Whispering of Ghosts

Quest
Whispering of ghosts

As you walk into the tavern, a woman comes walking in, almost crying her eyes out. It appears she has a lot of friends because many people seem concerned about her welfare, and they try to console the woman in the best ways they can. Then almost half the tavern swarms around the woman to hear her story.

In her sobbing, you overhear her talk about the location of an old abandoned house in the forest where she heard the screams of a woman multiple times in the night. She didn’t dare to enter that place, because she believes it to be haunted by ghosts. There is a lot of talk in town about ghosts in that part of the forest at night. However, she fears there might be a woman held captive against her will in that house.

This could have just as easily been a dream, a nightmare perhaps. But you can’t help but wonder.. Is there really a woman held captive against her will in a house haunted by ghosts? Or maybe this possibly a ghost she heard.. Are you willing to find out?

You can decide to check if the rumors are true, but you would need to prepare for the journey into the forest.
Then you will only be able to reach the house by nightfall if you decide to go right now.
That is, ofcourse, if you dare to go into the forest after hearing those whispers of ghosts lurking about.
....
When you reach the forest and the building, please tag @Nienie on discord in the tagbox

i've lived my life both good and bad,
definitely not as light as a feather

It had been quite the day already. After her morning had been filled with meetings with the council to prepare for the Frostcrown Festival, Arianna had decided to go out riding. It was already late in the afternoon when she and her guard walked into the tavern, leaving their horses outside to be taken care of. As soon as she stepped into the tavern some surprised looks were thrown her way. It just made the Princess smile back politely to the other guests, as it was nothing she wasn't familiar with.

All of a sudden, however, all shifted to a strange woman who had just enter. Like all the other people, Arianna turned around to hear what was going on. The devastated woman spoke of an abandoned house, screams of another woman.. and ghosts. It sounded like a ghost story meant to scare children away from the forest. If only the stranger hadn't been crying her eyes out. Had she just had a nightmare? Or was it real? Briefly, Arianna sent her guard a worried glance. Whatever was going on, this woman needed the reassurance that all was well. Of course there was the problem of the princess not being allowed to go into the forest at this time. Then again, she did have her guard with her. And would it really be a comforting look if the future ruler of Ravaryn decided to leave when somebody needed aid? "You needn't worry, miss. We will head to the house right now." She said after making her way through the crowd. She offered the woman a kind nod of her head, before making her way to the exit of the tavern. There was no such thing as ghosts, yet captive women.. that was a common horror in this world.

Outfit

Sigma Octantis Estrella

oh, why are we so sad? are we feeling hurt by their evil lies.
and all those empty words?

This day was long, tedious and almost boring. It was one of those days were he just couldn't keep his concentration to his studies. Something that his mentor notices, as he had punished him three times already. Just before dusk, the older man just gave up and let de boy go. Maybe some fresh air and a good drink would clear his head. Sigma yawned, while he walked towards the inn. He wondered where his brother was at this moment, he hadn't seen him at home, but with his study hours he wasn't surprised. He had spent so many countless hours of doing research, little spells, some bigger spells now that his mentor thought he was ready for it. It also meant that he was working even longer hours and hadn't seen daylight in quite some time.
The moment he walked into the inn, some people gasped. Sigma wondered if it was for him and he quickly checked if his arms were still wrapped him. The bandages were still there, so what was going on? Only now, he noticed the sound of sobbing and a crowd forming around someone. Sigma used his small body to slip through the crowd and found a woman crying, she was talking through the sobs about some kind of abandoned house and ghost. It somehow peaked his interest, and that of the dark mage in him. He wondered what kind of things you could find there and if there would be resources that he could use for his magic. Sigma listened for a while, made some notes in a scroll of paper that he had on his person and turned around to go and find his brother. He noticed some other woman speaking to the crying one, saying that she shouldn't worry before bolting out of the door. Sigma wondered for a moment, he would like to take his brother with him for this. But maybe that woman would also be able to help. He gathered his stuff and sprinted after her. "Hey, miss, Wait up!"

Tags: xxx

Our worth is not given.

After the day he had, he had been looking forward to kicking back a bit. Today was busy. More than busy even. While he was assigned as the Princess here personal detail, he still had other matters to tend to off course. Mainly things that had to do with the academy of his family and taking care of the squires. But not today, since he had been assigned on the evening shift. Which in a way worked in his favor since he could spend time with the Princess.

While everything had seemed quite normal, it all changed in a matter of moments. A woman came walking in he frowned, she was balling her eyes out to say the least. Making him instantly get up on his feet, making sure that she was okay. Since that was still his task was it not? The words the brought out, sounded rushed, she kept gasping for air so it was hard to make out what she was actually saying. Caspian tried to pay close attention to what she was saying. Picking up something about an old abandoned house in the forest and screams of a woman. Maybe he should check it out with one of the knights? Apparently, Arianna had a different idea. Something he wasn’t all to comfortable with. But in the end he couldn’t say no to this. There clearly was something going on in the woods, and he couldn’t let the Princess go alone.

’Let’s gather some resources first though? So we are at least repared.’ When a stranger approached them, he placed his hand on his sword. Briefly narrowing his eyes.

It must be made.

MONTY

i've lived my life both good and bad,
definitely not as light as a feather

The woods surrounding Ishgard weren't a dangerous place, usually. Yet the woman was clear about the fact that she had come from the exact forest that Arianna had just visited earlier today. She had overheard the woman say the house was near the mountains, north east of the capital. If they would just follow the road they would be able to find it. The Princess had already made up her mind: she would go.

Of course Caspian followed her outside. In the blink of an eye she had seen that he didn't seem very content with her plan. The Princess didn't quite trust the stranger's grief-stricken state, but what if there really was a woman held captive? She couldn't let it just pass by. Caspian mentioned gathering resources, making Arianna nod. "By the time we reach the house, night will have surely fallen. We'll at least need torches." She said with a pensive look on her face. Just then another stranger called out to them, asking them to wait up. Arianna had never seen the young man before and by the way he didn't greet her the way most people would, she assumed he didn't know who she was either. "Do you wish to join us?" She asked him. After she had gotten her answer, she held out her gloved hand to him. "Arianna Ylindar," she introduced herself. "This is my guard, Caspian Elessar. We were just talking about gathering some resources." She explained. Torches, perhaps a horse for the man if he didn't have one.

Outfit

Sigma Octantis Estrella

oh, why are we so sad? are we feeling hurt by their evil lies.
and all those empty words?

While walking up to the woman, a man had joined her. Sigma hasitated for a moment, not sure if this was the right idea. They seemed way more capable to do this, but he had to be confident. He couldn't stay behind every time, he wasn't the weak boy anymore when he left Xaila. No, he was stronger, better and more usefull now. As long as nobody would notice what he could do. Oh dear, this was not a smart idea. But before he could turn around and take off, the woman spoke to him and asked if he wanted to join. " Yes," he told her, with more confidance in his voice than he had anticipated. She introduced herself als Arianna Ylindar and Sigma swallowed hard. Oh no, he made a mistake. This was the crown princess of Raveryn, which meant that... He looked at the man standing with her, this would probably be her guard, Arianna called him Caspian. Why did he always work himself into trouble. " Sigma Estrella," He introduced himself while looking from Arianna to the man. " It's nice to meet you, your highness." He looked to Caspian. "Sir." His voice was a bit more quiet, as he had no idea how to speak to royalty. " Eh, yes, ofcourse. Resources. I can get some torches, rations and my horse back home." Would his mentor mind that he took of for an unknown amount of time? Probably not, as long as nobody would find out about his magic. He hoped, atleast.

Tags: Arianna & Caspian

Our worth is not given.

Caspian had straightened his back, listening to what Arianna was saying. A nod followed. ’Torches, a horse and some rations in case we get stuck somewhere.’ He wasn’t planning on it. Really not, but he had to keep it in mind that something like that could actually happen. But when the stranger joined them he did reach for his weapon. He didn’t trust the stranger, it made the whole situation less stable. With the Princess he knew what she could do, or at least he had a fairly good idea of her being a good swordsman herself. But this guy, no. He didn’t like it. But the more, the merrier. Or something like that. If anything they could use an extra pair of eyes, so he wasn’t going to take it for granted. What he would do was keep a close eye on him, in case he had any plans.

A brief nod followed to the man. Hand moving away from the hilt of his blade. ’We shall meet at the gates of the city.’ He nodded. If anything, he had his weapon. The only thing he needed was his horse and perhaps some food if the other didn’t bring enough. Eyes trailing back to Arianna, a nod following. ’Let’s go your Highness.’

It must be made.

MONTY

i've lived my life both good and bad,
definitely not as light as a feather

A stranger joining the mission could be both dangerous and helpful. For now, Arianna chose to believe the latter. The stranger spoke to them with confidence which seemed to falter as soon as the Princess introduced herself. Yet the man, Sigma Estrella, remained polite. Caspian proposed they meet at the city gates after they had gathered their supplies. "We'll probably arrive at nightfall, so be sure to wear something warm." She told the stranger. Before her and Caspian left, she offered him a polite nod. "Meet us as quickly as possible." There was truly no time to waste here.

"We should just go to the nearest shopkeep." She told Caspian. The shops would still be open at this hour. "Why don't you get the torches and some firestones, I'll get the food." That would save them time. The faster they would get on the road, the easier the travel would be to the house as it would still be light outside. Arianna knew Ishgard like the back of her hand, so a shop was easily found. With enough bread and water for the three of them she returned to the horses, only to find Caspian already there. ""How are you so fast?" She asked curiously. After the food was loaded in the saddlebags it was time to head to the gates of the city.

As they waited for their companion Arianna petted Muirrean. Her glance moved towards her guard. "I promise I'll be careful, Caspian." She said to him, showing him a smile. That was what he wanted to hear, right?

Outfit

Sigma Octantis Estrella

oh, why are we so sad? are we feeling hurt by their evil lies.
and all those empty words?

Oh shit, oh fuck, oh shit, oh fuck. Why did he walk up? Why did he speak to these people? Now he would be nothing but a burden. He noticed how they were both well equipped. Fancy swords and all. He swallowed and felt how his knees were trembling. This was such a big mistake, but he couldn't back down now. They told him to meet them at the cities gate as soon as possible. He nodded polite and watched them as they left, before he let out a deep sigh and felt tears burn behind his eyes. This was gonna be such a terrible mistake. With weak knees, he started walking towards his home, he had some explaining to do.

Some time later, he was riding the hose that he had used when he traveled through Avalon. She was an older mare, but she was easy-going and didn't mind a long hike. He had to leave Pumpkin at home, something the cat most certainly didn't want. But he explained to her that his traveling companions wouldn't appreciate a cat in their midst. She wasn't happy with it and just went sleeping before the fire. He had explained to his mentor what had happened and he told him to be careful, especially around royalty. Sigma took note of it and decided to bring his dagger, just in case. He had no sword, little to no battle experience, but he knew how to read the stars and was well traveled, so he could at least be a bit helpful. He promised his mentor that he would keep his magic a secret, although he had his spellbook in his backpack. Sigma also packed some rations, a bedroll, some torches and an extra set of clothes. He also changed in something a bit warmer. A twang of jealousy when he thought back of his days as a sun mage, when he could just warm himself. That wouldn't be possible now. At the very last second, he remembered to also pack some extra bandages, he didn't want to explain all of that to the two strangers.
With his backpack on the side of his mare and himself standing next to her, he stood at the city gate, waiting till the others would arrive. When he noticed them, his heart sank. He had this small hope that they would've left him here, couldn't blame them if they did. "I'm ready," he announced while he mounted his mare.

Tags: Arianna & Caspian

Our worth is not given.

Caspian didn’t trust it for a second. Taking a stranger with. As if they couldn’t handle this on their own. Taking Sigma would only result in a factor he had no knowledge over. Something he didn’t like. But he wasn’t going against Arianna, it was her call to take him with or not and apparently she seemed more keen than he. They left before the other, on their way to find some resources themselves and their horses off course.

’Be careful Princess.’ Stretching his words for a moment. A nod following as he left her, going to find some torches and firestones. Which he easily find on his way towards the stables. An acquaintance of his. Easily he picked out a bunch of torches and some stones, paying him for it even though it wasn’t necessary for the other. Before making his way to the stables to get their horses. Already fetching their two horses and putting away the materials in the saddlebags, a few torches in his and hers, same with the firestones. In case something might happen. Her voice made him chuckle. ’What can I say. I also have my sources.’ A brief grin curled around his lips.

Once at the gate he looked up at her. Taking a deep breath. ’Well, you better or your father will put my head on a pike if I return with the news that something happened to his daughter.’ He shortly hummed. Pulling his hand through his hair. Maybe slightly nervous about actually heading out. ’Just.. Whatever happens, let me go in that house on my own. That’s all I ask.’ Soon enough the young man joined them, a brief nod following. ’Then let’s head out. Keep your eyes out for anything okay?’ A warning to the both of them, before he slightly pulled the reins of the animal. Walking through the gates and soon into the forest.

It must be made.

MONTY

i've lived my life both good and bad,
definitely not as light as a feather

It would be foolish to head into the forest without any sort of provisions. In case something might happen, not having anything on hand would set them on a road to certain doom. Thankfully, all three of the travel companions would take care of arranging provisions. When Arianna returned with the food for her and Caspian, her guard was already waiting. According to him, he just 'had his sources'. The comment made a brief smile appear on her face. "Of course you do." She simply remarked.

As they waited at the gate for Sigma, she felt the need to promise Caspian she'd be careful. "But you won't let anything happen to me." She stated. Not only would he protect her, she was also quite capable of protecting herself. "We'll decide on that when we're actually at the house." She said with a slight sigh. Of course he wanted to go in alone, but she didn't want him to. Doing that was just foolish. They would be stronger together.

Their companion arrived, meaning that they could set off on their quest. As soon as they had left the gates, Arianna spurred on her horse to go into a gallop. They didn't have any time to waste if they didn't want to navigate the forest in the dark. Thankfully, she was a very capable rider. After the sun had set they ventured into the forest, when night was already falling. She slowed the pace of Muirrean slightly so that they could better assess what was in front of them. "I think we might be getting near." she remarked as she looked at the two men. "Although I don't recall her saying any more than 'the road north-east toward the mountains'." She went on. The woman hadn't been very clear in her directions, which wouldn't help them at all. But perhaps they were just around the corner.

Outfit

Quest
Whispering of ghosts

Wandering the path through the forest, in the dark cover of night, you hear many of the sounds you wouldn’t hear during the day. There is much more silence, but if you listen carefully, you can hear some night creatures coming to life. In the distance, you can even hear an owl hooting. For a short moment, the soft rustling on the side of the road might be able to startle you a bit. But if you look closely though, you will find that it is a little hedgehog, trying to find some food between the rotting leaves. Nothing scary, right?

The mist slowly gets denser when you get closer to the location of the cottage, however, due to the sudden passing of a dark cloud, the moonlight is able to grant you some more light. And, in that light, you finally spot the house. There is a little barn behind it, but at first glance, nothing seems out of the ordinary. Maybe the stories of ghosts make the scene seem much gloomier than it is?

But then, the moment the company decides to dismount their horses, a fierce scream can be heard from the direction of the house and barn. Possibly sending many shivers down their spine. Could the woman possibly have been right when she said there was a woman trapped in the house?

It is unclear if the scream came from the house or the barn, so you will have to choose which place to search first.
Keep in mind: the house almost looks like it’s falling apart due to old age, so it might seem a little risky to enter that place.
(It is also allowed to make the choice to split up)

If chosen what to do, please tag @Nienie again in the discord tag list.

Sigma Octantis Estrella

oh, why are we so sad? are we feeling hurt by their evil lies.
and all those empty words?

Did he feel scared? Honestly, yes. When he wanted to help out the olde lady, he didn’t expect to go on a tour with the freaking crown princess and her bodyguard. He just wanted to grab his brother and make it a semi fun expedition. This was everything but what he had in mind. And he didn’t like it. A piece of his consciousness wanted him to just turn tail and let the two handle it from here. But he also wanted to show.. the world? Polaris? Himself? That he could handle things himself, that he was strong enough to do things like this. Sigma swallowed hard when he noticed the people standing at the gate and urged his horse towards them. Neither spoke to him, so he just nodded to acknowledge them and followed their horses in silence.
During the trip, Sigma had been thinking. Practicing spells in his mind to memorize them better, in case he needed to do some quick thinking magic. In the meantime he prayed that he didn’t have to use it, and if he did, it would go well. He was a capable mage, afterall, just not in dark magic, yet. These were the moments he missed his other spellbook, from when he was still a sun mage. He could be way more helpful as a sun mage right now. Sigma looked up when he heard Arianna speak. His pale blue eyes looked around, thinking back at what the older lady had told them. He wanted to open his mouth to say something, when he noticed the cottage and the barn in the weak light of the moon. The thickening mist made it almost impossible to see anything. He dismounted his horse and let her towards the cottage when a scream filled his ears. A feeling as if someone poured an ice bath down his back made him shiver and he quickly looked around. His eyes went to the other two. Would it be a bad idea to split up here? Probably, he really didn’t want to go in alone. Still, they didn’t even know where the scream came from. ”Barn or house?” He just asked the guard, Caspian. He probably had a better sense of this than he had.

Tags: Arianna & Caspian

Our worth is not given.

Caspian knew a lot of people around town, people that respected him and his family name. Which helped a lot in getting the things he needed right now. Not that he hadn’t paid them off course, but well it simply was a better thing if you knew where to ask for certain things. Shortly he grinned at the Princess, a brief nod following while they waited for the other party in question. Sigma. A name he hadn’t heard here yet, nor did the person carrying that name looked like someone whom he had seen before. A factor he should keep in mind if things would become dangerous.

He looked up at her and nodded. ’I wouldn’t be a good personal detail if I would.’ A short smile lingered around his lips. They’d decide when they would get there. Alright, for now he could live with that. But he already decided for himself that if anything was happening, he’d go into that wretched house that had been described to them. Eventually they left the city, Caspian tried keeping an eye on everything. The cover of the night, certainly didn’t help him much with keeping an eye on things. No, the man went off on the sounds of their surroundings, while keeping an eye on both the princess and the stranger.

As the mist got denser while they moved on, he hummed. Looking up when she spoke. ’Just stay close, the both of you.’ He hummed loud enough for the both to hear. As the moon casted it’s light down a gloomy house appeared with a little barn behind it. Shortly he narrowed his eyes, as he pulled the reins of the horse slightly, making it slow down. Eyes focusing on what was in front of them. Nothing seemed wrong with the house, apart from it looking very old and well rotting. Maybe it was just the light. A sigh slipped his lips as he dismounted the horse, holding her by the reins still as a piercing scream filled the air. A shiver shooting down his spine. Instantly his gaze moved to Arianna. ’Someone needs to stay with the horses in case they get spooked. The other two.. Should head in the barn first and check it out?’ He suggested. If anything they needed to split up. Shortly he pulled a hand through his hair, before placing his hand on the heft of his sword. Looking at the other two, if anything he had stated what he wanted to do. It was up to them to follow or go against him.

It must be made.

MONTY

i've lived my life both good and bad,
definitely not as light as a feather

Night had fallen when the company was riding through the forest. It was exactly as Arianna had predicted, yet it did not make the atmosphere any less eerie. Caspian told her she had to stay close, Arianna simply offered him a nod. All of the sounds of the forest where what one would expect: a rustle in the trees, the call of an owld. It wasn't all too frightening, but when they arrived at the house that fulfilled the description of the stranger she could still feel her apprehension increase.

Just as they had gotten close to the house and off their horses, a haunting scream resounded in the air. With wide eyes the Princess looked toward the house, trying not to let the sound dishearten her too much. But she could still feel herself shiver. The house itself looked like it was about to collapse, its stones old and not at all sturdy. However, as Sigma voiced, there was also a barn they had spotted when they arrived. In all situations that option was the better one to investigate. Caspian mused one of them had to stay with the horses and Arianna nodded along. "We can go to the barn Caspian, Sigma will you stay here with the horses?" She mused. If she wasn't going to stay with the horses having Caspian with her was the smartest choice. After she tied the reins of Muirrean to a secure post she took a few steps in the direction of the barn. "We'll be right over there," she told Sigma as she showed him a smile. If anything they wouldn't be too far apart. She let Caspian take the lead, knowing he'd want to do so, before she followed him to the barn.

Outfit

Quest
Whispering of ghosts

Right after the eerie scream caused the small company to sent some shivers down their spines, they decided to split up. Two of them head down to the barn, while the other stays with the horses. A smart decision perhaps?

As the crown princess and the knight walk up to the barn, they are able to hear another scream, and this time it becomes very clear that the sound was indeed coming from the barn. Is there truly a woman trapped in there? Or is it maybe something else?
Before one of them is even able to open the door to look inside, something quick and small finds its way outside through the little crack in the barndoor. And.. It’s a fox.

Wait, did this critter really cause all that fuss?

The little fox runs into the forest, but then stops to look back at the company, almost as if there is something keeping it there. And while it stands there, waiting for something to happen, you hear some metal falling inside the barn, which means, there must be something else inside there.. When you turn around again, the fox is gone.

You now know what made the sound of the scream, but something strange is still going on inside the barn.
At this point you still have two options; you can go into the barn to check out what is still in there, or you can try to chase after the fox (if you can find it again)

Please tag @Nienie again if you made the decision to head into the barn or chase after the fox.

Our worth is not given.

The barn seemed like the most viable option, if they didn’t want to get into a situation where Arianna might get wounded, the house was simply too unstable to begin with. It should be torn down actually, maybe something he could actually do with some of the knights if he put his mind to it. Though for now, they needed to figure out what on earth was going on here. Shortly he looked up when the Princess stated that they would go to the barn together. Good. Together was exactly what he wanted. He would’ve rather taken her back to Ishgard and figure this thing out on his own. But this was the next best thing after all.

He tied up his horse to hers and hummed. Shortly nodding at Sigma. ’Keep an eye out for anything strange okay? If something does happen, yell out for us.’ Showing him a grateful smile. Taking care that the horses wouldn’t run of was equally as important as finding out what was wrong here. Walking forward toward the barn, Arianna behind him. Unsheathing his blade already. He didn’t want to run into something unarmed, not something unknown.

Yet before reaching the door something shot out and he frowned instantly coming to a halt, following the animal with his eyes and humming. A fox. Was it truly what caused the sound? Until a noise followed, making his eyes instantly dart back to the barn. Walking further towards it. Putting his hand against the wooden door, and pushing it open in one swing. Blade at the ready for who knows what might be lurking in there.

It must be made.

MONTY

Quest
Whispering of ghosts

As the knight pushes the barn door open with one swing, you hear nothing. Everything grows awfully quiet. The moonlight falls through the small little windows and the opening of the door, giving you a bit more light to look around. And as you walk in, you can hear the soft squealing of mice in the barn, trying to find hiding places as they see you enter. Though, they actually do not seem too overly fearful of people.

When you make your way further into the barn, you can now hear some soft whining as well. Possibly from some kind of animal. Then, as you follow that noise, you find another little fox, curled up in some hay. It looks at you with big eyes and a frightened look, but does not move. As you look further through the barn, you can’t find anything else that may have caused anything to fall inside the barn.

You found another fox, but since this one doesn’t move, it might be injured.
Right now you can decide to get closer to the fox, or you can look around some more. Maybe you will find something of use.

Please tag @Nienie again if you decide to come closer to the fox, or if you decide to look around.