There it is. Anthony laughs. "You could say that." He takes the other man in. "Could I say the same about you?" There's a hint of something under the congenial bluster, but that could be said of all of them.
As Kora passes the pillars on her way to the house, she feels the deep and primal connection she has fostered with the land for so many years rip away from her. A dark, loathsome feeling takes its place withing her. The world almost seems to darken as it does, the colors and scents less vibrant. She does manage to get inside the house after taking a bit of time to recompose. She can hear familiar voices coming from the kitchen area nearby.
In the kitchen, everyone else can hear the front door open, and a gust of cold air steals away the warmth of the fire nearby. The door slams shut, announcing the arrival of one more person.
Kora slams the door shut behind her, leans against the front hall wall and slinks down to the floor, her heart beating fast. Looking around wildly, she sees that everything appears to be what she remembers, but what in the hells was that?
She feels so lost now, so disconnected and the feeling of foreboding is so heavy she hears the voices coming from the kitchen but can't get herself to stand back up yet.
Following his stated intention to help prepare for the storm, Anthony claps Jared on the shoulder and heads toward the front door. Kora. The last time he'd seen her she'd looked like a mud ball with leaves stuck in. Not much had changed, but seeing her huddled on the ground by the door shaking, his instincts kicked in and he dropped to his knees in front of her, not touching, but looking her over and trying to get a feel for what was happening.
"Hey, you're gonna be ok. Focus on me." said in an effort to get a look at her eyes. "Try to tell me what happened. Can I touch you?" He speaks with a calm, practiced authority from years of practice talking people through all kinds of messed up.
As Anthony kneels in front of Kora, she looks at him and feels a bit more steadied. When he asks if he can touch her, "Sure, just don't get fresh." she smiles a bit at this and there is a slight twinkle in her eye but it is immediately extinguished and she closes her eyes and groans a bit.
She opens her eyes and searches Anthony's face, "Sorry... I just, what has happened to this place? What is with those monoliths at the entrance to Grimhearth? They, I don't even know what they did, but it was wrong, so wrong. I don't understand what is going on." It is then she realizes who she is talking to, "Anthony? is that you? Why, you've changed quite a bit, it's good to see you." Seeing her sibling, she calms a bit and starts wringing the rain out of her hair. Anthony feels she is speaking exactly what is on her mind.
Jared watches Anthony go and turns his attention to the house. It's been a great while since he has been here but it looks like nothing has changed. Jared seeks Rhea out. Seeing her kneed the dough, just like always, brings him back to his past. Then his eyes dart back and forth a bit and he steels himself. "Rhea, what happened to mum?" he asks.
“Never.” he says a little absentmindedly as he looks her over. Just his fingertips to her wrist as he looks through her eyes more than into them. Her pulse is racing, skin is cool to the touch from being out in the rain, breathing a little quick and shallow, but her eyes are clear and alert. “Yeah, it’s me. Welcome home,”he says with a soft chuckle. “We’re all asking the same questions. Aloufie has some sketches he was hoping one of us could look at. Magic isn’t really my thing though.”
Satisfied that she’s not hurt, Anthony gets to his feet. It’s not graceful, but he’s had plenty of practice. Hefting himself to vertical, he offers Kora a hand. “I think some of us were going to make sure everything’s down tight that can be. Think the rest were going to start asking uncomfortable questions. Normally, I’d say wait till after the funeral, but… yeah. Something unnatural is going on here.”
Akyan wordlessly follows Anthony towards the door. He intends to help with whatever he can, but he'll follow along with what the others decide. He's good at making decisions on his own, but in a group setting he prefers to hear what everyone else wants to do before he says anything. As he walks, he keeps an eye on the other man's odd gait...well at least he seams to be able to get around alright. He stops standing behind Anthony when he bends down to talk with Kora. What is she doing on the floor? He thinks as he watches the interaction with a flat look. She doesn't seem to have changed much. When Kora speaks up about the wrongness of the place, he sets his jaw. Her magic may be different then that of the others, but it hit her just as hard. Harder probably. Thinking this, he diverts his gaze.
At Jared's inquiry, Rhea's busy hands stop working the dough. Her eyes close as she lets out heavy breath, suddenly looking incredibly exhausted. You can tell that the weight of happened to Aoelywn has been weighing heavily upon her, and even though she has seemed like her normally cheerful self on the outside, she was just as heartbroken as everyone else. Your question broke through her facade for just a moment, revealing the pain she hid from the world. Just as quickly as her true feelings appeared, they disappear again behind a smiling and cheerful countenance. She says, sounding somewhat strained, "I was planning to fill everyone in after dinner. I'm just so glad to see you all here again; I don't want to ruin the moment." She looks you in the eye, and you spot tears forming in the corners of her eyes that threaten to spill over as she asks, "Is it ok if we wait until then?"
Taking Anthony's hand, Kora stands back up. "We're? How many have come home? I'd love to see Aoufie's sketch, as well as the ol bunny. Hey!" she notices Akyan lurking behind Anthony.
"Well, you haven't changed a bit, skinny as ever." she smirks. Then addressing both of them, "Did either of you feel part of who you are being ripped away from you as you entered Grymhearth? I feel... well, awful."
"Yeah. I felt a little off, but I just thought it was.. " he shrugged."normal stuff until Zathon complained, said they were tainted. Undead or something."
He shook his head at Jared's bluntness. Couldn't be a teeny but diplomatic? But he kept the thought to himself. "After dinner is fine with me Rhea. I'm gonna see if Tom needs help outside for now."
Moving outside past Kora. "Glad you showed up. Kinda thought maybe... Anyway. We can catch up later." With that he steps out into the storm and scans the area for anything - or anyone - that looks like it's about to be blown away or anyone looking like they need a hand.
Akyan's gaze shifts back to Kora when she addresses him. Unsure if her comment was supposed to be a complement or not, he crosses his arms and shrugs. "Could say the same about you." He replies gruffly. "And yeah, I feel like someone's smothering my soul." Shifting his weight, he looks away again, focusing on nothing in particular before glancing back at the kitchen. He catches the hitch in Rhea's voice when Jared asks about Aoelwyn, and fights the urge to roll his eyes. Akyan himself tends to be blunt, but at least he thinks before opening his mouth...most of the time. The drow is also perfectly fine with waiting until dinner to discuss what happened to his adoptive mother, it would be best for them all to hear the story at once.
Following Anthony outside he glances at Kora again, silver eyes lingering for a brief moment. He hesitates, almost like he wanted to say something else before just nodding to the woman, and Anthony. He'd been jumpy as a child, but he'd been no where near as standoffish as Kora. He's way of coping with fear had been aggression and at times a seething anger, while hers had been to scamper away or explode in a feral rage. And now, she'd been cut off from the source of her power and, while he might have a sickening feeling in his soul, she must feel helpless. At least he had lost his psycic abilities, he'd certainly feel helpless. His eyes flash green for a moment as he taps into his mental energy, no harm in double checking.
Aoufie heads over to Cora and gives her affectionate back pat. "I am glad you made it here before the storm set in. That smothering feeling is due to Grymhearth being cut off from the Weave of magic. It is a dead zone where no magic works. I copied the runes found by Jared and I hope you can take a look as well."
Jared watches Rhea but says nothing. Abruptly he turns and leaves the kitchen. He will make his way to where the others have gathered but says nothing.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kora raises an eyebrow, "Undead? really?" she frowns, wondering what other bad news can possibly be piled on after all this. She then catches what he says on his way past, "Kinda thought maybe what? That I wouldn't come and pay my respects to the woman that raised us? I mean, I am mainly human after all."
Akyan's gruff response surprises Kora for a moment, but it helps her remember how her brother had been. She decides not to say anything, but as he looks back to her and gives her a nod, she smiles at him, truly glad to see him which makes her smile more in spite of herself. But the feeling is fleeting as she is still comprehending her new situation.
As Aoufie shows up and pats her on the back she listens intently to the bard. She's impressed with all that he has gathered so far, "How long have you been here Aoufie? And may I see your drawing?" She looks at it, trying to discern what his hand drawn runes might mean.
Arcana 6
"Zathon, Jared... looks like I am the last to show up. Good to see you all."
As Anthony and Akyan step outside and close the door, they are greeted by a growl of thunder from the darkening clouds stalking across the grim sky. The agitated wind whips leaves and other detritus nervously about the property, and an occasional panicked gust blasts through the forest around you. The world is bathed in an ominous gray tint as only a feeble amount of light manages to pierce through the churning clouds. You can see angry, black thunderclouds writhing with fury and lighting charging in your direction. You think you have about an hour before the storm hits. Fat teardrops fall from the sky as it weeps, bathing the countryside in sorrows. Yes, this will be a storm to remember.
You see a few soggy workers going about preparing for the storm, and you hop right in to help them. You go about closing and latching storm shutters, taking wooden furniture and various decorations inside the barn, and help gather the animals up into the barn as well. You both have a particularly hard time wrangling in the animals. They all seem spooked by the weather and have a hard time being cooperative with no regard to your coaxing and cajoling.
As you work, you get a good view of Grymhearth's property. Nestled in a small valley between forested hills that eventually become towering mountains, Grymhearth has stood for nearly two centuries. A very large garden dedicated primarily to growing food, herbs, and spell components dominates much of the area near the building proper. The garden is ringed by a low and white picket fence. Nearby, the barn and animal pens take up a lot of space as well. The buildings are atop a small ridge, and as such, much of the yard and garden gently slopes downward towards a rather large lake. The lake is usually calm and placid, but it roils and churns in the gloom. About halfway to the lake is a large gazebo surrounded by a small flower garden. You spent a lot of time there as children when Aeolwyn would lovingly counsel with you under its awnings. Even though they're hard to see in the gathering darkness, you know that lurking around the property of Grymhearth are the inscrutable monoliths that solemnly guard all that reside within their boundaries. Or at least they did.
As you near the end of your preparations, you see Tom and several other workers herding the last few cows into the barn. The anxious bovines huddle close together, their rain-slicked bodies shivering against the cold. Or maybe it was fear. You can't tell.
As the last cow goes shuffles into the stall with the others, Tom rests his hands on his hips and says proudly to the dripping and exhausted hired hands, "Good work team. Now, let's go get dried off." As usual, he had a very thick foreign accent. When you asked him about it when you were younger, you remember him telling you that he was from Barovia, but he always seemed to get distant and quiet whenever the subject of Barovia came up. To this day, you've never been able to figure out where that was.
Tom is an imposing figure. Powerfully built, his sodden clothes clung to his body, revealing his brawny frame. Even though you'd say he was in his fifties, he was in very good shape. His wavy black hair peppered with silver fell to about his shoulders, and his short beard matched his hair. He had a rather severe facial expression most of the time, and if you didn't know him well, you'd say he was always angry.
He spots you two amongst the small crowd of workers, but he doesn't smile. He rarely smiled. Instead, he grunts, "Good to see you two."
----------
As Jared turns and leaves, Rhea reaches out her hand and says, "Wait!" but Jared has already vanished out of her sight. Her wavering hand lingers in air for a moment before she bows her head and shakes it sadly as she turns back to kneading bread.
----------
At the doorway, Kora takes the page from Aoufie and begins studying it. Unfortunately, the mystic arts of the arcane were never Kora's strong suit. She can tell that there are different writing styles between the two groups of writing, but she doesn't ascertain anything past that point.
Anthony shook his head to Kora as he headed outside. "We all made the trip. That's all that really matters." Outside, he threw himself into the work. glad to have a chance to make some minor amends for all of grief he'd given people as a kid complaining and actively ducking work as much as possible.
Not wanting to stand out in the storm catching up, he gave Tom a short nod. "Good to see you too." with a soft chuckle at the mirrored sentences. "Don't suppose you have time to catch up a little, out of the storm maybe? " He trusts the seriousness of his tone to be hint enough that they aren't really looking for small talk.
Tom grunts in agreement and begins trudging along the muddy trail up to front of the house while the workers head to the back door. As he pushes open the door, a gust blows damp air and more than a few fat raindrops into the entryway, getting everyone there a little moist. Tom holds the door open for Anthony and Akyan. After they step inside, he gives the storm one last suspicious look before closing the door. As the door begins to close, a bolt of lightning lights up the area, bathing the land in a brief moment of radiance. Jared happened to be looking out door as it closes, and just before it latches shut, he swears he sees a lone hooded figure luminated by the celestial bolt of power standing in the rain just outside of the monoliths. Jared blinks, and the figure is gone. A peal of thunder rocks the house, causing some dust to fall from the rafters above. Jared shivers in the chill air, but he has a feeling that the shiver had nothing to do with the temperature. Hopefully he was just seeing things.
Tom grunts when he sees you all gathered in the entryway, his version of a friendly hello.
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"I didn't want to disturb your reunion with the bunny." Jared says as he shakes his hand. "Been living the hard life have ya Aunty?"
There it is. Anthony laughs. "You could say that." He takes the other man in. "Could I say the same about you?" There's a hint of something under the congenial bluster, but that could be said of all of them.
As Kora passes the pillars on her way to the house, she feels the deep and primal connection she has fostered with the land for so many years rip away from her. A dark, loathsome feeling takes its place withing her. The world almost seems to darken as it does, the colors and scents less vibrant. She does manage to get inside the house after taking a bit of time to recompose. She can hear familiar voices coming from the kitchen area nearby.
In the kitchen, everyone else can hear the front door open, and a gust of cold air steals away the warmth of the fire nearby. The door slams shut, announcing the arrival of one more person.
Kora slams the door shut behind her, leans against the front hall wall and slinks down to the floor, her heart beating fast. Looking around wildly, she sees that everything appears to be what she remembers, but what in the hells was that?
She feels so lost now, so disconnected and the feeling of foreboding is so heavy she hears the voices coming from the kitchen but can't get herself to stand back up yet.
Following his stated intention to help prepare for the storm, Anthony claps Jared on the shoulder and heads toward the front door. Kora. The last time he'd seen her she'd looked like a mud ball with leaves stuck in. Not much had changed, but seeing her huddled on the ground by the door shaking, his instincts kicked in and he dropped to his knees in front of her, not touching, but looking her over and trying to get a feel for what was happening.
"Hey, you're gonna be ok. Focus on me." said in an effort to get a look at her eyes. "Try to tell me what happened. Can I touch you?" He speaks with a calm, practiced authority from years of practice talking people through all kinds of messed up.
Insight 7
As Anthony kneels in front of Kora, she looks at him and feels a bit more steadied. When he asks if he can touch her, "Sure, just don't get fresh." she smiles a bit at this and there is a slight twinkle in her eye but it is immediately extinguished and she closes her eyes and groans a bit.
She opens her eyes and searches Anthony's face, "Sorry... I just, what has happened to this place? What is with those monoliths at the entrance to Grimhearth? They, I don't even know what they did, but it was wrong, so wrong. I don't understand what is going on." It is then she realizes who she is talking to, "Anthony? is that you? Why, you've changed quite a bit, it's good to see you." Seeing her sibling, she calms a bit and starts wringing the rain out of her hair. Anthony feels she is speaking exactly what is on her mind.
Jared watches Anthony go and turns his attention to the house.
It's been a great while since he has been here but it looks like nothing has changed.
Jared seeks Rhea out. Seeing her kneed the dough, just like always, brings him back to his past. Then his eyes dart back and forth a bit and he steels himself.
"Rhea, what happened to mum?" he asks.
“Never.” he says a little absentmindedly as he looks her over. Just his fingertips to her wrist as he looks through her eyes more than into them. Her pulse is racing, skin is cool to the touch from being out in the rain, breathing a little quick and shallow, but her eyes are clear and alert. “Yeah, it’s me. Welcome home,” he says with a soft chuckle. “We’re all asking the same questions. Aloufie has some sketches he was hoping one of us could look at. Magic isn’t really my thing though.”
Satisfied that she’s not hurt, Anthony gets to his feet. It’s not graceful, but he’s had plenty of practice. Hefting himself to vertical, he offers Kora a hand. “I think some of us were going to make sure everything’s down tight that can be. Think the rest were going to start asking uncomfortable questions. Normally, I’d say wait till after the funeral, but… yeah. Something unnatural is going on here.”
Akyan wordlessly follows Anthony towards the door. He intends to help with whatever he can, but he'll follow along with what the others decide. He's good at making decisions on his own, but in a group setting he prefers to hear what everyone else wants to do before he says anything. As he walks, he keeps an eye on the other man's odd gait...well at least he seams to be able to get around alright. He stops standing behind Anthony when he bends down to talk with Kora. What is she doing on the floor? He thinks as he watches the interaction with a flat look. She doesn't seem to have changed much. When Kora speaks up about the wrongness of the place, he sets his jaw. Her magic may be different then that of the others, but it hit her just as hard. Harder probably. Thinking this, he diverts his gaze.
At Jared's inquiry, Rhea's busy hands stop working the dough. Her eyes close as she lets out heavy breath, suddenly looking incredibly exhausted. You can tell that the weight of happened to Aoelywn has been weighing heavily upon her, and even though she has seemed like her normally cheerful self on the outside, she was just as heartbroken as everyone else. Your question broke through her facade for just a moment, revealing the pain she hid from the world. Just as quickly as her true feelings appeared, they disappear again behind a smiling and cheerful countenance. She says, sounding somewhat strained, "I was planning to fill everyone in after dinner. I'm just so glad to see you all here again; I don't want to ruin the moment." She looks you in the eye, and you spot tears forming in the corners of her eyes that threaten to spill over as she asks, "Is it ok if we wait until then?"
Taking Anthony's hand, Kora stands back up. "We're? How many have come home? I'd love to see Aoufie's sketch, as well as the ol bunny. Hey!" she notices Akyan lurking behind Anthony.
"Well, you haven't changed a bit, skinny as ever." she smirks. Then addressing both of them, "Did either of you feel part of who you are being ripped away from you as you entered Grymhearth? I feel... well, awful."
"Yeah. I felt a little off, but I just thought it was.. " he shrugged."normal stuff until Zathon complained, said they were tainted. Undead or something."
He shook his head at Jared's bluntness. Couldn't be a teeny but diplomatic? But he kept the thought to himself. "After dinner is fine with me Rhea. I'm gonna see if Tom needs help outside for now."
Moving outside past Kora. "Glad you showed up. Kinda thought maybe... Anyway. We can catch up later." With that he steps out into the storm and scans the area for anything - or anyone - that looks like it's about to be blown away or anyone looking like they need a hand.
Akyan's gaze shifts back to Kora when she addresses him. Unsure if her comment was supposed to be a complement or not, he crosses his arms and shrugs. "Could say the same about you." He replies gruffly. "And yeah, I feel like someone's smothering my soul." Shifting his weight, he looks away again, focusing on nothing in particular before glancing back at the kitchen. He catches the hitch in Rhea's voice when Jared asks about Aoelwyn, and fights the urge to roll his eyes. Akyan himself tends to be blunt, but at least he thinks before opening his mouth...most of the time. The drow is also perfectly fine with waiting until dinner to discuss what happened to his adoptive mother, it would be best for them all to hear the story at once.
Following Anthony outside he glances at Kora again, silver eyes lingering for a brief moment. He hesitates, almost like he wanted to say something else before just nodding to the woman, and Anthony. He'd been jumpy as a child, but he'd been no where near as standoffish as Kora. He's way of coping with fear had been aggression and at times a seething anger, while hers had been to scamper away or explode in a feral rage. And now, she'd been cut off from the source of her power and, while he might have a sickening feeling in his soul, she must feel helpless. At least he had lost his psycic abilities, he'd certainly feel helpless. His eyes flash green for a moment as he taps into his mental energy, no harm in double checking.
Aoufie heads over to Cora and gives her affectionate back pat. "I am glad you made it here before the storm set in. That smothering feeling is due to Grymhearth being cut off from the Weave of magic. It is a dead zone where no magic works. I copied the runes found by Jared and I hope you can take a look as well."
Zathon is still going over things in his head, having zoned out for a spell.
"The runes are protection oriented, they shouldn't cause a dead zone.. Right?"
Jared watches Rhea but says nothing. Abruptly he turns and leaves the kitchen.
He will make his way to where the others have gathered but says nothing.
Kora raises an eyebrow, "Undead? really?" she frowns, wondering what other bad news can possibly be piled on after all this. She then catches what he says on his way past, "Kinda thought maybe what? That I wouldn't come and pay my respects to the woman that raised us? I mean, I am mainly human after all."
Akyan's gruff response surprises Kora for a moment, but it helps her remember how her brother had been. She decides not to say anything, but as he looks back to her and gives her a nod, she smiles at him, truly glad to see him which makes her smile more in spite of herself. But the feeling is fleeting as she is still comprehending her new situation.
As Aoufie shows up and pats her on the back she listens intently to the bard. She's impressed with all that he has gathered so far, "How long have you been here Aoufie? And may I see your drawing?" She looks at it, trying to discern what his hand drawn runes might mean.
Arcana 6
"Zathon, Jared... looks like I am the last to show up. Good to see you all."
As Anthony and Akyan step outside and close the door, they are greeted by a growl of thunder from the darkening clouds stalking across the grim sky. The agitated wind whips leaves and other detritus nervously about the property, and an occasional panicked gust blasts through the forest around you. The world is bathed in an ominous gray tint as only a feeble amount of light manages to pierce through the churning clouds. You can see angry, black thunderclouds writhing with fury and lighting charging in your direction. You think you have about an hour before the storm hits. Fat teardrops fall from the sky as it weeps, bathing the countryside in sorrows. Yes, this will be a storm to remember.
You see a few soggy workers going about preparing for the storm, and you hop right in to help them. You go about closing and latching storm shutters, taking wooden furniture and various decorations inside the barn, and help gather the animals up into the barn as well. You both have a particularly hard time wrangling in the animals. They all seem spooked by the weather and have a hard time being cooperative with no regard to your coaxing and cajoling.
As you work, you get a good view of Grymhearth's property. Nestled in a small valley between forested hills that eventually become towering mountains, Grymhearth has stood for nearly two centuries. A very large garden dedicated primarily to growing food, herbs, and spell components dominates much of the area near the building proper. The garden is ringed by a low and white picket fence. Nearby, the barn and animal pens take up a lot of space as well. The buildings are atop a small ridge, and as such, much of the yard and garden gently slopes downward towards a rather large lake. The lake is usually calm and placid, but it roils and churns in the gloom. About halfway to the lake is a large gazebo surrounded by a small flower garden. You spent a lot of time there as children when Aeolwyn would lovingly counsel with you under its awnings. Even though they're hard to see in the gathering darkness, you know that lurking around the property of Grymhearth are the inscrutable monoliths that solemnly guard all that reside within their boundaries. Or at least they did.
As you near the end of your preparations, you see Tom and several other workers herding the last few cows into the barn. The anxious bovines huddle close together, their rain-slicked bodies shivering against the cold. Or maybe it was fear. You can't tell.
As the last cow goes shuffles into the stall with the others, Tom rests his hands on his hips and says proudly to the dripping and exhausted hired hands, "Good work team. Now, let's go get dried off." As usual, he had a very thick foreign accent. When you asked him about it when you were younger, you remember him telling you that he was from Barovia, but he always seemed to get distant and quiet whenever the subject of Barovia came up. To this day, you've never been able to figure out where that was.
Tom is an imposing figure. Powerfully built, his sodden clothes clung to his body, revealing his brawny frame. Even though you'd say he was in his fifties, he was in very good shape. His wavy black hair peppered with silver fell to about his shoulders, and his short beard matched his hair. He had a rather severe facial expression most of the time, and if you didn't know him well, you'd say he was always angry.
He spots you two amongst the small crowd of workers, but he doesn't smile. He rarely smiled. Instead, he grunts, "Good to see you two."
----------
As Jared turns and leaves, Rhea reaches out her hand and says, "Wait!" but Jared has already vanished out of her sight. Her wavering hand lingers in air for a moment before she bows her head and shakes it sadly as she turns back to kneading bread.
----------
At the doorway, Kora takes the page from Aoufie and begins studying it. Unfortunately, the mystic arts of the arcane were never Kora's strong suit. She can tell that there are different writing styles between the two groups of writing, but she doesn't ascertain anything past that point.
Anthony shook his head to Kora as he headed outside. "We all made the trip. That's all that really matters." Outside, he threw himself into the work. glad to have a chance to make some minor amends for all of grief he'd given people as a kid complaining and actively ducking work as much as possible.
Not wanting to stand out in the storm catching up, he gave Tom a short nod. "Good to see you too." with a soft chuckle at the mirrored sentences. "Don't suppose you have time to catch up a little, out of the storm maybe? " He trusts the seriousness of his tone to be hint enough that they aren't really looking for small talk.
Tom grunts in agreement and begins trudging along the muddy trail up to front of the house while the workers head to the back door. As he pushes open the door, a gust blows damp air and more than a few fat raindrops into the entryway, getting everyone there a little moist. Tom holds the door open for Anthony and Akyan. After they step inside, he gives the storm one last suspicious look before closing the door. As the door begins to close, a bolt of lightning lights up the area, bathing the land in a brief moment of radiance. Jared happened to be looking out door as it closes, and just before it latches shut, he swears he sees a lone hooded figure luminated by the celestial bolt of power standing in the rain just outside of the monoliths. Jared blinks, and the figure is gone. A peal of thunder rocks the house, causing some dust to fall from the rafters above. Jared shivers in the chill air, but he has a feeling that the shiver had nothing to do with the temperature. Hopefully he was just seeing things.
Tom grunts when he sees you all gathered in the entryway, his version of a friendly hello.