The Beginner's Guide to Undeath [CounterfeitFish]

[Bunbun]

(TW: Character Death. Not too graphic, but it happens.)

-----

It had only taken a moment.

The lone Haevar, Taltiu, found herself collapsed in a large patch of rocky landscape not too far from the Fell. Perhaps it shouldn't have been too surprising- after all, it was only natural that a location so close to the cursed ruins would be rife with danger. Actually, the reason she was there in the first place was to accomplish a task that she expected to be dangerous. Rumours of a large number of undead in the area had caught her interest a while back, and while she felt a great deal of sympathy for the creatures, it wasn't uncommon for them to lash out as she attempted to put them to rest.

What she wasn't expecting, however, was the volley of arrows fired at fire by a group of hidden assailants. By the time Taltiu realized what was happening, three arrows had already hit their mark, sinking deep into her back and dropping her to the ground in a sudden fit of pain and shock. In the distance, she could barely make out a round of shouts and hollers, celebrating their latest catch.

Bandits. They were going to kill her.

Despite her greatest efforts attempting pick herself off of the ground or crawl to safety, her body refused to comply. Whatever fight she still had in her quickly faded as she repeatedly landed hard back on the ground, and in just a few seconds it was taking all of her energy and focus just to remain conscious. As she finally lay still, Taltiu could do nothing but wait for the inevitable and reflect on what what would come next.

It was said that Haevar who died away from their home island would never find peace in the afterlife. Without proper guidance, their spirits remained confined to their lifeless bodies, doomed to wait until the body wasted away and released the vengeful spirit back into the world. While Taltiu had never witnessed such an occurrence firsthand, the sounds of heavy boots surrounding her and a blade being unsheathed made it clear that she would soon discover the truth for herself. Though her eyesight was far too blurry at this point to make out anything more than vague shapes and colours, she could hear well enough to make out some parting words.

"Sorry, girl. I'll make it quick for you."

There was a pause, then a final flash of pain, and then there was nothing.

-----

"Damn. How many of these things did she have on her?" One of the bandits muttered as he counted yet another knife hidden away by the Haevar, picking up the blade and toying with it in his hands. The group had removed the arrows from her body and laid her on her back, making it easier to rummage through her belongings.

"Quit screwing around. Just take whatever's valuable so we can get moving." The leader of the group spoke up, reprimanding his underling and receiving a mocking sneer in return. "What, you afraid of ghosts or something? You know those rumours are made up, yeah? Prolly just trying to keep someone from poking their nose where they shouldn't. Guess the knife bunny shoulda listened to 'em". The first bandit chuckled to himself, earning a swift smack to the side of the head from his leader.

"I'm serious. Get to work."

With that, the leader stepped away from the rest of the group to survey the surrounding land, leaving his subordinate grumbling to himself as he went back to going through pockets.

-----

(OOC: Yeah, I know that this isn't actually taking place in the Fell. I just figured this was probably the most appropriate place to put it considering close it is.)

[CounterfeitFish]

The sound of hooves beating against worn cobblestones. A distant shout, both indistinguishable and crystal-clear. The Rider was watching, and these interlopers would not do unnoticed for long. In the distance, a mounted figure could be seen rapidly approaching the bandits, faster than any normal horse should have been able to travel. Each step left behind a wisp of smoke, two burning eyes locked upon their destination. Soon, The Rider would arrive.

Soon, the hoofbeats grew louder, the distant shout nearly discernable. Though...with clarity of sound, came clarity of sight as well. Soon, the bandits would see that this was no ordinary knight. The ghostly figure was wearing a set of old, oh so very old armor, bearing the long-forgotten crest of an ancient family. The horse upon which they rode was midnight-black, with fiery eyes and dark smoke forming a trail behind it. The figure's face was obscured by a helmet, though what appeared to be some kind of mist was leaking from the bottom of it.

Finally arriving in front of these brigands, the spectral knight drew their sword as their steed came to a halt. When they spoke, their voice would have only added to the things differentiating them from the average mortal. It held the anguished cries of the dead, the sounds of clashing blades, the terror of death and undeath, all formed into speech that was somehow understandable.

"Halt, ye who trespass here! Cease your vile plundering, or suffer the curse of Fell, as I and so many others have! Leave now, and never return, lest the undead hordes claim you all!" The horse reared up, letting out a bone-chilling sound that only vaguely resembled a neigh. "Leave now, and never return!"

[Bunbun]

The leader of the bandits froze in his tracks as a ghostly shout sounded out in the distance. He picked up the pace with his scanning of the surroundings, and it didn't take long for him to pinpoint the source of the noise. Spotting the rapidly approaching undead knight, he felt his body tense up as his fears were confirmed- it turned out that the rumours were indeed true.

"I knew it..."

Intrigued by the strange noises and the mutterings of their leader, the rest of the bandits temporarily ceased their looting as they joined up beside him, only to be gripped by the same intense fear as they gazed upon the ghastly figure. It wasn't long before the rider was upon them, and they stood petrified as the knight delivered their words of warning. The leader seemingly snapped out of his temporary state of paralysis as the dark horse gave its chilling neigh, and he turned to the rest of his group only to give a single word of command-

"Move!"

With that, he began to sprint away in the opposite direction. He couldn't be sure what had compelled the knight not to attack them, but he wasn't about to question it. The rest of the group, suddenly finding themselves without a leader, gave the rider some final horrified glances before hurriedly following his example. Those responsible for looting the body dropped what they were carrying as they dispersed, clearly not considering what they had gathered to be worth risking their lives for. In but a few moments, the group completely vanished from sight, and the area fell quiet as the knight was left alone with the lifeless body of the Haevar and her scattered belongings.

[CounterfeitFish]

After shouting out one final warning, the ghostly knight watched as the brigands fled from the ruins. They sheathed their sword, letting out a quiet sigh. They hated having to deal with foolhardy plunderers, especially those who went along a more...violent path. It was tedious and time-consuming, but necessary. Luckily for the rider, these mortals chose to run, rather than stay and fight.

Dismounting from their dark steed, Syr Morgan Bloodbane approached the corpse of the poor Haevar woman. They did not recognize this body, so they assumed she must have been the prey of those brigands. Removing their helmet, Morgan knelt next to the lifeless body of Taltiu. Rather than a true head, they had what appeared to be some sort of mist flowing from their neck. Within the mist were two pinpricks of light, presumably their "eyes."

Morgan was silent for a while, paying what respects they could to the dead woman. When they finally spoke, it sounded far more human than before, filled with melancholy. "It is a shame...I could not save this one. Yet another falls in this cursed land...may you find peace in death, O Nameless One."

Rising from their position on the ground, Morgan returned to their horse. "Do what you wish, Shade...I shall linger here. I cannot help but feel like something is off..." The horse, now known as Shade, let out another neigh, then galloped off into the distance. Morgan was not concerned, fully aware of their ability to call Shade at will. When they needed to leave, they would simply summon the dark steed again. Morgan began to investigate the area, momentarily checking over each of the Haevar's belongings, including the corpse itself. They didn't know why, but they had a feeling that this would not be an ordinary patrol.

[Bunbun]

As Morgan knelt down beside the Haevar's body, something strange and powerful began to stir from within her. Maybe it was due to an errant burst of cursed magic emanating from the Fell, or perhaps it was because of the cursed knight's close proximity- whatever the reason was, it resulted in a faint stream of magic flowing from her corpse to react in a way that could only be described as "unnatural". The once-gentle stream suddenly began to twist and turn violently, seemingly struggling against its natural path until returning to rest as it crashed back down her body.

And then, she was awake.

Taltiu found herself staring upwards at the vast stretches of sky, any clouds present being obscured beyond recognition as her eyes attempted to adjust from what felt like an exceptionally deep sleep. It was odd- there was no doubt in her mind that she was dead, as she remembered the past few minutes quite vividly, yet she could not feel the pain of any of her wounds. Still, something about the scenario she found herself waking up in felt eerily familiar to her.

Indeed, it seemed that the stories of Haevar spirits becoming confined to their bodies after death was true. But there was something else at play here. Something different. As Taltiu willed herself to sit up, more out of instinct than anything, something happened that should ordinarily be impossible- her body moved to match, much like one would expect from a living person. Unbeknownst to her, it seemed that the Haevar's spirit had been manipulated in such away that she was able to possess and control the nearest possible vessel. That was, of course, her own body.

Her state of confusion only grew as she took in her immediate surroundings. Sure enough, this was definitely where she had fallen just a few minutes ago. However, something inside of her clicked when her gaze landed on the armour-clad figure standing nearby- or rather, their lower half. In a split second, her confusion faded and was replaced by nothing but pure rage. That's right, she was murdered. By them. It could only be them.

Without thinking, Taltiu rose to her feet and attempted to make her way towards Morgan. Of course, having only recently begun to pilot her body in such a way, her movements were burdened and sluggish, and before long she stumbled back down to her knees. Muttering what was almost certainly a string of foreign curse words under her breath, she began feeling around her body until she found one of her knives that the bandits hadn't managed to remove from her. She didn't think too much on how she was actually able to physically interact with it as she pulled it out- it just felt natural to hold it in her hand.

"You. You murdered me."

There was a bit of a vicious growl underlying her words, giving them an almost animalistic quality. A sinister, blood-red haze started to flow from the wounds on her back as she spoke, wrapping itself around her arm and bathing the blade she held in an eerie glow.

[CounterfeitFish]

Morgan watched as this once-calm stream of magic writhed and spun, slowly putting their helmet back on. As so many others have, this one had been cursed. Morgan was no mage, but they had been around enough to know when something was magical. Whatever was happening, it was not good.

They watched as Taltiu shambled towards him, placing a hand on the hilt of their sword. If this was nothing but another husk, Morgan would have no qualms with slaying her. However, they did not draw it- not yet. Not until they could be sure.

"I have done no such thing. The blame belongs to those brigands, whom I have dealt with already. I may look unnatural, but I do not kill without reason." They took a step back when Taltiu's knife began to glow, a hint of nervousness slipping into their voice. They had seen several magic-users within Fausteth, so they were less untrusting of those who used it. However, there was a key difference here, and that was the fact that the (probably) magic knife was pointed at the knight.

"I would not recommend striking me. You will only waste your time, along with my own. I do not seek to harm you, nor am I allied with those who have." They were not incredibly worried, knowing that all ordinary weapons, along with most magics could not harm them. However, Morgan ould not help but wonder if this eerie red haze was among the magics that could truly damage them. It likely wasn't, but the spectral knight couldn't know for sure.

[Bunbun]

Morgan's words were reaching Taltiu's ears, but blinded by rage as she was, her mind simply refused to process them. The only thoughts she could entertain at the moment were of how badly she longed to avenge her own death and how exactly she intended to do so. Clambering back to her feet, the Haevar glared up at her "opponent" as she weighed her options in her head. Though she still wasn't lucid to fully comprehend what she was actually looking at, she could recognize a distinct aura of death about them.

Fitting for someone with blood on their hands, she thought.

The imposing figure's suit of armour posed in issue for her. Surely any attempt at using her blade would bounce off harmlessly if she didn't find some sort of opening. Maybe she could try to aim for a gap between armour pieces... Well, at this point, she was willing to take any chance she could get.

In a series of motions that were remarkably fluid considering the previous few moments, Taltiu pounced up and swung her blade towards Morgan, aiming just below their helmet in an attempt to hit their neck. It might have actually worked- that was, if there was anything there for her to connect with. Instead, she found herself thrown completely off balance as her attack met absolutely no resistance, and her momentum sent the rest of her body staggering forwards, passing harmlessly through Morgan's ghostly form. The landing from her jump was decidedly less graceful than the beginning as she tripped over herself and crashed into the solid earth below, her knife clattering away from her and rapidly losing its previous sinister glow.

[CounterfeitFish]

Even though it was impossible for them to have an expression, one could almost feel the irritation radiating from the knight. Morgan drew their sword, the rasp of 'steel' echoing throughout the area. At this point, the spectral rider was genuinely considering slaying Taltiu, even with the drain manifesting a corporeal form would place upon them.  Taltiu seemed to have retained her intelligence, which was the only thing stopping Morgan from cutting her down. However, their patience was running low, and they would not allow a threat to roam around unchecked.

"Everyone ignores my advice...I told you that you would waste your time, and yet you did not listen." Sighing, the knight spoke once more. "I shall warn you one final time, lost one. I. Do not. Want. To hurt you. However, if you reject reason, I will have no choice but to slay you."

Morgan had one final idea, one last trick before they would accept that this was a lost cause. With one hand, they removed their helmet, a small cloud of mist escaping from it's once-metal shell. Even if Taltiu was unable to discern details, Morgan hoped that the sheer absurdity of a headless, spectral knight would snap her out of her rage.

"If it was not obvious already, I am not alive. You could stab me with that knife of yours for hours, and nothing would happen. Now, calm yourself, before my patience runs out!" Morgan's sword was still drawn, though it was not pointed at the Haevar.

[Bunbun]

Although Taltiu was mostly still for a brief moment as she lay collapsed from her failed attack, her ears flickered as they were alerted to the sound of a blade being drawn. Desperate for another chance, she fumbled around in a manic search for another knife, but no luck. It seemed that the bandits had done a pretty good job at leaving her temporarily disarmed. Not that it mattered much, considering she clearly didn't have enough control over herself to put up a decent fight. Out of options, she decided to at least put forward the energy to turn around and face her "killer"- this time, maybe they would have the decency to look her in the eyes.

Of course, the sight that greeted the Haevar when she finished turning was far from what she was expecting, and for once she ended up stumbling backwards as she recoiled from the spectral visage. There was certainly an element of fear to it, but she was mostly just surprised.

"What...?"

Taltiu sat still for a moment, transfixed by the bizarre sight as the rest of the world crawled its way back into view. One by one, the abnormalities that she had dismissed in her rage made themselves known to her. Nearby, she spotted a pool of blood- judging by where she had been attacked originally, it almost certainly belonged to her. Strangely, though, there was no body to accompany it. She looked down at her hands, dirtied by dust and small scratches from her rough landing only a moment ago. Slowly but surely, she was beginning to put the pieces together in her mind.

"But... No, that's not how it's supposed to..."

She struggled to form a full sentence, clearly in a state of shock from the previous few turns of events. Any traces of rage left in her seemed to melt away as the ghostly haze flowing from her back retreated to its origin point. Seemingly forgetting completely about her previous hostility towards the knight, Taltiu stared back up at Morgan, this time accompanied by a look of pure helplessness.

"What happened to me? Am I dead?"

[CounterfeitFish]

Morgan watched in silence as Taltiu finally realized what was happening. It seems that they would not have to kill anybody, for now at least. They stood still while Taltiu stared at their ghostly form, allowing her time to figure everything out. It was a strange experience to most, so they were willing to wait for a few minutes.

"You were dead, though you are now undead. Like many who trespass upon this cursed land, you were unable to 'properly' die. I am affected by it, my family was, and now, you are as well. I suggest that you get used to it while you have the chance." For the second time today, Morgan sheathed their sword.

Rather than feeling sad or sympathetic towards Taltiu, the spectral knight seemed mildly irritated. They had a job to do, and with every lost undead or mortal interloper, that job was interrupted. Granted, one of their main tasks was to scout for these things, but they couldn't help but be annoyed with each interruption. "Tell me, how much do you remember of the days when you were alive?" This was an important question- amnesia was a common side effect of becoming undead, and Morgan wanted to know just how much they would have to explain.

[Bunbun]

Morgan's answer to her question was enough to satisfy Taltiu for the time being. She wasn't typically one to put too much faith in the words of strangers, but given the unique circumstances she now found herself in, it wasn't as if she had much less to lose. Besides, their explanation lined up well with what she had already suspected. It supported the reports of several undead being spotted in the area, and while her current form had certainly been a surprise for her, lingering after death was something that all Haevar experienced in some fashion.

Initial shock aside, Taltiu didn't seem particularly fazed to be conversing with a ghost, and she responded quite naturally when Morgan asked a question of their own. "That would be... everything, I think. My life before coming here, then getting attacked, then finally waking up and... well, you know what happened next."

She turned away at that last part, apparently embarrassed as the events her rage-induced outburst from earlier became much more clear to her upon reflection. If her body was still capable of blushing, she probably would have gone red.

"Um. I'm sorry about earlier, by the way. I'm not usually like... that. I think there's something wrong with me."

[CounterfeitFish]

They listened to Taltiu in silence. If Morgan had the ability to nod, they would have done so. Instead, the knight let out a quiet hum, which seemed to emanate from within the misty cloud.

Thank the gods- this would be easier than most of the 'new arrivals' that Morgan had to deal with. "Good to know. I have dealt with far too many husks in my time. Fortunately, you are not one of them." Luckily, today seemed to be a quieter day, with very few interruptions. So, the knight decided that they could spend a bit more time here, perhaps learn a bit more about Taltiu before they had to leave.

In response to the last part, Morgan let out a small laugh. "Clearly! You're are dead,after all- I am sure anybody would consider that a problem.  Though, you do not need to apologize- I am used to hostility from others, and no harm was done." Clearing their 'throat', Morgan spoke once more. "I am Syr Morgan Bloodbane, knight of Fausteth. Who are you?"

[Bunbun]

Taltiu stared back up at the knight as they spoke, finding herself curiously taking in their strange appearance. She'd witnessed the cloud of mist before, of course, but she hadn't yet taken the opportunity to examine it thoroughly. Even though she was no stranger to encounters with the undead, there was no denying that Morgan was a special case.

"My name is Taltiu... just Taltiu. I come from an island a fair bit away from the mainland. My people are quite used to dealing with undead, but I've never seen one of us come back like this." She paused to draw a line in the surrounding dirt with one of her claws, demonstrating her ability to interact with the physical world. It was odd- it clearly wasn't "right" for her to have control over her body in this way, but something about it just felt natural to her.

"I have to say, I don't think I've heard of Fausteth. Didn't see it on any maps." She tilted her head quizzically, one of her ears flicking about idly. "Is it somewhere near here?"

[CounterfeitFish]

They attempted to nod, which was most likely a VERY interesting thing to watch- a cloud of mist, slowly descending then rising once more, their body nearly motionless as this went on. "How odd...I have seen plenty of undead- ghouls, spirits, even banshees and wights! This, however...I do not know as much as I would like to make a claim about what has happened. All I can say is this: you trespassed upon this cursed land, and have become cursed yourself. Whether you like it or not, this is what life-or should I say, death- is going to be like for the foreseeable future. I suggest you get used to it quickly."

Expressionless as they may have been, Morgan seemed to emanate an air of surprise and...indignity? How was it possible that this outsider hadn't heard of Fausteth? Not that they wanted any visitors, mind you, but to not even recognize the name...it was baffling! "I am sorry...what now? I believe I misheard you- you do not know about Fausteth? The mighty barony, Fausteth?  It is not too far from here...I would say within a few miles, if my memory serves me correctly..."

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(OOC: So sorry for the wait! Hopefully this makes sense, gotta get back into my charries after so long lol)

[Bunbun]

Perhaps Taltiu should have felt a bit more disturbed by the whole situation- the circumstances were strange enough on their own, but the way Morgan spoke about them made it seem like this sort of this was supposed to be more or less expected. But for whatever reason, she just didn't feel all that strange about the whole thing. Whether that was because she was used to dealing with undead or because of something else entirely, she wasn't sure.

"No, I'm afraid not. And it's not just me, either- pretty much everyone I've spoken to about this area seemed sure that there wasn't much out here to see. Mostly just ruined buildings and barren wastelands. The common belief seems to be that this place is basically impossible to live in. I mean, I guess 'live' might not be the right word, but you know what I mean. The only reason I bothered coming out this far was because of rumours going around concerning... well, beings like you and me, I guess."