Where death dwells

=The worn walls stood tall, foreboding, as the first rays of the dawn broke free of the horizon, brushing against the worn black rune-carved stones. Intermittent torches lined the wall where the guards patrolled, and at the supporting towers. The guards moved along regularly, keeping wary eyes out, but unconcerned generally, due the quiet nature of their location.

The trees had been carefully trimmed back from the walls to prevent their use in attacks. The gates were open, but guarded heavily by armored troops...bowmen above he gates, pikemen and swordsmen on the ground. In the gatehouse rested a sharp-eyed mage, the silver slashes on his sleeves denoting his rank as captain.=

~ From the tree line Verran watched the dark walls. It had taken longer than expected to reach their destination, and now that the sun was up, it was looking like a waiting game. Scanning the wall, he takes note of the guards and their positions, not missing the robed figure in the gatehouse windows. He sends silent signals to Ralean and Gil, not trusting mental communication to be secure.~

" One mage, archers, and several dozen footmen. Walls are old, but secured and possibly enchanted. One way in....through the front door. Do we circle, or wait for nightfall to infiltrate?"

Claudia approached Damyn from the shadows behind him, forming from a slow mist that evolved into her more solid and curved form. Her head tilted to one side and her eyes simply stared, almost as if she were staring through the master necromancer. Speaking through her mind, he would hear her.

"Will HE return?" She said through the souls of screams, her reference to SoulReaver. It had not been mentioned by Claudia before, yet her observations of Damyn's troops caused her to think that Damyn was preparing for his arrival.

~Ral kneels in the deep shadows a distance away, watching the gate. He looks to Verran, signaling back with their hands "Too much risk to enter by day. Night is better. May be postern gate. Or we go in through the front." he finds Gil in his sight and relays both messages. He turns back to Verran, locking eyes, hands moving deftly. "The mage is yours when we enter."~

~~Gil catches Ral's signals, signaling his understanding and moving further back into the treeline, his form melting into the brush and shadows, still within sight of the others, awaiting orders~~

=Damyn does not bother turning as he stands in the central hall, his guards flanking him. They turn to her, and he raises one hand gently, signaling them back to their rest position. "What the Master seeks is not your concern."=

Claudia followed Damyn through into the central chamber of the tombed building. The shadows embraced her, she felt comfort in darkness. Her haunted screams voiced out into Damyn's mind. It would bother others, but he was familiar to the tones. "Ah, but how can we serve him better if we do not know what his wants and needs are?"

Her eyes shone bright, yet her pale porcelain reflected the girl as half-dead. She didn't have the social aptitude to leave the matter well enough alone. Emotionless, she tilted her head to one side and awaited an answer from him.

=Damyn turns slightly towards her. "What you do not know, child, is of no concern to me."=