Chapter 1: Flamefade

Ophira is walking quickly after Beric when Gaelan calls after her. She turns to look and he can see the grimace on her face and the blood on her tunic, which she holds with her hand to stop the bleeding. She shrugs and nods. "Yeah, one of the bandits got me, but... I'll be OK. Eventually. As long as I don't have to do anything extra strenuous, you know? Like, run to the outskirts and search for bandits? Ha..."

"Will you guys stop being stupid already?" Lirann Shouts. "Don't go running off in to the woods like that! It's way to dangerous."

She turns around and pouts. "The old bat can probably take care of herself just fine anyways."

"Things seem handled here," Beric calls back over his shoulder to Liran. "Come with us if you're worried!"

Looking from Lirann to Beric as they banter, Gaelen speaks quietly with Ophira once he fully catches up with her.

"You’re sure you don’t need a healer, or at least bandaging?" he says, concerned. "Who injured you? One of the bandits?"

"Urgh! No! I mean it is dangerous to go poking around in the dark when there is an unknown number of enemies lurking there. At least wait till morning. There is plenty to do in the village as well."

Lirann walks away and towards the village center, rather frustrated.

Ophira turns and calls back after Lirann, saying, "Lirann, she's the only family I have. I gotta check on her."

Then she replies to Gaelan, saying, "I'll be OK, at least until we get to Ana's. It was Ulrich; he was...like a corpse, given temporary life. It was a violation of nature... The other bandit said that their leader got some kind of power to command the dead, I guess... "

She makes eye contact with him and adds, "I'm scared, Gaelan."

Thalen watches as his friends separate and argue. He has remained silent as the shock of this night washes over him. Wroth like a Vracian. Wroth like a Vracian. Wroth like a Vracian.

He steps forward and raises his hands.

"Everyone! I think we need to regroup and hopefully figure out what is really going on. Remember what Grandma Weaver used to say, 'Wroth like a Vracian'? In the old stories, the Vracian lords would rise from the dead and punish people trying to steal from their barrows.

"Also I was reading about the old wall and there are a bunch of references to people dying in large numbers the same year the wall was supposedly erected. In the ledgers every death was listed as 'cremated (disease)'

"I know that these all seem like unrelated events and I know that I am rarely a man of action, but I believe that we can discover what is at play here. I think Lirann's suggestion is a sound one. Return to the village, regroup, and gather more information. We could talk to some of the oldtimers around here. Maybe we can learn some information that will prove helpful."

To the south, at the village centre, there are raised voices and cries of worry and anger. Elder Caitrina appears to be trying to take a census of everyone present.

To the west, Ophira sees the faint thread of light slowly unraveling. The woods are dark and quiet.

How far to Ana’s hut from where Ophira is? Is the magical trail from the dead body leading near Ana’s?

If it seems like Ana is in danger, or if her hut is very close, Ophira will check on her. Otherwise she will rejoin the others and go to the village I guess

Ophira hesitates and calls to Beric. She says, "The others are gathering in the town square. Do you think we should go there first? I’m worried about Ana, but I’m hurt… I’m not sure it would be safe to go by ourselves…"

Looking at Beric, Gaelan suggests, "Town square first, get a sense of things, then back out to Ana’s hut?"

A quick trip back will not only let the group connect with elders and find out what's happening elsewhere, but will allow the broad-shouldered man to properly arm himself...

Beric stops and turns to look at everyone. He glarea a bit at Lirann's aldeady retreating form. "Something is wrong out there," Beric says, pointing in the direction of Ana's. "Ana's family to me too, as is Nok, who should have been back by now." He looks at Ophira's wound and sighs. "But maybe we should go back to town first. While we're there, I can tend to that wound," he tells Ophira. He nods to Galen. "Let's go."

Ophira nods and turns to walk back to the village. As they go, she leans on Beric as he helps tend to her wound. "Thanks, B. I owe you." But... I'm worried about Ana. Remember what happened to her the other day?"

Lirann continues onward to the village square without saying another word. She barely spares a glance for her surroundings and just frowns at nothing in particular.

"I'm worried too. We'll get out there as soon as we can do it safely." Beric looks back towards the woods again. "I hope Nok's ok."

Back at the village square, Elder Caitrina is doing her best to restore some sense of order.

"Fletchers?" She calls out.

"All here, nobody missing", comes the gruff voice of Gerulf, his wife and five kids of varying ages clustering around him.

Caitrina continues calling out names, while Thalen's father, Hugh Corwyn, sits next to her, quickly jotting down the names as they come.

Even without reading what Hugh's written down, it's plain for all to see that a number of villagers are missing. Dathana. Evelyn. Likely at least a handful more. Judd Tanner's family is mostly accounted for, save for his eldest boy. When Caitrina calls for the Miller's someone shouts that Rolf herded them all back to their home.


"Son...?" The quill falls from Hugh's hand as he looks up, staring agape at the small group, and at the bloodied Thalen in particular. He bolts to his feet and runs over towards his son. Caitrina looks over at where Hugh just sat, frowning. But as she looks over in the direction he's headed, her face grows pale.

"Gods above, what's happened to you?" Caitrina asks as more and more heads turn towards the battered youths.

Ophira steps forward and recounts what she saw, gesturing to her friends to fill in the parts they knew.

"Someone here in town started the fire and riled up the horses; they almost trampled us! Then bandits attacked homes on the outskirts. We fought them off, killing a few of them. And … there was evidence of dark magic involved. A dead body, walking under the command of a necromancer! And one of the guards confirmed that their new leader, Bohdan, has gained some fell powers and requires sacrifices to maintain them."

"I'm okay, Dad." Thalen embraces his father. "My friends have the healer's gift. Sorry to worry you. You don't need any more gray hairs." Thalen takes a step back while Ophira relates the tale. He looks at his father. "It's just like in the old stories, Vracian lords rising from the grave."

Lirann falls in behind Ophira. "They weren't too tough, but I am worried about their numbers." She curtly adds to the explanation.

And with that she quietly continues with her brooding.