I8DT: The fellowship of the...

[Sean Hall]

Elizabeth opened her mouth for a moment as if to speak then her shadow changed from that of a normal woman to one with wings. For a moment Sam would see her as she should be her body armored and covered in blood with a blade in her hands, and wings outstretched.

Saraswati guide this Seraphim in her task...

[Samantha McManus]

She frowned at Sean's guardian.

"...I'm not afraid of you."

[Sean Hall]

"Then my time here has certainly dulled my skills," Elizabeth said a look of contemplation on her face.

"Wha-"

"I was never certain why they would choose me to play at being a mother one who sent so many to have their hearts weighed against a feather."

[Victoria Valentine]

"She's given her marching orders by other elder gods and has no other pressing personal stake in this other than him. Frankly, I'm not surprised."

[Nailah Weaver]

"If you are who you claim to be then we are on the same side. At least in this."


"When it comes to this the concept of colleteral damage doesn't exist in their minds."

[Sean Hall]

"Do you doubt my word? I am a creation of Akah Ma'at, and a follower of Saraswati," Elizabeth said, "Is your purpose in this truly the same as mine?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"Our priorities may be different."

[Sean Hall]

"My priority is keeping him from the hands of Darkholders," Elizabeth said not telling the entire truth, "Yours are likely somewhat more complex."

[Samantha McManus]

"And still you're trying to hide something from us."

[Sean Hall]

"By keeping him in the hands of Oshtur," Elizabeth said, "I risk the ire of my mistress by telling you that, but it is the truth. Undoing this makes him more valuable to her than to Chthon."

[Samantha McManus]

"But of course, as you said that anyone could try him on..."

[Sean Hall]

"Her intentions may be pure compared to Chthons, but Sean will cease to be all the same," Elizabeth said, "What you seek is south of here in the Forest of D-"

Elizabeth was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass and closed her eyes.

"The Darkholders are here you need to run now."

"But Eliza-"

"Run now, we will speak again at the forest."

[Victoria Valentine]

Convenient.

[Nailah Weaver]

"We'll see about that..." Nailah says, preparing to retreat.

[Sean Hall]

A door was blasted off it's hinges upstairs

"Oshtur guide you all," Elizabeth said a sword forming in her hand and whatever illusion she'd maintainging collapsed showing her in all her angelic splendor.

"Elizabeth we c-"

"Flee, Sean."

"But you coul-"

"I've fought longer than you've been alive. I can handle these Darkholders better without you distracting me."

Sean paused for a moment and then began retreating back the way the group had come.

[Samantha McManus]

"Bloody hell," she muttered before breaking up into the flock and giving chase after Sean.

[Nailah Weaver]

"I can't say I'm happy with this strategy at the first sign of trouble..." she gripes but they're here to protect Sean and if he runs, well...

[Victoria Valentine]

"Well, the easiest fight to survive is one you let someone else fight. And in this case, someone I'm not particularly caring for, so I can't complain..."

[Sean Hall]

Sean opened the door and took about three steps towards the car before stopping. Something had tried forcing itself through the front gate and whatever it had been was splattered across the gate and the grounds. The air seethed with magical energy and that was right around when something screamed out a curse. Magical flame flew at Sean who shielded himself if only just.

Gods above...

It had come from a Darkholder cultist whose robe was smoldering and was chanting again this time aiming for the others who were following behind Sean. Another seemed to have broken through the wards around the gate and was beginning to walk towards them.

[Nailah Weaver]

Oh no you don't. "Ask temt-na heka pen em bu neb enti-f!"

The bristling magic around the coalesces in front of the group into a faintly shimmering shield.

[Victoria Valentine]

Oh, finally. A body to pin all of this rubbish on...

Victoria put aside thoughts of trying to make a quick study of the wards that had... well, done that, and pointed the pommel of her (again present) dagger at the Darkholder. All right, she has the shielding taken care of, best to neutralize them so we can keep going. Probably can't kill him. Or shouldn't. Whatever. How to... ah. Yes, the classics are always best...

Her other arm extended with her hand clutching thin air as she began to chant.

"By the seven words unspoken
By the angel’s dying gasp,
May the Crimson bands of Cyttorak
Appear within my grasp,
By the mystic laws that bind us,
By the powers we implore,
Bands of Cyttorak entrap thee
Bind you here forevermore!"


Her skin and hair seemed to fade to pink, then to red as she spoke the incantation, crimson mystic energy gathering in her hand and darting out to ensnare the Darkholders.

[Sean Hall]

Oh no you don't. "Ask temt-na heka pen em bu neb enti-f!"

The bristling magic around the coalesces in front of the group into a faintly shimmering shield.

Nailah's shield was quite effective against the magical blast from the Darkholder who was them promptly ensnared by Victoria's spell. His hood fell back revealing a branded face though the rune itself was marred by a hideous looking burn that covered the man's face. Apparently the wards over the gate hadn't been any more gentle to him than the first or was it several cultists who'd attempted going through the gate.

The second Darkholder must have been insane or at least not overly concerned with his health because when the red energy tried to bind him he used a spell to light himself on fire and began charging towards the group.

Victoria would find that the wards were complicated, but not overly so. The amount of collateral damage from them activating might indicate something that should be used...carefully in enclosed spaces or at the very least something to be created with a bit less of a magical charge.

[Samantha McManus]

The flock coalesced into Samantha's form as she positioned herself between the immolated cultist and the others. Her expression was resolute as she uttered a single word that reverberated both in the physical and mental worlds, as much a mental attack as speech.

"Fall."

[Sean Hall]

The Darkholder appeared to take a few more steps before collapsing like his strings had been cut. The magical fire continued chewing through the cultist. The other cultist continued to struggle against Victoria's bindings. No other cultists were making an appearance and a strange silence took hold of the grounds.

Sean chanted something quietly to himself and the flames surrounding the cultist died away leaving a scorched and smoking cultist.

"I think it might be time to leave," Sean said breaking the silence.

It obviously wasn't meant to last because the quiet was broken quite suddenly as all of the windows on Sean's house exploded outwards.

[Victoria Valentine]

"What about this one," Victoria said, glaring at the Darkholder she had bound. "Care to find out what we can from him before we make our quick escape?" She glanced at Sam as she said this.

[Samantha McManus]

"If I can," she said as she turned her mind towards the imprisoned cultist.

[Sean Hall]

The cultist was "prepared" for magical rather than telepathic assault. His mind was open to Samantha and at it's forefront was an instruction or rather an order they had been given.

"We have found the follower of Saraswati. She is the key to finding th-" the memory seemed to skip, "Two of the chosen will lead you in this task. Do not fail, godhood is within your grasp, and something far worse than death will be your punishment if you fail. Our masters return is coming and his true servants will be rewarded."


The Darkholder's eyes rolled back into his head and his mind started to fragment. Something had planned for this kind of intrusion even if the cultist had not.

[Samantha McManus]

"...they went after her to try to find him."

[Sean Hall]

Sean looked back at the house for a moment then back at the group.

"Then Elizabeth has bought us some more time to do this without inteference," Sean said, "I'm thinking she meant the Forest of Dean or at least I'm hoping that's what she meant."

Sean opened the door to the car.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Then let's not lose any more time."

[Samantha McManus]

"Aye," she said as she got back in, determined to see this through.

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria finally released the spell, and took a moment to rifle through the dead man's clothes to make sure he didn't have anything that they would be careless to leave there before she followed.

[Sean Hall]

Victoria didn't find anything particularly interesting on the man. An amulet with Chthon's symbol on it, pocket lint, a black and white photograph of a woman.

Sean got into the car and turned it on waiting for the others to get in before he drove off to the Forest of Dean.

[Victoria Valentine]

She took the photograph, just in case, and the amulet, which she dropped into a ball of white-hot flame she conjured on her way to follow the others.