Chapter 1: Flamefade

As Thea and Gaelan charge heedlessly into the flames, timbers groan under pressure as the fire greedily eats away at them. With a loud crack, wooden beams give way above them and a chunk of the floor above comes crashing down upon them. Only thanks to their quick reflexes do the two of them just barely manage to scramble out of the way. From the newly opened hole to the second floor, they can hear shouts of fear, a pair of voices, young by the sounds of them. At the same time, barely audible over the crackling inferno, from behind the bar counter a low, pained groan emanates.

Lirann's trained eyes sweep over the chaos inside, her mind working in overdrive. Judging by how blackened and burnt the cellar stairs are, it seems likely the fire started down there and spread upwards. She follows the snaking trail of the flames, and sees the remnant of several oaken casks, slowly being scorched into crumbling coal. Their contents—Galthic's pride, his Vareesan Brandy—seemingly poured haphazardly on the floor and set ablaze.

As the gasping-for-breath Holt Birkner is brought before Ophira, Thalen and Beric keep their eyes open, taking in the situation and trying to see where help is most needed. As such, they are the first to see when the doors to the stables are thrown wide open, and several horses come charging out, terror plain in their eyes. While some scatter, two panicking horses charge straight towards the line of people trying to put out the fires!

Ophira speaks soothing words to the burned man and tries to coax him into lying down and relaxing. She assesses his wounds, reaching into the soft leather pouch at her belt and pulling out a glistening purple berry. She raises it to his lips, saying, "This will help...Stay calm. People are working to rescue the others in the fire now. You've done your part. Just rest."

Thalen's eyes stretch wide as he watches the horses charge at the line of impromptu firefighters. He takes a step back and then squints at the stable doors.

Beric sees the horses charging towards the townsfolk. Keaping into action, he runs to out himself between the horses and the people, waving his arms to get their attention. With a few words of power, he summons the ability to speak with horses.

"NOT HERE! THAT WAY! SAFETY IS THAT WAY!"

He makes grand gestures with his arms, motioning away from the people, hoping that the simple instructions will get through the horses' panic.

Beric

Screams erupt as the horses nearly collide into the lines of people Thalen has successfully organized. Men drop their buckets of water and fall backwards over each other.

But before anyone is trampled, Beric steps in front of the frightened animals. With words laced with his subtle, earthy magic, he brings the horses to a halt. Their terrified screams—DANGER! and DEATH! all now understandable to him—quiet down and they move anxiously in place.

RAVEN-KIN. It's a brief acknowledgement. They know his face, his voice, they know he is a friend. With that, they take off in the direction he gives them, giving the blazing fire a wide berth.

The other villagers slowly get to their feet, fetch their buckets. Someone pats Beric on the shoulder as they pass by. As the work resumes, dozens of eyes never leave the young man. He can see suspicious glances from some, but in others' eyes there is a quiet awe.

---

Thalen

While motioning people back into work, Thalen takes a sharp look towards the low, squat stables. Though it is hard to tell at this distance, the latches on the stalls seem undamaged, and not at all to have been forced open by the stampeding animals. Instead, the way had likely been left open for them to escape.

As near as Thalen can tell, about half of the people assembled for Flamefade still remains within sight. Many left in a hurry to find their children och siblings, and still have not returned. Neither Dathana or Charina can be spotted, nor can Norn or Evelyn Oakroot. Harl the blacksmith is still herding the young ones towards the Stone Hall. Rolf Miller, red-faced, tries to lead his children to safety, pointing towards Harl, while he bodily blocks Theda from rushing towards the inn to help out. Hugh and Catrin Corwyn do their best to follow their son's directions, encouraging others to listen to him, even as they throw nervous glances towards their cherished bookstore, only a few houses away from the inn.

---

Ophira

Holt grasps faintly in the air, his eyes almost blocked shut with soot. At Ophira's soft voice, he calms slightly, enough to accept the berry she gives him. After chewing only a few times, his body relaxes, his hand dropping to his side. His breathing eases, and as the pain subsides he lies on the ground, somewhere between waking and dreaming.

---

Gaelan

"Something fishy is going on here!" Lirann declares, talking to no one in particular and probably not being heard by anyone in the chaos either. Remembering the commotion at the stables earlier and witnessing the stampede just now sparks her suspicion and with the spilled brandy she suspects some sort of nefarious plot.

She is not brave and/or foolish enough to rush in to the fire, so there is not much to do here either. Instead she rushes over to the stable, looking for any sort of clue as to what might have happened there.

Seeing that Holt's wounds have been soothed, Ophira stands and looks for others who might be injured. Seeing no one in her immediate area, she looks around for anyone nearby who is working to help people, rein in the horses, or fight the fire. She runs to them, lays a hand on their shoulder, and says, "May your endeavor to save others be a success!"

Casting about quickly for something--anything--that will even temporarily douse the flames on the stairs, Gaelan hopes to find a blanket, a pitcher or flagon of ale, a cask of wine. If such a thing is at hand, he'll smsah or thrown it on the worse of the fire on the steps, then bound up them. If nothing comes to hand, the man simply tries to leap the flames and cross them quickly.

"Thea, prepare to catch people!" he says to the burly Wildheart.

Gaelan

Fortunately, there's no shortage of liquids to douse flames with. Wisely staying clear of the high-proof, flammable stuff, Gaelan locates a barrel of Galthic's more watered-down ale. With this, he can make his way to the second floor unharmed.

The second floor is thick with smoke and heat, but the flames have not spread as far here yet. It does not take long to identify the source of the screaming. In the second bedroom to the right, Gaelan finds the pair, both about the same age as himself or a little older. The young man is vaguely familiar but hard to place, probably from the outskirts of the village, while he quickly recognizes the girl as Galthic's niece, Kayleigh. Both look hastily dressed, and are covered in soot. Where fire has spread across the floor from beneath, they are desperately throwing sheets and stomping on it to smother the flames.

OphiraLirann

It only requires a cursory examination before Lirann is certain that something fishy is, indeed, going on. Not only were the doors to the stalls left unlatched, the ropes tying the animals have been severed by a blade. Once the fire started spreading, there was nothing stopping them from fleeing in a panic.

Seeing Beric and Lirann nearby, Ophira rushes to them. Lirann is within the barn, examining the horses' stalls, while Beric is outside, calming them. She him and puts her hand on his shoulder and intones a blessing; Beric feels a tingling warmth pass over him. This was not the first time Ophira has bestowed a mystic blessing upon Beric, given that they have spent time together working for Anathema.

She says, "What do the horses say, Beric?"

Thalen instructs one of the women to keep the bucket brigade working and steals away toward the barn. He walks up to the wall and then falls into a crouch. He finds the shadows and sneaks around the back, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the missing townsfolk who are mysteriously absent.

Beric nods to those who pat him on the back and ignores those who give him odd looks. As he is figuring out what to do next, he feels the familiar sensation of Ophira's blessing.
"They're too terrified to say much of anything right now. We may be able to ask them what they saw after things calm down." He motions towards the tavern. "Gaelan and Thea ran into the blaze. I'm heading back there to in case they need help when they come out."

Ophira nods and turns to follow. She isn't sure how much help she could be during the fire, though she could save lives after they get out and need healing. Still, she is willing to do whatever she can!

Thea nods to Gaelan. "Alright, I'll be ready."

As he runs up the stairs, she positions herself near the bottom of them, feet spread wide in a stead stance, knees bent and ready to absorb the impact. She raises her arms and shouts up, "Okay! Toss them to me!"

With her suspicions justified, Lirann begins searching around the village. More specifically, the parts of the village that might have been left empty after everyone got distracted by the fire and horses. She looks out for anyone lurking around away from the crowd who might be up to something.

Inside The Fire: Gaelan & Thea

Kayleigh's eyes dart up, and she tugs at the tunic of the young man beside her to get his attention. "Gaelan!? How did you-?" The panic writ across her face gives way to a shimmer of hope. "We couldn't get down the stairs! Is the way clear?"Outside the Inn: Ophira & Beric

Thanks to the quick work rallying the villagers and keeping the stampeding horses from disrupting the work, the situation seems to be contained for the moment. Though still a significant danger to anyone still inside the inn, the fire has been reduced enough that it likely won't spread to the surrounding buildings.


Some Distance Away: Lirann & Thalen

Moving away from the chaos at the village square, Thalen weaves gingerly between houses, keeping himself well cloaked in shadows. Lirann moves on her own investigation, not too far away. The sun has nearly set, bathing the surrounding village in hues of gray. For a moment, once away from the din of the crowd, the silence seems almost deafening.

And then they hear something else. Shouting. Screaming. But not from the place they just left. From far away, out towards the edge of the village.

Thalen is the first to see the shape moving in the dusky light. Stumbling forward along the main road, heading in the direction of the blaze. Until it notices Lirann, and limps in her direction.



One step. Two steps. The figure staggers forward, now illuminated by the distant light of the burning inn. Charina Arborine stumbles, catches herself, then drags herself another step, her steps uneven and heavy. Her hand clutches at her side, and Lirann catches a glimpse of the sheen of blood on on her pale fingers. She only get halfway towards the young sorceress before her legs fail her, and she falls to her knees in the muddy road.

"Raiders... My Thana... they came from nowhere..."