Dying Wisdom [Dawnguard | Jedi Alliance]

[Coci Heavenshield]

The air was thin up here, high on the Blessed Peak one of the tallest mountains on Midvinter. It was the home of the Dawn Fortress the Temple of the Dawnguard and regardless of the unusually prolonged summer, it was cold still. Coci’s black eyes cast across the horizons as she pulled her cloak around her body, she could see everything from up here, all the Marks to beyond the far Great Maw, but not today. Her gaze was fixed downward into the Western Pass, which normally proved to be precarious to journey through because of its high walls of ice and snow which would tumble at the slightest sound. It was bare, rock and rubble exposed to sight which she doubted had not been seen in centuries.

Coci was taking a break from reading the dispatches coming in from all the Marks, people were succumbing to an illness the likes of which she had not heard of before, not since her time living on Midvinter. It appeared that no one was immune to it, but like most sickness it targeted the weak first and with aggression, the elderly and young children falling victim to this unknown threat. Thurion had stayed in the Fridheim in the West Mark doing what he could for his people, with the assistance of Eirin’s Reach. The Jedi of the Dawnguard, and the elite squad dispatched to all quarters along with medical supplies they had in the Fortress. And already the stocks were running low.

Thyrian had informed her that people were coming into the Thainbroek from the coast with news that the sickness was spreading and so he had declared a national state of emergency. This was a different enemy, this was one they could not see and at this point, could not name either. Furthermore, the resources of Midvinter, were stretched and reaching breaking point, and the numbers of dead rising.

There was also other reports from the coastal villages that there was a decrease in the fishery catches and that Lak and other sort after fish were washing up on shore dead. Although this was a great concern, the immediate threat was placed at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

In her capacity as Grand Master of the Dawnguard, Coci had contacted the JAN and requested help from the Jedi, the response was swift and already those that could help were on their way. They would rally in the capital, Thainbroek located in the centre of Midvinter and from there move forward into the Marks that required the most assistance. Something was causing this and that was yet to be discovered, she would head up a group of people including Valkyri to investigate and hopefully find a cure.

It was time to leave and make her way to Thainbroek and await the arrival of the Jedi.

[member="Coren Starchaser"] | [member="Jerek Zenduu"] | [member="Nida Perl"] | [member="Tiland Kortun"] | [member="Kahne Porte"] | [member="Ylva Heavenshield"] | [member="Tellu Talon"] | [member="Boo Heavenshield"] | [member="Thurion Heavenshield"] | [member="Thyrian Hearthfire"] | ​

 

[Micah tol Powl]

M I D V I N T E R
THE LAKE OF THE DEAD

The wails of the dead seemed to linger on the winds.

Far to the north of the Midvinter continent, the lands of the Vinterbound stretched like a dead scar across the landscape. It reminded him of the Valley of the Sith Lords on Korriban, the very breeze seemed to carry with it the haunted voices of the forgotten dead.

A shaman from among the Beorni -- perhaps the closest thing native to a marine biologist that they had on this world -- had requested passage through the shadowlands to this shore, on the off-chance that the ever-present taint of the Vinterbound might have some part in the present crisis. A pair of Aelvar served as the bear's guardians through the forbidden tract of land.

Boo wasn't even supposed to be here. He was supposed to take the Equinox to Laekia in order to bring back medical supplies from Oswaft Station. Instead, he'd been tasked with being the unofficial taxi driver for this trio, as well as the official Dawnguard representative. Which, pretty much made him the officially official taxi driver.

The Beorni stooped down in to take another water sample. As he did, the Aelvar unslung their weapons and stood vigil, scanning the area as though waiting on baited breath for frozen corpses to burst out of the dark earth.

For his part, the young Pantoran merely closed his eyes. His lips parted, as the boy began to recite a mantra to the gods of the Primeval. As he slipped into the familiar trance, the boy allowed his spirit to pass through the Force.

The dead were here, but their spirits were yet at rest.

Returning to his body, the boy's amber eyes fluttered open. A moment of confusion and vertigo washed over him, as it was a second before he had internalized that he was back in his own skin. Drawing a deep breath, the child's breath materialized in the air as he exhaled.

As far as he could tell, there were no Vinterbound to be found. Not here, at any rate. As the blue-skinned youth watched the Beorni working at the water's edge, he brought a wrist comlink up. Activating the signal, he said, "The Lake of the Dead seems pretty... well, dead."

Really, had anyone expected anything different? Well, he supposed better safe than sorry. Really, though, this illness seemed way too subtle to have been the work of the Vinterbound.

Now Velkar? That butt-munching nerf herder could totally be about this.

"How are things on your end?"

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

L A E K I A
OSWAFT STATION

He hadn't made the trip to Laekia since the Silver Jedi had shifted their flag to Kashyyyk.

Once home to the corporate headquarters of the subsidiary that had supplied the Silver Sanctum Coalition with tools of electronic warfare, Laekia had also been home to Corellia Digital's shipyard operations. Students from the attached Levantine Astronautical Academy could get practical experience from their studies by working on the various droid ships that were put into production there.

Now, those shipyards had moved back to the Corellian System. But Laekia remained an important location for the company's research and development.

It was also where the company had berthed the Tranquility -- a Triage-class medical supercarrier that he had obtained through contracts with [member="Matsu Ike"]'s Sasori Research. It would take time to activate what was, essentially, a star destroyer-sized floating hospital, but the message from [member="Coci Heavenshield"] had seemed to indicate that the situation on Midvinter might require technology beyond what was normally available.

Also, expensive to activate. Which was why the Tranquility wasn't a regular feature in the Corellia Digital fleet. The operating costs for a ship this size were staggering, even for an interstellar conglomerate the size of his corporation. Of course, the public affairs department were already spinning this, with HoloNet releases that were making this out to be a publicity stunt.

He supposed that he might have to apologize to Coci for that, but Midvinter's status as a rather low tech world meant that he didn't exactly get a lot of business from there. At least the good PR might help boost sales for the next quarter to help off-set the investment.

Finding some good to do in the galaxy was easy.

Figuring out how to fund it? Now that was a challenge the Jedi definitely hadn't prepared him for.

 

[Brooke Waters]

The Praxeum was contacted and well, as a healer she was one who would take up the call first. It wasn’t going to require additional warriors, but one never could tell. Token was forming what team she could to come from the Praxeum to head along and make their way to Midvinter. Following the Gathering on Tython, there was a lot of talk for union, and as a result the Jedi from all corners seemed to be filling in. The Praxeum and JAN were receiving calls and as a result, they had boosted their offerings of shuttles and mass transports. A few corvettes set up for protection were added in, and that was what Token was aboard now.

Commanded by one of the Jedi Guardians, as it was a war vessel, she was here with students and healers, knowing the scope of Midvinter to be a bit more cenric on that aspect of the Jedi Arts. And with the Dawnguard there, she knew there was protection.

The former Witch-turned-Jedi knew that there were concerns around the waterways, and her Clan was a coastal clan, this was what she knew well. Her corvette landed at the designated area and the Dawnguard representatives were helping escort her and her team.

Really, calling it her team was silly. It was a team of Jedi and friends, called to help out on Midvinter. No one was exclusively in-charge here. She heard the name [member="Coci Heavenshield"] and expected to be meeting with either Coci or a representative of, to get to work.

 

[Nida Perl]

Thainbroek

Though quite different from Zeltros, Nida found herself settling as neatly into the Midvinter way of life as she could. It was a more communal society than she was used to; people were tightly knit and looked after one another. After some initial culture shock and a very embarrassing incident at the Dawn Fortress that involved horse manure, Nida began to feel more at home among the world of nice and snow.

A large part of this was thanks to [member="Thirdas Heavenshield"], the young man she’d met on her first day here who’d shown her kindness. The two took quite a liking to one another, and she noticed that he seemed to be turning up at the infirmary more and more while she was on duty.

Nida had left the Temple of the Dawnguard at the request of the Grand Master, dispatched as part of a team of healers headed for Thainbroek. More and more cases of this strange disease were turning up every day, people from more remote areas traveling to the capital in search of a medical care. Even the Master Healers had yet to find a cure, but there were still different herbs and medicines to try. For now, her instructions were to keep patients hydrated and to administer analgesics to alleviate the pain. Given the fatality of this mysterious sickness, all they could do was ease them into death more comfortably.

A young Valkyri boy, Eliar, had been brought in almost immediately upon her arrival. Initially his parents thought he had a touch of fever, but then he’d started hallucinating. Nida had taken to him quickly, often sharing stories of her home world while checking his fluids or applying a healing balm to his chest. If she had time, at night she read to him, sometimes she would just hold his hand. It hurt to see this poor, sickly child slip into delirium and fight to even take a breath. He was so small, so young. Dying was not for children.

Nida slipped out of the ward into an empty corridor, back pressed against the wall. With a trembling hand, she pulled down the mask covering the lower half of her face and let out a shuddered exhale. Respiratory failure had taken little Eliar from this world less than an hour ago. This was not the first death she’d witnessed, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last, but Nida couldn’t help the urge to bury her face in her hands and cry softly.

[member="Coci Heavenshield"] | [member="Boo Heavenshield"] | [member="Sor-Jan Xantha"] | [member="Token Waters"]

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Tháinbroek

Upon hearing news of the Crown Prince having returned to Tháinbroek after a lengthy stay with the Elves of Averlorn, where Thrand had taken the time to learn Aelvar customs and traditions as well as supported Ióunn deal with the recent loss of her mother, Thirdas decided to join his childhood friend at the Capital for some much needed catching-up. He'd arrived just as rumours of a new sickness had taken hold of several of the larger settlements across Midvinter, with the two most prominent being Tháinbroek and Fridheim. At first he dismissed them as just that - rumours. But when an elderly man had stumbled into the Great Hall while he and Thrand were having supper, seeking help only to die in pain minutes later, it immediately gained the High King's attention. The Dawnguard were soon alerted that the rumoured were true, being the resident order of Jedi of whom many were skilled healers, with numerous shelters and makeshift hospitals being set up at every major intersection in the city.

He felt incredibly useless as more and more were reported to succumb to this plague, whatever it was. The most Thirdas could do to help was ferry medical supplies between shelters, or in some cases help clear a few of the deceased to make room for living patients. The stench of death was new to him, sickening to the stomach, and would linger with him even as he stepped outside. At one point he'd stopped to try and wash away the stench from his hands, yet it would not come off. He felt queasy, as if having to throw up even though he was already empty.

It wasn't until nightfall at one of these shelters that he'd experienced a tingling sensation, as if he could tell someone special to him was close by. Peeking around the corner, he spotted the pink-skinned girl he'd befriended only months ago. Now his tingles were replaced by sudden butterflies in his stomach, and as if on instinct he looked around to find a nearby garden. He quickly snatched a single flower, as stealing an entire bouquet felt too cruel to the owner. But as he rounded the corner to greet her he found her looking distressed and quietly weeping. "Nida," he said, feeling like an utter buffoon standing there with flower in hand.

He walked up to her, heartbroken by the sound of her crying. "Nida, are you alright?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, not really knowing how best to comfort her.

[member="Nida Perl"] | [member="Coci Heavenshield"] | [member="Boo Heavenshield"] | [member="Token Waters"]​

 

[Kahne Porte]

Midvinter
The Lake Of The Dead


Kahne couldn't help but chuckle just a little bit at Heavenshields mention of the dead lake. It was just good timing that found the Jedi Master here on Midvinter when this calamity started to take place. The Jedi didn't feel comfortable leaving with this going on.


"Things could be better." The Jedi muttered back to [member="Boo Heavenshield"]

They could be so much worse to...

The Jedi Master rose slowly from his kneeling position as he tried to get a fix on things. He was by no means a doctor, but he had some medical experience in the field. He wished [member="Samara Raine"] was here, she could definitely help identify what the cause for this plague was. Kahne cleared his throat and took a deep breath, exhaling as he took a look around. The Jedi Master wasn't going to deny that this place had an eerie feel to it. The Lake of the dead was it's name, and well it lived up to its name.

Unfortunately....

The Jedi wasn't too far from Boo as he made his way towards that direction.

"How about you? Find anything interesting."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

M I D V I N T E R
THE LAKE OF THE DEAD

The ground beneath them seemed covered in a layer of thick ash.

Clouds of wispy, gray smoke rose from the barren earth as the blue-skinned youngling shifted his feet and moved about with an excess of energy. The amphistaff was wrapped around his slender figure -- one part shawl and another part baldric. The diamond-shaped head of the viper-like biot hovering close to the side of the boy's face, as the Vongformed creature peered out over the colorless lake shore.

"How about you? Find anything interesting."

Spinning around, the violet-haired Pantoran looked back over at the human Jedi Master that had accompanied the survey team out to the lake. The purple fringe bounced from side-to-side in front of the boy's face as he shook his head in wordless reply. Then, kicking his head to one side so to flip the hair from out of his eyes, said, "The Riftborne Primeval would love this for a temple to Balagoth."

The Riftborne being the adherents of that ancient religion that most were familiar with. The religious denomination claimed by [member="Zambrano the Hutt"] and other warlords who used the sacred writings of Sargon as justification for the culling of Mirial or the consecration of Ziost.

Of course, a Riftseeker or Riftsinger such as Boo might question whether their god of death was really what they made him out to be.

The Beorni was returning from the lake, collecting the water samples into the case that the great bear carried with him. As the massive creature and his Aelvar escorts passed back toward their ship, the boy looked up at the man to ask, "Shall we return to Thainbroek?"

[member="Kahne Porte"]​

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

CORELLIA DIGITAL SHIP
T R A N Q U I L I T Y
IN ORBIT OF LAEKIA

A plethora of workbees and shuttles were moving around the floating monolith.

Inside the ship, the lighting flickered as power generation shifted from the external drydock in orbit of the planet to the ship's own reactors were brought on-line. Throughout the ship, Sasori biots and droids were moving through the ship, alongside the Levantine Astronautical Academy students that had elected to hitch a ride aboard for some practical experience in astrogation and merchant marine operations.

The small Anzat passed through the heavy blast doors that led to the oval-shaped bridge of the medical supercarrier. Unlike traditional designs, this structure eschewed the usual window-framed construction for a more severe command-and-control structure that focused on computer displays for information.

Reviewing a final cargo and passenger manifest, the boy applied his digital signature to the datapad and then passed it back to the yeoman. After he had passed that off, the navigator approached with the news that, "Docking clams released, we are free to maneuver."

With a nod, the boy took position at the center pool table display in the center of the bridge. Sliding an ear comlink into place, the boy activated the command information board. Glancing off to his right, the boy addressed the navigator as he said, "Take us out of orbit and then calculate the jump to Midvinter."

The navigator gave a nod. "Very well, sir." With that, the man turned to the helm and lee-helm with orders that would ferry the ship forward.

Looking over toward the engineering and operations station, the boy added, "Begin spinning up the hyperdrive. I want to make the jump to lightspeed as soon as the navi-computer has finished its computations."

He could send word of their successful launch once they were underway to Midvinter.

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

The Eastmark

The pigheaded nature of some Valkyri Théo had come across before, but this man standing in front of him was one of the worst he had every encountered. “If I may make a suggestion Jarl Hagenson, the extreme importance of this sickness and finding the cure is far more important than me undermining your authority”, Théo said through gritted teeth as they stood toe to toe, the old Jarl even had his hand upon the hilt of his sword.

“The Eastmark had stood for countless generations alone, without the help from the rest of Midvinter and we will continue to do so. Long have we been forgotten by the likes of your forbears so why now should I stand here listening to some wet nursed Lord from the North?”, Hagenson sneered back, his breath hot that Théo could feel it on his face and smell it rank with fish.

“I hate herring”, he snarled, “Get your stinking face out of mine”, Théo’s hand went to his hilt and pulled it quarter out with full intention of unsheathing it fully. Part of his mother’s character came to the forefront in the son, and his voice lowered deadly and firm, his eyes blazing like his fathers. “Your people are dying, men, women and children. Are you going to explain to their families that their loved ones were allowed to die, when help was offered, because your so called honour was insulted?”. Not much was known of the people of the Eastmark, but Théo was learning fast of them, and in a way he admired their abject stubbornness, they would do well in battle if they are on your side.

Théo looked directly into the wild eyes of the Jarl, not giving him an inch which Hagenson would see. “Out, the lot of you, get out”, he bellowed in Théo’s face, but the order was not meant for him. Seems Hagenson wanted to speak with him alone. The room was cleared immediately, yet the two adversaries stood glaring at each other, hot breath issuing from both as Théo’s blood was up equally.

“You got some bqllrs on you boy”, there was a tense few moments before finally Jarl Hagenson backed away to find his chair. “My people are dying and our healers have resorted to trying anything including old medicine, none of which is working”, his shoulders slumped unable to fathom this sickness that plagues not only the Eastmark.

“There is no weakness in asking for help when all else fails, it is a mark of strength”, Théo moved to stand in front of the great chair. “This lack of communication between the East and the Crown will be addressed in the future but for now we need to find what this sickness is and a cure. You not only need our help but we need yours”. Their eyes met once again, Hagenson strong and determined, but he was not unreasonable.

Once to ‘talks’ were concluded, Théo had managed to agree to terms for passage through the Eastmark to the coast and Jarl Hagenson gave consent for healers to come with much needed supplies. Théo returned to his ship and set his heading toward the coast, to the village of Austrvegr which was the worst hit by this sickness.

 

[Kahne Porte]

Midvinter
The Lake Of The Dead


Kahne simply smiled and nodded his head in response to [member="Boo Heavenshield"] answer. The Jedi then glanced back out towards the lake and he couldn't help but frown. This was indeed puzzling and terrible to say the least. Many were dead already, and while the call had been sent out and more Jedi would be arriving with resources and the like. He hoped that it wasn't too late.

"Shall we return to Thainbroek?"

Kahne glanced back to Boo and nodded his head. "That sounds like a good idea, I feel....that there isn't much else we can do here." Kahne turned and started to head back to the ship.

"You mentioned Balagoth, what is that exactly?" The Jedi asked curiously.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The Pantoran made an exaggerated turn, spinning around as he started back toward the ship.

At the second question, the boy craned his head back so that his yellow eyes were peering up at the man. What was Balagoth? This Kahne must not have spent much time around Ziost. Or Mirial. Or Wayland. "Balagoth is... he's... he's, like, the second creation of Sargon," the youth supplied in answer.

Did he have one of his religious tracts with him? Probably not. He didn't carry those with him as regularly as he once had. Which was a shame, because the native Valkyri religion had a lot in common with the Primeval. Velkar and Balagoth, Odiir and Nogras, Teign and Halrormalenth. "In the Primeval religion, he's the god of death," the boy supplied in explantion, adding, "The Riftborne... they're, like... they're his acolytes. They look for places like this for their houses of worship."

Even without the haunted ambiance, just calling the place the lake of the dead would make it prime Riftborne real estate. "They believe that violence and death brings them closer to god," Boo said, looking out over the eerie lake and then back up over at Kahne.

"I'm a Riftsinger. We believe in the same gods, but we're not crazy like the Riftborne."

No one was as crazy as the Riftborne were.

[member="Kahne Porte"]​

 

[Nida Perl]

Nida had nearly sunk to the floor, suddenly feeling utterly drained both physically and emotionally. The healers were working around the clock, and still they couldn’t handle the rapid influx of patients. What was first thought to be a minor outbreak was now quickly approaching a medical crisis.

“Oh!” Thinking she was alone, the Padawan scrambled to rise and wipe her tear-stained cheeks with the sleeve of her robe. Upon seeing just who it was that had called her name, she was immediately filled with a confusing mix of excitement and anxiety. “I’m sorry that you've found me like this, Thirdas.” Sniffling a little, Nida did her best to stifle the flow of tears and gave her friend a smile that couldn’t quite reach her eyes. “I was just—it was only a little break. I’ll be fine, I promise!” Forcing the cheerfulness hurt, and for a moment she allowed herself to sink back into her sadness.

Thirdas had placed a hand on her shoulder, and the warmth was more of a comfort than he’d ever know. “It has been a long day.” She admitted softly, knowing that he’d be aware of the situation at hand. Word seemed to spread across the capital by now, which made her wonder if this was an isolated incident or if this disease had spread. “There was this little boy, Eliar. I thought he’d beat it but in the end his lungs gave out.” Though there was nothing she could have done, Nida felt frustrated and useless. While comforting the dying was never a bad thing, was that all she was good for? Absently her hand reached to his own at her shoulder and squeezed.

She perked up abruptly, pulled out of her mourning and into the here and now. “Are you alright, Thirdas?” There was a heavy note of concern in her voice, brow furrowed as she brought her hand to rest against his forehead. “Have you been feeling feverish? Any trouble moving about? Difficulty breathing?” It was often the young men, she noticed, that would seek medical care far after they initially should have.

[member="Thirdas Heavenshield"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

She followed down the ramp after the unloading of the medical supplies from the Dawnguard Fortress. And for once Coci did not have her fur cloak on, was there no need for it today as the weather continued to be warm for this time of the year. She looked to the skies as she heard the roaring of ship engines reverse thrusters in full protest as the Oathkeeper landed next to her ship on the plains before Thainbroek, it was laden with more supplies from Westmark, and Eirin’s Reach or at least what they could spare. Thurion had his hands full in Fridheim. There were other ships approaching, which were unknown to her, but she hoped they were help coming from the Jedi.

“Have those carts loaded as soon as possible, and get them underway”, the carts bound for villages on the around the Crowlands, and some turned to the Southmark. At the present time there was no answer to this sickness, nor any information on where it had come from and she hoped that Thyrian might have some new information. “I am going up to the Grand Hall, contact me if you need anything”, she informed the commander of the Dawnguard, who acknowledge her with a sharp nod.

This was a different kind of battle but a battle none the less, an unknown enemy once more and she had to ponder if this was the workings of the Gods. It was strange but she smiled at the very idea of this though, not that long ago she would have never considered it at all. But nothing is ever impossible, she had seen too much in her life and within the galaxy to know better than to doubt the unique.

As she approached the city gates, wide open to allow easy access to help and travels seeking refuge, she passed unnoticed. Each street packed with wagons and carts and people, some uncertain about what to do where to go. Théo had opened up the Howlin’ Wolf to anyone that needed a bed and food, with no charge. The steps to the Grand Hall littered with Valkyri resting under the shadow the great walls cast, they were feeling the heat.

As she entered the main room, only recently the stage for Théo and Ylva’s wedding the scene was vastly different. The long tables pushed back and used as beds for the sick, as well as the long seats, upon the platform for the throne more make shift beds all occupied each with family members sitting hoping that their loved ones would recover soon. The smell was laced with an aroma of ointments and herbs, and sickness that threw up from stale body sweat.

Coci felt a tug on her hand, she looked down into the face of a small girl, hair matted like it had not seen a brush in days. “Please help my mama”, she pleaded and pulled Coci along. Willingly she followed the girl to one of many beds in which a young woman lay trembling like she was cold as ice, sweat beads on her brow and muttering under her breath incoherently.

Through the force, Coci could sense a very troubled mind, one in confusion which was tumbling into madness. The same symptoms reported from all of the people that had contracted this sickness and eventually death would bring their suffering to an end. “What is your name little one?”, she turned her attention to the scared child. “Hetha”, she replied coyly. “Can you go and find me some fresh cold water, it is for your mama”. It wasn’t, she wanted the child to have a distraction and to give her time alone with her mother. Naturally Hetha did not want to leave her mother’s side, but with Coci’s insistence, she left.

​

​

[member="Kahne Porte"] | [member="Boo Heavenshield"] | [member="Thirdas Heavenshield"] | [member="Nida Perl"] | [member="Token Waters"] | ​

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

Things were getting more and more chaotic in the Great Hall, as more and more succumbed to the strange disease and slowly filled the throne room, one table or bench at a time. The royal family was holed up inside their private quarters and placed in quarantine, with the exception of the High King who had been present when the first victim had appeared. In the case that this was an airborne disease, he had to consider himself contaminated and so would not risk his family's safety. He would do his best to help his people, organising and coordinating efforts while making the sick as comfortable as possible. With the Dawnguard alerted and already present, there was the hope that they would be able to stabilise the situation with their healing capabilities.

"Coci," he walked up to her as she tended to an ailing mother and her seemingly healthy child, wiping his hands and forearms with a dirty towel. "Thank the Gods you're here," he gave her a hasty embrace. "It started this morning. At first there were only a few cases of people complaining about the heat and having trouble breathing. There was no telling it would devolve into this," he looked around at the chaos. "No local medicine seems to help, the best we can do is ease their suffering. I know Thurion is handling things in Fridheim, I pray he's having more success than us."

"For what it's worth, the Northmark seems largely unaffected. So much so Théodred felt confident enough to go see about the Eastmark. I hear it is pretty bad there, worse than anywhere else." His fiery gaze met hers, trying to instill some degree of that same confidence. "I sent Nina south, to meet with the Beorni. Maybe they know of some remedy. Thirdas is right here in town, as is Thrand. They're helping out however they can." Hopefully the fierce mother-lioness would not bare her teeth at him for putting her children to work without her input.

Thyrian tossed the towel on the floor, letting his frustrations show. "We've lived through civil war, undead sieges, Sith incursions, and fought back an invading god! Are we really to fall to some faen illness? The Gods would not allow it!" He kept his words hushed for her ears only, not wanting to demoralise anyone.

[member="Coci Heavenshield"] | [member="Boo Heavenshield"] | [member="Nida Perl"] | [member="Kahne Porte"] | [member="Token Waters"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Something rare was happening over Midvinter. With the extended summer and the permanent ice melting from the mountain ranges, the rivers were swollen and waterfalls that mostly did not exist cascaded from the rock tumbling into the valleys forming new streams and flooding the plains. The result was a canvas of a rare white flower with a strong sweet perfume, that only springs to life whenever this weather event occurs, every two hundred and fifty years. A cycle that had happened almost like clock work. Some intrepid traders of Midvinter had taken the opportunity to harvest them and barter in the markets, and those good woman of Thainbroek that the white bloom had catch their eye placed them in their homes. Those families were unaffected.

~oOo~​

She was pleased to see that Thyrian was alright, and had embraced him longer than needed with relief mostly. "How are the children and Kara, are they okay?", Coci asked him firstly. From what the reports had told them this was not a contagious sickness, but it is best to keep them away until further knowledge of this illness is found. While Thyrian spoke of what was happening here in the Hall, Coci worked on making the woman comfortable before she would begin to dive deeper into this, through the force.

Briefly she looked around the Hall, watching the healers tirelessly working to try and find a cure and aid those that are dying. No one was immune to this but for the most part it attacked the weak more intensely. "Thyrian, Midvinter Elders do they know anything of this?, any lore that speaks of this sickness?", she asked with little hope as there is no written parchments to keep history within its pages. Nina was in the Southmark, maybe she knew something or heard something.

"In the worst and more advanced cases of the sickness, their mind is turned to a form of madness. Whatever this is, is effecting the brain and I need to try and see what can be done through the force. I am going to attempt to enter this woman's mind and hopefully find out to what extent this reaches and see if I can stop it", she looked at him with a glimmer of hope. "If that is the case, if I can stop it from advancing further, we might be able to put them into a form of stasis until a cure is found". The girl's mother laying before them, did not have much longer to fight against this and time was running out.

"I will need your help".

[member="Thyrian Hearthfire"] ​

 

[Kahne Porte]

Midvinter
The Lake Of The Dead

Martyrs it seemed like, at least to the Jedi Master.

The padawan was correct in assuming that the Jedi master hadn't spent much time on Ziost. He had been there once, and it was the smallest of trips. Not enough to gain any lead way on the place and such.

"That is interesting." Kahne said with a small smile and he even let out a small chuckle, when [member="Boo Heavenshield"] mentioned that they weren't crazy like the Riftborne. This had definitely piqued the interest of the Jedi Master perhaps when this was all over he would take a closer look into these beings and religion and such. Kahne had stopped at the foot of the ramp that was lowered as the rest of the retinue had boarded the ship.

"You ever come in contact with any of these Riftborne?" The Jedi inquired as he boarded the ship.

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

"Kära and the little ones are just fine, I had them confined to our chambers until this blows over. Didn't know if it was contagious or not, but better to be safe than sorry, right?" As for elder knowledge of similar circumstances, Thyrian had sent for the elders hours ago but only a couple of them had appeared as of yet. "One of them made mention of a great heatwave, but it was several lifetimes ago. He claims many lives were lost to a disease of the mind, set upon them by Velkar or some other disgraced god for their lack of faith. Old fool!" The King kneeled by the woman's side, taking in her frail state up close. "This is no divine punishment, any sane man can see that much. I sent the elders to the library for any written information on the matter, but our people have rarely seen fit to put events down on paper until recently. I doubt they'll have any luck."

In fact it hadn't been until his father's rule that the custom was introduced to record events and dates in physical form, rather than simply share over-exaggerated tales by the fireplace. The most popular of these were also recorded unto paper, however unlikely or unbelievable they might seem; they were part of who they were as a people, and if nothing else they should prove a fun read for any outsider who happened to come across a copy. Granted, given recent events it appeared more likely than ever that their ancestors performed similar great deeds.

At Coci's bidding did he ready himself for whatever she had in mind, signalling her with a determined nod. "Tell me what to do."

[member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Nina Heavenshield]

The Southmark

It was the first time she'd journeyed this far south without her trusty furry friend leading the way, for he knew these parts of Midvinter well as they were closest to the Beorni island. The Southmark for this reason saw the largest population of their kind, slowly but surely establishing small settlements of their own on the mainland. These lands were rich in fertile soil to farm and heavily consisted of vast plains for the southeners to breed the strongest and fastest of all horses known to Midvinter. Rildonmark was their foremost settlement, having long prided themselves on their horsemanship, with the town itself having assumed the black horse on a green field as their unique sigil. Of course, Nina's journey had taken her past the elven woods of Averlorn nestled between the mountainranges acting as the natural borders of the respective jarldoms. Though her curious mind was hard to keep in check, she decided against braving the mists to get a glimpse of the fair folk. Her King had given her a mission, and she would do her utmost to see it through before all else.

Her destination was set on the southern coast, where she knew the Beorni had set up a colony as a way of maintaining a ferry across the Gap of Bears, as locals had come to call it. This way the Beorni themselves could easier control who got to set foot on their island after High King Thyrian had officially bestowed the island unto them indefinitely following them having selflessly ended the Siege of the Sith, when Tháinbroek and many smaller towns came under attack from an evil beyond the stars. Thyrian had even offered them to settle on the mainland, but the Beorni replied that they had come to know their island as home, forced upon them though it might have been ages ago by another king. Just being allowed to leave and travel unhindered was enough, along with a steady flow of trade goods.

"There you are," Nina stood upon the crest of a hill overlooking the coast. "Sighafn." On the farthest horizon one could just barely make out the vast island known as Heimland - the homeland. She made it down the hillside and rode up to the guard, who slowly rose from where he sat on the ground, face etched in stone as was common with their kind. No doubt it came to him as a surprise when the little lady greeted him in their own tongue. "I wish to speak with your Elders, if you would let me pass. It's a matter of great urgency. I'm a friend of the Oathsworn." The guard never got a chance to speak when his brandished weapon was lowered by the hand of a familiar face stepping in. Rumbling something incoherent between each other, the guard promptly sat back down and crossed his legs, resuming his meditation. "Arnor!" Nina leapt off her horse and pounced him as best her small size would allow her. While showing no outward signs of affection, Arnor leaned down to nuzzle her hair with his snout.

"You come see Elder now," he struggled in broken Basic, leading her through the entrance of the palisade temporarily erected to ward off wildlife until proper defenses could be constructed. "Thank you," she took him by the hand, enjoying the way hers drowned in his. "Are you some kind of chieftain around here?" She'd noted how the guard and several others were quick to do his bidding. "No chieftain. Respect." She should have assumed as much; the Beorni had never held titles of authority. The Elders were regarded highly simply for their old age and the wisdom that comes with it, having lived through centuries. Looking up at Arnor's towering over her, she smiled at the notion of him perhaps starting to get on in years. Hard to tell with all that white fur!

He took her to a hut like any other, wherein there sat a visibly aged Beorni, her greying fur unkempt and patchy in certain areas, revealing the wrinkled skin beneath. Another low rumble from Arnor announced their presence, and as the old lady-bear turned Nina half-expected her body to creak like the rusted hinges of a door. Even when standing straight the Elder was barely taller than her, though she did not doubt this woman was once a mighty warrior in her prime. She approached in silence, eyes fixed on Ninas and when stood before her she reached out to caress her white Umbaran hair. "Snowflake," she spoke with surprising understanding of the common tongue. Nina smiled and bowed her head in response. "Elder, I bring grim tidings from the Capital. All across Midvinter people are reported as succumbing to a strange illness, the likes of which there is seemingly no cure--"

The Elder raised a finger, still steady with her hands after so many years. "I am surprised your kind have not recorded past occurrences like these," she spoke eloquently. Nina briefly looked down at her feet before resuming eye-contact. "I would not know, for I am not of their kind. But they are still my people, and we need to find a cure for this disease that's spreading. Whatever you can do to help would be much appreciated." The Elder turned her gaze to Arnor, who returned it wholeheartedly. "This girl is special to you, isn't she?" Arnor looked down at Nina and quietly nodded. "Very well, I shall impart on you the wisdom you need to make a cure. The last time an event such as this occurred I was but a cub, when summer seemed to last twice as long." As she spoke she walked over to sit by the fireplace, prompting Nina to do the same while listening intently.

"We watched how the ices melted, and for the first time we witnessed how a lone flower came to be on our otherwise lifeless land. White as snow," she pointed to Nina's hair. "This flower... You're saying it's the cure?" The Elder reached into a leather pouch and sprinkled some dust on the fire, creating vivid images within the flames. "Where ice and snow once ruled unopposed, now sits fields of flowerbeds bearing their likeness." Staring at the flames, Nina swore she could make out the white petals of a flower if only for a moment. She next felt the touch of the Elder's hand upon her arm. "Your people has lived through this many times before, Snowflake. From when you were a young race, stumbling about naked and afraid without purpose, to where you find yourselves now. Only this time, learn from it."

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

"Well I would not put it passed Velkar to do something like this, but I agree with you. This is a result of unusual patterns for Midvinter, indirectly caused by them perhaps", it did not really matter at this point, the immediate problem was most paramount. She was pleased to hear the small children were safe, and hoped that her own would keep out of the danger of this sickness, as it effected everyone. As Coci suspected, there would not be anything of written history that would help in this situation but anything was better than nothing and hopefully something would turn up in the parchments.

She wiped her brow with the back of her wrist, strange how she had become acclimatised to Midvinter and even she was feeling the heat and added to it the pressure to help these people. "I am not really sure what will happen when I enter this woman's mind, there maybe a defense placed around it but I have skill enough to break through it", after all this woman was in a bad state and she was not force attuned and Coci had come against more powerful minds than this sick woman.

"I want you to hold her down in case she becomes violent, I need her to remain as still as possible", the feverish woman twitching on the make shift bed as it was, troubled by dreams possibly or demons of her own making. It was difficult circumstances, around Thyrian and herself people were dying and the sensation of life leaving their bodies filled the force with a sorrow deep and longing.

Coci placed her hands on the woman's head, a gesture to help keep her focus through the emotions of sorrow and pain that was all around them. Closing her eyes, to cut out the surrounds, she measured her breathing and centered her thoughts on the woman. A form of meditative state before beginning the process, her breathing became shallow, the room narrowed to one focal point and her hands became hot with the light side of the force. The woman would feel it, and as she did she became agitated and writhed on the bed as if struggling against a force that as threatening to her. Or maybe it was the virus fighting back.

There was an odd flux in her mind, strong with defense but easy to attack due to the illness eddy and flowing through her brain. For Coci, it was like stepping through a maze or a minefield of traps to ensnare but and the young mother seemed so far away, like a spot on the horizon that would shimmer when trying to draw into focus. Through the path of woman's mind, Coci walked toward her surrounded by intrusive black shadows swirling like a veiled specter, she did not give them attention, moving passed them as if they were not there. They did not like that ...

"Hetha", she spoke not in words, and repeated the name over again using her daughter's name as a summon. There was recognition but the figure of the mother did not move, there were too many barriers as the sickness had taken her to the brink. Coci could sense she wanted to, wanted for her child but could not come.

"Sleep", she uttered and with mind manipulation twisting deep into the woman's brain, Coci placed her in stasis and she would remain this way until such time as Coci would release her. Breaking connection to the woman, Coci sat back on her haunches and lowered her head.

"She is at peace for now", she looked toward Thyrian.

​

[member="Thyrian Hearthfire"]​