Jarod
Lei Linas | The mount Sempiternal

Lei sighed softly and smiled faintly towards the knight with him in the room. He did not really know what to say to that as he was convinced that there was some kind of sorcery going on in that tower, although he had no way of proving it. 

It seemed that Sir Iago was comfortable with the tower, this helped put Linas at ease knowing he could trust that they would be safer there along with him. 
"You were? So... You saw the dolls inside?" It surprised him how the knight spoke of this place like a wonderful vacation spot. How could he be so at ease in such an eerie atmosphere? Even his horses hated it there.
Ronald
Iago Malpertuis | the cabin on the cliff

"No, I didn't see any dolls. Neither did I see a dead knight of any sorts. All we cleared were thorns and vines."
Jarod
Lei Linas | The cabin on the cliff

"......What?..." Lei looked utterly terrified and very confused with those words. If they arrived there shortly after how in the world did they get there along with the fallen knight's remains. 

"That doesn't make sense... We were there yesterday morning and that's what I saw..."
Ronald
```Iago Malpertuis | The cabin on the cliff```
The knight poured wine into the cups, and offered one to Linas.

"Perhaps you imagined it. The Oubliette tests everyone differently: what you saw might have been your trial, a reflection of your soul. If that were the case, I'd be looking at a fellow knight of House de Lysse!" Joked Malpertuis.
Jarod
Lei Linas | The cabin on the cliff

Lei scoffed and smiled at the other man before accepting the cup of wine, nodding at him in thanks. "Heavens no, that's impossible. I'm far too cowardly for such a thing. The most I have done to anyone was spill water on their shoes. Bessides, Lucien saw the dolls and carried the knight himself. Right?" He asked looking towards the older man for confirmation. 

"Thank you very much for the wine." He smiled greatfully and took a sip of the fine liquor.
Ronald
```Lucien Verne & the knight | the cabin on the cliff```
The old man scoffed, but confirmed Lei's story. "We saw the mark of the unholy, knight. Do not underestimate the old wisdom of us Shitbloods. We may not be smart, but we have good instincts."

Iago however, was concerned with something else. He was looking at Linas with a severe expression.

"Never revel in being a coward," He said. "It is a flaw, not a virtue. And if you were born a coward, then your duty is to die pretending you're not. You are a man, and sworn in service to a highborn lady. Meister or not, Saris expects you to rise above yourself."

He then turned his head towards Lucien. "Forgive me meister, you were saying something?"

Lucien didn't answer. He shaked his head and poked at the fireplace with a stick.
Jarod
Lei Linas | The cabin on the cliff

The young man froze as soon as he met Lucien's fierce glare, the cup of wine nearly chilling into ice in his very hand. Those words forced their way into his mind and left him stiff where he was. Lei frowned slightly and lowered his eyes timidly after being scolded by the other meister, only capable of giving him a small nod as an answer. He felt humiliated, all he was doing was making a light joke about it but it seemed that Lucien really distasted any form of weakness coming from him. He really needed to fix up his act if he wanted to get along with him.
Ronald
**Iago Malpertuis | The Oubliette**

After an uneventful night of tempest, the group returned to the outpost. Thanks to Lucien's help, Iago had been able to equip his full armor. The image of the hermit-artisan had now been fully replaced by a warlike figure in shimmering silver plate: the very image of chivalry itself. He still wore his trademark burgundy clothing in the form of plumes and tabards though, making the essence of his personality seep from underneath the armor.

They found the watchtower not as they had left if, but as Iago had described it: free of vines and thorns, and with the gaps between it's bricks refilled with new mortar. A banner of House de Lysse hung gracefully over the treshold, inviting the group inside. Even the rock had been sanded. The tower now looked like a miniature version of the Keep, instead of crumbling pile of rocks.

"See?" Iago told them. "The lady always keeps her promises. I placed the banner myself: _We stand Inviolate!"_ he shouted.
Jarod
Lei Linas | The Oubliette

Lei was baffled by the sight. The place looked nothing like they left it the day before. "Thats not right... It did not look this furnished yesterday.." He led his horses back towards the stables and kept his eye on them. He wondered if they still felt uneasy in this place. As he was leading them into the stables he could tell they were still nervous and agitated by something but what ever it is, it seemed to not be as present as it was before. 

"It seems like your presence here affected the place some how?... Or.. Maybe its just coincidence? " Lei spoke skeptically, barely believing his own words. "No... That doesn't sound right either." He was still struggling to fathom how different the atmosphere was. He tried searching for any signs of witchcraft or magic. Even if he was not very familiar with it in practice he was exposed to quite a bit of it in his home land. 

"Looks like we just get straight to work then." He spoke to himself and proceeded to set up his carriage as his work space, feeling most comfortable working there as this was where he lived and breathed during most of his travels. The large carriage was set up right beside the tower so he took the change to mount some torches along the path and along the perimeter to help keep the place lit even at night. He knew he was likely going to be up until late working as he often got carried away in his craft.
Ronald
Faure Family | The Oubliette

The Faures got to work: Lucien would cut down the trees, Renea would chop the branches, and Cardin would carry the logs to the tower. The old man struck against the trunks with savage fury, as if he was trying to cut someone... Or something.

Malpertuis paid no mind to it. He had found his paint and canvas inside the tower, and had taken to capture the scene. He sat outside the tower, and began to paint fully covered in armor. It was surreal.
Cardin was annoyed by this.

"Hey! You two!" He adressed both Iago and Lei. "Are you gonna let me carry these logs by myself?"
Jarod
Lei Linas | The Oubilette

While everyone was busy, Lei was also chopping some trees a safe distance away from Lucien. Watching his relentless performance hacking away at those trees sent chills up his spine. He definitely did not feel very safe with him close to him at the moment. 

Surprisingly, Lei performed well. He was much stronger than he looked. Once he heard Cardin's voice, Linas looked over and saluted him with a bright smile. "I got it, will be right over!"

He grabbed a metallic contraption from his carriage and unfolded it to reveal some sort of standing cart on two wheels. He set the logs he chopped onto it and pushed it over to other man with ease despite the heavy load of logs it was already carrying. There was still plenty of room for more logs to fit in.
Ronald
Cardin Faure | The Oubliette

"Oh nononono." Said Cardin. "You can't half-ass this! Those wheels will get stuck on the gravel. Carry the logs like a man, Linas."
Jarod
Lei Linas | The Oubilette

Lei was speechless. It seemed everything he did around these people was wrong... 
He sighed softly and looked down before looking up at him again. "But its much faster this way... See?" He gestured to all the logs he transported all at once. He tried to stay positive, hoping that he would let him continue to use the wagon. He really did not want to waste time carrying every log individually.
Ronald
Cardin & Iago Malpertuis

"Cocksure bastard," Spat Cardin. "I hope all of those logs fall on your feet."

Much to Cardin's dismay, they did not. Linas' cart struggled to make it up the slope, but the logs remained in place. Seeing Lei's progress, Malpertuis laughed:

"Looks like you don't need my help after all!" He said. And he returned to his painting.
Jarod
Lei Linas | The Oubilette

He twisted his lip slightly in disappointment when all he received was an insult from Cardin. He continued on his own and placed some more logs onto the cart before carrying on with his work. He continued to do the work his way. Hearing Iago's remark caused Lei to smile, he tried to hide it to avoid any more insults from the other meister but he couldn't help it. He was happy that his inventions proved to be useful even on rugged terrain. After gathering enough logs for the craft he picked up an axe and began fashioning the logs into strips and planks of wood used for constructing the needed parts for the war machines. Hand drawn blueprints for weapon modifications, carriages parts, and other needed machines were hanging on the walls for his peers to see. 

With his mind and body hard at work, Linas had already forgotten all about the strange happenings that previously plagued him during his first stay in these strange woods.
Ronald
Iago Malpertuis | The Oubliette

The Faures kept hacking at the forest, and Linas kept moving the wood towards the tower. Soon, it had piled high enough that Iago had trouble fiding a good angle for his painting.

"Well' seems like it's about time I stopped," He said. Then he gazed down at the Faures below and asked linas: "Seems like we have enough wood. What now?"
Jarod
Lei Linas | The Oubilette

He glanced over at the Knight as he kept carving out the wooden planks efficiently, using sharp tools to cut the planks out.

 "Now, I keep working to make all the wheels and weapon modifications Lady de Lysse asked of me." 

He pushed away the wood left over from the traced out planks in the log to reveal them. He then picked up the planks at neatly added them to the growing pile. 

He looked over at the sun to see what time it was then over at all the work he had accomplished so far.
Ronald
```The knight & the Faures | The Oubliette```
It was noon, time for everyone to get a meal. Renea had staffed one of the mules with grain, but Lucien insisted on hunting something himslef. He went into the forest and came back empty handed. Hardly surprising. After all, the Oubliette was a forest with no animals. There were no fish in the river either.
Because all Lucien knew how to do was roasting meat, someone else had to do the cooking, and surprisingly, iago proved to be the best cook out of the four.

"I learned how to eat all sorts of animals during my trials in the forest, I found out later that I had a talent for all things cuisine," He boasted.

Weird how the Oubliette was just a normal forest for Malpertuis. Perhaps it was that since the knight loved the forest, the forest loved him in return.

"Sorry for yelling at you earlier," Said Cardin to linas. "I was angry to see Sir Malpertuis painting instead of helping us, and I lashed out at you. You didn't deserve it."

He then turned to his father, as if expecting him to also give an apology, but Lucien remained quiet. Cardin continued:

"I also apologize to you, Sir Malpertuis. You had no obligation to help us, and yet you decided to come. I had no right to be angry at you like that."

"No offence taken," Said the Knight as he sipped on his bowl. "But since I'm the only one who isn't a Meister, there is something I've been wanting to ask: what are we building here?"
Jarod
Lei Linas | The Oubilette

"You were able to find animals here Iago?" Lei asked him with a curious look in his eyes. He couldnt even find a single mosquito that pestered him in these woods, much less any birds or squirrels. 

Lei looked over at Cardin when he apologized and smiled at him. "Its alright. " He responded happily as he was eager to befriend him. Lei avoided looking at Lucienfor so long, as he was afraid he would suck the life out of him if their eyes met. 

When the question about his inventions arose Lei lit up with glee. He was always excited to talk about his inventions. After explaining nearly endlessly about the carriage wheels and his other modifications he was creating for the Lady de Lysse he looked over at the Faures curiously. 

"How about the three of you? Are you passionate in any specific kind of craft?" 

He continued on with his meal and complimented Iago for his fine cooking, still wondering how this knight was not the least bothered by this place. He was convinced that his presence was a blessing that would cause this forest to flourish with life. 

After they all had their meals Lei helped with cleaning up then gently urged everyone to continue working on creating the machines that were commissioned.