[ Video; un: anzhi ]

[balancedwire]

[ When the video pops up it’s Xie Yun and Wen Qing not that far from where the caskets had been. They, of course, had been in one of those and were taken for a bit of a ride ]

Being in a confined space is not fun. Though, that isn’t the point of this. Point is we’ve found out what happens to the caskets. Where they end up and what happens to those that the villagers are so worried about.

[ Wen Qing is still shaking out the sleeves of her robes when the video starts, and it’s only when Xie Yun mentions the villagers that she lifts her head, a little more ruffled than she normally is, tension obvious in the line of her lips and the slope of her shoulders. ]

We encountered a lady who said the Man in Black saves the corpses. He keeps them hidden so the bodies do not rise with the waters and attack. [ She pauses, considering her words for a moment, some of the tension bleeding away into thoughtfulness. ] The waters have risen before, if they are so worried about the corpses.

[ The young emperor makes sure that his companion is fine before reaching out to give her shoulder a gentle squeeze. They were both probably a bit tense after what they'd just gone through. Between the rocky waters, crashing, being under water, and then running into the lady who spoke of the Man in Black. ]

So in her own regards she says that he allows them to rest in peace. Though, she mentioned a woman coming. That was when they saw what happened to the dead and because of that they decided to keep them safe. To not let her kind have them.

[ Wen Qing shoots him a grateful look, then looks back to the camera. ] She provided no name, but said to look in the forest for our troubled woman. She took the dead with her, and they went willingly. She would say no more than that, but we have something to look for.


[ OOC: Xie Yun is blue and Wen Qing is red. ]

Comments

un: Black Prince; text

[blackscales]

So the Man in Black is preventing the dead rising? Then it is only the missing bodies which are being taken to rise, they believe. Where do the others go?

I imagine the troubled woman they speak of may be the Huntress.

[balancedwire]

We were not told, unfortunately, where the others go. When we were in the casket we ended up under the waters in some kind of cavern. Though, yes, we were told that the Man in Black is preventing the dead from rising. The ones that do rise are the ones that couldn't be saved.

[ He gives a frown at the mention of the Huntress. ]

So it's possible that she may be alive?

Audio;

[blackscales]

[ He switches over, since texting someone speaking always feels awkward: ]

As far as I'm aware yes. We certainly never killed her ourselves. I lost track of her by the House of Ravens, and assumed she fled.

[balancedwire]

So it's possible that she is out there. I remember what happened during the House of Ravens, to an extent.

[blackscales]

I'd say it's probable. She likely searched for her child and left, while we dealt with the Beastmaster.

[balancedwire]

Perhaps she is following her child, still searching.

[blackscales]

It's certainly possible. We didn't see her in Serthica, where the child was, but she may have passed through here on her way there seeking him.

un: qishan

[silverneedles]

She has troubled many people and places, it seems. Though I am curious why she's here.

[blackscales]

It's rumoured the woods here were once the Beastmaster's hunting grounds.

un : deft hand of little deaths (voice)

[scrapgege]

Oh, you went there too! Hua Cheng and I actually talked to the ghost. The Man in Black. And he said the same thing. That what he was doing was preventing the corpses from rising when the undead try to call for them. So the caskets that go missing are the ones they don't manage to save and that get taken to rise again, and that's why people are so uneasy about it. They know.

.... He also called the ghost that haunted me the 'red bitch', so they might not all be on friendly terms here.

[balancedwire]

We did go there too, yes.

[ There's a soft smile out of Xie Yun as he listens to Xie Lian speak of the Man in Black. ]

So the caskets that go missing are the unsaved dead and are the ones that have been coming from the waters?

[ He tries not to laugh at the mention of the 'red bitch'. ]

It makes one wonder who he is or is not on friendly terms with. Where you two got the Man in Black we got one of the ladies that had been there.

[scrapgege]

It sounds like it, yes.

We also met the ladies, but I think we kind of scared them? That's why he came over. We really had to insist for him to tell us, too. It's like he wanted us to pretend not to have seen anything.

... but then that means there is a way to make sure the dead don't rise. I wonder if only he can do it? Him and the people he also has down there in that cave? He's not human anymore, but I'm not sure about the others.

[balancedwire]

How did you scare them?

I don't believe any of them that were in the cave are human anymore. It sounded, to me, that they believe he is the only one to be able to keep the dead from rising. That does not mean there is not someone out there who can stop the dead from rising along side him.

[scrapgege]

Well, I was with my husband and he's... let's just say he's a ghost that's about as powerful as some of their undead lords can be.

I don't know if they believe he is the only one, but whatever they're doing, it works. I wouldn't really ask more about how they're doing it before he dismissed us though.

[balancedwire]

Your husband is a ghost?

[ Color him intrigued. ]

So we know that he does it but we do not know the means of doing it. All we know is what him and the lady said, nothing more?

[scrapgege]

Yes, he ended up sending us away, and since Hua Cheng is a ghost too, I didn't want to risk him being taken control of, just in case. The Man in Black was not... very stable. Even is form was shifting, and that means either too much power, or a lack of control, or both.

[balancedwire]

Then we'll need to keep an eye on things. Especially if your husband is a ghost. Though I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with The Man in Black not being stable. Even more so if his form kept shifting as you put it. That sounds like someone has too much control.

[scrapgege]

I assume this is because of the time thing. Time moving around will mess with spirits too. And the others ones can also change shapes very easily.

un: qishan | voice

[silverneedles]

None of the villagers seem particularly endeared to this woman. She's caused many problems.

voice

[scrapgege]

You mean the red lady? She does seem uncommonly mean, and she is very ... hands on, so I am not surprised people dislike her. She's very disruptive for a ghost.

un: absterge

[downswing]

Wen Qing. Your welfare?

un: qishan

[silverneedles]

No harm taken other than discomfort from the coffin.

[downswing]

Signs of curses?

[silverneedles]

None on us. I did feel revulsion in the cave beneath the sea. Unsettling.

[downswing]

Perhaps cleansing due.

[silverneedles]

Do you offer?

these two i stG

[downswing]

Do you accept?

you love them

[silverneedles]

Yes.

[downswing]

Then, I offer.

[silverneedles]

You have my gratitude. When are you available?

[downswing]

Within the shi.

[silverneedles]

Very well.