The Power of Three [Attn: Roan]

The World outside the Grey Tower is a vast place.
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Bella
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Joined: April 14th, 2015, 11:28 pm
PC: Miahala Darrow Sedai
SC: Lysira Viathene Gaidin
TC: Gareth Tomosan Asha'man
QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: The Power of Three [Attn: Roan]

Post by Bella » March 7th, 2019, 1:26 am

Andra's smile grew slightly and her dark eyes flashed, but all she said coolly was, "Just about our time here and the mission at hand." It was not a lie, although it would not have been a problem if it were given that she was not sworn to the old Oaths.

Her smile faded slightly then, thinking back over the information he had brought them. Her gaze drifted off and she considered it all, putting what little they had together. "I would agree with you," she said after a moment. "That's where we will head first thing in the morning, and see what we can find there."

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Roan
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Re: The Power of Three [Attn: Roan]

Post by Roan » March 28th, 2019, 8:47 pm

Ever oblivious, Bastian didn’t notice the change in Andra’s expression as he looked from her to Lysira and offered the other Gaidin a warm smile before Andra decided on their next move. The large Gaidin nodded slowly, “In the morning, I will see about provisions from the innkeep before helping Lysira get our mounts ready.”

Looking out the window, Bastian watched as the stable-hand carried a bucket from a trough into the barn, the stable-yards being well lit by torch light. The view from the window gave him a clear view of the stables, and would give plenty of warning if someone were trying to come into the inn through the back. He wasn’t expecting trouble, but he was a Gaidin, and would always be prepared.

Looking back to the two women sitting on the bed, Bastian replied, “The serving women suggested we’d be riding for two to three hours before we reach the Logan Farm. Whether we continue on horseback or on foot from the farm. . .well, we can make that call in the morning.”
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Bella
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Posts: 5615
Joined: April 14th, 2015, 11:28 pm
PC: Miahala Darrow Sedai
SC: Lysira Viathene Gaidin
TC: Gareth Tomosan Asha'man
QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: The Power of Three [Attn: Roan]

Post by Bella » April 1st, 2019, 10:58 pm

Andraste and Lysira both nodded their agreement to that. Lysira looked at her fellow Gaidin, although inwardly, her mind was aflame with her discussion with the Aes Sedai and lives she had never considered possible... 'I am going to take a turn around the inn and stable-yard once before we go to sleep,' she told Bastian as she slipped off the bed and bowed slightly to Andraste.

'Then I would suggest we get some rest.' She waited for Bastian's reply before departing.

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Roan
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Re: The Power of Three [Attn: Roan]

Post by Roan » April 13th, 2019, 6:00 pm

Bastian translated what Lysira said to Andraste and offered the other Gaidin a warm smile as he inclined his head, “A wise plan. I’ll hold down the fort here, as they say, and I can take first watch tonight.”

As Lysira departed, Bastian examined the room with the eyes of a Gaidin, looking for vulnerabilities. Would anyone attack them in the inn? Likely not, but part of being a Gaidin was being ever vigilant. He knew he wasn’t alone in assessing potential threats. Lysira had been a Gaidin much longer than him, and the amount of time he’d spent around her, he learned she was always observing. She wasn’t necessarily always on guard, but she was always observing.

It didn’t take the smaller Gaidin all that long to make her rounds. By the time she returned, Bastian had moved his chair by the window so he could keep watch on the stable yards. He let the Red and Lysira sleep until he felt he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore, and then traded watch with Lysira.

Morning came too soon, and the large Gaidin felt as if he could sleep for many more hours, but they needed an early start. Lysira and him worked as a team to get everything ready and to make sure everyone, including the horses, ate something to fuel up for the day. The sun was fully up over the horizon as they left the inn and the town behind.

There were few clouds in the sky, but there was a chill in the air, as spring started to shake off the lingering cold of winter. Bastian pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders as he road alongside Andraste, with Lysira on the Red’s other side, “I would suggest we approach the Logan farm and see about leaving our mounts either there and continuing on foot if all looks ok, otherwise leave them on the edge of the woods as we investigate.”
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Bella
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Posts: 5615
Joined: April 14th, 2015, 11:28 pm
PC: Miahala Darrow Sedai
SC: Lysira Viathene Gaidin
TC: Gareth Tomosan Asha'man
QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: The Power of Three [Attn: Roan]

Post by Bella » May 4th, 2019, 8:56 pm

After that, they rode on in silence for a while. Each citizen of the Grey Tower was lost in their own thoughts, although chances were that they were all on similar topics.

The nearer they drew to the "Logan farm," the flatter and yet more rock-strewn the land became. Andraste wondered, more than once, how anyone could farm much of anything in this particular area of soil. She knew there were plenty of land in her home nation that could support healthy farm-life, but this didn't seem to be any of them.

Clouds moved in overhead as time passed, and the Aes Sedai felt the wind begin to pick up. She simply pulled her cloak a little closer, since she did not want to use the One Power in this area of the Borderlands unless she had to. After a moment, however, she frowned. There felt to be something...almost unnatural to the feeling of this wind.

Andra looked over to the two Gaidin and noticed Lysira in particular looking around like she was deeply unsettled. That small woman had an uncanny sense of the world around her, the Red had noticed...as it was impossible to miss or mistake. The diminutive Gaidin's ebony eyes flickered one way and then another, head moving in short, jerky motions more like an animal than human.

The bigger Gaidin noticed as well, asking after it. His tone suggested he also felt it, but that he wanted her thoughts specifically.

He translated for Andraste, who only caught a few of the signs. (She resolved within herself to some series study upon their return to the Tower.) 'There is an ill wind, literally, blowing over this land. There is something sickly to it. Disturbing. I'm not sure where it comes from, though.'

The Red could only nod her agreement. All three continued riding, but it was with even greater caution and awareness now.

It wasn't too much longer before they saw the farm up ahead. As it turned out, this craggy land supported a small herd of goats. The animals were unsettled in their pasture, though, running and bleating with some level of distress. They were clearly no worse for wear, with plenty of forage and a small creek within sight, but something had them upset.

"This isn't good," Andra said, softly and simply, but her voice was as heavy as a dark-grey rain-cloud.

They slowed their pace even further until Lysira held up her hand for them to stop altogether, which they did. The Aes Sedai looked at the little woman curiously, and then saw her point, which brought the Aes Sedai to follow the invisible line to the front of the homestead...

...where a door hung off its hinges, with blood smears running down its wood face.

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Roan
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Re: The Power of Three [Attn: Roan]

Post by Roan » August 1st, 2019, 1:51 am

What Bastian saw when he looked to where Lysira pointed did nothing to put him at ease. His horse stomped, the gelding showing his impatience. Brows furrowed deeply, Bastian grumbled, “I would say it certainly is not good.” He looked to Lysira, “Stay with our Aes Sedai while I check out the farm house.”

Lysira hesitated before signing ‘Do not tarry. Make sure it is clear and return to us.’

Giving a small smile as he tilted his head, Bastian replied, “I will come right back as soon as I’m sure it’s clear.” With that, he dismounted his horse, handing the reins to Lys before making his way to the house. He pulled his two axes out, and twirled them in each of his hands as he tried to settle his mind, looking for the Void. It still took him a bit of effort, as he hadn’t practiced it as much as some others, but he could manage.

Looking around the perimeter of the house, Bastian saw more than one set of footprints leading to, and from the house. No sounds came from the house. . .in fact no sounds came from anywhere, not even bird song. Bastian pushed the broken door out of the way to gain entry, and what he found suggested that whoever was in the house put up a fight.

There was blood on the floor. The kitchen was virtually destroyed, with the dining room table broken in half. There were two bedrooms, and both were empty. No bodies. Just blood. More blood leading to the back door, which was also off its hinges. Stepping out back, Bastian saw the first body. . .that of an elderly man. Tracks led away from the farm house.

Letting out a breath, Bas frowned and headed back Lys and Andra, “The house is clear. The family is gone, and I fear the worst. I saw the body of an elderly man out back with tracks leading away from here.”
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Bella
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Posts: 5615
Joined: April 14th, 2015, 11:28 pm
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QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: The Power of Three [Attn: Roan]

Post by Bella » August 6th, 2019, 2:33 am

Everything about this house felt wrong. The very air around it felt wrong. It slithered along Lysira's spine as they stood and waited.

'I would like to investigate the back,' she signed. It was stated within that simple declaration that the "watch" over the Aes Sedai now fell to Bastian while they more deeply investigated the house. A body and a trail away meant that something had been here. And if something had been here and had left, it might come back.

The elder warder wanted to know more.

With a nod exchanged, the two Gaidin swapped their roles relative to the Red and Lysira headed around to the back of the house without going through the building.

She found the body that Bastian had reported, and she checked over the corpse. The body was cold but still a little warmer than the air around her. She tried to move the arm, judging the stiffness of the muscles. He had been dead for a little while, but it had not been a very long while. It seemed enough time that something could still be near--

Something moved in the trees beyond, just up the rocky incline that bordered the top border of the pasture. The goats sensed it too, jolting and hurrying away in a herd toward the lean-to at the other side of the field.

Her nose wrinkled as she sniffed the air. It was blowing in her direction down from the hill, and there was something...wrong.

That was still the only and best word she could conceive of to explain this.

Her large, obsidian eyes spotted a shadow moving through the trees. The gait was quick but awkward, and the shape was overall small. Something about it triggered recognition in her mind, but all the pieces didn’t wholly add up. All the same, she pulled her bow and an arrow swiftly, putting the two together in a motion so memorized in her muscles that it was done before she even thought consciously of doing it.

She watched the shape continue forward until it broke through a shaft of the gray light coming from the clouded sun, and it was then that she recognized a child.

That immediately gave her pause, but she didn’t lower the bow because her warder’s instincts were screaming louder and asserting themselves more aggressively than her motherly instincts because there was something about this creature--child or not--that was just as ‘wrong’ as everything else had felt so far.

The way it--because she would not let herself see a little girl--moved through the trees and over the rocks, the way its body responded to the movements, and the look to its face and its eyes… All of these things made very clear that this child was...something else.

Lysira pulled the bowstring back to her cheek and released. It sailed through the air with the speed and accuracy of the heron emblazoned on the wood, streaking forward and lodging itself directly in the thing’s eye.

Deeper inside, her mother’s heart cringed and wailed.

...the child’s body shook and jolted…

and then kept moving.

The thing shambled its way over large rocks until it hit the clear land. Lysira lodged another arrow in its head, but it kept moving. Her dark eyes widened, the stoicism of her Gaidin nature shaken beneath this sight. It felt like a horrific dream, because she had never seen anything that could keep moving with two arrows sticking out of its head.

It continued forward with terrifying, inexorable motion.

The primitive part of her brain knew that she should not let this thing get too close, and the darkness began to press in at the edges of her mind. She knew she had to act fast.

When Lysira drew her bowstring this time, she did not aim for the head. This was not a shot to kill but to simply stop. She aimed for a small, shoe-less foot. The arrow rang true, and at this distance, all the force went into driving it through since it had no distance to lose that power over. The creature tried to step forward again, but the arrow was deep lodged in the dirt. The creature wavered until the second arrow lodged in the other foot, and it fell over on its back.

She looked at it for a moment, assuring herself it was kept in place for the moment at least, before she rushed into the house to find the others.

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Roan
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Re: The Power of Three [Attn: Roan]

Post by Roan » October 20th, 2019, 2:19 pm

Bas tied the three horses to a post outside the house, his eyes still scanning their surroundings even though they’d made sure the immediate area was clear. Once the horses were secure, he looked to Andra, “Let’s see about joining Lysira. Everything seems to point to the back of the house and leads away from the property. I do not know what’s going on, but this place feels. . .sickly. I do not like it.”

The large Gaidin led the way, not getting too far ahead, and did his best to pull the Void around him. It was still a challenge, finding the Void, but he needed it and how it sharpened his senses. Something foul was afoot, and he did not want to be caught unaware.

Just as he reached the threshold of the house, Lysira came rushing in through the back door, looking more than a little alarmed. Bas’s hands went to his axes, “What’s wrong?”
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Bella
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Posts: 5615
Joined: April 14th, 2015, 11:28 pm
PC: Miahala Darrow Sedai
SC: Lysira Viathene Gaidin
TC: Gareth Tomosan Asha'man
QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: The Power of Three [Attn: Roan]

Post by Bella » October 21st, 2019, 9:34 pm

Lysira's eyes were wide and slightly wild, the black so dark within them that it almost blotted out the white. She still had her bow in one hand and an arrow in the other, so she couldn't even be bothered to try to tell them. She just jerked her to one side for them to follow, where she led them out to the back.

There, just a little ways up the hill, was the body of the child-sized...thing, still on its back where she had left it. It's arms moved and feet twitched, but it made no move to try to sit up or remove the arrows. Something like a beetle flung to its back...
* * * "By the Light," Andraste whispered when she saw the creature that Lysira's arrows had pinned to the dirt. Although she was cautious about embracing Saidar here in the Borderlands, she did so now because there was no way that she wouldn't while something like this was about... Who knew if there might be more?

She swallowed hard, struggling to maintain her Aes Sedai composure. "What...what is it?" Her dark eyes rose to scan around them and see if there were more. So far, she saw nothing else.

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Roan
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Re: The Power of Three [Attn: Roan]

Post by Roan » November 17th, 2019, 5:12 pm

Bastian studied the child. No. . .it was not a child, but an abomination, and the Gaidin couldn’t keep the disgust from his face. The man shook his head, “I do not know. I’d say only Light knows, but I doubt it.” He looked up from the child and away from the house, doing his best to hold the Void tight around him. It was not yet second nature to him as it likely was for Lysira, but he needed the calm the Void brought because what was at his feet had a chance to terrify him if he were not careful.

Adjusting his grip on his two axes, he scanned the area with the heightened senses the Void brought. He knew they had to carry on...investigate where the thing came from. A small voice deep within him wanted to scream and run. He ignored it and looked to Andra and Lysira, “I think the only way we figure it out is to carry on.” He looked to the thing on the ground and then away, spitting on the ground, resisting the urge to say ‘Unfortunately.’
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