World Tree MUSH

  The village of Gladstone is a small mining town high in the Hyrulean mountains. Its primary export is ore. Plain houses and facilities huddle around the well in its central square. Early morning this high in the mountains means there's still mist hanging over the cobbles and in the valleys.

  Disguised in plainclothes and her hooded black robe, Zelda is only just now arriving, astride the ambulatory natural disaster she calls a horse. No villagers have assembled yet. The sun hasn't even topped the ridge. For now all she can do is wait for her allies.

  The young woman rubs at her horse's neck, eyeing the roads. South lies a Vine lies just past the edge of town. North, the first fringes of encroaching Twilight warp the landscape, distant but visible. The northern sky is a sickly orange, and black embers fleck the unnatural sky. Zelda has her attention split between the southern Vine and the northern road, watching for arrivals.

  "Welcome to Gladstone." Her voice is soft to the first arrivals, and she moves right on to business. "I would like to have a look around here and learn why this place has not yet fallen, despite having no soldiers and no defenses of their own." Her mouth twists into a grim line. "I can feel there is something secret at play, here, and I mislike it."

     One of the arrivals, through the Vine, is the mouse warrior Martin. Clad in simple garb, a blue tunic tied at the waist with a rope belt, his sword in its scabbard thrust through the belt by his side. A hooded cloak to weather the elements, and a small rucksack filled with food. It seems he was expecting more of a trip.

"A mountain village is more difficult and time-consuming to invade than one on the plains, but I gather from your tone that it isn't that simple." he remarks, nodding to Zelda as he takes a look around.

    "Some hidden guardian, perhaps? Or an enchantment?" Hawk reasons, the smallish youth drawing up alongside on the stag they ride. Patting Acheron, the stag is soon set trotting off, as the wielder of the Master Sword slides off and lands on the ground nearby to walk in from here. A stag is a bit too attention-getting.

    Hawk nods to the large mouse too. "I'm not native to the world, but I gather Zant isn't the sort to let a minor inconvenience stop him."

    From the Vine steps an odd creature. Relatively tall, slender built and wearing a black outfit. It seems like some kind of hazard suit. She even has her rebreather in place to begin with. Yellow eyes flick around, and then find the mounted figure in the distance. Ears lift and the being approaches while adjusting the carry straps on her gear, making the heavy looking blade slung over her back shift a little before re-settling.

    A glance toward Martin earns a flick of her whip-like tail. Mild agitation showing for no specific reason. She remains silent, however, digging into one of her pouches and pulling a ration bar out. She disengages the rebreather with a soft hiss of pressure release and crams the food stick in her mouth to chew on grumpily.

    Her eyes are locked on the clearly sickly horizon to the north however.

    Riding beside Zelda's monsterbeast of a horse is Rydia; mounted on her trusty chocobo steed. The green-haired Summoner is frowning, though.
    "No soldiers and no defenses?" She murmurs. "And they're still standing with the Twilight so close?" She too would like to know why that's the case, though the Summoner is more vocal in her disbelief and incredulity.

  Fortunately, non-humans are a non-issue in Hyrule. There are nations of rock-men and fish-people. So the dark hood tilts slightly toward Martin, and doesn't seem particularly inclined to stare. Only the lower half of Zelda's face is visible. The set of her mouth isn't pleased.

  "No. We are not dealing with traditional military strategy," Zelda points out to Martin. "In any case, flatlands are by far more dangerous than rugged terrain." She gestures toward the plains, far downhill; the tiny form of Hyrule Castle is visible from here, a pall of either smoke or Twilight shrouding it. "Hyrule Field is one of the most Twilight-ravaged regions. What wilds are not cursed suffer from drought and, more importantly, monster infestation. Most folk have fled to more easily-defensible settlements. In terrain like this, they can at least put their backs to cliff walls."

  She pauses, looking hard at the approach of a mounted figure. Eventually she realises it's a stag, which means she knows who the rider is. Zelda lifts her arm in greeting once Hawk gets close enough to see it. "Master Hawk. Good to see you again."

  Vaulting off the saddle, Zelda takes a moment to gather the reins and tie them to a tree, though she's still watching for arrivals as she does. Her movements are deft enough to suggest long years of practise.

  Scavenger is eyed a moment; the disguised princess is silent, thoughtful. "If you are here to help, thank you." Not soft, not patronising; just simple statement of fact. The disguised royal beckons, maybe in response to Scavenger's fixed northward stare. "Our efforts are needed here, today, though. Hyrule Castle will require much more preparation than this."

  "No soldiers and no defense," she confirms to Rydia, glancing in the Summoner's direction. "As of yet the Twilight hasn't begun to encroach on the village itself, but I'd like to investigate. The villagers know I am to speak with them, but..."

  Either these people sleep really late, or the houses are empty. "Perhaps they are simply not that trusting. They can hardly be begrudged that in these uncertain times." She glances back to the square. "Since no one can be bothered to meet with us just yet, we should explore while we have the opportunity. I will wait here for the village headman."

    "Scavenger." offers the Zalak with a flick of her gaze toward Zelda at the beckoning to draw her attention. "This 'Twilight' reminds me of Catastrophes back home... we move our homes away from them on a regular basis." she adds, before striding off to check some of the buildings on the northern side of the village. If the majority of attacks come from the miasmic clouds, it stands to reason there would be evidence on the side facing it.

    Scavenger puts her mask back on, clicking it into place with a soft hiss-pop of re-established seals, though she doesn't drawn any weapon or tool just yet.

     "Supernatural forces, then. Such was the domain of old mousewives' tales and vermin superstitions in my world, but I've found them to be uncomfortably real around the World Tree." Martin says with some distaste, tapping at his sword hilt. Scavenger's agitation doesn't go unnoticed either, though he simply regards her with a cool nod and, "Good evening."

As it seems like they've got some time to explore, he gets to doing just that, starting with the houses. First, to see if any windows are uncovered, to get a peek inside perhaps. Then, some raps upon the doors in case someone feels like answering. Looking for any signs of life.

    "Mmmmmm..." Rydia doesn't like that. A place with no protection that seemingly has managed to *miraculously* evade being ravaged by the Twilight? It's a little too good to be true. And with no one coming out to meet Sheik at the appointed time?
    "Something stinks." Rydia mutters as she dismounts her bird and ties it to a nearby post. She looks to Sheik for a good moment, her own lips pursing into a thin line.
    "You're just going to wait here?" ... Yeah that's actually probably for the best now that she thinks about it, in case someone does come along, but the green-haired girl tugs her wolfos-skin cloak tighter around her shoulders, the mist that lingers around her swirling lazily as she makes her way to the nearest house and bangs on the door.
    "Hey. Open up. Where is everyone?" She demands.

    "Hawk," says the blonde youth. Fingering their sword, they frown at this. "For a village so 'secure' they sure are being quiet." Like Rydia and the others, Hawk doesn't seem to believe it's so simple.

    Unlike the others, Hawk decides to do a slow circle around the perimeter, just to see if there's any signs of life. Laundry hanging out, woodsmoke, anything at all. Seems the two rodents have the same idea, which Hawk can't blame them for.

  Scavenger offers her name, and Zelda quirks a brow. Is it a name, or a title? She has better sense than to ask, though, watching for a moment as the Zalak turns and proceeds towards the northern part of the settlement.

  The further north one goes, the more basic the houses get. Structural reinforcements in the form of massive timber beams placed at regular intervals stand as though to protect against strong wind, complicated and interwoven for strength. Iron braces join trunks together, each one etched with a pawprint-like seal. A veteran like Scavenger could spot right away that the loose palisade wall, the outpost towers, and gate are all completely useless for anything but firewood. They don't even look like they've been attacked. Being so good at battlefield 'appropriation,' she might notice discarded weapons on the outside of the wall: An iron morningstar, a dented kite shield that once bore the winged Hyrulean crest, and pieces of armour that definitely don't look like they'd fit on any living human.

  "No superstitions, here." Zelda pauses to glance back at Martin. "The Twilight is very real, and also very dangerous. The best way I can describe it is as a kind of magical curse... but it is indirect. It twists what it touches; takes what it can, and leaves behind a warped reflection of what was." She glances northward. "It was begun by the usurper who currently holds the Hyrulean throne... on paper, of course. He does not actually know the business of running a kingdom. Hyrule is pinned to the ground with a sword at her throat, and I believe the usurper is simply waiting for her to finish bleeding out." She sounds angry about that; angrier than a mere handmaiden should. "It is inexcusable."

  She glances back at Rydia. You're just going to wait here? The disguised princess lifts one shoulder and lets it fall in a shrug. "I see no better option." A slight shift of her robe reveals that she's at least carrying her bow and quiver, and her rapier is scabbarded at her other hip. She lets the robe fall back. "I am not defenseless. Go," she adds, with a faint half-smile to Rydia. "I will be fine."

  A door is banged on. There's a scrabbling sound from inside, followed immediately by a loud THUMP against the door, which in turn is followed immediately by insane barking. Someone has a dog! A really big one by the sound of it.

  "I mislike it," she agrees to Hawk. "Something is wrong."

  From a slow circle around the perimeter, everything looks like it should be more or less normal, if one ignores the fact that the Twilight is practically on the place's doorstep. Laundry hangs out. Woodsmoke files up from some of the chimneys. The mist hasn't started lifting yet, though, and it's still pretty cold. Hawk may find traces of weapons, too, in out-of-the-way places.

  None of the houses are answering. Well, except the one with the insane barking dog in it, anyway.

     "Magic and curses aren't things I'm used to, but tyrants and usurpers, those I know all too well." Martin responds to Zelda as he tries another house- only to be greeted with the barking of a mad dog. His paw flies to his sword's hilt, but he stays it as he realizes that there is no immediate threat. "This doesn't bode well. But if the people were taken, why is only this dog left? I shudder to think what I might find if I open that door."

    Scavenger frowns. "Are these meant to be defenses, or an art project?" she pushes one of the flimsy pallisades over with a tap, then stoops to pick up the battered shield. "Was there a battle here, or did everyone discard their equipment and flee?"

    And then the dog starts barking. Ears flick, followed by eyes as she unhooks her blade from its sheath and draws it one handed. "On guard, everyone... there's weapons and equipment spread all over this area... They either fled, or something took them!"

    Hmmm. Hawk completes a partial circle, then heads back. Less for protecting 'Sheik' and more because of a need to report. "We probably shouldn't wander too far in this mist," the youth mutters, fingering the hilt of the sword. "Too many unknowns, and my teacher always warned me about that."

    Despite this, Hawk appears to have the Triforce of Courage indeed, because easing forward to try to attract some attention is as natural as breathing. A murmur and lift of a hand lights up a shimmering globe of light from the palm of one hand, suffusing the area with a healthy yellow.

    The barking of the dog makes Rydia flinch briefly before her brow knots. She trusts Zelda- Sheik will be fine, but something about all this is off in a way that sets Rydia ill at ease.
    The abandoned palisades, discarded armor the others mention? That makes things worse.
    The Summoner takes a slow breath and stares hard before she makes her decision.
    Backing up a pace she brings her hands up, running through several arcane gestures as she mutters words of power and then...
    "Blizzara!"
    A sudden miniature blizzard erupts from her fingertips, coating the door in hoary frost and freezing it solid... 
    Before the summoner gives it a good, hard, KICK, to shatter it to pieces.
    That's one way to find out what's inside these houses.

>> SUMMARY[Rydia] >> Breaking and entering.

  "I will not argue that he is a tyrant and a coward, and that the throne was seized by deceit." Zelda's observation is a sigh, watching as the others investigate houses and poke around town. "I have had more experience than I might like with tyrants and usurpers, in recent years."

  Glancing to the door with the barking dog, Zelda smoothly unshoulders her bow and plucks an arrow from the quiver. She doesn't draw it, nor fire, but she's ready if anything happens.

  Scavenger successfully topples the palisade wall, which goes down in a way reminiscent of a theatre set than actual fortifications. That is to say, it offers absolutely zero resistance to the Zalak's efforts. It makes a pretty good dust cloud when it comes down too. When she suggests everyone here fled or were taken, Zelda's mouth thins. It's too far to shout but she clearly agrees with that suspicion.

  "I agree," Zelda asides to Hawk. "Mist is not uncommon this time of the year, this high up in the mountains, but I must see to aim." It wouldn't do to accidentally pincushion an ally, now, would it? Hawk's light doesn't reveal anything new, but it does make things a lot easier to see.

  Oh, and Rydia decides to kick in a door.

  The ice and the dust settles, after a moment, revealing a dark and cold house. Clearly no hearth has been lit, here. Nobody's been here a while. There are dishes still in place as though for a household to sit down to dinner, though the plates are empty; the food either taken or rotted away. Cobwebs are strung from one article of rough-hewn furniture to the next.

  Something gets noisily knocked over inside, followed by a dark shape streaking out the door. An arrow thuds into the ground mere inches from it; but Zelda lets out a breath. It's just a cat.

  Frowning, Zelda pads closer, but she doesn't go into the building. "Please be careful," she advises quietly, to anyone who actually wants to go in there.

     As Rydia kicks in a door, Martin approaches the same house, hoping to get a glimpse inside with the help of Hawk's light. "It looks as though they just... vanished. Right in the middle of dinner, no less." he states, drawing his sword and readying his guard as a dark shape suddenly bolts out. But, it's just a cat, scared and likely harmless. Still, he keeps his blade at the ready as he moves to enter the abandoned homestead...

    "Now I'm really worried," Hawk notes. "Leaving in a hurry I can understand, but why would they take the food but not their pets? That doesn't seem normal." Hawk knows very well how attached people can be to said pets. "If for some reason you left and couldn't take your pets with you... would you lock them in the house?"

    Looking around, Hawk lifts up the light, trying to give everyone a way to investigate. The youth doesn't step into the house, but is making some mental notes. "Cobwebs form quickly, sometimes, but I guess we can rule out that they bolted when they saw us coming."

    Only then does the adventurer try another house, but instead of shattering doors, tries to just... see if any are unlocked.

    Rydia damn near jumps out of her skin when something bolts by her, and there's a flash of steel as she draws her dagger to hand and...
    It's a cat.
    It's just a cat.
    "No one saw that." The Caller grumbles as she puts her blade away.
    "But yeah it looks like whoever was here... Hasn't been here in while." She agrees with Hawk's assessment.