Sinclaire Delacroix - Introduction to Darkness

[BattleBee47]

The sound that escaped Blanche’s mouth was not her own. It was a heavy, deep scream that ascended from the depths of her soul. Her eyes peeled at the scene before her. Their beloved, beautiful mother was there. She had been severed into many pieces, nearly unrecognizable. But there she was, hunk of flesh and blood. A large woolly covered man, the face of a wolf, stood over their mother. It was pulling at their mother’s shoulder and looked up in shock as the girl wailed at the grim scene before her. The beast stopped, dropped a portion of their mother and ran through the window, escaping into the darkness.
In a swirl of motion, Bastien’s arms were around her, cradling her body and head against his chest. He was running. Everything was black as she heard him smash through the front door and into the night.
It was Autumn and the once familiar and friendly smells of the leaves only sickened her stomach. The rotting stench of the wet ground and the decay turned her insides. She buried her face inside her brother’s shoulder to staunch the smell, leaving her to the sounds of the night. A faint howl was heard, as her brother quickened his pace. The sound of leaves and twigs snapping under the young man’s panicked stride was deafening. He ran for what seemed like many candlemarks. His hands never wavering from their protective grasp around his sister. When exhaustion finally hit Bastien, he collapsed. His body gave way and he toppled forward, nearly launching Blanche from his arms. Shocked by the impact of the cold ground on her cheek and knees, she immediately lifted herself and gazed at the unfamiliar surroundings. It was dark, it was cold, and they were completely alone. Sitting now near an unknown road, she uses every ounce of her strength to drag her brother’s limp body towards an old willow tree. Covered in a cold sweat from fear and exhaustion she shakes Bastien’s shoulders attempting wake him.
His eyes flicker. The deep cerulean, visible even in the darkness, was flecked with pain and promise. “We’ll find it…and never let this happen again.” His eyes closed again as he was lost to sleep. Blanche curled up in his arms and let the tears of sorrow fall freely into the night.


Bio for Sinclaire can be found here.
viewtopic.php?f=153&t=59529

[BattleBee47]

Aftermath:
The following days were grueling. They trudged along the road in their thin clothing, barefoot, and hungry. The cold surface of the gravel road no longer hurt her feet. They had grown numb. She had grown numb. The images of her mother’s torn carcass plagued her thoughts and mind. She hadn’t slept. Neither of them had. Every time she dared to close her eyes, the monster’s face was all she could see. She hated the beast. She wanted to destroy it and anything like it. She wanted to seek out the evils that fed off the innocent and end their existence. She made the silent promise to herself, and she knew Bastien had the same thoughts.
Using some of their knowledge of the land, they hunted and gathered for what meager food they could find. After many moons, they had saved enough furs to sell and purchase proper weapons and gear. They spent their time learning whatever they could about beasts that lingered in the darkness and all known ways to destroy them. They became completely enveloped in their mission. It was their new life and they were good at it.
One dreary night, when the tracking had been completed, the pair sat down at a local pub and discussed a code. They worked out their desires and described what the code meant to them. They swore an oath to their code and vowed to never, ever stray from the Hunter’s way.

[BattleBee47]

The young woman laid her head back against the roots of the
tree and peered towards the branches. A sigh escaped her lungs as she finally was feeling the effects of her long journey.
Her boots no longer felt comfortable. She kicked them off and wiggled her toes.
How long had it been since she had seen her brother?
It had felt like far too long. She should have received some sort of word by now.

Would he be alright? Would she even know if something had gone wrong?

Her heart beat quickened as her mind began to wonder.
What was she supposed to do now? Her brother bade that she return to the Sword Coast and await news.
Well she finally made it. What was she to do now?
Sinclaire nestled further into the tree.
She allowed herself to finally rest.
Her eyes slid closed as she dreamed of the terrors her brother may be facing.

[BattleBee47]

“That damned hag. Can’t believe she got that curse off.”

Sinclaire reflects on their most recent encounter as they make their way back to the Sword Coast.

The pair had been traveling north, following the rumors of a hag in the mountains. The Hag had been taking people in their sleep. These people would simply disappear and the townsfolk simply had given up. This was going to be an extreme test of their willpower and teamwork.

Sebastian determined that the hag was living in the mountains north of The Lurkwood. After many days of grueling travel all the way to Mirabar from their hometown Luskan, the rumors were confirmed.
Upon their arrival it was apparent, something had left an evil mark on the community. The town reeked of terror. The citizen’s faces were shrouded in fear and darkness. They were terrified. Their movements were slow and calculated, as to appease something they knew was watching, lurking in every shadow.

They settled in at the local Tavern and began asking questions. No one would speak of it. They promptly changed the topic or pretended to not hear the question. It was a dead end.

Eventually, they managed to scrape enough knowledge of the land to find the hag’s lair. They head out at the next dawn, through the edge of the wood towards the mountains. The evil could be felt in the air. Following a winding trail, the woman noticed a small break in the side of the cliff.
“This has to be the entry point.” She muttered. Sinclaire stopped a moment and listened. There was no wind, no birds, and no bugs. It was as if everything had vacated the area. The silence was earie and made every hair on her body stand attention.

Sebastian headed in after sharing a knowing glance to his sister. She would wait half a candlemark, then head in after him. He would scout ahead and leave a trail for her to follow.
After waiting the pre-determined time, she headed in with one last glimpse towards the sun.

Upon entering the narrow passage, her senses were assaulted by the stench of rotting flesh and death. The air was thick with sadness and hatred. As Sinclaire moved through the darkness, using the small signs her brother left to guide her, she began to hear voices. It sounded like chanting. The many voices swaying together in a constant hum of words in rhythm. She quickened her pace knowing that this can only mean they were in the right place.
After what felt like many moons of trekking the rocky interior, Sinclaire removed her glove and pressed her hand to the wall. She could feel the vibrations of the voices and she was very close. She removed her rapier from her side in complete silence and returned the glove to her bare fingers. She inhaled sharply and continued forward, carefully placing each step silently in front of the other. As she moved on, a dim flickering light could be recognized coming from a room ahead. The chanting continued and began to sound warped and deeper than before.

As she peered around the corner, she was able to catch a glimpse of a colossal Annis. The opening was filled with a deep crimson smoke, billowing out, not up from the campfire in the center of the room. The hag had taken up Sebastian in her arms, and Sinclaire noticed an arrow at her feet. Her heart sank.
Sebastian was cursing and spitting as the Annis continued to chant an unknown language inches away from his face.

She rushed in before the hag could notice her approaching. She carefully stuck close to the cavern walls as she crept up behind and readied her sword. Being in position, Sinclaire swiftly struck the heart. Her blade pierced the flesh effortlessly. The wytch dropped Sebastian and the room was filled with a deep, evil laughter. She spread her arms out to the length of the cavern and her body began to flicker. The crimson smoke encircled the hag and flying vermin began to skitter from every crack in the walls.

Sebastian and Sinclaire’s gaze met and a single word was heard in the chaos.

“Run."