[Nogrod]

Edelfried woke up in the middle of the night screaming.

In her dream there had been a battle between good and evil and both had lost. They had just vanished. The passing of good and evil produces in emptiness, she remembered her aunt’s words. Then the villagers had hacked a werewolf to pieces and after that a lonely werewolf had butchered an innocent villager in a most appalling manner. The violence and brutality continued and her heart was about to break in pieces.

She had not been able to do anything. She had just followed the events as a bystander behind a glass-wall she was not able to get through or around.

Edelfried was sweating and shaking all over when the old nanny rushed in and came to her, looking troubled and anguished.

“Now what is it my dear child?” She laid her hand on her forehead. “You’re having a fever… I better get the healer here immediately. It’s the second night in a row now…”

She had already risen from the bedside when Edelfried finally managed to response.

“No dear Hilde… It’s not something the healer can do something about… It’s something… I mean…” Her voice broke.

“Now what are you talking about my child?” The nanny turned around and looked back at the little girl who was still visibly shaking. “You’ve been visiting that aunt Clennan of yours, now haven’t you? I told the king, your father, you should be kept apart from that witch. Maybe he will listen to me this time…” With that she took towards the heavy door to call for the healer.

“No! You don’t understand! The healer is not able to cure this. It’s the world that needs healing!” Edelfried cried in pain.

The Nanny shook her head at the door and mumbled to herself. “I must hurry… she’s finally going round the bend…”

“We’ll be back soon. Just breathe and try to cool down my little. All is fine… al is safe.” She said aloud glancing at the little girl with a worried look and then slammed the door behind her.

Edelfried burst into tears and buried her face in her palms crying uncontrollably.


*~*

The woman was unable to sleep. After twisting and turning in her bed for an hour she finally arose and went downstairs. She lit a few candles at one of the tavern-tables closest to the fireplace and picked up a book from the shelf.

Just as she had been absorbed into the story she suddenly heard a clatter of dishes from the kitchen. She listened closely but everything was silent. Rats… we should do something about them…

She fell back into her book but was soon aware of a smell of veggies being sautéed in the kitchen. She let the book down on the table and rose up.

“Kath, is it you my dear?”

She crept silently to the kitchen door through the dark tavern hall.

“Kath? Is it you?” She heard a wine bottle being opened and laid on the table. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hungry? I could have helped.”

The fang came out from nowhere and she felt a blow in her cheek. Everything went dizzy but at first she felt no pain. It only followed.

“Ahh, my main course arrives… just in time I’d say.” The werewolf grinned and sliced poor Brinn into pieces… “Let’s see then… sirloin? No… it takes time to stew it… Neck? No, the same problem... T-bone steak? Well no… I’m not in a mood for it… Fillet? Hmm… maybe I’ll have a fillet. Medium rare I‘d say… and some asparagus… Not bad… not bad… and a quickly fried liver… I should not forget it. That’s the teaser to begin with… with some scallions and apples…”


In the morning the villagers woke up to Kath howling in agony.

“My life’s companion! This is… this is just plain wrong! It’s brutal beyond description!”

Some of the villagers braved to go inside the tavern. There they were, the remains of a feast: liver with apples and scallions sautéed in cider, fillet with sauce Diane and seasons’ veggies including fresh asparagus and a bottle of rare and fine red wine. From the kitchen they found her entrails and the parts the werewolf hadn’t used for this macabre dinner at Night.


A short epilogue for two persons...

Lhuna closed the door and walked past the buzzing crowd in front of the tavern. She had had enough.

First her father had been killed and then her mother turned out a cursed werewolf killing other people, people she knew and loved. Then her sister revealed herself to be an ex-werewolf now repenting… and finally her betrothed turned out to be a Wizard – and died. She would have it no more…

No one noticed as she passed silently from the gates and left the village.

Less than a mile into the forest she suddenly met a guy sitting on a stump crying bitterly.

“What is it McCaber? What are you doing here?” She asked pretty much confused.

“What am I doing? … I don’t really know…”, he answered quietly not daring to meet her eyes.

But in the end he decided to talk his heart out. “My date was a werewolf and my mom was one as well… I just couldn’t bear it… I don’t know what to do…What kind of life it is when you can’t trust your loved one or your immediate family anymore? … or anyone in this cursed village!” He lifted his face and finally looked at Lhuna. “My date was a werewolf! You know how it feels? And we used to fight over her with my bro…”

“Mine was a wizard and he’s dead as well… no to talk of my relatives and what they turned out…” Lhuna answered quietly letting her face down.

McCaber rose and took her by the hand biting his lip. “Don’t weep Lhuna… There will be a place for us in this world eventually. But now we must flee. We both made the same decision and here we are.”

Lhuna tried to swallow her tears and nodded pressing McCaber’s hand. “You’re right, let’s go.” Her voice broke down.

And so they went hand in hand away from the village leaving the nightmare behind them.



*~*

Alive:

+ A Little Green, a fortune-teller - folklorist - herb-grower - unofficial therapist, advisor and midwife, most presumably a witch, the gammer (the eccentric mother of Lommy & Mac)
+ Shastanis Althreduin, astrologer/fortune teller, gaffer (Greenie's husband, father of Lommy & Mac)

+ Thinlómien, a bird tamer, adult (married to Nilp, Macalaure's sister)
+ Eönwë, Rikae's unofficial helper-person, 22 (their son)
+ Kath, tavern owner, 20 (their daughter, Brinn's life partner)
+ Satansaloser 2005, Lommy's assistant, 17 (their daughter)

+ Durelin, poisoner 20 (Lhuna's evil twin, daughter of Cailín)


+ Roa_Aoife, school teacher, adult (mother of Legate, Brinn and Kit, wife of Nogrod, sister of Rikae)
+ Legate of Amon Lanc, sheep herder with tp, 19 (brother of Brinn & Kit, Sally's boyfriend, Agan's ex-bf)

+ Lalaith, chocolate maker, adult (sister of Nerwen, mother of Aganzir, Volo's daughter)

+ Mormegil, adult (son of Volo, husband of Celuien, father of Gwath and McCaber)
+ Gwathagor, a highwayman, 20 (McCaber's big brother)



The dead:
Eomer of the Rohirrim, adult (Cailín's husband, Lhuna's and Dury's father); An innocent beheaded by the werewolves on Night1
Nogrod, the judge, adult (Roa's husband, father of Legate, Brinn and Kit); An innocent torn in two by werewolves on Night1
Nerwen, the healer, adult (sister of Lalaith, Volo's daughter); An innocent nailed to the oak-tree on Day1.
Volo, the guy who knows everything about staying alive, the gaffer (Father of Nogrod, morm, Nerwen and Lalaith); The seer mutilated and eyes pulled off on Night2.
Kitanna, a tavern wench 21 (Legate's sister and Brinn's twin sister); An innocent ripped into pieces and thrown into the well on Night2.
Aganzir, the little match girl, 15 (Lalaith's daughter, dates McCaber); A werewolf burnt alive on Day2.
Macalaure, apple farmer, adult (married to Rikae, Lommy's brother); The ranger overpowered by four werewolves in a fight and torn to pieces on Night3.
The Ka, a dog whipper (a fatherless and ageless little child of Lalaith); An innocent impaled to a spear her doll in her hand on Night3.
Cailín, guinea pig breeder, adult (Nilp's sister); A werewolf melted into a candle-wax and burnt on Day3.
Diamond 18, dissolute, 11 (phantom's pre-teen littlesister); The seer eyes picked out (once again, what a bore...), throat slit and thrown into the well on Night4.
Nilpaurion Felagund, a house-bound sandwich-maker, adult (married to Lommy); A werewolf committed a suicide when the whole village turned against him on Day4.
Isabellkya, a gammer who loves asparagus and throwing knives (Shasta's sister); An innocent cut down in a way too horrible to describe on Night5.
Rikae, a lumberjack, adult (married to Macalaure, Roa's sister); The EW vanished in the battle of the Wizards on Day5.
the phantom, sheep herder with Legate, 21 (their adopted son, Di's brother); The GW vanished in the battle of the Wizards on Day5.
Celuien, a candle maker, adult (wife of morm, mother of Gwath and McCaber); A werewolf sliced in pieces by the men of the village on Day5.
Brinniel, Greenie's apprentice, 21 (Legate's sister and Kitanna's twin sister, Kath's life partner); An innocent chopped and turned into an exquisite dinner on Night6.
Lhunardawen, healer's apprentice, 20 (Cailín's daughter, good twin of Durelin); An innocent who had enough of the madness and ran away to find meaning into her life on the morning of Day6.
McCaber, a henchman, 18 (Gwath's little brother, dates Aganzir); An innocent who had enough of the madness and ran away to find meaning into his life on the morning of Day6.



Day6 has begun!

Feel free to use your own reasoning and speculative powers again!


PS. The 'Downs time is now about 5-6 minutes behind the real time but we'll still follow the 'Downs time eg. all votes cast with a mark 11.00 PM GMT will be counted. I try to post the end of the Day at 11.01.