Two horsemen ride up to a tavern...

Katrin leans back frowning at Thrandimir, before turning to Ash. "Thrandimir asked me to help you, with a certain ritual. I need to know what I'm looking for, or rather, what I'm not looking for," she casts another frown at Thrandimir. She searches the boy's eyes. "I know we seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot, but I'd be shirking my duty if I refused to help those I travel with."

Ascian had been tying his saddle back onto his horse when the pair approach him, and his hands cease to still even as he glances from one to the other.  "Thanks,"  he says slowly, evaluating Katrin.  "I'm not really sure. I haven't been sleeping for...days. Thrandimir said you could sense influence. Elemental, fiend."  What have you told her?  he asks Thrandimir uncertainly, fervently sliding a buckle into place. "Undead."

Nothing specific, Thrandimir thinks back to Ascian as they have in the past. Just to check you for a supernatural aura.

Katrin nods. "You should know. I have no intention to pry into your private affairs." She gestures for Ash to follow her. They move around to the opposite side of the horse, maintaining some semblance of privacy. Katrin looks up at the boy. "I'm gonna need you to kneel. I'm not that tall, unfortunately." When kneels, she places a thumb on Ascian's brow, just above the bridge of the nose. With her other hand, she traces a series of sigils in the air, speaking quickly and softly. A moment passes and she feels the tell-tale pulse as the spell takes effect. Nothing. She opens her eyes. "Good news is you're not Undead. Bad news is that I don't know what that means." She nods to both of them. "If you ever need my help, I'll gladly give it. You've... … piqued my interest." She locks eyes with Ascian for a moment, then turns away to pack her stuff and saddle her horse.  

Kaed rises stretching, the muscles warming up as he begins to move. Strapping in his sword belt and then tying his hair back from his face he sees Ascian with Katron and Thrandimir off to one side. He ponders them for a moment before settling on asking " Ascian, when do you sleep, I'd swear you stood the whole watch, do you sleep in the saddle?" His good natured manner is clear in the question, he them greets the others in turn, he then moves off to the horses, checking his mount over, and giving her a feed whilst running an eye over the other mounts in case their own riders didn't know what to look for.

Ascian looks after Katrin, slowly climbing to his feet from where he'd knelt. He considers her for a long moment, arms folding over his chest and briefly glancing to the side as Kaed's comment registers, trying not to flinch. The barbarian is quick to move on, but the question of it remains, and he knows that as inevitable sleepless nights continue to pass will only become louder.  "Should I tell them," he reluctantly intones to Thrandimir as he watches them make preparations. "It's likely going to get worse."

"Only if you're ready to," Thrandimir tells Ash softly. "You're among friends here and if they know, then they can do what they can to help. Be yourself."

Ascian gives Thrandimir a long, measured stare. He opens his mouth to say something but closes it just as quickly, gaze fixating on the wizard a moment longer before he curtly nods. Drifting back to kick sand over the dying embers of the fire, he waits until the others are within hearing distance of the camp nexus before abruptly looking up at them, glancing from Thrandimir to Katrin to Kaed to Kou to Callahan, unable to say whose reaction concerns him most. "I know we need to go," he begins bluntly and without preamble, arms crossed tightly against his sternum. "I'm not sleeping. Or hungry. Or...breathing. I'm seeing things. Losing things. Sometimes in battle. Felt like something you should know."

Odd. She'd had her suspicions when Thrandimir had asked her to help him, and now she knew why. Though the boy clearly wasn't registering as an Undead by any known Divine standards, there was something odd about the whole affair. And because Thrandimir had been so cryptic about the whole thing, her damn curiosity had gotten the better of her. At least Ascian was being open. She swings her leg over the back of her horse, and nods to Ascian. "Sounds like we've got more mysteries to solve then." 

Kaed nods, without much expression. "If you need anything from me, ask. It will be yours. Speak when you need to. I think you will find you are not alone in being different." He walks up and places a strong hand on Ascian's shoulder, "We should ride, you are mighty in your deeds, you will overcome whatever this is ." The barbarian walks away going to saddle his horse as he gets ready to start.

Following the confrontation with the bandits, Cal had once again retreated into himself, ashamed he was that he'd allowed himself vulnerable enough to be struck as he had - that that had been all it took to knock him back into his starry form. More than that though, it was that in doing so, he'd once more taken on the sort of brash and adversarial nature that came with it, resulting in yet another clash with the wizard. Agreeing to stay on with the group had come down to a couple key factors - the least of which was Katrin's suggestion that his adherence to a semblance of morality would be beneficial to a group that - in some specific spots, at least - lacked as much. In truth, his own curiosity over the nature of the famine and the resulting knowledge they'd gleaned about ancient magics and other worlds had simply piqued his wandering curiosity. But with that came a resolve to avoid getting into such scenes if possible, and to do that he'd seemingly need to avoid communing with the stars so directly , he'd rationed. Turns out that's easier said than done, wouldn'tcha know it , he found himself thinking as he awoke that morning. Getting ready quickly, he was caught off guard when Ash made his sudden announcement.  He waits as the others react in their own ways; the barbarian for instance, as always, claps hand-to-shoulder and makes a comment about might before strutting off. Cal can't help but feel something twist inside him as he looks to the boy. Over the course of the last handful of battles, he'd hated the way Ash so detachedly viewed acts of extreme violence. He never truly faulted the boy though, it was clear he was being spurned on by Thrandimir. He simply lamented his unexplainably affectless nature. Hesitantly, he approached, hands clasped in front of him, "I suppose I understand now why you were turning down all offers of food back at the Fireblade," He gives a half-hearted grin and rubs the back of his head with a large gloved hand, "Truth be told I, uh, I'd like to offer my own help if possible. I don't know much in the way of arcane magics like Mister Thrandimir or the ways of the gods like Mistress Katrin or Keeper Kou, and I, um, know we ain't seen eye to eye always the last few days," suddenly remembering the height differential between the two, he unconsciously started to lean down a bit more, "in more ways than one... but the stars hold many answers too! I just want you to know that differences or not, I will continue to support you." With a quick, confidence-affirming nod, Cal pulls a small pod from his coat, holding it out to Ash as it quickly blooms and blossoms into a flower of six white, elongated, fuzzy petals, as if forming the points of a snow-covered star. In the center, small yellow-tinged florets sprout forth in a ring. " Stella Holdina  - A Star of Hol - said to bring courage and strength to those who keep them.  They're common in the mountains that overlooked my village. I took a handful of buds with me when I set out; figured if the stars could guide me away from home, these stars could one day guide me back," his eyes close as thoughts of home flood back to him, "anyway, may it yet guide you where you seek, too, young Ascian."  

Kou tries to keep his face passive and restrain the curiosity that is building like a storm within him. He loved a good mystery especially one that crosses the bounds between the studies of medicine and the arcane. Being able to study and learn from the fringe cases that were brought to the Citadel, were among his fondest memories of his time as Keeper.   Looking keenly at Ash, Kou's restraint clearly fails with his curiosity nearly beaming through him as he rapid fires off a few questions. His usual restrained tone, surprisingly energetic   "How long have you had these symptoms? Do you have any enemies with access to powerful magic? Have you checked for the traces of magic or divine/fiendish involvement? Lets back up what tests have you done?" Pausing clearly lost in thought "If you are willing, I would be most interested in examining you. I am a trained as a healer and have skills both mundane and magical to help us narrow in the root cause depending on what you avenues you have worked so far."

Kaed walks his horse over to Ascian with the other man's mount in hand as well. "A pretty flower, are you two to be married?" He smiles down as he nudges the other horse closer to Ascian, " Kou asks good questions, you should heed his wisdom, I would bet you between them, these folk could help you discover the truth."

Ascian looks between them all, his body tense and only slowly beginning to uncoil when the immediate responses aren't repulsion. He nods shortly at Katrin and Kaed, the barbarian's hand likely able to break the shoulder it sits on without a thought. He frowns slightly at the larger man, contemplative at his declaration, before turning back towards Callahan and Kou, taken off guard by the firbolg's gift. " I. Um. Thanks."  It's the closest moment to geniality he's had with Callahan and it's clear from the look on Ascian's face he both hadn't expected it and doesn't quite know what to do with it. Carefully, gingerly, he takes the flower, looking down at it for a moment before back to the firbolg.  "I'll take whatever help you have. Or the stars." He looks at Kaed, eyebrow quirking slightly as he takes his horse's reins from him. "Maybe he has one for you too."  Heeding the barbarian's words, he looks over at Kou, the only one to truly question it, absently patting the neck of his horse as he tries to gauge which of them to answer first. At last he says plainly, "I haven't slept since the night we got back to Fireblade. Or eaten. Before, I did. Just not much." Has this always been coming, and I just didn't see it?  The troubled thought of his frailty as a symptom flits briefly across his face. " Katrin and Thrandimir cast spells. I don't know what kind. Not magical. Or undead. If you can think of something else, I won't stop you. Do what you need to."

Thrandimir fades into the background as everyone expresses their concern for Ascian, returning to the wagon and preparing to ride.

Seeing that Thrand & Katrin had already covered the arcane and divine arts, Kou decides to use the mundane grabbing his healers kit he guides the man back to the camp. HIs excitement begins to be overtaken by confusion with each dead end or impossibility he finds. Leaning close to the mans chest, he pauses keeping his body perfectly still as he listens. But hears nothing, no heartbeat, the man doesn't even draw breath. Yet is still able to move, run and fight. Curious he pricks Ash's finger to see if he still had blood, and is almost surprised when he sees a few drops spill out. Though it doesn't flow like it should, but even that tracks with the man not having a heartbeat. His first thought is that Ash must be somehow undead but Katrin had already ruled the possibility out. And after the examination Kou found no signs of decay on the man's body. After 3 days there would have been some type of decay even if it was just a stench. His curiosity still piqued Kou takes a break to meditate over the facts. Added together this was all an impossibility one of the sets had to be true, both could not be false. And Kou had already proved the physical conditions which means there has to be some type of mystical force at work.  Finding Katrin & Thrand he says "We are faced with the impossible, Ash doesn't breathe eat or drink yet still lives."  Looking to Thrand "But you found no trace of magic" Looking over to Katrin "and you found   nothing to indicate that the man was undead. It is impossible for all of this to be true. I believe that whatever force is plaguing  him is powerful enough to disguise itself from our magic. Though it may not be strong enough enough to fend off our combined power. If we recast both spells while combining our focus we may be able to find more answers to Ash's dilemma." Looking back at the two with excitement evident in his grey eyes he says "What are your thoughts on this?"

Sat up on the wagon, Thrandimir looks strangely weary, like all at once his age is catching up with him. "What?" He asks suddenly, as though Kou has awoken him from distant thoughts.  "Yes, of course. It can't hurt."

Katrin purses her lips at Kou's suggestion, taking in the young man's fervor. He was still an enigma to her, his ideas and beliefs about Tempus both confused and intrigued her. She glances over at Thrandimir, noting the man's apparent exhaustion. She nods. "Alright. But then we need to be going." 

The four casters sit down in a square around Ascian. Each one begins to weave their own vein of magic. Sparks jump from Kou's eyes and bolts of lightning cut their way down the monk's dark skin. The smell of ozone fills the air and Thrandimir's beard begins to move as a slight wind picks up outside the circle. Katrin's dark grey eyes begin to glow a deep orange, as if a piece of iron left in the heart of a forge. Callahan's eyes twinkle with starlight as he weaves nebulous blue and purple energy from his small crystal orb, each strand aglow with billions of tiny stars. Each one traces slight variations on the same runic patterns. As Kaed watches, the wind whips at his hair, but somehow, the world around him is eerily quiet. Even the air itself seems to still.  All of a sudden, the air crystalizes and cracks, as if the ritual circle had just become the inside of a large unrefined geode with Ascian at the center. A sound like a rolling peal of thunder shakes the ground and bolts of energy pulse though the crystal air, probing for a safe way through. One of them touches Ascian's chest for just a moment and the crystal shatters , sending powerful gusts of cyclonic wind out away from the ritual circle. The pale man at the center opens his brilliant green eyes amid the gale and his chest expands in a deep, desperate breath of air. Then he closes his eyes once more. The spell penetrates, and the four casters can see a pale yellow glow about Ascian's form. Magic is detected...strangely... conjuration?

"Curious," Thrandimir murmurs, arching an eyebrow. "A link to another plane, maybe? Perhaps he really is phasing into the dark world."

The reaction to the spell surprised Kou. Even when he used the detection ritual in the Luminous Citadel a location that was infused with magic he had never experienced a reaction so intense.  Looking at Thrand his curiosity evident but his expression and demeanor seem closer to his normal restrained manner.  "It would seem so, at least the connection to another plane." Shaking his head "I fear this mystery is beyond our current skill. Maybe Marianne can assist us on our return."

Katrin can't say whether she's surprised by the outcome of the spell or not. Perhaps a bit of both. Something to ponder over and ask more brilliant minds upon their return. "Certainly isn't my specialty." She looks over the other three who participated in the casting. "We'd best get going." She swings herself back into the saddle, waiting patiently for the others to follow suit.

“Planes? What did you see.”  Ascian shudders involuntarily as the casters begin to disperse, looking from one to the other as he steps from the ritual circle. Katrin seems quick to want to move on so he mechanically tries to follow suit and climb atop his horse, though once there he looks back to the casters to admit,  “I lost it again. All of you. Just for a second.” 

"Conjuration," Thrandimir explains simply. "You're touched by planar magic, somehow." His grey eyes watch Ascian friendlily, but carefully.

Cal takes a step back from the lot and looks from the still-glowing young man to the old wizard, "I'll admit Mr. Thrandimir, I'm no expert in matters of the arcane, but such magics also deal with the summoning of creatures from such planes, yea? Is it possible that young Mister Ascian is..."  his voice trails off with a hint of trepidation as he looks back towards Ash.

"Possible," Thrandimir picks up wit a nod, "but unlikely. You can't really harm a summoned creature. Ascian bleeds, if tepidly. If he's an outsider, then he came here through a portal and Katrin's divination couldn't identify him as celestial, fiend or fey. I could be wrong, but given the information that we have right now, I think that a connection to another plane is more likely than a summoning."  The wizard explains, confident as ever.

"I don't remember a portal,"  Ascian states, looking between Callahan and Thrandimir with reins clenched tightly in one fist.   "I don't know if that means anything."

"Do you actually know any of this or is it guesswork. What we do know is we have somewhere to be as quickly as possible. Discuss this while we ride, but there is a long road ahead and you can speculate all we like about Ascian abd who he is and where he is from. Not that it will change him being part of our band." Kaed seems irritated by the talk of heritage and origin, turning his horse and striking out slightly ahead of the others, calling over his shoulder " It is what we do, not where we are from that matters Ascian."

Pulling himself up onto the silver-maned steed he'd taken to calling Comet, Cal shot a quizzical look to the barbarian, "I don't think we were saying anything 'bout young Ascian not belonging Mister Kaed," he yanks the horse's reins, starting off on the path with the rest, "simply looking to help get to the bottom of this strange little perplexity with the whole 'not breathing' situation, y'know?"

You don't know that,  he wants to say, but the barbarian has already ridden off, his annoyance palpable. The fragile uncertainty that had hunched Ascian's shoulders disappears as he reassembles himself in the saddle, dragging it back into the corner of his mind from whence it came.  "He's right,"  he says flatly to Cal, spurring his own horse onward.  "This doesn't matter. Let's go."

For perhaps the first time, Thrandimir rolls his eyes at Kaed. "Research is always taking what you know to be true and making the best estimate you can based on that. Regardless, Ascian asked us to help him with this. He came to his friends , for help . We'd be remiss if we didn't do everything we can." Clambering back up atop the wagon, the wizard clicks to the horse and set the wheels rolling.

As Katrin rides after Kaed, she feels a twinge deep in her stomach. Guilt? Her cavalier dismissal of Ascian's present issue, followed by Kaed's huff didn't seem to be sitting well with the boy. By Tempus, I'm going to help him figure this out. And it relieved her to see that Cal and Thrandimir were, for once, in agreement on something. "Perhaps there's hope for us, yet." She murmurs to herself as they go.  "Say something." Rose's voice rings in her ear as she rides. Reluctantly, she pulls on the reins of her pony, dropping back to level with Ascian. Well, sort of. Why is everyone in this group so tall? "Ash," she starts, her voice sticking. She clears her throat. "I said earlier that I would help. And I will. It's just not something I've seen before." She stares daggers into the back of Kaed's head as she speaks. "And not all of us have tunnel vision." She clears her throat again. "Just thought you should know." She spurs her horse forward again, shoulders tense from what she perceived to be an awkward exchange.

Ascian's hands readjust reflexively around his reins as Katrin drops back, his shoulders tensing; half of him expects her to condemn him, and he's taken off guard when met with the opposite, glance flickering to Kaed ahead of them and back.  " I know there may not be an answer. Or not one your god will like. "  He nods curtly, tension dropping slightly from his spine. "Thanks. For trying." He lets her horse get a few feet ahead of him before he kicks his own into a gallop, riding ahead past Kaed in the hopes that something - anything - awaits them around the bend to purge grey and shadow from his mind.

Katrin smiles to herself as Ash gallops past. She glances down to the amulet around her neck. Good thing you and I don't always need to agree, isn't it.

Unfortunately for Ascian, there is nothing but rolling hills of green grass and jutting stone around the bend...nor around the next bend...nor the next. The road stretches on and on, with only bird song to break up the monotony of the clip-clop of hooves against the hard-packed dirt road and the rumbling of the wagon wheels.  The party makes good time on the day and ends up a mere few hours from their destination. It will take some searching to find the cave that houses the entrance to the Hydellian Retreat. But just before time to make camp comes around, the group comes upon what looks to be a wrecked cart. A dead horse remains hitched up to the cart, sprawled over between the arms of the gaudy, ostentatiously decorated cart. A bright orange cover for the cart seems to be shredded and cast aside. A broken axle and a dead guard highlight the seriousness of the situation as the party rides up. Sitting on the back of the cart looking absolutely devastated are two feline humanoids. The two Tabaxi look up, and one jumps off the back of the cart and bows. "Ah, hello weary travelers, to our humble store," she catches herself, smoothing her rumpled robes over her silver fur. "Or at least, what's left of it. I am Fliek, and this demure lump of depression is my brother, Flimm. We are purveyors of wondrous goods from across the world!" "Or at least, we were," Flimm says, still sitting on the cart. "Have you come to rob us as well?"

Thrandimir's face twists in sympathy when he sees the poor destitute Tabaxi. "Greetings, Fliek and Flimm!" The wizard declares, climbing down from the wagon to approach the two. "I am Thrandimir and these are my friends Ascian, Kaed, Katrin, Kou and Callahan. Whatever has befallen your charming store?"

They've been robbed.  But Katrin keeps the remark inside. Better to let the victims describe the crime than a bystander to assume. 

"We were minding our own business," Fliek begins, "heading back to our more permanent shop at The Crossroads from a little 'tour,' one might say, when bandits came upon us. Deceitful and ruthless, they were! They murdered the one guard  I could find for this trip!" "You mean the one guard you hired ," Flimm said. "I seem to recall suggesting that we hire more than one, but you said," his voice takes a higher tone as he imitates his sister,  "'It's the Heartlands Trivard! It's the safest road on the continent. Who's going to give us any trouble? Bandits?'" He grunts in frustrations. "Yes. Bandits." Flimm continues, "They ambushed us, killed our guard, broke our wagon, murdered our horse, and then made off with all our merchandise. I put a bolt in the leg of one of them." He pats the hand crossbow at his side. "But they just tossed him on their cart with the rest of our shit and headed into the hills."

Kou shakes his head and in a sympathetic tone says "These are very troubling times, it is fortunate you made it out with your lives. How long ago was the attack and how many men did they have with them?"

"It was only a few minutes-" Fliek begins, voice quavering as the adrenaline begins to course through her frame. "Few hours." Flimm interrupts, shaking his head. "Calm down." "Right, a few hours ago. I think they had around a dozen men." 

"And uh," Katrin rubs her temples thoughtfully, "Which direction did they go?"

Flimm points up the road to the north. "They took off that way," he says. "Who knows where they are by now."

"Hey there friends, no need to worry. I'm sure we can have all this sorted out," Cal rears Comet up behind the group and hops off, approaching the siblings, "Think all we need is to get a real good idea what happened and what kinda folk you're dealing with here is all. Actually if it ain't imposing too much I've got my own questions. You said these bandits were 'deceitful'. Whaddya mean? How'd they deceive you? Were they using tricks and illusions cause we have some real knowledgeable folk here when it comes to that kinda stuff. Or was it more like they lied to you somehow?" Cal cocks a brow and strokes his chin, propping one arm up with the other crossed over his chest.

"They told us they were inspectors for the King," Fliek says, chagrined.  "I didn't believe them for a second," Flimm says. "Not that it mattered. A dozen of them against the three of us? We didn't stand a chance."

Ascian looks to the others, already wheeling his horse around to canter to the nearest hilltop and leave those better at speaking to the task. Pausing on the crest, he squints against the light and lingers there for a long moment to see if anything appears. "Didn't see them," he states, riding back.  "But there's cart tracks that went off the road. Around the next corner."

"Look, we don't have any money," Fliek says. "But if you retrieve our stolen goods, you'll be able to help yourself to certain select  items in our stockpile." Flimm gives his sister a dark look, but nods. "You're adventuring types, aren't you?"

Thrandimir paces about the road, musing on all this new information, before rattling off several questions at the adorable duo. "That sounds like a perfectly reasonable arrangement. We'd certainly like to help, if we can. We just also have some other deadlines to keep as well, you see. I'm sure that, as respectable business partners, you understand that. Maybe we can fit you in. What kind of goods were you carrying and will you manage here on your own until we return? I'd hate for something to become of you. Do you have any food and water left? Is the wagon too damaged to move, or do you just need another horse?"

It becomes clear to Thrandimir (and everyone else in the group) that the tabaxi had not thought that far ahead. They look at each other, then back to Thrandimir. Fliek speaks first. "Well, we haven't much food. And they broke the axle on our cart. I suppose that I was hoping that we could just come with you. We'd stay back, so you wouldn't have to waste time defending us." She trails off, pondering the questions that the wizard had asked. "Oh, our cargo. I'm an enchanter. Flimm is a dungeon delver. We sell enchanted arms and armor, as well as other magical baubles."

When Thrandimir hears 'enchanted arms and armour, as well as other magical baubles' a delighted smile slowly spreads across his face. "My friends, I do believe that that will do nicely . I don't suppose you happen to have recently enchanted a sabre, do you?"

"We have a couple blades," Fliek says. "One of them is a saber, of sorts. We were still studying its capabilities when it was stolen."