Amadeus: The girl is quieted by your threats but still looks upset as she runs away. As you turn back the couple you were watching has vanished from sight. Your leg is bleeding badly and as you examine it you realize that she bit into you alarmingly deep. It is unsettling how close she actually came to taking off a mouthful of your flesh. Halidar was certainly an unusual place, but cannibalistic little girls were still a new one. As you are looking about you, you see a street vendor wave you over and offer you a cloth to press into your wound. It is a young pretty woman. She looks a bit devastated by what she obviously just saw happen. Are you alright? Did you know that little girl? Her voice shakes as she assists you.

Ravaella: As you are casting your spell, one of the men slashes you in the leg and the door bursts open. You find yourself now facing six men, all drawing their weapons. One appears to be in charge and is also moving forward.

ooc: 4 damage

Orrik: Someplace quiet. He replies flatly. And with a jerk of his head for you to follow, he starts walking. He doesn't look back to see if you are coming, but instead he heads off at a rapid pace down the streets of the market place. It's a bit difficult to keep up with him, but you manage somehow. At long last he leads you to a small shop that sells various herbs and remedies. He leads you into the back room and gestures towards a bench. Well Orrik. What do you know of what has happened to you? Did the good mage who did this to you ever explain himself or are you unaware of the depth of the situation you are in?

Ravaella's eyes dart around the room looking for potential escape routes and she drops into a defensive stance.

OOC:
Total defense action +4 AC takes my ac to 27

What are the sources of light in the room?
Concentration check to avoid losing the spell due to damage(DC 14)
05:57, Today: Ravaella Swordhand rolled 27 using 1d20+10. Concentration check

"I suppose I am well enough. Most of my leg is in one piece. And no I dont believe I know that girl. Or you for that matter."

Ravaella: ooc: The light sources are a series of lanterns that are mounted on the walls.

You manage to dodge, duck, and weave in and out of attempted blows with impressive dexterity. Still, it is all you can do to keep from being struck. As they attempt to subdue you, the leader calls out to you. Halt and you shall not be killed! Only, tell me why you are attempting to infiltrate my home. He seems to be curious about you more than upset.

Amadeus: She blushes and extends a handshake. I am Rhesa. I sell trinkets as you can see. Unfortunately it seems something very evil is happening in Halidar. You are not the only one who has had such an attack. There are reports throughout the city of people here and there being attacked by children and what were normally peaceful animals. Its as if they go mad temporarily and then snap out of it when they are interrupted. She shakes her head. I wish I knew why this was happening! Halidar is a dangerous enough place as it is without this madness going on.

  Orrik took in the details of the shop as they passed through it but had been thankful when they arrived in the solitude of the back room.  After so many years of enclosed space, being outside has been a but overwhelming.  Orrik drew back his hood, comfortable with the privacy now possessed.  He took no interest in sitting despite man's gestures.

  "Eternity in a prison of my own design." He replied in his solemn, harsh voice. "Something had gone wrong during the ritual. We...I never found out what happened.  There was fire, it felt like everything burned. Down through to my soul and then...nothing."  Orrik's armored fingers twitched uncomfortably.  The loss of senses had only really bothered him in later years when he thought about their absence.  The taste of a warm meal, the smell of a spring day, the caress of a lover...

  Orrik shifted his weight uncomfortably once more before drawing the massive sword from his back and sitting on the bench, the great blade laid bare across his lap.  "What do you know?" He demanded coldly.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:33, Sun 22 Jan 2012.

"Are you Hucket? I'm looking for the one who was impertinent enough to send a street urchin to attempt to rob me."

Ravaella continues with her total defence, dodjing and blocking blows as they come.

Amadeus shakes the girl's hand. "I'm Amadeus. Well I suppose I should feel better seeing as I'm not the only one this has happened to. It is odd. Has anyone any ideas on what may be causing the children and animals to act crazy?" Amadeus begins bandaging his leg as he talks to the girl.

Orrik: The man listens mutely, and shakes his head ruefully at your question. Well I can tell you two things my friend that you apparently do not realize. First of all, you are not the only person that such an experiment has been tried upon,though thus far you are the only successful one. Something did go wrong during your experiment, or rather I should say something accidental happened. Truthfully, it was just what the mages had been hoping for. The problem is that they could not recreate it. That is why they have been studying you and keeping you imprisoned. To learn how to do it again. You see my friend, your current state was no accident, despite what they told you. They very much did what they did to you on purpose. You are their greatest creation. And now that you have escaped,they cannot have people finding out about what they are really doing to their test subjects. He trails off meanfully.

Ravaella: The man's eyebrows go up in surprise at your words and he laughs. Ah! So that is what this is about! Hold! He directs his guards and they cease. No, I am not Huckett. It looks like the man finally picked a victim that he couldn't handle, though truthfully I am surprised that he sent the boy after you. You don't appear to be helpless. I wouldn't be surprised if the lad got confused... He shakes his head and smiles. Well, how clever of you to find us. I suppose you would like a chance to face the mastermind behind your attack? Well I wouldn't suggest it. Huckett may be a fool sometimes, but he is a dangerous fool. Best to run along now miss, before you get hurt. He arches an amused eyebrow.

Amadeus: The woman shakes her head at your question. No one knows, truly. It would seem that the mages of the city have been studying it intensely and still have no luck about it. At first they thought it was necromancy or some other dark magic, but even that theory has provided no answers. It is as if they are possessed by something terrible. It is only a matter of time until someone dies. And when that happens I have no idea what they will do to the killer. People are leaving the city every day in fear of their own children.

"Interesting. To say the least." Amadeus tightens the bandage on his leg. "I suppose not all questions are to be answered by magic, Arcane or Divine. And what have the priests to say? Certainly they are involved in the unraveling of this riddle as well?"

Amadeus: The woman shrugs at your question. They get few answers unfortunately. It is almost as though the Gods are keeping silent on this matter completely. I do not know why that would be, though some priests think that it is because they cannot help us and so give us no aid even in answering our questions. A very bleak outlook indeed, and one that I hope is not right. There are some who claim this is not the first time this has happened and that it marks the coming of something dark and evil. As much as I wish that were not true, I can't help but believe it now.

"Fine I will take my leave but I'm going to need to have words with Hucket soon enough"

"Perhaps even gods have their limits."

Ravaella: The man frowns at your words and shakes his head. Look miss, I understand your irritation. But I suggest you avoid Huckett. He may be a fool and he may be a poor planner, but he can be very dangerous. Especially for someone like you who is just capable enough to get yourself into trouble. Cut your losses now and stay away from this place. I may be a thief but I'm also a decent man and decent men don't let young damsels get in over their heads. He seems quite firm in his statements, and you are surprised that he would go through such efforts for you, but you get the impression that he has a soft spot for women and is perhaps not as corrupt as his fellows.

Amadeus: The woman frowns at your words, not liking the idea. I hear though that there is a secret group that is trying to stop all of this madness. I don't know if it is rumor or the truth, but they say that they have been tracking these incidents for years. If that were true then this is not the first time such things have happened. They may even know why this all is happening. If that is so I wish they would come forward and help us!

"Interesting indeed, that potentially this has happened before. Or so rumors suggest." Amadeus scratches at the stubble on his chin now that he is satisfied with his leg being bandaged. "Where is the closest temple? I suppose one of the priests might be able to attend to my leg before I grow a third leg and my hair falls out."

Amadeus: She gives a small smile at your joke and directs you to the north end of town. Fortunately for you it only takes roughly an hour to get there as some locations at the end of the city could take all day to get to on foot. You find yourself at the temple Isian, the mother goddess. Priests and monks walk the courtyards, chanting their prayers and sitting in meditation. The place is open to all who worship, but for those with questions there is the hall of priests who allow visitors to gain knowledge through their answers. You also notice that this place seems to have many visitors, no doubt worrying about the troubling events of late.

Amadeus limps up to the nearest priest not in meditation or prayer and asks if healing would be needed for his leg.

The priest proceeds to heal you, though he informs you that the wound is not bad. When finished, he gives you a curious look. Where did you get this?

"Lead me out then if you would and I will contain my wrath for now."

"A child bit me. Over by the markets."

Ravaella: He gives an approving nod and proceeds to lead you out. I am Jodar by the way. It was pleasant to meet such a lovely young woman but I just wish it had been under different circumstances. If I were you I would watch my purse and stay away from the market place for a while. To be honest, there are some dangerous things that Huckett is planning and it wouldn't do to have you in the midst of them. He says warningly.

Amadeus: The priest arches a surprised eyebrow. I see. So the taint has gotten worse then has it? He shakes his head. It is only a matter of time before an innocent kills. We cannot stop that for long. Then the true trouble begins. He mutters to himself, so quietly you can barely hear. It is fairly obvious he didn't mean for you to hear it but he seems a bit distracted by your words and so hasn't noticed his slip. Be wary from now on young man. Halidar is becoming an even more dangerous place and if you are able to, you would be wise to leave it while you can.

"What do you mean the true trouble begins?"

Amadeus: He looks a bit startled that you overheard him and he shakes his head. There are theories about what is causing this. No one has any answers but they have ideas. I believe that this is a dark force at work. This is not the first time these kinds of things have happened. There is talk of strangers with no souls who invade and destroy wherever they touch. There is even talk of them coming towards us now. In theory, this is why the children and animals are becoming tainted. It is an affect of the nearness of these strangers. The closer they get the worse the attacks become. If this is true, it would seem that they will be on us soon. That is if this theory has any accuracy. No one has many facts on such rumors. But it makes me wary. As I said before, you would do best to leave now. Legend states that when an innocent kills, it draws these strangers to the area even more so and is like a beacon to them to swarm. I do not know why or even if it is true. I don't even know why I tell you this, but it would be best to keep it to yourself so as not to cause a panic.

"And where did you find information to come about this theory?"

It did not come easily, I assure you. We have been digging through ancient texts and histories, piecing together different accounts from documents across these lands. Every culture and nation has some kind of history about these things. It took a lot of work to put the pieces together, but we think we have as much as is possible at this point. If our information is correct, it is a very bad idea to stay right now. I stay because it is my duty to help during chaos, but if you care for your life stranger, you may be wise to avoid this place.