Prologue: Green Sky

[Linwelin]

Uthaal had staggered and frozen under the intensity of the voice, it was more familiar to him than anything else he knew. That didn't change that he was completely clueless as to what to do as the situation unfolded. Nor the longing for the comforting presence to stay as it disappeared. What did he mean by intruder...I don't understand... Snapping out of his daze, he once again checked on Argent, making sure she was not overwhelmed, nor unstable.

Uthaal grabs her shoulder in support, "Are you alright, Argent?'

Spoiler

Wisdom Check:  1d20+3 : 11 + 3, total 14

[close]

[Eireleen]

Argent didn't understand what was happening. She had never heard a voice that came from nowhere. Unconsciously, she backed away, moving closer to Uthaal. He was the only one who was awake. Miervaldis and her other self were still asleep. "I don't...know...what's happening..." She said softly, looking around. There was no source that the voice could have came from...it almost felt as though it had bellowed from the depths of the earth itself. The warm, peaceful feeling was gone. "'Us'...?" She asked, her ears flicking nervously.

Spoiler

Rolled 1d20+1 : 20 + 1, total 21

[close]

[Throndir]

In that moment the silence of the place felt more real. Both noticed the intense quietness. There was no longer a wind that blew through, or the sounds of leaves rustling. Nor were there the occasional rustles of wood-land creatures. The old man and the other Argent still slept soundly; their breathing the only other sound that the two can hear in the area.

[Linwelin]

"I don't know either...it's all very confusing...all I know is that we have a god backing our actions...so it can't be all that bad." Uthaal was trying hard to comfort her, as well as himself. With the calm aura gone, the panic and confusion returned. He still felt relatively safe, but there was a general discomfort over not knowing what was happening.

As a test, Uthaal once more tried to feel an object. He laid his hand on the bed as a test to see whether this was still an illusion. I don't even know what to think anymore...this is all so strange.

[Throndir]

As your hand went to the bed, for just a moment the movement your hand slowed as if it was going through thick and murky water. Your hand still passed through the object however. You were unsure if you affected the bed or the bed sheets in any way.

[Linwelin]

"Well...that was different." Uthaal turns to Argent, still very confused. "I was somewhat able to touch the bed. I have no idea why though." Could this all be turning real...? Or are we going back in time somehow? I don't even know what to think!

He starts pacing the room, testing different things, seeing if he could move them, or even touch them. If we want to get out of here, we need to figure out what Hesp wishes us to accomplish...and that means experimenting with our surroundings...

[Throndir]

Uthaal continues to go to the various objects, pushing his hand through each of them. Like before, his hand would simply melt into the objects, only to come back out moments later. Every time he moved his hand into an object, it felt like he was pushing through a jellylike liquid. Yet, for all his efforts, none of the objects moved or even showed any hint of being affected by his actions.

He was there, that was true. And though he felt something as his hands went through the objects, he did little to affect them.

[Eireleen]

For a while, Argent merely watched, perplexed. She didn't know what kind of phenomenon would even generate such an effect in the first place. All of this was distressingly new to her. And the sudden dismissal of the calming effect wasn't helping either. She remained still for the most part, keeping close to Uthaal. But then, there was a sudden shift in her body, her posture, everything.

The reactions of an animal were quick and extreme. At first, her ear flicked once, then twice, and her nose wrinkled ever so slightly, as though she had caught wind of something. Then, in an instant, her ears flattened against her hair, her claws extended, and her fangs and teeth became visible. Her head jerked in a way that almost looked like it was painfully twisted, as she turned to look out of the open door, into the forest that lay beyond.

Nothing was there. Nothing visible. But even so, Argent's body didn't relax. Her back seemed to hunch slightly, as though she were preparing to pounce. "...Something approaches." She said in a low voice that resembled a growl. "...Run." She said simply. A single word that mercilessly pierced the silence of the hut. "...We should run."

[Throndir]

As Argent said those words, the temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees. As the moment grew longer, the two realized it was more from the strange and somber sensation that they felt, rather than an actual drop in the temperature. Though everything still seemed familiar, the sleeping Miervaldis and Argent, the glow of the moon just reaching the ground from the treetop branches, as each second comes and goes, the place they were in kept becoming something more different.

There really wasn't anything particular to point the change to, other than what was in their mind, and what each of them was feeling. A light shower of rain had started dropping, and though the two companions saw the thin droplets of water cascade down out the window, likely the duo would have never even felt the tickling sensation of the raindrops splashing against their skin.

What looked to be a dark fog started appearing in the hallway. It looked insubstantial, but the thickening of the fog kept solidifying. However, unlike what one would expect from a regular fog, the mist was dark and almost black. It kept moving closer and closer, and though it was night with only the moon to give light and illumination in the area, the two knew that whatever it was, it wasn't natural.

And they were right.

Mere moments after that, a figure appeared. It looked to be a man, but the light was dim, and as he entered the room, the mystery of the fog was solved. The darkness seemed to encircle him taking the form of the dark mists that surrounded him. It was hard to see any features of the man; the seemingly dark fog that emanated from him made him even less visible. He stood in the doorway, and though it was hard to see other features, Uthaal and Argent did see two orange glowing eyes.

[Eireleen]

Argent backed away, towards the back of the room. Too close. She didn't know what it was, and it was too close for her comfort. When she was against the far wall, the distance between it and the anomaly was still only about two meters. Her ears remained flat and her teeth bared. She let out a growl, a low, guttural sound that filled the small hut. It was a warning, a notice that it shouldn't come any further, for its own good. The wolf was already cornered, and it wasn't afraid to lash out.

And more than that, it was walking on ground that was sacred to her. She hadn't given it permission to enter her father's home. And if she had to, she would remove it by force. She didn't have to use words. A low growl was enough to get her point across - either to another animal or to any being. Her red eyes locked onto it, and her hands twitched as though they were desperately holding back her rending claws. Her entire body was on edge. And if it took one more step, she was ready to pounce.

[Linwelin]

Intruder, huh?...Something even Hesp's influence could not stop...but is this a real interference, or just another part of the vision. Uthaal stepped back toward where Argent had withdrawn, glaring down the figure, suppressing the fear from its eyes with his own desire to protect this place, the home of his two friends.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, heed my words. Leave. Now." He turned to Agrent, whispering. "By any chance, does the way this figure is, and how he acts, seem familiar...? He asks. "Either way, be prepared to defend this place"

[Throndir]

If the figure noticed the two standing at the very back wall of the bedroom, he did not show it. The mists gathered around him, then silently, the figure took a step forward.

It stepped over the various different objects on the floor, and though the figure moved, not a single sound was heard. There was no rustling of clothing, no creaking of the wooden boards, no sign of any light breathing, there was not a single sound at all that came from the creature. Its orange eyes glowed with a sickly drive seemingly bent on whatever task it set out to do.

[Eireleen]

She leapt. The moment the shadowy figure took a single step towards her, she leapt like a human cannonball, without a moment of hesitation. It was the desperation of a cornered, threatened animal defending itself. She didn't care what it was or what it could do. Her claws went straight for its head, and her teeth went straight for its jugular artery. Her form was like a silver blur flying through the hut, clearing the distance in a flash. There was no howling or screaming - just a single, lethal motion, tempered to perfection by years in the wild.

[Throndir]

Like a flash of silver lightning, Argent dove towards the intruder, her claws and teeth leading the way in her quick and lethal charge. But as the first of her dangerous claws struck the creature, and as her teeth was about to sink into its neck, Argent found that there was nothing substantial to clamp on to. It wasn't like any prey that she had hunted before; it wasn't solid. As she went right through the creature, she felt resistance, as if she was moving through water, though less solid, and a lot more passable. Unlike other prey which would have been killed at the spot, or even attempt to flee the moment they learned of a predator, the dark figure did not even seem to react when Argent attempted to attack.

A moment after Argent had landed, it took another step, and only then did the figure stop and pause. The creature seemed to look around, twisting its strange body back and forth, its orange eyes scanning the room. It turned its head around, and stared back at where Argent had landed. It had paused there for just a single moment, then it turned back around, heading again towards the only other room in the small two-room shack.

[Linwelin]

Uthaal was dumbfounded. It obviously didn't belong, but the creature wasn't quite part of the vision either. It had sensed Argent's attack, even if it was unaffected. It simply existed as a presence, not a being. And Uthaal was scared. Unable to do anything but watch, Uthaal instead circled around, crouching next to Argent.

"We can do nothing...nothing but watch...I'm sorry..." Then he froze. Could this be how Miervaldis had died!? Is that what we are being shown? So we know who or what perpetrated the sins?

Gathering all the mental strength he could, he spoke softly and solemnly, "Argent, if this scene looks familiar to you at all...if this relates to how Miervaldis died at all, then watch. I hate for you to live through it twice, but it could be a clue, a much needed clue..."