[Immortals' Tongue] In this place of wrath and tears

[Pegasus]

In this place of wrath and tears,
Looms but the horror of the shade.......

There is a stillness, a silence which happens after a combat. It lasts, usually, for less than a trill but it is overwhelming. Somehow, it seemed like time itself stood for a trill and watched what happened. Maybe even considered the clever use of the snowcrystals, the sudden freeze from them adding an air of eerie to an already just-plain-weird vibe.

And then, there was the smell of burning flesh, the bleeding and the injuries to deal with. The aftermath, fundamentally.
Pash
It had been an incredibly tricky move, and very risky too, but Pash had pulled it off with some well timed assistance from Tio's foot. But there was no time to reflect on that right now and Pash looked around at the blood, the injuries.

And then, he got to work.
Kali'rial
The Sev'ryn huntress saw that all was well, once the smoke and fire had cleared. Her pack were well, although there were injuries. She hunted out some comfrey and she handed it to the biqaj bard, to add to his Moe-Moss-Salve. It certainly wouldn't do any harm and would in all probability, do some good. However, they both realised that their medical skills were not, entirely, at the standard one might like for this number and severity of wounds.

Still, there's that old saying about what must when the devil is driving, and all that.
Qit'ria
From surrounded by fire to surrounded by the injured was how things went for Qit'ria. She prepared for death, counted the ways in which she had not yet lived her life and then her legs got cold. And in that moment, she was saved, given a new lease of life in which she could do all the things which had haunted her in the moments before her death.

And then, she moved and did as instructed.
Tio
Flush with success from his help of Pash in his moment of need (or maybe, it was the heat of the fire?), Tio was quick to both recognise the usefulness of the snowcrystals and also to point out that things could have been a lot worse. With a bit of luck, no one would be angry at him for the burning forest of near-death and all that. After all, why would they be!?

Then, with memories of a nameless slave who had died in his arms, he turned his attention to the job in hand.
Kura
Even in the aftermath, in the level of pain that she was in, Kura's mind was ticking over, tactics and thoughts bouncing and creating questions, comments and observations. She asked Treloar what he thought about future encounters and the Elemental turned and looked at her and shook his head. "I've no idea," he said and added, honestly. "I've never seen anything like that before. But since they spread disease, yes, I'd say distance weapons are best. Since the animals don't seem to, just the humanoids, those with only close range weapons or proficiency should concentrate on the animals, leave the humanoids to those with range."

All....

There were two things to do - medical care and decision making. They, very sensibly, did the first, first. None of them had the medical skill needed, but they did the best with what they had. The other two Elements remained flying above them, observing and making sure that they were not in any danger. Or not in any immediate danger, anyhow.

The moss did indeed get rid of the infection, quickly too. It was as Pash said and the stitching that he did was not great, but it was certainly better than no stitches at all. Both Pash and Kura had tight and ragged stitches, both of them would be advised to pop to a more experienced medic at the Order of the Adunih when they got off the island.

But that was for then, not now. Now, they had the situation as follows; Kali'rial was almost entirely fine, her cuts and abrasions shallow and not too much of a bother once she was cleaned up and bandages. Kura and Pash were both able to function, they wouldn't slow the group down but they were both injured. Pash was probably more able to fight than Kura, should the situation demand it again, by virtue of where his wounds were. Kura's were much more likely to limit her movement and also, being deeper, they were more likely to tear open and she was in a lot of pain.

So, there was that.

And then, they discussed what they were going to do. Decisions to be made. Actions to be taken.

Pash was clear, his vote was to continue to the ruins. Kali'rial agreed, with some amendments to the way the group functioned. Qit'ria put forward that yes, the ruins were the place to go but she had another means of doing so - a stealthy approach which might well take longer and used their people differently to Kali'rial's suggestion. Tio chimed his vote in with Qit'ria, so it seemed that heading to the ruins was what they were going to do, despite the fact that Kura suggested they did not do so. She spoke of a different approach entirely. Seeking the aid of the Immortals, going to the relevant shrines here.

But no decision was made.

Objectives:

Where now? A decision needs to be made - and you currently have a split vote.

The group seems to be committed to heading to the ruins. However, whether you do that on the path and in the way Kali'rial suggested or via a more stealthy means, as per Qit'rias idea is a very important decision. Also, Kura's argument is still on the table.

Therefore, please continue your discussion, and at the end of your post, vote for which of the following you are going for:
1. To the ruins, stay on the path.
2. To the ruins, stealthy and off the path
3. To the shrines
4. Something else

Again, if there's a consensus / majority I'll go with it. If not, we'll keep talking.

OOC Info

!

Message from: Pegasus

So, I'm rubbish. Sorry all - I'm struggling to keep up with these big threads atm due to a lack of time to sit and do them. I will endeavour to do better and I will post on 23rd November without fail. One post between mod posts please. No posting order. You may, of course, control your own NPCs, but not mine. There are a number of hidden objectives throughout the game. I will let you know if you unlock them. I will post again on the 23rd November. May the Immortals have mercy on you all

NPCs

The ranking member of the Elements is Treloar:

► Show Spoiler

He is in the Air Troops
He is in charge of the Elements here.
He is a biqaj/human mixed blood.
He seems friendly -and is happy to take charge.
He believes it is important to respect the dead
He doesn't like rude people
He's pretty spry on his feet.

With him are:
Don'ial (a Sev'ryn female)

Sten (a human male)

None of them have healing skills

Other stuff!

Thread format. The format I'm using and the idea of the things being unlocked etc. Massive thanks to Straylor, who ran one of the best threads I've ever been in, a long time ago in a faraway place. I hope he finds us here one day - but props to him!

[Pash Raj'oriq]

Standing and putting away his things, Pash felt the tightness in his handiwork with a groan. Shoddy, but it was better than bleeding out across the island. He’d tug on another shirt and move to retrieve his weapon from the charred, frozen remains of his attacker, frowning as everyone presented their different ideas of where to go and how to travel. Sheathing his dagger and letting his tide pool gaze sweep their group, the seafaring musician spoke up amongst the discussion,

“I say we stick t’ th’ path. I’m gonna b’ honest here an’ say I’m no Wolf Walker, no hunter. I’m a sailor, an’ when I walk through th’ woods, th’ undergrowth trips me an’ I sound like a whale dropped into th’ trees.” He looked to his lover to perhaps help Qit’ria with his words in Common, “We won’t be surprisin’ anyone—it’s obvious that whatever’s goin’ on here already knows we’re on our way. There’s no point in riskin’ whatever Immortals-be-damned creatures be hidin' in those woods when we can jus’ stick to a path that’s clear. We can see what’s comin’ on th’ path an’ we can be ready for ’t. B’sides, under th’ cover o’ trees, how can th’ Elements keep an eye on us? Ze—no—I think th’ path an’ stayin’ on ’t still be our best sailin' weather, friends, no matter how rough th’ seas look ‘round us.”

That was that as far as he was concerned.

It was true, he would have to be careful in any more combat, that ripping a stitch or several would set them back again, would mean he’d have to sew himself up again, but he was in better shape than Kura, but he agreed with some of his lover’s logic. He appreciated Kura’s enthusiasm for their location, but he couldn’t bring himself to support traveling all over the Immortal’s Tongue in search of help,

“I have all th’ help I need here an' now, within me, around me, gifted t' me. Zanik has already marked me as his own, an’ Karem you an’ Kali’rial. We’re already Blessed an’ given aid b’ those who’ve chosen us as worthy o’ watchin’. What else d’ we need but trust in their Favor? We’re here. They’re here. An’ I don’t need anythin’ more than that—we can’t risk what else is out there.” Who knew how much of the Island was overrun with Lissira’s cursed creatures?

He shuddered at the thought.

They were anticipated. They were known.

There wasn’t anywhere on the island safer than forward, at this point, as far as the salty bard was concerned.

“There’s a basecamp before th’ ruins. We can reassess our direction from there, though I feel like th’ less attention we draw t’ ourselves, th’ better. Let’s keep an eye on that storm, though.”

The wolves could definitely scout or flank, Kura’s familiar useful, too. Pash was no tactician and didn’t have any suggestions about the best order, preferring to defer to Treolar, “You’re th’ military presence here, what’s your thoughts on how th’ group should travel?”

Surely, the man knew how to keep the wounded safe and play to their strengths now that he’d seen them in combat—that was his job, right?

Once they got on their way, Pash would have to ask about those snow crystals. They were impressive. His only requirement was to stay near his dark-haired huntress as well as still make himself useful should more combat ensue. Other than that, so long as they finally all agreed on a direction, it was best they went in it.

Off Topic

Sometimes, Pash does really stupid things. Other times, Pash has a decent head on his shoulders. I have no idea that he had a bit of preachy in him, but I apologize that I didn't set any of this to song. Teehee.

[Kali'rial]

40th Vhalar, 717

Kali’rial nodded, looking between Pash and the rest of the group as he spoke, before turning to Qit’ria to provide a hasty translation of his analogy. Stealth in the forest for someone born on the sea was about as effective as herself or Qit being asked to sail a ship. It was probably possible, but not likely.

“I have to say, I agree. Stay on the path, stick together and keep ourselves visible to the Elements. I see the value in Kura’s suggestion, but I genuinely feel like we might need a direct approach here, especially given the wounds you two have need professional medical attention. If we explore, yes we run the chance of finding something healing to help, but we also delay getting to guaranteed help.” Rolling her shoulder experimentally, the brunette looked at the storm with a frown.

“I think, whatever decision we make, we should make it quickly before that storm gets worse. Tio and I saw a storm here, and I can confirm none of us should want to be on the outside of it.” Her tawny gaze drifted to the thief with a look of shared tragedy, the memories of their last visit flooding in. Was she angry at him about the fire? Immortals no. The blonde had basically saved their life, even if it also nearly ended them.

“Tio, seriously here, do you honestly think after what we saw last time that stealth will be of any use? This place is unpredictable and in my mind, even more bent on its destruction than before. Let’s not creep around and let the mossters surround us, let’s take them, head on. Fire and all.” Her face softened with a smile, before looking at Qit.

“We are strong, proud huntresses of The Great Mother. Daughters of Desnind. We don’t hide from our foes, we stand and we fight. We hunt them before they hunt us, find the nest and flush out the leader. Don’t let fear temper your ferocity sister.” Her eyes burned and her grin turned wolfish, moving to place a hand on the other Sevir’s shoulder. Moving away to Kura, Kali’rial bowed her head in respect.

“I know the Immortals would probably help us, and you out of any one here have more military and strategic experience, but given the things I saw here in the last visit I am fearful that their influences have been tainted by Lisirra herself.” It wasn’t quite an apology for disagreeing with the wolf-walker, but it was acknowledgement of the fact she wasn’t in agreement. Hopefully, the more experienced woman could see her point of view.

[Qit'ria]

It seemed that Tio at least had a good head on his shoulders as he agreed with her. It only made sense that if they'd been ambushed once, the enemy was ready and waiting for them. To try to avoid the traps made the most sense to the huntress. Rushing headlong into a trap just seemed like throwing yourself onto a spear. Foolish, fatally so.

Her face contorted to show her disgust at Currys words. They were so well spoken, so well chosen, Qit immediately assumed them to be untruthful, to hide whatever this... city woman's motives were. And they made no sense to Qit'ria. She wanted to seek out the shrines? To get help from the Immortals? That was the stupidest thing she'd heard in a long time. If the Immortals wanted to help with this, they would've come here personally and solved it all on their own. No, as usual, Immortals did nothing but watch their followers cry for help and receive none. Immortals were not someone that could be relied upon. And to think otherwise, made Curry a fool in Qit's eyes.

Listening to Kali's mate though, that was a mixed bag. The enemy knew they were coming, so might as well just take the path anyways? To not even try and surprise or avoid them? What sort of idiotic shit was that? All because he's a sailor and can't pay attention to where he was stepping? Why would Kali bring him if he can't walk through wilderness with any sort of care? Well, he did help patch them up, so he wasn't entirely useless, but his opinion held no weight with Qit. Obviously he was just scared, or lacked common sense. But at his mention of a base camp, Qit perked up. That was a possibility to work with. Familiar ground, to the rest of the group at least, would provide confidence, cover, rest and respite. Certainly a much wiser choice than the shrines.

Thankfully Kali's words made some sense to the woman. And it seemed the group was vastly against the ridiculous shrine seeking idea. That was good. That meant that at least most of them had enough sense to pray to no avail. And the sense of urgency is really what made Qit stop and think. Kali was right in that regard. The longer they waited, the worse it would get, no matter what choice they made. Qit'ria knew she'd probably be fine, by herself, during a storm, she could find or create shelter. But these others would die. Although... maybe for a couple of them, it wouldn't be the worst thing.

Though she disagreed with Kali's statement to Tio. Going slow and stealthy was almost always useful, even more so with unpredictable situations. It let you take stock of your surroundings, have time to make decisions, surprise enemies. But... Kali's mate might be right. If he were so boatfooted that every twig looked like a ship's deck to him, then perhaps speed was the best option.

Qit'ria felt Kali's strong hand on her shoulder, met her wolf eyes with her own untainted ones, and she returned the smile with a feral one of her own. She was right. They needed to hunt down that which hunted them. It made much more sense to her hearing it in her native language. And clearly Kali was giving her the blessing to do so. It was all very clear to Qit'ria now. They make for the base camp. They get the others to the ruins, for... whatever it was Tio had told her they needed to do. She couldn't recall what he'd said to get her here, she just leapt at the chance to return after the pair's last adventure there.

Once they were at the ruins though, she'd do what Pash could not. She'd scout out these mossters, find their nest, and if able, kill the leader. It was what Kali wanted her to do. And part of Qit'ria wished to pay penance to her for her injury. Bringing back the head of the mossters would be the best way to do that. Qit nodded at Kali, the determination and fire in her eyes as she now knew her path. This was why she was brought along, to do alone what the group couldn't do together.

"We go bass camp. Make many fire. Make many torch. Go ruins. Charging thwarthog. Not shadowcat."

Qit'ria felt no need to say more. She would do what Kali and Pash said, and she assumed the rest would as well. She made her way to the trees and began breaking off green branches and saplings. She knew they didn't have the supplies for proper, long lasting torches, but she could make them some that could get them to the camp at the very least. The green wood would keep them from burning down in hand. Once she had enough for everyone on foot, she began rooting around in the foliage, gathering up damp moss by the arm load and setting it in a pile by the wood.

Using her shortsword as a makeshift carving knife, she cut several long, flexible strips of bark from the trees. She let the others deliberate while she worked. She pulled a small bundle of wire from her trapping kit out of her pack and got to work. She laid out the strips of bark, and lined them with the damp peat moss. Then she rolled them around one end of the stick, and tied the bulb on with the wire. She then stuck a single piece of the bark in the center to stick out, and repeated the process several times. Carrying them over to one of the few fires left, she held one, with the bark wick sticking out toward the flames and let the wick catch.

The fire took to the bark readily, and burned into the inner layers of bark. But the peat moss kept it from growing to fast, burning too quickly. It gave a bit of a soft glow as it did, and a decent bit of smoke and steam. But as it burned and dried, she knew it would burn brighter, and for a decent little while, surely enough to get to the base camp. She ignited each torch and handed them out, and was eager to get going. She had a mission to get on with, and to start it, she needed to get the group into the ruins.

[Tio Silver]

At first it seemed that the group couldn't come to a consensus on their next move. Pash and Kali wanted to stick to the roads to get the ruins, he and Qit'ria thought they should go off road, and Kura wanted to go to the shrines of the Immortals and ask them for help. To be honest Tio didn't mind that much which route they took to get to the shrine so long as they actually got going soon, and found himself fidgeting impatiently as the others debated on which way to go. Luckily it didn't take too long as Pash and Kali stuck to their guns about taking the road, and although she didn't seem at all happy about it Qit'ria also conceded to do things their way.

"Well if you guys are all happy with it I vote we take the roads too, which I think makes that the majority." He said slyly, raising his hand as if votes were being determined by a show of them. "That means we can get going now right? I'm hoping there a bottle of rum or two in the base-camp, I could use a drink."

Honestly Tio didn't have that much more to say on the matter. He'd never been big on democracy as a system, and would rather that the group nominate one person as a leader so that they didn't waste time on discussion like this. If he brought the subject up now though it was sure to spark another round time-consuming of debates, so he decided to save that topic for when they reached the base-camp.

[/align]

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura nodded as Teloar said that it would be better for them to keep away from the humanoid mossters. "Seems tactically sound. Though we should relax around the animalistic mossters. Just because these first ones weren't carriers, doesn't mean later ones will be as safe." she said, looking up at the darkening sky. After a moment, she took out her Nights Glow Glasses and put them on. The capacity of the glasses had been part of her brief when they had been sharing information, but she didn't know how many would make the connection. She listened silently as the others discussed what to do and the result was on heading straight down the path for the ruins.

She smiled at Kali when she explained why she didn't agree with her on where to go. "Teloar likely has more skill in tactics and strategy than I, lass. But if Immortal influences have been infected by this Plague-Bearers creation, then that may be the single most worryin' thing I've heard in many years. And it would indeed be wiser not to call on them, except as a last resort." she said, grimacing. Part of the thing that kept the Lady of Decay at bay was that the Immortals were immune to her diseases.

When a decision had been raised, she sighed and stood to her feet. "All right, chargin' right down the forward path it is." she said, grinning slightly. She was Imperial, and thus the strategy of just plowing through the threat was something she had a fair bit of familiarity with, though she might not have recommended it here. "I would advise against drinking anything found laying around here, though. They've corrupted the bodies of the dead, a bottle of rum would be childs play." she said, working her injured arm. "Let's be proceedin' with caution, though. No point in gettin' caught in an ambush we could have avoided by hurryin'." she said, noting that she was going to have trouble with repeated use of her bow.

[Pegasus]

Yet, this passing of the years,
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

So, they continued to talk.They each made an argument, put forward a viewpoint and they discussed what they had to in order to come to a consensus. It was, in truth, the only way forward.

And the storm grew more intense, building and boiling in the skies above them.
Pash
Pash asked Treloar what he thought and the Element looked at the biqaj and considered. "I don't think we're equipped for stealth. Not with aerial units, untrained civilians and the numbers we have. If we were in a different situation, I'd say we should split, but we don't have enough uninjured, trained people. Anyone splitting off now will harm the group, so we go with the direct route. They already know we're here."

That was his answer.
Kali'rial
Kali'rial was becoming the one in the group who was trying to keep the group together - maintain the pack. She was clear in her opinion, but also quick to see the opinions of others, to acknowledge them. However, at the end of the trial she, too, voted for a more direct approach. Her words also turned to Qit'ria, with the aim of convincing the less experienced Sev'ryn that this was the right path.
Qit'ria
To the naked eye, it might seem that Qit'ria was swayed by Kali'rial's speech and, in fact, she was. Still, her unspoken plan was such that might give them a moment to wonder what she had understood from what Kali had said. But that would be later, if at all, and so Qit concentrated on gathering up torches and making what she could in preparation.
Tio
Tio, the anti-democrat raised his hand and voted, in a show of something looking like irony. Then, he was keen to get moving and to get to where they were going. He was more interested in the action than the discussion, and he wanted to find out what was going on. So on they went.
Kura
Even though it was a decision Kura didn't personally agree with, Karem's daughter was too experienced to take it personally, so she went with the majority. Still, though, she urged caution and suggested that they not go charging right off. That, she thought, would be bad. Very bad. Instead, she suggested that they move at a sensible and cautious pace.

All....

The storm raged above them and, as they got closer to the ruins they would undoubtedly see that the storm seemed to be centered on.. well, the place where the ruins were. They moved and, as they did they made their way through a landscape that was changed since any of them had been there previously. Mainly, what they saw was that there were, scattered here and there, corpses. Mostly of animals, some large some small. Some that flew and some which walked. But all of them, ripped open like they'd been eaten yet, should any of them examine them even at all, they would find that there was nothing missing. So, ripped apart, but not written. All of them had the moss growing out of them, seeming to emerge from where the wounds were - like it had burst out of them.

It was, frankly, disgusting.

Mutated, moss-covered animal corpses. A few of them at first, here and there but as they grew closer, more and more of them. Still not loads, but enough that the increase was noticeable. Another thing which was noticeable, especially to those who had seen it close up, was that this moss was different than Pash's moss. The moss Pash carried (lovingly called Moe) was a more vibrant, alive colour. The moss growing in and on and out of these unfortunate creatures seemed... wrong. Dark and almost twisted.

And above them, the storm raged.

As the base camp came into view, the thunder roared above them and made hearing each other hard to do. The rain lashed on them, shards of ice cutting into them and the wind threatened to blow them off their feet. It was the kind of weather where people died and they would have to, each one of them, battle against the weather to move forward.

And forward was an interesting sight.

Those who had seen it before would see it again. The familiar shapes of the tents except... it wasn't. What they saw there in front of them was a place which had once been a basecamp was now completely over run with dark moss. Nothing moved in there, nothing lived. There was moss all over the ground, all over the tents and the... well, all over everything. Not the good Moe-moss that Pash had with him. No, this was very much the moss the mossters and the moss-corpses had been covered with. One of the tents was collapsed under the weight of it and, unlike the perfect circles of effects they had seen before, those who came, this moss was growing, obviously, out.

The Elements, those still in the air, were no longer above them, it was just too dangerous. They were going to have to go and find a place to land and then, well, land.

Objectives:

How to communicate? Very tricky - please ensure that you take that into account. Speaking is almost entirely useless, because the thunder is so loud.
That's a lot of moss What are you going to do here then?

OOC Info

!

Message from: Pegasus

Hard to believe though it is, we are nearly at an end point here. Another few rounds (depending what you do) and you'll be done. I can only apologise for not posting when I said I would - RL is just... work right now. However, if you guys can do it by then, I can post on Tuesday 5th December. One post between mod posts please. No posting order. You may, of course, control your own NPCs, but not mine. There are a number of hidden objectives throughout the game. I will let you know if you unlock them. May the Immortals have mercy on you all

NPCs

The ranking member of the Elements is Treloar:

► Show Spoiler

He is in the Air Troops
He is in charge of the Elements here.
He is a biqaj/human mixed blood.
He seems friendly -and is happy to take charge.
He believes it is important to respect the dead
He doesn't like rude people
He's pretty spry on his feet.

With him are:
Don'ial (a Sev'ryn female)

Sten (a human male)

None of them have healing skills

Other stuff!

Thread format. The format I'm using and the idea of the things being unlocked etc. Massive thanks to Straylor, who ran one of the best threads I've ever been in, a long time ago in a faraway place. I hope he finds us here one day - but props to him!

[/quote]

[Tio Silver]

As the group pressed onward towards the campsite, it soon became very clear that whatever trouble it was that they'd stumbled across all those seasons ago was finally coming to boil. The amount of dead animals that seemed to have been killed, not for the sake of survival, but apparently for the sheer pleasure of it, increased with every step forwards they took. And the strange, mutated looking moss that'd clung to the mossters and the moss-zombie that'd killed Kitty was growing on the corpses like wildfire. There was no way that such disgusting moss could belong to the saintly Moseke Kali kept talking about, so going from that it didn't seem like too much of a jump in logic to assume that this stuff was the work of Lisirra. Was that what was going on here; some kind of 'war-of-the-moss' between the two Immortals? Whatever was happening, it seemed pretty clear to Tio that the only people who stood a chance of destroying this moss before it could spread to the Scalvoris mainland was the people in this group.

But how on Idalos were they supposed to do that?

As the base camp came into view the storm picked up in ferocity, pelting them with sharp shards of hail and gusts of wind almost strong enough to blow them away. It was like Chrien was going out of her way to personally make the journey hell for them. But was this storm real? Tio could quite clearly remember how the storm that'd harassed his group last time had disappeared into perfect sunny weather when he'd touched the chalice in the ruins, and how the infected members of the party had still heard the storm even when he no longer could. Was this storm another illusion as well? It felt real, but then again so had the last one.

Whatever the case it wasn't worth risking death by exposure to find out. When the camp was close enough for them to make out the outlines of the tents Tio hurried a few steps ahead of the others so they could all see him. The thunder was too loud for them to hear him, so he made a point of slowing down and exaggerating his lip movements as he shouted at them in the hopes that they'd be able to read his lips. "WE NEED COVER. GET TO THE TENTS!"

But as they got close enough to see the base camp properly, it soon became clear that wasn't an option. The camp was overrun with dark moss, and it went with out saying that he wasn't exactly keen to find out what was inside the moss-covered tents. Likely it was going to be dangerous... and mossy. At this point the storm was downright painful just to stand in, and so Tio pointed to the ruins nearby enthusiastically, hoping the others would get the message that he thought they should hurry to them for cover.

[/align]

[Pash Raj'oriq]

Treolar's words were a confirmation that the salty bard didn't entirely know he needed until he heard them, already so aware of his own shortcomings too often. His smile was fleeting, but it warmed his sea-worn features for a moment, that need to be justified certainly not taking away the pain from sloppy stitches,

"Aye, then. Agreed. Thank you."

With that, Pash followed familiar paths, the memory of the ascent and travel to the basecamp returning to the surface of his thoughts as they approached where he'd once been two seasons before. The storm worsened, grew, and soon became loud and terrible, angry that they were there and clearly bent on attempting to force them away. Last time, internal storms had erupted within his expedition, the emotional threads of everyone in his group coming undone, explosive much like the storm that raised above them now. He grit his teeth, making sure he was near to his dark-haired huntress, making sure he was ready for something else leaping into their path, wanting to stop them.

Whatever was waiting for them was indeed prepared: moss grew everywhere, covering everything. Bodies of all who'd come in contact with the area gross and torn open not for need but for the want of destruction itself, turning the tall Biqaj's stomach, forcing him to gently hem away the fear that rose like the color of bile into his own emotional tangle. He didn't need to take a closer look to know that whatever this damn moss was, it wasn't Moeseke's. It was something else, something worse. It looked very much like Moe's opposite: twisted, dark, and so very wrong.

"Don' touch that. Any 'f it." He was forced to raise his voice above the howl of the wind, stating what Pash desperately hoped was the opposite but feeling it was necessary just in case.

Careful to step where he could keep his sandaled feet away from as much moss as possible, the thunder that crackled overhead was almost deafening. He winced, reaching to place a hand on Kali'rial's side, to curl calloused fingers against someone familiar for an anchor in the strangeness that spread out before them, growing and ugly.

Tents! He heard Tio shout and Pash shook his head no vehemently, not wanting to risk entering one and having it collapse on them.

He pointed further, beyond the camp and toward the ruins where he guessed the moss itself was growing out of like puss from some open, infected wound. The tall Biqaj could communicate in common sign, but he wasn't sure who would understand it, indicating with somewhat clumsy, broken hand motions that the tents were dangerous, that the clues were probably useless anyway. What was there left to discover when his own group had found nothing? Nothing!

He had his map of the ruins ahead and he pat the pocket where the map still was, but when his dark, equally stormy irises soaked in the disgusting landscape that surrounded him, he frowned. It wasn't safe to cross, for if any of that touched them, surely there was no defense. Surely, their fate would be similar. He wondered if it was even real, but looking back at the bodies reminded him that something was. Something was here and he longed to find a way to stop it:

Could they freeze it? Could they burn it?

Fire had proved itself effective but also a self-danger to their group. If they could find a safe place to stand, then perhaps the snow crystals could be of more use, giving them more solid, safe areas to walk on as well as hopefully negating the threat by covering everything in ice. The storm raged and even Pash knew his voice couldn't entirely carry above it, no matter his performance talents,

"Freeze it! Freeze it all!" Freeze it! He spoke and signed. His loud, baritone words were both a statement and a question, aware that perhaps fire would have been more effective but also far more deadly for all of them to be caught up in it.

Once he realized his words were useless, he looked to Treolar and pointed to the pouch where he had pulled his snow crystal from during the fire, making a throwing motion to indicate that they could perhaps attempt to freeze the moss and either make a path or find a solution. He pointed to where the other two Elements had gone to land, repeating the throwing motion as if to get his point across.

Looking to Kali, he wondered if she understood him, if anyone understood him, his theatrical hand motions and very expressive facial expressions his only tools for communication.

[Qit'ria]

Stealth may not have been the option, as the torches gave away the position, fireflies in the darkness of the storm, but that didn't keep Qit from being careful. She held her torch always opposite of where she was looking as they traveled, so as to not obscure her sight line. But more importantly to her, she made a very conscious effort to only step in places where she didn't leave discernible tracks; atop rocks, inside the tracks of others, using debris as cover, so that when she departed from the group, they couldn't use anything to follow her. Setting her escape up already, just as Kali wanted.

And as she moved along carefully, at the flank of the group, seeing one of the wolves out a bit further, she nearly stepped barefoot into a very unpleasant sight. She knelt down next to it, seeing what appeared to be the remains of a large bird. The exposed flesh was covered in this dark moss. And Qit was incredibly tempted to reach out, collect some for herself. But the warning in the back of her mind from Kali stayed her curious hand. She found herself wondering what this moss could do. It seemed to be a meat eater, a predatory plant. A hunter. It made her wonder if the moss was the leader. Could plants think like animals, or even like people? Was it controlling those creatures they'd fought? Did it take control and then eat them? That suggested it could think, and was acting in self defense. And she knew fire would destroy it.

Her eyes scanned the storm, seeing it worsen. She pulled her cloak tighter around her, to keep the biting ice from piercing her. The winds were howling, the sky growing dark, the flames on the torches wouldn't last much longer, not in this mess. But it would make her disappearance that much easier to pull off.

The group stepped into the clearing that was the base camp, and a flash of lightning revealed the overgrown tents. And so it seemed the intelligent moss had been preparing to be invaded for a while now. And made steps to insure that its own destruction would not come easy. Disabling the base camp was smart, it gave less quarter for rest and recovery. Shrewd and effective. A formidable enemy. And one that was hungry it seemed, as it was spreading outward from the tents it grew upon.

But if they were the invaders, perhaps they had no right to be here. Qit knew she'd do anything to kill those that would invade her territory. Nor did she have any real dog in this fight. She wasn't a part of the last trip here, she didn't feel the need for revenge. Why was she here really? For the hunt? They weren't hunting anything. Finding some old ruins? She was conflicted. They were the invaders here. What right did they have?

She needed to know more about this enemy. To find a reason to hunt it. She didn't like being led blindly into this. Her eyes were skyward, seeing the flying Elements were gone. If she were leaving, it needed to be soon. Qit heard Tio shout about the tents, barely discernible over the howling winds. She knew that the others would hear it. Would be looking his way. So Qit lowered her torch closer to the ground, to begin her disappearance. She waited, watching, not yet moving. She saw Pash shouting, taking charge as he'd done quite often this trip. Saw him speaking to Treloar with wild hand gestures. Hand gestures that would require focus from the others. And he was speaking to Kali and Treloar so he served as his own distraction, in Qit's mind.

Qit purposefully let her torch drop into a muddy puddle, knowing the sizzle of the fire wouldn't be heard. But the disappearance of the light might be noticed. So she still didn't move, watching the others' reactions. She pulled her cloak tight about her, crouching a bit to make her small frame even smaller, dark in the storm with a cloak to match. The wind was biting, cold, wet, perhaps any that saw her might think her hiding from the storm. She slowly stepped near a tree, to give off the impression of seeking shelter from the wind. And there she waited, for once the group was heading to the ruins that Tio pointed toward, she was gone. She needed to see this enemy with her own eyes, and she did not think the truth was in the ruins. It was further out, from wherever those mossters came from. Who was the real threat? This moss, or this invading force?