick and defensive, but the two managed to get a few hits in before the snakes decided to slither away into a hall across the room. Once the threat has gone, Lulesi slinks back in.
"You see? That's why we need to stick together." Lulesi said, trembling.
"Just look for the key." Adelaide said. He moves toward the exit the snakes used, looking out for any other dangers.
Yodde and Lulesi search the room. Like the ones before, this room was stripped clean of most it's contents. Yodde, however, spots a small, wooden box on a thin chain. It looks almost like an amulet.
"What's this?" Yodde said as she raised the chain up. Lulesi grabs it, looking it over between her fingers. The box is mostly rotted at this point, but she could still feel a hint of magic from it. The carvings on the box is difficult to read, but Lulesi had seen them before.
"It's an Amulet of Detect Lies!" Lulesi said. "You see these carvings? Dead giveaway!"
"How do you use it?"
"Uh, well…" Lulesi looks at the box for the answer. "I'll show you when we get out of here." She pockets the box. "There's no key here."
"Next room." Adelaide moves into the next hall.
"Hey! Don't go that way! That's where the snakes went!"
"We need to check every room. Come on."
"Fine, but you're going first!"
Adelaide walks through the hall, with Yodde and Lulesi following behind at a distance. The hall leads to large room that looks to have been a bedroom. There are four beds, all water-logged by the knee-high water in the room. Within the water, the snakes from before can be seen swimming about. Adelaide was about to turn away, but something catches his eye. On an end table at the very far end of the room, there was something shining in the light. It could be the key. He steps into the water.
"Adelaide, what are you doing?" Yodde said.
"There's something over there." Adelaide slowly walks towards the snakes, crowbar held high. As soon as he's close, he begins to beat down on them. One of the snakes lashes out at him, biting him on the arm, but he pulls it off and continues to swing down on until both stop moving.
"You did it!" Yodde stands at the entryway, Lulesi hiding behind her.
Adelaide walks over to the end table toward the shiny object. The object, however, was not a key. It was a metal bead attached to a feather. "Aw, man! It's just a stupid feather." He grabs the feather and walks back to the girls, handing the feather to Yodde. She looks it other, noticing the image of a tree molded onto it.
"I know what this is!" Lulesi jumps forward and grabs the feather. "It's a feather token! You take out the bead and it does whatever you made it to! This one can make a big, 6 feet tree appear out of nowhere. We can use this to get out! We'll grow a tree and climb out of the hole we fell from!"
"Don't be stupid, Lulesi." Adelaide takes the feather back before Lulesi could run away with it. "The ceiling is too high. If the tree only grows 6 feet, it won't reach the hole."
"Yes it will! And you have to do what I say or my mom is going to sacrifice you!" Lulesi lunges at Adelaide to grab the feather but he keeps it just out of reach.
"We still haven't found the key." Adelaide said as he pockets the feather. "If it's not here, we can try the tree idea, and we'll laugh at you because you don't know how to climb." Lulesi huffs and pushes Adelaide to the ground. She lifts her hand to smack him, but crosses her arms instead and keeps quiet.
"Well, we checked all the rooms here." Yodde said. "Should we go back to those doors?"
Adelaide gets up from the floor and the three kids head back to the carved wooden doors.
"Hey, are you okay?" Vivienne asks as Adelaide's eyes adjust to the darkness.
"You're still following me? I told you to leave!" Adelaide pouts.
"Oh, look, he's talking to himself again." Lulesi said as she glares at him. Vivienne had been haunting Adelaide for as long as he could remember. She would always appear in the worst times, always causing him problems and embarrassing him. The worst part about her, however, is that Adelaide is the only one who can hear or see her.
"I'm not talking to myself!" Adelaide splashes Lulesi with water, she splashes him back. Quickly, the two end up in a water war.
"Stop it you two!" Yodde yelled. "What if you wake up something down here?" The kids look around the room. The hole they fell from seems to have dropped them into a storage room, although the contents of the room have been long removed. What remains are several wooden crates, all destroyed by the water. At the far end of the room is a door and a open archway that leads into a dry room. The kids make their way to the open room. In the darkness, Adelaide finds a broken chair. He takes one of the chair legs and holds it up to Yodde.
"Yodde, could you light this?" Adelaide asks.
"Why don't you do it yourself?" Lulesi said. "Oh, that's right, you can't cast any magic because you're a loser!"
"Don't listen to her." Yodde said quietly, as she puts her hand on the chair leg. She closes her eyes and Adelaide hear a soft hum. In an instant, the chair begins to glow, illuminating the whole space.
"Come on, let's go." Adelaide takes the glowing piece of wood and moves toward the door.
"Where do you think you're going? We need to stay here so my mom could find us."
"You really think your mom is gonna bother to come looking for us? We need to get out of here ourselves." Adelaide hesitates. "But you know what, Lulesi? You should stay here. If we're lucky, a wolf will jump down that hole and eat you."
"There aren't any wolves in these woods, my mom made sure of that!" Adelaide pushes through the door, Yodde joins him, and Lulesi reluctantly follows behind. The door leads to a split path, a hallway going right and another going straight. Adelaide chose to go straight, keeping close to the walls. The hall leads them to another open room, with another door.
"Another door. Should we check the other…" Adelaide turns around only to see a wall where he entered from.
"What is it?" Yodde's voice came from the other side of the wall, her face phasing through it shortly after.
"Whoa! It's a fake wall!" Adelaide exclaimed. The girls move into the room. If they hadn't just entered from this direction they wouldn't believe it, but an illusory wall completely hides this exit.
"It's an illusion." Yodde said. "What kind of place is this?" They look around the wall. There isn't much to look at, as it seems that the room was stripped bare. All except for the large statue attached to the floor on the left side of the room. "What's that?"
Yodde takes the chair leg from Adelaide and move towards the statue. It depicts a woman kneeling over a human skeleton. Half of her face is solemn and beautiful, the other half is peeling off, rotten. There is no question, this statue depicts their god, Jenai, the Lady of Death and Decay.
"This is a place to worship Jenai! Lulesi, does your mom know about this place?"
"Oh, I'm sure she does! My mom knows everything!"
"But why didn't she tell us about it?"
"I'm sure she has her reason… She probably doesn't need this place anymore!"
Adelaide moves toward the door. He tries to open it, but the door seems to be locked. Checking the gap at the bottom, there seems to be a draft coming through. "Hey, Vivienne." Adelaide whispers, hoping only she notices.
"What? I thought you were mad at me." Vivienne said, playfully.
"Could you check the other side of the door? I think this is the way out."
"Oh, so now you want my help! Alrighty, but don't think you can run when my backs tirned. I'll still find you!" Vivienne floats through the door. After a few minutes she returns. "There's' stairs that lead outside! This is the way out!"
"Hey, guys! The exit is this way."
"Oh, yeah? How do you know, loser?"
"I told Vivienne to look. She said there's stairs on the other side."
"Oh, Vivienne, your imaginary friend."
"We need to get through this door, but it's locked." Adelaide jiggles the door handle. "We need to find the key."
"Then let's find it then!" Lulesi takes the chair leg from Yodde and runs through the illusory wall.
"Lulesi, wait!" Adelaide and Yodde rush after her.
Adelaide and Yodde make their way to the center of town. There are several wooden sculptures depicting different animals, all lined up in a circle, pointing at the center. The kids of the town are always playing on them. Some of the women have been upset with this, but they understand that the area would look less suspicious if children are seen playing there. There are four kids there at the moment. Yodde calls them over.
"Hey, look! Yodde brought her pet donkey today!" The kids laugh as they approach the two. The first to walk over is Robin Kohlberg, a human boy like Adelaide, but not as bright and twice as lazy. He prefers to harass the other kids in town. "You working hard, donkey?" he said as he grabs one of the baskets in Adelaide's hands.
The next kid to walk up is a halfling boy named Leppi Nightfall. He's a bit of a prankster, but he never hurt anyone with any of his pranks. He grabs a basket, completely annoyed. "Why do we have to do this?" Leppi said facing Yodde. "Can't your mom do it herself?"
"She's busy with the new potion." Yodde said. "She needs to keep her eye on it or the whole thing would be ruined."
Adelaide hands two baskets to the third child, a half-elf girl named Vren Guht. She's very quiet and studious, always keeping to herself. She hands one of the baskets to the last kid, Lulesi Seirgelas. Not only is she the most gifted child in the town, she is also high priestess Loveigna's daughter. Lulesi is set to be the high priestess if Adelaide were to fail, which seems to be the case.
"Let's just get this over with." Lulesi said as she shepherds the other kids. "If this potion turns out to be a dud, I'll tell my mom to have Ms. Kulmird sacrificed to Jenai!"
"You wouldn't really do that, Lulesi." Yodde said.
"Of course I would. Now let's get going!"
The children make their way to the Icefall Glades. Although these woods are thick and difficult to traverse, the coven have charmed most of the animals in the area, making it safe for them to travel. As they walk, Vren speaks up.
"I heard our moms talking about the people of Eschbrand." Vren said with a worried look on her face. Eschbrand is a small town neighboring Fisch. For years, the coven has kidnaped people from there for their experiments and sacrifices. They have been careful not to draw suspicion, but the people have been getting wary. "They're saying that Eschbrand knows we're all witches. They might try to attack us."
"Or course they won't!" Lulesi exclaims. "Eschbrand wouldn't know a witch if she were to turn all of them into sheep!"
"But what if they do?"
"I can take care of them!" Leppi chimes in. "I can make an illusion of a big, scary monster. They'll all be running scared!"
"Don't be stupid, Leppi. Like that would ever work." Robin said. "They'll see your little illusion and laugh! The people of Eschbrand will come, and they're going to kill all of us. They'll cut up all our limbs and feed us to their pigs. They won't show any mercy, especially not to you, donkey." Robin turns to Adelaide. "They're going to keep you alive so they can kill you last, slowly."
"That's fine by me." Adelaide said. "That means I get to watch them kill you first. There's no way they'll leave your stupid face alive for long."
"No, you got a stupid face!" Robin pushes Adelaide hard, causing him to fall back. He attempts to right himself by grabbing the closest thing to him, but he falls, pulling Lulesi down with him. They hit the ground with a thud, and a strange crack. Before they could recover, the ground opens up beneath them. They fall another 10 feet before reaching the bottom with a splash. Adelaide and Lulesi find themselves in a flooded room hidden just below the surface of the forest.
"Are you guys okay?" Yodde exclaims from 10 feet up.
"This was a new dress…" Lulesi said, completely soaked. "You ruined my dress, you jerk!" She begins to kick and punch at Adelaide, nearly knocking his glasses off.
"Whoa, you guys found an ancient ruin or something!" Leppi said, trying to make out the details of the room through the darkness. "Try to see if you can find some ancient treasure!"
"We should get them out." Yodde said. "Maybe we can find a tree branch and pull them up."
"Why don't you go down there and help them?" Robin pushes Yodde into the hole. She falls straight in, and makes a large splash at the bottom. "Try to get yourself out, donkey!" He laughs to himself as he leaves the others to their fate. Leppi and Vren look down the hole, confused.
"Don't worry Lulesi." Vren said. "I'll get your mom. She'll know what to do."
"You better!" Lulesi yelled. "That way she can punish Robin for what he did, and to punish you!" She points to Adelaide. "This is all your fault!"
Vren and Leppi head back towards the village, leaving Adelaide and Yodde alone with Lulesi.
A Rose in the Dark: Session 1.b "A Small Town Named Fisch"
4th of Suran, 1488 2e; Midday
Adelaide walked through the main road of Fisch. Outside the houses, the women of the town are busy with their work of the day. Any traveler who visits the town would wonder where the men of the town have gone. But there were no men here to begin with.
Fisch is home to the Black Rose coven. A group of witches who worship the god of death and decay, Jenai. By night, they perform dark, ancient rituals. By day, they are single mothers worried for their children.
"No more school!" The ghost girl exclaims, floating right behind Adelaide. "No more boring classes. No more grumpy Loviegna!"
"Viv, you ruined everything!"
"What did I do?"
Adelaide begins to pick up his pace. "Thanks to you, Loviegna isn't going to teach me magic anymore!"
"And? You hate her. Now you don't have to see her again."
"Yes, I hate her, but she's the only one who was going to teach me magic and now I'm never gonna be a sorcerer!"
"Just ask your mom. She can teach you!"
"It's not that simple…" Adelaide stops in front of the house of the Kulmird family, the best alchemist in the village. "Look, Viv. You've done enough to ruin my life, okay? Just go back. to whatever graveyard you spawned from!" With that, he enters the Kulmird residence and closes the door behind him.
"I… I don't know where that is!" Vivienne fazes through the door and follows behind.
The Kulmird residence looks unassuming from the outside, but inside is a wondrous home of alchemic study. All manners of flora engulf the walls of this home. Small birds with tiny watering cans fly from flower to herb, tending to the plants. Large mushrooms make for chairs and sofas, and the main feature of the room, large, cast iron cauldron, lies at the center. Adelaide's mother, Elise, is here stirring the cauldron. She had agreed to help the alchemist with a new potion.
"Adelaide, you're here already?" She looks up from the cauldron, a stern look in her face.
"The high priestess let me out early."
"What did you do?" Elise steps away from the cauldron, stomping toward Adelaide. Then stops. "No. Never mind. I don't want to hear it. Whatever it is, I'll fix it with Loviegna."
"Um… the high priestess said that I--"
"Not a word, Adelaide." She looms over Adelaide. "You have embarrassed me enough with your incompetence. We don't need anyone else hearing about it. Whatever you got to say to me, you say it at home. Understand?"
"Yes, mom."
At that moment, Ms. Kulmird arrives. She is a stout dwarven woman who likes to wear her brunette hair in a large, braided beehive. With her is her daughter, Yodde, who looks like what a child version of Ms. Kulmird would look like, but wearing braided pigtails instead. Yodde waves at Adelaide.
"Oh, the boy's here already?" Ms. Kulmird walks in with several baskets in hand. "What did you do this time? Or should I say, what did you not do?" She laughs to herself.
"The high priestess wasn't feeling well, so she let me go."
"Sure, sure. Here." She pushes a basket onto Adelaide's chest. "You may be no good at magic, but you are good at listenin', which I very much appreciate. So listen carefully." She pulls out an old journal filled with some of her own writings. She flips to a page with a drawing of a plant.
"This is the Viper Angelica, alright? It looks like Ghost Angelica, but it's not white, it's red, yes?" Adelaide nods, she continues. "I'm telling you this because I know those two runts and little Miss Perfect aren't gonna listen. Now go on! Go get the others and find me that Angelica!" She drops the rest of the baskets on Adelaide and ushers him and Yodde out the door.
"And remember!" Ms. Kulmird says as she sees the kids out. "If you see anyone, you seen and heard nothin'!"
The mother was in pain. Within her, two beings are ready to come out. She receives a chalice from the high priestess.
"Drink, Elise, and don't leave a single drop. We've had too many failures. Let's not make this another one."
The mother drinks from the chalice. As she drops it, the movement in her stomach becomes violent. The high priestess leads her to the table in the center of the room. "It is time."
Eight black-robed women surround the mother, chanting in an old, forgotten language. The high priestess stands before her, alongside two assistants in white. Laying on her back, the mother pushes and pushes, until she feels the first one come out. Aside from the chanting, she heard no sound.
"A girl. Such a shame. Let's hope the next one survives."
The mother continues to push. This one gave her more trouble, but after some time, the baby's cries fills the candle-lit room. The ritual was a success, but the high priestess' face was sour.
"It's a boy." One of the attendants looks the baby over. "Does that mean we failed again?"
"Perhaps."
The high priestess wraps the baby in a blanket. "I would've preferred a girl, but this doesn't deter our plans. By my hand, this child will be a vessel of our unholy god. Jenai will take this body and lead us to a world of darkness."
4th of Suran, 1488 2e; Midday
Adelaide lives in a town named Fisch. It is a small hamlet hidden up in the mountains in the Icefall Glades. He was 12 years old, and unlike all the other kids his age, he didn't know magic. For this reason, he'd spent hours out of the day in the high priestess' house. Loveigna Seirgelas has been high priestess for many years and has taken it upon herself to teach the kids magic. In most cases, like today, Loveigna would hold Adelaide after class for additional lessons. Today, he is practicing the Light spell.
"Just focus on the light. Even you can do this."
Adelaide holds his hands forward, focusing all his thoughts on making one tiny spark, when out of no where, the head of ghostly girl appears in front of him. "BOO!" Adelaide jumps back, losing his concentration. Loveigna loses her temper.
"Adelaide! Why can't you do even a simple light spell? What is wrong with you?"
"It was Vivianne!" Adelaide exclaimed. "She's always trying to mess me up!"
"If you can't cast a single spell, then you are a failure!" Loveigna sits down, resting her head on her hand. "If I can't make you into a powerful sorcerer, you are no use to me as a vessel. We will have to make another." She turns to her books and begins flipping through an old journal.
Seeing that the lesson is most likely over, Adelaide heads to the door.
"And Adelaide?" He turns back to her. "Tell your mother we won't be needing you anymore. Don't ever return to class again."
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