RP:A Healer Lost
Synopsis: The sole survivor of a monstrous attack in the Dead Forest of Venturil arrives in Rynvale, seeking after the welfare of the Healer he had met after the attack. When he discovers that she has not returned, he reports her as missing to the city leadership, spurring the formation of a plan for a search party.
Characters: Arien, Rhocielle, George, the NPC survivor and witness.
Location: Rynvale; The Parlor at the Royal Townhouse
Arien was running a brush through Eru’s hair, the elfling for once restless and desirous of squirming out of her mother’s lap. “It’s finished mamma..” she wailed softly. Emerald gaze was turned toward the rug before the fire where Shyr sat with the plate of tea cakes that the servants had brought over for the family’s enjoyment. Arien laughed. “There..Now you’re done..and don’t eat too many,” she warned. A warm gaze was lifted to rest on Rho where he sat, though shadows of concern that had not quite left her eyes since she’d come down from the mountain remained. “Still no word of Leo and Jolie..or of Keturah, for that matter. What could be keeping everyone?” A deeper level of concern was settling in. A month was a long time to be gone without word..for all parties concerned.
Rhocielle held equal concern, but there was an additional worry that both knew and nevertheless left unsaid. Mahri had gone after them, burdened with child, and she had not been seen either. His brows furrowed and he replied as if to lessen Arien's worry, "They are all fine, Arien. Each of them was quite capable of taking care of themselves before even knowing us..." A weak excuse. She would be able to see the concern in her husband's eye. He would be willing and able to leave to pursue them all at a moment's notice.
Out of five, he'd been the only one to find his way home. It would have been all well and good to bless himself for good fortune had Jacob's wife not come asking where he had gone.. that.. And a guilty consciousness would not allow him to forgo seeing to the Healer that had mended he and his companion. It was how he found himself in Rynvale, and eventually within the halls of the Royal Townhouse, clutching onto his hat like a security blanket. Nothing like a massive mansion and servants leading one through the halls to make a man feel all the more self-conscious about his station. If he'd have been of a higher class, he wouldn't have been on that damn trip in the first place. While he was pondering this matter, the servant who had been leading had already knocked on the door of the parlor to announce their presence. "Lady Governor.." This spoken once he'd been acknowledged. "There is a man here, who says he has news of the Royal Healer."
Arien had had her eyes set on her mate’s, her brow furrowed with concern that could not be hidden. The knock on the door had her head turning distractedly to greet the intruder on her sacred family time, a cool word on her tongue for the price. The words of the servant had her paling instead, her fingers fluttering to her heart in instinctive distress. She knew..knew it would not be good news. “Let him in..at once..” she uttered, her eyes seeking that unfortunate bearer of message. “Speak friend, what is it that you know of Keturah?”
Rhocielle likewise turned his attention way from his wife as that was left unsaid was quite clear between them. His soft frown remained even as the messenger announced himself. With children present, their children, he could not allow himself to curse, however softly. Something was wrong.
Keturah :: The traveler had hovered near the door, fingers grinding dimples into an already well worn hat. How did one even go about addressing a governor. Lady Governor seemed.. fine. "Lady Guv'ner-" it slipped past his mental filter before he'd a chance to catch it, thankfully.. within the time he'd been introduced. He bobbed his head. "I come bearin' news of the Royal Healer-" Well, that sounded proper and official, didn't it? He was almost proud of himself. His brow furrowed then, and he continued. "There were somethin' in the forest what attacked us. Were.. inhuman things-" There was a pause before he added in a sudden.. near incoherent spil. "N' ain't like those.. ain't like normal not human things. Were- Jacob n' I got out, ya see. Were bloody n' burnt all up, n' we were tryin' to get back to town, n' Jacob wanted to find his brother. She did some magic, the healer did, n' Jacob went runnin' right off. I told 'em to stay. She wouldn't let 'em go alone n' they both ain't been back, n' the clinic said c'mere."
Arien lifted a finger to signal to the servants. “Please.. the children..see them to bed.” It was gentle, and she was careful to keep the flutter of distress she was feeling from overtaking her tone. “But mamaa…” it was Shyr’s soft complaint. He was not finished his cake. “You can eat in bed..just this once darling..” the elf murmured as she stepped aside to allow them to be bustled up and out of the room. The instant they were gone eye turned to the messenger. “All right my good sir. The details, if you would. What forest is this of which you speak?.. And how long ago did this attack happen. You said there was fire?” She tired to keep the panic at bay.
Rhocielle was already deep in thought, piecing together from what the messenger had already said. Forests. They would have heard something if it had occurred in Sage or Enchantment. That Keturah's assistants already mentioned Chartsend led him to draw his thoughts towards the surrounding landscape. The Dead Forest near Venturil... That would be his first guess. For now, however, he kept silent, leaving Arien to control the tempo of the interrogation of sorts. The messenger seemed traumatized enough without two people hounding him for answers.
"No.. weren't a fire. Weren't-" He broke off, head shaking. Those things had come too quickly, slithering through the rot like snakes with gaping mouths and vomit that burned. Fingers dug deeper into his cap. "Were in the Dead Forest. Were.. S'north of Venturil, outside o' Chartsend. Two weeks back." As to what his band had been doing there.. well, that didn't quite matter, did it? "We heard rumors, but ain't nothin' like those monsters what found us. Were like a nightmare what hit us all 'o a sudden, n' ya couldn't think, then the buggers were on us." The hat was in a roll by then, thumbs and fingers kneading away at it like dough. "I tried to tell her. Tiny pretty thing, n' women shouldn't be on the road alone anyway, n' then Jacob was off n' she were followin'. But she'd told me right straight she could handle herself. But she ain't at the clinic."
No. She wasn’t at the clinic. And dear gods..this attack had happened two weeks ago. Two weeks. If she had been injured she could well be dead by now. A body in that untraveled place. Her eyes flew to Rho. What were the chances that she was out there, alive and well with news like this? She turned back to the man. “Nightmares you say? You saw..visions?” Whatever it was had been capable of mental attack..followed by ambush..it was sentient..or them..whatever it was. “How many of them were there? Could you determine? And what did you see? Was there no indication of if a fight took place?” Keturah was not lying. She could take care of herself.
He lifted a hand, finally, away from his hat, only to pinch at his temple. "Ain't nothin' out o' the ordinary 'bout the forest. The place may as well be a graveyard, all full o' dead trees n' dead ground, n' smell o' rot. S'the kinda place men have nightmares, and ain't not like the kind what hit us all of a sudden. Nightmares. Jacob what said he had it too. Hurt like were real.. only lasted long enough for those things to come upon us like hell fury. I ain't knowin' how many, were different ones. Ye'd get away from one n' run into another group what was spewing burnin' juices all over yah. We was five grown men, Lady Guv', ain't none of us ain't been on the road before n' held our own. N' I'm the only one left o' my brothers. There were a damned lot, n' then they weren't followin' us no more."
Arien mentally registered the additional threat. Burning venom. If whatever it was still existed, they were walking into a dead hell. Because there was no question about it, they were going to go after her. Another glance Rho’s way and she took note of the male rising to his feet, crossing the room to settle in at the larger table, maps of hollow reached for and unrolled. Already his silvery gaze was tracing the shortest possible routes to the Dead Forest from the island. Arien was likewise mentally churning through her options. The children. They would have to see to their care, and there was no time to take them to the village. There could be no delay. They were two weeks behind the clock. Chartsend. It was a half day’s sail. And then they would be a short ride or a longer walk from the Forest’s edges. If only Leo was returned. If only she could be sure he ever would. She blanked out the thought. One crisis at a time. “Would you be willing to return? To guide us to the exact place where last she and your friends were seen? You’d be well paid for your troubles..and it would spare us looking in the wrong places. Time is of the essence.” She tried not to sound as if she were pleading, but she was.
The traveler's eyes had only darkened. Go back? Back to the hell hole? He'd already gone all the way to the island too see if the Healer had been alright. She hadn't been at the clinic. Two weeks. She may as well have been dead. His eyes returned to the highborn, and he sucked in a breath. "I ain't walkin' back inside, Lady Guv. Yer lookin' for a corpse. Not even a pretty corpse ripe for buryin'." And yet. He unfurled his hat, and shook it out, sparing a glance across the parlor. He'd even spend a moment nudging the cap back into place upon his head. "How much?"
Arien fixed their messenger with a direct and open look. “You may, within reason, ask for what you want. Your cooperation is critical if we are to save time. As you indicated, it is of the essence.” The elf would not permit herself the vision of Keturah rotting away in the midst of death that was presented in his words. “I will need a day to make preparations for travel, and for the care of my children..” she said quietly. “I am more than happy to pay for you to have a room at the inn,” she offered. “I am inclined to think our most direct route to the forests, will be via Chartsend..and I must needs find us a captain..” The Captain. The elf pushed herself to her feet. “But if you must have a number..I shall make an initial offer of ten thousand gold pieces. Delivered once we have made it to the exact location she was last seen.” There was a firmness to her tone that indicated she did not intend that they would be hoodwinked. “Will you accept to accompany us?”
The idea of returning to the forests was obviously not sitting well with the traveler, even if he had set his jaw with the determination of a businessman after he asked his question. The way his face had paled beneath the shadow of the hat's brim that expressed his ill ease, though the cogs of his mind were turning. Ten thousand. Ten thousand and a free room for the evening. She was.. a Lady Governor. Who was going to pay him with ten thousand gold. Who would likely have a good deal of protection when traversing dead woods. And the gold. He exhaled sharply, cheeks puffing out as he finished those thoughts with a final, audible 'tut'. "Ten thousand's fair enough. N' the room. I have to write a note to the Missus anyhow." His hand drifted to his cap and lifted it so that he might scratch the hair beneath. "Damn dead things n' nightmares, n' I wouldn't even go after me own brothers-" there was some muttering that followed on exactly how much the druidess had been worth, followed by a curse that was muffled by the hand he ran down his face. "Right, right. I'll be at the inn, ready to delve into hell, n' more n' likely hung over for fair's warnin' to ya, Lady Guv'. "
Arien was already moving, heading toward the small escritoire specifically established for letter writing and document signing. The governor settled into its seat, her fingers reaching for a slip of parchment. She might well be writing a ghost, the gods forbid, but surely her heart would betray her if he was dead. And there was always a chance..a slim chance, that they might make it home before she was forced to make other arrangements. A graceful stroke etched the greeting. ‘Rogue..’ She glanced up to where the traveler stood. “Very well, we shall send a man for you at the inn when we are ready to embark. For whom should we ask?” She realized then, that she had never asked him his name.
"George, Lady Guv. N' if I happen to die on this trip, I want a better name on me tombstone." Like Greedy Bastard Who Was Apparently Willing to Sell His Life for Ten Thousand Gold. He tipped his hat and took a step back to the door. At least the Missus wouldn't be complaining about the payment. Ten thousand gold was more than he was worth on a good day, according to her. With an uneasy grin the man offered a final bow and took his leave.
The note~
Rogue,
I pray this note finds you and yours well. I comfort myself in the writing of it. If I make myself believe that you will be home to find it, I can for a moment dispel that greater dread which grips my soul.
If I am gone from the city when you receive this word, know that we have run out of time, and I have found another means of travel.
We received a visit today, from a man who reports that the City’s Healer and my friend, Keturah was last seen two weeks ago disappearing into the depth of the Dead Forests in Venturil. She went in, apparently to offer aid to the survivors of the horrific attack of some unnatural thing. She has not been heard from since. My heart is chilled that after two weeks we may be too late, but we must attempt at finding her. I am sorely afraid.
That dead city is nearly three days travel if we cross land on foot. By sea to Chartsend port, it is but a day and a half. I write to ask if you would be our captain, if Eternity might be, for once a vessel of mercy.
I must make provision for the children, and will be in the city another day. After that I must sail with another.
You know how to find me if you get this in time. We do not know what we will find..but if dark magics are afoot, it might not be a bad idea to have your Lady sail with us as well, if she can.
If we do not cross paths, I shall hope to find you safely home again when we return- if the gods will that we do.
Arien