[Avornmagors' Estate] The Not-So-Secret Garden

[Rainn]

TS: First month of Winter Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XV Post Fractum

Rainn was sitting on her bench in the garden of their house. It was a nice garden, not a very big one but a suitable one for a little girl to play in. Not too scary or dangerous but it still had enough places for hiding from her father, Fiona the cook or who ever was looking for her.

She loved the garden. Especially the big birch at the back corner and the smaller, bushier magnolia in front of it. Of course there hadn't been much sense in planting those two trees one right in front of the other, but somehow they seemed to like it even though the dirt under them must have been just hardly good enough for two trees to survive.

Those two trees covered the left back corner of the garden and that was where Rainn liked to hide in. It seemed mysterious somehow, exciting to a child, to go there, hide behind the bush but a somewhat large birch looking over her. At least to her it was a big tree, it sure was taller than her father!

She didn't have to go to school this day because her father had left to ride to war and she had been a bit upset about it for a few days now. She couldn't concentrate enough so she was let to do her reading and writing exercises at home for now. After all, she was an orphan and her adoptive father had just found her and it was a major thing to have him go away so soon.

Rainn knew that her teacher thought that her father might not come back and felt sorry for her, thus letting her settle like this. Rainn knew that her father would come home, he wouldn't leave her alone because he had promised to come back and take care of her until she was a grown-up.

But today Rainn had already read a children's book about the countryside of Sherian to Fiona and after Fiona began to make her something to eat she had left and come sit in her garden. She let the winter suns shine on her and felt the slight wind on her face. Even though she was truly sad about her father not being here, this did beat school and was better by far!

[Riar]

Riar vaulted the wall, but as he jumped, his ankle snagged on something, he wasn't sure what, and he tumbled forwards. The world spun, flashing floral shades of green, and he landed heavily on his back.

With a slight wince, he pushed himself up, looking around at the place he had fallen into.

[Fish Stick]

As rainn was sitting there quietly, with Fiona, she suddenly could hear whispers coming from the bushes. [b]"There she is, that is the Cencoris's wife and child. Let's get them!"[b] There was almsot nothing she could do, save for maybe set out a small scream before the world went dark around her. The last image she saw was three Ratta jumping towards her, with clubs. Fiona saw the same, and the world went black around them.

Upon their awakening, they felt themselves bound, and tied up. The room they were in was dark, and damp, with only one torch to light it. Standing infront of the door, she could make out the form of two seperate creatures, and by their visage could assume the worst... Ratta.

[Rainn]

Rainn had no time to scream. She was just totally surprised to hear whispering and then it all went black.

She wasn't really scared when she woke up. In fact it seemed like Fiona was more scared than the little girl was.
"It's ok Fiona," she said, pressing herself to the dwarven woman who was looking around with fearful eyes, "daddy will come and get us and he will kill all those nasty rattas and we'll all be ok again..." she said quietly but raising her voice in the ratta-part so that the rattas could hear her words.

There was no hesitation in her eyes. She was absolutely sure that her huge father would come and save them. That was his job, not just as her daddy but as a soldier.
For now she decided to stay still. Sit next to Fiona against the wall and see what the rattas wanted from them.

[Riar]

Riar saw the ratta running across the garden, and without hesitation he grabbed his bow from his back. He thought he heard the sound of a child speaking, but blotted it out as he drew the arrow, ready to shoot.

[Eyvind Redbeard]

It was the sixth Brightening of Kalendryas, the Brightening of his march to war and everything had been prepared. The might of the Legions had been gathered and under his command the mightiest army Taralon had seen was marching to face the fealthy Orcish Horde. The Manjet and the Silvered Blades already lined up in the fields outside the city and the trumpets echoed in the air with banners and standards showing where each Cohortii was, the citizenry of Taralon threw floors to the soldiers that left the city and some women tried to hold their husbands one last time before their departure for it could indeed be the last time.

In the meanwhile in a more peaceful street in the Lower District the very commander of the marching army was leaving his Carmelyn Warsteed outside the gates of his estate with some of his men. Senior Legionnaire Eirik Elebsson held the reigns of Arthalof and nodded silently to the Cencoris. Aside of the Vagaran commander other figure passed the iron fenced gate and entered the estate, Yura Shadowheart.

"I will be back shortly Eirik, I have to say serale to Rainn."

The warrior-poet smiled, for he of all the soldiers who served Eyvind was the one who knew how to read people the best. Rainn was all he had in Telath, she was his family and his most precious treasure. Björnsson opened the front door with his key and entered to the lobby leaving the door open to Yura.

"Welcome to my humble home..."

He said gravely. Although things had been settled with the Necromancer he still felt slightly discomfortable near her. Peering the common room and the library the Imperial saw no one.

"They're probably in the kitchen."

But again, the kitchen was empty, with only a window slightly open and the wind making the fryer pans tingle at one another. The Vagaran grew concern and rushed for the rooms, empty as well. Where are they?

"Rainn? Fiona? Where are you?"

Suddenly he remembered: the garden. Rainn loved the garden and spent much of her time there. Opening the kitchen's door the red-haired man walked into the garden to find it...empty. What was going on? Fiona would never take Rainn to take a walk in a busy Brightening like this and...what was that on the grass? The soldier approached and knelt, removing his right gauntlet and touching the red substance on the grass, taking it to his mouth he stood up with his eyes turned into flaming torches of a cold blue.

"It's blood...they aren't here..."

He turned to Yura while placing his hand in the gauntlet again.

"I have to find them, they have to be here somewhere, Fiona is too heavy to be carried for a great distance and Rainn would fight back...I am sure...unless..."

Eyvind didn't want to imagine the alternative.

"Is there anything the Dark Arts can do to help me?"

Secrets : OOC: I'll TS this thread in the 6th Brightening of the First Cycle of the Month of Kalendryas in the season of Winter; Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XV Post Fractum. so I can join

[Fish Stick]

Riar

Sad to say, Riar's actions were too late; a crack upon the back of his head could be heard, and a fourth ratta who was strangely strong for his size carried Riar into the sewers, and disarmed him of his bow and arrows. He awoke in a different cell than Rainn, with two ratta guards as well...

Rainn

As she spoke, one of the Ratta went over to her and smacked her across the face. "Shut up child, you know nothing of that vagaran, he won't call you his daughter after he finds out how you helped us in our rebellion, and i assure you, we'll force you to help us..." he said, sneering at the child, and then looking towards Fiona. "You best learn to keep this child quite, lest we'll take care of her quick and short..."

Eyvind

There where traces of blood upon the ground, and one could see a single small footprint within it, then another and another. Apparently one of the captors had left their foot prints within the blood of the back of Fiona's head. It would be hard to find out exactly where they went, as the blood trail ended at the end of the property, but if Eyvind knew who's tracks they were, he might be able to discern exactly where the had gone too...

[Riar]

Riar beat the cell door until his hands were bloody, yelling his rage at the inert wood. How had he been captured? He swore violently, realising that his thumping was having no effect on the stout wood.

"Is anyone here?" He called, as he slumped back against the wet dungeon wall.

[Yura Shadowheart]

Yura had followed Eyvind and had enjoyed herself contently as she had absorbed the sights and the scenery upon there approach to Eyvind's estate. The black magician wondered to herself and remained quiet calm and tranquil through out the intensifying situation that was slowly unfolding before them. He asked her if there was anything that could be done, what was she to say? She was talented with black death and nothing more, yet if his daughter died she could be brought back as a zombie if he wanted. The thought sent a tingle down her spine, but she minded her mouth and her manners.

Im afraid finding people is not my area of expertise, but if it comforts you when we find out who did this I will make them suffer in ways aeternia itself would never be able. I promise you when we find them I will plunge them into a undead hell so vile so terrible so horrifying that even Jorel would weep for them.

Her voice was oozing with venom, the treacherous snake decided that she would help Eyvind at least for now.

When she finished speaking she smiled wickedly, as her eyes began to glow bright purple as she entered clara and began gathering mana for the show.

Eyvind who was so close would be able to feel the deathly cold necrotic energy flowing from her form.

[Eyvind Redbeard]

The concerned father knelt to examine the footprints in the blood. Bare feet had made it, bare feet with nails. Ratta. So they had still something to say and do in Taralon. Well Eyvind knew where they dwelled, in the sewers under the city. He walked to the wall that surrounded his property following the footprints of blood, he hope it wasn't Rainn's, and listening to Yura's words when the hair in te back of his neck became charged with electricity. He looked over his shoulder to the smaller woman.

"Not again, Shadowheart. Don't cast anything on me like last time..."

And he continued walking to the wall, approaching the tree in the corner of the garden to help him climb over the wall and see if there was a sewer entrance nearby. The wall was high, too high to be climbed easily by weak creatures like Ratta while carrying a dwarf woman. Fiona needed at least two of them only to be carried and a good three or four to climb over the wall. Maybe there was a chance that they were still in the other side! With some effort due to the weight of his scalemail armor he managed to climb to the wall, the poor tree he had placed his foot on had bent slightly but suddenly it returned to its normal position acting like a catapult and throwing the Vagaran to the other side.

A clang of metal and a small shout followed the disappearance of Eyvind. Ah! The small service street behind the properties of the rich people in the Government District, it was a stone paved street! The red-haired man rolled over, in the depths of his mind he wished that a Ratta had been kept behind so it would reduce the impact of his armored body on the ground by being catched in the middle. Unfortunately for the Imperial he hadn't had that luck.

"I'm alright! There is a sewer entrance in this street that is why I jumped over the wall, come, it's where they went. The Ratta."

He shouted to Yura, trying to explain himself, maybe too much. Clumbsy Vagaran. Björnsson then waited for the Jorelite woman and continued to the nearest sewer entrance.

[Fish Stick]

It was obvious that Eyvind could tell the ratta tracks form their small distinct visage. He was certainly used to them now that the ratta rebellion had happened. But this was beginning to get annoying, first they attacked his city, and now his family. When would they ever stop? At the entrance to the sewers, it smelled dingy, and the smell may have made Eyvind remember his last trip into the sewers. Would this trip be the same? The only way Eyvind would find out, was if he entered them with Yura...

[Rainn]

Rainn was furious now. For some reason she wasn't scared of the rattas. She was playing the part of the scared little girl, sitting right next to Fiona who was more scared than ever in her life.

"Rainn darling, try to stay c-c-calm..." the dwarf said, probably to calm herself down.
"I'm all right, don't worry Fiona" she whispered to the woman and kept looking around nervously, like a scared child would.

While doing this, keeping herself under Fiona's arm like it would actually keep her safe and looking around she was actually trying to measure her options.

What would my daddy do... She was thinking and figured that her father would use brute strength, that was what he had. He would break free if needed. But she, herself was just a little girl. So she needed a weapon of some sort. She knew she couldn't move much and began to stare down, seemingly relaxing a bit.

She wasn't relaxed at all, but she was merely trying to hide the fact that she was scouting the floor with her eyes. Trying to find something that she could use as a weapon.