Open Chronicles The Growing Scourge

[Saul Talith]

Allir Reach - Wetlands

Saul ripped his blade free, the corpse of the ghoul making a loud squelch sound as the rune marked steel pulled away from the half bloated corpse.

Almost as soon as the blade left the body it began to sink into the muck below, the inhuman face contorting as the bog began to consume it. A frown touched the Lord Captain's face, his heavy boots clanking as he took a step back onto the solid patch of earth on which most of the small skirmish had taken place.

"Must be close."
​

One of the Templar behind him spoke up, Saul turning to regard him.

Three days ago they had received news of trouble within the wetlands. Ghouls encroaching upon local villages, snatching up anyone fool enough to draw too close. Over a half dozen children had gone missing, three women and two men along with them.

No one was really sure where the Ghouls had come from, but reports had reached Saul and the new Templar Alliance. It hadn't taken much urging for him to send a scout force, but what they'd found had garnered far more attention than he'd anticipated.

A darkness had fallen over the wetlands, an odd creeping evil. Green moss had turned black, vibrant waters brackish, and lively trees had rotted and broken.

Saul did not know what Blight had fallen upon this swamp, but it was clear that something brewed here. "Let's continue on."

The Templar said quietly, motioning to the other Templar.

They would travel deeper into the swamp, hoping to find the source of this evil.

 

[MJK]

Zara could feel her heart hammering against her chest, hair snagging on tree branches as she ran. Her legs felt as if they were about to give way, the girl unused to covering such far distances...not on land at least...at the pace she was going. She thought she could still hear the angry voices following behind her, the howling of dogs right on her heels.

She knew she would have to stop eventually, her breath was beginning to feel like knives in her chest every time she dragged in a bit of air.

Just a little bit further....Zara thought to herself. She knew it might not be the fallen tree trunk on the path ahead where she would stop. Or even the next. With the amount of fear coursing through her, she knew she was lying to herself about halting her sprint. Zara wouldn't be stopping until her lungs and legs completely gave out on her.

However, fate had other plans for her.

Her leg suddenly caught in a thick, sticky mud of the swamp that sucked her foot until she was knee deep in the stuff. That was all fine and well, except at the speed she had been going this sudden grasp made her flick head-over-heels into the soil in front of her. She landed with a hard thud, knocking any minuscule amount of air she had been able to breath right back out of her.

She rolled over with a wheeze, using the sleeve of her now torn and raggedy dress to wipe at her mouth, not shocked to see the red blotch of blood that stained the cloth. It wasn't hers, she knew. It was leftovers that coated her lips from her last meal. A meal which had which had been interrupted by the villagers now chasing her.

The hunger pangs that had plagued her before were only just beginning to subside. Even the small mouthfuls she had gulped down before needing to run had been enough. Zara had just been so hungry...she hadn't even wanted to wait to cook the chicken she had stolen and killed from the farmer. The same farmer whose dogs were tracking her trail as she lay there gasping for breath.

Sirens could eat any meat at all, whether it was raw or burnt or from strange exotci creatures. As long as it was fresh, the state of it didn't matter. It was still a large portion of their diet and after not eating for four days Zara had been desperate. She knew now though that her desperation had made her stupid and she had allowed herself to be caught. All it had taken was one look at her neck and the farmer had known what she was. Her gills, although closed when not in water, were plain to see.

"You watery witch, I'll have you hanging from the rafters before you can even open your mouth!" He had screamed at her, hands like claws grasping for her all to late. She had been up and running from the moment she had seen the look in his eyes.

Zara pulled her foot out with a loud sucking noise from the mud, forcing herself to keep running when the sound of the dogs closing in made her heart pump hard once more. She looked back as she ran, trying to see how close they were...only to run straight into a breastplate of armor. She bounced, falling straight back to the ground. Only this time, her head was reeling so much she didn't think she could get up as quickly.

"Ouch..." She muttered, closing her eyes to try and stop the colours which were swarming in her vision.

 

[Saul Talith]

"What the fu-"
​

Saul heard the sound of one of his Templar swearing from just beyond the wood line, his facing contorting for half a moment as the grip on his blade tightened.

Almost as soon as they heard the call every single one of them perked up, rushing through the bare branches of the marsh. Their armor clattered as they landed on solid earth, each one brandishing sword and shield, ready to fight whatever new threat had popped up.

When that threat turned out to be a young girl none of them relaxed.

They were Templar, and each one had been tricked more than once by the machinations of witch and wizard. What appeared like a young girl one minute would turn out to be a Ghoul the next. It was best not to make assumptions, particularly in a place like this.

"Get her up." Saul called to the others, motioning towards one of his men.

 

[MJK]

Zara opened her eyes just a crack, the image of a tall man dressed head to toe in armor swarming and distorting with the pounding in her head. She brought up a hand, rubbing at the side of her head just as the clanking of armor announced the arrival of yet more knights. She was coming to quickly, but strong arms suddenly hoisting her up off the ground still made her head spin.

"Hey, I just....what are you doing..."

The sight of the man stepping forward made her blood run cold and her words scurry back down her throat. He commanded the attention of the surrounding them without ever asking for it, the respect the knights had for him apparent just in the way they stood at his side. Whoever this group of armed men were, he was definitely the one she had to worry about.

The pounding finally cleared enough for her to form a coherent sentence as well as for her to realize just how worried she should be at the situation she was in. Being restrained was the last thing she wanted. The men holding her were strong, their hard grip of icy metal sending goosebumps down her arm. She gave a sudden tug to try and get out of their hold only to have the hand grasping her elbow tighten and send shooting pain up her arm. She swallowed the yelp of agony that tried to escape her, instead looking at the man in charge with a steely gaze devoid of emotion.

"Um...I...I haven't done anything wrong. I don't need to be treated this way. Release me at once, before I scream for help. "

Fear coated her mouth, making her gills tighten and her hands clammy. She hid her emotions though, the only signs of her distress being the curling of her hands into fists. Even if she screamed, the only people around to hear would be all to happy to find her already held captive. Zara understood that the knights however did not know this.

 

[Saul Talith]

"We're in a swamp." Saul said plainly in answer.

He wasn't particularly worried about someone coming for them, not here in the middle of the wetlands. There were a few villages nearby, that much he knew, but none of them would care to go tow to tow with a dozen Templar.

Most were too intelligent for that.

"Who are you?" The Commander asked plainly, giving none of his men the indication to let the girl go. "What are you doing here?"

She didn't seem a threat, but that didn't mean much.

Nearly five years ago Saul had been a part of a mission where a young woman had run into them. She had told them a story about running from a local lord, something about being a servant. It had turned out of course that she'd been a Vampire, and had spent the previous night consuming the local lord.

It was an experience he was not eager to repeat.

 

[MJK]

Zara could feel her options for escape dwindling with each passing moment, the female biting at her lower lip in exasperation. He was right, after all. They were in a swamp. A misty, foreboding place that clearly had something strange going on inside of it if there were armored men skulking about.

He fired back on her demand for release with a question. One Zara knew had been coming but had not yet prepared an answer for.

"Me? I...I'm one of the villagers oldest daughters. Came into the swamp looking for a lamb that got separated from my father's flock of sheep."

The lie tasted strange in her mouth, but she wasn't about to tell them the truth. If the farmer's reaction to her had been anything to go by, folks around here did not like sirens.

She was itching to fetch the dagger sheathed in the belt on her back. It wouldn't do much good when she was outnumbered, but it would help her feel less vulnerable when the black pit where the man's eyes should be in his helmet was staring down at her.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul glanced at one of his men who simply shrugged in answer.

None of them were farmers, or shepherds for that matter. They had absolutely not idea if a lamb would just up and run away, but the story itself made enough sense to him that at the very least they could let go of her.

Though that wasn't to say she was off the hook. "Let her go."

The Templar that had been holding the girl followed the order almost immediately, releasing his vice like grip. Notably though none of the other soldiers released their weapons, nor did any of the tension within their bodies leave. All of them were still ready for something to happen.

Ready to kill.

It was a consequence of who they were, what they'd endured.

"What way is your village?" He asked. "What's it called?"

 

[MJK]

The shrug of the man gave helped relieve some of her fear. It was a minuscule amount, but any relief was better than none. The shrug told her one thing at least, and that is that they had bought her lie. She doubted her limbs would all still be intact if they had thought otherwise.

Alright then, so they don't know everything about this area. They're not completely from around here. This will make things a little easier if I have to use my...my persuasive abilities. She thought to herself, letting out a small gasp of satisfaction when the painful grip on her shoulder was released. She looked back at the man with a scowl, rubbing her shoulder gently to ease the pain from the pressure that had previously been there. The men were still tense, but she knew her odds of getting out alive had improved.

He wasn't yet finished with her though in terms of the interrogation, his next questions sending her mind frantically reeling to search for an answer to give him. She tried to base most of it off of the truth, putting a plan into action as she spoke. "It's that way-" she pointed in the direction she had been running from, adding quickly " -although my homestead is found just outside of the village. I can show you if you like."

Her mind snapped the plan into place. One which, if it worked, could be carried out with no loss of life. She predicted that these knights would want to be thorough if their wariness of a female half their size was anything to go by. They would most likely insist upon seeing her 'home'. If she could get close enough to the farmer and his wife again, the ones she had stolen the chicken from, she could easily talk them into following along with what she had to say...they were only two people after all. Her manipulative voice could make them say and do what she needed them too.

She might have even tried to talk her way out of her current situation, but she was too weak after only one lousy meal in four days to try and convince an entire regiment of knights to just let her go. A simple farmer and his wife would be an easier task on the other hand.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul hesitated a brief moment.

They had a mission here. A job that they had to see through. The growing darkness, whatever the hell it was, plagued this marsh. Saul had no idea what it’s source was, nor had he any idea if this girl was even involved.

If he’d been forced to guess he would have said no, but the truth of it was one could never tell. For a brief moment the Lord Captain glanced around at some of the others. They all wore helmets, expressions hidden, but from their body language he could tell that none of them were eager about this.

It just seemed...off.

”Alright.” He said quietly, fingers flexing.

There wasn’t a good call here. It was either send this girl off to do whatever, or follow her to her home and see what was going on there. If it really wasn’t too far then the detour wouldn’t be too bad.

Though on the other hand it could be a trap. ”Show us.”

It was time to roll the dice.

 

[MJK]

They agreed. That was all the girl had needed. She took them in the direction she had pointed out in the first place, the eerie mist of the forest closing in around them. She followed her footprints, each deeply etched in the mud. Soon enough, a familiar building began to dissolve out of the fog, a small stone cottage with a barn looming over it in the background.

Zara tried to clear her head, calming herself down and readying herself for what she needed to do. On the walk up to the front door, she stretched her mind outward, searching for the two figures that would be inside the house. The farmer and his wife. She found the two pin-pricks of mental-activity, focusing on where they would be in the house before clearing her throat and speaking.

To anyone listening, it would sound almost-normal. If you weren't intently focusing on what she would saying, it wouldn't come across strange at all. However, for those spending more than a fleeting thought on it though, they would notice the alluring, almost silken nature of her voice as she spoke.

"Pa, ma? There's some nice men outside here who would like to see you. Please open the door."

Footsteps sounded on the other end, someone approaching the large wooden structure that would allow them access into the building. Everything is proceeding as planned.... She thought with relief, the bolt unlocking on the other end before the door swung open.

Zara's confident smile dissolved as the door revealed who was on the other side. Horror spread through her features, the girl instinctively swinging round to retrieve the dagger sheathed in her belt.

It had been two figures she had manipulated into opening up for them....but it had not been the farmer and his wife. Two ghouls stood in their place, bathed in a red blood that made Zara's stomach turn to think who it belonged too.

The chicken's blood....it must have attracted them to this place.

 

[Saul Talith]

The Templar moved faster than their armor should have allowed.

Each of them sprang into action in almost an instant. One stepped forward and grabbed the girls arm, wrenching her back and away from the doorway just as one of the Ghouls stepped forward. Another almost pounced to where the girl had been standing, his shield already raised as it based against the attacking ghouls face.

Behind him one of the other Templar raised a crossbow, loosing a small steel bolt that flew through the second ghouls skull. The creature let out a gurgling cry, a scream, if the monster was even capable of that, before it fell onto the ground like a doll. Saul himself stepped forward, his sword piercing passed the shielded Templar.

The blade pierced through the Ghoul's skin, a hiss sizzle sounding out as the blessed blade burned the creatures flesh.

It let out a cry of death, and then dropped to the floor dead. "Grab her."

Saul motioned to the girl, now more than a little suspicious.

"Search for more of them." Had this been an ambush? A trap? A poor one if so.

 

[MJK]

Zara was shocked, but still ready to attack. Her arm was arcing in motion, about to bring her blade down across the creatures face when a man suddenly pulled her back. The two minds I felt, that must have been the ghouls, not the people chasing me. I had no idea something that grotesque could have such sentient thoughts and brain perception.

The wind of the loosed bolt physically pushed her hair past her face, the girl gulping as she watched all the action around her with wide eyes trying to drink in all the commotion. It was all over very quickly, men rushing inside to do as the leader had instructed while another grabbed a hold of her....again. I thought we had gotten past this already. She thought irritably, remaining perfectly still once the man had her in his grip. Any struggle now would just worsen her case that she was innocent, since innocent people didn't try and run.

"I had nothing to do with this. They're supposed to be here! The dogs...the dogs are out in the woods, looking for, um, the lamb. They were with me when I left. His wife....oh Gods, is his wife in there still?" She slipped, forgetting to call them affectionately by 'mother' or 'father'. Zara held no ill-intention towards these people, even if they had sent dogs to hunt her down. After all, she would have done the same thing if someone had taken an item that belonged to her.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul only half paid attention to the girl, his gaze wandering around the small farmhouse in search of anything else that might come along.

Footsteps lead everywhere, both into the swamp and onto a road just nearby. Some of them had been in heavy boots, others in bare feet. He frowned for a moment, motioning to one of his men who was standing nearby. They stepped closer to the prints, observing them a moment with a frown. "More ghouls?"

They shared an odd look, then glanced back towards the girl.

When she said the words 'his wife' Saul couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. One didn't call their own mother 'wife' even if they were estranged. At least he'd never heard of such a thing.

"I'm going to ask you to be honest." Saul said with a scowl. "Otherwise I'm going to assume you're behind all of this."

He gestured towards the farmhouse. "Who are you?"

 

[MJK]

It was do or die time. Her tidbits of truth mixed in with sugar-coated lies were catching her out. She gulped quietly, feeling the mans scowl directed at her even if she could not see his face properly. These men had lost none of the animosity and skepticism they had had when first meeting her, except now it was becoming apparent to them that she might not have been as honest as she appeared.

She gulped quietly, knowing that if she didn't tell the truth now, there was no telling what they would do to her. They're clearly hunting some evil presence though, steadfast in their determination to see it destroyed. What if they decide I'm evil enough to face such destruction? Other races have never had much trust of sirens. Guess I'll just need to find out.

"I am not related to them, I'll admit. I didn't wish any harm on them though. I was just starving and they were the most isolated settlement I could find. The farmer wasn't supposed to catch me out, I was careless." She carefully and slowly lifted her loose hair off her shoulder, revealing the gills beneath. "I am a Protector from the clan Nautili near Cortosi Coast. I came ashore looking for something and have hit a dead end in my search. I understand how the people around these parts feel towards Sirens, but not all the rumors and truths about us are true. That is why I lied to you at first" She slowly retrieved her dagger next in a non-threatening manner, holding it hilt-side up towards the leader. "Check the symbols on the hilt, if you know any bit of siren lore, it will prove that I'm telling the truth. My clan markings are carved there."

If he took the weapon and examined the handle, he would see carved there intricate swirling patterns that looked like a conglomeration of waves and nautilus shells interwoven together.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul unfortunately did not know any lore of the Sirens, at least beyond the most simple principals.

One of the Anirian Templars might have known better, hell he was sure they would, but the Cortosi Coast was a long way from here. Hundreds of miles meant that not many of her kind made it to the Reach, and he was more than a little shocked that the siren had found her way here in the first place.

Glancing at the weapon he frowned slightly, then shook his head. "I'll take your word for it."

Admitting his own ignorance was easy enough.

Templar were knowledgeable, but part of that was knowing when to admit you were out of your depth. Saul could name and place dozens upon different kinds of undead, but when it came to species? That was best left to scientists and researchers within the library.

"Why are you here?" He asked her. "You're a little far from home."

An understatement really.

 

[MJK]

She was not surprised that he did not know much about her kind. Most didn't. If anyone did in fact find themselves to be 'knowledgeable' on sirens, most of that knowledge consisted of information gleaned off of drunken sailors. Rum and cheap booze had a way of many many a sea-man's tale become tall and far-fetched. The truth was they rarely came on land, which is what made her presence here all the more unusual.

He asked why she was here. The girl's eyes narrowing before she answered. "Something was taken from us. More than that I don't wish to say. All I can tell you is that my search took me this far and now has become dead. I need to find the nearest town and question any folk who are loose-tongued enough to point me to the nearest black-market."

She scoffed at his mention of how far from home she was, the girl sheathing her dagger before responding. "I've been away from home for months now. This horrible stretch of land you all seem to be so comfortable on is turning out to be more hellish than I thought. These ugly things crawling around in the dark make my skin itch for the sea. If it wasn't for how important my mission was, I would have given up by now."

 

[Saul Talith]

"This isn't exactly the usual for our county." Saul pointed out quietly, frowning for a moment as he watched her.

He'd never been good at telling if someone was lying, it was why he preferred to keep his nose out of politics. Most of his skill lay in combat, tactics, not being able to tell if someone was feeding him bullshit. Still, the girl seemed to be telling the truth now at least.

That was something.

"There's death in this marsh." He said with a wave of his hand. "Much more than there should be."

Saul still wasn't sure why, but that was of course why he'd come in the first place. "I don't suppose it would have anything to do with what you're looking for?"

He doubted it, but it was worth asking.

 

[MJK]

"Death and darkness are one side of a two-faced coin when it comes to the item that was taken. It can reap and birth chaos just as easily as it can bring peace and light. It purely depends on who is using it." She said grimly, crossing her arms over her chest. Now that the soldiers were seemingly being less stern with her, her confidence had grown.

Although not dressed as one, she was a warrior at heart. Trained to kill, both on land and at sea. However, she had learned both from carefully preserved texts as well as since arriving on land that it was best people were fooled about her. If they assumed her to be weak and insignificant, it was much easier for them to look through her. That was exactly what she wanted, considering that blending in allowed her to observe and listen to things she shouldn't.

Zara raised her brow at the man, jutting her chin out in the direction of the slaughtered ghoul for a second. "Those...things....might be part of it. I couldn't be certain without finding out more information on the creatures themselves or their origin." She clenched her jaw, wandering how deeply she could dig for more answers from this man without giving away her need for knowledge. The less people knew about the lost item she sought, the safer her people would be. The Gods only knew how much they were already suffering from the moment it was taken.

 

[Azlum Yngrim]

The hand stuck out of the mud almost as if reaching to the sky for forgiveness. Azlum knelt beside the mud on solid ground, studying the hand and how it got from point A to point B.

I'm sorry Mitula, I hope it wasn't painful. You didn't deserve this.

A miasma clung to the air, one of death and rot. Azlum had smelled this before, but he pushed those thoughts to the side. He retrieved an inexpensive glove from his cloak and grasped the hand. It was cold. Nothing is colder than death; not any snowstorm or mountain peak could hope to be as icy. With a light pull Azlum started lifting the hand, the mud slowly dripping back down the forearm. Soon the arm got heavier and Azlum knew the body was underneath, however the swamp wanted the body for itself and the skin ripped about halfway down the forearm sending Azlum stumbling back with a decomposing arm in his grasp.

Great, he thought to himself, Her parents aren't going to be happy with this but it's all I can get.

Suddenly he heard what sounded like a scuffle nearby and scanned the area with his mind. A dozen...soldiers? Knights? It didn't matter the affiliation, they were authority and Azlum didn't want to deal with that right now. He could be recognized. Then there was a Siren. Interesting, don't see many of those this far inland. On top of those were a couple of dark thoughts. Dead thoughts. Ghouls. He thought.

Azlum decided his time to linger was over and he should be on his way. He started walking towards the way he came, which led him past a little farmhouse that he noted on his way to the grave. This, however, was where the company was and he found himself being stared at by a couple of the Templar and the Siren.

Oh, Templar. Fantastic, this will give me a headache.

 

[Saul Talith]

"Necromancy." Saul said quietly. "I would guess at least. They're ghouls. Nothing too complicated, really."

Even the most amateur necromancer could raise a Ghoul. All one needed really was a dead body, dark magic, and the fuel to animate the body. It was easy to make one, far more difficult to make multiple. Controlling them was another matter of course, and those that Saul and the others had encountered so far ranged from wild to controlled.

Of course there was no telling who was doing the controlling. "This artifact...could it be used to empower Necro-"

The question would have been finished had it not been for one of his men suddenly turning and spotting something along the dirt path they had just come down on. Saul's own words were interrupted by a loud booming voice.

"STOP!"

It was Berrick that yelled. His tone thundering through the expanse of the entire clearing as he ordered the man upon the road to halt. Saul nearly jumped, grabbing the hilt of his sword and turning towards Berrick, and then what he was looking at.

Out of instant the Lord Captain stepped in front of the Siren, and odd move, protecting a monster.

 

[MJK]

Zara listened carefully to what he had to say, his talk of necromancy sounding like a likely aspect in terms of the object stolen from her people. Dead things coming back to life would be perfectly do-able with the magic in the lost item. Before he continued with the sentence that was cut off she spoke. "This much animation of dead bodies though would be sucking the power clean from the artifact. Whoever has it will need to repower it soon, and it's the repowering that will truly motivate my mission. If the artifact is indeed being used for all of this, they're going to need siren blood of some kind to continue on using it or another pure form of the sea. Just plain sea water won't work though."

Then he spoke again, although never got to finish because of the one of his men suddenly shouting loudly. The words made her flinch, the female reaching for her dagger all over again as the men snapped into action. Strangely enough, her view of whatever had made the man Berrick shout so loudly was blocked when the templar moved in front of her, the female's eyes narrowing before she stepped to his side. I would like to see whatever threat is coming my way rather than be blind to it. She thought, squinting to try and see better into the distance.

 

[Azlum Yngrim]

The voice boomed in the air, confident and demanding. However, he wasn't the one in charge, the one that stepped in front of the girl was. Explaining his situation to a Lord Captain would be difficult, but not impossible. Azlum lifted his hands in the air and walked slowly towards the group. He stopped a good 15 paces away from the group, making himself seem vulnerable.

"I can assure you, this," he shook his hand, the unattached hand wobbled in unision, "Is not what it seems. I have an explanation and papers to prove." The Templar all hand their hands on their swords, even someone like him shouldn't put them on this much edge. Something wasn't right.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul stared at the palm that wobbled in the man's hand, his frown deepening.

The sword he'd been gripping the pommel of left it's scabbard, blessed steel flashing bare in half a heartbeat. Most people didn't go around carrying bodyparts, or picking them up. Most people ran as soon as they saw them. "You have ten seconds."

Other Templar gathered around them now.

The situation was as tense as could be now.

Whatever was happening in this swamp had to do with a Necromancer, and they were likely using the Siren's artifact. Was this man connected somehow? He had the look of...well he had the look of someone on the shadier side, but in truth Saul had no idea what to think at this point.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was steel.

 

[Azlum Yngrim]

The sword left its scabbard with a satisfying sound and Azlum noticed the other Templar readying themselves. Why did I have to come out here today? What am I going to tell her parents? Azlum thought as he reached into his pocket to produce a piece of folded up paper, one of the other Templar reached forward and grabbed it, giving it to the Lord Captain.

"That is my certificate paper. And this," Azlum pulled out another piece of paper and handed it to the same Templar who, once again, gave it to the Lord Captain, "Is the letter from Mitula Hiberion's parents asking me to find their missing daughter who was abducted by bandits. Unfortunately, as you can see, she didn't make it. Her body is left in the mud, this is all I managed to find of her." Azlum waited for the Lord Captain to speak, glancing at the girl in the back. "Templar. A Siren," He thought aloud without even knowing it, he glanced at the ground and found two corpses, obviously ghouls crumpled together, "And ghouls. Something's not right here. Obvious necromancy, probably within a mile or so from here. A Necromancer usually can't control something from that far, right?" He caught himself talking and looked at the Templar staring at him.

 

[MJK]

The man knew what she was without her saying a word, the female's eyes narrowing. How would he know? There is no ways he can see my gills from all the way over there. I haven't seen the sea in a week let alone entered it so if he's some beast he couldn't have smelled the salt on me... She was musing to herself, trying to think of a logical reason he would know what she was.

He produced separate pieces of paper, all of which was given to the man standing near her. She didn't keep her eyes to herself, scanning the pages while he held them and even moving slightly to get a better view.The story he told was a sorrowful one, the loss of a daughter seeming a likely reason a strange man such as he would be lurking about in a strange setting such as this. He stared in the direction of the leader of the Templars, his gaze inadvertently able to look in her direction as well. She kept her mouth closed, considering that the situation she was in was an uncertain one as it is. The entrance of a mystery man...if he was indeed human....claiming to know exactly what was going on made her hackles rise and put her nerves on edge.