"They helped me at the south gate Garrick. I'd have been overrun otherwise." Ilya says quickly, glowing wings already fading even as the other woman refers to her as 'soaring angel.' "They seem..." She pauses, recalling the questions members of the group had posed to her earlier. "...Confused about what's going on. Somehow."

"But they mean well. We can trust them."

The veteran soldier looks between Lyra and Leftenant. He takes a step towards LT, taking the dagger in his hands to inspect it more closely. "Yeah...I remember you." After Ilya also vouches for your party, he seems to soften. He hands the dagger back and waves the others off.

"I'll have your report soldier." He says to LT. "But not here." The armed villagers split into groups around you - some recovering the dead, others moving to repair the gate, and the rest moving into the watchtowers via the ladders that rest on the inside of the inner wall. "We're in for another long night." He mutters.

"Come." He says, striding off into the center of the village. The buildings are all a blend of stone and wood constructions, and many look fairly new to you. The village itself is probably less than 50 buildings total. Even though the time is well past midnight, with the warning bells rung the entire settlement is now wide awake. You pass people carrying wood and tools to both gates - not a single person is unarmed, even the children you see.

Garrick leads you to a square building not too far from the gate, its connected by two colonnades to a few other rectangular buildings. The inside looks like it might have been a tavern at one point. You see a bar and plenty of tables. But where there would be ale kegs stacked you see crates of shields. Spears and rough-made shortswords cover most of the coutertop and tabletops. Vinande's leader turns, crossing his arms. "I'd offer you some ale, but we made the decision long ago to not crack open the kegs until this is over."

"My name is Garrick Davenforth. This is home - Vinande - a place I've built with the help of these people and my own two hands. But you seemed to know that already, guessing he remembered me talking about this place." He says with a nod towards LT.

"But what I don't understand is who you are and how you made it here. Every settlement you can reach in the daylight's hours from here is gone. Dead. We haven't even been able to bury the bodies. And I've sent more people than I care to admit out into the dark and they have never come back."

As they enter into the once-tavern, Kalamin leans his glaive against the wall near the door. He looks over the room, impressed by the amount of weaponry. The village must have been working its poor blacksmith to death. He glances to Garrick as he more or less demands their story. As if they even knew what was going on. The knight clears his throat, taking a step forward. "I'm Kalamin Vorni. I'm perhaps not the best equipped to explain this...But." He holds his hand up, flashing the signet ring of his order. "On my oath as a knight of the Selenic Order, I will tell you the truth as I know it."

"We awoke in a prison cart, traveling on the roads south of here. Our captors were elves of a kind I don't think anyone here has ever seen before. Pale. Red eyes. White hair. They were ambushed by another group, which is how we came to be freed. Although this other group was either there to kill us, or simply didn't care if we died. We clashed with both groups, only surviving by the grace of Amah's chosen: Aurilith. She was...Contained within a weapon one of the ambushers carried.

The elves fled shortly after. Leftenant here knows the area, and he suggested we try to make way to your village here. As Lyra said however, the journey was fraught with these strange shadow creatures, which you seem to know more about than we do." He pauses, hesitant to speak aloud his suspicions. "I think we may have been prisoner of these pale elves for quite some time. Our memories have been clouded...We're uncertain of the date, and the current threat you face. Could you bring illuminate us on how this all began?"

Garrick listens intently as Kalamin explains your party's circumstances. When he's finished, the veteran leader of Vinande raises a skeptical brow. "I'm not sure where you got that ring paladin, but the order you lay claim to is long since gone. I'm not certain how much your oath means then." He ponders for a moment, then sighs. "Demi-gods and mysterious elves? I'd say you were mad, but this whole place has gone barking."

"Hard to nail day when exactly this started. It was all gradual you see. A little over a month ago we started running into these shadows during the night. Just a few though, we thought maybe they were just spirits of some kind."

"Each night it seemed like there were more and more, until every time the sun went down we were besieged. I sent riders out to nearby homesteads and settlements - like I said, they were all dead by the time we got there. No one has been able to survive a full night outside these walls, so I can't tell you much about what's going on beyond a day's ride from here. This could be happening to just us, all of Silvershard, or maybe the entire damn world."

"You're free to stay within these walls, but you'll be expected to help hold them. Ilya has been staying here, and there's some other empty rooms you're welcome to."

(Ooc: edited down to shorten just a bit.)

Leftenant follows suit, “I offer my report from my perspective. It begins with the facts I know and then moves into that which I believe. I speak solely for myself, sir.”

“A month of days or so ago I went to hunt game in the woods near my cottage outside of Neressa. I know this because Lucine and Selia weren't even in the night sky at the time- only Arielle, the Dreamer's Moon was up. The next I know, I woke in the back of a prison wagon…with those you see here. I am unsure how I was taken or the reason…but it is as Kalamin has said. These strange elves had us. (LT only adds that the elves wore chain shirts and a red gem ring which he produces as evidence.) It was by luck that we escaped as the four wagons that made up the caravan were attacked by a different strange group.” (Adding to Kalamin’s description that they were armed) “with crossbows and wore cloaks such as I and Lyra wear now.”

“A search of the area afterwards revealed that these assailants must have laid in wait for the caravan for several days. As Kalamin has said, neither group seemed to care for our safety.” He pauses here for a moment, narrowing his eyes in thought then adds, “But one of the elves did say that if we wanted to serve something bigger, we should follow them. The elf leader was a woman who could animate the dead. At the conclusion of the battle the remaining elves and their sorcerer leader, joined hands and…faded away.  This was after Amah’s Chosen selected our best forms as the Knight has said”

Continuing on, “We were closest to Restat but I decided to come to Vinande and render my report. On the way here we encountered shadow felines and in a separate encounter Shadow beings sucking the…un-life? from a ghost boy. Is that what they were doing perhaps?” He asks for confirmation from Juno. “His family fled Restat we learned after dispatching the menace.”

“I would expect that Restat has fallen to this invasive assault. And that it was your preparedness that has allowed Vinande to last. While I’d prefer to return home, I welcome your offer to stay and assist where possible. Perhaps with trying to determine where the incursion is coming from or its reason.”

Lyra listens appraisingly as one veteran soldier reports to another, refraining from speaking or playing her harmonica for once.

She thinks a bit, adding after a respectful pause:  "To elaborate on LT's report, the elves' mage leader was no elf, but rather some stranger, perhaps extraplanar being.  And a necromancer to boot, as she raised the dead to fight on her behalf before her concentration was broken by our attacks and she teleported away with the surviving elves."  Lyra pauses wondering if there is any connection to the undead attacks.  Not knowing, she plows on.

"And though I do not serve Amah, her Chosen was something to behold.  As Kal said, the leader of the ambushers, a warlock, wielded a glaive which seemed to contain Aurilith.  And somehow the Moonlit One... altered reality and stopped time.  One instant, we were desperate escapees, fighting with scavenged scraps and no armor, and the next, we were fully equipped with all of our gear, the warlock slain by his own weapon."

"I think there is little question we will help you hold the walls, as we have briefly just now.  And would do so even if the only other choice were not venturing out into teeming undeath.  Yet speaking of stopping time as Aurilith did, I do have a simple question.  All of us are uncertain exactly how much time passed between our capture and our awakening.  For at least one of us, Kal here, it somehow seems to have been over a century."

Lyra plays an odd harmonic note, then asks:  "What is today's date?"

(She then compares any answer Garrick provides to the date she recalls from her muddled memories of capture).

Ilya listens as the newcomers tell their story. Extraordinary though it may be, she wasn't as skeptical of their tale as Garrick appeared to be. Her eyes glance over the cloaks Lyra and Leftenant wear. There was nothing familiar about them though. Still, something about it nagged at the back of her mind. 

Once the woman of some mixed elvish descent finishes, she glances at the knight. "You don't look a century old."

The thought of these mysterious others (not the pale elves) still pestered her, and so she asks: "These others who pursued you, did anything seem strange about them? Like they weren't all there, no souls behind their eyes?"

"If these groups are able to move freely through the night, I would hazard that one or both are the cause our land's current condition. At the very least, they know something we don't." Garrick says. He closes his eyes for the moment, thinking. "Restat has indeed fallen. I would be shocked if Neressa was not still standing. It would be a difficult journey."

"But you were skilled enough to make it here in the dead of night...Perhaps you could survive where others could not. Vinande will hold so long as these walls stand, what we lack - what we need - is information. Though where you might find how this began, I don't know. This seems like something an arcanist would know more about, which would mean a trip to Neressa."

"You could attempt to figure out the extent of this...Incursion. That would involve going east around the Shimmering Peaks, or going north to the coast to find a boat."

"Or perhaps trying to retrace the path your captors took to get here."

He stops throwing out ideas, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "If you do decide to venture out, we could arm and supply you as best we can. So long as you promise to come back for us."

For Lyra's question, he answers without skipping a beat. "It's 13 Ostarwen." For all of you this date will be removed from what you last remember. A  little over a month for Leftenant, a month and a half for Lyra, and upwards of two months for Glyp and Juno.

"13 Ostarwen... how could I could have lost so much time..." Glyp thinks to himself. "And how far must I have traveled in that time? Though I guess in some ways it's better for me to go further from home. That's the point of all this, isn't it?" 

He shakes his head and focuses on the options laid in front of them. He considers retracing their steps... and remembers the shadow creatures and beasts they met along the way. 

"I'm not so sure about retracing our steps, seems that might lead to a bigger chance of running into either the pale elves or the other attacks, and I really don't want to see either one of them! Neressa does seem like the place to go." He tries really hard to put on his most brave and confident face here. "We must put a stop to this threat at all costs! And when it is done, I swear that we will return to your aid. Or my name is not... Glyptemis!"  He braces himself for others' reactions after that last statement, not quite sure what reaction he's even hoping for, but certain there are many bad ones.

"A month and a half passed for me, then," Lyra murmurs.

"I wonder why.  And what they did with us, during.  Sounds as if the undead incursion started around the time of our abductions.  All except for Kal.  Not that he's aged a century or more, Ilya, just that he seems to be an unwitting time-traveler.  Even more so than the rest of us are."

She smiles as Glyptemis speaks and plays a stirring chord progression on her dark harmonica.  "I am with you Glyp.  Just as you cannot stay retreated fully inside your shell when you wish to fight, so too must Vinande NOT remain fully shuttered inside her walls.  We shall be her eyes and ears.  And sword, aye.  Our specific tactics and course, I leave to those whose knowledge on these matters I respect more than my own."  (She turns to LT).

Leftenant finished his report and listened to Lyra add her remarks, nodding along. He then took in all the options Garrick lays out. He’s unsure how feasible each of those are…just as he’s unsure how he alone could accomplish them. While conflict builds strong teams, a fact he learned (and included) in training, there really wasn’t much else to bind the group of escapees together at this point. They had reached a secure civilized location, wasn’t that the goal?

Lyra turns to LT to gage his reaction but notices him deep in thought.

Vinande wasn’t his home, as secure as it was however.  “Do I even have a home still?” He ponders to himself. “Did it still stand yet?”, “How has Neressa faired?”, “Could he even find out?”, “If it was lost to a months worth of incursion, did he want to know first-hand?” Questions that started to roll over him like an avalanche which in turn made him even more tired.

Oblivious at the moment that Glyp is so willing to charge out to Neressa, or that Lyra might be looking to him for leadership, the old soldier informs Garrick, “If that is all for now, sir…I think I should retire for some rest.  Before another assault on the gates happens.  I’m unsure what I’ll do next. I’ll let you know when I’ve decided.”

Perhaps with a fresh day a new idea will present itself. Perhaps an old order, a new light, a unique sound, a guiding hand, and a small shell shall provide insight.

Kalamin ignores Garrick's implication that he had stolen the signet ring, that he was fraudulent. Any other day the insult may have made him bristle, but tonight he was simply too tired.

"After tonight, I feel a century old." The knight says, rubbing the back of his neck. "But no, I didn't exactly live through the last 100 years. I suspect I was awoken very recently, around the same time you were all taken." A hand goes to his chest, where he remembers the blade cutting through. "I was wounded when the undead horde attacked the Order's headquarters. My friends did something to save my life, a ritual...Old magic. I don't think they managed to get me to the right place though, since I ended up here." He stows the implications of their failure away, he did not want to dwell on the death of his friends tonight. There would be time for that later, after this disaster was settled.

He thinks back to Ilya's other question though, about the bunch who tried to kill them. "They seemed a little cold perhaps? Incredible focus and determination. The elves were at least willing to converse with us. This other group was not."

As for their next move...He reaches out to put a hand on Leftenant's shoulder. "I think my young companion here has a point. We've had a long night, and our minds are addled. After some sleep we can decide on our next move, together."

"Preserving someone for a century is no small feat, that must have been powerful magic indeed." Ilya decides to leave it at that for now. She couldn't imagine the headache the man must be dealing with after waking up to this mess after a hundred years. "Hm." She considers his answer to her question, folding her arms in front. "I've just encountered a similar group several times in the past, I thought maybe they could be the same. I never saw them wear cloaks like that though." She says, nodding towards the ones Lyra and Leftenant wear. "Though I've never been up this far north either, so maybe that's why."

While they make their plans, she turns to Garrick. "Could you spare me? If they're trying to find the cause of this I'd like to go with them."

"At least a month within their grasps and you remember nothing?" Garrick asks, "That's...Strange." As the topic of rest comes up, the veteran soldier nods. "Of course. Sorry, you're the first new face we've seen in a while. Rest while you can. If you hear the bells, it's all hands on deck."

He glances over at Ilya, considering her question shortly. "You're worth a lot to us here...But if you can help get to the bottom of this, or get us help from outside, that would be even better. Yes. Go with them, if they'll have you."

"The rooms are upstairs, they aren't incredibly well furnished, but it's a roof and a pillow at least."

Leftenant was zoning out, barely able to focus when Kalamin clasped his shoulder, bring the scout just a bit of clarity. Enough clarity to hear the Paladin say they would decide the next move…together.  
As LT started to head upstairs, he overhears the woman Ilya ask Garrick about joining the group in determining the cause of the nightly assaults Vinande has experienced. “Could it be possible I miss heard that?” He ponders to himself as he staggers upstairs, feet heavy upon the boards. “I’ll ask for clarification in the morning.” He mumbles to himself.  Perhaps he won’t have to go at it alone.  
The Ranger looks for a shared or common room and looks for an empty bed to rest. He loosens his armor but does not fully take it off. Likewise, he places his weapons just under the bed (out of the way, but easily reachable should the alarm go up again). In his mind he retraces the layout of the village; gate locations, routes, choke points. As he quickly drifts off, he plays out reactions to likely scenarios of defense. 

Bone tired, and yet far too energized to fall asleep yet, Lyra asks Garrick's leave to make the rounds to try to pick up the spirits of Vinande's defenders posted at the walls and gates with her music and loquacious encouragement.  Despite, or perhaps because of the seemingly dark and hopeless situation, an idea stirs in her mind of a great and heroic ballad, and she begins weaving the roles and character arcs, as yet unknown, of all her new companions.

Will they be triumphant or tragic tales?  Poignant or heartless?  It is darkest before the dawn, yet from the brightest light springs the blackest shadow...

Lyra's mind is still racing when she finally settles in to sleep, surrendering as she always does to the shadow that lies within.

"We'd be more than happy to have more help, I think." Kal says to Ilya. As the group begins to disperse, he makes his way upstairs to a room. His glaive and equipment he leaves by the door. He puts his back to a wall, sliding down to sit. It had been a strange day for him, and it had left him little time to think. Which was perhaps a kindness. He lowers his head in his hands, letting out a shuddering breath. This moment he would allow before pulling himself back together.

The crisis they found themselves in was both curse and blessing to him. It would keep him busy, and his mind away from the life that was utterly lost to him now. In time, he'd settle into a bed and let sleep take him.

Ilya nods, happy to have that settled. A yawn escapes, and she moves to head upstairs with the others to her own room for the night.

OoC: Moving on then. Also Lyra make a performance check. Everyone take a long rest and a level as well.

There's enough rooms in the converted tavern for each of you to have a room - as Garrick said, they aren't much in the way of furnishings. A simple wooden bedframe with a firm mattress, blanket, and pillow. A small stand sits next to it with a cabinet you can store a few things in. Having survived your first night within the cold north of Silvershard - now seemingly cursed by some shadowy undead curse - you at last find yourself falling into a deep sleep.

You're not woken throughout the night, as the shadows have either given up or now, or the next shift of defenders were able to hold their own. By the time you awaken from a full rest the sun is higher in the sky than your perhaps used to. A quick glance outside estimates that it's probably around 10 AM. One by one you trickle downstairs back into the common area where you met with Garrick last night.

How would you like to begin the day?

Lyra Performance:  25 (Natural 20)

Til hope is gone, til life is gone in stark moonlight,
Gentle go not into this grasping darkness of night.
Against death's long reach, together we stand,
To spit in his eye with last breath, every man
Rage, rage, we shall, against the dying of the light.