Chasing Phantoms

by **Anders** on June 30th, 2013, 1:11 am

Anders liked the idea of using trail markers. He liked it enough to feel comfortable in venturing forward into the cave.

"Good thinking, let's gather some stones, then." He took a few minutes to stoop down and gather as many appropriately sized rocks as he could. "Still, I'm not sure that I want to cross through another fork in the tunnel. We'll take this left path and then venture as far as we can without the trail splintering a second time."

The spiritist was infinitely more frightened of dying while lost in the darkness than he was of an eerie spirit. He had heard of too many ghosts who had been lost in various places. Confused ghosts who wandered through forests with no destination in mind, unfortunate souls who had frozen to death on unforgiving tundras, reclusive shut-ins who were too afraid to leave the buildings in which they had passed, all players in the various ghost stories he had heard. And of course, lost spelunkers were a part of this collection as well.

As the two of them ventured forward, Anders began to experience that familiar chill. "Feel no need to quiet your speech but we are coming up on an area with quite an increased amount of soulmist activity.

The torch light revealed a large, cavernous room up ahead. They couldn't see into the dark room but Anders didn't need to do so. He could feel what was in there. "I can't discern any specific numbers but more than one ghost resides in the hall ahead."

Anders slowly tip toed into the room ahead. Before his eyes could focus on anything, the two of them heard a scream. This was not a murderous shriek. It was the childish scream of a truly terrified individual. Anders quickly whipped his head around to see where the yelp had come from.

Not one, not two but seven ghosts had been huddled in a corner of the room. They were "dressed" inappropriately for the summer. They had heavy, fur lined coats and it seemed as though they had been rather mud grimed at the time of their deaths.

It soon became clear that this group was comprised of two different families. One of the two ghostly men stepped forward. "Have you been sent from Syliras? Have you come to rescue us? We have been expected, haven't we?"

Upon seeing the children, Anders experienced a temptation to help them. He could interact with them, he could engage them and study them. However, he could do all of it while helping them. After all, it was quite clear what had happened here. Anders simply couldn't figure out what had brought them to the cave system.

After being asked about a rescue attempt, Anders quickly placed a hand on Ivandra's hip and gestured her behind him. Hopefully, they hadn't gotten a good look at her face. The darkness inside of the cave would have been on Anders' side in that regard.

He rapidly whipped his body around and gestured her not to say a word. Taking a vial of soulmist out of his pocket, he rubbed it all over his face. It may have seemed strange to the Kelvic but he would quickly do the same to her. There was no pain and no discomfort with the substance, only a practice which might seem incredibly strange to the uninitiated.

"Yes!" Anders boldly responded. He was trying to play the part of the haughty explorer. "This is my page and traveling companion, Ivandra." He was speaking rapidly. He wanted to introduce her before she got a chance to talk. It wasn't because he had any desire to be rude or condescending toward the Kelvic. It was only because he had a plan and it depended on Ivandra's willingness to play along.

"She is, unfortunately, unable to speak." he solemnly frowned. "Bravely saved my life from a pack of wolves, this one," he turned and smiled at her like one smiles at an old, familiar friend. "She fought them off with unmatched valor, but lost suffered deep wounds to her throat in the struggle. I owe her my life; she'll make legends through her expeditions, this one," he turned around, still smiling.

"Sir, we were forced in here by the storm but it has simply persisted beyond our expectations. It's been what, three days now? She took another pleading step forward. "We were afraid that we'd run out of food..."

Anders hated the idea that he would now subject Ivandra to walking through the pressing darkness with a traveling party comprised of the undead. Different people had different reactions to ghosts but asking one to wander through a mysterious cave, for the first time, with undead creatures, was quite a demand. The gravity was not lost on Anders and he was apologetic that he would have to ask this of Ivandra. Still, he couldn't bring himself to leave these 7 individuals in the darkness, forever having to remain lost and trapped while watching their children starve.

"We're going to lead you out of here, do you understand me?"

by **Ivandra** on July 1st, 2013, 6:43 pm

Ivandra nodded and bent down, collecting small pieces of stone that they could use to set markers. The chill drifting from the tunnel was starting to become more prominent now that they'd been standing there for a few moments; a shiver ran involuntarily down the Kelvic's spine as she stood up again and peered warily into the dark, looming gap.

As they moved forward again, Ivandra let the stones she'd picked up slowly fall through her fingers, one by one. Her other hand was unintentionally clenched into a fist. Her eyes swiveled back and forth, watching for any frame of movement. Her ears were pricked for any type of sound. Anders had just mentioned that they were coming upon an area with increased soulmist activity. Ghosts, quite obviously. She had to admit, she wasn't liking this as much as she thought she would. She would have much preferred to remain in the open outside; that way she would at least be able to flee if there was any danger and see with natural light. In this situation, well, if the ghosts wanted to mangle them or terrorize them, there wasn't anything either of them would be able to do. Escape from the Aylasa Caves wouldn't be so easy.

She continued on, acknowledging the information with a nod to let him know she'd heard him. The tunnel narrowed into a cavernous room up ahead which they couldn't see into, and she heard Anders's voice again. More than one ghost was in that hall. She began to move faster, point of view suddenly changing and eager to get it over with.

What she saw stopped her short. It took her a moment to count, but seven ghosts stood in the corner, with heavy, fur-lined coats. There were several children in the mix, along with the majority of adults. They must have died during the winter then, during a time when it was cold. And they probably can't feel temperature either, if they're wearing that kind of thick clothing. She felt herself relax as the first man stepped forward; he didn't seem to mean them any kind of harm. She was about to open her mouth to respond to his question when Anders stepped in, setting a hand on her as if to tell her not to speak. She took a step back, face expressionless but bristling at the idea that he would be the one doing all the introductory speaking.

But his next words astonished her. This is my page and traveling companion, Ivandra. She is, unfortunately, unable to speak. Bravely saved my life from a pack of wolves, this one. She stared blankly at him, only changing her expression to offer him a meek smile in return as he gave her one. She didn't understand. Was this some game that he was trying to play? But she decided that it would likely be better to remain silent and play along than to speak out loud. Perhaps she would find out later what Anders was up to.

by **Anders** on July 2nd, 2013, 12:36 am

Anders suddenly had the comical realization of just how casual and expected this was for him. He wondered what Ivandra was thinking as they wandered through the darkness with a caravan of the undead.

He had seen enough ghosts that he was able to treat non-threatening ones like normal people. He had seen the saddest of the sob stories and the most gruesome of the tales. At this point, a bunch of lost travelers didn't do much to phase him.

He had seen some tragic cases of ghosts who just couldn't seem to move on. The thought disturbed him more than a disturbing, ghostly avatar could have. Right now, his priority was to get these ghosts outside of the cave. If he could do that, they would certainly move on. This was a pretty clear cut case of a fixation. They were obsessed with this idea of escaping this cave. It was all that they needed.

"The storm has passed." Anders announced, still in his bright, booming voice. "We'll be able to walk out of the cave and make the trek to Syliras. Kabrin isn't far and its less than a day's journey!"

Anders warned them about a few jagged rocks which he saw up ahead on the trail. After this, he returned to addressing them "in character."

"Though I must ask you some questions. In preparing for our journey, I will have to learn the state of your minds and spirits before we embark... Do you all remember what year it is?"

"So a test of our faculties then?" A male voice rung out. It was the same human who had addressed them in the first place. "Good thinking! Yes, it is, of course, the year 403! I do not feel that you have much to fear, everyone seems to be in their right minds."

As magnanimous as his motivations were, this was the scholar, in Anders, coming out. He wanted to learn as much about these ghosts as he could. It was worth poking and prodding at his charade to learn about their story.

"What brought you to Syliras, anyway? Why risk the danger?

The man's voice grew more somber and grave. There was a certain "darkness" that Ivandra may or may not of felt. It would have been felt as a heavy, moist, odorous fog suddenly settling over the cave. Anders even noticed the spirit's aura fading into a darker orange glow. "Fleeing the Black Hand. Dying in a storm would be preferable to the tortures that those twisted vagiks could devise."

"Sure," Anders silently thought. "Dying maybe but not spending confused eons trapped in a cave." He didn't dwell, long, on his pity for them. He couldn't, he would lose the lie if his thoughts drifted away from the illusion.

Clearly, these people had to have been members of The Rising Dawn. Anders surmised that this must have been the passion that anchored their souls to Mizahar after death.

"I cannot wait to reach Syliras! You say that you've been looking for us? You must be from the emissary waiting for us? Are you two from the Rising Dawn yourselves?"

"Yes we are," Anders happily replied. "But we can discuss all of this later. For now, the mouth of the cave is up ahead. Me and Ivandra are going to scout ahead and make sure that we are truly alone!"

He gestured for Ivandra to follow him so that they could have a few words.

"It's called feeding them the lie," he rapidly explained. "I'll fill you in later but I apologize if my antics offended in any way.."

by **Ivandra** on July 2nd, 2013, 5:20 am

Ivandra walked side-by-side with Anders as he led them out the cave again, right back out the way they'd come in. At this point, she wasn't quite sure how to feel. Manipulated? Because although they'd both made it into the caves -- not to mention, he'd pushed her into the front in case they had to fend off any dangers -- Anders had insisted on doing all the talking. She deserved it as much as he did. After all, who was the one who had read the map and led him to his destination in the first place? Or should she not have felt neutral about it all? Granted, she didn't know what the Ethaefal's intentions were yet. Perhaps they were scholarly and understandable. But then he'd better have a good reason for not telling me about it beforehand.

She shot a glance at Anders, almost a glare, but kept moving without a word. She'd sensed that playing along would be the wisest option, but that didn't mean she had to like it at all. After all, it was never fun playing the 'mute girl'.

Meanwhile, she listened in on the conversation. Surprisingly, despite the fact that seven ghosts now trailed behind the two of them, which was actually seven more ghosts than she'd really expected to see, she wasn't afraid of them anymore. They almost seemed like regular humans -- they talked like them and behaved in manners similar to them. But whoever they really were, there perception and time reference was off. 403 AV! They must have perished quite some time ago, then. But if that was the case, then why was it that they had been discovered just now? Or had it been that nobody had dared venture into the caves all these years?

She shot another look at Anders as he readily answered the man's questions, saying that they were from the Rising Dawn. She could only guess what his intentions were. Perhaps he wanted to play along with whatever they were saying so as to discover more information about them, which would therefore aid him in his study of ghosts. He could have told me if that were the case though, she thought, miffed.

As she peered forward, the entrance of the cave drew nearer, a bright light of sunshine. She quickened her pace slightly, eager to reach the exit. As Anders motioned to her, she immediately followed him, eager for an explanation. "Feeding a lie, yes?" She spoke the words softly, yet they were almost hissed out. How fitting. She almost felt like she was being lied to as well. The assumption was that they had been a team, but apparently not. "I see there's no time to really explain things. But I want an explanation later." A slight tingling in the back of her mind made her feel as if maybe she had been a bit too harsh and oversensitive. But considering the circumstances, Ivandra couldn't help but feel upset about it. She whirled around and headed back towards the ghosts, motioning towards them to follow. Not giving Anders a chance to speak again.

by **Anders** on July 2nd, 2013, 11:22 pm

Anders caught a sense of Ivandra's frustration as she walked away. It caused him to feel a pang of guilt but soon enough he could assure her that his motives were pure. In fact, the light from the cave's enterance was visible in the distance; Anders wouldn't have to continue the charade for much longer.

He could feel dry breeze whipping across his skin. He felt a sense of pride upon freeing these ghosts. So much of Spiritism is wrapped up in taming spirits and suspecting spirits and dispelling spirits. It was nice to have a fulfilling, peaceful interaction. Besides, Anders could learn more from helping the ghosts then from harming them. He knew exactly what would happen if he didn't feed them the lie, if he told them of the current date. They would become extremely alarmed and flee from this part of the cave. Approaching an obsessive ghost with something that conflicted with their misconceptions. It was something he'd seen a hundred times before. This, however, this was a whole new experiment. His attempt to help them move onto Lhex's realm could actually work! Now that would be an academic endeavor!

Anders' hopes were realized as they ventured through the mouth and into the bright, overpowering light of the outside world. From what Anders could see, while his eyes adjusted, one of the ghost's suddenly adopted an entirely new facial expression. A look of indescribable fascination and a sudden, overwhelming sense of freedom had taken her. And just as quickly as the moment came, it went out with the seven of them fading away.

Anders suddenly found a new sense of liveliness and energy. He was like a child who had stumbled upon a new toy for the first time. He felt a sense of giddiness, even within the sophistication of his quiet research.

"Well what'da'ya know!" He cried through a smiling outburst, throwing his arms up toward the sky as he did so. At that moment, he remembered Ivandra and the offense she had taken.

"Oh, right, right. Ivandra, yes, I am so, so terribly sorry about what happened back there... He was genuine in his apology but his smile could be only so dampened in this moment. "You see, it was the only way. Even if we had tried to just tell them that we were from their era, they would have detected us immediately. I've seen it all too often, that's why feeding the lie is so important!" He was so excited that his explanation was needlessly emphatic. "The spiritist applies the soulmist to his or her face so that they can impersonate someone more familiar to the ghost. But even then, it is possible for the ghost to see through the act..." Anders slowed down for a moment. "Which is why I regrettably had to ask you to play the part of a mute. Recovering almost immediately he found his pace once again. "Those poor souls were trapped in there for over 100 years! I just wanted to make sure to rescue them from that frightful fate, that was all."

It was as if the ethaefal had to stop for a breath now, the smile still plastered on his face of course. "Look," he wanted to offer her an assurance that he had meant no harm and that the last thing he could hope to do was upset her. "You've now had your first ghost sighting. I'll be opening a storefront in Syliras, soon. Come by whenever you want. I'll prepare first, find a haunted location where you could see something safe but quite interesting. I'll take you along for my research. It'll be like a personal tour and you can interact with as many ghosts as you'd like. How about it?"

by **Ivandra** on July 3rd, 2013, 8:27 pm

Ivandra burst out through the cave entrance at last, enjoying the feeling of sunshine on her skin. Finally! The fresh air and openness made her feel comfortable again, even though the encounter with the ghosts undoubtedly had been quite interesting. With a glance behind her, she spotted the seven ghosts emerging into the sunlight after them. Their faces were a mixture of awe and pleasure of such a degree that it almost made her feel warm and fuzzy simply to watch them. Then, just like that, they seemingly vanished from sight. Disappeared from the scene completely.

She turned to Anders right then, determined to get an explanation from him, but to her surprise, she spoke first. She listened, not speaking the entire time. It did make sense, now that she heard it from him. She could understand why he would have wanted to lead the ghosts out of the cave; why, even she would have if she would have known before that it could be done. And there was still the fact to be considered that she didn't even study ghosts. No wonder he would do such a thing.

Guilt suddenly swept over her for the way she'd acted to him back in the cave. But she had really thought that she had been betrayed, in a sense, and that it was all a part of him trying to claim all the glory and experience of speaking to the ghosts. "Oh... I'm -- I'm very sorry then. It was all a misunderstanding. You see, I thought that you had been trying to have the seven of them all to yourself. And back there, in the cave, it was a little nerve-racking too. I had also wanted to talk to them without being considered 'mute'. But I hadn't realized that it was a technique you were trying to use. I... I also apologize for my behavior then, to you at the cave. I shouldn't have spoken that way." She gave him a rueful smile. "Granted though, it certainly was an amazing experience. To actually see not just one ghost, but three. That's more than most of the population would have seen in their lifetime." A sudden grin emerged onto the Kelvic's face. What stories she would have to tell when she returned! Oh, it would be a grand time.

"So basically you'll set up almost... an exhibit? For visitors to walk through and see ghosts?" she asked. "That sounds like it would be a successful stories. I'm sure many people would be interested in such a thing. Do you need any help? If you want, I could come along again." It was simply an offer, one that Anders was free to decline, but she did mean it. The little adventure had been fun, and even though she'd been nervous in the beginning, she would have gladly repeated it again.

by **Anders** on July 4th, 2013, 1:25 am

"Oh no, don't worry, Ivandra! Anders assured her, starting to come down from his emotional high. "You only assumed what any logical, sane person would have assumed.

Anders recognized that Syna's hold of the sky was starting to yield. Soon, Leth's presence would be felt across the region. As much as the ethaefal looked forward to the shift, he wanted to experience it inside the safe, city walls, not in the wilderness of the Cobalt Mountains.

"But either way, we should start the trip home, shall we not? I don't think either of us want to find ourselves out here after the fall of night."

"By the way, I didn't mean starting a business of providing ghost tours. I am a researcher. Most of my work is done in total solitude. No, by my offer I just meant you. I am thankful for your help in accomplishing such a wonderful task. Come by my shop so we can set up a personal, private stake out at a haunted location, you and I" He flashed her a friendly smile and then started the trek home, toward the fortress in which they lived.

by **Radiant** on July 18th, 2013, 9:43 am

Anders :

Ivandra :

Notes :

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+3 XP
Socialization	+4 XP
Rhetoric	+1 XP
Philosophy	+2 XP
Storytelling	+1 XP
Persuasion	+2 XP
Auristics	+1 XP
Spiritism	+3 XP
Acting	+2 XP
Leadership	+2 XP
Spelunking	+3 XP

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+3 XP
Socialization	+4 XP
Intimidation	+1 XP
Rhetoric	+2 XP
Philosophy	+2 XP
Acting	+1 XP
Spelunking	+3 XP

Completed Chasing Phantoms