Ronald
```Iago Malpertuis & the Faure family | The Oubliette```

Of Cardin there was no sign. He had vanished without a trace.

Malpertuis searched the tower, and only found one of the dolls. A perfectly symmetrical wooden angel, without the red tears.

Renea went down the road to see if her brother had headed back to the keep by any chance, but the only footprints she could find were too much like her own.

Lucien went into the forest in a rage, hacking and slashing branches as he carved his way trough the Oubliette, but it was a futile effort. The forest offered no resistance, and let the old man carve all the trails he wanted, knowing the damage would be undone by sunrise.
Jarod
Lei Linas | The Oubilette

The young meister was frustrated and baffled , standing at the edge of the forest with his dagger and gauntlet in hand. He was prepared for what was to come, yet his gauntlet rattled against the handle of his blade. 

Seeing Lucient relentlessly hack away at the woods inspired him to push farther as a last ditch effort to find him. 

"Iago!" Lei called to him from the edge of the forest. "We need to search for Cardin in the woods. You know them better than any of us. I will help you search for him."
Ronald
Iago & Lucien | The Oubliette

"I will go!" Shouted the old man. "Can't entrust the life of my son to this wimp!"

"No!" Malpertuis ordered him. "This is my job, I choose who I take with me! You take your daughter and go search for help at the castle!"

Lucien spat on the ground, but dind't dare to object. It was an uncharacteristic thing to do for such a stubborn man, but maybe he couldn't help but recognize that Malpertuis was better suited for the task at hand. Besides, everyone knew that Lucien wasn't in any hurry to go deep into the forest.
Jarod
Lei Linas | The Oubilette

With a small frown the young craftsman looked over at Lucien when he heard him, the words being a slap to his face as he spoke them. 

Hearing Iago come forward, Lei faced the forest with a look of determination in his eyes. His mind was set. He was going to bring Cardin back at all costs. 

He marched forward into the looming shadow of the woods, fog rolling over his boots as he traversed deeper. He kept his eyes open, keeping his sharp senses focused on searching for any sign of where Cardin may have gone.
Ronald
**Iago Malpertuis 🍁 the̷ Ou͜b͝liett͠è**

It was never truly dark in the Oubliette. By day, the canopy of the trees strangled the sunlight, drowning the forest in fog. Mushrooms and dragonflies awoke by night, glowing into the unnatural fog and turning the glades into an eerie land of distant lights. It was a world of eternal twilights, where the ghosts wouldn't wait until the night.
As long as they had sunlight though, his young companion would be spared the trials of the forest. Or so Iago thought.

The knight walked alongside Linas, holding a torch in one hand and his trusted war mace in the other. No cracking sounds came from under their feet, despite the dead foliage that littered the soil. It was a wet and mushy ground, always promising to become a quagmire, but never quite doing so.

"We're bound to find tacks at some point," Said Malpertuis, but his words sounded hollow. "The boy can't have wandered too far."

Iago had been to the forest before, but he had not been ready to return.
He had braced himself for many possible ordeals in the Oubliette: things to challenge or run away from, like the first time. Not a banal purgatory of trees. Not such emptiness. Despite its density the forest felt barren. Nothing scuttled through its undergrowth or flew above its orange-stained canopy.
Jarod
Lei Linas | T̵h̸e̵ ̶O̵u̵b̵i̷l̸e̴t̶t̴e̴

While accounting the interiors of the forest Lei couldnt help but recall his travels through the Bogs of Taemar. The sound of mud squelched under his boots as they moved through the lush forest. He could not understand why this place lacked the land's local wildlife and foliage. The soil seemed rich with nutrition and yet there was an every absence of scuttling insects that should be buzzing around the dead foilage. Not even a single frog was present to benefit from the vast swamp like terrain. 

Hearing the lack of optimism in the older man's tone, Linas looked over at him with worry. "Didn't you say you loved the forest?" He spoke quietly, as if he were afraid someone might be listening. He tried desperately to hide the fear in his voice but his quiet voice easily have him away.
Ronald
**Iago Malpertuis | tͧ̐̚h̑̐͒e͒͂͏ ͤ̏ͧO̍ͪ̂u̺ͣͦb͏͎̥ḽ̣̂iͪ̏̐ē̐ͤt͊͊̋t͊͛ͩeͭ͋̃**

_"Didn't you say you loved the forest?"_

The words echoed trough Malpertuis with impossible clarity, as real as a blade cleaving his brain in two. He had never uttered those words, and yet he couldn't bring himself to deny his companion's statement.

_'Do I love this forest?'_ he asked himself. He most certainly was sure he didn't. It was here that he'd faced his nightmares, and monsters, and...

No. Never monsters. Iago Malpertuis began to recall it, even as he felt the past reshuffling beneath him, ripping apart and rewriting his memories as it settled them into a new paradigm: **"I never fought anything here. I joined the ranks of House de Lysse untested."** At first the knowledge felt anomalous, dislocated from any rationale, but the longer he focused on it the more grounded it became.

Why had he brought his mace then? And his armor? _'I was expecting a fight, claws and teeth lurking in the dark.'_ But that made no sense. He had no reason to believe there were any animals in the Oubliette.
_'Because my reasons were stolen... Unmade!'_
Malpertuis tried to pin down the intuition, but it was like trying to catch the fog.
Jarod
Lei Linas | T̅h̅e̅ O̅u̅b̅i̅l̅e̅t̅t̅e̅

He looked back at Iago as he was waiting for his answer, but to his misfortune, the knight remained silent. Linas stared forward into the empty forest now feeling more alone than he really was. Lei grimaced slightly, fear beginning to crawl deeper into his mind. He forced himself to look forward, questioning why Iago was not responding. 

"Iago?" He tried again, glancing back at him once more as he prayed for an answer. 

Forcing himself to keep walking, beads of sweat clung to the young meister's forehead, trying desperately to stay focused. For a moment he had already forgotten why they were here in the first place. 

"Cardin." He spoke aloud, reminding himself and Iago of the mission. 

"Cardin!" Lei called out louder with a hand cupped close to his mouth in Hope's to push his voice farther.
Ronald
Iago Malpertuis | T͜h̟̙͠e̦͇͙ ̦̯͉O̦̬̬u͎̰͘b̧̬ĺ͔̭i̸̳̙e̦͔͘ṯ̝̭ţ̯e̴̱̫

_Iago?_

Whose voice was this? Iago knew it somehow belonged to his companion. But what was his name again?

"Cardin," He spoke aloud, reminding himself and Iago ~~of the mission~~.

Right... His name was Cardin. His companion repeated it several times. Was he looking for himself?
Malpertuis kept going towards the river, whatever they were hunting wouldn't have gone uphill, but down.

"Careful here, don't you slide into the waters. This is treacherous terrain."

But there were no cliffs on the riverbanks, or even riverbanks at all. It was hard to tell where did the ground end and the water began. Yet Malpertuis felt confident on his warning. This was treacherous terrain. Cardin needed to know.
Jarod
Lei Linas | T́ͣ͋ḧ͛̚eͮͮ͆ ̋͗̓Oͭuͪbil̅e̎ͣ̎t̂͌̏t̾̀̚ë́ͪ̐

Linas looked back when he heard Iago's voice, finding it difficult to hear him. 

"What-" 

Looking back to see his comrade, Linas froze. 

All he could see was the endless haze of the forest around him. The brave Paladin he trusted so dearly was nowhere in sight.

He felt his stomach drop and his heart rising into his throat. The loud echo of it beating filled his ears. 

He was alone. 

"Iago?" He croaked out and spun around in hopes to search for him or hear his voice, but all that met his ears was the subtle sound of water rippling around his feet. 

Gasping softly in terror, he remained motionless in the water, fearing that he may sink into its icy depths the more he moved. Slowly his amber eyes looked down at the terrifying sight of currents swirling around him. 

Sweat ran over his brow as he remained motionless, fully focused on his reflection in the water.

"How did I get here? Who's voice was that? That... Was Iago... Right?" The questions floated in his straying mind.
Ronald
Iago Malpertuis | Tͫ̿͂hͫͨ͂e͂ͤ̈́ ̠̤͒Ö͉̩u̩ͬ͛b̐͛̒lͮͧͬi̊ͤ̊e͑̊͒t̆ͣ̍tͨ̽̓e͗̀͑

The forest had gone silent, and Iago was left alone in the cold. He was no longer standing near the river. Never had been. The soil seemed to have dried up, almost as if all the water had been sucked elsewhere. _Or towards someone,_ he thought.
It was then that he noticed a human shape lying under a fallen tree trunk.

"Cardin, is that you?"

The body answered with flowers. It's seeping wounds blossomed into charming bouquets. Ttheir sweet aroma mixed with the stench of decomposing meat.
It wasn't Cardin. It was one of his paintings. The one Linas had liked the most.

**LINAS** 

The the name bursted into his mind like a flood, but the flow was too violent for Iago to grab a hold of. Before he'd fully processed his thoughts, his companion was already beginning to fade from memory like a receding tide.

"Linas! Linas! Do you hear me?" He shouted, refusing to let go.
Jarod
Lei Linas | ₜ̐̽͋ₕ͑́͠ₑ͐͊̀ ₒ͆͛͝ᵤ̿̈́ᵦ̓͛͝ᵢ͒̔͊ₗ̈́͋̓ₑ͐̚ₜ̾̕ₜ͊̽̕ₑ̿͝

The sound of the rolling river drowned out his senses, barely hearing the faint voice calling his name.

With the water rising up to his knees his strained breaths shook under the tightness of his chest. Glowing gold flames burned at his shoulders unnoticed.

He looked up to try and grasp at a nearby tree, hoping to climb to safety. Feeling the course bark of lumber on his fingertips kindled a spark of hope in his frightened heart, until he felt something take hold of him. His eyes widened in terror when he felt it. 

There was something in the water. 

His feet were violently dragged out from under him, pulling him harshly from the life saving umber that served as his only source of safety. Linas screamed with a silent voice. Collections of bubbles were all that left his lips.

Thrashing in the dark waters Linas kicked as he desperately fought to reach the water's surface, helplessly watching as the towering trees unnaturally stretched farther away from him.

"Am I going to die?" 

The fleeting thought shot through his mind as the world grew dim around him.
Ronald
Iago Malpertuis | Ṭ̰̦hͯͤ̍e͔ͨ̅ ̈ͥ̀Ō͓̚u̱̭͓b͗̽̋ḻ̃̓i͓͔̥eͮ̚t͑̓ͅt̍ͥ̈e̙ͥ̅

"I hear you."

The knight turned to see a dark figure standing against the phantasmal glow of the murk. Was it Linas? Cardin? Not possible, it was just as tall as him, and fully armored.
The air was becoming more and more dry. _Where is all the water going?_
He heard scratches coming from a nearby tree. Was someone desperately clawing at it?

"Ignore it," Said the armored figure. "There is only you."

The stranger stepped into the light, and Malpertuis saw it was no stranger at all. _It's unclean and rusty plate was without ornament, but the warrior had put a crown of thorns above his helmet and used more of the thorny vines to tighten the grip on the bones he had nailed to the calves and shoulders of his armor. On the forefront of his helmet, a small circle traced with white chalk stood defiant._

"There is only me," Said Iago to his reflection.

"As within, so without," It answered.

Abandoning himself to the revelation, Iago Malpertuis sat on the ground and began listening to his own words.
Jarod
The empty river's occupants have sunken into the black inky depths, all except for one who was left floating down towards the edge of the falls.

Absent eyes watched the familiar shape as he floated away, slowly squinting as he found familiar features. 

"C-... Cardin.." 

Who's name was that? 

Lei narrowed his eyes and his raspy voice repeated. "Cardin?..." 

"**GASP** CARDIN!!!" 

Lei shouted and burst into a full on sprint towards the clear river. His boots skidded across the dirt as he hesitated for a moment. 

"Tsk!" He shook his head and lunged forward, diving recklessly into the water and spinning around to shoot the grappling hook onto a nearby tree branch before he crashed into the icy water. 

A few quiet splashes were heard before the surface of the water expoloded with the duo being launched out of the water and dragged over onto the river bank. 

"GAH! HAHH!" 

Lei collapsed and sat up, ripping the gauntlet off his hand so he could check on the other man's vitals. 

"P-please... Please be alive." Lei panted as he struggled to focus beyond the chilling air that caused his teeth to chatter.
Ronald
Cardin Faure | the̷ Ou͜b͝liett͠è

The young man vomited water from his lungs, and started to cough like a dying animal. His skin had turned pale, and the barbed vines that envelloped half his body had torn almost all of his clotes. Strangest of all, he had a beard of several days, even though Linas had entered the forest for no more than a few hours.
Shaking his head like a drunkard, Cardin tried to get close to Linas in order to mumble something.

"The pantheon... Condemns... " He whispered. Then fell asleep again.

The water was gone, and the ground had returned to it's mushy state. There was no sign of anyone else in the forest. All that remained was the cold air and the absence of a warrior whose memory was as fleeting as the twilight fog.
Jarod
Lei Linas | The ͝Oubilete

Lei was too busy trying to keep his mind focused to understand a word of what he said. 

All he did as soon as Cardin spoke was get up and grab onto him. He carried him onto his shoulders and breathed out a shaky breath as he marched away from that place. 

" This forest is cursed. "

He narrowed his eyes at the thought and looked up at the trees as they passed. 

"Is this really a forest?" He asked in his mind as the trees seemed to bend over him mockingly. 

"I-Iago?!" Lei called out and shivered. He stumbled with every other step he made in hopes to find his friend. He could feel his body growing weaker with every passing gust of wind. He needed to find warmth soon. 

"Iago...*Huff huff* Please be okay..."

After some time walking, Lei reached a point where he felt his legs begin to buckle. He fell a knee as he shivered, barely able to move . He nearly Dropped Cardin onto the ground but managed to keep hold of him. 

Looking up he realized that the tower was just a few more meters ahead. 

"I can make it. I can make it." He whispered to himself and forced his legs under him. 

He swung Cardin over his shoulder and slowly carried him towards the tower. Linas shoved the door open with his arm and rested Cardin down, grabbing some sheets to cover his body as he now rested on the couch near the fire place. Half way through covering Cardin in the wool blanket Lei collapsed onto the ground in front of him, breathing weakly as he rested very close to the fire place. Before a minute could pass, Linas had passed out on the floor.