Open Chronicles Vanished but not forgotten

[White Swallow]

The sun was inching towards the horizon, darkness would befall them soon.
»It seems as if plenty of those moving the village were not people alone.« The White Swallow pointed at the tracks, some clearly animalistic in nature, some far larger, enough to fit a toddler in it's shadow.

 

[Llothr]

The Wandering One nodded, taking note of what the White Swallow mentioned.

He'd suspected undead at first, but it was unusual for creatures of the sort he described to be raised in such a manner - let alone any of them used for such a task.

What kind of sorcery does such a thing?
​

"This is all very peculiar..." his voice seemed muted, reserved for the White Swallow.

He was yet leery of the dark elf. Her... energy, was exhausting and mischevious. He felt compelled to distrust her. The other two... they had something about them too. Well he didn't like that.

For that matter he didn't even know about this nameless character. He'd known of men with no name.

He didn't like that very much either.

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

Rizzo walked along beside Taushan and Nayden in the back. Walked with wide back-and-forth sweeps of her arms, smiling cheerfully.

Everything was better with company! Friends! And she didn't know her way to Elbion, but that was allllll~~ right! Ooo, what if Taushan or Nayden or Sans-Stick-Man or even grumpy Stick-Man had a map-map she could borrow? Wow! Wouldn't that be great? Thatandasackfullofcoin, but a map too! Lookie there, nighttime was on the way! Grabby-fingers was a fun game to play, and what was the number one rule? Cheat, of course! If you're the only one who knows the game is on, it's waaaaay easier. Yup! Just be polite about it, and everything would be allll~~--

Rizzo tripped in one of the larger tracks and stumbled forward with a surprised yelp and caught her balance and managed to not plant her face in the sand.

She immediately looked to Taushan. "Tau-tau! Watch your step! Some divvy's been digging holes and not telling anybody! Wow! Who would do that! I'd really like to slap some manners into that schmuck! Yup!"

And she started marching along again, vaguely wondering why Nayden was walking with his hand on Tau-tau's shoulder. Was it for safety? Aaaahh! She wanted to be safe too!

Rizzo slipped around to Taushan's other side. Placed her hand on his other shoulder. Much better!

And she walked and swung her free arm in those wide sweeps and kept smiling, bright as sunshine and the soon-to-be starlight.

Taushan Angevin

 

[Nayden]

Nayden felt Rizzo's presence next to his, he did not trust her. She was too hyper and mischievous for his own tasting, He'd take his hand off of Tasuhan's shoulder and knelt down to pat it around on the ground until he found the print that they were talking about. "Just what I needed." Whispering a few words a glow of light emitted from the tracks. It should show the manor and make of the creature that passed through as well as maybe imagery of what had occurred within the village.

"What does it show?" He asks his companions examining the tracks with his hand.

 

[Taushan Angevin]

He glanced at the hand suddenly planted on his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow but continued, it'd very likely that it would be easier to ignore it. Nayden did some fancy magical things and a strange figure appeared. He looked the silhouette, "Looks like a struggle, something odd came through." He shrugged, he didn't recognize it. He glanced at the strange man, White Swallow, waving him over.

 

[White Swallow]

Taushan Angevin Nayden Rizzo Bouchard Llothr

Nighttime was soon upon them and one wouldn't have noticed so soon with the sky so dark blue. A small horde of blackness mingled in the distance, their march slow and laborious. Behind them, heavy logs and palm trees dragged all the way from the village.
This motley group was quick to advance towards this supposed sacker, no doubt from being free of burden.


»...Do you see this?« The Swallow stopped briefly in his tracks, his hand pointing towards the horizont.

Skeletal beasts of humanoid proportions, but way taller than any human. Their bodies were black as tar and glossy under the light of the moon.

 

[Llothr]

As they trudged on, the Wandering One kept point with the White Swallow. As the journey went on and he'd sorted out his opinions of his companions, he resigned that it had always been better to operate as a group if the occasion allowed.

This was such an occasion, it seemed.

But... there was something in him that thrashed and gnawed at him, and before too long he simply could not contain himself. Inconspicuously, he drew his free hand up in front of his abdomen.

A side eyed glance to the Swallow - a hint of a smirk perked up one end of his mouth. One might even say... mischievous.

Llothr, you hypocrite...
​

He whispered a single word, and in his open upturned palm a gold coin appeared. It looked real, it felt real. For all anyone could tell it was real. His smirk grew, and he dropped it. A short time later, he repeated, and before long he'd dropped twenty or so. Little did it matter, they would all vanish by morning.

As dusk came upon them, the Swallow spoke.

»...Do you see this?«

He looked out, and as his eyes focused in he discerned their stature.

"It is difficult to tell but..." he turned to face White Swallow and the others, "they appear to be risen giants..."

He was yet uncertain in the low light, but it definitely looked as though they were slick with something - he could only assume it was the blood of their victims. But it looked black.

Rizzo Bouchard

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

Nayden did a thing. Tau-tau said something. A struggle? Where? Did they drop anything. Nah, doesn't look like it--

Ah hah! She found a shiny! Look! Right there on the ground. Rizzo hated to leave the safety of holding onto Tau-tau's shoulder, but the shiny wasn't going to grab itself. Nope! Only Rizzo could save the day and rescue that shiny from not being grabbed!

She broke from Tau-tau and whistled a tune innocently and sauntered over toward the coin in the sand she had seen and she bent down and snatchedthatshinyrightup. Stuffed it into her empty belt pouch. Her adventure on that Panda-ribble-rabble island with Tol and the wizard Grangomelle didn't end so well. No it didn't! But hey! Even though she lost all the coins she did have in that little tumble, that just meant she had more room for these coins! Yup!

Oh look, another one!

Oh look, another one!

Oh look, another one!

Wow, all of these coins seemed to be in a straight line that just so happened to be in the wake of where Stick-Man was walking! What a fantastic coincidence! She really ought to be polite and ask him if he had a hole in his pocket-pocket!

"heystickmandoyouhaveaholeinyourpocket?nono?okaythanks," she whispered. To herself.

See? Polite? He didn't say anything so he wouldn't mind! And by her count she had twenty or so whole coins! Wow! That was twenty or so more coins than she had before! Which was none.

Aaaahh! Sans-Stick-Man saw something! Pointed it out! What were those things? Risen giants? Rizzo wasn't risen or a giant, that wasn't fair! Where was Tau-tau?

"Tau-tau!"

Rizzo casually slunk back toward him when she spotted him and put her hand back on his shoulder. Grinned nervously. Hey! Everything was gonna be okay!

Llothr Taushan Angevin

 

[Nayden]

Nayden looks towards Rizzo’s general direction, “You seem incredibly cheerful.” He says with a smile. “Tell me, where do you find such cheerfulness, it is refreshing after being stuck with Tsauhan for a few weeks.” He says jokingly patting his freinds shoulder. He asks the question feeling a bit touchy now that she was doing what he was going. It was a bit offensive to him. With a sigh, “If anything miss, you could be scouting around keeping us safe in the case those creatures return that did this.” Nayden motions around letting go of Tsau’s shoulder to the area around them. “Since goodies, and badies could be anywhere.” He’d whisper.

It apparently was approaching dusk before Nayden knew it, time did not exist for him anymore but it was nice to have a tell of the time. It was not until they stopped when Nayden knew something was up.
As Swallow pointed out the giants in the horizon he felt a bit sick to his stomach. He felt some vibrations from the creatures. Tightening his grip on Tsauhan’s shoulder Nayden looks up at his armored friend.
His friend would not beable to see his eyes but if he could they were one of warning and caution.

We best be careful friend. Unless you wish to back down and let these people play their hand with death. He informs Tsauhan with a few hand movements, Remember we have our own goals to accomplish.

 

[Taushan Angevin]

He watched as Rizzo picked up coin after coin. He was in the process of debating whether to bring it up while Nayden talked, when something appeared.

»...Do you see this?« The Swallow stopped briefly in his tracks, his hand pointing towards the horizont.

He froze in his tracks. He did indeed see it. He carefully drew his sword, as silently as he could. His eyes were quickly drawn to Nayden's hand movements, and though he didn't understand entirely he got the gist. He whispered, "Whatever's going on here we may as well help with, besides, its probably a good thing to do." He eyed the giants, trying to figure out what was going on.

 

[White Swallow]

Of course.

»I...do not think they want help.« He muttered towards Taushan. He only gave a brief glance to the company with him, but most of his attention was set towards the risen dead.
He certainly was a man hard to distract from his task.
Giants? Possibly. Many of them far outclassed the height of any normal human. The tallest of the man-shaped ones did not even proportionally fit an ogre's build.


They were closer now, and one appeared as a massive quadruped beast. Their form only revealed when it stood on their hind legs...
Species was unknown.
But it gazed right at them. With a single grunt the collective tarry skellets turned their faces towards them and froze still.

 

[Llothr]

With a single grunt the collective tarry skellets turned their faces towards them and froze still.

He too, and not so abruptly, became still. He observed the beings who had now become aware of them with a careful stare.

They seem of one mind, or one accord.

Poised toward a singular aim...

...dangerous.
​

He remained steadily still, seeming to be relatively unbothered by the creatures' sudden posturing. But he was far from unbothered - he did not feel fear or anxiety but he did not so foolishly wish to underestimate these things, these supposed Black Ancients.

"Careful now," he gently urged, "we don't want to antagonize them just yet now do we?"

As if there were any hope of that now.

​

White Swallow Rizzo Bouchard Nayden Taushan Angevin

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

Nayden's question provided a nice little distraction from the big scaries far out thatta way.

"Because sunshine and starlight make the world bright! Yes they do! I lift my head and say it with a smile, you should too! And--Hey! That wasn't very nice to Tau-tau, don't think I forgot! He's the funniest and smartest and bravest guy I've ever met and I once saw him strangle three ferocious dragons at once! And they deserved it! Yes they did!"

She did not, in fact, know any of that about Taushan.

But wait! Nayden had a suggestion for her. Aaaaahhh! Noooo, thank you!

Rizzo flinched back at little, then laughed in a dismissive and tipsy way. "Scouting? Me? Oh no! I'm the worst scout-scout in the history of Arethil! Yup! I volunteer Stick-Man instead!"

She didn't let go of Taushan's shoulder. Not yet. It was still very very fri--ohnononothosebiggiethingiesjustlookedatthem!

Rizzo called up ahead to Stick-Man, saying, "Stick-Man! Go antagonize them! It's your turn! And you drew the short straw! And you lost-lost the bet! And you volunteered!"

Scout. Antagonize. Same thing! Yup!

Just so long as Rizzo didn't have to do it.

Nayden Taushan Angevin Llothr

 

[White Swallow]

»...I don't think-« The mass of ancient dead began to stomp their feet, almost robotically they set to charge towards this motley group of people.
The rest returned to face the very same path they walked before.

One of them was a massive longneck, the other a taller-than life humanoid, and last was a bear sized feline.
The closer the came, the more distinct their bodies turned out to be.
Pitch black skeletons, glossy and moist, coated in a liquid dark as night, yet warm in hue.