veneration (cw: destruction by fire)

[ewestmarch]

[The communicator is propped up on a small kickstand, in what seems to be a dirt lot. In front of it is a crude straw doll, twice life-size, bound to a wooden fencepost.]

Can't believe it's taken this long for one of you to die.

[Emilia's voice is somewhere behind the camera, and her shadow falls over the doll. Flames crackle and streak like a projectile to strike the doll in the center of its chest. It catches immediately and begins to burn.

Emilia recites:]

We are the chill in a coward's spine. We are the instruments of an unyielding ire. We burn the wickerman as a symbol of victory against old enemies. Those who fear and revile us as monsters will be struck down. In the face of atrocities, we have only grown stronger. We are the Forsaken.

[She pauses. The doll is still burning, but has lost its shape - it is mostly sticks and ash now.]

Dark Lady watch over you.

[Optional Spam, open to all:

In the streets of Blackway, a huge, rotting creature shuffles, leaving pools of foul liquid in its wake. It's twice as tall as a human and three times as wide. Four, if you could the cloud of flies around it as part of its radius. The smell alone is overpowering.

It's carrying a durable plastic bag filthy with the same ichor, filled with sewing supplies and topped with a hand-written shopping list in thin, spidery penmanship.

If you own a shop, it might poke its head in there, too. Its sense of direction isn't very good.]

Comments

[ratkicker]

[Now it's...scared? This is definitely a lot easier than some of the other monsters she had to deal with, but it also means it will be more difficult to get it out of the shop.

At this point, one of the members of the crowd taps Jade on the shoulder and whispers to her. Apparently, they've seen this monster before, and its never actively tried to hurt anyone yet, but just...looks really creepy.

Now this is embarrassing. Jade puts her staff away and stands up straight, shifting her weight from foot to foot.]

So...you can come out. I won't attack you. [Can it understand human speech?]

[ewestmarch]

Hmr?

[Uncertain. That's a looot of people.]

[ratkicker]

[Now she feels a bit sorry for it?]

Can you understand me? You can come out? [She takes out her camera. Maybe that will catch its curiosity? Anything to get it out of the shop.]

[ewestmarch]

[It inches forward out through the door, clutching its shopping bag. It did leave a snail trail of goo behind it in the threshold, though. Sorry about that.]

[ratkicker]

[That's so gross. But hopefully it's not worse that cleaning the living room after the kids tracked in mud.]

Hey, everyone? Try to stand back a bit.

[ewestmarch]

[The abomination is coaxed out into the street and its tiny head pivots back and forth.

What if it just. Sneaks away?

It tries, in possibly one of the least stealthy maneuvers of all time.]

[ratkicker]

[Jade will let it walk away from the area if it doesn't try to attack anyone. However, she will sneak a photo or two of it. She'll have to ask the others what that thing is, and pictures of rare species always sell well.]