Xandilif looked up, face splattered with blood and brain, still holding the unlucky Sorcerer by the head, and glared at the elf on horseback. "Who the feck are you?
The elf looked at Lif and craned her head to the right. It takes her a moment to respond, and when she did her voice was calm and serene. "Calm yourself, Child of Anerial. I am Aliandith and I mean you, or anyone here no harm."
Xandilif rose slowly, shaking the blood off her hands and staring at the mounted elf. She reached for the hilt of SilverWand. "What the feck did you say, ya damn antique?
Across the courtyard, Finchley took another lid and laid it over the shattered coffin to cover up the now thoroughly mangled body of the grandfather. She turned and peered over to the newly arrived elf who essentially turned the tide for them and squinted. She took a few steps toward her and Lif, noting by her stance and voice that she seemed awfully familiar
Aliandith sheathed her no longer glowing blades. She kept looking at Lif as she dropped off her horse. "You needn't draw your weapon, your lineage is known to me, as it is to many among our kin. Yet I hold it not against you, for we are more than the heritage of our forebears."
Finchley definitely knew that voice and a smile appeared on her face as she stepped forward. "Oh! Hello--" Aaaand she slips in the blood on the ground and promptly fell right on her butt. That made two for two for falling right in front of this particular elf as she had done similarly when they first met on Tol Lochul. Fantastic.
Still gripping him by the robes, Catalinna noted the network of scars on the hooded man’s throat and saw that it was similar to what she had seen on bodies in the Halls of Night. Her teeth clenched together in anger and she grumbled “Doesn’t ANYONE stay dead anymore?” as she released her grip on the man and tossed his corpse to the ground. The falling body was already turned to dust and bones by the time it hit the cobblestones.
Xandilif glanced back at Finch then at the newly arrived elf. "You know this one, Babygirl?”
However she didn’t need to answer as Aliandith's gaze had landed on Finch and the elf smiled warmly. "Well met, once more. Young one, you seem to have fallen once more. I trust everything is well?"
Xandilif snorted. “Yeah, she’s fine..she just falls down a lot. We don’t know why.”
Catalinna rose from the remains and reached out a hand to help Finch up and then turned her eyes back on the pile of dust and bone, spotting the hint of white paper amongst the gray. She bent down for a closer look, but was hesitant to touch it.
Gregwald rubbed his forehead on his coffin lid shield to have a moment of rest. He nodded firmly to convince himself that everything was more or less alright again and raised his voice. "We ought to go, they know where we are now...whoever THEY are…someone knows where we are….is anyone listening to me????"
Finchley took Cat’s offer of a hand up and dusted herself off, wincing when she realizes she now had blood on her. "Aye Lif, course I know her. This is Aliandith. She paid us a visit back home on Tol Lochul. She was lookin' for Neth I think." She turned a bit pink with embarrassment remembering that she fell then too, but then stopped when she heard Greg.
Catalinna heard him too and sighed, knowing that the Daleman was right and the sooner they were out of there, the better. She motioned for him to come over and take a look at the white scrap that she had found.
Looking warily at the other elf, Xandilif nodded and grasped Finchley’s shoulders firmly, turning her this way and that as if she were a little girl. "You ok...did you get hurt…is any of this blood yours?”
On the far side of the square, sitting on the ground and cradling her bitten calf, Sablelinna looked at Gwyn, her face distraught “I want you to kill me. Kill me now. I won't become one of them! I swear it. Kill me please before it is too late!'
Aliandith lowered her hood. A kind smile on her lips as she heard the woman’s [anic. "There is someone in need of aid." She made her way over giving Lif a wide berth.
The Banshee raised her voice. “Yeah she’s fine..luckily ya don’t turn into a hobbit if one bites ya. God knows enough of em have bit me in my time, and I ain’t no shorter.
Greg made his way a little shakily to Cat, pausing for a moment to regard the cloaked corpses in wonder. Once close he got down to one knee to look at what Cat is pointing at, poking it over with a stick before reaching towards it. It appeared to be a fragment of a map, showing the Greenway past Bree. Scrawled across it was '4, 6 from L along with an X'.
Catalinna held out her arm as he bent down to stop him from touching the scrap of paper. "Hm.. looks innocent enough, but you know what happened the last time we took somethin' from a corpse.."
Finchley looked to the Banshee. "Stop teasing her, not everybody fights monsters everyday like you do, Lif…and I'm okay." She glanced toward Cat and then to Greg and frowned. "I'm sorry. To both of you. I didn't mean for any of this to happen... I just wanted answers." She shook her head and kept herself from crying. "Mister Greg, could you do me one more favor? Could you not tell anythin' of all this regardin' me to Mister Leoffrith or anyone else in Bree?... I want to be just Finchley there and not bring any of this to folks there. Even by word of mouth."
Catalinna glanced over her shoulder to Finch, not rising up from her kneeling position yet. "This was followin' us before you came here, lass.. don't blame yourself for it."
Gregwald just lowered his head to have a closer look at the bit of map. He furrowed his brow puzzled and glanced up at Finchley. "I won't say a word... though... if you bring such company with you...“ He gestures towards the remains of the man, and then towards Xandilif. “..It's best to keep away from decent, unsuspecting folk... like Leoffrith.”
Finchley lowered her head and looked to her toes as if he had slapped her, expression growing intensely sad. However she took a deep breath and nodded to Greg's statement. "Thank you..."
Catalinna nodded as well at Greg's words, knowing that she had met Finch when the woman had come to visit Elias for a haircut. "They wanted you too, hm? So you're also bein' hunted? I think it's time we got some answers now, hm?"
Finchley clenched her fists and reined in her sadness, looking up to Cat with a serious nod. "Aye... If you'll share what you know with me, I'll share what I know with you."
Xandilif sighed and muttered. “What could possibly go wrong….?”
Across the square, Aliandith inclined her head at Sable and Gwyn. "Mae govannen, friends. May I have a look?" she inquired with a calm and soothing tone. "I shall do what I may. But the injury seems not as grevious as your fears indicate. You've naught to fear. No shadow or fell calamities linger upon the injury."
Sablelinna looked at Gwynneth, her chest heaving. She wiped the tears from her face and tried to gain control of her breathing. “I just….am terrified of becoming one of those…things…”
Aliandith held over a roll of bandage, and a piece of Lembas, wrapped in leaves. "Something to eat, it will calm you." She spoke with her soft tone.
Gregwald gave the note another look, to make sure to memorize what was there, then got to his feet. "Let's move just over there, we might get too much attention here.." He says looking around in case there are any villagers drawing close.
Finchley nodded to Greg and extended a hand to Lif, asking her to stay with her. The elf nodded gently while Eduwiges moved off to the side to keep her eyes open for more Angmarim.
Finch followed after Cat and Greg, still keeping her fists clenched at her sides. She stood across from the red headed woman and looked her in the eye. "... I've already asked my question. So it's your turn. What do you wanna know?"
Cat thought for a moment and said "Why are they after you?... And why are they after us? Who are these people and what do they want?”
Finchley unclenched her fists and rubbed her hands together, noting with a frown that they still shook a little. "... They want me because someone they serve believes I belong to him. My Grams - Moyna - adopted me. I wasn't born in Breeland. I was born in Angmar. Only, I didn't know till recently. I didn't know much of anythin' at all... I dunno why they want you too. But your name was mentioned by Lif's friend when we went lookin' for answers. Said someone in Angmar said it to him before he uhh... died."
Catalinna hated giving away information, but this seemed reason enough for it. Reluctantly, she reached into her pocket and brought out the scrap of paper that was once a letter. It was mostly burnt and the only thing remaining was a signature- 'Moyna'. "We found this in my mother's tomb.. it had been ransacked and was defaced with a symbol- a circle with three lines through it.
Xandilif nodded. "That would be The Guild of the Unsealed...locking up the grave I imagine.”
Aliandith moved closer but kept her distance, simply listening to the exchange. She peered over to Lif with a raised eyebrow. Evidently the Elf was at least somewhat familiar with the Guild, but said nothing further.
Finchley looked at the scrap of paper and winced a little, as if fearing pain that never really came. Almost as if by instinct, her hand came up to grip at her left hip, as if to both hide something underneath the worn fabric there and soothe that memory of pain. She nodded to Lif. "Aye that's their symbol. They're folk of Angmar that deal with raisin' dead things."
The Banshee looked at Cat. 'These mooks today were the same Guild.....the one who had the bow has the mark under his eye. As for the priests, odds are they are already waking up back in Angmar, looking for new bodies.'
Catalinna's eyes turn to meet Lif’s and her brows furrowed. "The what? So you know this symbol? The Trev Gallorg called them the blood men.. or dead walkers.." She then looked back at Finch. "Yeah.. they're good at that, hm?"
Lif sighed and ram a hand through her hair. 'The Guild of the Unsealed is one of the four guilds of Angmar...they deal in necromancy and death magic...like we seen here. They are the Guild folk outside Angmar see the most often....'
Catalinna nodded, glancing over at Gwyn, 'And what happens if you get marked with that symbol, hm?'
Xandilif looked serious. 'If it is on your face, it means you are priest or an acolyte....elsewhere, it means they mark you as their slave, their property....the Unsealed are also slavers, they view it as controlling the resources needed for Necromancy.'
Catalinna frowned, 'Resources?'
The Banshee nodded. 'Resources...Necromancy requires trades...something alive for something dead, souls for the pyre...Think of it like a cook who raises chickens on the side''
Finchley let her hand fall back to her side, trying to forget that this talk of chickens made her hungry. "You said you saw the name Moyna on that paper... In autumn I visited her grave back in Breeland. The Unsealed got there before me and placed the spirit of a young boy of the Trev Gallorg there to haunt the grave. He called her the Banished Witch of Aughaire."
Catalinna looked back to Finch, "Banished witch? And what was the name of a banished witch doin' in my mother's grave? You said she's your grandmother? And that man I killed said someone named Desad has my mother's soul trapped like one of his slaves? What the hell IS all this?" She then looked back at Lif. "How do you remove the mark?"
Xandilif met Cat’s gaze without emotion. "You die.”
Catalinna looked down and went silent.
Finchley raised her finger to Cat. "Not my grandmother…ADOPTED grandmother. She found me on her doorstep when I was very small and took me in. Only... I was left there. My neighbor--" She paused, that intensely sad look appearing on her face again. "-- My neighbor told me afore she was killed that she saw a man leave me on Moyna's doorstep." Finch shook her head, trying to think of other things. "You said you were bein' hunted? What happened? Who was your mother?"
Before Cat answered, she glanced over at the other elf, casually listening to their conversation. 'And who is she?'
The elf bowed courteously, 'I am Aliandith. A friend.'
Finchley nodded eagerly, 'Aye, she's a friend.'
Aliandith moved closer, smiled and inclined her head to Finch, before turning her gaze to Cat’s wary glare. "You've naught to fear with me, I am just here to help." She spoke again with her soft tone.
Xandilif kicked a cobblestone, muttering to herself as she glared at Aliandith..."She's got a lot of nerve considering she smells like old lady dresses and wallpaper...”
Aliandith turned her head back to Lif and chuckled. "I heard that, Little Tempest" before turning her attention back to Gwyn and Sable, keeping her distance to give them some space, whilst remaining close enough to act swiftly should the worse come to pass.
Catalinna pressed her lips together, frustration appearing in her eyes as she looked back to Finch. Why did the woman have to ask her about names? Instead of responding, because she couldn't remember her mother’s name, she held out her left arm and pulled back her sleeve to reveal the bracelet that had been found, embossed with an eight pointed star, each point an arrow. "This was hers.. I'm pretty sure."
Finchley looked at the bracelet and shook her head. If there was any meaning in it then it was lost on her. "... Did you know her? Or were you separated from her--" She sighed a bit and rubbed her hands together again. "-- Like I must've been from mine?"
Xandilif glanced at the bracelet as well and nodded. "The Witchstar. Many directions, one path.”
Catalinna shrugged and was about to answer Finch when Lif spoke, catching her attention so that her head snapped towards the elf. "What was that?"
The Banshee shrugged. “It’s the Witchstar. The symbol of the Witches of Aughaire...like Finch’s Grams. Chuckles out there called you Witchspawn, didn’t he Red?”'
Gregwald coughed, 'Only.. there aren't any witches in Aughaire...'
Xandilif glances back and smirked. "There ain’t NOW, Coffinboy.”
Finchley nodded, '... Maybe they all got banished like Grams?'
The man snorted. 'And the chieftain knew nothing about it?' Gregwald was a skeptic by nature.
Lif shrugged. 'It ain't something the Trev Gallorg like to talk about'
Greg seemed about to argue further but noticed Catalinna had gone silent while she stared down at the bracelet.
Finchley meanwhile was thinking quick, pieces falling into place. "That checks out. The boy that was at her grave said that she betrayed her people. I can't imagine that'd be somethin' folk would like to remember."
Gregwald spoke, his eyes still on Cat, 'Is it hereditary? Or someone has to be trained to... do ... what do they DO exactly? Fly brooms, wear big hats?'
Catalinna looked back up at the elf, interested in that answer.
Xandilif frowned and kicked a cobblestone. “As for what they did...depends on who you talk to...they were wise women, they birthed babies, treated illnesses, advised chieftans, they ensured good crops and deep wells. Some said they could do more, that they held back the pale men of Angmar from Aughaire. In time, the Pale men won. Angmar turned them, and destroyed them.”
Gregwald looked at Cat, 'For someone to be after their spawn, it means their blood had some meaning ...Else with the witches gone, no one would care about their children.'
The elf nodded. 'The blood mattered. It was a hereditary order…down through the daughters…now that the Witches are gone, maybe that blood matters MORE.'
Finchley rubbed her eyes, 'The boy spirit said Moyna served her people by doin' all those things. But then she betrayed them... And then she turned back from all of that and ran from the Angmarim. That she regretted what she had done. I suppose eventually she ended up in Breeland. My neighbor remembered the day she came to our village, many years afore I showed up."'
Gregwald didn’t even seem to hear Finch, focused on the fate of Catalinna, 'But how an untrained child could be any danger to them?'
Lif smiled. 'Chuckles said he served Desad, yeah? Before Red gave him a spare smile, that is. I heard that name...he’s a Deacon of the Unsealed who had a chat with my idiot sister and her lovebunny recently. He said we should stay away from someone named Catalinna, traveling with a sister named Sableinna and a pet Daleman.'
Finchley furrowed her brows. "But why would they want us to stay away from you all? Especially since they decided to pounce now and try to grab us both like a two fer one?"
Xandilif shrugged "Who knows...but I reckon we are gonna have to find out.
Gregwald shook his head, amazed that someone who seemed as nice as Finchley just let that go by. “WAIT…Why did your sister have a chat with such a person... You got ties to those people?'
Finchley shook her head, 'From the way Xanderian and Calidis put it, they were rather waylaid by this Desad when they were comin' to help us back in Gondor. You all just came up in conversation, I guess."
Gregwald frowned, 'They could have told you that Miss Finch just so you could come find us for them.'
Catalinna nodded in agreement with the Daleman. "The quickest way to get someone to do what you want is to tell them not to."
Xandilif nodded as well. “Coffinboy is right...but if that were the case I doubt we would have had to deal with just two stray priests and a moron with a bow....the trap would have been more serious. I got the feeling these mooks were here on other business and got lucky.
Finchley sighed and looked to her toes again. "... If that's the case, then I'm doubly sorry."
Gregwald had begun to pace, 'It is still far fetched... someone with enough potency to raise the dead, to be after the spawns of a witch, just because their mothers could heal wounds and deliver babies.'
'The Witches, back in the day, were more then babies and healing...they were symbols of Hope.' Xandilif looked at Finchley sadly. 'Angmar is all about crushing hope....'
Catalinna scoffed at the word 'hope'
Gregwald continued to question the elf, gaining urgency as he became more nervous, 'How long ago was this?'
The elf however looked at Cat. 'Coffinboy asks a lot of questions...ain’t it his snackie and naptime yet'
Gregwald stepped towards Lif aggressively. 'If you're not willing to give the answers, we don't have much need of you.'
Xandilif just smirked at him, amused., 'Listen ta you, will ya? What ya gonna do, Daleman? Ring my bells?'
Finchley put a hand on Lif’s shoulder, 'I know it’s hard Mister Gregwald…For all these answers there's only more questions. It's like readin' a book with some of the words missin'.'
Lif turned away, the massive blade across her back catching the light with a silvery flash. '…And if I recall right, this Desad mentioned a prophecy to the Monk. He didn’t say much about the prophecy itself, just that it concerned Red here and Babygirl....'
Greg stared, confused. Finchley patted his shoulder and leaned close, whispering quickly. “I know, it is hard at first. The Monk is Xanderian, Xandilif’s sister. The Monk is Xanderian's nickname, well, one of them…they both have a lot. Lif doesn’t like names, at least not proper ones. She calls me Babygirl, the tall Rohan girl over there, Eduwiges, she calls her Greyhound. You are Coffinboy I think and Miss Catalinna seems to be Red. As for Desad, I think that is just his name. Desad. He might get a nickname later if we have to actually meet him. I will give ya a cheat sheet later if ya need it.”
Xandilif looked at Cat, 'So...what was it you took off of Chuckles, Red?'
Finch leaned over to Greg again. “Forgot, she has decided the Angmar priest that Miss Cat killed was named Chuckles…I have no idea why.”
Catalinna pointed over to the bonefilled robe and the scrap of paper. “Don’t look at me…I wasn’t gonna touch it.”
Xandilif stalked over and picked up the red robe, dumping bones out of it and finally draping it over her own shoulders as she looked at the slip of paper. '"Lookie, I'm a Cargil...boogedy boogedy….Hmmmm...a map.'
Catalinna quirked a brow at the elf as she passed the bit of paper to Finchley.
Finchley gigglesnorted at Lif and took the paper in hand. She looked to the map and frowned. "... That X…That's about where the graveyard is. '4...6 from L'?”
Xandilif nodded. 'If we figure L is left...then 4th row, 6th from left....as I remember that is about where ole' Moyna was buried, wasn’t it?"
Finchley looked like the light finally turned on in her head and nodded to Lif. "Aye that's it."
The elf frowned 'So either Chuckles just came from there..or was on his way…or had already sent some other mooks that direction....either way we should check it out.'
Gregwald was still focused on the prophecy. 'Did they mention where Cat had been before Bree, or how they knew I was from Dale? How long they've been watching her?'
Xandilif was already moving towards her horse, beckoning for Edu and Finch to follow. 'Nope...nothin' more about her or you....except one thing. Apparently, the prophecy says that Cat, or her sister, or the Daleman was gonna betray us and kill one of our friends in cold blood.'
Catalinna's eyes narrowed in suspicion after the elf's words and she looked to Greg. Greg just stared open mouthed.
Xandilif smiled back. “Boogedy boogedy”.
