faderift | OPEN: Kirkwail

WHO: Anyone
WHAT: Ghosts
WHEN: Wintermarch 20
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: OOC post. More content warnings than you can shake a stick at, probably, including allusions to slavery and violence in the body of the log post. Please use appropriate warnings in the subject lines for your own threads.

The storm sweeps in like an assassin: unexpected, in the dark, and throwing sharp pricks of sleet at exposed eyes and noses with expert aim and enough force to almost draw blood if the angle is right. Half an hour after the clouds crest the cliffs is all it takes for the city to retract indoors and huddle around fireplaces, settling in for a long night that will, unforeseen, turn into a long two days.

The Gallows, too, is pelted with ice; the walls of the cliffs and the fortress protect much of it from the worst of the wind, but when it can find a path over or through the walls, it slams through windows or doors to scatter papers and snuff out fires.

In the dark, in the rain, hurrying between towers or already accustomed to jumping firelight casting strange shadows and the wind howling like a wounded animal, people might be forgiven if they don't notice at first. But there's a hanging in the courtyard, a dozen translucent wisps of bodies dangling from the idea of nooses, and there's a girl's voice in the basement of the templar tower screaming for her mother, and there's a ghostly man in the library holding the blade of a knife to his palm and whispering this is it, this is it—or maybe there isn't, actually, when you lift your head to pay closer attention.

But as the night wears on they multiply, and they brighten, and even if you haven't noticed them, they begin to notice you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Inessa shakes her head at the question, trying to find the words to articulate herself better, but in her panic they keep sliding away. Her eyes go wide as Kain calls out, decidedly not wanting the attention of those voices, but it's too late to stop him. Anyone would have heard his voice at that volume, especially so close.

"Over here!" For a heart-stopping moment, Inessa's certain they've been spotted, but a scream erupts from elsewhere. Between the shelves, she can see them, a trio of mages in Circle robes surrounding a young woman in apprentice attire, apparently having just been dragged from under a table. She tries to scramble to her feet, to run, but one among the trio sheds his blood with a thin blade, and their captive stands twitching, unable to move thanks to the dark magic activated.

Shuddering, she looks away and shuts her eyes. "They...they're Uldred's people. The blood mages. I remember...." It's all too much, the sounds of screaming and dying are all around them, and the scent of something burning close by reaches her nose. It's an assault on all senses; she can feel the metallic taste in her mouth, from having bit down on her lip.

"Remember? A... a memory?" After all, that already happened, some time ago. Logically, it's not truly unfolding here, before them. But how is that even possible? Kain feels a sinking in his stomach as he considers what could be going on. No possible explanation is any good. If it involves the Fade somehow...

Kain steps closer toward Inessa, wrapping his arms around her carefully. "I don't know what's happening... but whatever it is, it can't be real. There's no possible way this is happening here and now...."

Those arms around her do register, faintly. Inessa doesn't truly relax -she can't, with the noises and sights all around- but the touch reminds her that she's not alone. Canine barking not too far ahead is also another good indicator, though she doesn't move from her spot. Garahel will find her, he always does.

Burying her face into Kain's chest for a moment, she lets out a shuddering sigh. "I know, I know...but it's all so vivid. Everything I recall and more. The abominations, the blood mages...."

Kain is more than fine with holding onto her right now, keeping her close and safe with him. He'll do this as long as she needs it, too. Until these apparitions disappear, for sure... though he has to wonder how long they'll last.

"It may seem real, but it's not. It's a trick. These things seem quite deliberate, don't they? As if they're meant to make us recall the worst possible moments..." He looks around, frowning deeply at the sight of what's unfolding in front of them. "I wish I knew how to stop it."

She shudders against him, nodding. "If only. It was never this bad, even when we first arrived...." There were horrific sights and sounds then, but they were someone else's trauma. As harsh as it sounds, that made it easier to deal with; now, it's all too personal.

Garahel finally comes into view, bounding up the stairs and barking urgently at them. Terrified mages in Circle robes flee in the opposite direction, one even running through the canine himself, the blood mages in hot pursuit. Strangled cries and the strong scent of blood are soon to follow.

"I had forgotten about that, but I didn't spend much time around here when we first arrived." No, instead, he'd done a lot of exploring, coming across the cave that he'd claimed for himself. He still goes out there from time to time when he needs space, but not as often now that he and Inessa have developed things. "It's surely easier to handle it all when you don't have an attachment to it... I understand." After all, as horrific as this all is, it isn't getting to him in the same way as the visions aimed at him.

He watches the vision-person run right through the solid Garahel. Well. If that's not a sign of it being not-real, he doesn't know what is. He sniffs the air. "It's all too vivid, an assault on all senses... Perhaps we should try to move to another area..." Maybe they're clustered more where they are at the moment? It's worth a try.

"...the dock? Or the roost? The griffons might need calming down, if this has reached them." Which could be dangerous for them both, but Inessa would much rather deal with agitated griffons that could kill her than the very vivid images of abominations that nearly did. Perhaps that's illogical, but she's not one for thinking straight right now.

"And we'd be among the best ones to calm them down, if it's needed." They both spend a lot of time there, and are both well known among the griffons... it certainly would make sense for them to go there. Even if there's definitely some risk involved, if they're all agitated and seeing things. It's a risk he's willing to take and hopefully able to handle. "Shall we?"

She nods, slipping her hand around the crook of his arm. "Alright, but let's be careful. Let's gauge their demeanor before we enter too far. We can attempt to calm from a distance, and if they react well only then will we approach further. I don't want a bloodbath, assuming there isn't one already."

"There aren't many things quite as terrifying as angry griffon... and if they're confused on top of that... Yes, that could be rather dangerous. But let's hope that Potato at least will listen to us. Maybe if we can calm her, some of the others will follow suit." Kain isn't about to take a crazy risk, this time, since he doesn't want to cause trouble for the griffons. He's always a lot more careful when it comes to their safety in particular.

OPEN: Kirkwail

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