Personae Dramatis

Part Number Four: Village of the Faceless (and Facefilled) Ones

Silas and Mathias marched about 5' apart and Lady Sterling flew above them, so far they hadn't encountered any more mutants – or any of their missing comrades for that matter. However, they felt they were heading in the right direction toward a slowly swirling vortex of clouds that was periodically shot through with vari-colored lightning. The closer they approached the distant phenomenon the colder the air became.

As they crossed a field they approached a group of buildings – a small farming community or homestead. They advanced upon it warily. Silas on point with Mathias on his right flank, and Lady Sterling now on foot, on his left as they unconsciously formed a 'wedge formation' with Silas as the tip.

As they neared a barn Silas remembered the recent orchard and the faces of the dead – the faces of the children were the worst to look upon, they always were. Silas opened the barn doors and the trio looked inside – where they found the villagers...at least the adults. A group of approximately 30 men and women all with their backs turned to the doors, still and silent.

Lady Sterling walked in and touched a woman on the arm, "hello my good woman, are you alright?" She jumped back startled "By the gods!" Mathias reacted first "What lady?" And then her other two comrades noticed it – the woman had no face; it had not been removed, it was just...gone. A blank slate from forehead to chin. No eyes, no nose and no mouth. Mathias and Lady Sterling checked the others while Silas maintained a watch on the doors.

"They are all the same. This is horrible" Mathias said.

"How are they alive? Or are they alive?" asked Lady Sterling.

"I do not know..." Mathias replied as he touched the chest of one farmer. "This one has a heartbeat, but how can they be breathing? Of all the horrors my eyes have beheld, I have never seen anything quite like...this..."

"And where are the children? Or the elderly?" Lady Sterling's concern was evident in her voice.

Just then Silas cried out "my friends!" as he gestured with his blade toward a trio of humanoids slowly approaching the barn. Lady Sterling and Mathias both turned to regard the newcomers.

The trio of humanoids were identical: a naked masculine form about 6'6", heavily muscled with light colored skin. All three were hairless and like the villagers, faceless – however their deformity was even more pronounced. Not only did they lack facial features, they lacked even nipples and despite their masculine forms, they were sexless as well. The trio approached the barn within 20' of the open door and quickly raised their arms and spread their legs into an 'X' shape. Then their flesh seemed to vibrate for a moment and they began to grow faces all over their chests, arms and legs! They were the faces of terrified men and women, and then the faces began to scream. A frightful, insane wailing cacophony of sound which seemed to be a signal. For that is when the faceless villagers struck. They turned en masse and attempted to mob and grapple both Mathias and Lady Sterling.

Silas turned and charged toward the trio of humanoids with Angelus Novacula in high position, as he approached within 15' of them each aimed its left hand toward Silas palm first and fired a glowing red ray of energy directly at him. All three rays struck Silas simultaneously, two in the chest and one in the left shoulder. Silas was rocked, and dropped down to his right knee. Gritting his teeth against the intense pain Silas regained his footing, and using the gifts of the Inheritor healed some of his grievous wounds.

Meanwhile in the cramped confines of the barn the faceless villagers swarmed Lady Sterling. She was reluctant to use her claws as she didn't know if the villagers could be saved. Several villagers grabbed her arms and another wrenched her right wing painfully, she looked up and saw one faceless man in farmer's clothes coming at her with a pitch fork!