The Caribou Plague: Quest for a Cure!

[Pretzelparty]

Snow fell heavy on this somber morning in the Askr clan's great City-hold. At this time normally there would be lively caribou and even brief appearances of other species in the crowds, but now all the streets were empty. Houses and dwellings were boarded up from the outside as many families fled at the behest of their chieftain to a safe zone outside of the city's walls. Eight cloven hooves clopped silently down the street. One set of four belonged to a statuesque cow in a long cloak that covered up the majority of her body. The other wore a similar cloak but his having a slightly brighter color to it.

A waft of steam escaped the Cow's nostrils as they flared to let out a sigh. The chieftain of the Askr clan was missing those usual smiles she wore many places outside. Instead of her usual playful grin or sly smirk, she wore a furrowed brow and her eyes seemed sharper than usual because of it. To see the hold she'd worked so hard to build up seeming so empty of it's usual cheer... it was heartbreaking to the cow who had given so much of herself to raise up her clan to these lofty heights in the treacherous eastern ends of Whitescar. The fact that the enemy she was faced with was somehow magic based and was an infection and not an earthly body she could strike down or reason with only made this all the more maddening.

Today, She and her clan faced a threat they could not hope to defeat on their own due to it's nature... it required the assistance of allies whose views towards the caribou species were mixed at best. She turned to the Royal Equestrian Military and that of the task force of E.P.I.C. to help save her clan. Thanks to intelligence of the scouts who returned from the reconnaissance, Sigrun had prepared a path that could quickly take them out to the great hall at the center of the city. She could only hope the experts she had asked for would arrive soon and any that arrived late would be escorted by her personal guard that were stationed at the sides of the tall gate that marked the main entrance to the great clan's home.

One of of the younger looking troopes galloped over and spoke up to the Jarl mentioning the snowfall was a precursor to an approaching storm that was descending from the Serpent's spine... it would be upon the territory come nightfall.

 

Sigrun grit her teeth and glared at the young bull before closing her eyes to calm her nerves, "Thank you, Young one... make sure you go back to the barracks as soon as possible." While she tried to keep up her chipper demeanor she couldn't help but be worried about not only this coming storm and it's implications: if it fell upon them before all the stage 3 caribou were caught, then they could escape in the cover of the snowstorm and escape to infect more victims.

The last thing that worried her was the presence of her ward. Why hadn't he gone yet?! why did he decide to stay? This was possibly the worst time to have someone she was close at her side in such a dangerous situation... and even stranger, her ward recommended the help of an admitted kind necromancer, but still a necromancer. "Limi... Are you sure this is where you wish to be right now?" she asked, looking somewhat sternly at the young bull by her side.

[Bellosh]

 

Had this berserker plague befell Clan Askr half a year ago, Lími would have obediently listened to Jarl Sigurn when she instructed him to get as far away from here as possible. Yet Lími had grown a lot in six months; the caribou no longer pictured himself as Sigrun’s ward, for he had now come-of-age; a fully-fledged member of Clan Askr. Lími wasn’t as tall as the Jarl he fostered with, and in all likelihood never would be, but nobody among his kind would question the caribou’s status as a fully-fledged bull. It helped that the young bull’s antlers were finally grown-in. It was impossible now to confuse Lími for a caribou calf.

For someone who had once been but a meek shadow of Jarl Sigrun, Lími had such exciting plans for his own future. After his Will Test in fact, the young bull originally intended to only stay with Clan Askr long enough to celebrate his coming-of-age, and then make his farewell as he departed for greener and more flowery pastures. But then the Pestilence struck Askr and numerous other caribou clans... and Lími absolutely refused to abandon Jarl Sigrun even as she began suffering episodes of irrational anger and paranoia.

But just because Lími rejected the command to leave didn’t mean that his heart was without fear. On the contrary, the young bull’s dreams as of late were filled with nightmarish visions of him transforming into a berserking monster, so deranged and full of hate that he it thought nothing of hurting those he loved. Lími felt positive that his precious Lián Mei, who already had immense difficulty warming up to ordinary viking caribou in their fully-armored glory, would forever quail at every mention of Lími’s name should he succumb to the Pestilence. By staying with Clan Askr in its most dire moment, the Jarl’s right hoof believed it would only be a matter of time before he too showed the symptoms of his Jarl’s affliction.

All the same, Lími knew his duty was to stay with Sigrun at every cost. Lími couldn’t get the vision out of the head that if the caribou fled now, he’d doom his foster mother and her clan to a most horrible fate. “.....All these years,” the apprehensive Lími tried his darned hardest to keep a brave face in Sigrun’s presence; “You have done everything in your power to nurture me, and keep me safe. The time has now come for me to repay my debt to you, Sigrun, as a viking caribou must. Together... we shall overcome this dire Pestilence.....” The caribou bull desperately wished his words came true, before it was too late.

Right as Lími finished reaffirmed his commitment to stay, a crow suddenly flew in and perched itself on the caribou’s tall antler. For the first time in days, a bright smile shined from Lími’s muzzle, as he knew what the squawking crow’s arrival meant; “My Jarl, they’re here...!”

[Blueblood]

Dour moods come naturally in dire circumstances.  The circumstances now facing Clan Askr were so dire that only a madbeast would walk the streets of the city-hold with anything like a smile on his face, and the madness they now faced was hardly the sort that would cheer a depressed quadruped up.

"Nyaha!  Sorry we're we're late.  But you know what they say, absence makes our heart's crow fonder!  Ahahaha!"

And then there was Chipper Demise: a young unicorn who had spent his whole life surviving in the Southern Wilds, and yet still was incessantly, even pathologically, cheerful despite all the horrible things he had seen.  Or, perhaps it was because of all the horrible things he had seen.  The universe had run out of things it could use to bring him down, and now all the young stallion found were reasons to be happy.

He'd found a pretty big one recently, in the form of a new friend.  Lími had encountered him on his Will Test and, being the first warmblood to not try to kill him on sight, soon found that, deep down, the unicorn wasn't a bad sort.  Disturbing, perhaps, in some of his mannerisms, but capable of being a true friend, and an invaluable assistant.  Thus, the now-grown bull had invited Chip to come back to his adopted clan's hold, in spite of the Jarl's reservations.

Well, depending on how this turned out, that decision might prove to be the young bou's wisest yet... though it was hard to say right now, seeing the purple pony in the ragged robe, with a flock of birds around him cawing raucously.  The smell, also, might cause the bystander to give objection.  It was so much that it was a stench, per se, but there was definitely something... feral, about it.  And, of course, there was that grin which screamed to the world that the wearer was madder than a box of cheese.  "What can we do for ya, lady?"

[RainbowFoxxy]

The intelligence of EPIC and the recon of the REA were told of the Pestilence in due course. The news had traveled quickly, even more so due to the pure danger of the situation. Not only was an entire clan of caribou at stake but if the plague grew further who knew what would to every region that it came into contact with. As of yet there were many unknowns. How would the plague affect other races? Was any caribou to remain uninfected? Was there a possibility that any bou was immune to the cursed sickness? These speculations and others tumbled through the pegasus' mind as she came into the territories of the Askr clan.

Because of her involvement in in both EPIC and REA she was quick to hear of the need for medical help in the northern territories. It didn't take her long to decide she would take up the mantle of aide for the caribou clans. They were on peaceful terms, if not friendly, and the royalty of Equestria was always willing to extend a helping hoof to those they considered to be at peace with.

Skyhaven flapped her wings hard, maneuvering as best she could through the stormy weather fronts that always seemed to loom in this region. She could feel in her pinions that a major storm was on the way. The pressure was dropping and the winds were beginning to gain momentum. It was frosty at best in the high regions of the sky and without her cold weather gear she would have been done for. As it was, the lined leather armor she wore protected her from the ice in the air. Soon she was dropping in altitude, aiming for the streets of Askr.

She could spot two bou on the ground below. The pearly winged maiden turned a few circles above, scoping out the situation. She saw no signs of the berserkers that she had been informed of. Just the two bou, a unicorn, and a large gathering of carrion crows.

The mare's hooves touched down lightly and she folded her wings behind her as she trotted quickly to the small gathering. She noted the Jarl right away, her stature and general presence giving her away.

"Greetings Jarl Sigrun!" She turned and nodded politely to the other two. "I've been sent to help the efforts in finding a cure for what plagues your great hold."

She swiveled her head around as a stray waft of breeze brought the smell of bird and all things gamey hit her nostrils. She cocked her head at the unicorn, not really sure what he was all about. Well, in times like this assistance of all kinds could be needed.

[Pretzelparty]

 

A breath escaped the taller caribou at Limi's side. It seemed like it was supposed to be a sigh but it was clear when she turned her head slightly away from her foster-son that she was choking up. Even through this haze of irritation that kept threatening to turn to anger, she couldn't help but still feel that sense of pride in her former ward. "I'm almost sad you've grown so fast..." she chuckled before putting her gaze back on the grown up Limi at her side.

She still couldn't help but feel a bit worried though, despite her extra stride to keep herself from making contact with her beloved son. when indoors she wore a face-mask, kept her distance, covered her mouth when she coughed; it was her measures that she was attributing to Limi's lack of any symptoms shown. The cow resisted another urge to hug her foster son before she perked up a moment at the arrival of one of the specialists: this one the necromancer that Limi had befriended.

The smell... was not going to be something she'd be able to get used to for some time. She knew Limi's new friend was supposed t be loyal to him and by extension her clan, but the cawing crows and stench of undeath was most definitely not the best thing to deal with for most in her hold. Sigrun was a special case as she had a sharp sense of smell already and the stench nearby practically tore at her nostrils as pulled up her face mask, faking a coughing fit. 
 

"Greetings to you both." She said sternly, her gray eyes looking over the two warily before she continued. "I wish I could welcome you under more pleasant circumstances... Skyhaven, this is Chipper demise; a necromancer, skilled and knowledgeable about dark magic and curses. Chipper this is Skyhaven: Renowned medic for The REA and Epic." There was a loud feral roar that could be faintly heard on the wind... The Jarl sharpened her eyes and looked in it's direction. "As I'm sure you're aware, I am Chieftain Sigrun of the Askr clan, this is my son, Limi."

"We shouldn't linger... We'll make our way through the hold to the hall in the center. My best troops are doing all theycan to hold off the growing hoard with cannonfire... We have a sample of an infected's blood that you can both use in your work." The Jarl turned and gestured for the group to follow... 

"It may be best to get any further questions you have out of the way before we arrive."

[Blueblood]

Having grown up in the Southern Wilds had left Chipper Demise with only the vaguest of notions about the outside world.  His friend Limi had told him all about his travels to the lands south of Whitescar, but they might as well have been journeys into fairyland as far as Chip was concerned.  The descriptions were wonderful, and the concepts intriguing, but unlikely to have any real effect upon his life. 

And yet, there she was!  A pegasus, apparently from one of those strange lands of sun and flowers!  How marvelous.  The unicorn grinned even wider than usual, his skin threatening to split and show the skull underneath, as he grabbed Skyhaven's hoof and shook it vigorously.  "Pleased to meet ya!  It's always nice to meet new friends; I've made so many myself already!"  He tilted his head, looking over the mare.  "My friend Limi says that a certain Qi'lin he met in E-quest-ree-ah was the prettiest thing there.  Looking at you, I guess that really must mean something!"

The remark might be taken as fresh, only Chipper said it more in the tone of a young colt complimenting his teacher, than a grown stallion hitting on a mare.  Product of his unusual upbringing, probably.  Sigrun, however, seemed little inclined to linger over pleasantries, giving a short precis of the problem as she hustled the team towards her hall.  "Ooh... blood..."  The necromancer repeated the words with foalish glee.  "Can I ask whose?  One sample might not be enough, you know.  The tests can get a little... destructive, of the reagents."

[Bellosh]

 

Maybe it was due to a need for relief after all these stressful days of assuming the role of Sigrun’s steward, but Lími actually cracked a grin when Whitescar’s most amicable necromancer greeted everyone with his usual brand of levity. It indirectly reminded Lími of one of Chipper Demise’s (unintentional) lessons; if it were up to this harsh homeland of the caribou, nobody would ever smile again. By not wallowing in remorse and indecision over the horrors currently being inflicted upon his clansbou, Lími had been able to keep a straight head throughout this ordeal, so far.

The REA medic, Skyhaven, was also a welcome sight in a place where abominable howls pierced the air every several minutes. As per custom, Lími placed a hoof over his chest as he was introduced by Jarl Sigrun; “Well met, Lady Skyhaven.” Chipper though... for whatever reason, he thought it a good idea to divulge information about Lími’s personal life to a complete stranger! The young bull may think of Mei every night before he went to bed, but Lími did not need everyone else to view him as a lovesick puppy.

“This is NOT the time to bandy gossip about trivial matters, Chipper!” Lími tried his hardest to convey an authoritative tone as he grumbled at the unicorn, although the caribou's furious blushing made the act rather unconvincing. Thankfully, the Jarl herded the group onward soon afterward, even if that meant coming back to more grave matters.

“The blood you see,” Lími needed a moment to breathe deeply before continuing; “...Comes from the veins of Jarl Sigrun herself.....”

[Blueblood]

Limi's rebuke only caused Chipper's grin to widen.  The poor bou couldn't stop his face from betraying his true feelings... Still he wasn't able to stand sill conversationally any more than physically, as the situation and his hosts hustled him along to what he assumed would be his laboratory for the duration.  Not that such rushing was likely to instill any greater sense of seriousness in the young unicorn, even after hearing about the source of the blood.

"Nyahaha!  Well ain't that something?  I wouldn't have thought at first glance that Lady Sigrun was an easy cow to... sample, nyeheheh.  Still, I've seen at least one bull here who had the nerve to try, so maybe that's the main thing, eh?"  Nowhere, perhaps, was his utter lack of social awareness more apparent than here.  There were just some things, some manner of phrasings, that were just not safe to say in front of a caribou and his mother.  But, Chipper blazed past all the warning flags like a showboating Wonderbolt, straight on to the meat of the problem.

"Of course, having just one sample means that you run the risk of the cure only working for her.  Magic can get a little... tricky, that way.  I mean, if I could just have something, even if it's just a bloody blade, that'd be a good step closer to getting a cure."  While the young necromancer was still smiling, the manic edge had lowered from his expression.  He was, after all, good at his school of magic, and it was one of the few areas associated with actual adult figures guiding him.  Or mis-guiding him, depending on one's point of view.

[RainbowFoxxy]

Skyhaven began to walk as the Jarl spoke of moving on as quickly as they could. The pearly pegasus had no trouble moving towards a place that might hold more security. Her ears flicked this way and that as anguished cried and howls echoed from various parts of the keep. She suddenly felt like unfurling her wings and taking to the air. At least those with the sickness wouldn't be able to get to her in the air... or could they?

She tried to keep her wits about her, though with her neck prickling to every howl and this odd Chipper fellow making what sounded like advances on her, it proved a difficult task.

 "Pleased to meet ya!  It's always nice to meet new friends; I've made so many myself already!"  

"Uh huh...I can only imagine," She offered a slim smile her eyebrows lifting at his odd and obviously uncivilized upbringing. The pretty pegasus took back her hoof and inclined her head to Sigrun and Limi in turn.

“...Comes from the veins of Jarl Sigrun herself.....”

She cast her gaze over the Jarl. She showed little outward signs of sickness as of yet which would be helpful. They could watch what happened to the mighty leader of clan Askr to help them in finding a cure. Of course this would be at Sigrun's expense...unless they could find the cure. 

Chipper was musing over which sorts of magic would best help in the situation.

"There's more to finding a cure than magic Chipper." She turned to Sigrun. "Lady Sigrun? Where we are going, is there mortar, pestal, and a place to brew medicines? Sometimes the best cures can be wrought from mixing magic and medicines." She eyed Chipper, wondering what his thoughts on the subject might be. She almost didn't want to know...

Hopefully they would soon reach a refuge where they could be shielded for the time being from those affected by the plague.

[Pretzelparty]

 

Sigrun shot  a momentary glare at Limi, she'd been hoping to tell them when they weren't so close to the door so they could leave at the thought of her turning any second. The information was out now though she had to work with the situation she had been given. The responses were much less frightened than she thought, if anything they showed more curiosity than fear.

... and based off of Chipper's laughter; amusement. That was the most unexpected reaction she could have thought up, but this was Chipper demise after all. For a moment at that awkward remark Limi's friend had made brought a slight smile to her lips as she let out a weak laugh. For a few seconds her teeth had flashed, those with sharp eyes may have noticed that they didn't look like the kind of teeth a caribou should have. These were sharp and pointed like small dangers in her jaw made for rending meat and not chewing grass...

"I promise you... I'm usually the one who does the sampling, Small one." 

"There's also more to this plague than a typical... infection, Miss Fall. From the experts in my hold when this first started cropping up this could is only bearly magically enhancing caribou strength. It's disabling the limits of Caribou muscle... as a medic I'm sure I don't need to tell you about the nature of muscle limitations." These limitations she spoke of were a similar trait many on two hooves had; a failsafe in the brain that prevented the full strength of muscle from being used. Typically caribou when even consciously using their already immense strength were still only using a third of it, going beyond that point often resulted in internal damage, such as muscles tearing or straining so hard that the tore and crushed their bones apart on the inside... 

"The plague has an incredibly fast acting healing spell bounded to it that forces berserkers to keep living and keeps their bodies together as it makes them stronger than ever before." The cow let out a wry laugh, "I'd say it was almost impressive, if they didn't try to kill everything they see." 

"As for your concerns about bloodied blades and equipment... don't worry. We've gained quite a lot of both throughout this ordeal." The Cow strutted down the way to the center of the city looking back behind her to make sure the group was in tow. The further they got the louder the roars and screams seemed to get. Before the group reached steps to the hall Sigrun turned to the group, "I Intend to put myself in chains should this... plague manage to fully take me. Up until now only members of the craftsbou in the city have been infected... I don't know what it will do to me if it fully takes over. If I should become too dangerous... Give the order to my warriors inside. They will know what to do." 

The cow turned to one of the guards in the phalanx formation currently protecting the entrance of the great hall. The bull in the helmet didn't react for a minute, an moment of inaction that got him a glare that did get him to hesitantly agree. 

[Bellosh]

 

Lími gulped the moment Jarl Sigrun stared at him for speaking out of turn. He shouldn’t have been so careless as to blurt out that answer right there and then! Either that one pegasus mare could have fled in terror (the young bull was confident Shipper would’ve stood his ground), or even worse, triggered a worsening of Sigrun’s symptoms by brewing displeasure within her. It was ghastly enough having to see the feral condition of the Jarl’s teeth; if she thought of using them.....

Such worst-case scenarios were not to be, as the party proceeded forward without incident. However, those latest words Sigrun uttered gave Lími considerable pause. He full well knew what that order entailed, and there was NO WAY at all that he’ll allow his foster mother to be... lost forever. The caribou bull couldn’t bare that thought!

“Y-you have a strong will, my Jarl!” Lími blurted out; “As long as you fight the pestilence inside you, I don’t believe we will have to resort to,” he inhaled deeply; “A most dreadful measure.....”

[Blueblood]

Well!  It was something of a comfort to know that being infected didn't necessarily rob one of their sense of humor.  Or, at least, it didn't in Jarl Sigrun's case.  If she was infected early, though, and retained her sanity so long, perhaps there was something in her blood that resisted the progress of the curse... something to consider, at any rate.  And consider it Chipper Demise did.  Behind his grins, his utter lack of socialization, his constant laughter, and even his sound and good heart lived a necromancer and magician of considerable skill.  "Good, good!  You won't mind being the undead rat for our potential cures, then, nyaha!"

Without the slightest bit of hesitation or embarrassment, the unicorn barged right into the hall, where, wonder of wonders!  Clan Askr had actually managed to put together a halfway modern collection of pharmaceutical instruments.  Some of them were even of real glass.  "Oooh, neat-o!"  For a moment, his lidded eyes sprang open and sparkled.  "I never had anything like those when I had to mix together hexing ingredients.  I had to use mouse skulls, and those don't come in standard sizes."  He rubbed his hooves together with glee.  "Never could get 'medicine' to work quite right before, good thing you're here, Skyhaven!"

He was vaguely aware of a somewhat serious conversation happening behind him, but given that there was work in front of him, Chipper figured that could wait.  "Hm, now, let's see... the first thing to do would be to extract the principle properties from the sample and inventory them... and then compare them to the other extractions... hm, blooood....."  The litany might have been halfway comforting to any eavesdropper if it weren't for that last bit.

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

 

She was slightly surprised with herself that she hadn't balked as soon as it was in known that the Jarl herself was infected. However, from what she knew of Sigrun if anybou has any sense of restraint it was the Jarl.  If the legends she had heard of the caribou leader were even part way true then Sigrun would be able to hold off the full effects of the plague as long as possible.

 

The lovely pegasus walked through the streets with the sounds of tormented bou ringing in her ears. Though she looked the beautiful and dainty creature, Skyhaven was far from it! She was a warrior born and raised and it took more than tormented screams to make her take flight! Soon that were at the stronghold and after an awkward encounter with one of the guards they went inside.

 

The place was stocked even better than she had thought it might be! Plenty of medicinal ingredients, vials, crucibals, and everything needed to brew cures was there to be used!

 

"Never could get 'medicine' to work quite right before, good thing you're here, Skyhaven!"

 

She nodded to Chipper, her nose wrinkling in distaste at his smell. She looked to the sides, noticing that a few of his avian friends has also made there way in. Sky hoped they would keep their distance. Carrion birds could easily add infections, disease, and general filth to otherwise good medicine. Still, she would say nothing...she knew the Jarl had asked the oddity here for a reason. They needed his brand of magical workings.

 

"Let's get to the samples." She looked around. "There's little I can do to pull information from the blood...that's your area of expertise I believe?" She eyed Chipper.

[Pretzelparty]

 

The Jarl smiled at her son and laughed in a hollow manner.She stepped down a moment, seemingly about to put a hoof to the young bull's shoulder before she only put it back down to the ground; the reason should be obvious. "We can only... hope for the best." Her eyes were placed on the guards at the door, "And prepare for the worst." The body language of the two brave warriors seemed to not be terribly happy about this arrangement either but they once again nodded in their position. 

 

Sigrun was happy to see the medical experts were not in any mood to try and shy away from their work here. Chipper was especially excited for this it seemed, even if he seemed more interested in the nice equipment he could play with. "Such interesting friends you have made, My son..." She walked in along with skyhaven and Limi, "I'm happy to know even if worse comes to worse. You will have those to prop you up." 

 

"The infected seem to be anything but undead, Chipper." The cow reached over and pulled out a small dagger, She ran it over one of her forelegs for a second , drawign a bit of blood. The blood didn't stay long and seemed to evaporate as the wound beneath it managed to heat up and then knit itself back together, "They seem more alive then ever. They heal from wounds quickly and don't acknowledge wounds they receive. I'd call it fascinating if it wasn't such a... monstrous thing to become." The Caribou offered the still blooded dagger to Chipper, "There's my blood then... We have some infected restrained in the cellar, I can get samples from them."

 

 

[Bellosh]

 

A terrible situation like this epidemic made Lími realize just how odd it was to be around his foster mother without her being able to provide hugs. Caribou culture may be barbaric, but there was always a place for the embrace of a loved one. Technically, Sigrun and Lími have been around each other ever since the start of the outbreak, but without being able to feel a reassuring touch every now and then, the young caribou bull strangely felt more alone than ever.

 

Good thing Chipper Demise was here, kinda. “I know Chipper’s ways can feel... unnatural,” Lími briefly addressed his Jarl; “But I don’t think I could have withstood the horrors of the Barrow Fells without him. At least, not as well as I did. When you recover from your ills Sigrun, I shall have to tell you the full tale.”

Once the others were able to start examining more... ghastly matters, Lími stood off to the sidelines so that he wouldn’t burden anyone else. Being of limited use, all the caribou could really do was grimace while Chipper showcased too much of an enthusiasm for blood. Seeing the stained blade in Sigrun’s possession failed to lift Lími’s spirits as well. This was going to be a long day.....

[Blueblood]

"Yes indeedy!"  Chipper was nothing if not eager about every aspect of his work.  He magically lifted and inspected a glass tube on the bench, with all the care and reverence usually reserved for precious gems.  Though, in the Southern Wilds, glasswork was if anything much rarer than mere jewels.  Taking the knife as well, he expertly dripped the spilled blood into the tube.  "That ought to do it; now just set it in the holder here..."

 

He took a quick glance over towards Skyhaven, unsure of how much of his own trade secrets he ought to make known to her.  Not that he had any objection to sharing, but for some reason totally beyond his comprehension, other ponies and caribou seemed to react with disgust, fear, or revulsion whenever he did.  Not an attitude exactly conducive to good collaboration.  On the other hoof, if she was the sort to be disgusted, she would have long since flown away.  So!  Best to share away.

Shooing the last of the crows out of the longhouse door, he returned to the bench, ready to give a brief rundown of his work.  "Blood's alive, but it starts to die as soon as it's spilled.  While it's in that transition state, it's completely in my domain, nyaha!  I can make it do all sorts of things...."  The test tube was enwrapped in a dark purple aura, and the crimson liquid within began to slowly spiral upwards along the walls, seemingly to tint the glass.  "...But making it give secrets is the hardest bit, because it doesn't quite work if the blood's dead.  This bit's fresh, though, so I should be able to-"

 

The vial suddenly jumped, a few drops shooting out like sparks, glowing with magic before incinerating into invisible specks of ash.  "Whoa!  There's critters in there!"  A discovery, so quickly!  Living things not of blood, in the blood!  But what sort of beasties could be so many, and yet so invisible?

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

The pearly mare watched with rapt attention as the Jarl's self inflicted wound sealed itself in an instant. This was certainly no normal aliment they were dealing with! She had already known that but seeing it first hoof drove the fact home. That, and the sporadic screeching and howling playing like an undertone in the background of her senses. This hold was a hotbed for something terrible and as of yet...unseen.

 

Then Chipper began to work in his area of forte. He was able to get the sample into a test tube and before she knew it, he had surmised that something was indeed alive in the Jarl's blood.

 

"Critters..." Skyhaven moved towards the bits of ash. She tried to get a closer look at them but even as she did so the fragments were carried away on the air. They were too tiny to be seen in detail. "Something is alive in there."

 

The mare moved towards the Jarl, noting that she was beginning to emit a raised level of heat. It was just seen in the fact that the Jarl herself seemed warm, but the very air around her was heating up.

 

"I'm not sure if what is in the blood is a virus, though it seems to be acting like a virus tends to. Changing the temperature of the host. Making itself at home in the bloodstream. Of course some of the side effects..." She eyed where the knife wound had been in the Jarl's foreleg. "...are like nothing I've ever seen.

 

She contemplated that there were infected restrained nearby.

 

"I think we should compare a sample from one of those you have restrained."

 

[Pretzelparty]

 

Sigrun looked to her ward and smiled slightly, "Well... If you have faith in him my ward... so shall I." Truth be told, Sigrun was still more than a little sore at the young necromancer. One of his little jokes lead to a truly humiliating experience. The cow gave a subtle shudder as she remembered that dreaded..."splattering". The cow wiped some of the right red stain on her foreleg off. The wound was already gone, not even a scar was left to hint at it's existence.

 

The silver eyed cow couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the contrast between Chipper Demise and Skyhaven. One was serious, polite, and professional. The other was jovial despite the bleakness, giggling like a schoolfilly and proceeded with a strange fascination that might worry the Jarl if it wasn't so amusing.  The jumping vial's magical release... brought a curious occurrence to the foreground: Some sort of group of magical entities within the blood. The Jarl looked at her hoof curiously, thinking about what might have been going on inside her body... and just how long she would last before she would be like the restrained down below. 

And speak of the Player of Games, Seems it was already time to show them the infected down below. She quickly strolled off towards the cellar, not stopping anyone who wished to come... save, Limi. At the bottom of a spiral staircase were a pair of large double doors... Once they were pushed open by the group's 'Hostess', a sudden musty, sweaty smell assaulted the equine's nostrils. If the two had chosen to follow they would smell it sooner, if not the scent would make its way up the stares but be rather diluted. The doors closed behind the Jarl and there were short sounds of a struggle followed by a crash before the cow came back out with a slightly bloodied blade again. 
 

On her trip back up the stairs she began to speak. "Some of the scholars of my clan have theorized that the increased temperature has served to increase infectivity to make the strain partly airborne... The infected downstairs seem to have ribbons of vapor coming off of their bodies, likely sweat... and because of the fever and temperature they reach it evaporates and spreads the infection further. Other oddities about the curse or... whatever this is have been feats of strength most have only dreamt about. One of hulking variants we caught this morning managed to tear a building from it's foundation when we tried to tie him down to it... I've seen others hit my warriors with enough force that a normal caribou's body should be destroyed by such exertion by their own muscles from the speed at which they hit..."

 

The Jarl offered the knife to chipper once again. The blood on it was still fresh, "This comes from a bull who we believe was infected a week ago... but fully shifted this morning into a charger. The time between infection and manifestation seems inconsistent and difficult to predict, which is what has made it so difficult to combat this."

 

Spoiler

Compared to Sigrun's blood this one seems somehow weaker. The infection in hers if inspected further would revealed the some of chippers spell managed to seperate the strange viral curse from the blood cells at the cost of the cells being destroyed. The more recent blood shows much more magical activity with the magic seemingly trying to forcibly meld with the blood cells.

 

 

 

 

 

[Blueblood]

"Yes!  More blood, we need more blood!"  If Chipper hoped to win Skyhaven's good graces by his enthusiastic endorsement of her suggestion, he was probably misguided.  Though, the enthusiasm would probably have been there anyhow.  He quite happily trotted behind Jarl Sigrun, though whether from an interest in capturing the sample early, an interest in seeing her method, or morbidity in general was up in the air.  Probably best not to speculate.

 

"Oh, it's certainly magic, alright.  Those critters have an aura that's a bit stronger than you'd expect from their size.  Not sure how they're doing what they're doing, of course.  The symptoms sound a little bit like the Bezerkering Ensorcellment..."  The necromancer theorized, his voice fading as he followed the cow down into the basement.  Upon emerging, he had a much more subdued expression.  Still smiling, but no longer in a manner that cast doubt upon his sanity.  Well, besides the fact that he was smiling at all under the circumstances.

 

"So... basically, it looks like we're doing our work right on top of what has to be the largest collection of captured infected.  And I'm not sure about those chains.  Ah well, not that much more dangerous than home."  And with that encouraging little remark, he set back to work, running a similar test to before upon the two samples simultaneously.  Well, on half the samples; the other half he gave to his pegasus colleague, to run more prosaic procedures.

"Hm, hm... definitely some transformation magic in there... but still going, even after the blood is shed.  Fascinating... and the critters die after the spell is cast?  Or are they the things being transformed..."

[Bellosh]

 

There wasn’t much for Lími to do at this point. For obvious safety reasons, he hadn’t been permitted to go downstairs to see the infected caribou. And the young bull wasn’t of much use either as the two ponies used the ways of science to learn more about the virus inflicting Clan Askr. However, one comment from Chipper Demise gave Lími room for concern. “Sigrun,” he quietly addressed his Jarl with much nervousness, remembering not to get too close; “...Will our chains be enough to keep the Infected at bay?”

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

Skyhaven was put off by the necromancer to the highest degree though she let little of this show. They were working together to help out with this situation and it added nothing to the situation to be at odds with those that were "on your team" so to speak. She merely nodded at his enthusiastic reply before moving to follow the Jarl.

 

The smell was intense. More intense than the smell of birds that hung around her colleague. More intense than most aromas in that this one induced fear. She quelled her flight reflex as she continued to follow Sigrun.

 

She looked closely at the sample given to her, noting its similarities and differences to the sample from Sigrun.

 

"It seems that fully manifested individuals exhibit the same symptoms though heightened into their final state in these individuals." She noted the raise in temperature and the fact that something akin to steam rose off the infected.

 

"I think the key to all of this may be temperature and magic." Perhaps they could try out her theory on the Chargers that had captured? "Jarl, what ways do we have of bringing the temperature down below freezing in here? Is there a way we could get the infected to freeze?"

 

She turned to Chipper. "If we can get them cold enough to stop vapor from rising from them, could you perhaps conjure a spell against the infection?"