Currently working on a BaronWalker fic. I may never finish it but doesn’t hurt to try ;)
Aiming to get it completely finished before I upload it to AO3. If I don’t finish it oh well then it’s not going public. Oh my god it’s a challenge to write (Zemo does not make it easy!) since I’m endeavoring to explore every facet of him and every little ounce of his contradictions.
Episode 6 has made John’s characterization a little wobbly for me so I’m still wondering what creative direction to take in terms of him.
Also I’ve made the controversial creative decisions to keep John a married man, just because the moral conflict might be very juicy.
(I’m concerned over the fact that my blog has been taken over by BaronWalker)
We reached the dig site yesterday morning, and everything’s been a mess of action since. Granther suggested I start actually using my journal for more than just potion and reagent notes, just in case we need a record of any of this later.
There were five of us to begin with- Granther, who’d found the map in the first place, an old relic from his time during the last War. Jisyn, the Orc warrior who’d agreed to come along as protection from anything in the wilds. Solari was a kobold Reclaimer we’d hired in Atlan- we knew we’d need someone experienced enough in dealing with ruins like this to warn us if we tripped over anything too dangerous. Aric, our Elvish expert- ok, our woods Elf who thought they knew enough on High Elves to be able to pull of the job. And me, and alchemist obsessed with finding out more information on just how the positioning of the stars and the Ring influenced certain kinds of reactions.
The trip out here from Atlan was uneventful enough- two weeks of hiking and leading the packmules into the Barrier Mountains. Jisyn says we made good time, even if we were blazing our own trails through mountain underbrush for the last three days. But then we got here. What we saw at first was a forest clearing on one of the southeastern plateaus- just plain grassland with some exposed boulders. It took Aric to point out the worn-down marks in the rock- carved-in writing, in High Elvish. Definitely a good sign that we’d found the site the Elves had abandoned over three-thousand years ago. We made camp, but didn’t start actually digging that day. Jisyn wanted time to try and figure out the best part to start the search from.
That night… we were all woken up by the howls from the north. I’d though wolves at first, but Jisyn started pulling his armor out of his packs, along with his swords. Aric used some kind of spell to create a circle around the camp itself, said it would at least give warning if anything got close. Granther just muttered something about the old Wars and kept his crossbow loaded next to his bedding. We all eventually made it back to sleep, but I don’t think anyone slept all that well.
The next morning, everything looked the same. Jisyn and Aric finally agreed on a spot, and by noon, we had managed to dig down deep enough to uncover flat building stones inlaid with copper and brass- the roof of the Observatory we’d hoped to find. We all set our backs to it. We stopped for dinner at sunset, but laid back into work once the Ring began fully glowing for the night. By midnight, we had the full roof exposed to the night sky. A rough rectangle of well-fitted stones, inlaid with the movements of the heavens themselves in brass, copper, and silver. And a hatch that would hopefully lead into the building itself. Soon we’d see what had survived, but for now, rest. I haven’t felt this excited since graduating from the Collegium.
Fourthday, Eighthmonth, 4189 AC
Solari is gone. I-
Fourthday, Eighthmonth, 4189 AC (late morning)
All right. After several hours of searching, Solari is gone. Her pack and tools are still here, but there’s no sign of her. Her bedroll looks slept in, but all of us were too exhausted from yesterday’s exertions to keep watch while we slept. I can’t think she’d abandon us in the middle of the wilds, much less without her pay, but with no sign of an attack or anything, I cannot begin to guess what may have happened. We’re continuing with exploring the dig site with the rest of the day. Hopefully she’ll turn up at some point.
Fourthday, Eighthmonth, 4189 AC (Evening)
Nothing. NOTHING! Opening the hatch did indeed let us into intact rooms, but a thorough search of the first three levels below us has turned up nothing but broken pottery, cobwebs, and dust. No further sign of Solari either. This may have all been for naught. Aric forced us to an early stop today while we still had the light, for ‘safety’. We have at least three more levels of building to explore if this is the Observatory, and I am far too impatient to finish this one way or another, but that said, Jisyn and Granther are standing watch tonight, and Aric has conjured another of their ‘magic warning circles’.
Fifthday, Eighthmonth, 4189 AC (Morning)
No incidents happened last night, though Jisyn swears he heard more howling and other noises in the distance. Orc ears are sharp, and I’m not inclined to argue. Again, no sign of Solari. I’ve packed all her gear onto one of the mules, just in case, but I don’t think any of us are holding out any hope for her. Granther and I are dead-set on finishing exploring the building today- if we have to recalculate on a new site, I’d rather not have to waste more time.
Fifthda- EVENING.
We found Solari. I-
Try that again, this time without vomiting. We explored the rest of the Observatory today. The building widens out further in a pyramid shape the deeper we go, each level being significantly larger than the one above it. By the time we reached the bottom level it must have been after dark. But on that level we found the archives. Sadly given over to dry-rot and the ravages of time, and layer upon thick layer of cobwebbing. At the same time, we found the bodies. Dried husks of High Elves that must have been Ages old, preserved in their mummification. The scattered bodies of a few other later delvers, still centuries old, from before this place was buried. And on top of the cordwood-stacked corpses, Solari- her small kobold frame even smaller as somehow her body has already been dried out and mummified like the others. I heard something move through the shelves behind me, but before I could turn, Aric had already launched a ball of flame at whatever it had been while Jisyn pulled Granther and myself towards the stairs. Aric never followed us up.
Granther disappeared somewhere between the third and fourth levels- one moment bringing up the rear and the next, gone. Jisyn and I both broke into a run at that point, hustling our way up level after level Until we emerged into the cool night air, the Ring casting its blue-green glow around everything. Jisyn shoved a heavy boulder across the hatch, before going to grab more firewood.
It’s been an hour since he left. He should have been back now. And I swear I can hear something thumping at the hatch door from underneath. I fully intend to leave it alone, but I too can hear howling coming from the woods to the north again. It’s getting closer. If it gets any closer tonight, there’s only one spot to hide, and no firewood and I-
FifthDay. Late.
Jisyn didn’t do that good a job with the boulder. I may have torn something but I managed to push it off the hatch enough to open it. I’m hiding in the upper level of the Observatory now, using the last of my phosphor powder and nightroot as a makeshift torch, even if the glow doesn’t do anything for the cold. The howls, and the screams, got closer to the campsite above, and I remember too many stories from Granther about nighaunts and ghouls hunting through the Barrier mountains.
Granther. I should go down, see if his corpse was added to the stack yet. Then again, that’d only speed mine being added on to the pile. That said, I swear I heard someone talking a few minutes ago. I’m going to go investi-
(there is no further writing, except a blackened smear of ink across the lower portion of the page.)
Chris shut the door to Jon’s room behind him, feeling the anticipation rising in his chest. The smaller man walked on, shooting Chris a coy, over the shoulder glance as he went. Jon turned a corner into the bathroom, unbuttoning his shirt along the way.
“What are you getting undressed for?” Chris called to him.
“Well we’re not doing yoga in our nice clothes, silly.” Came the reply. He put a strange emphasis on the word ‘yoga’ that made Chris quiver.
“We aren’t actually doing yoga are we, Jon?” Chris said. It was more of a statement than a question. A knowing smile appeared on his lips. He moved to where Jon stood, biting his bottom lip as he un did his trousers. Chris grabbed him by the hips, and pulled him forward, his nails digging in a bit.
Jon let out a little whimper.
Chris watched the way Jon rather submissively gave up to him. He didn't know what to do with him for a moment. A lusty rumble gathered in his chest as he hitched Jon's legs over his hips, pinning him to the wall.
Jon's eyes glazed over with pleasure as he watched Chris lock the door.
He let out a shaky breath as he felt Chris's lips moving greedily over his neck. He'd been waiting far, far too long for this. He'd often wondered, night by night, when they exited the stage, Chris covered in sweat from the hot lights, what it would be like. Now he was about to find out, he mused, as he felt Chris's massive hands grasp his own, leading them down to his belt. Jon obeyed, unzipping slowly, giving him a little tease. He felt the larger man's breath hot on his neck. Suddenly, Chris moved back, letting Jon slip to the floor. Jon peered up at him with innocent eyes, which Chris had a feeling was pretense. He moved a hand through Jon's hair until he made it to the back of his head, where he grasped a handful, and held it tight, before pulling him forward to his now un zipped pants. The smaller singer gasped a little bit, before a coy smile formed on his lips. He reached inside, watching Chris's expression melt like honey as he grasped him in his hand, up and down, up and down, long strokes, before moving his lips over Chris's cock.
He could hear the tiny groans escaping from Chris, and wanted to look up to see the look on his face, but Jon didn't trust him self to take it back as far as he should if he tried to look up. He just closed his eyes, and stretched his lips over further, feeling the length of Chris touch the back of his throat, causing the bass player to let out a low moan.
