If you're looking for a quiet retreat, this is the place. Run by devout monks, you will be welcomed with generous hospitality. You can even take the time here to achieve some spiritual enlightenment of your own, with the sounds of the rainforest as a backdrop. (+2 Precision)

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 06/20/2017 3:41 PM

Sitting there, surrounded by monks (and the odd visitor), in this large room, feeling the raindrops kiss his worn skin.... Zefiyron had felt the anger and the pain and all the deep, dark blue sorrow trickle out of him, falling down to the floor and flowing out of the temple with the rainwater. The soft "plish" of the raindrops hitting the layer of water on the temple floor had echoed slightly in the domed room, filling the air with its gentle tone. He had felt at peace, for the first time in many months.

Even just standing here, looking about at the smooth, worn floor and the elegant carvings on the rounded stone walls, Zefiyron found himself relaxing, his mind calming and a gentle sense of contentment washing over him.

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 06/20/2017 3:46 PM

But a soft clanking brought him out of his reverie. Sotani was wrapping an end of one of her chains around her other hand, eyes darting around the room. It was as if she had shrunk, falling deeper into herself, pressing away from the walls and the inscriptions and the beautifully carved roof.

Zefiyron moved a hand forward, intending to place it on her shoulder in a comforting gesture, but stopped himself, his fingers hovering inches above her skin. He had almost forgotten her dislike of being touched.

They continued walking, entering a small passage set into the wall of the room. He couldn't help but notice that Sotani's shoulders hunched up even more as they entered, and her movements were growing faster and more frantic. The clanking grew louder too, as she grabbed another chain and began to wind that one around her hand as well.

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 06/20/2017 3:54 PM

Thankfully, the passage was short, opening up into another room soon after they had entered. Zefiyron thought he heard Sotani breath a small sigh of relief, but her hand was still as tightly bound up in her chains as before.

This room held several beds, arranged in rows along one side of the room. A woman, wrapped in the same soft brown robes as the other monks, leaned over one of the beds, talking quietly the man that lay there. Along the other wall ran a series of shelves and cabinets. Vials and bundles of herbs filled the shelves, and bandages and needles poked out of one of the cabinet drawers.

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 06/20/2017 4:01 PM

"Aleeah can tend to you here," the monk said.

Zefiyron smiled at him. "Thank you very much, Jialdin. Is there anything we can do to repay you and the temple for your hospitality?"

"All we ask is that the two of you meditate with us one time. And..." The monk seemed to hesitate, before saying, "We wouldn't say no to some freshly caught meat." He looked a little sheepish as he said this.

Zefiyron laughed. "Of course, of course. When Sotani has been seen, I'll head back out and see what I can find."

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 07/06/2017 8:05 PM

As they spoke, the woman--Aleeah--straightened and approached them. Zefiyron had never met her while he had stayed here, but her name had always been said with warmth. She faced them now, palms held open in front of her. Her eyes were the soft brown of doeskin, and her smile crinkled the corners of her eyes, the only creases on her otherwise smooth and lovely face. And peaking out from under her hood, Zefiyron noted with surprise, were soft tendrils of snow-white hair. Like Sotani, Aleeah's hair was blinding white, despite all other indications of youth.

He shot a sideways glance towards Sotani, who was staring (and smiling) at the woman. She had stopped her restless movements, he noticed, and her smile had softened.

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 07/06/2017 8:14 PM

"Hello," Aleeah said, voice like misting rain. "My name is Aleeah. Sotani, you need care?"

Sotani nodded, and began unwinding the chains around her hand. Her bleeding had mostly stopped by now, but the dried blood trails striping her bare feet and the rust splotches on her chains were enough to keep Zefiyron anxious.

Aleeah made a soft noise in her throat, and stepped closer. "I'll need to clean these wounds to prevent infection. How did this happen? Here, sit down." She pointed to one of the beds. Sotani sat.

"She...she had metal cufflinks around her wrists and her ankles, like that one, around her neck. And..." Zefiyron paused. Sotani's magic seemed powerful enough to warrant discretion, but her health might depend on Aleeah knowing. "Sotani blasted them off with her own magic. There might be magical damage too."

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 07/06/2017 8:21 PM

Aleeah only nodded, peering intently at the wounds. "If I might...?" She reached out her hand towards Sotani's wrist, eyes questioning.

Zefiyron tensed. Sotani hissed and jerked her wrist away. Aleeah frowned. "I'm sorry, but I'll need to examine the wound if I'm to properly treat it. I won't hurt you, I promise."

Sotani's smile had widened, eyes flaring dangerously. She held her wrist as tightly as before.

Zefiyron coughed. "Aleeah...do you think it would be possible to examine Sotani without touching her? She's sensitive to it. It's possible..." He waved his hands, indicating her chains and her collar, hoping he was conveying the right message without offending or distressing Sotani.

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 07/06/2017 8:27 PM

Aleeah's frown deepened, but she acquiesced. "Alright, if you'll just put your wrists in front of you, please, Sotani."

Sotani's gaze flicked to Zefiyron, and he watched her smile drop in scariness. He nodded in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, and she relinquished her hold on her wrist, extending both her arms towards Aleeah.

The woman bent over them, white hair falling forward. Sotani seemed to like her hair, dark eyes fixated on it as Aleeah kneeled to look at her ankles.

"You don't have to stay, by the way," Aleeah said, looking up at him. "This all looks fairly straightforward. Whatever magic she used, it doesn't look like it's affected her body in any way."

"That's good to hear," Zefiyron replied, smiling. "And thank you, but if it's alright with you, I'd rather stay."

He figured that Sotani would prefer having someone at least a little bit familiar near her, in this strange new placed with all these strange new people.

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 07/17/2017 2:49 PM

As promised, Sotani's care was very straightforward, and over in half an hour. The tricky part came when Aleeah attempted to clean and bandage the wounds--the moment she touched Sotani, the woman jerked herself away.

In the end, after much coaxing and reassuring words, a compromise was struck: Zefiyron would (gently, lightly) hold Sotani's arms and legs, while Aleeah (carefully, so that her skin didn't brush Sotani's skin) clean and wrap the wounds.

When it was over, and Sotani's wrists and ankles were swathed in white linen, Aleeah breathed a sigh of relief. "There. You're good to go."

Zefiyron (also bathed in relief) smiled his thanks to her, and led Sotani out of the room.

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 07/17/2017 2:57 PM

They still had to get the collar off her neck, so they headed back towards the first room. Thankfully, he knew of someone at the temple who had a knack for lockpicking.

When they entered the first room, it had drastically changed. Instead of a calm, peaceful environment, it was filled with people, rushing about and exchanging hurried words to each other. Zefiyron stopped one of them, a short woman holding a light wooden bow.

"Delilah, what's going on here?"

"Zefiyron! Wow, it's so good to see you. Um, we've had warning that a group of warm are headed this way. Everyone's preparing. Care to join the defenses?"

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 07/17/2017 3:01 PM

Alarm shot through him. He immediately fell into step behind Delilah as she headed into another room.

"Swarm? Headed here? But they rarely disturb the temple, I thought," he said, reaching behind him and grabbing his bow out of his pack.

"Mm, yeah, that's what I thought too. And from the report, it sounds like a big group. Several dozen, maybe even a hundred. Maybe they thought they could take the temple with that many of them." She chuckled, and grabbed a quiver full of arrows off the wall. "It's up to us to prove them wrong, hm?"

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 07/17/2017 3:05 PM

Zefiyron nodded. He set his pack down on the floor and pulled his quiver out. Delilah was handing out weapons to the other monks who stepped in the room. He slung the quiver onto his back, and suddenly remembered Sotani.

"Oh no," he breathed. He had a hunch that the chaos in the first room wouldn't suit well with her. He had to get her somewhere safe before the swarm arrived.

"Defense positions are up on the roof?" he shouted at Delilah from across the room.

She looked up over the heads of the monks and nodded. "Yep, archers anywhere along the front side. Catch you up there."

Zefiyron rushed out.

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 07/17/2017 7:24 PM

Zefiyron rushed back into the main room, scanning the edges for Sotani. Everyone was milling about, rushing from room to room, and talking urgently to each other. Zefiyron ducked a few waving arms, a couple of sharpened weapons. But Sotani wasn't anywhere.

Zefiyron felt worry creeping through his body, shortening his breath and quickening his heartbeat. Maybe he shouldn't have brought Sotani here, after all. She was injured, and possibly not quite stable. A swarm attack was no place for her, not right now. She had needed his help and...

There. There she was. Slipping out the main entrance. Zefiyron breathed a sigh of relief and hurried after her.

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 07/17/2017 7:34 PM

Outside, a group of monks were gathered, grim expressions on their faces, weapons in hand. Sotani had slipped out and was standing a small distance away from the main group.

"Sotani! Thank goodness I found you."

Sotani turned towards him, and Zefiyron felt a chill race up his spine. She had traded "creepy" for "downright sinister", and her eyes had an edge to them that made him want to take several careful steps backwards.

"Thank goodness for the swarm," she replied, voice slow and deep. She laughed, a "hehe" that paired exceptionally well with the smile darkening her face.

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Re: Here Be Monsters [P]

Postby Kestrel » 07/29/2017 4:48 PM

"Well, Sotani, with you being injured, wouldn't it best if we take you inside during the attack? I don't want you to get hurt anymore."

Zefiyron glanced anxiously out at the line of trees down the path. They seemed quiet now, but every now and then he'd see a pair of eyes flash in the shadows, or an unnatural shape blocked out a small measure of light. They were gathering, assembling everything before rushing the temple. It was a particular characteristic of swarm: extraordinarily dumb and short-sighted alone, but decently clever and strategic in large numbers. He was willing to bet that had arrayed themselves out in the trees all around the temple, surrounding them.

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