Bored by the lack of activity, Visage glances at the priestess. A viable interest, but one he'd pursue a bit later. Tonight was going to be a long night. To help with this matter, he reached into his pack and pulled out the grounds of a few seeds, then placed them in the ground in one corner, digging up the dirt with his hands carefully, gently, tenderly, like a mother swaddling a child as he then covered them back up with the loosened soil.

He pressed his hands over the little pile of soil, then began to pray. He funneled his own druidic connection to nature. He did not cast a spell...no spell would do quite for a case like this. Instead, he channeled his powers.

Seconds turned into minutes as his channeling wore on. He chanted in druidic tongue, rocking back and forth slowly, then bent close to the earth and breathed upon the ground.

As he stepped back, a single green shoot sprang from the earth. He spread his fingers wide as smoky, wispy green tendrils curled from his palms towards the sprout, still murmuring in his strange mystic language. The sprout grew as if sped through time, developing first into a sapling and then quickly into a short, leafy tree. Bundles and bundles of off-white flowers appeared briefly, scenting the air with their exotic scent before wilting and being replaced by smooth glossy fruits that turned from green to red quickly. Finally he closed his hands and smiled, stepping up to the small tree.

He pulled off a couple piles of the fruit, then fidgeted with the piles on the ground for a bit. A pile of small, brown oval objects formed on one side of his lap -- on the other side lay the reddish hulls of the fruit. Pulling a piece of silk from one pocket, he slipped to Rudy's pack and pulled out a large metal pot. Tossing the brown seeds in the pot, he held it over one remaining bit of fire for a time while Rudy worked. Slowly a fine smoke curled from it, and he poured them into the silk, then prayed over the pot for another minute, channeling more of his energy. Water filled it, and he tied the silk fabric shut around the roasted seeds, plopped it in the water, then set it back over the fire.

Ten minutes later -- twenty minutes from when he first started working in the dirt -- he took the pot away from the heat and grinned. By now the heady steam had wafted around the entire basement with it's exotic and luxurious smell. He grinned broadly as he took a long wiff.

"Ahhhh. Fresh coffee, anyone?"

"I'll have some of that," Esther raised her hand as she heard Visage's suggestion. She seemed to be done meditating and the lantern's light had begun to dim to a tiny glow. "Tell me, changeling, what is it that brought your party to Grissom."

As the dwarf did his work, the flame of Petrania periodically sent weak surges through the available channels. One could say it was keeping the lights and warmth on but perhaps it was also doing something else. The power of the deity was very much felt within the church. The sound of moving metal could be heard from above but it didn't sound like objects being thrashed or moved forcibly; more like gears and cogs.




Rhea's arrow zipped through the air, right past the town's archers and straight into the werebeast's head. There was a moment of silence as the body dropped first to the bridges, down to a roof of some household and eventually on the ground. Townsfolk yelled in suprise and then the beasts outside howled and screeched.

People had came running to the center of town, yelling that it was not a wolf lycan, that it looked more like a bat. The archers on the bridges looked up and opened fire, their arrows taking their targets lives as the treetops began to buzz with life. Right then and there the gates rattled and its hinges began to creak, the militia and even the soldiers from Fedimia were slightly shocked by the attack but nonetheless stayed their ground.

Shrieks from above quickly make themselves known as humanoid bats swept down, snatching the archers from the bridges and perches, throwing them to the ground and rooftop. Most drop unconcious from the fall; others nimble enough to avoid being too hurt and quickly fire back as they are able. Another quaking strike rumbled the gate, this time two of the several hinges gave way. Sir Dreimon grit his teeth and called his men from the gate.

"That gate isn't going to hold, everyone to the center!" He yelled. "Form up! Militia behind the line, back us up."

Everyone did as they were told and in minutes, the soldiers of Fedimia lined themselves with their shields raised. Militia remained at the back, nervously waiting for the gate to breach. Above them was chaos already, arrows flew and leathery wings snatched men out of their positions.

Within seconds, the gate's hinges gave way from another assault. Thankfully, the attack didn't send the gate hurtling towards them and instead fell down onto the ground with a huge thud. What it revealed was a massive humanoid with the body of a boar and arms that of a human and it held a massive log. Several other lycanthrope appeared from its sides; wolves this time.

There was a moment that stretched for some time, the look of the soldiers and militia as the ground force of the lycanthrope gazed back at them.

Rabbit wasted no time in acting, seizing the slight moment in time.

As quickly as he could, he lashed out with his stretched back palm toward the torso of one of the lycanthropes, propelling himself with the momentum of his back foot.

If this connected, he could follow up with another blow before backflipping away, exactly like a rabbit. Rabbit knew that it would be even more dangerous and greedy to press his advantage.

Visage smiled, then went back to the coffee tree. He plucked three of the large leaves off, then worked them in his hands for a moment before setting aside a small cup made from them. He repeated this action a couple times before pouring himself and Esther a drink, setting the pot down in the dirt between the rest of the cups.

He walked back over to her, proffering her steaming cup. "I suppose I could have grown some sugar cane and tried to work that, but we still wouldn't have milk, and I simply can't plant beef jerky and grow a cow. Some things just don't work that way."

Taking a long sip of the brew, he sighed. It didn't need sugar or cream, really -- the depth and quality of the flavors were so powerful and complex that any normal additions would have just been wrong. He looked around him, then drug a pair of smaller metal containers away from the fire, gesturing for her to take one of the seats as he settled himself on his own.

"Well, I can't really speak for everyone. I'm from Fedimia, more or less -- I'm fairly certain my ancestry leads me back to Grissom, but my earliest memories are with my adopted father in Fedimia. Anyhow, I happened to be one of the first people that came to mind when the government decided to send and official mission to Grissom, and I had been long since planning to make a visit here anyway. I have a trade business of sorts, and we've been slowly establishing a presence here, so I needed to come and see how things are. Besides, we all need some adventure now and then."

Casting a glance around the room, he shrugs. "There are another detachment of the party -- about half -- back at Thornfell helping defend it tonight. We were sent to gather silver, and I sensed that there was magic downstairs. The others are here for their own reasons. We have at least two people with less-than-upstanding pasts, of that I'm certain. Another that is trying to escape the past, and another that is absolutely fascinated with it. The rest of the group are searching for their futures in their own ways. Me personally," -- here he paused with a brief flicker of a smile and wink while he took another sip of coffee -- "I'm interested in the present. The past exists to teach us great lessons and give us pleasant memories; the future exists to inspire our hopes and excite our minds; the present, however, is all we really have, and all we can control."

After another sip. "So...how about you? How does someone like you end up alone in a basement full of bodies?"

[Church of Petrania]

Esther accepted the drink and blew away the steam rising from it before taking a sip. "Been a while since I last had good coffee," she commented then listened to Visage's question. "The bodies you see here are the escorts for a caravan headed to Thornfell. Hopefully, they made it through. Myself and the Paladins of Petrania, alongside some brave men volunteered to make sure the supplies had gotten to their destination."

She took another sip and glanced at the lantern before speaking again. "On the night before our expected arrival to Thornfell, the lycanthrope attacked. Bats, rats, wolves; they were a menagerie. All sorts. The escort unanimously agreed to fend off the attackers while the caravan made their escape.

Eventually, we were forced into this holy place and barricaded what we could. Most were found to have been bitten or severely injured. Those that were able left by dawn to reach Thornfell on their own while I decided to stay with the wounded and infected. The injured were the first to go, the infected were healthy but as I said before, they preferred death over transformation."

The sound of the metal being forged and cackling divine flame filled the closed room. Mari kept to herself, looking at the scene before her. She crossed her arms and sat by the staircase. The monk was squatting by the corpses, checking them still. While the disciple of Soramaru kept his vigil, standing at the very center of the room with sword in hand.

Visage grunted, his eyes tracing over the bodies. "It is what it is, I always say. In other words, life isn't always the pleasant way, but what has happened is done, unfortunate or, conversely, pleasant as it may be. They fell in honor, and that is enough. It is unfortunate that the infected ones chose death -- had they been sustained till we arrived, I know I -- as well as the healer -- could have cured the reprehensible disease."

He shifted his gaze back to Esther, dismissing the topic with a wave of his free hand. "But that is enough of such macabre topics. Little is better than food and drink made fresh like this, and good company to have it with. That said, my question was directed to you. Though I can make sense of the escort, I was curious what involved you in this kind of life to begin with, to clarify my point."

It wasnt the archers that were Rhea's target. For next few seconds one could wonder whether that was good or bad news, as a single arrow was enough of a signal for hell to break loose.

As the flying beasts came down, Aurea's eyes darted from one to the other for a moment, trying to figure what they are. She didn't recognise the creature, but just from this short observation alone, the way the moved and attacked, the knight knew it would be a waste of time and effort if she were to go after them, even if...No, that particular threat was for archers and others to handle. As much as she hated the thought of remaining passive towards the enemy, she'll prove more useful focusing on another threat, down here, about to breach the walls of the city through the frontal gates.

"Archers should get off the heights, they're too easy to pick off." Aurea exclaimed to Sir Dreimon as she put on her helmet, last few words already distorted by her voice bouncing off the metal, and fixed her cloak so that it got stuck between her pauldrons on the back like a cape, showing off her armor in its full, long gone glory. She obviously wasn't in command here, but nor was she under any command, she just decided to share the thought.

The gates finally gave up, and the undead could see what's behind them. As both sides stared themselves down she began to make her way towards them, passing by the line of militia. When she passed by a certain individual nervously holding a spear, Aurea suddenly grabbed onto the shaft, startling the man at first, and then gave him a reasuring nod, taking the weapon away. The knight weighted and balanced the spear briefly, before she pulled her arm back, curving her whole body into an arch with one foot forward, and then bent forward straightening her throwing arm and bestowing all the momentum upon the weapon as it was launched above soldiers shields and heads.

By that time the truce of stares has already been broken by Rabbit's maneuvers, and few who didn't have Aurea in sight or were unexpecting that, might have as well thought that some smaller ballista had fired from behind their backs, aimed at the torso of the werewolf closest to the bear-like beast.

Wether her shot was true or not, the knight would eventually reach the first line of defense, with sword at ready, its point few inches off the ground as if she was issuing a challenge. She was still more than mindful of the flying creatures, were there a situation one found itself within her reach.

"I chose the life of a member of the Order," she said simply. "To serve the Bearer and his cause; familial ties have also lead me to kneel before the Lantern's light. An honest good is all there is in this world to hope for and that is what I intend to give. That is all there is, changeling. You need not know more."

She sipped her coffee again and exhaled, content with the bitter flavor. "Hopefully, Thornfell will be left quiet until we return," she said solemnly. "And the remaining escort arrived safe as well."

Bats from above, wolves from below, and a boar-man in the middle. It was a surrealist picture, one that would devour the entire town if ignored.

Lera stepped up from her location. In hand were a few bottles of perfume from her time as a merchant.

"I've lived long enough to know how to deal with you monsters." With deft accuracy and strength, she lobbed most of them into the ground in front of the beasts. One in particular hit the chest of the big bad beast.

"Enjoy that pungent smell." Suffer the pain of elves in the cityscape, she thought.

Now, with basic crowd control, that should alleviate the pressure on our defense while the archers and Rhea took care of the bats. Aurea should be charging into them, while she would hang back, ready to provide support. Rabbit would provide melee cover for the militia with his agility. Just according to plan. The one she just thought of.

Rhea ran over to the creature she killed and knelt down over it's head. With a swift swing of her arm, she smashed the butt of her dagger into it's skull, prying her arrow free and assessing it for damage. The point was a bit dulled but she could still use this one. After tucking the arrow back into her quiver, Rhea found cover in the shadows once more just in time for the front gate to be knocked down. Given the attacking force, she would most definitely be staying on the ground.

From the shadows, rhea began firing iron-tipped arrows up into the canopy, aiming for the bats. The arrows speed and precision were far too great for the flying beasts to counter, especially in air. She had already fired off seven arrows before she took the time to see if the iron-tipped arrows were even affecting the winged beasts.

Visage finished his cup and shrugged. "I would hope so. On our journey, if they made it to daylight, I'd judge that they might have survived. Might."

He noticed her answer, and behind his banal expression on a mental level, he smiled. Secrets, secrets...such a marvelous world.

Yet another project for him. More questions would be asked, and answers given in due time. He realized that often the people he took an interest in did not really matter, in the scheme of a trade empire like his, but it was this microcosm-type fascination of his with the insides of individual minds that lent him his success.

Rudolph set aside another finished blade, his arm possessing a shiny sheen due to being coated with sweat. It had been a long while since he had brought hammer to metal, bestowing upon it life and purpose. The stocky dwarf sighed, sticking his pipe between his teeth, savoring the tones of oak, cherry, and tobacco as he struck a match on the stone floor and brought it to the bowl, lighting the herbs. He took a few generous puffs before getting up from where he sat, checking on the cooling metals before joining Visage and Esther. "So lassie, Oi take it this aint the first time yev seen a dead body. Takin it moighty gracefully."

"The Order faces undead on a regular basis and in turn, the dead they leave behind," she said nonchalantly. "It may not seem like it, dwarf, but the undead never left Grissom's lands. The Order has been the one to keep them dead for five millennia and we intend to keep it that way for a longer time. And you? Death does not bother you people?"


The archers from the bridges knew they were outmatched and did their best to escape the werebats, Rhea however, was doing much better than them. Her arrows struck hard and true, felling several bats out of the air.

Rabbit dashed out of Thornfell's front line and forwards. The massive wereboar snarled and threw the log to one side before charging as well, accepting the challenge. The werewolves followed suit, their howls echoing in the night as their claws closed the distance between humanity and lycanthrope. Rabbit's first attack was blocked by the boar's massive arms but his next blow forcefully pushed the lycan back a few feet, its hooves leaving trails of dust as it did. The combat specialist landed gracefully from his backflip, back into the line, before he could ready another strike onto an incoming werewolf, a spear had pierced right through the side of the lycan's head and embedding itself, blade first onto the ground behind it. The lycan fell on its back, claws at its face, howling in great pain. Some of the wolves looked at their screeching brethren, slowing down slightly before continuing their charge. As they charged in, Lera quickly did her own thing, lobbing perfume bottles at the enemy.

Some hit directly and others missed their mark completely but she was never aiming for a perfect hit. The perfume would do its work either way. Some of the lycanthrope slowed their charge and sneezed at the overpowering smell. The wereboar looked towards the originator of the volley and huffed, and snarled at two wolves that passed him. The wolves nodded, got on all fours and charged at Lera's position, their movements told they were out to kill. The boar didn't charge in alongside the wolves, instead watched from the sidelines.

Sir Dreimon raised his blade and yelled a battlecry, his men did the same as they held their ground. The wolves leapt towards them, meeting shield and sword with tooth and claw, confused slightly at the sensory overload their noses were giving them. The militia behind began to charge in seeing the opportunity Lera had given them, spearing whatever they could with what they had.

The dwarf chuckled drily. "As ye said, the surface still has its fair share of the nosties. Well so does the depths lassie. The dwarves been diggin since history been first recorded and bet long before then and will be long after. But we've been gettin impatient. Our methods gettin louder, faster, greedier, and have woken up some things that best been left slumberin. I've seen my fair share of lost ones, and poured more than my fair share of drinks for loved ones." He took a deep breath and the bowl glowed red as he released a cloud of smoke from his nose. "So ye, death don't bother me much. 'N the name's Rudolph, not dwarf."