"Well, in that case, Hepheran had better grant his strength to your arm if you intend to hold a sword at my back. You can barely lift your member high enough to keep from pissing on your shoes these days." Corvarath grinned back at the one-eyed Alesian, clapping him on the back.
And so a bunch of elites enter Loreli's room after contacted, taking notes, having housekeeping take out the chickens, constructing barriers, and so on, with Rowlan Xenos, who had been promoted earlier in the year, presiding. Oddly enough, Aisli is nowhere to be found at the moment. "Slaughtering dinner in there?" This was asked offhandedly by the old general, whose nose worked just fine, even if it was a nose used to such horrible stenches. Even being used to a stench that bad didn't mean one appreciated the odor. He was certainly aged, moreso than Corvarath, certainly. It was hard to tell with these old Alesian war-horses what age they actually were, since the best of them were part of the Jornosok class somewhere down the line and partook of the special benefits of that. He grunts, "So I spread my legs apart a bit. At least I have the wherewithal to watch out to make sure my boots aren't pissed on, Khalor. Speaking of piss, I brought a few cases of the Imperial Reserve. There will be more coming, of course, but I brought enough to keep a few of us busy for a while." Janessa gently helped Loreli off with her clothing, waiting until she'd settled into the deep tub. "Thanks, Cael," she said with a tired smile, brushing her hair back with one hand. "I'm going to go get some whiskey...I think maybe all three of us could use a glass after that, eh?" She'd drank more than she should have last night already, and one more glass today wasn't going to hurt anything. She left the room quickly and made her way down the hall. As she neared Vedon, however, she stiffened "Excuse me," she said politely, bowing her head to the man regally before sweeping around him. From the way they were talking, it had to be another Alesian. Uncaring what he'd think of her untidy, bloody state, she swept off to her room to grab a bottle and three glasses. "Long story, Vedon." Corvarath said as he watched Janessa sweep past them. "The short of it is that the castle's got a vengeful spirit that's been creating mayhem around here all week. I've sent for a Gatekeeper to deal with it, and Janessa's secretary sent for one of the local clerics as well." "That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Caelan replied to Jan with a weak smile of her own as she settled onto the edge of the stone steps that led up to the bath. She drew in a deep breath of the humid steam, and sighed quietly. "Are you feeling any better, Loreli?" she asked after a few moments, turning her head to look concernedly towards the secretary. Once in the water, Loreli's sobs turned to sniffles, and she avoided looking at anyone. She'd always looked down a bit on the LiW. They shrieked at spiders, and other things of little consequence. She'd always thought herself rather stalwart, if a little of a coward when it came to magic and such. As she heard Janessa she slipped under the water as humiliation, the vestiges of horror and a deep, abiding anger washed over her with the water as she tried to get the sticky blood from her hair. The Imperial Reserve, of course, was the Terlindian Whiskey that got distilled at the Granite Throne, and the distillers chosen to do it were priests of Grendias, who blessed it, coddled it and watched their aging casks of the stuff like a mother eagle over an eyrie. The resultant stuff ranked up there with the best alcohol in the world. He gave a nod when Corvarath described the whole thing, "Gatekeeper, eh? Think a stinkin carathok necromancer is behind that one?" Loreli popped up again, her blond hair, darkened with water and retreating blood streamed down her back and she looked at caelan. "I can't seem to get very clean ..." She said in response to the LiW. "I don't think so. There's no signs of anyone being involved in this except the ghost itself. It needs to be sent to Llarm before somebody ends up dead." Corvarath motioned toward Loreli's room. "Somehow, it brought an entire flock of chickens into that room and butchered them. The entire room's been repainted floor to ceiling with blood. While there was someone sleeping in there, no less! I have no idea how it accomplished that, but it gives me cause to be worried. I don't think *I* would be able to do that undetected." Caelan had been the one exception to that rule of shrieking, and gossiping LiW's. She had after all grown up with Janessa, in ways, the two of them weren't all that different. Tomboys at heart. Though now she was terrified of the dark, small, enclosed spaces, and for some reason, even the thought of rats sent a shiver up her spine. "I can imagine," she replied with a bit of a grimace. "Why don't I fill up another of these tubs and you can move into it once you've gotten off what you can." Lor likely didn't want to be soaking in that red tinged water. Loreli nodded, and looked so tearfully grateful to Caelan that the other woman might think someone had substituted a doppleganger for the young secretary. She looked down at the blood tinged water, and remembered someone mentioning whiskey ... that sounded so good right now! In a short time Janessa ran back with the whiskey, and she gave Loreli a reassuring smile as she sloshed the potent drink into the glasses. "Drink this. It'll...soften things up a little," she said quietly, trying to muster up a bit of cheer. Sympathetically she sat on the edge of the tub, not shy in the slightest to see her friend naked, and she held one hand to Loreli. "Come on, up with you my girl. I'll wash your hair for you. With rose-scented water and soap!" Caelan had a purpose for once, even if it was just filling tubs, it was important to someone. She smiled gently, and reassuringly at Loreli as she rose from her seat to go and ready another tub. "It'll just be a minute' "Sounds beautiful. The castle is being redecorated with orcish art for the wedding by some damned ghost. What does the thing want?" The old man's grousing was sour enough. He was uncomfortable with the idea of being haunted, but that was just something he'd have to deal with, eh? Undead always gave him the heebie jeebies, "It hasn't actually attacked directly, has it?" Loreli nodded and sniffed loudly as she took the glass that was poured for her and downed the whole thing in a few gulps before she stood, unmindful of modesty at the moment, just wanting out of the defiled water quickly. Once she stepped out, she handed the glass back to Jan. "More?" She asked. It was just the three women in the room anyhow. Soon enough another tub was readied, and topped with frothy bubbles from fragrant soap. "Careful walking over here, the floor might be slippery," Caelan called back to the other two women in warning. "It wants to spread chaos and death. It's caused two direct attacks, one on me, and one on Janessa's secretary and two of her assistants. She was apparently the servant of some demon god while she was alive, and is gleefully continuing to do her master's will in undeath." Corvarath looked toward the older man. "There is a large mark in the garden where the grass has been burned away that marks the spot where it attacked me. I chased it off with a spell, but nearly electrocuted myself in the process." Catching her breath, Janessa slowly nodded. She knew *that* feeling. "Of course, Lor. But first - your hair." Her tone was direct, yet still softened by compassion as she lifted her shimmering hazel gaze to look at Cael. For the first time that day, she gave her lady in waiting a genuine smile. "Cael, drink up then top up. I'll get Lor's hair squeaky clean." She drained her glass immediately, choking as she always did when she tried that, and then almost stumbled back into the tub. "WHOA!" "Hunf," snorted the old man, "Too bad I didn't bring a damn standard." "I have one, an old one from the 21st hanging from the ceiling of my chapel here, but I don't have a Hevarnin to go with it." Loreli nodded and slowly made her way to the newly filled tub and sunk down into the heavenly scented water. She was starting to regain a bit of herself now. The rough whisky had helped, and getting the majority of the blood off her as well. She didn't dare close her eyes though. "I'm .. sorry for screaming like I did." She whispered. "Everyone likely thinks it was me slaughtered in there." And that caused her to shudder again in horror and revulsion. "Careful!" Caelan laughed slightly. She was in no condition to be hauling another person about, not with one throbbing, twisted ankle already. All she needed was to twist the other. Besides, the young woman looked weak with the dark circles under her eyes, and how much weight she seems to have lost. "Any one of us would have done the same, Lor," she used the same name Jan did for the secretary. Perhaps it was bold.. but considering the situation, why not act familiar? She filled a glass with whiskey for herself. Not bold at all .. it felt comforting, and she needed a grounding in reality .. in kindness in order to stave off the constant vision of her waking to see those chickens hanging ... and all the blood .. and she was so afraid she'd never be able to listen to falling rain again without envisioning this .. spectacle. "Does it do anything for this ghost?" The Falvarniok weren't unfamiliar with undead, though hauntings weren't the usual. Most of them were used to a horde of created skeletons or, worse. Worse was the sort of thing that took Vedon's eyes out and branded his cheek and scarred him from his collar to his wrist on the right side. Everything else, thankfully, was turned back by his shield. The arm looked like it ought to be stiffer than it was, mostly because of the Hevarnin's treatments that used the judicious reopening of the arm wound to keep it operable. Even so, it was mostly numb ever since. Janessa spent several moments languidly lathering Loreli's hair, gently massaging the other woman's scalp in an attempt to help her relax a bit more. "You did just fine, Lor," she said quietly, giving the secretary a soapy pat on the neck. "You're going to sleep with me tonight while your room is cleaned out, and then we'll have your things brought to one of the guest rooms." There was no way she was going to let Lor keep that room as hers, and the guest rooms would simply have to change around ."You don't...snore, do you?" Janessa teased the secretary gently. Loreli glanced behind her. "Jan .. when did you get? back?" She sniffed again. "I didn't meant to say those things about the prince .. I was ... it was wrong, and it wasn't his fault, and she attacked him." The words came out in a rush and she splashed water on her fact to hide the tears. Corvarath frowned, considering this. "Well, it would probably hold it at bay or drive it away, but I doubt it could destroy it outright. Their power is meant to disrupt the black powers that shamans use to raise up zombies and skeletons. This ghost is pretty firmly rooted to this castle. She died here about two hundred and fifty years ago, locked in a secret dungeon beneath the castle and left to starve." "Where are the bones?" This was asked quickly and sharply. Vedon was no magic user, but he was a strategist and tactician, and part of tactics was figuring the exact way to succeed in overall strategic goals. He continued quickly, "Why not put something in the resting place? Something has to keep it here and out of a rightful hell, eh Khalor?" Caelan sipped upon her glass of whiskey as she settled onto the edge of a bench meant for changing. Watching the other two in the room, she idly wondered if she should stay. She hoped that Loreli was all right, and she tried to keep the picture of her room from her mind. In an absent, fleeting thought, she decided that she likely wouldn't be getting that sleep tonight. Fox had a job to do. Things were back as they always were, and as they should be. "Janessa and I accidentally discovered its resting place, so we've inadvertently roused it up against us. That's why I've sent for the Gatekeeper to dispatch it. Still in the chamber, I'd imagine." Corvarath responded. "Though I didn't see a skeleton the one time I was down there. I've been unwilling to return to its lair without a more suitable accompaniment. It may have hidden its own bones." Janessa jerked as if struck, her petite body tensing yet again. "I know," she said simply, reaching for the pitcher to rinse Lor's hair with. The scent of roses mingled with her own subtle scent of cinnamon, giving an exotic aroma to the warm steam that still drifted in the air. "We've discussed it. I came home last night," she said, giving Loreli a strained smile. "I think you should set your mind to other things - like the new wardrobe we're going to be getting you tomorrow, hmm?" Loreli sighed and and closes her eyes. Even in her state, she could hear the strain in her friends voice and felt fresh tears prick her eyes at the thought that she might have had something to do with Jan's misgivings for someone she loved, and who evidently loved her. She merely nods. "More whiskey?" She asked once she dunked undr the water and came back with her hair slicked back. And residual blood was now hidden, mixed with the rose scented soap. Caelan set her glass down and rose at Lor's request. Giving Jan a slight smile to keep her seated, she reached for the bottle of whiskey and came to refill for the Secretary, "I don't see how you can drink so much... Stuff tastes awful," she grinned slightly, stepping back once more. "Maybe. There's no telling until someone goes down there." Vedon said this casually enough, and Corvarath's own intimation was caught. Suitable accompaniment meant other Alesians, or at least people that wouldn't quail at the prospect of a vengeful ghost. "Besides, if it kills me, I'm going to show it a haunting that'll cause the moat to turn yellow." Corvarath laughed. "Vedon, I can't tell you how glad I am to have you here. Things are starting to look up, I think." Loreli smiled halfheartedly at Caelan as she refilled her glass. "Oblivion Caelan." She said, using her name. "I just want to forget for a bit .. and not worry about humiliating myself by crying any more." She said the last into her glass as she drank at it greedily. "Then I'll just leave the bottle right here," She said with a smile, looking from Loreli to Jan. "Is there anything you need me to do?" Oh yea. Loreli was going to be snoring tonight. Janessa eyed her with concern, but allowed her to drink the whiskey. Why not? "If you have something to do, Cael, go ahead..." Janessa said absently, then she turned a critical eye upon her oldest friend. "You look like you could use some sleep too...Why don't you go lie down for awhile, and relax? If you want - we can all take supper tonight in my room. Like we used to." Corvarath would be busy entertaining his Alesian buddy, so she could take this time to just relax herself. "Sounds exciting on the Isle," Vedon observed, "I didn't want to say it in front of your intended, but I want a look at this gang of bandits that's so much trouble. And I want a look at what's arrayed against them and I need to figure out if they're likely to start with the wedding. Truth is, Khalor, I am here to work out wedding related things, but you don't just send a fighting man for that." Loreli gave Janessa a tremulous smile and nodded. "All right .. just for a little bit." She stood from the tub and reached for a towel after setting the glass down. She wasn't an invalid. And if she shook a bit? She was cold now once out of the hot water. yes .. an excellent explanation. Towel wrapped firmly around her, she picked up the bottle, and her half full glass and headed towards the door, looking a bit like a drowned rat, the tips of her slightly pointed ears sticking up out of her wet hair. Caelan nodded absently, she really was exhausted. Maybe she could catch a couple hours of sleep. As long as she woke up before the sun had set. "all right... Let me know still, if you need anything," she spoke sincerely as she began to step away. She'd done that before when she needed to sleep, and woke after nightfall... it put her in such a panic, she was glad no one was there to see it. She hates the dark. Besides, she needed to go and ice her ankle, it ached. Janessa guided Loreli to the door, grabbing hold of Cael's arm on the way. "Cael, you're both going in the same direction...Please make sure Lor goes into my room. I think I'm going to stick around and get some of this off myself too." She gestured absently at her ruined gown, then she grinned. "And I'm quite capable of drawing my own water. I'll see you both later!" "Thank you Caelan." Loreli murmured and headed out the hall towards Janessa's rooms. She had missed that. Had missed spending time with her friend, only really able to remember with fond wistfulness the time that two RE's had talked her and Jan into playing grubball in their nightgowns. She'd never had so much fun in her life. But responsibilities piled up .. and they seemed to drift apart. The two women disappeared down the hall, Loreli to sleep, Caelan to rest. *~*~*~*~* Jax -- #Dragonmyst*inn and #RPGWorks channel operator. Typo demon extrodinaire We all think we're ordinary, it's others that think we're extraordinary. - Me (On going to war over religion) "You're basically killing each other to see who's got the better imaginary friend." -Yasir Arrafat (PLO leader) (On cost overuns) "One way to ensure that it is not a major achievement for mankind" was to pass the budget limit. Rep. (Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican) <Kylus> What was that really bad vamp movie you saw over the summer? <Kaejo> Dracula: Lord of the Dance The only disability in life is a bad attitude. - Scott Hamilton -- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives & Other DMI Lists: http://islesofmyst.com/lists.php3
