The calling of the damned

He couldn't stay in Nostvale... he didn't think he could really stay anywhere... Not after what he'd done with himself. Oh sure, Gorandis had managed to help that boy with his curse. And he'd even been thanked and while that did help... He paused, his thoughts had distracted him from his surroundings. He was coming to the north.

Not out of any real goal, he just needed to get away for a bit, get away from everyone and everything. Some nice isolation while he worked on his... problems. Because oh boy did Gorandis have problems... The snow clung to his dark attire as he trundled further up into the shattered city. Frostvale; destroyed before his time.

But, even with the threat of dragons, it was a nice place to go if you wanted to be alone. The swirling tundra could hide even the darkest dressed person.Or so Gorandis had hoped... Shivering, he made his way into the old town square, looking for some decent shelter to hide under. He just hoped he might be able to get some privacy while he was out here.

Or at least he wanted time to work on his problems.
(Gorandis Fester)

A year had come and gone since Krosious had moved himself and his son to the Peak. Nothing in that time had really happened that was drastic. Instead it was just a simple, slow going life the two Ookami held. Training every morning for Aries, while Krosious would go hunt in the wilderness a bit further North for meals and such. Besides that, the Elder simply stood about where the square used to be when he had nothing else to do.

As he stood there it was rare that people would just wander about. The Peak was usually filled with Dragons, hence the name of course. However, this time it seemed that a stray individual had wandered in. Krosious remained silent as they wandered about to only come up and rest, or pause in whatever it was they were doing.

The Elder was unsure if they wanted to be bothered but he went ahead and spoke anyways.

"What brings you to the Peak?"

He would ask with that same stern old man tone of voice. It was nice being old, for the fact that old people could usually say or do what they want and get away with it.
(Krosious Hayes)

Gorandis nearly jumped when the voice appeared apparently out of nowhere. The heavy hood and thick snow were not doing much to help with his vision. He managed to hide most of his surprise and slowly swivelled around to the source of the sound. The small window of his face that was visible frowned in Korsious' direction.

He took a moment to warm his face him, after all suddenly talking in this bitter coldness was practically impossible for him. With his hands cupped over the small slot in the hood he breathed heavily for a second, the white mist of his breath spilling out as he cleared his throat before putting on his well oiled voice, one that seemed to ooze and drip syllables.

"My business here is my own if you don't mind... I just want to get away from it all before I end up doing more things I regret..." His hands were lowered, lingering slightly as he stared at them before he shook his head. "I would rather not let anyone else get hurt by my actions... I've already done enough to harm people... What brings you out here?"

"I thought this place was uninhabited."
(Gorandis Fester)

Seeing the male's reaction brought Krosious' brow to a furrow. He did not mean to jumpscare the person, but of course if they had not seen him then it would have been easy. That aside the Elder turned his concealed hue's back to the South while his arm's crossed over his chest. There was not much movement or sound from him from then on. Only the fog of air as he exhaled.

Though when the questions were asked, Krosious slightly turned his head toward the being.

"I understand. Wanting to get away from all the bullshit that is Valmasia anymore. Nothing but fowlness, depravity and the like. Seems all it's good for. But I currently am living here.. if you want to call it living. No, this place is very much inhabited. By several Dragons and a few other humanoids. Nothing really goes on here, we just prefer to live here instead of anywhere else because the Dragons are somewhat of a deterant."

With all that said he fell silent. Seemed there was not much else the Elder had or wanted to say.
(Krosious Hayes)

"Not much of a talker, eh? Good." Gorandis walked over to a nearby rock and sank down it, sitting within the snow. A few seconds passed before his entire body briefly glowed crimson as occultic lightning burned away the snow nearby, charring the cobbles beneath and allowed him to sit down on the now dry floor. Of course, more snow began to fall and pile up, so this was only temporary.

He shoved his bag round to his front and pulled out a small, tattered tome and began to read from it, ignoring Krosious for a moment before he eventually sighed. "Well, I might as well ask. What's your name stranger? I am Gorandis, from Nostvale but don't worry, I have no ties to the military or anything... else I wouldn't have come here alone."

He lifted the book up slightly to indicate it. "I'm learning about spirits and the spirit realm, almost to the point where I can pull one from the other side. But, they're being stubborn with me. They doubt I can fulfil them, they doubt that I can provide for them their last wish. Which they have kept from me..." He sighs, his breath misting up in the air.

"Have you ever dealt with spirits before?"
(Gorandis Fester)

A nod came to confirm the male's question. Krosious was indeed little of a talker, he enjoyed letting others flap their jaws because it gave him useful information. It often aided him in battle and even simple day to day life. Though the Elder doubted that he and this person were going to get into it. They had done nothing to him and was not acting aggressively at the moment.

Hearing the swapping of names, Krosious turned his gaze from the South to the male beside him. Hearing the name given to him and being asked his in return.

"My name is Krosious. It's probably a good thing you have no ties to the military. Alot of the people and Dragons that call the Peak home may have attacked you."

Falling silent he listened on to the next set of questions. About spirits and such, pulling them from their realm and fulfilling their wishes and such. Krosious had no idea about any of that, however, he had a very strong connection with his ancestor, Raven. She was a spirit, of sorts, though the Elder still doubted that the Ancestral Wrath was going to help this person.

"I know a bit. As a user of the Ancestral Wrath, I speak to my Great Grandmother every day. But I have no idea how to pull them from their realm and into ours. The Ancestral Wrath simply allows me to draw on their power to use with my own in battle. Other than that, I can't really give you much."

It was obvious that he was telling the truth. Krosious really was not sure how to set his company on their way.
(Krosious Hayes)

"That's... hmm. I'm glad that you have such a strong connection. I just wish I could forge such a connection with this man. Died young in battle, here in Frostvale actually, a nameless soldier in the war though he doesn't even remember which side he was on... He was barely older than I am when he was cut down. This was probably about thirty to forty years ago now..."

He leant back on the rock, shutting the book lightly and closing his eyes. "It's difficult enough contacting him... But perhaps here it might be easier. But I need to know what he wants... what he's holding on for. That's what it is with spirits you see, they're still lingering on to finish something, some... task. But after a while the stars do their job and their minds fade."

"Until they are is a walking sense of regret. I wonder what I could offer this man. But I can't give him a good battle nor a worthy death... I don't know what to do with him... have you any ideas Krosious? You're... a wiser man than I. Probably seen far more battle than I ever will. What's your... what's your say in this? What do you reckon I should do?"

His usually calm and balanced voice faltered, resulting in a genuinely pained question.
(Gorandis Fester)

Giving a nod here and there throughout the duration of his companies speal, Krosious remained silent. Though his nods let it be known that he was indeed listening to Gorandis speak. He decided to wait until the end before he would say anything.

When that time finally came the Elder nodded.

"A young soldier, died in battle, here or rather what was Frostvale at the time."

Krosious went on then paused again, his brow furrowing while he thought. Perhaps it would do the male some good to know how he contacted his Ancestor.

"Right. Well, I guess you could try the way I connect to my Ancestor. It's a bit difficult and it might take you a lot longer if you do not know how to user Energy magic .. but, basically all you do is meditate. I know how dumb that might sound because you probably do that anyway, but there is more to it than just sitting around and focusing."

Adjusting the way he stood and such Krosious went on after a few seconds.

"What you want to do is, well, basically you want to search for them. If you already have had a connection with this spirit, then you should be able to do it again. If they allowed you to once, then they should not be against it again. In your mind, try to focus on what it felt like when you first encountered them. Most importantly, try clearing your mind completely and keeping a steady and slow flow of mana through your circuits. Call out to him or they or whatever it is. Try to express to them that you mean them no harm and that you wish to help him."

All of that was the best way he could put the Ancestral Wrath into terms. It was something rather difficult for him to do, Krosious never was good with words. He often made a fool of himself when talking to others, however, he felt good about the information he had given Gorandis.
(Krosious Hayes)

"I-- hmm, alright..." He was not entirely convinced with Krosious' methods but it couldn't hurt to contact the spirit again. A brief flick through of the book later and he was sat in the gathering snow cross legged. Clear his mind... well that was all well and good to put into words but Krosious didn't see what constantly flashed up in Gorandis' mind.

When he killed that man, his hand wreathed in red lightning, caked in the poor man's blood. How could he ever get that out of his mind... His brow knotted and his hands clenched. The red storm began to form around him, flashes of deep crimson as the hellstorm magic began to unfurl along with his emotions. How could he forget this? Did he even want to?

He grit his teeth and winced as he tried to reach out anyway. Looking for the spirit once more. It was always a strange connection, letting part of his soul out for the spirit to latch onto, giving it a piece of his power so that it could manifest properly. He'd not managed to do this before but now... now something felt different. He actually felt like it might... work?

The voice cropped up in his mind once more, it was familiar and in here it was tinged with his own reverberations. Gorandis listened before answering out loud. "I can help you move on... I can help you through this, to go past being just a wandering need... I, too have things I need to work on... Together... together we can put you to rest..."

He fell silent again as the spirit began to consider this, being nothing more than an outline in the falling snow.
(Gorandis Fester)

Giving one more nod toward Gorandis, Krosious went silent once more. However, his eye's never left the male. They simply rested upon him and observed the actions. It was hard for the Ookami to know what Gorandis was seeing or feeling, even thinking for that matter. The Elder did know one thing, however. That the male had done something. Something above average, something affected his demeanor all together.

Squinting Krosious still remained silent. He knew how harsh breaking someone's meditation could be. Often times it resulted in the primary party being hurt, sometimes both parties even. Seconds, perhaps minutes, went by of silence before it was finally broken. His ear's twitched beneath the hood and hat which caused Krosious to turn his gaze upon Gorandis once more.

In a very low, whispering like voice Krosious would speak.

"Tell them that you mean them no harm. That you respect what they did here, in Frostvale. Ask them premission to know their name, give them your's as well."

The Elder could not see the outline in the snow, not because he could not see it simply. It was more the fact that he was looking at Gorandis instead of looking around for whatever Spirit may or may not be there.
(Krosious Hayes)

The connection was... Gorandis didn't know how to describe it. Having something else tugging on his mana, siphoning it off just to exist... it wasn't a lot he had to admit, but it was still rather odd and perhaps a little concerning. But he remained calm, his eyes still closed he called out again, responding to a voice only he seemed to be able to hear.

"I know you died unfulfilled, that you never got the chance to live how you wanted... but that doesn't have to be the end of your story. If you come with me, we can earn you that good ending, that glorious-- no, it wont be glorious, but it will be satisfying. I can't promise you anything epic nor anything that will etch your name into the history books..."

He fell silent for just a moment before managing to rally. "But I will give you the chance to live out a happy ending... Something that will let you finally move on. Something to give you rest..." He finally opened his eyes, looking over to where he knew the spirit was, where he felt it to be. And for a long while the shape did not change, did not move.

But, eventually it started to solidify... just a little, a human shape, male, rather young... and eventually it spoke. "...Gorandis... I put my faith in you." The spirit inclined its head in a small bow before vanishing into the snow again. "Ah, he's not gone, not fully... But now I have quite the obligation don't I?"
(Gorandis Fester)

The entire time that Gorandis spoke Krosious remained silent. He stood there with his arm's crossed over his chest while watching the male's reactions and such. Gorandis spoke to the spirit, which Krosious was still unaware of. Telling them things about how he could help them, how he could put them to rest and how to satisfy their wants and so on.

A few minutes of this took place and finally he heard and saw a solidfied being in the snow filled winds. It was a bit difficult to make out though he could tell it was a male, young and looked the part of a warrior. When the voice spoke Krosious' ears would twitch again from beneath his hood.

When Gorandis spoke, however, the Elder would straighten his back and lean against the rocken wall behind him.

"I guess you do. Better make good on your promises, Gorandis. Else I doubt other spirits will listen to you."

As he finished Krosious gave a nod then was silent.
(Krosious Hayes)

"It'll be good to have someone around to keep an eye on me... I can feel him tugging on my mana even now it's... I don't know if I'll be able to get used to this. But, it's for the best in the end... for the pair of us. Though I don't really have anything to call him by... he doesn't even remember his own name... Oh and I'm not worried about other spirits just yet..."

"One at a time after all." He smiled lightly before getting to his feet, dusting the snow off. "I suppose what comes next is acting as an anchor for him, letting him step across. That's probably going to be the hardest part... But... I thank you for you help here even if it was only giving me the push to finally make the proper connection myself."

"I suppose I owe you one." He smiled again, pulling back his hood and revealing his tired looking face. Bags were heavy under his eyes and his beard was rough and unkempt. His half lidded brown eyes looked out at Krosious. "If there is anything you need help with, feel free to ask. I know you're probably the solitary type..."

"But I am always free to lend a hand."
(Gorandis Fester)

"Mhm. It is always nice having my Grandmother watching me. She is always here, even now. She's been able to see and hear everything you and I have been talking about. The difference between her and the spirit you connected to is that I cannot anchor her into our reality. She is stuck in the Spirit Realm, however, her and I's connection is stronger than the barrier. It is what allows me to draw on her mana and her strength in order to use this."

As he finished, Krosious' body lit up with a very dialed back version of the Ancestral Wrath. Even if had been pulled back, power wise, it excreated a large amount of pressure in the area. It pumped a great deal of power from his body, making it difficult not to notice. Even some of the Dragons overhead had looked down or over toward their direction.

"Also, don't mention it. As long as you uphold your promise to the spirit then things should be just fine. I am somewhat of the solitary type. I prefer to be alone or to be with my son. He's asleep right now so the afore is the current situation. However, your company has not been bad."

Upon taking note of the extreme fatigue on Gorandis' face, Krosious furrowed his brow. He was unsure what exactly was troubling the male, but he knew it was something big. Something that was likely on his mind all the time. After releasing the Ancestral Wrath, it dwindling down like a fire without oxygen, the Elder spoke once more.

"Whatever it is that is on your mind, let it go friend. If you dwell on it and allow it to take control of your thoughts, in sleep and in wake, it will drive you mad. So much so that it will eventually be the downfall of you."

With that said Krosious felt like he had given the best bit of advice he possibly could. Again he turned and crossed his arm's over his chest, allowing his concealed gaze to cast out over what used to Frostvale Square.
(Krosious Hayes)

"I..." He sighed, seeming to deflate an awful lot, letting his fatigue take hold... "I have not been practicing magic for long... A year at most. There was... there was a merchant in Nostvale, sold me a book on Occultism it was quite helpful and it did indeed teach me the ways of rather strong hellstorm magic... but... but it failed to mention the madness that Occultism brings with it."

"I went on a journey with a group of Magi, all younger than myself, into the trystle caves, there we came across a Necromancer. He was young, foolish... and I killed him with my bare hands... It was violent and horrible and every waking moment I see it. I see my hands cracking through that boy's chest, I see myself taking his life in a destructive flash of crimson..."

He stared down at his own hands. "Even now, I still see my hands caked in the boy's burnt blood... And all of this was because I lost control... all because I let myself go to the destructive needs... and now. Now I can't trust even myself. I have to stay awake, stay in control. I have to stop myself from doing anything worse..."

His hand came up and covered his face. "I need someone to make sure I don't do it again..."
(Gorandis Fester)

Kengs decides to wander Dragon Peak for a while both to release his thoughts and to ty to find clues to where the people his looking for went.
Going down a him Kengs sees two characters talking to each other. After taking a better look Kengs remembers that he has seen them before wandering these lands.
Desperate Kengs decides to aproache and question those two characters. When he gest close he sees that one of them is a Ookami, leaving him more confortable to question them.
"Hello travelers. I am sorry to interrupt but will it be possible for any of you to help me?" Keng says this at the same time that he opens um his cape to show that he wields no weapon.
"I am looking for a friend. He´s a Drakinite, and he goes by the name of Katai. Do you know of ho i'm talking about?"
(Kengs)

"So you killed someone? A Necromancer, you said?"

His gaze stayed toward the South for a moment as he spoke. The Elder in thought for several seconds to minutes.

"I was ordered to kill an innocent family. A father, mother, a boy and a girl. I did it without hesitation. I have never fogotten that moment, nor will I ever forget that moment. For years I let it control me. I didn't sleep, didn't eat I basically stood or sat around.. I let it nearly kill me before I was able to let it go."

Pausing he shook his head before going on.

"My point is this. You did not have control over the situation. I had a blade pointed at my neck under the orders that if I refused then I would be killed. You were not in control of yourself. The Occult magic is very tempting, very strong and very dangerous. It can control people's minds just as it did your's. Now, I do not know you outside of this meeting. But from what I have seen from you, you seem smart. Smart enough to know that control comes with time. When I first achieved the Ancestral Wrath, I could not keep it in form. I could not keep control over it. It often destroying things around me in battle, even people who might have been watching me."

Another shake of his head came as he stopped. Krosious realized he was rambling on but hoped what he said would help Gorandis. If it did not then oh well, someone else would come along with the right words and set the male straight. When he heard the approachment of someone else Krosious spoke out.

"I do know of Katai, but I have not seen him in more than fifteen years. I do not know if he is even still alive. However, I cannot stay anylonger. I have to be going. Remember what I said, Gorandis."

When he finished the Elder turned and began to walk on toward the East. Trudging through the deep snow and such like it were nothing for him at that point.
(Krosious Hayes)

"I will try to remember, Krosious... I will try to put it behind me." He shuddered and cringed as the image once more flashed into the forefront of his mind. "But it will not be easy... Take care. I hope you and your son have a good life..." He gave his retreating figure another nod and turned to the newcomer. He was never comfortable around new people.

He threw his hood back up and, seeming to find solace in the cover it provided, began to speak. "I don't know of any Drakanites, much less any named Katai... What do you need him for?... If you don't mind saying that is." He seemed to turn, as if listening to someone whispering in his ear. Over his shoulder, a figure could barely be made out in the falling snow.

"But... I am happy to help where I can..."
(Gorandis Fester)

Now that the Ookami has left Kengs feels incerure around the reamining character. Not whanting to compromise him or Katai he simply says.

"I want to talk with him, nothing else. I know that he used to wander in these areas so, when i saw you two i decided to give it a try by asking."
(Kengs)

"Well, as I have said... I don't know any Drakanites. Let alone anyone called Katai. So you're out of luck here I'm afraid..." From the opening in his hood a small frown could be seen as he began to mumble to himself. "I should be going... there's something else I need to do here... well, not something I need to do but..." he gave a thin lipped smile.

"You should be careful around here, who knows what kind of trouble you could run in to with the dragons and everything." His hand came up to pat Kengs on the shoulder as he began to move past him. "If I were you I would leave here... quite quickly..." As soon as his hand was removed, red lightning began to form around it.

He took a moment to look at it. "You should go, now please." The lightning only seemed to get fiercer as he spoke.
(Gorandis Fester)

His words left Kengs unconfortable. " Tank you for your time. will go now then."
After saing this Kengs turns his back to the Unkwon Character and leave in direction of Loranthis.
(Kengs)