username: lady of the willow tree | audio

[aprescoup]

( Did you miss this shrieking voice as much as it missed you? ) You took dead. Of course you took dead. Why are you so... do you not have friends? You want friends this badly? No one loves you? Mother does not love you? Father does not love you? You had to find dead who love you?

( She stops. Breathes. Reconsiders: ) There is no time to waste. There never was. In the city, they say none of Unhalad’s people returned. You are half safe. Unhalad won’t know of you, at least until, those things you brought back... become as he means them to be. Speak to them before that. Find out what turned them. ( Quieter: ) They were good men once. At least, less fools than you.

But Anurr knows of you. He must. After all, you — ...you never did ask, did you? Well, go around and ask! Why do the people run from your little farm in the frozen prairie? You think, they do not like big, sturdy land, with a house on it? I heard it was Haltham who put you up here, and now he hides from me. Ha! Good. Not every open house is for the taking. And maybe ask yourselves, why do you have a body in your water, eh? You think it’s good, to swim with the dead? That’s how they raise you, where you are from? Find out who it is, at least you know his name, before you get naked with him, no?

And ask your little forest friend, why are they back? They had good life in their woods. No one bothered them. Did I bother them? No. Did you? Well, you bother everyone. But not them particularly, no?

( Huffing, puffing, easing. ) Actually... some of you, maybe you are friends now. You drank the brew, ah? What they gave you, Anurr’s little sons? How smart and brave they are, now he is back. But before? Months ago, no one spoke of Anurr. No one spoke against Unhalad. Nooooooooo, they bowed our heads then, Yes, sir, no, sir, not my son, sir, do what you want, but spare my family.

If you drank that thing... do not do it again. He owned you for a few hours. But next time, he owns you for days. For weeks. For months. Until he doesn’t let go. But you’ve already done the foolishness, maybe those idiots trust you enough to say what Anurr wants. He can’t keep the citadel closed with the storms forever.

The rest of you, focus on better things. On coin. You need coin. You always need coin.

( ooc: check out the IC results of the latest vote here, along with quest sign-ups! Feel free to talk among each other/threadjack, though Karsa will only answer very sparingly at this time. )