Session 76
Jan 4, 2025
The words we leave unsaid are like ghosts, restless and unquiet. They do not vanish when we turn away; no, they linger, burrowing into the soft, unguarded corners of our minds. There, they root themselves deep, like the twisted branches of a gallowed tree, its gnarled limbs heavy with the weight of all we dared not say. These words, these whispers of what might have been, wrap their tendrils around us, cruel and unrelenting, until we are bound by them, fettered to the past. They mock us, grinning with the hollow mirth of regret, and with every glance backward, they steal a little more of the strength it takes to move forward.
The vampire’s bite was agony, a searing pain that festered like a wound left to rot. Ozdos staggered, his hand weakly clutching at the slick warmth of blood trickling down his neck. How had he let this creature get the better of him? His knees threatened to give, unconsciousness clawing at the edges of his mind, but the sight of his companions leaping into the fray stirred some last ember of resolve. He gritted his teeth and clung to it, refusing to let the darkness claim him.
Then, from the shadows, the air shimmered with an unnatural stillness. Black mists coiled and parted, and four figures stepped forth without a sound. The leader was unmistakable…a pale man with skin like sunless stone, his crimson eyes gleaming with cold menace. His long black hair stirred as if remembering the motion of their arrival, settling against the dark folds of his cloak. He stood apart, his gaze sweeping the battlefield with a detached authority, and when he spoke, his voice carried like a knife through silence, soft but cutting.
“Auryne and Xyldrin,” the pale figure intoned, his words laced with disdain. “You hunt in lands we do not claim. Such recklessness is unbecoming of the Velora Obscura clan.” He paused, tilting his head slightly, his eyes lifting to the rooftops. “It seems you have underestimated your enemies…not the ones before you, but the Cree. They’ve already begun their webwork above.”
The two vampires attacking the group lifted their eyes to the dark sky lit by moonlight.
His words hung in the air like a warning, and his crimson gaze finally settled, lingering on Ember for a moment longer than it should. Something unspoken, he looked back to Auryne and Xyldrin.
“Illvorenum,” he said, his tone sharpening with finality, “will be hosting you for a week, it seems.”
The mists swirled at his feet as if stirred by the weight of his judgment, and the air grew colder in his presence. He seemed to hover gracefully. The two female vampires stare daggers back at the one who speaks.
More vampires show up. They tell the two attacking the group they do so against the wishes of the as they hunt in Cree’lan lands. One of the vampires is named Lyudvik, he is the one speaking and seems to be the leader. He tells Ember to stay on the common road and if caught by them to hope that Thalvaris is among them. Thalvaris seeks to kill Dravonthar. Ember tells Orianna to try and talk the vampires into joining sides to escape the Cree which works. They are chased and, unfortunately, split, FB and the vampires, leading FB down a tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, they see a large dragon eating a large bat creature. Instead of bypassing, they engage.