Their wits slowly gathering as the group rises from their slumber, it is decided that they should check on the horses and equipment forthwith in the hope that they will find nothing amiss and will be able to quickly renew their protection or else move their things to a different location.

Never really having removed their armor lest they were attacked in the night, it takes our adventurers little time to gird themselves for battle, hanging their weapons back upon their belts and re-slinging their shields in place as they take what little they have brought down.  The trip back up the stairs and into the small shed on the edge of the orchard proves uneventful, Judoc casts his invisibility spell again on Finn and the rogue steals out of the building, his eyes watchful and his footfalls nearly silent.

Not that they need to be.  For though the dawn has likely struck somewhere on the plains of Al-Wazif, here in the mountains, low, black clouds crash through the sky, boiling and rolling over each other, blotting out whatever anemic light exists.  Though it seems the high walls of Perdition protect against the worst of it, the wind whistles and wails high above and eddies blow dust through the corridors of the courtyard down below.

Feeling one fat drop of stinging rain, Finn pushes out quickly, knowing that he has precious little time on his spell, not to mention it could be raining in torrents at any moment...

Jogging at good speed, Finn hurries on the northern path to the plaza, the patter of rain already beginning to mix with the howling above.  For a moment, Finn stands still at the edge of the plaza, his heart caught in his chest as he sees partial prints on the plaza stone.  Thick, black, sludge.  It doesn't take much imagination to know it would be a deeper crimson in the light.  Blood.

Turning towards the stables, Finn feels his pulse, and his pace quicken... He turns the corner quickly, though his feet stop dead when he sees the doorway of the stables.  It's been blown in, ripped from the hinges as it fell in, the sturdy oak now splintered and useless against the floor within, a massive, black scar across it's surface.

Finn stands there, motionless for a moment, until he hears the sound of shallow, pained breathing.  Too deep to be that of a human.  Finn rushes into the room and his worst fears are at once confirmed for Boots lays within his stall, his left flank burned, the hair and skin eaten away to the fat and muscle within.  Though the horse cannot see Finn, it seems to feel his presence and it lifts it's head as it nickers weakly before rolling it back down to the ground.

With only a glance, Finn manages to take in the rest of the scene...  The other animals appear to be missing all together, taken or scared off by whatever choas happened here.  The rest of the room is in complete shambles, rations and weapons strewn pell mell everywhere, backpacks and bags lay open and discarded, their contents vomited all around.  Randald's medical kit lays open and emptied, with bandages and steel equipment scattered all around.

OOC:  It's taken somewhere around 20 seconds to get to the stables, though you've lost track of counting with all the new information.  You are still invisible.  The other horses/mules are no where in sight but Boots lays here in the stables with a fairly serious injury.  Though the bleeding seems to have stopped, a thick puddle of blood has seeped down from his flank and just at the edge, near the center of the room there is a narrow boot print, which must have tracked all the blood you saw going up the plaza.  Let me know what you want to do and how much time you want to take doing it.
This message was last updated by the GM at 04:05, Wed 20 Nov 2019.

Finn rounded the corner of the stables like a jack rabbit.  He already knew what to expect, having seen the blood stains in the plaza but seeing it was far worse than he had imagined.  As he stood in the doorway, the terrible sight of the door blown in with its black mark across it, and poor Boots laying gravely injured and barely breathing, Finn's feelings come crashing in from all around to nearly suffocate him.

Boot's breathing is ragged and shallow and while he hasn't had the animal long he has developed a bond.  Tears well up in his eyes as he runs to the beast and drops to his knees.  Gently he places a tender hand on the animals neck.  ”Easy now.  I'm here.  Everythin's gonna be ok.”

Or, at least that's how it plays out in his mind.  Something seems off.  Why maim Boots and leave him alive?  Is this a trap disguised as a burglary?  Its what Finn would do.

Ducking back around the corner Razzel waggles a few fingers and whispers a word to form the incantation.  He performs the ritual he has practiced so many times but something is wrong.  His fingers do not bend the way they are supposed to.  So he tries again.  And again.  His mind and heart are distracted by the sad sight of his equine friend.  Again he tries and this time just manages to get it right.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:39, Fri 13 Sept 2019.

Finn weaves his magic, though his heart bursts nearly out of his chest, his every desire to go next to his horse.  His nerves foil his concentration, his fingers tripping over each other as he attempts to get the words and symbols correct.  It takes four attempts, though eventually a serviceable simulacrum of Finn pops out of nowhere just ahead of him and runs in the door of the stables, wailing his grief.

From a distance, Finn listens for the explosion, for the scream of a surprise attack... but all he hears is Boot's gentle whinny and his own illusion's indecent cries.

Finn waits for another several seconds, his breath caught in his chest as each second stagnates in excruciating lethargy.  Finally, Finn can wait no longer, he runs towards his horse, ending his own spell with a thought, and places his hands on the horse's side, willing the mana from the room through his own body and into Boots.

The horse nickers softly as the thick open burn bubbles and churns, creating a darkening scab over most of his hindquarters.  Boots paws the ground as if trying to rise to his stomach, though Finn places a hand on the horse's shoulder trying to keep him from moving overmuch.

OOC:  All your actions panned through all the way to healing the horse.  You are now sitting at exactly 1/3 fatigue.  Boots no longer looks in any danger of imminent death, though he is far from completely healed.

A feeling of warmth washes over the mage thief despite his new exhaustion, a side effect of the power he has pushed through his body in such a short time.  His horse, far from being back to his normal old self, will not die.  At least not from whatever battle took place here.

There is no time to loose.  Finn knows the next course is to rejoin the group so that they can salvage what's left here.  Laying a hand on his horse he says comfortingly, ”Stay down Boots.  I'll be back in two shakes.”

Finn stands and jogs with everything in him back to the stairwell where he left his comrades.  It is a tired young man who reappears.  In a slightly sorrowful tone he begins.  ”Rondald.  I owe you an apology.  The camp was raided.  Com'on.  Lets see what we can salvage.”


OOC:  Head back to the group at best speed.  Upon my return do the above dialogue.  Let the invis spell end naturally to save fatigue.  As a group we will head back to the old camp to see what there is to salvage.  Did I see Aiah anywhere?  On the way back to the old camp (with the group) my bow will be out with an arrow loaded.