Fantasy Cold Nights (Exalted 2.5e) - Astrid Mustonen

[Teal]

The Initiate nodded, offering a warm and relieved smile. "Well met, Astrid." He extended his hand, "You can call me Jon Jannason."


Not an orphan, then. Or at least, he had a family name.


"Diamond Hearth is..." Jon did not pause long - and now lead her through a stone hallway lit by hanging lanterns, "...very different from Ironfall." The white haired man glanced over his shoulder to her, "Or so I've heard. What brings you here?"

 

[Maxiom]

"It's a bit of a long story," Astrid said. It was actually a pretty simple story but she didn't feel like divulging it. "Ironfall is very different though, yes."


'It isn't run by madmen and monsters,' she idly thought.


"But as of right now, I work as a doctor for one of the mine owners. I treat the slaves, guards, and his family. And I'd very much like to keep my stay short lest someone be injured while I'm not present." She felt that some honesty might be enough to distract him from the lack of detail she was giving elsewhere.

 

[Teal]

"It's a bit of a long story," Astrid offered, evasively. "Ironfall is very different though, yes."


"Ah." Was Jon's only reply this time, as he lead them with purpose through the lantern-lit stone corridor. Perhaps he sensed her mood.


"...but as of right now," the dark haired doctor went on, "I work as a doctor for one of the mine owners -" Did his shoulders tighten? "- I treat the slaves, guards and his family." Astrid elaborated, then, her impatience slipping through again, "I'd very much like to keep my stay short, lest someone be injured while I'm not present."


They stopped before one of the many heavy curtains that seemed to serve as doors in the temple's guest quarters. There were a series of numbers carved above the portal. "Well Guildswoman -" he offered a smile that even Astrid could tell was forced, "- we've arrived." Jon pushed the wool back, revealing a sparsely furnished chamber. There were two beds, a washstand between the pair of windows carved into the wall opposite and a pair of unlit lanterns - but little else. "If you need anything, just return to the common room and ask one of the acolytes." Jon added, turning away already. "I won't keep you any longer."


Were Astrid to look, she would find a set of chains hanging from the wall on the opposite side of the door. If she was so inclined, she could hook them to the wall opposite, to construct a semblance of a lock - though that would be impolite.

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid sighed as Jon left the room. She was relieved he was gone at least, even if he thought she was some heartless guild dog. 'It doesn't matter, I'm never going to see the man after tonight anyways,' she said to herself mentally. She looked around the room, and pulled the curtains on the windows closed. She then pulled the chain over the door to fashion a makeshift lock.


'If they didn't expect me to lock it they wouldn't put it there,' she decided. If the priestess wanted Astrid to sleep, then Astrid would rather be uninterrupted.


With that, she laid her coat down next to the bed and laid down in an attempt to get some rest before she met with the priests of the temple properly.

 

[Teal]

An old man in an ash grey smock was washing the blood from surgical tools. He paused abruptly - raising his head to gaze out a nearby window. His expression was worried - though it passed quickly, as a door behind him was thrown open and...


...a young man - more of a boy than a man, really - with a face strangely reminiscent of the old man, was bent in a field of black earth. He was dressed in grey-tinted wools and a set of hide pants against the spring chill - he was pulling weeds from the earth. The youth paused a moment, sighing. He seemed tired.


The soil around him shimmered white.


The sky grew dark.


Hands rose from the earth, attached to muscular arms. The boy did not seem to notice them, even as they began to close about his throat. A face appeared in the soil - glowing white, handsome, young and stern.


It twisted -


* * *


The sky was black - no, just grey. Deep, dark, grey. The half-moon shone bright - a hole of brilliant white in the sky. Around her, the flat plains rolled unendingly in all directions. Tundra shrubs and lighter-still patches of lichen broke the landscape into patches of varied greys, like a chaotic quilt. Her clothes and hair danced in a wind that she could not feel.


There was a figure in the distance. Slight, shining white. Its hair and robe were twisted about its form, writhing in the wind that was not.


She couldn't move. Her voice did not work.


Blink.


She was in front of her.


The spirit reached out – its arms slender and fingers delicate. Pain, a sharp, clear, jolt in her skull. Bright red fluid – blood – coated the tip of the ghost’s index finger. It dripped, slowly, to the tundra below. Color drained away from the droplet rapidly – until clear fluid splashed the varied lichen below. A letter – a rune – appeared on the tundra, as if drawn by a jagged claw.


It made her skin crawl.


The wind reversed abruptly, driving the specter’s hair away from its face.


Moth –


* * *


Astrid awoke in the dark room.


She was alone.


(Essence: 13m (0m committed); Willpower: 2/6)

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid's breathing was fast. Her dreams were vivid. More messages? They certainly weren't as direct as her meeting with Castamir. The second one in particular disturbed her.


"Mother..." she muttered slowly, speaking the words she couldn't in the vision. Could that have been her? "No," Astrid decided aloud, mostly just glad that her voice seemed present again. She took a moment to clear her mind, slowing her breathing and rising to her feet. She collected her coat and - so as to not lose them - her bow and quiver.


She recalled the rune in her dream - reminiscent of the vile glyph in the workshop. Was that a sign? The ritual was at fault? She looked to the darkness, wondering how long she had been resting. 'This can't wait longer,' she decided. If they wanted her to sleep, she'd need this solved first. She removed the chain she had set up in front of the entrance, and exited her room to go seek out one of the priests.

 

[Teal]

The hallway was dark and mostly silent. Occasionally, she would pass curtain covered archways from which sounds could be heard - some of which might have drawn a blush to her cheeks. For all that, it was not difficult to find her way back to the common room. There were no branching corridors; she only had to follow the carved numbers in descending order.


As Astrid emerged from the staircase and into the common room, she found it emptier than it had been when she'd departed. Only a handful of patrons sat at the tables - and nearly as many of them were children or youths in priestly wools. Even the pyre in the room's center seemed less lively than before.


She didn't see Hilda anywhere.


"Welcome traveller." Came a female voice from her right. Only one of the thrones from before was occupied - and this time by a Hearthling woman in undyed wools, a little older than Astrid's mother had been when she passed. She appeared to have been mending a shirt. "Might I help you?" Her smile was kind.

 

[Maxiom]

"Welcome traveller," the priestess said to Astrid, who sighed with relief to see there was still someone down here. Her inability to find Hilda was distressing her a bit, especially since this place had an... eery quality after dark. She had hoped to find the older priestess from earlier, but she would have to make due with what she had.


"Might I help you?"


"Yes, thank you," Astrid replied. "I was part of a ritual 2 days ago where I came into contact with a spirit. I'm here because I believe I've been cursed. I've been having disturbing dreams since then, and I don't trust the mage who performed the ritual. If anyone at the temple could provide me some sort of help, I would be very appreciative."

 

[Teal]

"Yes, thank-you." Astrid approached the throne. "I was part of a ritual two days ago," the dark haired girl began, "where I came into contact with a spirit." A nod from the Priestess, who had folded her hands in her lap and appeared to be listening intently. "I've been having...disturbing dreams since then, and I don't trust the mage who performed the ritual." The pale haired woman sat up straighter at that, but did not interrupt. "If any one in the temple could provide me some sort of help," Astrid concluded, "I would be very appreciative."


The priestess nodded once again. "I shall summon my partner." She shut her blue eyes. Astrid did not detect any change, but a moment later, the woman's eyes opened again. "He'll be here shortly." An apologetic smile appeared on her face, "Magic is more his purview, I'm afraid." She clasped her hands, adopting a more business-like expression, "Would you like something to eat while you wait?"

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid realized all of a sudden she was hungry, having not partaken in the earlier feasting and having eaten little on her way there. "Yes, food would be nice if that's alright." A young initiate was sent off to get Astrid bread and cheese while she continued to speak with the priestess.


While waiting for a more magically inclined priest to arrive, Astrid decided to make conversation with the priestess. "You haven't seen my companion, have you?" Astrid asked, speaking of Hilda. "Her name is Hilda. Tall woman, light hair, with a great sword slung over her back. Last I saw her, she was eating at the table. I assume she's just sleeping, but it'd put me at ease to know where she is for sure."

 

[Teal]

"I don't recall seeing her myself." the Priestess responded after a moment, shaking her head. "But my shift only began recently. If she was with you, I have no doubt that she is merely asleep upstairs." Another child scampered up to the throne - summoned from whatever chore she had been doing before. "Lilja," the woman continued, without missing a beat. "Please bring me the register of guests."


The girl nodded briskly, before rushing off - darting nimbly between tables and leaping, unnecessarily, over more than a few of her peers that were washing the floors. The display brought a fond smile to the enthroned woman's face.


"While we wait," the Priestess continued, "would you be willing to tell me about the mage you mentioned before?" Her smile was inviting, "Perhaps I can help."

 

[Maxiom]

"While we wait, would you be willing to tell me about the mage you mentioned before?" the priestess asked with a smile, "perhaps I can help."


Astrid grimaced a little bit. She recalled Jon's reaction to hearing of her employment. A bad impression with this woman would be worse - she seemed to actjually be sort of important. Still, she was a bad liar, and she didn't want to seem like she had something to hide even when she was sort of hiding things anyways.


"I suppose," she said. "His name is Jahrl. We share an employer, the Ulfrsons - although I'm just a doctor. The mage is a shady sort of man in a lot of ways. He consorts with demons; I suspect the owners set him towards a number of less than wholesome tasks. Either he is very incompetent or he means me harm. I don't want to rule out either, but I suspect the latter." She searched the priestess's face for some sort of response. If anything, Astrid was at least grateful for the chance to speak openly about the horrible person she was forced to work with.

 

[Teal]

While Astrid spoke, the young boy who the priestess had sent to the kitchens returned - handing Astrid some pieces of bread, a few slices of cheese and a mug of water. The boy also offered a smaller amount of the same to the priestess, who accepted it with a smile and whispered thanks. Astrid might have noticed that, while the Priestess could not be called plump, she did not have the build of one who went hungry often. She nibbled sampled the fare, as she listened.


"I have not heard of this man myself," the priestess replied, not unkindly, "but I know that magicians consort with all manner of spirits, some fair, some foul." She sighed faintly, "...often, the Guild seems too ready to make alliance with the latter. But -" there was a pause as the young girl - Lilja - reappeared with volume of leather-bound hide sheets. The priestess accepted it with a word of thanks and a smile, before continuing "That is not a crime in itself. All are welcome in the house of the gods, after all." She allowed the book to fall open on her lap. “Of course, if they break the laws of gods or men…”


The woman shook her head, “We can speak more of this later. For now, let us find your friend.”


* * *


"...room 34." The priestess concluded, nodding slightly. That was higher than Astrid's own, but not by much.


As she spoke, a figure in dark blue robes and glittering ice armor emerged from the darkened and ice-rimmed stone archway, on the opposite side of the temple. Like the priestess, this man was younger than the priest who had greeted her when she'd arrived. Unlike his partner, his hair and beard were blond, and his skin held a more healthy tone to it - suggesting that he was not born in the Hearth. A mace of glittering ice hung at his side, bobbing gently as he approached the pair.


He stopped at the edge of the unnatural shadows that separated the thrones. The priestess turned her eyes to him expectantly.


"This is why you called me?"


"She believes she is cursed." The priestess replied.


"Ah," his eyes narrowed. "I see." The robed man moved to his throne and settled into the frost-rimmed stone. Turning his eyes to Astrid, he gestured to the shadows before the throne. "Come then, let us begin."

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid was relieved to find that Hilda was still in the building. She doubted that the woman would just abandon her, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. It also made it easier for her to focus her attention on the new priest who had just entered, taking his seat on the darkened throne to the priestess's side.


"Come then, let us begin." He said, his eyes focused on Astrid. She nodded in response, but was a bit unsure of what to do. She took a few slow steps forward until she was standing in front of him and his shaded seat.


"I believe it happened to me during a ritual," she explained. "I encountered a spirit who claimed to be giving me a blessing, and there were also these disgusting symbols scrawled across the walls. The night after the ritual, I met my father's ghost in a dream - he told me there was something inside of me, and it wasn't human. I fear the spirit wasn't who he claimed to be."

 

[Teal]

As the Astrid spoke, the priest listened silently, doing little more than nod his head now and again. "There is a way to find out." He replied, once she had fallen silent. The dark blue wool of the man's robe slide back from his wrist, as he raised a calloused hand. Casually, he stretched his fingers out - and laid one upon Astrid's brow.


Cold, sudden and limb-locking, swept through her. Images filled her mind. The grey skinned spirit touching her forehead in the dark void. The spell circle - black ink on pale white light - writ in runes that made her skin crawl. More runes - these ones on the dirt floor of her workshop, under the evening light. Then more, in a uncontrolled chaotic rush. The mines yesterday, blood, screams, a needle in hand - desperation. Freyda, pregnant. The workshop, a man on her operating table, sleeping soundly. A frail woman holding her hand - the grip going slack. Herself, surrounded by a nimbus of white. Jahrl. The runes again, cut into bleeding tiss -


A pair of pits in a translucent face. Their black depths stared back at her - eyes without pupils, filled instead with ornate script in some grotesque approximation.


She found herself staring into the blue eyes of the priest again. They seemed distant - as if staring right through her. Astrid could see the look of concentration on his bearded face. The man's lips peeled back into an almost feral grin.


"Found you."

 

[Maxiom]

"What ar-" Astrid was cut off as the priest's hand touched to her forehead, sending a wave of cold throughout her as a rush of horrific images and recent memories flooded through her mind. She couldn't move, only watch, It was just an instant, but the wave of images covered several days of activities. And then, nothing but an awful set of eyes staring at her from all angles.


And just like that, her vision came too as the man smiled an awful grin and spoke to himself. "Found you."


Astrid smacked his hand away. "What the fuck was that?!" she shouted, losing her composure. Her breathing was rather intense. 'Is this just how everyone in the Hearth is?!' She had hoped this man would be better - he didn't look a Hearthling, but she supposed Jahrl wasn't of the Hearth either.


"Explain yourself," she demanded, steadying her breaths and lowering the volume of her voice, feeling both indignant and embarrassed.

 

[Teal]

Astrid's slap rang the hollow stone chamber. "What the fuck was that!?" She demanded, face red and hair wild.


The priest lowered his hand - he seemed slightly taken aback.


"Explain yourself." Astrid hissed, tersely.


"Later," the Priest replied, rubbing his wrist gingerly. "There's a demon inside you, Astrid. We shou -"


* * *


It was snowing.


She found herself outside, standing in a small yard ringed by a black metal fence. Black moss carpeted the rocky ground, broken by sudden clusters of slender tundra grasses, wildflowers and clover. A modest dwelling rose at her side, walled in mismatched stone. Before her, at the yard's back, lone grave stood. The black moss terminated near its base, while the flowers and grasses grew thicker around it. Into all of this - the fence, the house, the ground - runes were carved, as if by a single jagged claw. The symbols varied, though the stomach-turning sense of wrongness that surrounded them was constant.


But there was something else - a creature? - lay between her and the grave. It was insect-like, covered in a chitin turned grey by the reflection of the moss below. Four long pen-like limbs extended from its chest - little more than a spinal column. Smaller and more delicate limbs seemed folded down on its back, like wings without membranes. It's eyes, a pair of pits surrounding ornate script, watched her from its angular face. Puncture wounds covered its body, from which what appeared to be runes leaked, the colour of their ink shifting to contrast whatever they touched. Already, a small pool of white had formed around it.


It struggled to sit up, then drove one of its front claws drove into the ground. The moss parted silently - though the sound of steel on stone was far louder. Words formed in their wake - much like the runes that marred the landscape, but this time in skytongue.


"Please, help me."

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid was at a loss for a moment. How did she get here? The place seemed familiar to her - it looked like a place she had been to a long time ago. Or maybe not so long ago? It was a small yard, with a fence made of cold metal. Ironfall? She tried to place the location in her mind, find some sort of memory, but she couldn't find exactly where she remembered this place. Maybe the grave could help? She looked to it, and immediately cringed at the runes. The runes were everywhere. The whole yard was desecrated, and Astrid felt desecrated too.


And then she finally noticed the spider. It was looking straight at her with eyes covered in those eery symbols - the same that marred the tombstone. It was disgusting, it didn't belong here.


As it spoke, words noiselessly formed from its mouth: "Please, help me."


For a brief moment, Astrid felt pity for the bleeding creature. She was a doctor, could she really deny someone who needed help? She forced the feeling aside as anger returned, and a flash of darkness briefly overcame her. She looked down, her bow was suddenly in her hand and a quiver was on her back. She looked to the creature; was this what Castamir was speaking of? The priest said she had a demon inside her, this must be it.


She drew an arrow, and notched it in the bowstring. "Leave," she demanded as she leveled her bow, ready to let an arrow fly.

 

[Teal]

The spindly creature sagged, as if Astrid's words had taken its last bit of hope.


It faded...


* * *


...and she woke up on the frost-rimmed floor of the temple. The blond Priest was kneeling in front of her - he was reaching for her, but stopped suddenly as he saw her stir. His blue eyes looked surprised - then narrowed abruptly, as his gaze shot upward. The moment passed quickly, before he returned his eyes to her - she thought he seemed concerned, though. "Are you alright?" He asked.


Did she hear shrieks of pain?


No, just her imagination.

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid felt around, trying to get a grip on the floor to push herself up. "I think so?" she said slowly, more of a question than an affirmation. She was sitting, and looked herself over for injury. She was a little sore from the fall she presumably suffered, but that seemed the extent of it.


'The demon,' the thought sprung into her mind. "What happened?! I saw the demon, I think I banished it. Did any of you see it?"


She pushed herself to her feet, looking around the room. That couldn't have just been a dream. If it really left, where was it? They couldn't risk it just invading another's mind. She grabbed her bow once more and held an arrow in her off-hand, scanning the room for some sign of the monster, her prior anger at the priest more or less forgotten.

 

[Teal]

The priest helped her to her feet, before returning to his seat. "The spirits of the temple are doing battle with your demon." He replied - as snow sprayed into the air, behind Astrid. "It won't survive long." Another two bursts of the white flecks - in rapid succession. "Put it from your mind - we have more pressing matters to discuss."


He folded his hands.


"First, I will apologize for the delving." He stated, business-like, "It wasn't meant to be as...intrusive, as it was." There was more warmth behind those words. "It’s not easy to control, particularly when I don't know what I'm looking. But," he nodded to her, "there was no other way to know what was happening. I assumed you prepared when you came seeking my assistance."


Astrid didn't seem to be willing to fight his words; he succeeded in his goal. The demon was gone. "Just...warn a person next time..." she said.


He nodded to her. "I am sorry. But, I’m afraid there is more." A pause, "It wounded you, Astrid. You can no longer write Skytongue."


Astrid's eyes were wide, she seemed unable to respond.


"…and, you'll need to avoid using your powers. There are demonic symbols inside your soul now - your essence has become tainted. Whenever you use your magic, it will fray the veil between this world and hell."


"Wait! What?!" That seemed to get a reply. "That-that won't do! People depend on my abilities. This isn't permanent, is it?!"


He shook his head, "No." The priest gestured away. "But you'll need to travel to the temple of spring snowfall – her priests have the power to purge the taint." A gesture toward the priestess, "We don't."


The priestess - who had returned to her sewing - smiled briefly in acknowledgement.


"But, that can wait until tomorrow." The blond finished, smile seeming to warm the cold shadows. "It's far too late to travel."

 

[Maxiom]

Diamond Hearth - 28th of Resplendent Fire


It had been over six months since the affair involving the demon. The passage of time wasn't easy on Astrid - who was forced to relearn the art of writing in Skytongue. After 2 months of study, she succeeded, and the demonic presence in her essence was purged, but the grudge she held for the demonologist responsible remained. While Jahrl's carelessness caused him to be reprimanded, Astrid saw little in the way of real punishment come his way.


She was too busy with her work to focus on her hatred though. The doctor was currently approaching the home of the Ulfrson's - her employers - with Hilda close behind. She decided to keep the reason for this visit to herself; it was best kept a secret at the moment. The estate resembled a fortress more than a dwelling, surrounded as it was by thick stone walls. She approached one of several thick iron gates, hoping that whoever was guarding the wall would recognize her.


"Hello," she greeted the guard with a short wave. "I need to enter the estate to see Miss Freyda. Its very important that I speak with her."


The man - blond, like Hilda - offered a deferent nod. "Of course doctor Mustonen." He paused, looking uncertain, "Was she expecting you?" Beside him, a similarly blond, but slightly older, man was lounging against the stone wall. He seemed to be listening, but not as intently.


Astrid wasn't in the mood for lying, so she kept it brief. "No, but I doubt she'll object. Its about her child."


The younger man glanced toward his partner. "She's in, right?"


A shrug. "Why would they tell us?"


That got a nod. "Would you like me to accompany you, doctor?" The younger guard pushed the gate open, waving her through.


"If you don't mind it, then certainly," Astrid replie as she walked through the gate, Hilda in tow. It was a grandiose compound after all, no sense in turning down a guide.


The trio eventually found Freyda alone in the sitting room of the manor - she was reading a book, a nearby window supplying light. At their guard's greeting, she looked up in surprise - hand moving to one of the axes she wore at her waist instinctively, before she chuckled and set the book down. After a quick exchange of pleasantries, both the guard and Hilda departed - leaving Astrid alone with the pregnant woman.


"I don't wish to waste your time Freyda," Astrid began, "but I have a few concerns regarding the state of your child. Well... just one concern. I've been running a few tests,there seems to an abnormal concentration of essence in your body. I can't identify the type of essence, but I think it needs to be addressed."


Astrid paused. "Freyda, is your-" she cut herself off before she went further. It would be... unwise to voice her suspicions immediately. She went with a less direct question instead. "Do you know what might be causing this? Did something maybe happen to you on one of your expeditions?"

 

[Teal]

From her seat on a hide upholstered sofa, Freyda's expression clouded with confusion immediately. "I...what?" The woman moved a hand to her stomach - covered in a light, loose, cotton tunic - unconsciously. "No, I don't think so. Jahrl or Bjorn would have said something, I'm sure." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously a moment later. "...what's this about Astrid? You're...acting strange."


Freyda's hand had strayed from her stomach to one of her axes. Astrid couldn't tell if the movement was deliberate or unconscious.

 

[Maxiom]

'How do I get out of this without getting killed by a pregnant woman?' Astrid asked herself mentally with an audible sight. 'Freyda is a blunt woman. I just have to be blunt.'


"I speak only out of concern for your well being," Astrid prefaced, "but, I suspect your child may be supernatural in some way. The test I ran is only a part of it - I've also noticed that gestation seems to be taking longer than it should. A normal child would be ready to be born any day now, maybe already born. Godbloods, however, are known to take 10 months."


Astrid took a slow step backwards as the implication of her words likely began to sink in. Maybe she shouldn't have sent Hilda outside?

 

[Teal]

"I speak only out of concern for your well-being," Astrid began, choosing her words carefully, "but, I suspect your child may be supernatural in some way."


Freyda's expression only grew more incredulous as Astrid spoke - until she finally burst out laughing. "What!?"


Well, at least her hand moved away from the axe.


"The test I ran is only a part of it." The doctor explained, "I've noticed that gestation seems to be taking longer than it should. A normal child would be ready to be born any day now, maybe already born. Godbloods, however, are known to take 10 months."


"I..." Freyda had sobered considerably, and her hand returned to her stomach. "...he could just be late." She insisted, looking sullen now.