As Xalmann reluctantly bedded down for the evening, Sylvari settled in on the small rock where she sat, her back to the fire so she could use its light to peer through the mists. The moon rose high in the sky this evening, but its light barely filtered through the densely packed foliage above. Sylvari was overcome with a burst of energy and wanderlust. She longed to run and stretch her legs, but here in the swamp, murky water lay in every direction, isolating her on her little island of confinement.

Sylvari compromised and paced around the fire, swiveling her head this way and that to keep watch in all directions. She was on edge since the whispers began earlier, but had heard nothing so defined since, only the rustling of trees and the overworking of her imagination. Pull it together Sylvi. Like it or not, you're a creature of the night now. These types of beings come with the territory. Don't get shaken by some whispers. 

Sylvari continued to pace around the fire well into the dead of night. Finally, as she moved to awaken Xalmann for his watch, she heard the whispers on the wind again, speaking her name. She moved over in a burst of speed, lightly shaking the Lizardman awake. "Xalmann, the whispers are back."

How was he supposed to get some sleep with her stomping around like that? He'd already been reluctant to let her take first watch, not fully trusting her. He slept sitting up with his back to the fire and his axe in his hand just in case anything happened, but now he regretted his decision completely. He should have just taken first watch. It would have at least been more peaceful.

When Sylvari put her hand on his shoulder to shake him awake, she might have noticed his scales were even warmer than before, his irritation causing the heat coming from him to increase in intensity. It was almost painfully hot, nearly scalding her hand.

Xalmann turned his head to her and opened his eyes and looked at her with as much disdain as she had looked at the food he'd given her. He glared at her for just a short moment before starting to look around warily. If the whispering was back, the bogaboo had to be nearby. He focused on his magic again, sending it through the earth to detect anything touching the ground, but he found nothing that might be the bogaboo. It must still be in the trees.

"Sleep." He said stoically, tamping down his annoyance and returning back to his usual emotionless demeanor. He'd take watch now.

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Calls in the night
Participants: Two or more
Location: Marsh Flats
Post Requirements: 4 post per person, 200 words per post

Description: A night or two into your search, you begin to hear voices coming from the woods, but only at night. These voices are faint and far, but are calling out for you! You can occasionally hear your name being beckoned into the void of the swamp, and while this would normally be enough to send you running the other way, you know this is the work of a Bogaboo, the very thing you are after. So, to do your job, you trek out into the swamp hoping to find this mysterious monster. But its a very elusive creature and finding it comes with it's own obstacles. Mud, bugs, thick vines, thorny bushes and more stand between you and your goal.

Reluctant didn't begin to describe how Sylvari felt as she sighed and laid down on her bedroll. She had wanted Xalman to leap up, ready for action, and the pair could charge off to find this thing, or at least that they would watch and listen together. But her crimson companion had a way of subverting her expectations. More than that he seemed curt, even more so than usual, and the last thing she needed was to find herself irreversibly on the wrong side of his nerves, especially this early on the hunt together.

So here she lay, staring up at a shaded canopy, not the slightest bit close to sleep. Sylvari sighed and rolled over on her side to look at the Lizardman. She had gotten an eyeful of his scaly back, trailing after him through the muck all day, but this moment provided an opportunity to see his features from the front, illuminated by the flickering fire. Her eyes traced the line of his mouth as it marked a divergence in color from his darker red, giving way to a pale yellow. She looked over at the arm of gnarled bark, twisting in on itself. She smiled thinking of the little fireling she now knew to reside within. Her musings continued until a time she could not trace: a time when she departed to the land of dreams.

When Xalmann finally heard the deep breathing that meant Sylvari had fallen asleep, he spoke quietly in the Lizardman language. Beside him, another red-scaled Lizardman appeared, this one a bit shorter but more bulky than him. If one took the time to look, they'd see the face was a bit different, with a much less serious demeanor. They'd also notice the blackened patches covering the Lizardman's scales, horrible burn scars and charred flesh. It was a wonder the man wasn't dead, but in actuality, he was. The Lizardman was nothing but a spirit that Xalmann called upon.

Another hissed whisper, and another Lizardman's spirit appeared beside Xalmann. This one was the opposite of the previous summoned spirit, taller than Xalmann but with a thinner build. He was also covered in burns all over. Bother Lizardmen looked at Xalmann, the shorter one hefting a heavy two handed axe onto his shoulder with a smirk and the taller one holding a small but deadly looking hand axe in each hand.

"Durumann, keep close and watch for any signs of an intruder. Xildak, head into the surroundings and find the bogaboo that's stalking us. It should be off of the ground somewhere, probably in the trees close by." He ordered the two in the Lizardfolk language, looking to the short one, Durumann, and the taller one, Xildak, in turn.

Durumann put a fist on his waist and puffed up his chest slightly with a smirk. Xildak just nodded and took a few silent steps away before vanishing, the spirit of the expert tracker becoming invisible. Durumann waited a few moments for Xildak to be gone before looking at Xalmann.

"You look tired. Is one woman too much for you?" He teased, glancing at Sylvari snoring on her bedroll.

"Shut up. I'm getting some rest now." Xalmann hissed, glaring at Durumann in annoyance. He closed his eyes, keeping his back to the fire and axe in his hand, but resting better knowing his guardian spirit was keeping watch. From his shoulder, the branches opened up and the little fire ghost emerged again to float over to Durumann excitedly.

"Boo, little buddy! You want to keep me company?" Durumann laughed, putting a hand on top of the fire spirit and squishing it around as if he was ruffling its hair.

Xalmann just sighed. Fine, more keeping watch didn't hurt, and this way that annoying Durumann had someone else to talk to. He could finally get some rest.

---

Guardian Spirit
Call Ghost
Pet Pocket- Ghastly Lantern

Sylvari tossed and turned restlessly in her sleep. There was a reason that she could not often leave the wakeful lands, and it wasn't solely due to her bodily changes. Indeed, she found she needed sleep much less than she used to: generally only about 10 hours per week, but Sylvari struggled to meet even that standard. Her dreams were, invariably, plagued by the soulless husks of drained victims she had left in her wake, surrounding her, accusing her. Every time she drained a person dry, she felt as if she took their soul as well as their blood, ripping through the arcana in their veins like a master swordsman through training dummies.

Foremost among her accusers was always Banbraith. I trusted you. I tried to SAVE you. And you watched them rip me apart, saving me only long enough to finish the job yourself. In the early days, Sylvari had tried to reason with the phantom; she begged and bowed and scraped for forgiveness as she protested her inability in that moment, but the specter was implacable, no matter her tactic. Nowadays, she simply curled herself into the tightest ball she could and waited, letting the accusations stream over her like water attempting to drown her until she woke up. Tonight was no different.

Finally, her torment ended, and, if she was alive, Sylvari was sure she would have awoken in a cold sweat. As it was, she was nearly delirious due to the depth of her hallucination, and so rubbed her eyes at the sight of two Xalmanns. No that's not quite right. That one has a different body type. Also, is it smiling?? Didn't know he could do that.

"Xalmann, what's going on?"

Durumann looked over at Sylvari in surprise. She'd woken up a lot earlier than expected! He thought she'd sleep the rest of the night, but it had hardly been an hour. Xildak hadn't even returned yet. Xalmann had barely gotten any sleep yet either.

Aw, that cranky Lizardman would be even more cranky than he already was if he got woken up now. Durumann thought to himself. He needed to make sure Sylvari didn't wake him up.

Durumann quickly put a finger in front of his snout, trying to tell Sylvari to keep quiet. He couldn't communicate with her even if he could speak the common language well. He barely got the gist of what she'd said to him, only really understanding her saying Xalmann's name. But, as a guardian spirit, his voice could only be heard by Xalmann, his one tether to the living world.

Boo floated over to her cheerfully, bobbing along through the air and stopping in front of Sylvari with a smile. The fire spirit didn't seem all that concerned with what was happening, just doing as they pleased.

Behind the fire spirit, Durumann gave Sylvari a wave, a finger still in front of his mouth, and then nodded his head toward Xalmann who was still sleeping. He just hoped she'd get his message and keep quiet.

Sylvari blinked in confusion at the scene that was unfolding before her. What in the...? Her train of thought was interrupted as her vision was filled with the cute little spirit in front of her. Reaching out to lightly brush the flames that danced along the top of its orb was an automatic, unconscious decision.

Why is little Xalmann motioning for silence? Sylvari sat up, adjusting her veil to fully cover her eyes, before looking back at the Lizardman without the branchy arm. She made motion with her hands gesturing to him and then Xalmann in turn, bringing her hands together in a clasp in what she hoped conveyed asking if they were friends. Maybe this is one of the other Lizardmen from the village Xalmann said he came from. Maybe it's nearby. 

Still, Sylvari maintained an air of wariness as she looked over the newcomer. He didn't seem unfriendly, but Xalmann obviously had deep-seated pain tied to his village, so she would be ready to defend her new comrade, should things take a turn for the worse. She subtly placed a hand on her club, even as she put on a disarming smile, hoping to ease tensions before things soured to combat. We need to save our strength for the Bogaboo. Gods, I wish I had just slept in the armor.

Durumann watched Sylvari motioning, clasping her hands together, in confusion. What did that mean? Was she asking if they were a couple? Him and Xalmann!? The thought would have made him bust out laughing if it didn't also send a shiver down his ethereal spine. Being the boyfriend of such a serious, angry guy like that sounded horrible. Even if he was still alive, absolutely not.

Durumann got over how startled he was and shook his head vehemently, both to answer Sylvari and to get such scary thoughts out of his head. How was he supposed to communicate with her? Hand signals? They didn't really have any in his tribe for normal communication. Only the ones they used during raids to communicate tactics. Those wouldn't help here. Ah, wait, if she was asking if he and Xalmann were partners, did that mean she thought he was a living Lizardman? Oh! What if he showed her that he was a ghost somehow?

He walked forward, standing close to Sylvari, and pointed to the floating fireball and then to himself. Sylvari's hand passed right through the fire spirit as she tried to pet it, but Durumann raised a hand and placed it on the spirit's head, clearly making contact with it. The two spirits were both incorporeal, untouchable by anything else, but they could touch each other like they were solid.

Up closer to Sylvari, in the light of the fire, the burn scars covering most of Durumann's body also became more visible along with the fact that he cast no shadow behind him from the light of the fire.

Sylvari stared hard at the new Lizardman, trying to decipher his message. He as adamant about not being friends with Xalmann, but his posture was not hostile, and his face looked contemplative more than anything else. For as much as I can tell about Lizardman expressions after being the companion of one for a single day where I only saw his back... 

As the Lizardman came closer, the extensive scarring of flame on his body became evident. The burnt Lizardman pointed at the fireling floating by her fingertips. Is he saying this little guy caused that? Better stay on its good side, that looks painful. I think I have some ointment to ease burns in my bag. Sylvari ruffled through her belongings quickly to find her prize, not a hard thing to do with her satchel so bare. She produced the small jar and gave a bittersweet smile. Still helping me even now, Aridoth.

Sylvari took a small dab of the ointment onto her finger and shuffled closer to the Lizardman, kneeling on her knees for a bit of extra height. Ooh, this is gonna itch like hell. Sorry, but you'll feel better afterwards. She held up her arms in a peaceful gesture and slowly brought the ointment down, down, through the Lizardman's arm. Sylvari blinked a few times, trying to process what was going on. Strange magic? He pointed to the fire spirit.... spirit? Sylvari looked with new wonder at the man before her. She cautiously opened her senses to the pulse of arcana all around her, forcibly cut off, as she had tried to stave off her cravings, and found its current flowing within him, thrumming freely and not corralled by tiny little roads that crisscrossed throughout the body. Just like the fireling. A spirit... Then these burns, a wound suffered in life? The wound that ended it?

Sylvari felt a pang of sadness. This spirit must be tied to this place, unable to pass on. She did not know enough about funerary rites to send him off properly, and she couldn't speak with him to determine what he needed. She merely put on her most winning smile and held out a wide hug, patting the air in motion that she wished she could hold him. Pain was easier when suffered in groups, and she had felt enough to commiserate.

Durumann tilted his head slightly as he watched Sylvari bring out a jar of something he couldn't identify. What was she going to do with that? She took a bit of it onto her fingers and tried to touch his arm, but she passed right through. Well, at least that should teach her he was a spirit, but what was that? Some kind of ointment? Ah, wait!

He grinned. Was that burn ointment? How sweet! She was surprisingly caring, trying to help treat his burns. No wonder Xalmann was exhausted! Of course that hard-ass would have a hard time dealing with someone friendly. He couldn't hold a conversation to save his life, even with people who actually spoke Lizardfolk.

And now, judging by her gestures, she even wanted to hug him! Durumann's grin cracked into a quiet chuckle as he imagined her trying to hug Xalmann. He stepped into the hug, not able to make any actual physical contact, but he could still pretend. He put his arms around her and held them there for a moment. Wow, he hadn't had a hug in a long time, even before he'd died. His village had never been big on hugging, or any other way of showing affection, really. He closed his eyes and just enjoyed it even if it wasn't a real hug.

When he opened his eyes though, he suddenly flinched and silently gasped. Right behind Sylvari, Xildak was standing with his arms crossed, staring at them. Durumann stood up, passing right through Sylvari's arms hovering behind his back and held his hands in front of him.

"I- I can explain." Durumann whispered quietly. Xildak didn't respond. He just continued silently staring with indifference. Ah, this guy spoke even less than Xalmann did.

Sylvari couldn't help breaking into a goofy smile as the spirit reciprocated her hug. I'm so glad this one humored me. I would have looked like such an idiot holding my arms out for nothing. She flushed in embarrassment as the Lizardman flinched backwards and stepped through her arms, thinking she had taken things too far. If Xalmann is any indication, their society isn't big on gestures of affection.

Even so, it appeared the spirit was focused on something behind her. Sylvari whirled around, ready for danger. Another Lizardman stood there, taller and lankier than either Xalmann or the spirit. Another spirit? This is getting out of hand, now there are two of them! Sylvari brought her hand to her chin thoughtfully. I suppose anyone would find it challenging to rest peacefully here. Don't they have rites to give their departed to help them pass on?

It seemed as if the first spirit spoke some words to the second, at least his mouth was moving, but if the second had any degree of understanding of what was said, no indication was given. This one's face was set in stoic indifference, not unlike Xalmann's normal visage. Sylvari gave a small wave to the newcomer, in hopes of breaking the tension.

Xildak spared Sylvari a glance before his form dissipated like mist being blown away in the wind. The spirit returned to Xalmann, who was still asleep. Durumann gave a small wave as he disappeared.

Ah, his time must have run out. Phew. Durumann thought to himself, a bit relieved. At least now he could put the explanation off, if not fully forgo it. He doubted Xildak would say anything to Xalmann about the hug. He didn't tend to gossip, let alone talk about anything that wasn't part of whatever scouting mission he'd been sent on.

Xildak and Durumann were a little different in their abilities. They were both spirits of deceased fellow tribesmen that were bound to Xalmann, but they had very different abilities. Durumann could take hits for Xalmann, keeping him safe until he'd been too damaged to continue manifesting and had to return to him. He also emitted a shroud around him that could make Xalmann's magic more powerful. He was a great asset in battle, even if Xalmann found his personality kind of annoying.

Xildak, however, had abilities far more suited to scouting. He could turn invisible and pass through solid objects, but couldn't attack anything. This was fine with him. He had always been a much better scout than a warrior, even before his death. And Xalmann didn't mind how quiet he was. He preferred it that way. The only downside was that he could only manifest for a limited amount of time.

Durumann turned his attention back to Sylvari and flashed her what passed as a grin for a reptilian face and a clawed thumbs up.

Sylvari recoiled slightly as the spirit bore its fangs toward her but eased her posture upon sighting the accompanying thumbs-up. Is he... was that a grin? 

The thought was so absurd to Sylvari, whose only other exposure to their kind had been Xalmann, that she was unable to restrain her amusement. Laughter like a clear bell rolled out from her lips, as Sylvari tilted her head back to fully express the feeling. Her mouth was open, baring fangs for any who cared to see, but in that moment, Sylvari did not care. It had been months since a genuine feeling of joy had resided in her heart and longer still since she had laughed like this to express it. It was a good few seconds of noise before Sylvari was able to restrain it back down to the dull rumble of a chuckle.

She smiled at the spirit and gave him a thumbs up in return, shifting in her posture to sit down cross-legged, resolving herself to continue her watch with her new ethereal companion. The night seemed a little brighter now, with levity breaking the tension of worry that hung over them like a thick cloud. Sylvari hummed under her breath as she stoked the flames to prevent them from being extinguished.

Durumann gasped in fear as Sylvari let out a loud laugh. He slowly looked over his shoulder, at the only living Lizardman around, just on the other side of the fire.

Xalmann's eyes opened drearily as he was woken up by a loud sound. What was that? What time was it? How long had he been asleep? Was that laughing?

Judging by how dark it still was, it hadn't been that long since he'd fallen asleep. He stood up and turned around to look at the one who had interrupted his sleep and saw Sylvari was already awake again, far sooner than expected. It was too early for it to be her turn to take watch. What was she doing up already, and laughing for that matter?

He looked to Durumann with an accusing look and the Lizardman spirit shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"It wasn't me! She just started laughing for some reason. She, uh, must be losing it or something." Durumann lied unconvincingly. Xalmann didn't care enough to keep questioning at the moment. There were more important matters to attend to.

He could feel that Xildak's spirit had returned, so he spoke his name and the spirit reappeared beside him and reported. The bogaboo had kept enough of a distance to not be easily spotted, but it never got much farther away than that. It was definitely watching them and waiting for a chance to strike while it remained hidden.

Xalmann cracked his long, reptilian neck to the left and then the right. Sleeping in a sitting position wasn't the most comfortable, but he'd done it plenty of times. He didn't always have the luxury of having a partner around to keep watch for him, and his spirits couldn't fight for him. At most, they could prevent him from being harmed in an ambush, but then he still had to be ready to fight back for himself.

Fine, it looked like Sylvari would get what she wanted. He was a little stiff from his sleeping position, but he felt rested enough and now he was already awake. It was time to hunt the bogaboo and get this over with. He looked at Sylvari.

"Time for hunt."

Sylvari looked in concert with the spirit at the rising Xalmann. She covered her mouth, stifling further giggles, even as her face continued to be contorted in a wide grin. She watched as he seemed to converse with the spirits, soundlessly as they communicated with each other. Maybe they can't be heard by outsiders.

Sylvari was already donning her armor when Xalmann signaled for the start of the hunt. It was still mostly damp but, thanks to the fire, was not soaking as it had been when she removed it. She rolled up her simple bedroll and tied it to the bottom of the pack she slung over her shoulder, swinging her club a few times to stretch her arms. 

"Xalmann! You didn't tell me about your friends! Are they your friends, or just spirits of this place that couldn't pass on? Do your people have funerary rites to help with that sort of thing?"

In her good humor, all learned appreciation of silence with her crimson companion fell by the wayside, as a bubbly Sylvari chattered on, dousing the fire and clearing away evidence of their campsite.  

Into the swamp again, and, with any luck, back out as quickly as we came. Mildew on armor is NOT fun. ^{[Chaos Touched]} Despite her high spirits, Sylvari did maintain a low-level monitoring of the surrounding area with her arcane senses, endeavoring to monitor for ambushes.