QUIET MOUNDS - STEF HEART

[abardacttofollow]

You find yourself in a stone room that looks like some sort of medieval dungeon. There are (thankfully), no torture instruments, but there is a man strung up here. One large manacle is around his neck, chaining him stiffly to the door. His hands are free, but each foot is manacled to the matching bottom corner of the doorframe. There is a visible lock on each of the three manacles.

It's Stefen, and there's a knife in his chest. Despite that, he's alive, apparently alert, and doesn't look to be in pain, perhaps due to the lulling, sense-dulling music that seems to be coming from nowhere at all—in fact, if you were in pain before you entered, it's gone here. His wound is bleeding, but only a little, and he smiles his usual bright smile at you.

Behind him, but in front of the closed door he's bound to, you can see three double sets of strings running vertically. Where they meet the floor, they are fastened, and then each runs across the floor to the three doors on the opposite wall, then under them.

There is nothing else in this room.

((OOC: Here's how this will work! Since we're doing individual runs, rather than me putting up individual top levels for areas, just jump the post itself, and I'll run everything for you within your one thread. If you're wanting to do a run with someone else, just stay in the same thread together.))

Comments

[abardacttofollow]

You can get it a bit further open. It sounds like adult Vanyel singing some horrible sappy love songs, though it's far enough away you can mostly just make out the tune.

[mindinthegittern]

[hmm.

he turns back to the room for now, and starts investigating a little aimlessly, looking at the instruments more closely, then into the traveling sack. he's not shy about picking up or unpacking stuff, although he's being careful not to make a mess.]

[abardacttofollow]

The instruments are some of Vanyel's favorites to use. The sack has Stefen's casual clothes in it.

[mindinthegittern]

...that doesn't seem likely...

[putting everything back where it started and going to take a closer look at the books and music]

[abardacttofollow]

Some solo pieces, some duets. The books are a lot of historical works and similar.

[mindinthegittern]

...

[checks the bed?? shaking out the comforters, anyway, if he's going to rummage around he might as well make the bed in the process]

[abardacttofollow]

You find a lump under the comforter when you shift it. Feels like something sticking out of the mattress.

[mindinthegittern]

[weird...? pulling it back to expose whatever that is]

[abardacttofollow]

There's a knife stabbed into the mattress, twisted and dangerous-looking.

[mindinthegittern]

You're way out of your depth, Medren.

[goes to pull the knife out of the mattress... though...]

[abardacttofollow]

As soon as you touch it you can feel it suck a little at your life force.

[mindinthegittern]

[yelps and pulls his hand back! but immediately reaches for it again, to try and extremely quickly carry it over and put it on the platform]

[abardacttofollow]

By the time you get it there you are tired and a little nauseous but you are able to drop it on there.

Click.

[mindinthegittern]

[mumbles]

What was that about...

[but goes on through]

The Gift 3

[abardacttofollow]

The last room you enter is… well, not a room, but you're also not going to be leaving it, not safely.

You are on a cracked icy ledge about ten feet wide that extends about twenty feet forward. To your right is a sheer cliff face leading up, coated with ice and snow. To the right is a blackened crater. It looks less like the natural continuation of a cliff and more like a crevasse caused by a horrific explosion of some kind. At your feet are bodies, some humans dressed like bandits, others twisted, unnatural creatures wearing armor. They are armed, and unpleasantly so, but quite dead. You see also abandoned riding tack, possibly blown off whatever poor creature might have been here. There is a lot of gear and there are a lot of bodies and if you wanted to look through everything it would take a while.

The cord winds forward, along the path, over a blackened patch that seems to have been the center of the explosion. Ash covers whatever might remain there, though you see a scrap of white cloth.

At the end, your way forward is blocked by a wall of fallen snow, like an avalanche. A man is standing there, quiet, holding the end of the cord in one hand and the key in the other. He looks like Vanyel, in his mid to late thirties, his hair almost fully white and whipping around him in the cold wind. He is also quite visibly transparent, the scenery seen through him.

Vanyel says, softly, "I'm so sorry. Can you tell me the weight of duty now?"

[mindinthegittern]

Ah—

[covers his mouth with one hand, making a weak "one moment please" gesture with his other]

[abardacttofollow]

"I know. I'm sorry," Vanyel says softly.

[mindinthegittern]

[after a second he manages a short, shaky breath and lowers his hands to his sides again, although they curl into fists immediately]

—is it living? To go on living?

[keeping his voice level, barely]

[abardacttofollow]

Vanyel holds the key out to you silently.

[mindinthegittern]

[takes it, gripping it hard]

I'm sorry—

[abardacttofollow]

"Oh, Medren." Vanyel seems to focus, hand solidifying, and puts a hand on the top of Medren's head. "I wish it wasn't like this. I'm sorry you had to see it."

[mindinthegittern]

[bows his head a little, biting his lip for a moment]

I... I should go let Stef-the-Guard down.

[abardacttofollow]

Vanyel nods. "Try to... remember that it's just him. This too is him but it's... well. It is what it is, and he's living a different life now."

[mindinthegittern]

Okay.

Okay, I know, it's just—this is all—

I'll do my best.

[abardacttofollow]

"It's incredibly depressing," Vanyel says. "But not the end."