RP:Seekers

Some Time Later, on A Pale Moonlit Path in Vailkrin

Mac paces the road near the Dark Forest impatiently, hoping Joan has actually received the message he’d sent via one of the local urchins who claimed to know where that lady lives. There is no time to lose, not if his dire suspicions prove correct—but even if they don’t, this is a situation in serious need of attention. The Mother only knows what mischief this doppelganger has gotten up to, wearing Mac’s face. In the perpetual gloom of this realm only the twin moons shed bright enough light this far out of town to illuminate anything, as Mac scans the road for movement. Strolling vampires, a couple of traders’ wagons… He ignores the subtle scuttling his prodigious senses hear far off in the forest, whatever their origin, it’s a not matter he can or will see to… presently.

Joan has raised one amethyst brow as one of the local street children had came to seek her out at her cottage. Her cozy little cottage was at the end of the cul-du-sac of Nightshade Avenue here in Vailkrin. As she got that rough rap at her cottage door the vampiric healer would call out loud enough to be heard, "Yeah, come on in the door ain't locked." She was busy pouring herself a fresh cut of hot black tea into her favorite mug as she cast a curious glance towards the slowly opening heavy oaken door as the undead child cast a glance about the cozy charming cottage as they entered, "Uh hello Miss Joan, I was sent to see if you was home, and if you are to ask by some shaggy looking fellow to see if you would could come with all haste to meet him upon the path to the dark forest." Joan waves the undead child in as she goes towards a small wooden book shelve by the merry burning little wood stove, upon it was books and other little objects. Of most note would be the colorful cookie jar, in it she would reach after removing the lid to retrieve a few freshly kept sugar cookies, the undead child's dull eyes would brighten at Joan approached the small child and offer the cookies as well as a small vial of fresh blood. "Okay, thank you for coming to let me know. Here, have this as well you look like could use it. If you are ever hungry for blood please go to the blood bank. They give out small little vials like this." Joan didn't say that it costed her to help feed the hungry undead children, she wasn't one to say anything of the sort, it was just not her. As the undead child eagerly took the offered cookies and small vial of fresh blood Joan would finish off her fresh mug of tea as she watched the street urchin pop the cork of the vial and down it in a eager fashion, one of the sugar cookies follows before the child offered a ragged smile, offering a small wave of its hand before darting back out the opened door. With a rueful shake of her head Joan would follow after the departed urchin, having placed her now empty mug on a small wooden table, the undead woman making sure to close her front door behind her and lock it before making her way towards Hemlock Way to meet up with the shaggy fellow she was pretty sure would be that weird pirate she and 'Rani had met while they were out at Chartsend to deal with the vault out there. She did say she would help him find his way out to the black pond deep in the heart of the dark forest.

That shaggy fellow – well, one of them, at least— has no idea what Joan looks like, for it was not he who’d met her and Zahrani on that distant cliffside and offered his magical ‘help’. Of course, the lady herself wouldn’t know this, and so it appears that the very same strange, barefooted and lanky fellow stands waiting for her on Hemlock Way, in the moonlit gloom of the Dark Forest’s shadow.

Joan pulls up short as she leaves the town proper of Vailkrin, drawing up to the edge of the dark forest and where the pirate fellow seemed to be waiting for her. Offering a slight nod of her head to the strange pirate fellow the vampiric healer would make a gesture in the north direction, "Hey I'm here, ready to head up and out to the black pond?" she asked.

“I…. uh, the.…” Mac attempts to smile in greeting whilst also frowning deeply in an equal mixture of confusion and concern. The result is quite unsettling. “Lady Joan? I must humbly beg thy pardon, but all is very much not as it seems. Indeed, I am the one known as ‘Mac’, but I regret to tell thee, you and I have never before this very moment met.” Before Joan can understandably object to this assertion, he continues, “The creature you did meet with was another of my kind, one who has become lost in darkness, I fear, wearing my face and name in order to lure you to…” The kraken pauses, blinks. “… a black pond, did you say?” Suddenly his gaze, turned almost as dark as said pond, intensifies on the woman, “Do you know where that may be? Is it close to here?”

A bedraggled, rough looking wolf seems to materialize from the very shadows of the forest the kraken and vampire now stand beside. She knew she smelled Mac not too far off. Her amber gaze moves from the known kraken to the stranger vampire, darkening ever so slightly. It was known that Lycan and Vampire were not always the best of company together, but if Mac called this one friend then who was Dee to question. With a bump of her muzzle to his arm, she began attempting to wrestle the bag from him that she had left earlier so she could dress and regain her human form.

Joan arches one finely shaped amethyst brow as the pirate explain to her what happened in truth, she would listen as the real Mcracken speak, nodding her head now and then in a distracted manner, she really didn't care who asked her back then, she made a promise and she like to keep to it. She said aloud to him, "Yeah okay, sorry 'Rani sent me a letter explaining what happened. Let's start over then. Hiya, my name is Joan Blackheart, and it seems I am -just now- meeting the real Mcracken for the first time." She explained, "But yeah, whoever I met here a couple weeks back asked to be guided up towards the black pond where our known kraken lives." She said, her gaze looking the -real- Mcracken up and down in a curious manner. Whoever the doppelgange was, they nailed the real fellows look down to a T. She listened to him go on then held up her hand, "Excuse me for a moment, but I did say quote 'ready to head out to the black pond?' that implies that I -do know the way- and I'm -ready to guide you- like right now." She didn't much care who it was that helped her and Zahrani out back in Chartsend with the vault, so long as all the extra spell casting and warding was securely in place and held. If it didn't then she just -might take issue-.

That voided light violet gaze would then gaze turns towards the strange wolf that pads upwards towards her and the pirate but she wasn't bothered the least little bit. This vampiric healer never had any issues with any type of werewolf. She had never had any bad interactions with their kind after all. Joan was more then likely the only vampiric healer to willingly heal their type in all of Lithrydel. So if she was -told- that in the -past- werewolves and vampires had not always been the best of company then Joan would just shrug and claim that it wasn't her issue, it wasn't during her time so it didn't effect her behaviour towards the werewovles -now- in any single way. Anyways, she'd point the way out towards the Hanging Corpse tavern. Beyond that is the bridge they gotta cross then they hang a right by 'Tessa's old keep and travel between that keep and the Black Spire. "The path maybe slightly dangerous as the forest is filled with all sorts of fun creatures. Tho if you mostly ignore them and trek around them it is normally not so bad." With that she would move into the lead position on the barely seen path and wait for the other two to follow after.

Mac is paying close attention to Joan’s every word, even as Diedre manifests out of the dark to nose at him for her belongings. His eyes avert from the amethyst-haired woman’s only briefly as he unslings Dee’s bag from his shoulder and loops the strap over the massive wolf’s dark head. This done, and with Deidre trotting off to find some privacy, he returns full concentration to what Joan is saying, all the while remaining silent though the healer might note the way his expression telegraphs some powerful ire when she describes the way the mimic almost lured her to its lair.

Finally, as Joan prepares to lead him forward into the forest, he pauses to speak, “Mistress Joan, it is my deep regret to have to tell thee, neither this youngling kraken nor anything it says and does, and especially the magic it may use, can be for one moment trusted. Whatever its dark design may ultimately prove to be, you may be assured that it intended the same fate for thee as has met its other victims, and that it did not learn such wretched evil from any of our own kind.” Here, his voice almost rasps with anger, that emotion rolling off him with every word in the storm-laden glower of his eyes.

In the forest, perhaps sensitive to such vibrations thrumming in the atmosphere, some less-than-pleasant creatures slink away to hide in their lairs, while others seethe and prepare for the battle they can sense is coming for them.

Mac won’t move ahead with Joan until Deidre returns, and in the meantime continues, “So, if the youngling meddled in thy magic, it is certain nothing good will come of it.” Taking a moment, a breath, to compose himself, the kraken adds, “And with my gratitude for thy help, please accept my deepest apologies, Mistress, for not heeding thee clearly the first time, I will endeavour henceforth to listen more closely.”

The wolf slinks back into the forest, once more disappearing from sight in order to change. She takes a bit longer this time, but emerges in her human form, the bottom hem of her shirt now ripped and a fresh bandage tied neatly around her upper right arm. A small reddish stain can be seen but does not look large and does not seem to hinder the Lycan. Performing her hopping dance and shoving her foot into her boot, she straightens fully and moves to stand beside Mac, shoving her hair back from her face with an exaggerated sigh, "I found your exit Mac. It will be through the drow embassy. Something I am hoping I will not be leading as they are not fond of overly large wolves.." Her amber gaze darts to the bandage at her arm, a near miss by one of their archers. Thankfully she was quick for her size and nimble.

Now her attentions move to Joan and she simply offers a dip of her head in greeting, "Deidre, the scout I guess you can call me." She keeps the introduction short and sweet as time was precious.

Joan would offer a polite enough wave of her right hand towards the other woman now that she joined them in her human form. "Hiya Deidra, I hope you are ready for the most massively overly large giant spiders. Shi is normally our spider slayer but I guess he is off somewhere else doing more important things." She huffs out a breath she had just recently inhaled before jerking her head towards the well traveled city path. "Shall we?" She ask of both Mac and Deidre, she did notice the bandaged around the other woman's upper arm. "I can take a look at that if you want me too, I'm with the healer's guide." She said while moving forward in a brisk walking pace.

Mac nods to the violet-eyed woman to indicate he’s ready to follow, from this pale, moonlit path to… well, whatever awaits them in the darkness ahead. His relief to find Deidre returned, and with such good news, is evident on his features as he turns to her while they walk, “These are most welcome tidings, Lady Dee! You have my gratitude indeed, for undertaking such a journey. Which I can see..” he points a long finger at the bandage on her arm, “… was not without peril. And fear not, this embassy will prove no hindrance to our passage.” His tone will tell her that he means this, absolutely. The kraken falls silent for a few paces, and one might almost hear the gears turning in his ancient head as he processes what this might mean to their mission. Eventually, he adds, “The issue now becomes who will we find to greet us at that exit, with all that will be required to tend to my people, and transport them back to their home, over land..” Dark brows knit together deeply, as Mac trudges along, hands shoved down into his coat pockets, “We will need stretchers to take with us, to carry them out. Some large carts in place in Xalious, and containers on those carts capable of holding salted water… several healers… “ he sort of drifts off at that point, muttering low to himself in a language no human ear had likely heard in a thousand years.

The best kittens are lost kittens so probably it is best she isn't lost. Wait. How'd that go again? Not all who wander are losing... You are not regarded as lost until you realize you're a loser... Losers never win the best milk... Daisy waves both arms above her head as she walks down that street. Anyone watching would assume flies or something, but we all know better than that. Some of us do anyway. Those who don't pay her no mind so she's free to carry on down the street from the place of being that she was before she is in the place she is in now. Which is spotting many people she is familiar with over there with talk of shenanigans swarming around them. It is rude to gawk without saying hello. And you have a thanking to give as well. Off she goes to say hellos and then bows to the lovely trios. "I missed you." She smiles at Deidre and Joan, taking each of their hands in one of her own before wrinkling her nose up at Mcracken. "Your snack gave me the poots, but I forgive you. You have a nice voice."

Dee shakes her head at the offer of healing from Joan, "Thank you but no. It's just a scratch and isn't bothering me terribly.." Her face pales considerably at the mention of spiders yet she says nothing about those. Turning her gaze back to Mac, she only nods at his words as he continues on in an understood language but as he drifts off into the unknown, her attentions then turn towards Daisy as she comes strolling towards them. She offers the feline a warm smile of welcome, squeezing her hand gently, "Hello Daisy, it's good to see you whole and healthy." Her stride only falters a moment, but quickly falls back into sink with the Kraken's, sticking closely to his side as she awaits to hear what would possibly be needed of her next. Hopefully, nothing to do with the spiders..

Almost on cue at the mention of spiders, there is a rustling in the forest. Something has taken notice of the party that begins to venture here- many things have. Amidst the chittering and chattering of creatures in the forlorn wilderness there comes a quiet, magical hum. It starts barely audible and then, for those with sensitive ears, it becomes almost unignorable. The trees tremble as massive monsters begin to close in on them, then a group of giant spiders crests the treeline with the banners of House Blackwell raised above- a militia of spider-riders with their founder Quintessa Blackwell herself at the lead. They fall into a semi-circle formation to block the path of the party, long glaives pointed in their direction as Quintessa rides forward wielding a staff with a glowing green crystal fixed atop, the source of the magical humming. She has barely given this group a second glance before her black-painted lips part to shout out an order down to them. "Halt!" Not that they have much choice. "You are in the domain of the Dark Forest. Either state your business or–" Quintessa first spots Joan in this motley crew and then Daisy, but she doesn't recognize anyone else. "Lady Joan Blackheart?" The changeling's tone and posture changes, softening from a defensive position to a friendlier one as she signals to her spider-riders to lower their weapons and back off. "Sorry about the welcome." She says as her riders fade back into the trees, hidden but never far from their mistress. "But I must ask you again; What brings your merry band to the Dark Forest?" The corner of her mouth twists upward into a smirk, "What can the Monster of the Black Pond do for you weary travelers?"

Joan would give Daisy's hand a squeeze in return before her ears were assaulted by the magical humming, each index finger going up to lightly stick into her ears to wiggle about as she cast an annoying glance towards the posse of giant spiders and riders that seemly surround the small traveling group. As Joan glances towards the lead rider, her amethyst brow arches upwards as she shoots Quintessa a 'say what' kinda look, her hands going to rest on her leather clad hips as she listens to the whole speech the younger woman spoke. "Yeah, Hi 'Tessa, it is me Joan. And last I checked no one 'claimed ownership' of the dark forest anymore. Everyone is free to travel through it if they can survive the trek, which I'm trying to do with this small lot here. I mean even Daisy is wandering around in here without getting accosted. But who would really try to stop her?!" Joan would turn to offer a warm smile towards the kitten before looking back up towards Quintessa in a semi serious manner, she couldn't help it her adventures with Daisy had brought out a whole completely different side to the vampiric healer and lord help anyone that tried to stop and hold that poor furry little cute ray of sunshine Daisy at bay, right?!

Anyways, Joan gave a good solid stare up at the other woman, "I'm taking them up to the Black Pond, that pirate fellow there..." She lightly points to Mac, "would like to see the pond and our resident kraken in it. He seems mightily interested in it." She'd now give a roll of her shoulders as she looks over their small travel group to past a 'I'm sorry, just bare with this' look towards everyone before looking back towards the younger woman. "I dunno...help me -safely- escort them the rest of short the way to the pond, pretty please?" Joan ask in a kind tone of voice, she didn't know why Quintessa was back, yes she did run into her at the Hanging Corpse Tavern recently, but she didn't ask why. Joan was not really part of the whole Vailkrin political scene. At least not yet anyways. But she gave Quintessa a 'well, what you say?' look as she stood before the rest of their little travel group.

Mac doesn’t recognise Daisy at all, and after staring at the little feline creature in a most discomfiting way for several seconds, turns to mouth silently at Dee, “Poot?” But Dee’s occupied in conversation at this point, so perhaps the word is yet another land-walker mystery that will remain unsolved for the moment. Of greater concern, of course, is the fact that Daisy is another person who thinks they’ve met “Mac”… He might’ve expressed this concern to somebody, but the very moment that verdant crystal began emitting sound, the kraken was aware of it, and of the entourage swarming toward them. Not wishing to alarm the party before there is need, the man-apparent pauses and closes his oceanic eyes briefly. When they open, gone are the hues of the sea, replaced by a left eye of pearlescent white and the right turned black as any darkness Vailkrin has to offer. Perhaps Dee, now at his side, will notice the change though perhaps not entirely comprehend what it means.

Mac is one of the deadlier creatures on the planet, and if travelling with this posse of land-walkers helps him achieve his sworn goal, then he will shatter anything posing their mission dire threat. He ignores the fact he’s stepped protectively in front of Deidre as he glances aside to Joan, their guide through this gloomy place, for by now the sound is audible to other ears. Joan’s reactions betray no fear for her life. But Mac remains on high alert at the source of the din erupts from the trees to confront them all, quite imperiously. The deadly blast of sound thrumming in his chest stays there, for the moment, while the women speak. The ‘monster of the black pond’ comment makes his cheek twitch, but this female possesses no sense at all of being the monster he’s after. With that inner assurance, and when the likelihood of attack seems somewhat abated he’ll address Quintessa herself. After giving Joan a side-eye for calling him a ‘pirate’.

“Lady Blackwell,” he begins, in that old-fashionedy way he has about him, “I ask of thee forgiveness for this intrusion, but our mission is dire…” He explains to Tessa the problem of the youngling kraken, its crimes against the seaborn, his concerns about its morbid puppetry and possible ambitions behind its actions in the Underdark and finishes with, “… Finally, this errant creature did attempt to inveigle these two females..” he gestures to Daisy and Joan, “.. and possibly a third, into the same sort of slavery. I intend no disrespect to you or your territory, but we must proceed to this waterhole, and capture the youngling there... if we can.: The tone employed in those final three words makes his meaning clear— if they can’t capture, then very probably they must hunt it down... and kill it.

Daisy grins brightly at her lady friends she loves so much and is about to remind Mac all about his song and how that crabsnack he gave her gave her a tooty booty, when one of the absolute best prancers in all the world appears with those pretty minions of hers. She gasps and rushes right over to pet one of them spiders right on the face with both paws. "Sweet baby. You're a good spider, aren't you." The little druid smiles at Quintessa, mouthing 'I love them' while listening to Mac's explanation of what is going on. Which is definitely helpful since she has absolutely no clue anyway. Maybe they'll let her help. Probably she can do a thing. Maybe.

Dee is more than happy to remain slightly hidden behind Mac as the massive spiders make their entrance. The she-wolf wasn't afraid of much, but this was something from her personal nightmares. Turning , so that her back now faces Mac's, she remains silent and vigilant listening intently as all make acquaintances or reacquaint themselves. Even though all seem friendly enough with each other, hands slowly being untucking the shirt at her waist, ready to throw it at over her head at any sign of danger. She did like this shirt and did not wish to rip it in her changing. The pants she liked as well but one item of clothing saved would suffice.

Quintessa leans forward in her saddle, her smirk growing a bit as Joan speaks. "You speak true, Lady Blackheart; Nobody owns the Dark Forest. I am merely a humble servant to the Vailkrinese Crown, patrolling the forest as is my duty as Warden. You are free to travel, as is your right- But be warned: The Dark Forest is crawling with mindless, aggressive undead. They roam in multitudes and are stubbornly resistant to necromantic control." She offers them a grin of all sharp teeth. "But fear not! Delisha smiles upon you- I shall indeed serve as your guide." Now her mismatched eyes were transfixed upon this 'Mac', tilting her head slightly as he spoke in a manner she found quite peculiar. His words, however, cause her to furrow her brow, her smug expression evaporating. "Mission?" A flick of her wrist quiets the hum of her crystal and the eight-legged creature carrying her knelt close to the ground so that she may dismount it. She crosses the rest of the distance between them on foot, coming face to face with Mac as he explains the situation. "Very well..." she says with a cautious tone, unsure what to believe and unsure what had been happening in the Dark Forest in her absence. "Youngling you say?" There is a curious tone in her voice, hesitant but yearning to learn more. "And you are very much certain it is living in *the* Black Pond? I was under the impression that The Great Many-Armed Dweller would not awaken for some time, but perhaps..." There is a thought on the tip of her tongue but she doesn't speak it. "No." She dare not. "Let us make haste then." Quintessa turns back to see Daisy petting her giant spider and at first the changeling looks concerned, but as the mount begins to purr and make soft chittering noises its rider relaxes. "Her name is Belladonna," Quintessa informs the feline, returning next to the spider to reach out and pet one of her fuzzy pedipalps. "And she's a very good spider, isn't she?" Belladonna seems to hum in contentment, but to the untrained ear these strange spider noises could sound rather threatening to those who don't understand them. "Would you like to ride her?" Quintessa finally asks Daisy with a grin, motioning towards the giant saddle the arachnid had been fitted with. So far the only person in this group who had avoided Quintessa's direct attention for now was Dee, but as golden and sapphire eyes flicker over to glance in the werewolf's direction it becomes clear that her presence has not gone unnoticed.

The vampiric healer huffs out a breath as she noticed the shaggy pirate's side eye glance her way, Joan could have shot a rude hand gesture back towards the real Mac but Joan was a lady, and ladies did not do such things. Instead Joan would just offer a little wave of her half gloved fingers towards the man in a 'Oh behave' manner. She wasn't bothered since she had made the offer out of just good old kindness to the Mac doppelganger because she had thought he had done her a solid. But guess it wasn't, oh yeah she was gonna have -a little chat about that whole issue- with the real Mac at a much later date. Once Quintessa said she would help the undead woman would offer a amused look towards Daisy as the unafraid kitten made her way up to the spider mount and pet it. "I think you made a new friend Daisy!" She called out before drawing up close to the kitten while sparing a glance back towards Mac and Deidre while asking Quintessa, "I know it's not too much further to the pond, would you prefer to lead? I don't know if everyone else would be comfortable riding on the spiders. Would it be okay if the rest of us just perhaps walk? I mean I don't mind riding one of the spiders, I just don't know about Mac and Dee." She shoots them both a glance then looked back at Quintessa and offered a rolling shrug of her vested shoulders to her. "I didn't know about the roaming undead might not being controllable...I really need to try to stay up-to-date on current area affairs." She'd wait to see what Mac and Dee said on the subject of possible giant spiders.

“All’s well, Lady Dee,” Mac speaks to Deidre in that low tone intended for her ears only, as the regal arachnid-rider dismounted and nears the pair. To Quintessa’s pointed questions he replies, “I am not entirely sure it is there, Lady Blackwell, but I do suspect it’s used that place as a haunt, and a passage to the underground realms. As to it being responsible for the present unrest among the dead… these are questions for which I have come here to seek answers. I have with more confidence ascertained its youth, for were it mature, as I, nothing at all would remain of the Drow land, nor of your forest or its denizens, considering its present madness. Our kind are not suited for such corruption of the soul, we were not made by the Mother to embrace destruction of our own kind, yet some powerful force has crept into this one’s hearts, and made it hunger for power…” It’s taken Mac this long to process what this woman has said.

“Many armed… dweller… “ he repeats under his breath, black and pearl gaze intent on Quintessa but the very idea of a second, mature kraken lost to the darkness is so impossible.. improbable.. isn’t it? Before he can question her further, Tessa’a attention is snagged by the small feline, whose childlike glee is like sunlight breaking through the deep Vailkrin gloom. His question will have to wait, then, but even now it gnaws at his mind like a starving eel. Talk of riding spiders has him shake free from his thoughts. “Lady Dee and I will follow at a walk with Mistress Joan, if that is acceptable?” Even in all this direness, he manages to ghost a grin toward Dee, knowing she’ll probably be cross at his speaking for her like that. Better she focusses on a kraken’s social faults than on the horrors of giant spiders, he figures. He won’t move ahead until Quintessa sets the pace.

"Belladonna..." the kitten whispers as she rewards those sweet spider sounds with more pets and apologies for not having any snacks to share. Maybe later. Daisy absolutely brightens at the ride offer and nods excitedly. Not just because it would be the absolute most fun, but everyone is going on about dark and scary things and probably the best place for someone so small is on someone so strong and large. Not to say she is completely helpless. Oh no. Do not make those mistakes! Napping and snacking are just her preferred ing words. So she doesn't wait for extra permission and scrambles right on up there into that saddle, probably with extra help from all of the pretty spidergirl's legs. Once settled, she grins at the small party. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Deidre's tentative amber gaze continues to scan the surrounding area, all of her senses on high alert. Not only were the spiders unnerving but, the thought of something else perhaps lurking just past the dark shadows of the foreboding forest they trekked had her quite unsettled. She was happy enough that the others seemed to be enjoying themselves, but she would remain vigilant in her watch. Tilting her head ever so slightly, she gives the kraken a small smile from the corner of her lips before whispering in a hushed tone, "Perhaps I should continue on with the group on four legs instead of two? Something doesn't feel quite right.." She was not at all upset for Mac's answering in her stead at the offered "ride". Instead, she visibly shutters at the thought of climbing on the back of one of the arachnids.

She remains pressed at the krakens back, but listens to every word spoken. She is not able to hold back a snicker at the feline's obvious enjoyment of her present circumstance, however, and calls out to Daisy, "I am glad we have you to watch over us, Daisy. So very brave unlike myself."

Quintessa looks back at Joan with a nod of affirmation as she helps Daisy get into her saddle. "I will lead but the rest indeed have to make the journey on foot. I have no mounts to spare you. As for the undead being resistant to control, this is a new development I'm afraid. My attempts to round up those driven mad during the Caluss Insurrection have been met with tribulation. I was forced to destroy the last group I encountered, you see..." With Daisy secured, Quintessa uses the humming of her staff-mounted crystal to guide them, and high from atop Belladonna's back the feline would find the giant spider quite docile- not the monster she appeared to be. Scuttling northwards, Quintessa follows after her, a look over her shoulder thrown at Mac before she continues their conversation where it was interrupted. "The Black Pond is many things. It is a source of dark magical energy. It is a gateway- a passage to many places. A vast and endless sea in its own right but... Tis not a suitable place for a youngling to grow." There is a rare sense of sympathy in her voice that only exists because of her own childhood spent standing on its banks. To imagine now that there was another lost child stirring somewhere under its impossibly black waves fills Quintessa with an emotion that she could not place. "We will soon find answers to this riddle, but I agree; If The Great Many-Armed Dweller decided to destroy this place there would be little I could do to stop her." As Quintessa moves to the front to lead the group deeper into the forest, Daisy on spider-back right next to her, the Black Spire slowly fades from view behind them. "Should only be a few more miles," the changeling shouts to the rest of them, "We are nearing the place House Dragana once stood- They say the very earth here is still stained with the darkness of Larewen Dragana's sins... We would do well to keep our eyes open."

Joan would offer a slow nod of her head while she walked up next to Daisy and the giant spider mount Belladonna following close behind Quintessa as the younger woman spoke to her then back to Mac. "Great...is that why Khitti had another headquarters made out in the wilds of Frostmaw?" She'd make a face at hearing that some of the uncontrollable undead had to be rounded up and put down. Now and then she would look towards Dee and Mac making sure they kept up with the brisk pace that 'Tessa had set. Once they came up near Larewen's old estate Joan would just look forward, not sparing the ruin mansion a glance. Larewen made her own drama and Joan had let her once loyalty to the woman die. Larewen dug her own grave in a sense there was no use trying to dwell on the past and might have beens. She did keep her eyes peeled and on the look out, her otherworldly senses going into overdrive as they drew closer towards the Black Pond. All the while Joan kept a eye on Daisy, she didn't want the kitten harmed by anything.

“I have all trust in thy instinct, Lady Dee,” Mac murmurs to her, then indicates he will hurry to catch up with Quintessa’s spider while Deidre makes her change, Long strides close the distance, and he addresses the warden with a respectful nod, “This… Dweller you mention. I wanted to ask…”

He hears them, then, the sighs and the rustling, the scrape of wood and twigs, and Mac abruptly stops moving, holding up a hand to indicate danger. Hundreds. He hears hundreds of soft slithers and myriad tiny sounds. A swarm…

“Ware, all around…. Incoming!”

Part of the No Seaborn Left Behind Arc