It is dark, almost pitch black, over Amber city. The dark of the moon and the thickness of clouds combine to give almost no relief - no starlight either. Only lamps, here and there, burn to make tiny islands in which orange-cast things can be seen. In an alleyway that smells of blood, colonel Tanya swears. "This damned gutter is wet." Her tone indicates she knows what that may mean.

Whoever heard of oo dark to sleep, yet apparent such a thing applies presently for her is Danielle wandering about with a lantern somewhat unsurprised to see tanya doing the same "Storms brewing" she queries

"No, I've splashed through blood and that means I'm unclean for about the next week until I can wash it off my soul," Tanya says cheerfully. "But it's not like there's much chance of us needing magic right now, is there?" The lantern shows a long trickle of red dripping form a roof and running down into the alleyway. Tanya has blundered into its path. "Something tells me this is going to be a fun night."

Danielle blinks "Through whose blood? Her eyes follow the trail to the roof, looking about for sighns of a staircase that may lead them to that levek

No staircase, but there are plenty of exposed beam ends to act as a ladder.

"If I knew that, I'd know what not to try," Tanya grumbles. "If that's some local tough, I want to use magic. If it was someone who tried magic, I want to stab them." She has no staff with her, but she is wearing her wand and her sword, both slung on the left hip.

Danielle looks at the beeam and sighs "Where's dirk when you need him. I was not made for this shit" Non the less she's squaring up with the beam and beginning to climb

"I can-" Tanya starts, but subsides as soon as Danielle takes her weight on her hands. The colonel steps back a bit, pulling her wand, and standing relaxed, like a tennis pro waiting for an opponent to be ready. Backstop, just in case she is needed.

The wooden beam ends get Danielle up to the level of the roof, where she can see clearly not just one body, but three, casually thrown down into a valley of the tiled roofs. The bloodstains tell a tale - each was thrown down from the same place, in the shadow of a chimney nearby.

Danielle endeavors to make her way along as carefully as she can. The chief problem is that she cannot weild magic with her hands the same time as she's climbing so if someone is at the top she's done for but luck appears on her side for the breifest of moments and so she stands looking down at the bodies to see what she can discern at distance

The sounds of Tanya coming up behind her are muffled. The colonel has been taught how to climb quietly, or els just knows by habit.

The bodies all have the white mark of the unicown on their foreheads, the single line that some are now getting tattooed on. These people are not so driven by faith - it is painted. All look like they were damaged in killing them - they fought back. There are marks of claws or knives on their forearms.

Danielle endeavors to open her magic senses despite the fact this looks like a very visceral attack. if the attack were magical in nature it may have left traces. Was the attacker human or other

The answer is in how little the world changes. Behind her, Tanya moves, a bright beacon of power and rage, holding back what she can do and what she WANTS to do. Distantly, the thing that must be the Pattern hums and purrs. The fog roils, horrific. But, to Danielle's senses, nothing there is unexpected. Tanya has always been powerful, and reluctant to act, and angry. The Pattern is always a gently background noise. Nothing here *sparks*.

Tanya sighs. "If this is bloody loup garou, I will be so pissed off," she mutters, like pissed off is not her base state.

Danielle sighs just as reluctant but not quite as pissed "We best make sure whoever or whatever it is, isn't still hanging about" She says looking to where the bodies were thrown and moving very slowly in the direction of that shadow

Once more, the colonel follows up a little behind, keeping her lines of sight - and magic - clear. So, Danielle gets to the shadow first...

Filinia flips a coin. The result is: Heads

Danielle rolls with advantage -1 at difficulty 15, using no talents or gifts.
The result is a failure.

... and then the shadow gets to Danielle. Something dark detaches itself from the chimney and just falls on her. Tanya raises her wand as it starts moving, and blasts not the thing, but Danielle, shoving her sideways. It's a low blow, in some ways, entirely unexpected, but it's also mostly effective - Danielle is shoved hard enough to make her slip on the roof and whatever it is only manages to grab at her lower body.

It's like being attacked by a blanket that is armed with knives - there is hardly any weight to it, just sharp lacerations. Danielle can see tufts of fur and a hungry mouth as well, and reddish eyes.

Danielle had calculated that perhaps an attack would come from the chimney area with hands held in front as she walked though she doesn't actually see it coming. tany's attack comes entirelunexpected and sends her sliding as she tries to disentangle her legs from the attacker "Get off"

The thing scrabbles to stab her more, the feeling of sharp knives becoming painful as some of them slice into her skin. From up close it looks like the creature has bone spurs that are doing the work. Comparative anatomy is probably more fun when one is not being attacked, however.

Danielle rolls with advantage -1 at difficulty 20, using no talents or gifts.
The result is a failure.

Colonel Tanya sets off towards Danielle at a run.

Filinia flips a coin. The result is: Heads

Danielle rolls with advantage 1 at difficulty 20, using occult, sorcery.
The result is a failure.

Danielle kicks with all her might, magic building up like a form of adrnaline but is nonethless unable to focus and whooly ineffectual magical energy surting ineffectively amoung to nothig more than static electricity were the slicing beast is concerned. Danielle is not shy about screaming as the thing cuts her skin

Then Tanya arrives, skidding to a halt, her wand drawn. The colonel does not bother with subtlety, just presses her want to the beast and begins a slicing motion that cuts its tough, cloaklike exterior. Whatever magic she is using breaks bones, rips sinew, slashes muscle apart, and the thing tears into two bits, top and bottom, and with one final spasm it dies. Tanya flips one sleeve of her robe around Danielle's right leg, twisting it into a tourniquet, and cutting it off her clothes as she does. She puts her wand into it to twist, so it tightens, and then half sag, half falls onto Danielle, and rolls off her. It took no more than thirty seconds, from her arrival to the point where Danielle is not going to die any more, and realises how her leg hurts.

Danielle is breathing a sigh of relief one moment and grabbing at her leg mutteng a string of obcenies working herself into a sitting position "Thanks. I don't think this legs going to be in working order for a good bit. Not sure howw I'm getting down"

Tanya lies on her side, curled up. "C.... carefully?" she suggests. Her voice is strained, pained, bitter.

Danielle pushes backward using her hands still in a sitting position, movinng closer to tanya to asses her injuries

Tanya does not look injured. By the light of the lantern, easily retrieved and set upright, it seems that she is in shock or - if Danielle has ever seen it - withdrawal.

Danielle is aware tanya has just saved her life twice and assumes the mage has somehow magically over extended herself in so doing "Can I do anything"she asks while looking to see if the knapsack she habitually wears while understandable not attached ro her person has made it through the ordeal. it hangs several feet away. taunting her

After getting her breathing under control, Tanya says, "Six pack of young lovely guys and a ping of rum and coffee," in a small voice. "I just emptied myself and I can't draw ...." She pauses to shudder for a moment. "To replace it. The blood messed with my soul just enough. Gonna be a bad week." She winces her way to the end of the explanation.

Danielle hms "I could draw from the pattern because of being of the blood of oberon or the elements given the other half of my brother's lineage. What do you need to draw from? She tries to hall herself up on her one good leg

"The power of rum and opium," replies Tanya. "Because if I pull anything into me magically, the blood taints it. And me. Rookie error - I should.... ugh I hate this. Should have been shielded."

Danielle blinks "Are you telling me in saving me, you poisoned yourself. I can get both i think. tell me poppoies grow in this unicorn forsaken... but we need to get off this roof first

"I used to be able to call in air cav for this," mutters Tanya. "And I ran a tab on laudanum on expenses until ... oh by the unicorn I think I'm going to puke. This is... look, go get help. Call for a ladder." She shudders a bit, but the threatened vomiting does not yet happen.


**********************************************************************
Some time in the darkness, Danielle and the grumpy readhead, Tanya, were attacked by a great poisoned beast summoned by unicorn worshippers! Tanya is dying, and Danielle is badly wounded and seeking a way to heal the stricken sorceress.
**********************************************************************