#the books need to let the detective be more unhinged after the event of book 3 because zuri is for sure losing her shit

[itsmistyeyedbi]

Thinking about how in zuri's f route, she only starts dating farah after the dinner with tina/verda - i think thats the middle of book 3 - because she decides to push past her fear of hurting her...and then proceeds to hurt her in book 4💀

[the-pretty-boy-dealership]

Garden of Melancholy stuff: Soworth Boys general facts (part one)

Scully (Nightmare!Sans)

- Scully Soworth is roughly thirty five, has been using the ‘Black Apple’ for a good twenty years, and is prideful to a fault. He’s been running his own ‘mob’ (that started off as a glorified drug ring) since he was in his early twenties. He’s got a twin he’s trying to kill and a mom he accidentally killed, but really, he’s not that bad.

- He’s rather reserved and prefers to let his ‘right hand man’ take care of things for him. He prefers to keep an eye on other, more important things. Like his twin, Reverie, or those pesky detectives out in Strade City. Or even you, if you catch his eye.

- Scully’s incredibly paranoid and is a pessimist. He’s insecure and feels as if he’s about to be betrayed at any given moment. He’s an insomniac who’s convinced he can’t dream and hates the person he’s become over time. However— he’s incredibly loyal, very protective, and surprisingly sweet if you catch him outside of business hours. He’ll keep an eye out for those he considers close, and is willing to do anything to keep them safe. He likes to see those he’s close to happy, and has plenty of time and resources to make it happen.

- Though he’s normally found cooped up in the back of his small personal library, he very much enjoys a more natural environment. Parks, hidden creeks, fruit orchards and even just backyard gardens are the places he feels the most comfortable in. In fact, he even has his own garden full of hyacinth. (What? No, it’s not because that’s his soul flower, what are you talking about?)

- I imagine Scully would prefer a partner who likes to take things slow, who’s okay with quiet displays of affection and who won’t pry into sensitive subjects. While he’s paranoid, he’ll do his best to respect your privacy if you’ll respect his. (Aside from the background check he has Exul and Crash do on you. It can’t be helped, dearest, it just comes with the career choice) Sometimes, he just needs someone to assure him that everything’s going to be okay, and that he’s not a monster like everyone really thinks.

- If Scully were to take you on a date, it’d likely be on a picnic in a secluded outdoor area, like his mother’s old estate with its beautiful garden full of his and Reverie’s apple trees. As a memento of the occasion, he might send you home with a flower or a leaf from the garden to press inside of a book.

- Scully’s soul flower is blue hyacinth, which represents constancy. Fun fact: His soul flower could’ve been sage (immortality) or borage (directness, bluntness)

Crash (Error!Sans)

- Crash Irvings is thirty one, a former computer support specialist, the current ‘right hand man’ of Scully, an arrogant asshole who doesn’t know the meaning of ‘punctual,’ and overall a very tired person. Between dealing with Scully’s workload and Graph’s bullshit, he doesn’t have much time for himself.

- As stated before, Crash is arrogant, brash and bold, and just a little unhinged. He’s also incredibly determined and/or stubborn, surprisingly charismatic, and incredibly curious. If the arrogance doesn’t turn you away, the stubbornness might. If you can move past both of those things, you might be able to be considered close to him.

- Crash met Scully after a very bad chain of events. To make a very long story short, he was too cocky and made a mistake, got caught up with a gang in Rosdian, and only narrowly escaped the consequences of his actions via running into Scully. (No, the mistake was not trying to blackmail someone. Shut up, Exul, it was one time and he was only caught because— okay, okay, shut IT—)

- Crash is the one who knows where everyone is, what everyone’s doing, who’s fucked up and who’s doing their job, and is also the person to answer to when people don’t want to bother Scully. Aside from making sure everyone does their jobs, Crash takes care of Scully’s social events. He organizes meetings between Scully and the Cristola family, makes sure relations between to Soworth Crew and the other local gangs are doing fine, and even organizes lavish get togethers to improve relations and recruit others. (He refuses to call them parties, but that’s really what they are)

- Crash enjoys sitting at home and fucking around online. If he could do his job from home he would, since really truly he despises interacting with the amount of people he sees on a daily basis. He lives for fucking with people he dislikes online, be it by fucking with their various social media accounts or slandering their names anonymously. (He’s. He’s a troll, that’s really the only way to put it)

- I imagine Crash would prefer a casual relationship— something that doesn’t take too much of his time with someone who isn’t too sensitive, isn’t too much like… well, himself, and someone who can understand his overall curiosity. Of course, he says he only wants a casual relationship and swears he won’t get attached, but he falls hard and fast and very quickly throws that out the window. He becomes possessive and clingy and practically needs to have this person by his side or else he feels like he’ll die.

- If Crash were to take you on a date, he’d likely just take you back to his home for a casual dinner and a long nap. He might show you some of the things he does in his free time. As a memento of the occasion, he might send you home with something small of his— one of his night shirts, probably, just to make sure you’ll be thinking of him.

- Crash’s soul flower is a tiger lily, which represents pride and wealth. Fun fact: his flower was almost red salvia (“forever mine,”) or ‘tall’ sunflower (haughtiness)

Slasher (Horror! Sans)

- Slasher Hackett is about twenty seven, spent most of his life raising his brother for his absent parents, and then ended up a victim of trafficking along with his brother. He may or may not have eaten somebody at one point— I wouldn’t ask him, Scully, or Thriller about it. It won’t end well, and he’ll probably start crying.

- Slasher takes care of things around Scully’s estate. He’s practically a one man security system, cooks meals worthy of gods, and is surprisingly diligent against the spider infestation in the attic. He likes keeping an eye out on Thriller, worrying over him even though he’s freshly twenty.

- While intimidating as hell, Slasher is incredibly endearing, if a little quiet and odd. Very friendly, almost like a mom in some ways. He’s just as protective as Scully is, thankfully nowhere near as prideful as him or Crash, and is just a little jumpy. Getting starved half to death in a basement and then having your skull caved in’ll do that to you.

- Man loves grocery shopping and the smell of lysol disinfectant. Can’t stand a messy house or rude houseguests, though he’ll make an exception for Crim and Grit. He adores organizing the kitchen (and reorganizing it) once a week, can recite almost every line of some of John Mulaney’s more popular skits, and isn’t too bad at crosswords now a days.

- His head injury makes it difficult to focus on much of anything for too long, and makes it difficult to think things through or remember the little things. He has a book full of things he’s written down because he wants to remember them exactly. He tries to do at least one crossword or word search a day to see if he’s getting any better. He still has to have Exul chop most of the vegetables, but he’s stopped nicking himself for the most part. He’s even able to process most of his, Scully and Crash’s conversations now— it just takes him an extra minute. Sure, he’s got a few motor tics now (cracking his knuckles repeatedly, tapping the desk like his life depends on it, his head and neck cracking to the side) but that can’t be helped.

- I imagine that Slasher would prefer a very patient partner who’s willing to adjust small aspects of their everyday life for him. Someone considerate and someone… small. A little weaker, a little less of a threat. It makes him feel better— safer. He wants a long term relationship right from the start, and if you’re down for that, he’s already thrilled. If you speak just a little slower for him to make sure he can catch every word, he’s in love and already ready to get married. (/j)

- If Slasher were to take you on a date, he’d take you restaurant hopping. One or two things here, maybe an appetizer there and— oh, you want dessert? Here, he’s got the tip money. As a memento of the occasion, he’d sneak something from one of the restaurants— a fork, maybe, or one of their tall red cups. Nothing much but it feels special to him.

- Slasher’s soul flower is begonia, meaning caution or gratitude. His flower was almost basil (good wishes) or daisy (innocence)

[dndeviants]

St. Andral’s Bones

The party quickly departed from the church, anxious to look for the bones before nighttime fell. Only two hours remained before the sundown, and three before the dark of night would take them. 

Alexi revealed to Ruki that the coffinmaker had approached the children and paid them to steal the bones... they were going to see if there was any truth to that claim as they approached the coffinmaker’s shop. 

The exterior was unkempt and dreary, the weight of death hung in the house and in the air... there wasn’t any liveliness in the fixtures, and it seemed as if there was no attempt to lighten up its grim purpose. This was not a place to celebrate the events of one’s life... this was just the reality of death and decay.

Aric looked up to the second floor. The windows are boarded up... Odd... isn’t this shop in operation? He could assume that there were corpses in there. A place that houses bodies should have decent ventilation... especially for summer... Aric felt a pit of nausea.

Linda pursed her lips and nodded, “Yeah, that’s pretty grim.”

“The place looks deserted...“ Aric sarcastically smiled, “Who wants to go in first?“

Ismark shuddered, “Geez, not even Kristoff’s place is this dull.”

Ruki walked over to the door and knocked. A harsh voice called out on the other side:

“We’re closed! Go away!“

Rictavio folded his arms, “Someone dies everyday... makes no sense why he’d be closed.”

Linda walked up to Ruki and replied to the voice, "We aren't here on that kind of business."

There was a moment of hesitation. A slot opened in the door, revealing beady old eyes on the other side. They peered suspiciously, "What business do you have?"

Ruki spoke bluntly, “We are simply here to retrieve the bones that belong to the church.”

"Bones?" The old man muttered, "I'm not sure about any bones...” he unlatched the door, “...but you are more than welcome to look..."

The door creaked open, revealing a frail old man hunched over, clutching a cane with spindly fingers.

Linda squinted at the man. He wore all black for his grim profession, and had a name plate: “Henrik van der Hoorst”... his cane was of fine quality, very sturdy. She cautiously entered into the shop and saw manuals and designs for various coffins and caskets. She wrinkled her nose... the smell in here was atrocious and off-putting... Most places would try to cover that smell... even stranger was that the smell was coming from the second floor.

Ireena and Ismark opted to stay outside. Everyone else cautiously entered. Rictavio looked at a workstation as Victor perused the manuals.

"If you don't mind me asking,” Linda looked to the shopkeep, “Do you keep the corpses upstairs? How unusual... Sorry, as you can probably guess, I'm not from around here."

"I keep some crates of artifacts upstairs...” he replied, “Some bones too, yes. They aren't as in immediate need as fresh corpses though. So they can smell at times."

Aric covered his nose, "I thought rotting flesh of any kind would be of immediate concern."

Linda raised a brow, "I never said anything about the smell."

Henrik made a wafting motion, "If my old nose can detect it, so can you. Besides, you aren't the first to remark. As for the concern of flesh..." The old man turned to Aric, "They can't be buried until I am paid, and a lot of times people die quicker than previous corpses can be buried. So more often than not, they are left here. It is a brutal business."

Jeeves crossed his arms and raised a brow, "What happens if they don't pay at all?"

Henrik spoke callously, "Then they rot."

Linda changed the subject, "So what kind of artifacts do you have?"

"Odd family heirlooms,” he replied, “Not my own family of course, but heirlooms from families who couldn't pay the right fees. Basically, just a bunch of junk. But artifact sounds nicer, don't you think?"

"It does,” Linda unhappily agreed. She paused, “May I just have a look around?"

Henrik gestured with his cane, "Be my guest. But if you break anything, you buy it!"

They nodded in acknowledgement, not really wanting to touch anything in the house at all, but knowing that they had to in order to find the bones. Linda peered into the main area of the shop and found thirteen coffins, all propped up, and all with outrageous price tags. 

She shook her head, What a scumbag... She saw that all the coffins were open as well, so no bones would be hidden here. 

Aric peered in a room... It was a little sitting area. Dust covered the tables, the chairs, even the tea set... It was clear no one had been in this room for a long time. Gross, Aric thought. 

Ruki walked past Linda to check a door. It creaked open, revealing the stairs to the second floor. She looked over to Vasili.

Vasili nodded, and silently gestured to the ceiling. 

She gave a gesture of affirmation, and moved upstairs. 

Aric moved over to join them all, Jeeves was on edge and close by his master. Linda pointed out the stairs to Aric. They all silently agreed to follow Ruki.

It was difficult keeping quiet as they walked up the stairs... every moment that passed was an effort in keeping down bile... the stench of death was pungent and overwhelming. 

Ruki paused and examined a door to her right. She alone entered that room.

Aric took interest in the door to his left. Linda, Vasili, and Jeeves followed him in.

Ruki looked around the room she had entered. It was humble, with a few chairs and a table... A small bookshelf rested in the corner, holding rather strange looking tomes. 

The tiefling furrowed her brow and examined the tomes... one in particular caught her interest: Manual on Necromancie and the Created. 

That doesn’t bode well in a coffin shop, she thought. She opened the book and read where the pages had been dog-eared. 

Deeply troubling, thought Ruki. The passages were all related to the creation of Flesh Golems... and with easy access to corpses... But it still doesn’t make sense why he would need the bones...

She turned over a page of the tome, and a little note fell out onto the floor. She paused in her reading and pulled the  paper off the floor, examining the small notes haphazardly scribbled:

* Creating a finer tuned and more human shaped intelligent golem. Perfect for infiltrating and spying on a target. * Fusing other monstrosities together? After all, research has shown all monsters share a common origin in the dark weaves of the Shadowfell... * So far, two successful fusions. More in the future. * Blood of vampires seems to be a more stable ingredient in the creation of golems, however also seem to impart some unwanted side effects... such as blood thirstiness and sun sensitivity. Will have to remedy in future. For now, subjects will be contained for study. * Perfect spy has been created. Not even the creature knows its own nature. Appears mostly human, with great intelligence. Subject was fitted with the soul that matches the face. Subject is stationed in Barovia Village and is unwittingly providing the Master with much needed information and materials. * Master Lion desires more of the failed spawn. To make up the backbone of the army. * Ba'al Verzi are training at HQ. More and more join the ranks ever since the exposure of the Enemy's true nature. * Going to draw the enemy to Vallaki Base of operation, the first field test of the Constructed Spawn

Ruki quickly put the note and book in her pack. She stood up...

This is a trap!

-------------------------

Aric, Jeeves, Vasili and Linda filed into the other room. The area was very spacious, and had a few crates labeled, “JUNK.“ 

Aric wrinkled his nose, water filling his eyes,  “Ugh, smells like we found the bodies...”

Linda coughed, and covered her nose, "I would agree."

Aric moved over to a crate. The sooner we find the bones and leave, the better. He knelt down near the crate... and heard a small scuffle. Odd... he reached out...

A high pitched shriek cut the air as the crate Aric was near burst open, revealing-

Aric wasn’t sure what... It was human- shaped... but its gray and mottled skin was sewn together in rough patches, tubes of red fluid popped in and out of the back of the creature... long, serpent-like fangs extended from its open mouth, and long claws-

Whatever the thing was leaped at Aric with its claws. Aric was too shocked to register... It grabbed him... It’s mouth unhinged, pulling against the stitches keeping the lower jaw in place, and sank its fangs deep into Aric’s shoulder. 

Pain woke him out of his stupor. Aric screamed.

Linda pulled out her gun, "Fuck! Aric!"

Several of the creatures burst from the crates, awakened by the scent of blood in the air. 

Jeeves immediately rushed to Aric’s defense, pulling out his shortsword. He slashed at the creature’s back and cried out, “Let him go!”

The monster hissed in pain, Aric’s blood gurgling in its throat as it did so. Aric broke out of the hold and pulled out his rapier. He thrust it deep into the creature’s chest and broke away, stinging in his shoulder... 

It seemed to be bad luck. That was where the werewolf had bitten him before... He winced. His sword arm was in trouble... He broke away from the creature and tried to hide behind a crate.

------

Ruki heard the shriek that pierced the air and Aric’s scream. She turned and tried to run out the door of the room and into the hallway-

Henrik. 

He locked the door to the other room, cutting off the rest of her group’s escape... and trapping Ruki alone with him.

He stood tall, wielding his cane in one hand... and pulling out a blade of black, red, and gold...

Ba’al Verzi.

He twirled the blade in his hand, smirking, “Frail old man is a timeless act. People think you are defenseless... I guarantee you will not live to be as old as I am.”

Ruki held up her staff, “We’ll see.”

Henrik smiled and made a small gesture with the blade, conjuring a spectral skull... the skull floated over to Ruki and passed through her chest... making her feel cold.

He had placed a mark of death upon her. Henrik took his cursed blade and struck at Ruki, the blade cutting deep into Ruki’s side... 

Cold of steel, warm of blood... the sensations made her dizzy. She cried out in pain and gripped her staff. 

------

Linda heard the door click and lock behind them, cutting off their escape... The creatures were on the other side of the room. They needed an exit plan- 

On the other side of the door, they heard Ruki’s cry of pain.  Vasili tensed, “Ruki!”

Linda looked to him, “Break the door?”

Vasili nodded, pulling out his longsword, “Break the door.”

They kicked at the door in unison, their combined efforts succeeded in breaking the door off it’s hinges, and sent the door, and small pieces of the door frame, flying into Henrik’s back. 

Henrik swore in rage, recovering from the unexpected intrusion, and facing them with his cursed assassin’s blade.

Linda aimed her revolver at the man, and shot at him. Her bullets embedded in his clothing. 

Vasili thrust his blade at the assassin, grazing his side. The man was quick for his age.

It was the distraction Ruki needed to recover. She drew her own Ba’al Verzi dagger that she had kept as a trophy. She mimicked the gesture Henrik made, and summoned her own mark of death upon him from the cursed magic of the blade. 

Henrik sensed the cursed magic, and turned to face Ruki again, “You-”

His words were cut off as she assailed him. One strike... two...

Ruki focused her mystic power into the blade, drawing into the large reserve of power her mind siphoned from the universe. Her eyes glowed nearly white...

Three...

She released the energy stored in the blade. Henrik dropped his own, and cried out. 

She hissed in Patterna,  “To hell with your order! I can wield your own power tenfold!"

She pushed him into the wall. Henrik looked to her... one final moment of realization and horror as the psychic energy pulsated through his body... intense vibrations seemed to distort the world around him as he screamed. Flesh... then muscle, and sinew... melted onto the floor, leaving only bones to collapse into a thick ooze on the floor.

What was once a human man. 

Ruki stood over the former assassin, still aglow, “As long as I stand, no harm shall come to the Lord of this land!”

The light faded from her eyes and she clutched her staff for support. The effort leaving her slightly weak, “Pathetic Ba’al Verzi filth...” she spat.

Ruki took a moment to recover before reaching to take Henrik’s dagger.

Linda blinked in shock. So this was what Ruki was capable of...  "Welp, guess you didn't need our help..." she muttered.

“However you do...” Ruki stood and peered into the open room, looking at one of the creatures engaged in combat with Jeeves, “Are there more?”

"Five," Vasili answered.

Ruki added the dagger to her belt, “Neither the spawn nor their master are a challenge.”

-----------

The patchwork monster lashed out at Jeeves. Aric was nowhere in sight. Good for him, thought Jeeves, holding up his shortsword to guard from a devastating bite... and dodging a long arm trying to pound him into the ground.

The creature narrowly missed Jeeves, smashing its arm into a junk crate. It hissed and tried to pull its arm out to attack again- but found that it was stuck.

Now’s the opportunity. Jeeves took his shortsword and quickly jabbed at the monster. 

Aric rose from behind the crates and backstabbed it, wincing from the effort. He disengaged and slunk back into the shadows.

-------

Troubled. That was the best word to describe Linda. While she could admit that it was very impressive that Vasili was able to calculate how many creatures there were-

But she, a trained monster hunter with over twenty years of experience, could not do the same. Not in such a brief moment of time. It started to raise Linda’s suspicion, and gnaw at her stomach.

Vasili went back in the room to face the approaching creatures. Linda followed closely behind.

Vasili examined the creatures, narrowing his eyes. He conjured a mote of flame in his hand and threw it forward, striking one of the six creatures in the room. 

The creature burst into flame like turpentine, and howled in a primal fear as its skin began to shrink and burn. It tried to pat out the flame, but only spread it to other portions of its body. It dropped to the ground and panicked, rolling on the floor, desperate to end the suffering.

Everyone paused, terror and disgust gripping them at the scene. Vasili stood, flame in hand. He spoke calmly, a hint of satisfaction in his voice, “I would suggest using fire.”

He hurled another flame at one of the remaining spawn. It shrieked similarly to the first, trying to put out its flames while rushing toward the still living.

Linda overcame her shock and pulled out her gun. She fired one shot at the one rushing them, and knocked it prone... she quickly opened her chamber, and pulled a speedloader of silver bullets from her belt. She popped it in her chamber, closing it and spinning it for good measure. She took aim at another and fired... knocking that one prone as well.

Jeeves did his best to pick off the one stuck in the crate... but even if one arm was trapped, the other was free, and extremely dangerous. The claws extended unexpectedly, slashing Jeeves’ arm. 

Even though the flame and silver were devastating on the creatures, they recovered quickly, rising from the ground...

They lunged at Vasili and Linda, who they recognized as the source of their pain. 

Vasili nimbly dodged the monster that targeted him, allowing the creature to shatter its nails against the wood where he had stood previously. 

One of the creatures swiped its claws at Linda, slashing through her coat. Linda winced and prepared herself as the creature raised its other hand to claw at her. She ducked her head down just in time.

 Ruki walked forth and planted her staff in the ground, focusing. Her eyes glowed white as she familiarized herself with the presences in the room. A strange wind rose from the bottom of her staff and swirled around all the monsters. 

The creatures grabbed their heads immediately, moaning, shrieking, hissing, howling... all as Ruki asserted herself as the most dominating mind in the room, psychic energy crackling in the air.

Jeeves took advantage of the pause and lit a torch, waving it at the spawn in front of him, setting it on fire.  Aric rose from the shadows and planted his rapier through the back of the creature... 

It fell limp. 

Aric still was not willing to take any chances. He nodded to Jeeves, and slid back into the shadows. 

Linda took aim and lined up her shots... One. Two. Three. Three shots, three monsters. Couldn’t get any better than this when you were out in the field. 

Vasili continued his tried and true magical flame... One fell limp... 

The others approached him erratically, delirious from the flames... One clawed at the man and missed... He held up his sword in defense, impaling one of the other creatures that was trying to hit him, and killing it.

He barely had time to withdraw his blade when another one rushed into him, and slammed him into the ground. It savored its triumph as Vasili struggled to get up, and followed through with another slam! Battering the envoy and throwing him across the room. 

Ruki gripped onto her staff, focusing on pulling back the strange wind and downing the remaining monsters as soon as possible... she assaulted the minds of the creatures again... One fell... then another... 

Only one creature still stood to defy her.

A blade emerged from the darkness, piercing the last of the horrible creatures. It paused in shock, and shuddered, falling to the ground. The eyes lost the faint blue glow... before becoming hollow. The charred flesh burnt out...

Aric averted his gaze and took his sword out from the creature in disgust. He held onto his knees and caught his breath... a glint of gold flashed in the corner of his eye. He paused and looked over. 

Jeeves sighed in relief and rustled through his pack, trying to find something to dress his and Aric’s wounds.

Ruki was of the same mind, and focused inward, willing her wounds to heal themselves.

Vasili sighed and brought himself first to his knees, pausing for a moment before standing, and wrapping himself in his cloak. 

Linda raised a brow. Even the strongest fighters took longer than that to recover from such a heavy blow. Two, at that. 

But there he was. Showing little, if any concern for his own injuries. He walked over to one of the dead creatures. He lifted one of the arms off the ground, then pulled back the lips of the deceased thing. 

“That is interesting...“ he murmured and mused.

Quick thuds of footsteps rushed upstairs. Victor and Rictavio looked in the room, fear and concern on their faces. 

“What the hell happened?“ Rictavio demanded, then made a face of disgust. He kicked slop off of his boot, “What is this... bone... soup... by the door?!“

Everyone ignored him. Ruki walked over to Vasili and presented the tome and the letter to him. 

“I found this book in the other room,“ she explained, “Perhaps it may answer some questions?“

Vasili thumbed through the book, and then examined the letter,"Very interesting...” he muttered, “It seems the Ba'al Verzi are still active after all these years. And have advanced to different means of assassination..."

Vasili closed the book.

Ruki nodded and folded her arms, “Not very well, if I may add...”

Vasili looked down at the creatures, "Trying to artificially create a vampire? With the base of a flesh golem? It would be simpler to bribe a vampire spawn, why go through the trouble? Some kind of control...?"

Vasili brushed past Rictavio and Victor as if they weren’t even there. Rictavio threw up his arms in exasperation. Victor moved curiously into the room. Rictavio groaned at everyone’s rudeness and did the same.

Vasili paused at the puddle of the man that was formerly known as Henrik. He knelt down and began to mutter a string of phrases in a different tongue, while passing his hand over the soup. He paused when he held his hand over Henrik’s cane.

He picked up the cane, and casually slung the goop against the wall. He nodded to himself, “I think I will keep this... for study.”

Linda squinted at the man, dumbfounded.

Victor kicked at one of the corpses, "Are these... undead?"

Ruki felt antic humor seize her. In a serious voice she said, “No. Watch out. They are living.”

Victor startled and jumped back from the corpse, much to her amusement.

Vasili re-entered the room, passing by Victor, "To answer your question... Yes... and no."

Victor looked perplexed at Vasili. Rictavio shook his head, unfazed. He walked around, looking at the crates, "Now, where's Andral's bones?"

Ruki looked to Vasili, “Should we break open all the crates?”

Vasili suddenly looked very ill, "I'm not quite certain...” he spoke quietly, “They should be in one of these crates... “ he pat Ruki on the shoulder, “Why don't you look? I have to do some testing on this..." he indicated the cane to Ruki and walked out of the room.

Rictavio folded his arms, but let him pass by, “Alright,” he turned to everyone else, “Let’s look.”

They began to search crate after crate... Aric walked over the the crate where he saw the glitter of gold... and smelt incense... It was a relief to the stench here. Linda and Ruki walked over to where Aric stood, and helped him move the crate lid...

The lid popped off, revealing... not individual bones, but something more akin to a mummy, sitting in a position of prayer, wearing golden robes... a red gemstone peeked out from a fold in the robe...

Linda reached for it and pulled out a platinum pendant in the shape of the sun with a ruby center. 

The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind.

The name sprung to Aric and Linda’s mind unbidden. They were certain of what it was... but how, they did not know.

“Is that...?“ Ruki recognized the symbol, and reached for the pendant.

"The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind..." Linda finished. She gently handed over the pendant to Ruki.

"Yes,” Ruki nodded, “It is one of the holy artifacts of this land.”

Jeeves tilted his head, "The holy symbol of great hope, that Eva spoke of?"

Ruki nodded, “Yes, we must keep this safe,” she placed the symbol gingerly in her bag.

Jeeves nodded and looked to Aric, "So... who is going to carry the bones back?” he shuddered, “Because I am opting out now."

Ruki made a loose gesture, “Perhaps Rictavio?”

Rictavio shrugged, "Sure, why not. They are a holy item, after all. I honestly feel safer with them than without."

Rictavio carefully packed the mummy into the crate and re-secured it, using rope to make straps to put on his back, “So let’s get these back to the church, like our...” he paused, “...friend, Vasili said...”

Rictavio walked down with the bones.

Victor pet his skeletal cat, "Not sure I like the way he said, 'friend Vasili'."

Mr. Whiskers seemed to chime in agreement. 

Linda shrugged in frustration, "Honestly, Vasili is beginning to get on my nerves. He's just so... vexing."

Victor raised a brow at Linda and shrugged, taking Mr. Whiskers downstairs. Linda huffed and followed after him. They all arrived in the main part of the shop, and saw that one of the thirteen coffins was occupied...

By Vasili.

Vasili casually looked over to them with an amused expression on his face.

Ruki called out questioningly, “My lord...?”

Linda blinked, dumbfounded, What the hell?

"Glad to know they already have one in my size.” Vasili mused, “You think he was aiming to kill us?" He spoke in a lighthearted, joking voice, "I can respect him being prepared and thoughtful enough to have one set aside just for me."

You must out of your mind... thought Ruki.

Vasili jumped gracefully out of the coffin and laughed, picking up his top hat, "Forgive my antic humor."

Ruki smirked and folded her arms, “Your antique humor?”

Vasili paused, and chuckled, "That was actually very clever. I like that."

Linda sighed and shook her head. She walked over to the door out, and leaned against it.

Vasili looked to Rictavio and squinted, becoming serious again, "Ah, yes, we should return those to the church shouldn't we?" He took out his pipe and headed to the door out-

Running into Linda.

She stopped him, "Nervous, Vasili?"

Vasili paused, "Normally, I wouldn't indulge this indoors, but anything should be able to fumigate the stench here..." he looked to her and lowered his voice, speaking gently to her, "I've been attacked twice in one day. My nerves are really on edge."

Linda nodded, "I see..." she turned and walked out the door, allowing him to follow her out of the building.

They rejoined Ireena and Ismark, who asked what happened in there. Ruki took initiative and regaled them with a grand tale of heroism to make Rictavio jealous. Ireena and Ismark were skeptical of some of it, but enjoyed hearing it anyway.

They arrived at the Cathedral. Rictavio entered first to deliver the bones to Lucien... the sun was setting. Ireena and the native Barovians anxiously followed after, eager to remove her curse, and seek shelter. Linda went with Ireena, fulfilling her promise to be there with her. 

Vasili lingered behind a little bit with Ruki in the very back pews, and let his troubled expression show.

“My lord?” Ruki looked over to Vasili, questioning.

“Hm?” Vasili seemed distracted.

Ruki glanced over to Aric and Jeeves who were nearby, and spoke in Infernal, certain that they would not understand, “What troubles you?”

Strahd kept up his Vasili persona, but spoke as himself, "The return of the Ba'al Verzi, at this time. It is... too coincidental to be coincidence. I thought their order destroyed here long ago... and removing Tatayana's curse... is it the right thing to do to protect her? Or perhaps I am overthinking it. I sense that you found my brother's pendant. You keep it on you... it must not fall into the wrong hands..."

Ruki nodded, “Of course, may whoever lay their hands on it suffer a Vistani curse. As for the Ba'al Verzi, worry not,” she brandished all three daggers in her possession.

Strahd raised a brow, "I gave you Leo's, Henrik had one... where did you find that last one, Ruki?"

Ruki felt her stomach drop, forgetting her last trophy from the other time she came from. She thought of a lie, “From your study. It was the one that did not work, but it works for me now.”

Strahd frowned. He knew he had memory trouble, but to this extent...? 

He let it pass.

"Alright...” he replied, “I suppose we should abandon this devilish tongue and go to church now..."

Strahd laughed at his pun, and returned to speaking the common language, and his Vasili mannerisms, "Wouldn't you agree?"

Ruki frowned disapprovingly, “I cannot abandon it, it is in my bloodline...”

Vasili nodded apologetically, "Ah of course, of course. I didn't mean to offend."

Aric and Jeeves looked to each other. Infernal was one of the languages Aric had picked up from his criminal contacts. Jeeves knew enough to recognize it as Infernal.  Jeeves tilted his head and spoke in Alzhedo, “What were they saying?”

Aric folded his hands together, also speaking in Alzhedo, “Well, you see...”

And he told Jeeves everything.

--------

Linda walked with Ireena and Rictavio while Ismark and Victor lingered not too far behind. It felt almost as if the stones themselves were sighing in relief to have the bones once more inside their walls. 

Lucien walked down anxiously striding forward, “You found them?”

"Talking about these?" Rictavio un-shouldered the crate and showed off the bones to the father.

Lucien nodded in relief, "Yes, right this way, just beyond the altar. Now I can sanctify the cathedral again..."

Lucien took the golden robed mummy and placed it behind the symbol of the Morninglord up above the altar. He closed the bones in, and began to speak in prayer. 

Ireena anxiously waited for the priest to be done. When Lucien was satisfied with his work, he approached the young woman. "I will keep my promise, Lady Ireena. If you would come to the altar..."

Ireena rose and followed the priest to the altar. Linda stood and watched, folding her arms. She wasn’t really religious herself, but there were few things that could stave the curse of being bitten... time, and gods. 

And Ireena had no time to spare, since she was targeted by Strahd himself, and was bitten twice...

Lucien called upon the gods, and incited the name of the Morninglord, Lathander, to cleanse the sickness of undeath from her veins... he took holy water from a silver chalice and washed the wounds on her throat, compelling the curse to expel from her body.

Ireena shuddered, and took knee as a dizziness overcame her. She took a few moments and let the feeling wash over her before she stood again. Her neck was blemish free... her skin was flush, and her expression bright.

It didn’t look as if she had been bitten at all.

Linda raised a brow, impressed.

"I feel... better. Safer...” Ireena’s eyes welled with emotion, “Thank you, Father."

Lucien nodded, and smiled. He pulled out a small golden symbol of the Morninglord, "Be safe, and carry about this with you, display it proudly and with faith, and the undead will hardly trouble you."

Ireena fiddled with the symbol, accepting it, in spite of Linda’s previous gift of a holy symbol, “Thank you.”

Linda enjoyed a brief moment, looking at Ireena and Ismark share an embrace. It was only a brief moment.

Rictavio put his hand on Linda’s shoulder. Linda turned to him, "What?"

"About that intel..." Rictavio slipped her a journal fragment. It was a piece of Strahd’s journal. But this one was almost as pristine as Vasili’s piece.

Linda slipped it into her pack, heart pounding.

Rictavio stared at her for a moment, somber, "Draw your own conclusion. I'll be in Blue Water. See you there."

Rictavio turned to leave, but came face to face with Ruki. 

“Master Rictavio,“ she purred, “Regarding the Vistani favor I mentioned before, I have a Vistani coin I would like to give you...“ she took his hand and pressed a strange looking gold piece into it, “This will be a physical token of the favor you have earned.“

Ruki charged the coin with mystic power... she would use it to keep an eye on this trouble maker.

Rictavio confusedly took the coin, “Uh, thanks... I didn’t think I did that much-”

"Enough to earn our favor.” Ruki’s tone allowed for no arguments.

Rictavio tightened his lips and nodded, “Okay, alright. If you say so...” he pocketed his coin and hastily left the church.

Vasili narrowed his eyes at the entire exchange. Under the mask, Strahd was recalculating. He knew that with how many fragments Linda had received, sooner or later, she would discover the truth about Vasili... The half-elf knew as well, otherwise he wouldn’t have tried to out him with the Zone of Truth... it was only through careful misdirection that he was able to keep his disguise... To reveal the truth now would be... devastating. 

Damage control. One way or another, they were going to discover the truth. Madame Eva had constructed this purposefully. He fumed silently as he stood. The best thing to do would be to cut them off from Rictavio. Prevent them from going to Blue Water.

He reached out to Ruki, I have a feeling... that this disguise will soon be compromised...

Vasili walked over to Linda, putting his hands in his pockets, "What was that about?" If there was only a way to get back that journal... without raising suspicion...

"Not sure..." Linda replied.

Vasili nodded and grunted a bit, thinking. He clasped his hands together,  "I would like to extend an invitation to my house. I feel you'd feel more at ease in a residence than in an inn, due to... recent events.” He turned to the rest of the party, “I'll extend the same invitation to everyone. "

Linda blushed a bit and nodded, "I don't have a problem with it. Though, some others still may. It's up to them..."

Vasili nodded at her and smiled, "Very well. Let me give you the address.... It is 62 North Seaport. Northern end of Vallaki, just near Lake Zarovich. I will go there presently, to compile notes and clean up a bit."

Vasili bowed his head to her, before turning to extend the invitation.

Linda had a thought cross her mind, and she approached the priest, "Might I ask you a favor?"

"Yes, of course. How may I help you?"

 "Could you bless a few things for me?" She took out her kits and bullets, "I need more holy water and I would like to have my ammunition blessed."

Lucien smiled and began to work on blessing her tools, free of charge.

Linda smiled, "Thank you."

-----

Aric poised himself at the ready... he didn’t trust Ruki and Vasili any more than he trusted the other Barovians. He needed some insurance against them...

That Holy Symbol of Ravenkind... whatever it really was... would be his and Jeeves’ best bet for safety. 

Ruki blithely walked past him... Aric matched her pace... stuck his hand in her pack... slowly... 

Got it!

He tucked and rolled with it out of sight, popping up next to Jeeves in the pew. He slipped it in his pack-

“I would like to extend an invitation to my residence in Vallaki for dinner,“ Vasili’s voice called to them.

Aric stood up, and tried to maintain a neutral face.

Vasili made a loose gesture, "It is on the northern end of Vallaki, just short of Lake Zarovich. 62 North Seaport."

Linda rejoined everyone, eager to hear their opinion. 

Ireena seemed delighted, "I think that sounds nice! How very thoughtful of you to invite people you just met into your home."

Ismark simply shrugged, "It's an alright gesture, I guess."

Aric nodded and pressed the symbol further in his pack, “Thank you Vasili, that would be much easier than going to an inn..."

Vasili seemed to be pleased at how well his invitation was received by his guests. He smiled, "Thank you, I look forward to it. Allow me to excuse myself so Mina and myself can prepare the house properly for guests."

Vasili bowed his head slightly, and departed from the church...

----

Outside, away from everyone and outside of the restricting confines of the church, Strahd looked up to the sky... 

Nightfall.

At last...  

He darted behind the gate, making sure that no one could see him... when he was comfortable, and certain that he was alone, he shed his mortal form for something more... appropriate for quick travel. 

Where Strahd once crouched, a monstrous bat the size of a man rested, just for a moment, before launching itself to the night sky... and flying north.

He had guests to entertain.

[nanowrimo]

The Denouement: How to Nail the End of Your Novel

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Reedsy, a NaNoWriMo 2017 sponsor, is a curated marketplace that connects authors and publishers with the world’s best editors, designers and marketers. Today, Reedsy staff writer Arielle Contreras shares her advice on working through the end of your novel:

A novel needs a great climax—a moment when everything comes to a head—for it to really feel finished to a reader. However, most great stories don’t die the moment the climax is over; they spend time wrapping up final intricacies and resolving lingering questions. This final structural element of a novel is called the denouement.

But when you reach your novel’s final moments, how do you go about writing a denouement that results in a satisfied sigh from your readers the moment they finish your book? Let’s take a look (There are spoilers ahead, but you will always be given fair warning when one is approaching!):

What is the denouement?

You can think of the denouement as the “beginning of the end.” It’s the final outcome of a novel. (In case you need a high school English class refresher on the “Three Act” novel structure, you can take a quick look at this article on the narrative arc.)

The denouement can be clearly seen in action in most mystery novels. The climax occurs when all of the various clues come to a head, and it becomes clear to the detective who the culprit is. The denouement occurs afterward, when the detective explains how they solved the crime: they rule out innocent suspects, tie together all the clues, and name the guilty party. Of course, not all denouements will tie up everything with a neat bow—not even murder mysteries. Sometimes the best endings are the ones where we know just enough to leave us wanting more.

Tips for nailing the denouement

There’s no one right way to end a novel. The denouement relies wholeheartedly on the story you are telling, and how you wish to tell it. But there’s just something so satisfying about a well-written ending. It’s the kind of thing that propels people to tell their friends, “You just HAVE to read this book.” So the following tips are for authors looking to write an ending that leaves readers both fulfilled by your book, but also a little wistful that it’s all come to an end:

Tip #1: Don’t tell the reader too little or too much.

The denouement should tell the reader what they need to know. It should touch on the questions or issues that have been brought up throughout the novel, and shed light on any foreshadowing done in Act One or Two that still isn’t clear. It should also tie up story threads that readers have been promised would be resolved. Don’t leave the reader with several unexpected loose ends at the last moment.

But that doesn’t mean you have to spell out everything. All book-lovers know that feeling of reaching the last page of a book and yearning to know just a little bit more. Writers can create that same effect by ending the story in a way that makes it feel like there is more that could still happen, more that could be said—that your characters continue to live their lives after the novel has ended.

[Spoiler alert!] Think of the final line of Gone With the Wind: “Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.” The novel concludes with Scarlett realizing she loves Rhett, and Rhett deciding not to be with Scarlett. But this last line leaves us lingering on the possibilities of Scarlett’s future: will her confidence and gumption lead her to further heartbreak? Will it successfully lead her back to Rhett? Their relationship—the driving force of the book—ends with clear finality, but Scarlett reminds us that for her, the rest is yet to come.

Of course, there are exceptions to this tip. Romance novels, for instance, often end with a “Happily Ever After” with no doubts, lingering questions, or uncertainties. Literary novels, on the other hand, can be fond of more ambiguous endings. More on this below.

Tip #2: Approach cliffhangers with caution.

Oh, the cliffhanger. When it comes to reading a series, cliffhangers are both frustrating and exciting: we don’t like to be left hanging at the end of a novel, but we love getting the scoop when we start the next one.

But if you’re not writing a series, ending a novel on a cliffhanger can be a risky move. There’s debate on the topic of ambiguous endings—some readers are for it, others aren’t. If you simply must have your denouement be more of a denoue-what?! then make sure you’ve laid the groundwork, and it is clearly set up by earlier events. You want your cliffhanger to catch readers by surprise, yes, but it shouldn’t come out of nowhere. Imagine if the last page of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows showed Voldemort’s secret, even-more-unhinged brother suddenly appearing in front of Harry? No, just no. This would be totally random as there is zero foreshadowing of it in the story. It’s the kind of cliffhanger that will leave a reader feeling more shortchanged than surprised or intrigued.

However, if your characters, their motivations, and the plot are all compelling enough, then you can perhaps leave loose ends or unanswered questions—because you’ve already given the readers enough information to formulate their own conclusions. But that’s the important part: you have to provide them with enough information in Acts One and Two if your denouement is going to be totally open-ended. The trick here is to write a cliffhanger that allows readers to speculate, not one that leaves them dumbfounded.

For an example of a widely hailed ambiguous ending, check out The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber.

Tip #3: Arrive full circle.

Can you recall many great novels that ended with the author plainly stating the story’s theme? Neither can I. What I can recall is the final scene of The Great Gatsby, when Nick Carraway is reflecting how the green light shining from Daisy’s dock was to Gatsby what America was to the early settlers: a goal to achieve, and a dream to realize. A futile chase.

This denouement leaves a lasting impression because it resonates a repeating symbol. The green light recurs throughout the novel, underscoring its overarching theme, and its protagonist's arc. Ending with the green light is a very satisfying “full circle” moment, and conjures strong imagery that readers can recall, long after they’ve put down the novel.

Tip #4: What’s the point of it all?

Readers want to know how the climax has affected the status quo. What impact did it have on the characters’ lives? What’s changed in the aftermath? Just because the climax has occurred doesn’t mean your characters are suddenly immobilized. The climax is the peak of both the story and character arc, so it can be very unsatisfying to not receive even a glimpse of how the characters have been affected by their journey.

[Spoiler alert!] At the end of Mockingjay, the final book of The Hunger Games series, we see the toll the revolution has taken on Katniss. She is a shell of her former self, both physically and mentally. At one point at the end of the book, she is so weak from starving herself that she has to be wheeled home in a cart used to collect dead bodies. This symbolizes the “death” of the Katniss we knew prior to the climax. However, the denouement ends with a destroyed meadow slowly coming back to life, and Katniss and Peeta confirming to each other that their love is real—signifying that there is hope even in the wake of destruction.

The denouement doesn’t need to show everything working out. In fact, stories where everyone wins can feel contrived or forced. But as readers, we want to be rewarded with a view of the other side of the mountain if we’re going to spend time hiking up it.

Arielle Contreras is a staff writer at Reedsy, a curated marketplace that connects authors and publishers with the world’s best editors, designers and marketers. Over 2,500 books have been produced via Reedsy since 2015.