Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sheathing his sword, he looked at the woman. He shivered slightly as she continued to stare at him. Walking over to her, he waved his hand infromt of her face. "H-hello?" He wondered is she was still alive or not as he began to unstrap her from the table. Taking some cloth out of his pack, he laid it over her body.

The bard bit her lower lip nervously. She was completely creeped out by this recent encounter and agreed with Coralie. It didn't help that what ever she had chugged down had been stewing itself into a thick pasty appetizing goo....

"She looks like she's gone. Her mind's probably been shattered. And what ever THING that was has probably sent her deeper into shock and insanity..."

Kary's curiosity clawed its way out and she peeled her eyes off of the unfortunate creature Varnis was helping. She stepped cautiously around the room, looking for a clue or something, a little worried about what she would find.

"Save them?" He managed to finally say after a moment of silence. Quickly undoing the rest of the bindings he looked over at her then to the others, but they didn't seem to be in danger. "Save who?"

((Note: The book you found was at the bottom of the stairs that led to the attic and appears to have fallen from the room when the creature came through.))

The book seems safe enough, and as you open it you find that it isn't a book at all...more like a diary or journal of some kind. The name of the writer is faded slightly, though upon closer inspection you find that his name was actually smudged purposefully by a finger or thumb. The book goes on to detail the experiences of the no name author after whatever befell the village. They explains that this place is known as Versteckt Hort, and was once a bustling village and a central trade hub in Miyr. Then, a group of rather fanatical druids came. The details of the ritual are uncertain, but they managed to reverse the powers of the central monument, causing it to increase the growth rate of certain foliage and trees surrounding the village, instead of keep them at bay. The next few pages go on to explain that this man was one of the village's mages, along with his wife, a women named Fate, and was responsible for keeping the monument's magic working correctly as well as magical defenses should the place be attacked by more mystical means. After the initial attack, he tried unsuccessfully to approach and correct the spell, but was nearly killed in the process. He fled into the quickly growing forest before sneaking back at night and holding himself within the secret room above the guard tower in order to plan his next attempt. The last twenty pages or so details a rather complex spell or two that ultimately looked to have been either torn out or scratched out. The last page contains two rather disturbing entries, and it reads:

I've been using my magics to try listen and watch these people, hoping against hope that I will pick up on any clues or even just the times the guards would change shifts...so far it has proven rather futile...sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get out of here. I've been sustaining myself on magically summoned food stuffs, but the bland taste is unappetizing at best, and was never meant to sustain someone for this length of time...Worse, my appetite has been utterly ruined by some of the things I've been overhearing. It seems that these "druids" are conducting some grotesque (to say the least) magical tests on the townspeople. They justify it as repentance for the "wanton desecration of the forests" that these people supposedly committed. I dare not speak of what these tests are...but I know that if I live I'll never sleep right again...It seems they're researching a way to stop aging, by preserving that last spark of life right before a person dies. It's like being undead without the rotting flesh. It's a unique idea to be sure...but so very dangerous. They've begun summoning creatures as well...terrible creatures. God, the sheer amount of sacrifices for these are despicable! I must think faster...before all of them are gone. Or worse, suffer the same fate as so many others already have...Fate...where are you?

The last entry seems very hurried, and the penmanship is very shaky:

They've taken my wife! I can't let this go on...oh God I can hear her screaming for me! This will probably be my last entry. I don't know what will come of this...but I'll have to try. To anyone who finds this, if I didn't succeed, the monument in the square is the key. Destroy it or find a way to reverse the spell, and everything will go back to normal...I think. Fate...my love. I'm coming...

The book was then shut so quickly you can even make out the faint line of ink on the other page where it hadn't dried completely. After this, there are no more entries.

At first you think she really might just be catatonic...then as the weight of your words sink in she does not move...she does not speak. The only acknowledgment of your statement is a single tear of blood as her eyes reflect the remorse for the unfathomable tortures and anguish of her tortured existence. She speaks then, so softly you think it might possibly have been your imagination, and whispers gently, "One...hundred...years...three months...three days...seven hours...I've watched him die...and I've died with him every second of every day for all these years..." The whole time her eyes never leave the ceiling, and as your realization washes over you it is accompanied by the crawling of your skin and a terrible feeling of dread...

((She's being serious, but see if you can catch the pun in that whole paragraph rofl ))

[[ Hlyn you're definitely the voice of reason, here! xD So we'll get back to the gratuitous blood splattering ASAP! Ditto with the pun. xd Transummonations... That's fun to say outloud! ;D So Varnis, three for you and three for me! ]]

"Fffffff." A sharp intake of breathe. "Guys I've got a REALLY bad feeling about this..." The bard restlessly moves around the room and surveys the town and forest from a tower window.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Kary flies up into the attic, looking for missing pages and whatnot.

((Now, I'm sure there are other pointy sharp objects, but if not, I guess the sword 'll do. Don't need it so much for any thing other then the upcoming rp-related sherkting. But it does depend on a few things, assumptions I suppose.))

The other two had already moved towards the attic, Coralie, left behind and driven by something deeper, looked for the nearest sharpest tool, to pierce the heart of the tortured woman. Only a moments breath passed before she settled on a tool and struggled for a brief moment before driving its sharp edge into the woman's heart. No words given, no looks exchanged. She would drag herself away in a moment to follow the others.

((I wouldn't consider this set in stone. Ya know, just in case Heiro wants the woman to explode or something. Call it a tentative post.))