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CALYPSO
02-25-2011, 01:54 AM
Prologue (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAkSPMjSKAE)

Lorana, a Kingdom of peace and prosperity. It is no wonder that travelers from all over the world visit the rich land to explore the diversity of culture and goods. However, this is not the only reason why the people come to Lorana. They come to search for an adventure or to find a missing link they have lost in their lives. In our story, our adventurers gather around the Kings Bulletin to see if they will find what they desire.

Thus, their journey begins…




*** (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_0xb3Y1nE0)
“Kyahhhhh!” screamed a little jester Elf as she was thrown out the castle. She rubbed her bottom as she got up from the ground; only to fall again as the knight threw her baton and flute.

“Don’t come back here if you can’t make a decent joke to Your Majesty!” The knight exclaimed.

The Elf looked up at the scary woman as she adjusted her jester’s hat. “P-please m’lady! Please let me get one more chance!”

She shook her head in disagreement, “No, no! Now go on!” She gestured the Elf to leave, “Perhaps Your Majesty at Lamordia has more patience.” Finally, the little Elf left the castle gates and the woman sighed in relief. “I hope that’s all of them for today,” she muttered as she thought of all the jesters that came to visit the King.

She walked back inside the castle to make sure everything was in order. The daughters were in the courtyard picking flowers; she was glad to know that the young one didn’t dare to sneak out again. It only happened about once a week. She was always so curious as to what was her motive, but it was none of her business to ask the young princess.

“Ialia!” another knight walked up to her as she looked away from the courtyard. “I haven’t spotted anything in the towns, but perhaps we can switch places and you see for yourself.”

Ialia nodded, “A great idea,” she placed her hand on his shoulder, “You can take care of the jesters that have been coming here! I will check the status of the Kings Bulletin to see if anyone else is interested.”

The knight snickered, “Other than yourself. I’m surprised King Loranos is letting go one of his best knights,” he whispered.

A smug grin appeared on her lips, “Only to protect the weak of course!” She responded and they laughed. After much casual talk, the two said their goodbyes and Ialia left to the town.

It was an extremely busy day at the markets, but then again, there was never a moment of rest during the early afternoons. Civilians hasted about the town holding onto bags of produce or particular items they needed for themselves. Among the center of the town was a large fountain with the Loranian crest as a pedestal in the middle. In front of the fountain was the Kings Bulletin and she noticed there was no updated status. Of course! No one dared sign their name on the bulletin other than her. And yet she couldn’t go on alone. She didn’t want the witch at Silvershadow turn her into a frog. Let someone else be the bait.

Ialia decided it was best to go to the tavern and relax while she waited to see if there was anyone who signed their name on the bulletin. Thanks to the massive crowd, Ialia had no choice but to gently push some people out of her way. Once she was at the entrance of the tavern, she slammed the doors open and popped in.

“The Great Knight Ialia has arrived!” She shouted with glee, some of the men and women cheered in excitement, while others…went about their day. Immediately, she was given a table and a free drink causing much attention about the tavern.

Kiall
02-25-2011, 02:26 AM
At the local tavern a loud ruckus could be heard, suddenly a tall ruddy cheeked man was thrown bodily through the door and out onto the cobblestone street. “I better not catch ya here again whelp, you won’t get off so easily next time!” the large man said to the prone figure heading back inside. Jason groaned and reached for the eye that the man had punched, it definitely felt swollen ugh this was turning into a nasty day for him.

How was he to know that woman was married? Or that her husband would take offense to him pinching her bum? Of course the fact he had been loudly insulting anyone that entered and was constantly stumbling and spilling ale on peoples lap certainly didn’t endear him to anyone but come on! It was a Tavern! Not a piss sodding opera house! you were supposed to get a little rowdy.

As he lay there clutching his swollen bruising eye another figure walked in, some ugly looking butch lady in garish armor walked into the bar, he heard her say “The Green Knight of Ialia has arrived!” and a smattering of cheers, for some reason this pissed off Jason to no end. Fuming he stood up clutching a nearby rock “stupid sodding tavern! Your ale tastes like horse piss!” he yelled throwing the rock which smashed one of the windows, angry noises could be heard inside and Jason beat a hasty retreat before anyone could find out who did it.

At the fountain Jason looked in his reflection studying his eye, yep there was definitely some bruising, his vision on that side was getting hazy too. He sighed, he would’ve liked to get something for the eye but truth was he was broke, he hadn’t even been able to pay for the drinks at the bar, insisting that he would pay it off later, didn’t have to worry about that now at least, the thought made him chuckle, he noticed the fountain was glinting with various coins the people threw in which he happily started plucking out of the water, if people were dumb enough to throw their money away he might as well have it.

As he plucked the money from the fountain he saw movement at the corner of his eye, a young girl was staring at him as he was picking up the loose change, scowling he used his gauntleted hand to splash water towards the girl yelling “Beat it!” the girl shrieked and ran away which made Jason laugh. He then saw a bulletin board, studying it he saw that some work needed doing down in the Silvershadow Forest, something about a witch or somesuch. Jason shrugged he’d faced witches before, like that nasty sea hag down in Porzul, plus he needed the money so why not? Wiping off his wet hand he signed his name.
___________

AngelicAsylum
02-25-2011, 02:32 AM
"I - is there anything else you m-might need, M-Miss?" the young barmaid stuttered, her trembling causing the large tray of ale she held to visibly shake.

"Just the wine." Isora Lelah pulled a few coins out of her small purse , but the barmaid had run off long before they hit the table. An unsurprising reaction, unfortunately, and one that she rarely noticed anymore. Lifting the delicate glass to her lips, she sipped lightly and studied the long piece of parchment in front of her. Several names were scrawled on it with a messy hand, and most of those had been crossed off in frustration.

Two years and still no information on the person who framed her. There wasn't even a single clue for her to hold on to; at this point she pondered the possibility of killing her Master in her sleep. But how could she, a young mage with absolutely no training in the Dark Arts, slay a man far more advanced in skill and study than her? Whoever did commit such a heinous act would have to be powerful beyond comprehension.

Sighing, Isora looked up at her surroundings. There were many tables at the pub, but the patrons would rather crowd into the corners than share a table next to her. Suspicious and fearful glances came at her from all sides and the air was heavy with tension... Which soon broke once the obnoxious Knight stormed in. She watched silently while the Knight complained about the lack of subscribers to the King's bulletin, and how the evil witch Mordra Sayd had to be destroyed.

Hmm. Mordra Sayd eh? Isora looked down at her list to see that very name. Interesting. The powerful witch who had fallen from grace would certainly have enough strength and skill to kill her teacher. Her unrivaled hatred towards magic users made her an even more likely suspect. To sign up for a quest such as that would not only give her a possible chance at revenge, but also provide her with enough coin to last at least several months. On the downside... she would probably have to interact with others, something she was not very fond of.

Isora didn't have much time to think. A burly man with a look of disgust walked towards her and crossed his arms. He was still flushed and hyped up from throwing out another person. "We've 'ad enough o' yer kind in 'ere. Be off wit ye! Or I'll throw ye out by yer stupid hat!" How rude. She liked her hat. Quietly gathering her things, she managed to leave the pub with her head held high, even while those around her whispered and spat.

After the murder, she had to work extra hard to master the evil spells which were once closed off to her. It was vile work that went against absolutely everything she had once believed in. But without her knowledge in the arcane what good would she be to avenge her Master? Spells of Neutrality and Light were no longer available to her - even touching spellbooks of that alignment burned her hands almost as much as the choker around her neck.

That damned choker. Magically sealed to her neck, it bore the widely known symbol for murder for the world to see, announcing a crime she did not commit. Between that and her all-black attire, every new location brought with it slurs, fear and isolation. She was tired of running.

The bulletin was in the center square, not far from the pub. The sun was particularly bright that day, making it all the more difficult to hide. Nevertheless, she silently moved past the bruised and beaten man and signed her name: I.L.

Ace of Hearts™
02-25-2011, 03:21 AM
His muscles ached and tightened as hard as stone, but he continued on his sprint. He was chasing after a thief that stole from an open air kiosk in the market. The hustle and bustle of the common folk packed in the streets, being herded like bovine by the varying voices of salesmen. He was on a merry chase, going though the crowds and back alleys of the market. That thief was too damn acrobatic, leaping off barrels and tables in the market.

"Must....be.....profes....sional" He managed to say through his heavy breathing. He could barely make out the thief. The only real feature on him was his 'cape' and black cloth mask which covered his eyes. He dressed in upper class clothes, though in the market it was a common enough thing to see the lesser nobles abound. He appeared to be weaponless, which was good, as killing a thief was excessive, and Ceasios left that life behind.

"Or....a....mad.....man." He squeezed out. Who wears a cape? The thief turned a sharp corner, one that Ceasios almost missed. Stopping himself as he skidded across the cobblestone, he stumbled into the alley. It was like a labyrinth, twisting and thin. The only way he knew where to turn was the sections with people pushed onto the ground. He hopped over them, finally breaking back into the city.

He was closer now, he had a clear path to the thief, who thought he lost him. He was not ten feet behind him when the masked burglar turned. His face went deathly white. He started off going straight into the crowd. He didn't bother being swift and moving though the crowd. He just pulled his arms to his face and plowed through the crowd.

Ceasios ran so close to him that he couldn't react quickly enough when the thief climbed over a board by the fountain. Ceasios went face first into the board. He twisted as he fell on his face a second time. He stumbled like a drunkard to see the thief upon a chaple tower, waving down at him.

Ceasios sighed, feeling ashamed. He glanced at the board, some payment for killing some women. He paced back and forth until he thought of what to do with the shopkeep. He'd be nice and pay with his own coin. He waded though the crowed until he came up to the kiosk.

"I'm sorry, friend, he got away. I plan to help you myself. How much did he take?" He asked the burly, beared shopkeep.

"Right, I'd reckon 'e took about 350...no, no he took about 500 he did." The man stuttered out those words, milking Ceasios for his coin. He had a look of disgust as he lay his purse on the bar infront of him. Exactly 500. A whole 3 month's worth of helping ungrateful peasents. What would he do for money?

"Wait! That board, payment for killing some women!" He exclaimed. It was so simple. He doublebacked to the board. Three signatures, and one more on the way.

Ceasios Syom.

Vampirequeen
02-25-2011, 05:15 AM
Luna Holmberg walked gracefully into the town square, oblivious to the stares of a few men who seemed to have never seen an elf like her before. Instead, she was wondering if anyone knew about her family's missing sword. Of course, the chances were slim as she had come from the neighboring kingdom of Lamordia. She took her bow and the quiver of arrows off her shoulder and stood still for a minute, enjoying the feeling of not having anything on her back for the first time in what felt like an eternity. After walking or riding a horse for several days on her way to Lorana, which meant that her bow and quiver had been on her shoulders for more than 24 hours total.

With her bow and quiver in her hands, she looked around and found herself staring at three people who appeared to be standing near some kind of bulletin board. She approached the board, her white cape flowing behind her, and found herself staring at something that had to do with a witch.

After looking at the board for a few seconds, Luna decided to join them. She signed her name, not noticing the way her sleeves flowed as she wrote her name. Luna stepped back, dropped her bow and quiver, put her palms together in front of her chest, and looked up towards the sky.

"Please, great gods, help my companions and I complete this quest and return alive." She prayed.

When she finished the prayer, she picked up her bow and quiver and stepped away from the board to wait for anyone who might come later.

Imp
02-25-2011, 05:30 AM
Tal'set had finally arrived near the massive limestone walls of Lorana. It was a simple four day walk thanks to his height and a dirt pathway. With him, he brought a gift to Lorana for he was the first Jotun that had ever stepped past the gates or was going to as he was a little nervous. His tribe had reached other kingdoms around the area but he was specially assigned to come here out of honor and duty for his people and as an emissary. As a sign of friendship, he had a collection of herbs and spices that only grew in the forests near Draconus. Also, he had some dried meat wrapped in a salted cloth to preserve the food. The meat wasn't heavy to him but it may have proved difficult for someone half his size to carry around so he had it roped up for easier transport.

The Jotun emissary made his way closer to the front gates where things looked busy. The sight of Lorana was breathtaking with not only the size but the amazing motifs and busts that were well placed around the kingdom's site. Tal'set had seen similar structures but nothing to this scale and extent,as other places had most only hardwood or low level stone walls. He still recalled back to one diplomatic mission to a camp near their boundaries. Food and equipment had been brought to the camp but the group of Jotun's were ambushed. In the end, the Jotun's were badly injured including himself but in retaliation, they killed everyone in the camp that was seen a threat and rased it after pillaging. The bodies were collected on massive poles and given to the dragons.

Keeping his guard, Tal'set made his way through a small bustling crowd that was entering and exiting the place. Everyone there had eyes rested upon him as he was something new to them. With the massive shield tied around his back, he created a silhouette of himself due to the sun being slightly behind him. Two well armed and armored guards made their way to the Jotun and immediately asked for what he sought on the lands of Lorana. Tal'set spoke up to them, his appearance must have been frightening as well as his deep voice.

"My name is Tal'set. I am emissary of Jotun tribes. I come in peace." Finishing his statement, Tal'set stuck his guan dao into the ground as well as his shield, disarming himself and taking from his side, the gesture towards peace. "Here, I offer this to you and wish to see..." His words were cut almost by the swords the guards had presented by their sides. "Obviously you are a stranger in our lands and although we do welcome most, you are something else with the baby dragon skull and barbaric attire." The guards had Tal'set carry his things and requested he follow them to speak with an official, a knight apparently.

On the way to a courtyard, Tal'set received ever changing looks from many of those wandering the streets. Warriors sought a challenge, rogue's simply showed no interest, Orcs were tempted to intervene, and some women looked in disgust while others gave lustful responses about his size. He was a bit clueless to some of the phrases heard from the people but he just shrugged and continued looking at everyone through his menacing mask.

"Wait here with my friend." One of the guards spoke to Tal'set, nearly having to back away to look look up into his eyes. The guard then made his way towards a pub. The Juton was still getting used to Lorana and all it had. While he was busy, the guard accompanying him joked about his buddy going in for a drink and getting stuck in there till closing. Too bad Tal'set wasn't paying attention however...

Mosaic
02-25-2011, 10:49 AM
Verlous was frankly shit broke after having repairs done to his blade, and replacing his knives from a previous job. He had money to fall back on, but that was stashed away for a rainy day. His movement seemed to have served its purpose as he waved down a the man now stopped in defeat. He moved along the chapel roof and jumped from roof to roof of the close lying buildings with narrow alleyways.

Once he was absolutely sure the man had given up the chase he found a wooden ladder and slid down it into the alleyway. He took the moment to unfasten his cloak and remove the thin cloth around the majority of his face. Ash white hair streamed down his back as he began to count the coin in the bag he had snatched up. It weighed considerably well, enough for any preparations he'd need for a next job, should he find one suiting himself.

He had kept himself out of the direct public eye of the city for some time now. Dark elves outside of the desert were an oddity, outcasts. Verlous was one such elf, one who had turned his back on his people because he didn't get what he wanted. Now he was a killer, a man who made murder his business, and so far business was good, until he signed up for a job that was going to take him some time to complete.

He sat down and counted the money with gloved hands. "Man, I thought that old bastard would never stop." One hand flipped coin after coin while the other tapped the end of a dagger into the dirt. He was itching again, how long had it been?

"Three hundred and sixty-four coin." he grinned. Worth the trouble and the chase. He slipped the bag inside his tucked shirt. He took the cloak and tore sections of it. One to tie his hair back, maybe time to shorten it? He took a larger section that comprised the hood and used it as such. He preferred to keep being a Dark Elf in the city on a low profile. Well as low as he could manage, and so far it seemed he had done well, and he didn't need to go around wearing that whole cloak either, surely that would cause for some issues. Then again issues could be fun. He cracked a grin to himself and walked off out of the alley. He needed to move on for the time being.

Auki
02-25-2011, 01:24 PM
It was a pleasant day and at that moment that was the most Reilios could ask for. The glistening walls of Lorana could be seen in the distance and he was praying to whatever gods might be listening that the weather would not hinder his progress. If the sky stayed clear, he could probably make it inside the city before the sun reached its peak in the sky. If the deities had a sense of humour, however, the rain might prevent him from arriving until early evening. It was a truth that his equine anatomy enabled him to travel through dreary weather far easier than any humanoid could on foot but he was not just a horse and he would prefer not be entering the city with soaking fetlocks. He was more than willing to sacrifice the extra two minutes to avoid a puddle than trot on through and muddy his hooves. It wasn’t a point of vanity but water between the toes never failed to dampen his mood.

He needed to enter the city with an open mind and a degree of excitement. Adventure would display itself as long as he kept a watchful eye for it. He was tired of travelling between villages and towns, searching for a good story, but a grand place like Lorana was bound to be hiding something precious, a tale just waiting to be told. He picked up his pace with little effort. Although his legs were sore from the long walk, he was happy to persevere with his goal so plainly in sight. He would be fine as long as the sky stayed clear.

Although his mind was set on the road ahead, he was not able to ignore the whimperings of a small humanoid crouching on the side of the road. The creature seemed to be hunched over, tears streaked down its face. Crying was not a familiar concept for Reilios - his tear ducts were nothing more than a method of keeping his eyes moist – but he was well aware of the meaning it held behind most other races. His first assumption was that the tears were ones of misery, judging by the general depression its body language displayed. Would it be wrong just to continue onwards? He gazed towards the city walls still far in the distance and pondered such a thought. As much as he desired to reach his destination, in actuality, he was in no rush. Somewhat reluctantly, he slowed down to a gentle walk, stopping before the creature and sitting before it.

With wet and frightened eyes, the humanoid looked up. Its voice was a hushed whisper,
“…You going to eat me?”
Reilios snorted in annoyance, “What would make you say that?”
“I-… I dun’ know.”

Upon replying, new tears seemed to spring to its eyes and an awkward silence threatened to blanket the scene as it huddled back and away from the Unicorn.

“Are you a dwarf?” Reilios questioned, looking over the creature.
“Wha- What?”
“No, you’re not a dwarf, I can see that now. You appear to be a human.”
“Yeah, I think I am…”
“You think?”
“Well… no-one’s ever told me.” The humanoid’s tone seemed to become slightly confused as though he doubted himself. The Unicorn couldn’t help but notice how hesitant its words seemed, like it was unused to trying to communicate with strangers. Each sentence seemed to require a deal of thought and rearranging within the creature’s mind. Reilios wondered if its intelligence was perhaps one tree short of a thicket. He continued his questioning,

“What is your mother?”
“Human, I think.”
“Your father?”
“Human.”
“Then you are human,” Reilios concluded with a short nod, “Are you a child or just short?”
“I’m not a kid! I’m five!”
“Well, I’m forty-eight so, to me, you are just a child.”
The human seemed to again look confused for a moment, “But my daddy told me horses only lived ‘til they were thirty.”

Reilios’ gaze turned instantly dark and the boy (at least, he thought it was male) cowered backwards, anxiety flashing across his face. The severe irritation in his voice matched his glare,
“Human child, I am not a horse, I am a Unicorn.”
The child’s expression seemed to brighten, “Oh, really? Oh, wow! My mummy says that unicorns are really pretty and that the one the King rides is even pre-…”
Reilios cut him off sharply, “I am not like the one your royalty rides. I am a real Unicorn.”

The child seemed unsure how to advance, terrified of upsetting anyone further. The adventurer sighed; if he were indeed the age he claimed to be, it would be unfair to blame him for his ignorance. A foal could only be expected to know as much as it is shown until it is old enough to explore by itself. Which brought to question the fact that neither parent seemed to be present at the scene.

“Why are you alone and why are you crying?” The Unicorn asked with a forcibly warmer tone.
“Mummy just had my sister…”
“A baby girl? Surely that’s a time for happiness then?”
“That’s what I said to Daddy. Mummy was all happy until the baby came. But now she keeps crying and I dun’ know why.”
“So how did that lead you out here?”
The boy became bashful for a few seconds, “I was going to pick her some flowers – The prettiest ones grow in the field over there - but I tripped. I didn’t mean to cry! I’m a man, really… It just really hurt.”
“Perhaps you should be getting yourself home then.”
“Will you carry me?”

The child’s question hung in the air unanswered for what felt like minutes and the boy seemed to realise he had crossed a line although Reilios was not sure he knew why.

“Do you think I will carry you because I look like a horse?” The Unicorn asked defensively.
“N- No, I asked because you look nice.”

Reilios sighed and gave in, swayed by the obvious innocence of the human, “I will carry you on my back to the gates but you can walk whilst we’re inside the city. I don’t want the rest of your kind getting ideas that they might be granted the same privilege.”

The boy’s miserable expression faded instantly, replaced by a beaming smile, as he clumsily clambered upon the Unicorn’s back and they begun their journey towards the city.

----

“…And I promise you, on a day like today you could have looked at these rocks and sworn they was white. They looked and felt like stone, smooth to the touch but hard as diamond. And white, a brilliant, dazzling white.”
“But then why did the village people tell you they were special? They sounds pretty… but not special.”
“See, now that’s the thing, human child, if one had viewed them just on that day they would think nothing less of it. However, the villagers, they told me to wait until it rained so I did. And it was awe-inspiring. As soon as the rain touched these rocks, they glowed. But not just white, each one was like a rainbow captured in ice. You could touch them and they would be freezing but they were letting off this amazing amount of light, in every hue. It was truly a phenomena, not one even I could explain.”
“Will you take me to see them one day?”
Reilios chuckled at the question, “Perhaps when you are older, we will go visit them together.”

It was an oddity – He had tried to engage the child in tales about dragons and ogres, but he had shown more interest in the geographical marvels Reilios had encountered.

True to his word, the little boy jumped back to the ground as they reached the city gates, testing his bruised ankle tentatively. When they were both satisfied he could walk unaided, they continued inside, the guards giving surprisingly little grief to the Unicorn. There were questions, of course, but none that he could not answer with a few, swift words.

The citizens of Lorana were not subtle with their stares, likely curious to the presence of a Unicorn not bound by reins. Their ignorance was irritating and their obvious disapproval of a ‘wild animal’ roaming the streets was infuriating but he let those emotions simmer behind a apathetic gaze. They were not worth his effort; in the time it would take him to educate each and every one of them, he would become old and crippled. To his amusement, the child seemed to be revelling in the attention. He walked proudly beside Reilios as though personally escorting him through the streets. There was once a time when any human would have acted the same but the world had forgotten the majesty of the Unicorn and had become arrogant in its power. He wondered how they would feel if his race started to take theirs as captive; it would be easy to pick them off but in the end, they would be useless. Unicorns were self-sufficient in that essence; they did not require abusing another race to make themselves stronger.

The pair stuck to the poorer sections of the city, the child obviously not being from a particularly rich family. Wealth was just another thing that Reilios cared little about – After all, what use did Unicorns really have for money? As much as he denied it, he was more than capable of living like any wild horse and that was a free lifestyle. For him, money only bought luxuries.

The parents seemed more than appreciative for returning their child – They claimed it wasn’t unusual for the boy to escape the city on the back of a farmer’s cart whenever he got upset. When the Unicorn pointed out that any good parents wouldn’t allow such a thing to occur, his welcome seemed to grow stale. He stayed long enough to quietly inform the mother that her child was worrying about her well-being – A fact that seemed to shock her as though she really hadn’t noticed her obvious self-pitying – and then, he left, much to the boy’s disappointment. In truth, it was a relief in some ways; it had been a while since he had conversed with humans and he had forgotten their many unredeeming qualities.

Flicking his tail from side to side as he often did when he entered a state of absent-mindedness, he wandered the city waiting for something to capture his interest… Some kind of adventure. This eventually came in the form of the King’s Bulletin, detailing an exciting quest versus the likes of witch. Dangerous, he was sure, but nothing was without its price.

He stood before it silently, ignoring any others who might also crowd the space and mulling over the situation.

How on earth was he meant to sign his name if he didn’t have hands?

sneakyonfoota
02-25-2011, 05:07 PM
The girl tilted her head at what she beheld, uncertain if it was what she had surmised due to viewing it only from the rear. Her hand drifted to her side, brushing her rumpled cloak aside to remove a book from a stiff leatherbound case hanging by her hip. Thumbing through its gilded pages with a practiced efficiency, she stopped at the appropriate page:


Unicorn
Etymology: literally, one horned; 'unus', one, and 'cornu', a horn. A magnificent beast bearing similarities to a white horse, but bearded like a goat and bearing a single, long horn of ivory from its brow.

By all observances, rear or otherwise, the beast was indeed a unicorn no matter how one looked at it; if it were not an elaborate hoax. The girl's bifocals strongly indicated the former, however. She felt grateful for High Magister Reynold's Compleat Bestiary and returned the book to its case. Though outdated, it was a gift from her master, and treated it with an almost undeserved reverence--she spent a great deal of her free time painstaking restoring the illuminations with alchemical components and performing minute repairs to every tear and blot she encountered. Her sentimentalsim (or was it bibliophilia?) had gouged into her pocket money, though she did not seem to care much about that. Nor did she seem to care that her precious book was at least fifty years out of date.

She stood silently for a moment, building her resolve and then finally reached for one of the component pouches that lined the belt she wore over her plain hempen tunic. Retrieving an inch of wire, she held it to her lips and whispered, "Message,". She then pointed the head of her shillelagh in the unicorn's direction.

A tiny spark of arcane energy traveled from the tips of her thumb and forefinger to the end of the wire.

"May I assist you, Mr. Unicorn?" she mouthed, her whisper barely audible, though it was louder for her intended recipient: Reilios. "I am the girl behind you... Spectacles and walking stick."

Her Message cast, the copper wire blackened and disintegrated into silt between her fingers.

That was all she could muster... at worst she would be ignored, and she could accept that outcome. Regardless, she would be approaching that bulletin board in a moment, for she had firmly decided to undertake the behest posted there.

Wattz
02-28-2011, 07:12 PM
“I tell ya, this city’s falling apart. I mean, have you seen the riffraff they’ve let in? I think that mage cursed me or something…”

“No way, did you see the barbarian?”

“And that guy chasing the thief? I guess crime is now on the rise.”

“That’s nothing. You should’ve seen the unicorn running around. You’d think the king would be able to handle his own pets.”

“Oh well. There’s a tavern in Lorana, all’s right with the world.”

The three men finally arrived at the tavern, relieved to know they could still drown their worries in alcohol. If this wasn’t a safe place, then where else could they go for comfort?

The first one gratefully flung the tavern door open only to be met by the boisterous laughter of the female knight. The three stood stunned in the doorway, watching as the whole bar erupted with raucous behavior. They stared, then blinked, then a moment later they closed the door.

“Ah… ya know, maybe we should go somewhere else.”

“King… king? You help me king?”

The three whipped around as a female’s voice thundered behind them. They looked up in shock into the face of a half giant, though they assumed otherwise. Their faces drained white as Ualan held a piece of paper one size too small for her massive fingers and waved it in their faces.

“King! Help me cover walk!”

But they were off and running before Ualan had a chance to answer. She sighed heavily, realizing that she’d be getting nowhere any time soon. It took all of her care to make sure the little human paper didn’t rip in her hands. You’d think they’d have the decency to find a bigger piece. She didn’t even obtain the paper in Lorana. Ualan had been lucky enough to find a small village with inhabitants who were slightly more hospitable. She wasn’t even sure if the translation was correct.

The half giant took out the original message and compared them side by side. Did she even properly translate them? Her father Kuan never taught her words like ‘pave,’ but she did at least know ‘king.’ Lorana was marked as a city, easily translated into another language. That was the reason she was here in the first place.

Side by side, the two read as such:


’The King of Lorana paves the way’

’Lorana’s king covers his walk’

The half giant word for ‘pave’ did look an awful lot like ‘cover’ and ‘way’ seemed very close to ‘walk’. Ualan couldn’t even properly grasp what ‘king’ meant. Of course half giants had a leader, but it certainly was not a ‘king,’ and their village was run primarily by a council.

Luck would have it that she looked just in the direction of the fountain as she was pocketing the fateful messages. A massive group of strange individuals were gathering around the thing, some even writing on something of interest. Ualan cocked her head to the side as she took a couple of strides. Her eyes were wide with childish curiosity as she scratched her head, trying to see what all the commotion was about.

And there it was: the word ‘King’ blazed on the paper, shining bright like a beacon of hope. Did it mean anything? Ualan stepped through the tiny people. She only just avoided having her leg gutted on a strange horse-thing with a horn jutting out from his head as she leaned in close. The spray from the fountain made her body shiver, prompting her to pull her cloak around her body even tighter. Lorana was way colder than Gallagona ever was.

She couldn’t read much, but there was a list of names that looked fresh with ink. Ualan pulled the translated page out again in excitement, comparing the translated ‘king’ with the one before her.

“King! Lorana’s king. You king?” Ualan pointed a stubby finger down at the nearest individual. “Your note?” Then she motioned towards the King’s Bulletin, wondering if any of the people in this group had posted it.

sneakyonfoota
02-28-2011, 08:29 PM
A paralysing tingle went up Marilyn's spine as she felt the weighty presense of a large being stepping over her. She remained staring forward and not budging a muscle, the colour drained from her otherwise permanently flushed complexion.

I would have been crushed, perhaps, thought Marilyn, regaining her senses. That would have been dreadful. Blinking, she once again extracted High Magister Reynold's Compleat Bestiary from its sleeve and thumbed her way through to the appropriate entry.


Giant
Humanoid-shaped creatures of gargantuan strength and size. Many are attuned to the native element of their habitation, and so wield it at their command.

See: Giant-kin

Not quite, Marilyn thought, observing the giantess at the bulletin board. She scanned further down the page.


Giant-kin
Large humanoids related to 'true' giants.

See also: Half-Giant, Jotun, Ogre, Troll

Getting closer.


Half-Giant
Giant-kin of stature closest to that of average humanoids. A tribal culture, they flourish in the Gallagona region alongside and in competition with fellow giant-kin, Ogres.

See also: Ogre

Interesting, thought Marilyn, returning the Bestiary to its case. Glancing from the half-giant woman to the unicorn, Marilyn came to the conclusion that Lorana was a much more cosmopolitan city than her guidebook had led her to believe. She had barely enough time to complete her thought when she found herself staring down the enormous fingernail of the desert amazon herself.

Once again she found herself paralyzed--though more out of attempting to decipher the half-giantess intentions more than the abject fear that was immediately next in her emotional queue. Thankfully her appreciation for puzzles took precedence. She tilted her head at the half-giantess.

"Not king," she said quietly, pointing to herself. Then, pointing at the bulletin, "King's word there. King give quest. People take."

She hoped she did not come across as condescending, however erring on the side of simplicity seemed to be the better route... Otherwise she would have to expend one of her memorized spells for the day to resolve this conundrum.

Kiall
02-28-2011, 10:44 PM
Jason had sat by the fountain nursing his eye and watching the gaggle of circus folk grow ever larger, first there was that one woman in all black, he remembered her from the bar as the crazy looking woman with the stupid hat, in fact he had even taken to calling her ‘crazy looking hat lady who was also stupid’ he wasn’t very creative when he was drunk admittedly, but calling her a witch like everyone else seemed like a cop out, besides everyone knows witches didn’t drink in taverns, the insistence on the superiority of home-made brews was a point of pride in all witches and one of the reasons they lived so far away from everyone else.

Oh and then there was the old man who had enough skill and grace to run into a sign, that’s just what we need a clumsy vigilante, dumb sod probably even paid off whatever was stolen, Jason thought with a laugh. When he saw the priestess he had to check again to make sure he had signed up for the right thing, what was she going to do? Make the monsters feel guilty for touching themselves? Jason was cut off of his reverie when he saw a horse, an actual horse walk up to the bulletin seemingly to sign up. It just kept staring at it, a look of consternation on its face..was that even right? could horses be consternated?

He was once again interrupted by the approach of a giant of a woman. “Good gods!” he heard himself cry “The hell do they feed that thing?!” he saw a fifteen year old girl who seemed to be carrying an entire library try to talk to it, he was impressed talking to ogres was neither fun nor easy and it took a lot of nerve, he decided to intervene simply because if that thing ate one human you just know she's going to want to eat twenty or fifty more he walked up to her, but not before slapping the horse on the rump, it was for its own good, ogres love horses especially dumb ones, he didn't bother to check and see if it left and and said to the girl “Look let me handle this, i've got experience talking to these things, and the last thing you wanna do is talk yourself into becoming a sausage.” he lookd up at the giant's face, the important thing was to not show fear and not to confuse their tiny, tiny brains. speaking in a loud, slow exaggerated manner he said “Meee Jayyyy-Sonnn, not foooodd’ he pointed to the town, “Smaaaalll things not fooood! King not foooooddd!” so far so good “food out town! Find food out! You understannnnddd?”
______________

sneakyonfoota
02-28-2011, 11:03 PM
Marilyn blinked.

Oh, she thought. The man must be a professional, she surmised, given the total confidence he had in his methods. After observing his drawling dialogue for a moment, she took mental note to utilize his technique should she ever come across a half-giant again. She was somewhat thankful that she didn't have to spend a casting of Comprehend Language, but at the same time a pang of guilt plagued her inability to be immediately useful.

The man must be an adventurer, she concluded. How useful. How dependable. Recollecting her shaken resolve, she strode over to the bulletin board with what she imagined to be a confident swagger. Thrusting her finger at the bulletin as she imagined a bonafide adventurer would, she whispered, "Arcane Mark", and so left her name etched upon the sheet: M. Gale.

Mosaic
03-01-2011, 05:41 AM
Verlous had walked his way through the streets back to the fountain. He was impatient and needed to get back to the markets to check on his fighting sword. He knew it wouldn't be finished yet, but he wanted to put a sense of urgency on the smith to finish it quickly and efficiently. However his attention as he walked past the fountain was drawn to a female half giant who seemed to be going on about something to do with the king.

He watched her movements, he had learned a few things from the half giants that traded within the Gallagona kingdom. Enough to have a basic conversation at least. He wasn't too concerned at first, seemed the usual thing of a half giant trying to get her point across. However his mood changed when he heard some arsehole booming loud and idiotically, similar to a retarded ass.

“Meee Jayyyy-Sonnn, not foooodd’ he pointed to the town, “Smaaaalll things not fooood! King not foooooddd! Food out town! Find food out! You understannnnddd?”

He scoffed keeping his hood down to shroud his face. All the rest of his body was covered in clothing to cover his dark skin. It was hard enough for most Giants and half Giants to slip into society without arses like this making a scene. He didn't care about finesse or politeness, he moved forward cutting through people walking through the street. He shoved his way past the small gathered group at the bulletin and intentionally rammed his shoulder into the jackass's shoulder blade. He kept his body turned so that his hood covered his face so none of the others would see the exposed section of his flesh. "She's a half Giant you simpleton, not a bloodthirsty monster." his words almost dripped with a venom meant to sting.

He looked up at Ualan, only she would see the dark skin and white hair beneath the hood. He spoke with what knowledge he did have of their mannerisms. "What help." he motioned to her with his hands, "Need friend?" his voice did not have the venomous harsh sound, but still deep and with a rasp to it as his voice usually had. This was as gentle a voice he could muster he did not raise his voice to yell as Jason had, instead he spoke up only enough to be heard over the bustle of the crowd, those related to the giants were the only ones Verlous had any desire to actually help in some way.

She had repeated herself "King, Lorana's King. Your note?"

He looked at it for a moment and read the details. Hmm, a freelance contract for the kingdom of Lorana. Witches, pheh, he'd dealt with them before. Seemed interesting, and a good line of spell fodder had lined up too.

"No ours." he motioned to the group. "We sign, paper by king." he swung his arms wide, "in big stone building." he motioned wide to the castle, and turned to the poster and pulled out a small feather with a small black vial around the tip and removed the feather tip scratching his name on an empty slot. His back exposed to Ualan showing the various knives on his back along with the two curved blades to his sides. "Bad woman," he motioned for spell casting, "Need killing." a gesture for witch.

He had explained the poster as best he could and hoped she understood with his amateur motions. "What need you with king?" he asked his arm arching to Ualan.

Anne Bonny
03-01-2011, 06:09 AM
“Well it’s actually fairly easy to track down a harpy,” Phoebe was explaining. She paused to take a long drink of her ale before continuing. “Sure, they don’t leave footprints, but they do love a good fish dinner. All you have to do is find some water and then look for the bones.”

The two men across the table nodded slowly, one of them looking particularly unconvinced that it was indeed an easy task. Phoebe ignored his unspoken questions and kept on with her tale.

“I climbed the tallest pine tree I could find and sat waiting for the beast to fly by. Around sundown it finally showed. Hideous monster. It’s hair was a nest of tangles and it’s limbs all wirey. And in it’s claws, it carried a lamb, just as the farmers claimed. So I quickly notched my arrow and-“

“I thought you said they liked fish.”

Phoebe dropped her hands into her lap and stared across the table. “I’m sorry?”

“You said harpies liked fish,” the befuddled looking traveler replied. “Why did it have a lamb?”

The ranger opened and closed her mouth, at complete loss for words. “Have you not been listening to anything I’ve been saying? That’s why the farmers took me on in the first place! Because the harpy had been stealing their livestock!”

The man stroked his matted beard in thought while Phoebe’s blue eyes burned into him, and the other man at the table tried to assure her that their companion was very silly, and that she should please go on with her story. But before she got the chance, one of the servers passed by their table.

“More ale, Miss?” he asked with a friendly smile that seemed to make his handsome face light up completely.

Phoebe leaned back in her chair and returned his grin with a devilish one of her own. “Certainly. Unless you’ve got something a bit… stiffer?”

The server turned beet red. After stuttering a bit, he finally managed to say he’d be back with her drink and hurried off, chased closely by Phoebe’s laughter.

Her smile quickly vanished, however, when she turned to see that the two men she had been chatting with were still sitting at the table. Perhaps she was getting cabin fever, but it seemed to the dark haired girl that she had less patience with these two she usually did with strangers.

“Well how do you get all the good quests?” one of them was complaining as he slurped mead through his thick moustache. “Doesn’t make it fair for the rest of us if you jump out and take them all.”

Phoebe rolled her eyes. “Because I’m the best,” she said simply, wishing that server would come back soon with her drink.

The other man at the table snorted. “If you’re so good, how come you haven’t taken the king’s mission on?”

She sat up straight in her chair. “What mission?”

“The one that’s been posted on the bulletin. To take on a witch or some such nonsense.”

The girl drew her lower lip between her teeth. A request of the king? A battle against a witch? It sounded like just the adventure she needed to get her out of this town, or at least out of this tavern.

Upon exiting the building, however, Phoebe was greeted with perhaps the oddest and most disorganized bunch of beings she thought she had ever seen. A giant (albeit a smallish giant, she supposed), a unicorn, a girl who might still be considered a child, an elf… and at least one complete fool. What a ridiculous mess of creatures. It almost all looked like to much fun to even be possible.

It seemed that the topic of the hour wasn’t the quest, of all things, but rather trying to explain to the giant in various ways what the adventure would be about and who a king even was. One of Phoebe’s slim eyebrows arched as she stood nearby, watching the scene with folded arms. It wasn’t until the dark elf inked his name on the bulletin that she finally moved forward.

“Well if you say she needs killing, what are we waiting for?” she asked with a smile, holding an open palm out to the elf who was now trying to communicate with the giant. “I don’t carry a pen. May I use yours?”

Imp
03-01-2011, 07:14 AM
Tal'set turned to notice a larger gathering of people by the fountain than prior. Out of the group of folks, the ones that caught his eye was obviously the giantess as well as the unicorn. He watched as they all signed a sheet near the fountain. He sighed at the mention of a King and thought to himself of how such a beautiful place was created by a lowly monarch system. He had hoped there was more than just a King deciding what was just in this region.

Still awaiting the guard from the tavern, Tal'set watched and listened to the seemingly awkward group. The giantess was unfamiliar with the ways of the place as well as himself but he found it best to continue watching to see who would solve the giantess' problem. However, his attention was easily swept to a women dressed as that of the night sky on the other side of the fountain. He felt that being so tall must have made him pretty noticeable to all of those in the area. With that, Tal'set knew he wouldn't have frightened the woman if he approached softly and began to do so.

Making his way around the large fountain, he made sure not to make the mistake of stepping on any unicorns or anything as the giantess did. Finally making it to the sharply dressed woman, the Jotun approached and introduced himself as Tal'set the emissary of the Jotun tribes. The single guard kept a watchful eye on the tall stranger while he commenced in starting a conversation with the woman.

Knowing his translation of the woman's possible language may be butchered like a dead knight in a dragon's cave, he proceeded forward, feeling he had nothing to lose. Although there was a positive reinforcement in that she looked similar to those that would rarely walk the Draconus lands, which may help him since those were known as mages and it was said they could speak to anyone in any language.

"Pardon, one who wears the night sky and lengths of cloth like that of tails of falling stars." He started with a muffled comment from his mask on the coned headdress she wore with the ribbons hanging from it as well as her dark attire. "The gathering, what is happening there?" From behind the mass of white feathers, light brown fur and blond hair, an arm rose with a finger pointing towards the group. He had hoped she understood him and awaited an answer.

Kiall
03-01-2011, 07:36 AM
Jason felt a hard shove on his shoulder blade, “She’s a half giant you simpleton, not a bloodthirsty monster.” The hooded man said not looking at him, before Jason said anything the hooded git turned to the giant and started talking to her. How the hell was he supposed to know what she was? He thought rubbing his shoulder, he’d never even seen a half giant before, or a full giant, or a female ogre, wow there were lots of things he’d never seen come to think of it. Well he was glad someone knew what she was atleast, still that didn’t give him the right to waylay him like that, like he was some sort of anti prejudice guard come to save the poor bewildered half giant from the evil ignorant man a bloo bloo bloo. Jason just shrugged and waited until the hooded man had explained what the bulletin board was.

Jason activated his gauntlet and calmly brushed past him just a few inches away but not touching him, and released two small embers from his gauntlet onto the man’s shirt he then kept up his calm pace and sat down by the crazy lady with the hat, facing away from the bulletin board and the hooded man. A large masked person had tried communicating with her, guess she was a translator because Jason didn’t know the words but he recognized the accent.

“You're from the Draconus Peaks aren’t you?” he said out loud remembering, ah yes he had encountered a war band a few years ago when he had joined up with two other guys in some ill conceived plan to kill a dragon, Jason had ended up being the only one to survive the encounter the other two ended up with their heads on a pike. He nudged the crazy looking translator in the stupid hat, “Tell him I like his mask” he requested. Best to act natural and make small talk and then feign shock once the man realized he was on fire, just smile and pretend to be interested.
___________

AngelicAsylum
03-01-2011, 07:43 AM
Isora observed her new companions with a cool interest, clearly wishing to know them better, but too ashamed of her appearance to introduce herself to anyone. There was another mage girl - a youngling apprentice it seemed, who would rather use her magic to sign her name than a pen, a female half giant who appeared to be rather confused but good natured, a beautiful "wild" unicorn, and a slew of other odd looking people all ready for the long journey. Hopefully ready enough for the task at hand.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the heavy wooden armor and dragon skull mask of a Jotun approach her cautiously, as if not to scare her. While never visiting Draconis Peak herself, it was frequently a topic of discussion with her Master. Jotun tribes spanned the length of Draconis and kept guard over dragon eggs and hatchlings. Mages would trade goods and magical items with the tribes and dragons themselves for centuries. They were generally well respected.

"Pardon, one who wears the night sky and lengths of cloth like that of tails of falling stars. The gathering, what is happening there?"

She gave him a slow bow, to show that she was aware of their history. "Greetings, Jotun," she said quietly, turning slightly to point to the King's bulletin. "Do you see that over there? The King has asked for skilled fighters to destroy Mordra Sayd, the cursed witch. There is quite a sum to those who..."

“Tell him I like his mask”

"...come back victorious. Anyone interested must sign their name on that scroll."

Aware of the smelly, drunken man nudging her, she inched away from him and added "Oh, and this... gentleman likes your mask." Isora turned to him calmly. "He speaks Common, just not very well, I assume. You can compliment him yourself."

Wattz
03-01-2011, 08:04 AM
The girl’s voice was so slight that Ualan could hardly hear it at first, only seeing her lips move. She leaned forward to better hear. The king gave quests… that people took. Ualan had to think for a moment to realize what a quest was. Her father called his excursion into the outside world a quest of sorts. Maybe he went on the same quest again? A spark went off, but before Ualan could quite pin the idea down, someone else approached her.

This… Jay-son character had one of the strangest ways of speaking. His voice was loud like that of a half-giant council member, asserting his authority. Was it possible that he thought he was this King? She raised an eyebrow at the thought. It also took him a lot longer to get a word out than others. Or was it even an accent? But no, Ualan didn’t understand, really. Food? This king… was food? This man was… hungry?

“First quest… now… food? Jay-son hungry, go get food!”

Oh, no, it was not food. Why would that matter? What a silly man. Ualan would have smiled if she weren’t so frustrated with the task at hand.

“No, king quest! King not food!”

Then another man appeared, interrupting and snarling at the drunkard. Ualan saw the gray skin and white hair, his features immediately recognizable as those of a dark elf. Half-giants were just as reclusive as them, though the two races were prone to trading with one another. It was unsurprising to see that he was well-acquainted with half-giant arm motions, and even though the English was still a tad difficult to decipher, Ualan was more than relieved to see the familiar communicative methods.

Sign paper by king… stone wall… kill bad woman. A strange quest indeed, and one that Ualan had to think about for a moment. She chewed on her lip thoughtfully, noticing another newcomer appear out of the corner of her eye, and watching as the female asked to use the elf’s pen. It was an awful small thing, and Ualan had a feeling that she might accidentally crush it in her hand, but she felt that signing the paper would be an excellent impulse. It was all Ualan had.

She smiled wide and looked down at the two, cocking her head to the side and pointing almost dramatically. “I use too?”

Auki
03-01-2011, 09:47 AM
…There was that tiny village in the Anorgath region where none of the people had limbs. How was it they managed? Oh no, wait… They were all master magicians. They really had looked quite odd, flying around in the air, not as gracefully as one would imagine. That poor senile fellow, ricocheting himself into the river. Thank the gods that I was around to save him…

Reilios was reminiscing about the past, his tail flicking from side to side despite the amount of people seeming to bombard the King’s Bulletin. They were like flies to him, no more deserving of his attention than the air around him. He could still recall the passing comments of the townspeople, their ignorance blazing with every opening of their mouth.

“Mother, why is that Unicorn’s horn black? Is there something wrong with it?”

Something wrong! Oh, the very cheek of the comment. He had felt like turning around and lecturing that human there and then. Black was the natural colour after all. It was their Royalty that dared file down the Unicorn’s magnificent horn to revel the softer white core inside. What use was that? Putting it in risk of shattering from the simple blow of a sledgehammer just for aesthetic purposes. Sickening, just sickening.

It was the least of his expectations that one of the ‘flies’ might approach him in conversation.

"May I assist you, Mr. Unicorn? I am the girl behind you... Spectacles and walking stick."

Reilios tilted his head slightly to the side, capturing the girl that stood behind him in his line of vision. He was not like some humanoid; his visual field stretched far larger. He could not comprehend what it would be like to only see what was in front of you. It would be a question he would have to ask them one day, when he found one intelligent enough to hold a decent conversation with. Not that he had tried talking to very many but he had never really seen the point in trying.

For instance, why did she think he needed help? He was perfectly capable by himself. His species had done far more amazing things than signing a sheet of paper before. He was sure it wasn’t a case of ‘could he?’ but just having to work out how to write his name. There must be a way. He was not an animal. He glared at the slip of paper defiantly, forgetting to reply to the girl in his irritation.

The half-giant got little reaction out of him, except for a fleeting pang of emasculation at the sheer size of her. He was not a small animal by any means; standing with his head held up, he could reach almost 8ft in height, not including the extension of his horn. However, the new arrival to the crowd still towered over him in a fairly intimidating fashion. It was alright when one expected to be mingling with giants and similarly sized beings but when one expected humans… her appearance knocked him down a peg or two in his façade of superiority.

He might had had a chance of communicating with her effectively (and was more than willing seeing as they were both obvious outsiders in this town) but the humanoids jumped in before he could. They all seemed pretty hopeless in comparison, although some were substantially more understandable than others. He left them to it, more concerned with the bigger issues of life. Like how to sign a piece of paper.

Perhaps it was indeed time to utilise the uses of the human race as they had done to his so many times before. Where had that girl gone?

It appeared she had actually moved closer to the Bulletin than he himself was, eagerly signing her name upon that confounded paper.
“Walking-stick-girl.” He took the few steps that separated them as he spoke, leaning over her shoulder to peer at the board, “M… Gale.” He didn’t really understand how human naming worked; they seemed to have little in the way of set rules for it with pet names and nicknames and insults interchangeably used in the place of a proper name. Sometimes they would opt to address each other by the first word, sometimes the second and sometimes just by title.

He took a stab in the dark, “…Gale, help me.” He nudged the sign-up sheet with his nose, “It’s Reilios. Spelt R-E-I-L-I-O-S. It would earn you my eternal gratitude if you could aid me by writing it down.”

“And please,” he sniffed, offering a tone that was less condescending than the one he frequented (For he had just asked her a favour after all), “Just because a human claims to be an ‘expert’ in talking to foreigners does not mean he is. I would rather you directed questions on different cultures to me than the likes of him.” And that was saying something; Reilios rarely requested that any human stranger approach him for any reason.

sneakyonfoota
03-01-2011, 03:45 PM
The girl looked at the unicorn in wide-eyed surprise; her mouth was tightly pressed into a line. The magical beast was actually talking to her! He used her name! Her cheeks felt hot. She quickly snapped to stand straight, her hands folded in front of her over her shillelagh and gave the unicorn a respectful bow.

"I will take your counsel to heart, Master Reilios," said Marilyn with sincere devotion.

She removed a stained, yet nonetheless gold-tipped reservoir pen from a sleeve built into her book case. She tested its nib against the cuff of her rawhide glove, stroking the delicate tip against it until the ink flowed freely in fine lines. Then she carefully inscribed the unicorn's name upon the sheet, being very keen not to allow the pen to bleed nor the ink to run. Capping the pen and returning it to its narrow pocket, she stood straight again and inclined herself again respectfully.

"I... look forward to working with you, Master Reilios," she uttered softly.

Auki
03-02-2011, 09:26 PM
"I will take your counsel to heart, Master Reilios."

He was slightly taken back by the method in which the human conducted herself (He had decided that it must definitely be a female considering the length of hair and slightly curvaceous figure, both which appeared to be signs of femininity in their culture) but he appreciated the gestures. He couldn’t help himself watching over her as she scribed his name although admittedly she did so flawlessly. Had he hands, he likely couldn’t have done it better himself. Satisfied, he nodded his thanks.

"I... look forward to working with you, Master Reilios."

He did not really approve of the title she added to his name but he didn’t criticise her on it. It was a small matter he would overlook for now. He was more concerned with the amount of people expressing interest with signing the Bulletin, particularly that of the half-giant. He was pretty sure one accidental fling of her fist would knock him to the ground.

“Seeing as we have both signed our name, I think it best we wait out of people’s way.”

He indicated a spot, close enough that they still seemed part of the crowd but far enough away that they would not hinder those attempting to put their names upon the paper. Urging her to follow him towards it, he cast a wary glance towards the grizzled ‘translator’. His eyes were instantly drawn across to the person next to him, a pale, red-haired human – Almost certainly a female judging by her bust. His interest was on the collar around her neck – he had travelled long enough to recognise the marking upon it – but did not pass judgement. He realised he was perhaps verging on staring and so, after offering a short nod in greeting, he diverted his gaze back to the female next to him.

“I just pray this quest can go smoothly, Gale. It’s gathered some… ‘unique’ characters after all and defeating a witch won’t be easy if we’re all squabbling.”

He sniffed in disdain, “Personally, I don’t feel like dying just yet.”

sneakyonfoota
03-03-2011, 02:29 AM
The girl obediently followed the unicorn, maintaining a respectful distance from him.

She paused thoughtfully for a moment after considering the misgivings that Reilios had confided. After a swallow, she replied.

"Begging your pardon, Master Reilios," said Marilyn quietly, "but the bulletin described the objective to be the retrieval of the Magical Harp alone. While it is written that the Harp is currently in the possession of the Witch, it was not explicitly stated that we are to defeat nor engage the Witch in combat. Perhaps we will be able to arrive at an alternative strategy after giving it due consideration."

She glanced at the others who stood by the board, all engaged in conversation.

"Our prospective allies aside, Master Reilios; and with due respect; from my studies I have come to understand that your race is naturally resistant to evil, and that your aura of good affords you with efficacious offensive capabilities against it. Additionally, we are setting out to a wooded area, also putting you at an advantage."

Mosaic
03-03-2011, 04:41 AM
He didn't plan on sticking around too long. It seemed she kind of understood, his knowledge of the language was comparable to that of a giant infant who had just learned to talk. Minor as it was, it seemed to have gotten enough through to Ualan.

Normally he was more aware of his surroundings, and his focus on the half giant had caused an oversight. He hadn't payed any attention to the man he had just snapped at, and in error did not do anything to monitor his actions. The embers set on the cloth glowing for a time while he continued with Ualan.

Too many people had gathered around now for his liking. The one man had left, but there was a unicorn and another young lady with it. To be followed by a woman approaching him asking for his pen. He had to get to the smithy to urge a quickened pace with the blade. He turned his glance to the female now beside him, he didn't bother wondering who she was or details. "Yes yes," he said turning back away. He handed the pen with a limp grip. His action was followed by Ualan asking to use it. "If you go for the witch." he stopped for a moment thinking of the words in her language. "Give her...your name." It was broken with the way he spoke, but he spoke the simple phrase in the giant's language as clearly as he could.

He turned not even waiting for them to finish with the pen. He had elsewhere to be for the time being. However as he left the gathering group he felt something warm against his back through the leather vest underneath. He reached back, feeling for it, burning through his gloves. The embers hadn't ignited but had smouldered away at his shirt, and the contact ate through the gloves. He flung the gloves off his hands and to the ground, reaching back and tearing at the cloth with hurried hands. He hadn't noticed until after he was away from the fountain.
It wasn't hard to pick out who most likely did it, as only one person who passed behind him might have wanted to. "That drunken rat." he groaned to himself. "Annoying, but not worth wasting time over." He was a professional, and didn't, or rather wouldn't, let little annoyances like that strike him to a turn of violence on a single person. Then again if he saw him in a tavern, and Verlous had a few drinks well it might be a different story then.

Imp
03-04-2011, 04:00 AM
Once the kind midnight covered woman had finished, Tal'set simply nodded to her and thanked her for her help. "I will join on the hunt with you and the party. I must also see the king of this land for I come to represent the Jotun." Tal'set nodded once more to the woman and the man who had commented on his mask earlier before approaching the board to place his mark under the previously written. With shield wrapped around his back and guan dao in one hand, he used the other to reach into a pouch for a piece of writer's coal.

The Jotun tribes wrote in characters rather than writing out their name in letters. Looking to the sign-up sheet, he saw only dragged out lines made into swirls and other odd writing. Hunching over, the Jotun gently began to draw with the piece of coal to create his symbol. The tag was nothing more than a 'T' with an 'X' positioned over the fork of the 'T'. This was to represent a dragon's skull which only a warrior chose for his or her sign. They varied of course and Tal'set just happened to make that one after being promoted.

There, he had added himself to the journey and was hoping to be of some service for a potential ally. Putting his piece of writer's coal back in his fur pouch, he looked to find the guard relaxing by the fountain. Tal'set still awaited the person he was suppose to speak to along with the king. But where was this person?

CALYPSO
03-05-2011, 04:08 AM
Oh, what was she supposed to do on a day like this? There was not even a single name on the Kings Bulletin. Just what was she going to tell His Majesty? Ialia took a big gulp of the ale and slammed her fist on the table, “This is preposterous! Not one single adventurer wants to pair up with me to stop the Evil Witch, Mordra!”

“Ialia!” Two knights stormed into the tavern as she stood up from her table. “We need you to come quickly to the Bulletin. We have a Jotun, a half-giant, and a unicorn gathered about the board.”

“Hmm, its no wonder the tavern is chaotic more than usual,” she responded, “All right, lead me to them.” When they both walked outside, there was no need for the knights to lead Ialia for she spotted them quite quickly. She fixed her throat to control her state of shock, “Well! This is quite the scene here.” Not only was it a strange site to see them here, but she also noticed quite a crowd of people around the board.

Could it be?

Could they have…?

Ialia wasted no time. While the people conversed or observed with one another, Ialia proudly walked up to the board and snatched the scroll away to prevent anyone else from signing the paper. Including her name, there was a total of eleven people who signed. Eleven! And here she was expecting five. Some signed in their full names, while others signed in initials or symbols. She looked over to the other two knights and nodded towards them.

The two knights then began to separate the civilians from the adventurers to prevent any confusion with the names. Ialia stood on the platform of the water fountain to be seen by everyone (even if it was no use with the two giants), “Adventurers, welcome to Lorana!” She shouted, her loud voice booming through the town, “Thank you for signing the Kings Bulletin, but before I lead you to His Majesty, I will call out the names listed on this scroll!” She raised the piece of paper for everyone to see, “Please step forward so I can judge your credentials to see you are fit for this…dangerous task.” She cleared her throat once more and called out the first name.

“JASON REGGIN!” Her voice grew louder. The man stumbled forward before her but remained still. She raised a brow, but ignored his foolish action.

“I.L.!” The woman with the strange hat stepped forward and stood next to Jason. Ialia eyed her carefully, black attire with a black choker? Clearly, the woman practiced dark magic and must wanted to cause trouble. “What are you? Mordra’s sister?!” The knights behind the mage laughed, “What’s your name?”

“…Isora Lelah.”

Ialia wrote down her full name next to her initials and continued, “CEASIOS SYOM!” He walked forward and stood next to the mage. So far so good, she thought.

“LUNA HOLMBERG!” Luna "gracefully" stepped forward and stood next to the rest of the group. Ialia observed her for a moment, “I suppose we all need a prayer sometimes,” she muttered.

The next name confused her for a moment. The name sparkled almost as if it was signed in magic. “Who in gods name wanted to show off?” she spoke under her breath. “M. GALE!” Expecting another adult to step forward, Ialia’s eyes grew wide when a child stood next to Luna. “What’s your first name child?” Before the young mage even replied, Ialia cut her off, “No matter! Witches love children! We shall use you as bait for Mordra!” Ialia laughed obnoxiously causing some people to roll their eyes.

“VERLOUS VASTION!” No one stepped forward. Ialia looked around the town to see if anyone was on their way, “VERLOUS VASTION!” She repeated, but no one came by. She shrugged and skipped the name.

“PHOEBE JAX!” Thankfully, an older woman stepped forward this time. Ialia felt relieved and was glad to know there was a ranger on the team.

“UALAN!”

“Here.”

Ialia looked up to see Ualan smiling down at her. Ialia slowly smiled back, “You can…just stay right there.” She went back to the list.

“REILIOS!” The unicorn walked ahead but kept its distance from the rest of the group. Again, she raised the same brow and wondered why a unicorn wanted to be part of the team. It was just a horse with a stick on its head. Big deal. Finally, it was the last name, the one that had to be difficult and added a symbol instead of a full name. It was the letter T marked with an X on top of it, but what was she supposed to say? TX?

“…T!” She called out and looked at the other giant with the dragon skull. She pointed to him, “Is this you?” Without letting him answer, she went on, “What’s your name sir?”

He also stepped forward to be with the group, “Tal’set.” She wrote down his name, slowly pronouncing it under her breath to make sure the spelling was indeed correct. She looked up at the group as she rolled up the scroll.

“Thank you for embarking on this journey! As you may know, Mordra Sayd is a dangerous witch that must be destroyed. Before we begin, Your Majesty, King Loranos demands to speak with all of you. Please follow me to the castle!” Ialia jumped down from the platform and walked on ahead, expecting her new party to follow. As they began to walk towards the castle, civilians parted themselves away to give them some space. Some even gave the adventurers white flowers as a symbol of luck and bravery. Of course, Ialia was filled with the flowers, she even began to put them in her hair.

Vampirequeen
03-05-2011, 08:37 PM
When her name was called, Luna had steppd forward, looking at the woman who had called her name. She mentally rolled her eyes at the woman's comment about the child who stood next to her. She smiled at the girl, put her quiver and her bow over her shoulders, and looked back at the woman as she finished calling the remaining names. When the woman finished speaking, Luna and the others followed her towards the castle, looking around at the town and the people.

As she followed the group, several of the townspeople gave them beautiful white flowers that Luna had only see in books. Luna blushed and smiled as one or two young men handed her small bouquets of the white flowers. She took one of the bouquets and some of the loose flowers and stuck them behind one of her ears. She held the other bouquet and the other flowers in her hands as she followed the group to their destination and hopefully towards the location of her family's sword.

AngelicAsylum
03-06-2011, 01:27 AM
Damn. Already Isora faced a multitude of issues and they hadn't even seen the King yet. She eyed the boisterous Knight wearily; clearly the young woman was quite skilled and with good intent, and it was her sole duty to make sure everyone knew it. This would be fine on its own, but the Order had a tendency to despise most magi, especially those who looked like her. Already she was submitted to the humiliation of being compared to the biggest disgrace amongst magic users and to the potentially dangerous situation of giving her full name.

The initials were on purpose - Isora was still largely wanted by the law and a variety of bounty hunters. True, much of fuss had died down over the years. Walking the streets was safer than it once was. Still, she felt uneasy in such a large crowd, and bowed her head as she walked with the procession.

Secondly, a meeting with the King would prove quite difficult. Even if she hid behind one of the giants, there was no way someone of such high rank wouldn't notice the symbol on her neck and have her arrested immediately. To counter this, she took the long scarves hanging from her head piece and lightly wrapped them around her neck. She winced from the pain - the choker was bonded to her neck and to touch it enhanced the constant discomfort it gave her - but she managed to keep walking.

There were no flowers being tossed her way, and Isora looked on enviously at the others who received such praise. There was a time when she was studying to be a healer, much like the priestess who trailed in front of her. Those days were over, however, and until she found the person who ruined her life she would have to deal with the terrified and disgusted looks from those around her. This thought strengthened her resolve, and she lifted her head just a bit higher as she walked, crushing a blossom underneath her foot.

Imp
03-06-2011, 06:24 AM
The group had been assembled and the Jotun would soon see the king. This would be another marker placed on the map for the Jotun's reach. Although the tribes weren't positive towards monarchy, they still would show respect to the King and kingdom to spread their message and peace. The guard that had kept an eye on him for sometime came with the knight, carrying Tal'set's peace offering. The guard better have tended to it well by the time they made it to the King or there would be consequences.

Walking the well made stone street, they were surrounded by a large audience of whom belonged to the kingdom and welcomed the party... or at least that is what Tal'set gathered. Sadly for him, he didn't receive any flowers from anyone and rather was either left out or was too much for most to look at. His outfit was intended to inflict fear upon the weak but this gleeful moment shouldn't have brought that upon the excited villagers. It did in fact scare them and the flowers that were being tossed, came to a pause when he passed by. At one point, he thought it would be nice to wave to some cheerful children upon a windowsill, they in fact closed the shutters and retreated inside. So much for happier times when a mercenary looking to benefit a kingdom is looked upon as a monstrous being. "Barbarian!" He overheard an angry villager speak out from the crowd while continuing along in the unpleasant walk...

Auki
03-06-2011, 06:20 PM
"Begging your pardon, Master Reilios but the bulletin described the objective to be the retrieval of the Magical Harp alone. While it is written that the Harp is currently in the possession of the Witch, it was not explicitly stated that we are to defeat nor engage the Witch in combat. Perhaps we will be able to arrive at an alternative strategy after giving it due consideration."

“Of course, Gale. If you desire to risk negotiation with the witch or say, stealing the harp whilst she rests, then please do try. I’ll concede that we require strategy but I doubt with our companions and opponent that it will conclude to be a peaceful one.”

His tone was more than slightly bitter. Given the circumstances, he was assuming that the witch was powerful – After all, they were assembling a substantially large group for just a singular adversary; that in itself predisposed them for combat. He tried to remember the last time he had told a tale of human conquest that didn’t involve violence but it escaped him. It was a fact that most species took the offensive when they were convinced they would win and the majority of the gathered group seemed like they might follow that rule. Of course, first impressions could be fleeting…

"Our prospective allies aside, Master Reilios; and with due respect; from my studies I have come to understand that your race is naturally resistant to evil, and that your aura of good affords you with efficacious offensive capabilities against it. Additionally, we are setting out to a wooded area, also putting you at an advantage."

“True, the forests are a familiar terrain to my hooves… ‘Efficacious offensive capabilities’ may be an expanse of the humans’ imaginations however. An impure being is less likely to approach a Unicorn, that much is true, and we have a natural resistance to dark magic. With exceptional intelligence and power of the assailant though, these abilities become redundant.” He exhaled heavily in an equine-like sigh, his eyes turning sad for a moment, “In the early times, we were the bane of evil – the light’s ultimate defence - but much has happened since. Stories for another day, perhaps, although I doubt any of your species would bother to listen.”

He finished his sentence as a knight ripped the paper from the Bulletin. He – or at least the human’s height and physique made Reilios assume it was a male – seemed to have some authority over the quest, a military representative of the King’s he assumed. As he called forth the adventurers, the Unicorn waited silently. Gale was called up before him and he stepped to the side carefully to let her proceed. The way she was referred to as ‘child’ surprised him – He had not realised there was such a significant age gap between her and the other humanoids. It only brought light to the fact that few parents seem to bother looking after their children in this god-cursed city.

His name was announced shortly after the half-giant’s but, even as he paced forward, he maintained his distance in dignified silence. There were many members of the party, the knight included, that he did not want to stand too close to. When they begun their quest then he would become a slight more tolerant for practicality’s sake but, for now, he was happy to enjoy the freedom.

“…Before we begin, Your Majesty, King Loranos demands to speak with all of you. Please follow me to the castle!”

Reilios’ expression turned sour at the mention of royalty and he wondered if perhaps he was making a mistake - He had lived too long without rein to be bound now. Surely they would never be so insolent as to try and take him captive when he was offering his help… Even as he thought it over, hesitantly trotting after the knight, he had his doubts. A child – its innocence naturally drawn to the untainted presence of a Unicorn – stood on the tips of its toes, hands outstretched, and Reilios reluctantly lowered his head so it could weave white flowers in his mane. He guessed they would need all the fortune the world had to offer.

Kiall
03-06-2011, 11:33 PM
Jason followed along with the group, a small groan escaped his mouth, was there any point to all this pomp and ceremony? They knew their mission, go to the Sparkle Spider Woods, kill Mandy Mcevilwitchenstein and recover the Gnome kings favorite lute, there was no need for there to be a big speech. This is exactly why he never got into government work, too much red tape and formalities, good wet work should be like good sex, get in get out steal everything that isn’t nailed down and never see the other person again.

The price on the bulletin probably wasn’t even an individual reward, just given as a lump sum so the party members can fight about it amongst themselves; these royal sods were always so tightfisted. Still the one good thing about working for royalty was the name recognition, and that wasn’t nothing, lotta lucrative opportunities come along when your connected to a king especially when it’s the ruler of a big city like Lorana.

He was jarred from his reverie when he noticed the white flowers suddenly in his hand; apparently the crowd was handing them out for 'good luck'. This was another thing he didn’t like about this city it was too frugal too practical, whatever happened to throwing gold coins at their feet? These weren’t even rare flowers, they were growing everywhere, they were practically weeds. Jason sighed and waited until he felt there wasn’t too much attention on him and casually tossed his flowers down the nearest alley.

Anne Bonny
03-07-2011, 04:41 AM
Phoebe had to fight to suppress a yawn at the very suggestion of a speech from the king. The adventurers had volunteered to risk life and limb to destroy an evil witch, but on paper the quest hadn't even hinted that a lecture from his majesty had been part of the equation. Now they would listen to an old man drawl on and on about honor and bravery the good of the kingdom and all that. Granted, Phoebe had never even seen the king of Lorana, but if you've seen one king, you've seen them all, she suspected. Bearded, with a gaudy gold crown and a raspy voice... she could just picture the patriarch. How very annoying and what a waste of time!

The flowers were a nice touch however, she though as she graciously accepted a bunch form an attractive young maiden who seemed keen on casting the white blossoms about. Phoebe grinned and waved to the crowds. Nothing wrong with getting some attention before they left town, right?

Wattz
03-07-2011, 07:52 AM
The previous events had been terribly rapid, and as such Ualan was still somewhat unsure of what she was getting herself into. She heard the word ‘king,’ she heard the word ‘quest,’ leading her to sign the board and follow very loud, intrusive knight. At first, Ualan thought she might have been the king, though this thought was quickly dashed.

“Thank you for embarking on this journey! As you may know, Mordra Sayd is a dangerous witch that must be destroyed. Before we begin, Your Majesty, King Loranos demands to speak with all of you. Please follow me to the castle!”

Ualan did her best to step through the streets with care, always looking down and trying hard to be aware of the people around her. It was a good thing they were typically about as tall as her waist, but she’d hate to knock into someone. Ualan concentrated so hard on walking through the streets that she didn’t even notice the confused snickers all around her, making crude note of her height. When she accidentally stepped on a flower bed, she noted the distaste of a nearby citizen, yelling angrily.

“I sorry, I sorry!”

An enormous footprint of yellow flowers was left in her wake as she walked the rest of the way to the palace. Their pedals wriggled unpleasantly in between her toes. Ualan couldn’t wait for them to finally stop so she could sit down and pluck them away from her feet.

sneakyonfoota
03-08-2011, 07:14 PM
"I would be most interested to hear, Master Reilios," said Marilyn in a barely audible murmur before her gaze fixed upon the knight at the bulletin. She stepped forward quietly when her name was called upon and felt a twist in her gut at the woman's joke; good humour or not.

As the remaining applicants were called upon, Marilyn regarded each in turn. She could feel her heart quicken in her chest as she surmised the assets that each possessed and compared them to herself. She gripped the stippled shaft of her shillelagh hard, driving its rounded thorns into her fingers despite the tough rawhide gloves that encased them. This was not a menial task nor a routine one that could be resolved with simple alchemy or cantrips; this was a behest, as good as an edict. Or, as her master would most likely call it: a test.

At the knight's beckoning, she followed, keeping her gaze fixed upon the back of the dark-haired woman, wincing when the sun reflected off of her heavy armour into her face. She gave start when a white flower entered her peripheral vision and paused for a moment before accepting it and nodding a grateful thank-you. As the procession down the avenue to the castle continued, Marilyn collected more flowers, fashioning them mindlessly into a daisy chain to keep her hands busy, looking up every third step to make sure she was still following. It wasn't until she realized she had threaded the flowers too long to wear as a circlet that she closed the chain into a loose necklace that hung halfway to her belt.

Mosaic
03-08-2011, 10:57 PM
Verlous had made his way to the smithy after leaving the fountain. His pace was quick as he moved past the people in the roads. It seemed almost as people were gathering expecting an event, surely the little "quest" wasn't to take place today of all things?

He stepped inside only for the smith master to look from his forge and wave his hands fervently. "Oh no no no. It's not done yet! You came here no more than three hours ago pressuring me to work faster!"
"I wouldn't have to pressure you if you were a little better with your forge."
"I can only do so much! It takes time repairing things like this. I told you by the end of the night. If you need a blade so badly I guess I can loan you one."
"I doubt you have anything similar to mine."
"No I don't, your blade is thin and light, which is why it's so hard to work with! I hit it wrong and the damn thing will break with the heat!"

Verlous bickered with the smith a little longer until he thought he heard shouting. He turned his head to the door, the shouts were short, almost like names. He could have sworn he heard the vague resemblance of his name being called, followed by others. Shit someone was calling out the poster!

The smith had pulled three blades down that were as close to Verlous' as he could manage to find. One had a wider blade, the other a heavier hilt, and the last was a longer blade. He grabbed the last, believing the longer reach would be better, but it was a reach he was not used to fighting with. Needless to say no matter his choice his fighting would be thrown off a bit. He turned in his sheathe and took the one for the temporary sword and strapped it to the small of his back.

He seemed hurried now. "I expect it done by the morrow!" he said before sprinting out of the shop.
"Damn mercenaries. All impatient the lot of them. Should just go jump off a bleedin' cliff, make my life easier." the smith grumbled after Verlous left.

He dashed through the streets, the crowds had gathered farther down the road leading to the castle from what he could see. He had missed his chance?! He saw the half giant, sticking out of the line of people like a festering boil on a clear face. He silently pushed his way around the people following the trail rather than pushing right through. Flowers and petals rained around in the air, annoying as they would settle down on his mask and hood. He let the group in the middle of the gathering to advance until they were ahead of them. He kept himself in the crowd up until they reached the castle, this was where he pushed his way through and stayed to the very back of the group. All heads forward, not one of them noticed him. A surprise entrance suited him just fine if that were the case.

He was not stopped at the castle entrance as they gathered as he was to the back of the group. The guards had safely assumed he was with them.

CALYPSO
03-15-2011, 04:44 AM
“Open the gates!” Called one of the knights as they neared the castle. The larger doors to the castle were open, so the two giants made it through with ease. Before Ialia fully led them inside the castle, she stopped to face the eccentric crowd and noticed one masked individual that was not with them before.

“Sir, who are you?” She asked him sternly, though she felt positive it was this Verlous Vastion person.

“Hm?” He pointed to himself and she nodded, “Well, isn’t it obvious? Just a man in a mask!”

Ialia glared at him as some tried to hold back their chuckles. “Quite funny, but that is not the correct answer. Your name, sir?”

“Verlous Vastion,” he responded indifferently.

“As I thought. Verlous, I ask you to please remove your scarves from your face. It is wise you present yourself to the King.”

Instead of starting an argument with the knight, he reluctantly unmasked himself revealing his Elven features and dark skin. The adventurers stared at him in curiosity, but Ialia did not concern herself over his race. Though, from the way he presented himself made her wary of him.

She continued leading them through the courtyard and another set of large doors opened for them. It was mandatory for King Loranos to speak with them; he needed to know whom he was going to reward and thank whenever they fulfilled his quests. Finally, they arrived to the main chambers and Ialia walked ahead of them, kneeling before the great King and Queen of Lorana.

The King and Queen were anything but old; in fact, they were quite young—perhaps only a few years older than the adventurers that stood before them. King Loranos stood up from his throne as he observed each person in the group. His blue eyes were drawn to the unicorn and the black mage, but he smiled at them warmly. “Welcome fellow adventurers! I hope you all had a safe journey upon your arrival to my kingdom.” He looked down at Ialia, “You may stand, Ialia.”

Ialia rose to her feet and stood in the middle of her group. As he came down the stairs from his throne, he studied each person and creature as he gave a small laugh. “This is quite the party you have gathered here, Ialia. But I know you all have the power and will to destroy Mordra Sayd.” He paced back and forth to look at each of them, he even raised his head to stare at Ualan and Tal’set. “Silvershadow Woods is in great peril now that she has stolen the Harp. She has command over the woods and even transformed the Fairy King into a beast. Your task is to destroy the witch, retrieve the Harp, and restore Silvershadow back in order.” He walked back to his throne and sat down, “Proof that you have all succeeded this task would be to bring Mordra’s head.”

“Good luck to all of you,” Queen Edalene spoke after with a genuine smile on her face. “May the light shine on your path. Farewell.”

Ialia gave them a bow, “We will not fail you, Your Majesty. Farewell.” She turned around and lead the group to their first quest.

CALYPSO
03-15-2011, 04:56 AM
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/pureelven/cover1.jpg

AngelicAsylum
03-16-2011, 02:08 AM
The Silvershadow Woods is filled with thick, impenetrable foliage and strong magicks that confuse and keep out even the most skilled of rangers. In the past it was a safe haven for the private creatures of Athamar; unicorns, fairies, centaurs, satyrs nymphs and countless other beings lived amongst one another as humans would in a large city, in relative harmony. There is no longer such peace.

A large, black tower now sits in the center of the woods, and the evil it brought with it has spread out to every living thing that resides there. The land is in eternal night, and harsh winds give the illusion of voices lurking in the shadows. The trees, once lush and green, have decayed and blackened, their gnarled branches claw-like and menacing. A thick white fog covers the ground, giving any crawling, slimy creature the opportunity to attack unnoticed. The effects of this blackness do not only touch the plant life and climate, however; all the creatures of the Silvershadow Woods are now warped and twisted versions of their former selves.

Even the most beautiful nymph or friendly pixie has succumbed to a violent rage and bloodlust. The air is thick with the stench of death, and evil spirits of the deceased walk amongst the trees. There are no longer any families, clans, or herds, and working together only occurs when taking down a large kill. The taste of blood has become an addiction for the inhabitants of Silvershadow Woods, and they are more than willing to break old bonds of kinship to get it.

The person responsible for all this is the powerful, malevolent Mordra Sayd. A cursed and banished witch, she has spent over 200 years plotting her revenge against those who wronged her and the forceful takeover of Athamar. Residing in the dark tower, she practices her spells and uses the magical harp to control the Fairy King and all his subjects to do her bidding. The creatures of the forest bend to her will, mesmerized by the dark aura her presence has caused. A horde of demons and the undead are at her disposal; she firmly believes that nothing can stop her now.
~~~~~

“How clear the night sky is,” the dark witch muttered under her breath wistfully. “It makes me sick.” Slamming the shutters of her single window closed, Mordra Sayd turned back to her spellbook, whispering the incantations under her breath, committing them all to memory. She had to be prepared, considering how her spy had told her that the fool of a King had sought the help of common civilians to “destroy her.” Hah! The idea made her snort in disdain. If Loranos really thought that a ragtag group of coin-seekers could destroy her years of hard work and sacrifice, he would certainly see the error of his ways soon enough.

Pathetic really. What kind of adventurers did he have in store for her? That obnoxious knight who was better at drinking and bravado than actual battle, for one. Then there were the three humans: A ranger more inclined to roll in the mud than fight magi, a drunken, idiotic waste, and a failure vigilante on the run from criminals. They would be easy. Two giants were also a part of the group, both so barbaric and primitive that she needn’t worry about them getting further than a mile into her beautiful forest. A unicorn, prideful and arrogant like his brethren, would probably be too concerned about his image than supporting his companions. The priestess would be far too busy brushing her hair to be a problem. Then the two magi - A child barely capable of spell-casting, and a disgraced outlaw wanted for killing her Master. Her informant was also part of their group; he was a handsome dark-elf, selling himself like a common street wench for the highest bidder. Unable to be trusted of course. She would use his eyes for her next spell.

Eleven companions all together. Eleven ridiculous, mismatched, pitiful wastes of her time. She would show them just what it meant to go up against great power. She would show them what it is like to beg for death.

CALYPSO
03-20-2011, 11:31 PM
For a day and a half, they had been traveling south from the kingdom of Lorana. With just one stop to rest, they finally arrived to Silvershadow Woods (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXHLHwUQjtg&feature=channel_video_title). Ialia grimaced at the sight of the dark forest, “These woods were a home to many creatures,” she said in a grieving tone. “Now, it is corrupt with evil magic.” Ialia looked at her party to see if everyone was ready. She found it quite strange how Verlous left the group; they all noticed his disappearance the next morning when they arose. Perhaps the dark elf was a coward and ran back to the kingdom.

As they cautiously entered the woods, Ialia unsheathed her sword to prepare for any sudden attack. A chilling wind brushed through the party, almost as if whispering them to leave now. Bloodthirsty creatures screamed and howled, which were not seen through the thick viridian fog. It made things all the more mysterious, which made Ialia alert within their new surroundings.

“Everyone remain vigilant,” Ialia spoke up as she clutched onto her sword. She walked through the fog followed by her group.

Kiall
03-20-2011, 11:59 PM
“ugh blimey it stinks” Jason was already having second thoughts about this whole venture, the bulletin had led him to believe that they were out hunting some crazy drugged out old lady with a love of music, but this forest… it was like it had sprinkled liberally with evil and then coated in a fine murder sauce and cooked for forty minutes in the flames of hell then left to cool on an ice demon’s nethers for ten minutes, serves six hundred and sixty six people.

“Pardon me oh fearless leader” he said bringing himself out of his hunger induced metaphor, “But shouldn’t we let the ranger scout ahead? I’m pretty sure they don’t cover woodland tracking in knight…training…camp…place” He turned to Phoebe, “howabout it Ranger McDanger? Call up some woodland critters to help us or something.” As if on queue a pitch black rabbit with red glowing eyes leaped out of the bushes and clamped its teeth firmly on Jason’s nose, Jason cursed and started to swat at the rabbit, he managed to pull it off and throw it to the ground, he then stamped on its head three times with a triumphant yell.

Panting he said “What the hell was that!? Did you guys just see that? A bloody rabbit of all things!” he felt a wetness on his nose and rubbed at it, his fingers came back with blood, “huh nicked me a little bit” he said mildy almost as if he was refusing to acknowledge what just happened to him, “Okay anyone else just wanna buy a harp and a knockoff rubber head and hope no one notices? Anyone?”

CALYPSO
03-21-2011, 12:17 AM
“Pardon me oh fearless leader.”

Ialia stopped walking to turn around and face Jason, "Hm?" She raised a brow as he began to speak.

“But shouldn’t we let the ranger scout ahead? I’m pretty sure they don’t cover woodland tracking in knight…training…camp…place”

Ialia grinned, "You make an excellent point Jason!" She responded. "I do not have skill in woodland tracking." Less work for her anyway, it would prevent Ialia from pretending she knew what she was doing.

He turned to Phoebe, “How about it Ranger McDanger? Call up some woodland critters to help us or something.” Just as he spoke, a cute deadly bunny jumped out of the bushes and attacked Jason's face. As he screamed in pain and killed it, Ialia laughed.

"The woodland critters wouldn't be able to help us here. Silvershadow Woods has grown mad thanks to Mordra." Ialia looked at the ranger, "Phoebe, if you don't mind, can you scout the woods before we venture forth? We must know what dangers lie ahead of us."

Ace of Hearts™
03-21-2011, 12:47 AM
Ceasios was walking for miles, his feet were sore and red and sweaty. He really needed new boots, the soles on these were weathered and bare. The forest itself was hot, damp, heavy with evil. The trees were dead and black. They were no more than twisted and corrupt arms, that tried and tried to grab at the travelers.

Ceasios wasn't afraid. He'd killed the meanest thugs and underworld bosses in his prime. A few angry fairies and pixies and and other things little girls dreamed about posed no threat to him. Never the less, he pulled his razor sharp rapier from its sheath at Ialia's word.

The fog was setting in, and he watched his every step. He didn't want to trip up on something, natural or...otherwise. Little rumbles of thunder began to coming over the forest. Flashes of lightning lit up the woods, and he saw the silhouettes of...things.

"Should I have brought a net? A jar? Bottle? Something to catch the these things in?"

Anne Bonny
03-21-2011, 02:39 AM
It took several minutes for Phoebe to catch her breath after laughing at the bunny attacking Jason's face. It wasn't that she didn't like the man, in fact, she related a bit to his carefree nature even if he was a bit annoying at times. But really, how could one not laugh at being attacked by a fuzzy rabbit?

Their resident knight, however, brought the group back to focus with her usual tact. She spoke a somewhat unnecessary reminder that the woods were out of control due to the witch.

"I would be happy to scout ahead, Lady Knight!" Phoebe declared with a nod. "Although I have some aprehension about going alone. I fear a tiny sparrow might swoop at me."

The last part came out with a wink to Jason and a giggle. Phoebe adjusted her short sword and with a casual wave goodbye to her companions, she started ahead, paying no attention to Ceasios' complaints that echoed behind her.

Long legs carried the ranger swiftly through the forest as her keen eyes scanned each tree for familiar markings so she could find her way back to the others. Phoebe had been in the Silvershadow Woods once or twice before years ago, but she never forgot a trail. It seemed to her memory that there was certainly a path carved between the lush green ferns somewhere nearby.

But on this day, the woods seemed entirely different from anything she had known before. They were darker and damper, with the tendrils of mist that curled around her ankles. It seemed that any traces of sunlight had been chased from the woods by Mordra's black magic, and the cold darkness seemed to permeate everything. Trees had gone from a rich chocolate brown to a charcoal gray. Leaves and grass had taken on a deep mossy green. And she saw hide nor hair of any sort of creatures. Even the birds refused to chirp in the treetops.

And more troubling still, the path that she certainly knew must be nearby, was nowhere to be found.

Although she had been joking earlier, Phoebe's stomach began to twist in mild concern for their mission. What sort of witch had an effect over the entire forest and the creatures within? The whole mission suddenly had an eerie feel to it.

"Magic users are so odd," Phoebe said to herself aloud, trying to keep her mind from the spookiness of the woods. "They choose such bizarre things to enchant and use. Ruling the forest with a harp of all things? What nonsense. The girl must really get off on music."

Lightning flashed to her right and Phoebe stopped in her tracks. Even after the thunder subsided, a buzzing sounds remained in her ears, like a swarm of bees was around her. But though her eyes darted to and fro, the ranger saw nothing.

Still, she could have sworn she felt something brush by her ear.

"Well that's enough scouting for me," she declared shortly and turned on her heels to head back to the others. There was obviously nothing to see out there anyway, so why risk any danger wandering around alone?

Not that she was afraid, of course.

Mosaic
03-21-2011, 09:22 AM
Verlous had remained in Mordra's tower after leaving the group. He turned the artifact, that she had given him to repel the corrupt animals, around in his hands. She had lived up to her side of their deal and given him a few small valuable artifacts that were of no real consequence to her. They however would fetch a nice price in town.

Mages, witches, spellcasters, he'd dealt with a few before, the nastiest of them tried to take over his body with a spell and make him kill himself. He still didn't know how he got out of that one. He specifically didn't know the extent of Mordra's powers. He had heard any skilled witch or mage could read into your thoughts and memories, he mostly kept his mind empty, or as much so as he could. Thinking of past jobs, and not of his current plans.

"You have what we agreed on elf. Why do you remain." her voice came from the room he had left. He was leaning on the wall just outside the room's door. He pushed himself off and re-entered the room.

"Contemplating, you could still use my services, with another agreement of course. They're a motley crew to be sure. However, a few of them might prove enough to actually make it to your towers here." He stood where he was just a few steps from the door. By all hells she was a creepy sight, no matter how many times he looked at her.

"Is that so?" Mordra paused at this, tapping her lower lip curiously as she pondered the possibilities. She hadn't actually factored them getting into the tower, assuming her precious pets would kill them all off well before them. "Fine, elf. What kind of agreement are we discussing? Do hurry... I must prepare for my guests if they are indeed as powerful as you claim."

He showed the amulet, which he was to leave at the edge of the woods when he left. "You explained how this works, that it repels or attracts the creatures of the forest if I will it. I'll return to them, and try to distract them, weed out those that aren't worth your time. Those that show to be too much for the creatures I will lead here. Out of them I expect at most would be that knight, the giant, the grown mage, and the ranger." He looked around the room and paced to a small gathering of weapons within the room, obviously taken from the corpses of assorted adventurers who attempted to take Mordra's life. He searched through them knowing full well her eyes were on him, suspiciously.

"Leading them here, would be a simple courtesy, so that I would desire only payment of another set of artifacts. However, I would insist you allow me to help you dispatch them. In exchange..." ah he found a good one, slightly larger than his current blade but still narrow and well balanced. Whoever owned it had good taste. "for that service, I would request a weapon. An enchanted weapon, if you could manage such." He turned it in his hands, a second blade to fight with would be favorable, since had been disarmed of his other a few times before. "A blade with a permanent enchantment, capable of absorbing and returning a cast spell. Such a weapon would be more valuable to me than any trinket to sell." He walked to her holding the blade in his hand and outstretching it to her when he approached.

"The choice of my services is yours. Shall I merely lead them here, or aid you to send a message to the King of Lorana."

Imp
03-21-2011, 11:13 PM
Tal'set journeyed with the group and having a good resistance to fatigue, was fine wandering through the forest with his massive shield out front. He would never let an enemy get the best of him and always valiantly carried his weapons in a defensive manor. Even with his height, he didn't have too much an issue moving by the trees, besides the low branches that would either nick him or break as he plowed his shield forth through the brush.

This group would take some time to grow on since they were fairly different to how his tribesman were when moving across strange lands. Then again, they haven't ventured in such an area with small fluffy creatures, but he has seen ghosts and the sort.

An order was given and the party's ranger moved ahead, while then, Tal'set moved up a little to retrieve a better view. While moving up, the thunderous roars above and crooked spears of light were becoming more intense. Although he did enjoy the sounds of thunder, lightning often found itself on his bad side thanks to is guan-dao.

Keeping silent for so long, he finally spoke up to the group but softly as not wanting to draw too much attention form whatever lie ahead.
"These phantoms in forest are weak, they not powerful enough to attack but scare. If the magic bearers cast light in these woods, we have easier chance of getting through. Been through same thing before." Tal'set nodded in establishing his assurance of it.

sneakyonfoota
03-23-2011, 10:05 PM
Taking the Jotunn's words as a cue, the girl, standing at the rear of the procession, sprung at the opportunity to be of use. Digging into one of her component pouches she delicately retrieved a dessicated firefly, gingerly held by a fragile gossamer wing.

"Shirak," whispered Marilyn, raising her shillelagh like a torch. The fist-shaped end of her walking stick lit up brilliantly, casting illuminating rays upon Silverwood's hideously defiled floor and against the cracked and knotted boles of its ancient trees. The firefly she held crumbled to ash which she poured from her palm onto the ground. The lacquered leaf-shaped hat she wore prevented the intense light from dazzling her by its flash.

With the sudden presence of light, the surrounding brush shook as its corrupted inhabitants scattered and shied away, unwilling to be revealed to their prospective prey. As Marilyn glanced about and behind, she perceived the hundreds of eyes just outside of her light's reach, all intently focused upon the party.

AngelicAsylum
03-24-2011, 01:16 AM
The party was set up in such a way that the strongest were placed at both the front and the back, leaving Isora somewhere in the middle. As a magic user, her physical strength was not at peak level, leaving her vulnerable. In these woods, however, the arcane had an advantage. "I'd advise against touching anything in this place," she whispered, feeling the heavy burden of haunted spirits weigh on her senses. "No one knows what kind of plague it carries."

With just a moment's pause, she entered the forest, thankful for the light spell that the young mage casted. The small glow seemed bright enough to give a path for the entire party. Strangely, she seemed to remember another mage using a spell like that... but she couldn't place the name at that time.

Isora didn't have much time to ponder it, unfortunately. To her disdain the fog that coated the floor of the evil forest seemed to part at her feet, clearing a small enclosure around her. Noticing the odd glances from her companions, she curled her upper lip in disgust. "I suppose the forest senses one of their own." This wouldn't exactly help anyone trust her, and made the knight's "sister" comment seem all the more real. "But I assure you, it's mis - "

At that point, Isora lost control of her own body. Going limp, her lifeless form floated a foot or two off the ground, and her eyes rolled back into her head, showing only the whites. She groaned loudly, her voice transforming into something dark and hating. "Greetings visitors. Welcome to my forest. Does the atmosphere not calm the frantic mind?" Mordra cackled, her borrowed vessel moving mechanically as in hung in the air. "I advise you all to turn back. Is a few coins really worth your life?"

Kiall
03-24-2011, 02:43 AM
“Really? They have lots of hauntings in Draconis Peak?” this was news to Jason, though that did explain all the missing socks…and the nightmares. Marilyn in response casts a light on her staff clearing the way and causing a whole manner of unpleasant things to scatter, Jason could see hundreds of glowing eyes peering at them staring intently which made him shudder, “No offense Mari but I kinda liked it better without the lights, they didn’t seem so …angry then.”

Isora had walked on ahead and oddly enough the fog parted where she stood, this seemed odd to Jason but then no more odd than say her hat or any of the other odd things she did, in fact this whole forest had about the same amount of weird that Isora sprinkled on her morning breakfast cereal, a thought that made Jason chuckle. She then went on about the forest recognizing its own which made Jason roll his eyes, “Yes yes you killed a guy now your evil, come on we’ve all killed people even the unicorn probably stabbed..” he stopped when he noticed she was now hovering a foot off the ground. “Greetings visitors. Welcome to my forest. Does the atmosphere not calm the frantic mind?” cackling she continued “I advise you all to turn back. Is a few coins really worth your life.”

By the chest hair of Gorgoth the troll king! Things sure had escalated quickly, okay calm down Jason, Adventure rule 13: never let the witches see you sweat. “Not worth my life sure, but definitely yours, HAG!” he replied making a rude gesture at the floating meat puppet of his former comrade. “None of us are impressed by your little stunt! Isora’s the most gullible part of the team, even I’ve fooled her with nothing but a piece of string and the promise of cheese! Oh! And here’s what I think of your forest!” after the last word he activated his gauntlet and sent a fireball hurtling towards several trees causing them to crackle and burn. The party stood silent for a moment as the sounds of crackling wood continued “psst Luna! For the love of the gods exorcise her or something before I get turned into a newt!” he whispered from the corner of his mouth.
__________________

Vampirequeen
03-24-2011, 03:26 AM
When they had entered the forest, Luna had taken her bow off of her shoulder and held it by her side as she walked, prepared to grab an arrow if she needed to shoot at something. Several times she had reached back to her quiver but never needed to grab an arrow even though other members of the group were menaced by the forest's creatures.

She had stared at Isora as the fog parted around her but thought nothing of it until she was floating about a foot or so off the ground. She jumped at Isora's harsh words and almost immediately recognized it as some kind of posession. Any doubts that she may have had vanished when Jason whispered “psst Luna! For the love of the gods exorcise her or something before I get turned into a newt!”

At the word "exorcise", Luna began to debate on trying to perform an exorcism on Isora. She had never performed an exorcism before and she had only read about one once, but it hadn't been very detailed, so she didn't know if there were any words that she was supposed to say. She looked at Jason, and spoke.

"Hold these for me, please." She told him as she dropped her bow in front of him and then removed her quiver and placed it in front of him next to her bow.

She took a deep breath and strode towards Isora, stopping in front of her and looking straight into her eyes, fighting the nervousness that had appeared without warning. She took another deep breath, then extended her right arm towards Isora with her palm facing her.

"In the name of the gods, leave her, vile creature!" Luna shouted, staring at Isora and hoping that her attempted exorcism would work. She kept her hand up and mentally asked the gods for their help in driving out whatever was posessing Isora.

Auki
03-25-2011, 09:25 PM
Reilios was not fond of the dark – He was not scared of it per se but there were few creatures of good that aspired to make such a place their home. The canopy of the forest was thicker than he remembered, casting the leaf-layered ground in shadow. Other changes were apparent. Evil seemed to reside within the very bark of the trees. It was all enough to put him on edge.

Whilst he had spent the last day or two regaling whoever would listen with stories of his travels, he stayed silent as they approached the forest. After all, some of his race had migrated to the once lush sanctuary of the Silvershadow Woods. He was anxious to see their fate. Although he knew them not personally, he would be offended had any of them been touched. He just prayed their purity had given them protection from the puppet hands of the Witch – The alternative chilled him to his bones.

The tainted creatures stared at him with hollow eyes but thankfully, they did not approach him. His aura gave him some defence against their advance but he knew these only to be the ‘foot soldiers’. While once upon a time he might have been warded against even the fiercest of the forest’s inhabitants, in present times, he was not so fortunate. There would be battle – he could feel it – and he would have to play his part whatever that may be. It was tempting to crush rabbit skull beneath his hoof, to free them of their black magic shackles, but he knew better than to provoke them with their group so small in comparison.

The fog swirled around his fetlocks, much to his displeasure. The light was minimal and in times of complete darkness, his coat would illuminate but, at the back of the party as he was, he caught no-one’s notice. He was grateful when young Gale cast a spell to light up their path and glanced back over his shoulder, observing the angry glares of the creatures that trailed behind them reluctantly. They did not attack. They seemed to be waiting.

It took him a few moments to realise the group had come to a halt, almost head-butting the back of the half-giant. Locating the source of the disturbance – the black-magic-wielding human seemed to be possessed – he listened to her words with a look of distaste. He would have stepped forward but the humanoids moved first, rushing forward as they were often prone to doing. His ears laid flat against his skull in annoyance. Although the witch probably had all right to be proud of her powers, he did not approve of her showing them off so flamboyantly at the harm of others.

Wattz
03-28-2011, 06:43 PM
Ualan stayed somewhat near the back of the group, though in front of the unicorn Reilios, careful to not step on any toes with her big feet. She pulled her cloak around herself tightly, trying to fight off the cold shadows of the forest. She’d trekked through many a forest to arrive in Lorana, but the nature of this one left a terrible chill going up her spine. She watched around her carefully, the little creepy crawlies and other such dark creatures making her nervous. She’d hate to have any of those running over her feet. Ualan never realized how much she missed sand between her toes until now.

When the group came to a halt, she stumbled and tripped, too focused on her surroundings. She looked behind her to make sure Reilios was alright, or rather, to see he hadn’t impaled his horn on her. “Fine?” she asked him with a tilt of the head.

She turned back around to see Isora floating in midair speaking as if possessed, with Luna stepping up to her and shouting something. Ualan stared in awe at the sight, her knowledge of magic limited and her understanding of the situation quite small. She’d readily attack if the woman meant them harm.

“You hurt? You… harm? Who you be?” No… that wasn’t right, was it? She would have spent more time searching for the right words, but she’d rather remain alert instead of mulling over meaningless English phrases.

CALYPSO
04-08-2011, 08:13 AM
There was not much to see ahead once Phoebe informed them when she came back. However, the darkness was enough to make anyone cautious of the woods—who knows when another rabbit will attack someone’s face?

"These phantoms in forest are weak, they not powerful enough to attack but scare. If the magic bearers cast light in these woods, we have easier chance of getting through. Been through same thing before." Tal'set nodded in establishing his assurance of it.

Ialia, as a brave knight as she was, was comforted that Tal’set assured them that the creatures in the forest were weak. Weak and powerless? Perfect! Less work for her again! She needed to save her adrenaline and sword fighting for Mordra Sayd—her minions were just in Ialia’s way. “A little light would be nice, yes!” She responded with a touch of annoyance in her voice. So much talk and less walking…

She couldn’t hear what the young mage said, but whatever she casted, their surrounding area was lit up. Ialia looked around in horror as Silvershadow Woods revealed it’s twisted and tormented foliage. She shook her head, ignoring the overall sight. As they kept walking, she noticed the fog parted away from Isora; strange enough, that only happened if the evil recognizes it partners. Ialia glared at Isora and clutched onto the handle of her blade as the black mage spoke.

“But I assure you, it’s mis –“

She growled, “But you assure what?!” She nearly snapped, however, her eyes grew slightly wide when Isora began to float off the ground. “Uh…” she stood in place as she saw her eyes rolls back.

"Greetings visitors. Welcome to my forest. Does the atmosphere not calm the frantic mind?"

Oh goddess! Oh no! It couldn’t be! Was she--? Ialia screamed like the way Delwyn sounded whenever she caught her from escaping: loud, squeaky, and pathetic sounding. She quickly ran behind Tal’set as Mordra cackled.

"I advise you all to turn back. Is a few coins really worth your life?"

Her body froze as soon as she realized Isora was possessed. Possessed! Her worst fear of all time presented right before her eyes! There was a bunch of commotion going on, but she couldn’t even pay attention to it all, “U-u-unhand her you fiend!” She tried to shout but her voice shook with cowardice.

"In the name of the gods, leave her, vile creature!" Luna shouted, staring at Isora and hoping that her attempted exorcism would work.

Ialia looked to see Luna casting an exorcism spell. Oh thank gods for the priestess—so she was useful after all! “Just keep doing what you’re doing Luna! Just…Just get that THING out of Isora’s body!” she panicked.

AngelicAsylum
04-09-2011, 02:03 AM
"HAG?!" Isora's face seemed to stretch taughtly over her bones to show the witch's displeasure, and her lip curled into an unnatural sneer. Truly, it was quite an unpleasant sight. "WHY YOU MISERABLE -" her head rolled back and forth unnaturally, her curses interrupted by the exorcism spell. Her long skeletal hands clenched and unclenched, and she shrieked like a banshee in agony. "I WARNED YOU. I GAVE YOU A CHANCE - " A white light escaped from the tendrils of her long hair and around her body. Her breathing became rushed and labored and blue veins crept their way up her cheeks. Unable to hold onto her possession spell much longer, her head simply jolted forward as her unnatural eyes looked up to give them one last glance. "Suffer and perish" were the last words she uttered before Isora fell to the ground, her hat being knocked off in the process.

It only took the mage a few moments to regain consciousness before she realized (much to her humiliation) that her hat and veil lay in front of her and she was sprawled out on the ground. Aware of the eyes that bore into her, she quickly replaced her headpiece and scrambled to her feet. "Ugh," she groaned, her body sore from being used in such a manner. "Forgive me. Her magic is far greater than mine. Thank you Priestess, I am in your debt." She gave a quick bow before walking on ahead, unsteadily and obviously not in the mood to talk about her experience.

While unable to remember much of anything during her short possession, there was one fact that burned into her thoughts: Mordra was not the murderer.

Kiall
04-09-2011, 05:59 AM
“Phew thank the gods that’s over!” That Mandy was a scary old shrew much nastier than that one witch in Porzul, plus it took forever for her to finally leave at least that’s what it seemed like to him. Isorah had recovered pretty quickly considering and was now stumbling onwards obviously not wanting to talk to anyone. “By the way Ialia,” he started turning back to look at the embarrassed knight “Way to protect the group, running away and hiding like that. Tell me is that a tactic they taught you during your training or was that something you made up on the fly? And here I thought I was the resident coward.” As he spoke he rummaged through his bag, “perhaps we could exchange notes, tell me do you prefer to call it a ‘tactical retreat’ or ‘advancing to the rear’?” in the back of his mind he knew he shouldn’t be busting her chops right now, considering she could affect how much he got paid, but still he was pissed I mean she was supposed to be the meat shield, he was the one that was supposed to run away and leave everyone to die not her this was unprecedented.

His thoughts were interrupted when he finally found was he was looking for, a chunk of rendered fat from a Gras Buellar a great bear which had the ashes of several of the Reggin family mixed in, it was as sacred a Salaplun object as any and one of the few mementos he had kept from his homeland, it was supposed to have special properties and ward of misfortune and evil spirits, it was probably all nonsense but hey, you never know right? Jason ran after Isorah “Oy! OOOY” he cried interrupting her reverie, coming up next her he said “ I just want you to know, you’re the worst dark arts practicioner ever.” He paused for a second “Also put this under your hat” he said offering the rendered fat

Vampirequeen
04-09-2011, 05:48 PM
Luna focused on Isora for what felt like an eternity before a white light appeared and she fell to the ground, losing her hat. She closed her fist and lowered her arm, just as Isora regained consciousness and stood up, thanking her and bowing.

"You're welcome." Luna gasped, feeling strangely weak. She staggered forward and knelt down, grabbing her quiver of arrows and draping it over her left shoulder. She grabbed her bow and stuck one end into the ground, then used it to help her stand. As soon as she was fully upright, she began to feel silghtly dizzy. Still leaning on her bow, she looked up to the sky.

"Thank you." She gasped to the gods, planning to give them some sort of offering when they left the forest. She turned to face the rest of the group, lifted up her bow, and walked to where they were standing, using her bow for support.

By the time she reached them, she felt weaker and dizzier than she had earlier. As she wondered why she was suddenly feeling so weak, she remembered something that she had read about exorcisms. Apparently performing one drained the energy of the person who had performed it.

"Can..we..please..rest..for..a..bit?" She gasped as she staggered over to a rock, removed her quiver and put it on the ground with her bow, and sat down against the rock. Her decsion to sit down was a good one, because a few seconds later, she passed out.

Ace of Hearts™
04-09-2011, 11:32 PM
So much commotion all at once. Ceasios was confused. In an instant, Isora lifted off the ground and began speaking warnings to the party. "Greetings visitors. Welcome to my forest. Does the atmosphere not calm the frantic mind?" She laughed, her head shaking like a marionette. In fact, that's what Isora was to Mordra, a puppet. "I advise you all to turn back. Is a few coins really worth your life?" She floated there, like a religious figure. Ceasios was in a form of awe.

"Oh! And here’s what I think of your forest!” A fireball erupted Jason's gauntlet.

"Are you mad, you fool? You'd burn down the entire forest!" Ceasios exclaimed. "I'll do you one better."

At this, Ceasios unbottoned his pantaloons and began to urinate on the bushes and tree trunks. "Yeah, not so scary now, is it?" He said, looking back at Isora. Nobody seemed to mind (or care). Nevertheless, Ceasios had to do that for a day, might as well insult somebody while he was at it. Just as soon as he was down shaking, Isora hit the ground. Mordra had left her body. The priestess Luna had expelled her from Isora's body.

"Well, she can't be that powerful, if she's too afraid to come down here herself" Ceasios said, confident of the party's ability to take her down. Jason had piped up again, giving flak to Ialia to appearing scared.

"I'd rather not insult a trained knight, lest you want to lose limbs." Ceasios had to sneak past knights before. Slaying crooked nobles was a tough task. The party had moved farther inward, when the priestess began to complain of fatigue. She rested upon a stone, which led to her passing out.

"Oh boy, another impass! Let us take turns dragging her?"

sneakyonfoota
04-10-2011, 12:00 AM
"That will be unnecessary, Sir Syom," said Marilyn, a tone louder than her normal quiet whisper.

Holding her walking-stick-cum-torch aloft, she briskly padded her way to the front of the procession. She passed the stick to her left hand and began rummaging through her material pouches, at last retrieving a small glass vial stopped with an eyedropper. Awkwardly holding the vial with her fingertips she unscrewed the lid and filled the eyedropper's reservoir with a pinch of its rubber bladder.

Holding the eyedropper between thumb and forefinger, she extended her pinky and traced a small circle in the air with it.

"Tenser dees," she whispered, squeezing a tiny, metallic drop of quicksilver from the eyedropper. It clung to the eyedropper's tip for an unsure second before at last falling victim to gravity.

The drop splattered flat against the air before it struck the ground, and spread impossibly into a three-foot wide disk that slightly dipped into its center. When the disk was fully formed it gained height, hovering slowly until it came to a stop three feet from the forest floor.

"This floating disk will follow me for as long as I maintain it," Marilyn explained. "However, I'm afraid that it can only carry Priestess Holmberg herself... Would someone please take up her gear?"

Imp
04-10-2011, 01:55 AM
Tal'st stepped forward and announced in taking the gear. "My gear not on back, hold more weight. He then picked up the priestess' things and hung them over his shoulders. They weren't really cumbersome what so ever to him. In addition with his moderate walking pace, it is highly doubtful they will fall off on the journey.

"Continue?" He tilted his head towards the path in front of them with a curious tone, unsure of what the scared knight may want to do. Either way, he kept his shield in front, awaiting anything else this evil witch may have by her side.

Tal'set always kept his guard and gear since he never enjoyed the idea of being 'naked'. The warrior wasn't much of anything without his shield. Sure his body could take more arrows in it than a human, it didn't matter to him. Any sign of damage coming meant there was an open target on him. Whenever a Jotun tribe fought, they created a phalanx so it would be impossible for an enemy to smash through unless they were bigger than a Jotun. Their history in war against various giant-filled armies was another story.

Anne Bonny
04-12-2011, 06:08 AM
Pheobe's timing, it turned out, was nothing short of spectacular. She had just returned from scouting and had just began to tell Ialia that there wasn't much ahead in the way of a trail, when the fireworks started. A possession-by-witch, a cowering knight, a couple of spells, and one of the men in their group dropping his pants, the last of which made Phoebe raised a surprised eyebrow.

Once the witch had given them some very threatening sounding threads in typical villainess fashion, Isora regained control of her physical form and seemed to be just fine, aside from a bit shaken up. Phoebe reopened her mouth to continue her own tale of the vanishing trail, but was again interrupted by a fainting priestess.

The ranger gritted her teeth and stood silently by as the company came up with plan B, which consisted of a floating plate and the Jotun becoming a pack mule. And one more time, Phoebe glanced around for any new interruptions before finally speaking again.

"As I was saying," she said, waving a hand at the direction they were about to head off into, "The trail was there recently, I'm sure of it. But now it's completely gone. The whole forest has grown over it, hiding any trace of a path."

She frowned at Ialia. "We aren't completely lost, of course. I can still tell our direction by reading the moss on the trees even if no sun comes through the canopy. What I would suggest, however, is that we all stick together from here on out. It's too easy for the rest of you to get lost. Or possessed, I suppose."

Phoebe finished with a shrug, as if it mattered not to her whether one of them turned into a witch minion and wandered off into the woods. But in truth, the ranger was a bit rattled. She distrusted magic users in the first place, and Mordra was seeming more and more powerful and more and more evil by the minute.

Wattz
04-13-2011, 04:14 AM
Ualan felt more than a little useless at this time. Useless, confused, and deceptively terrified. Despite her size, she had no experience with magic or dealing with such a strange, loud, and goofy group. Everything happened so fast that she had no real time to react before the mage fell to the ground, her hat tumbling off. The priestess fell as well, though she passed out completely.

“Poe-sess?” Ualan tried to grasp and understand the words they were using. She pointed a beefy finger towards Isora, directing her question at her. “Who you be? Mordra? You Mordra?” She knew the woman was not Mordra. Obviously they weren’t seeking out the pointy-hatted lady if she was already in their party. Ualan leaned down to take a better look at Isora. “Mordra… Mordra here? Mordra gone now?”

Ualan gave a big smile that seemed to have a mocking appearance, but it was really a smile of reassurance. Isora appeared quite bewildered by it all. Ualan would have gone and comforted Ialia, but the half giant already had the feeling that Ialia was the type to stay away from. Ualan was a touch fearful of the knight. Well... maybe more than a touch.

AngelicAsylum
04-13-2011, 06:02 AM
Confronted with the giantess, she managed a small smile. "No. I'm Isora. Mordra is gone." Though she certainly wasn't appreciative that the witch deemed her body most suitable for a possession. If she wasn't cursed with black magic, that may have not happened at all. And the guilt she felt at watching the poor priestess collapse... Once again she was at fault. Her fault her teacher got murdered. Her fault the group was now frightened and weak. If only she were stronger.

Stronger meant, however, that she would have to succumb to her new abilities. Stronger meant studying the black arts. That, no matter what the price, just wasn't worth it to her. The damage that kind of magic held was more dangerous than her weakness against it. It couldn't be helped. With the exception of a few spells, she would resort to her magic only in battle.

As she staggered away, trying to hide the shame from her face, she noticed the young man who smelled strongly of alcohol running towards her.

“ I just want you to know, you’re the worst dark arts practicioner ever.”

"Well. Judging by my own circumstances I should thank you for that." When confronted with the rendered fat, Isora pat his hand. "Thank you, but you keep it. I feel that I should be relatively safe at least until we get to the tower."

Mosaic
04-13-2011, 05:12 PM
Verlous walked through the trees, mist, and among the large rocks that proved to be obstacles on his way back. He had been requested to take his time to return to the group as Mordra had told him she would provide a distraction to keep them in one place. He didn’t know what the witch had planned, as he was more worried of keeping her out of loop on his plans. The less everyone in that group and the less she knew the better off he’d be.

This amulet she had given him upon requesting his services had proved to be quite the handy piece of magic work. Just by willing it so, the amulet warded off the twisted mangled creatures of the forest, all the same if he so desired it would attract the nastiest as well. However the one thing the amulet could not do is stop the forest from moving. The whole place was as a labyrinth the farther you went in. The trees, the rocks, and soil all moved to confuse you. The only thing guiding him was one of Mordra’s spells, she was a cruel bitch, but she desired a job done and honored the terms he insisted upon, this spell being one of them.

“Remember, if you desire this weapon by the time you arrive with them, you must distract them as long as possible. Get them lost, kill them and thin their ranks. Take enough time, and if any of those magic casters with them survive, this will turn the tide.”

“How do I know you’ll let me walk away after all this is said and done.”

Her response following that was still not all that reassuring, but he had to trust that he’d be allowed to leave with his person and that new weapon intact

He left the edges of the woods that had been turned into a living moving forest and into the still-standing part of the forest. He made sure the pouch that held the amulet was secured away on his side. He had left them early on, surely they noticed by now he had been gone for some time after all.

The amulet radiated Verlous’s will and the creatures that wandered the forest around him scurried and stomped off as if disturbed before he approached them. He was protected by the witch of the forest and they would not bother him so long as he desired not to be bothered.

He’d arrive far after the festivities that Mordra had created had ended. He walked out of the thick edges of the fog to find everyone resting and speaking among one another, the priestess was out cold while the monster of a man that was the Jotun began picking up her things.

“It seems I leave for a little while and all the fun is had without me?” He looked around, no ones weapons were bloody, no bodies lay on the ground, and the whole party was still together. “What happened, I see no creatures body, and no one is wounded?" He noticed Ialia's deathly questioning gaze she cast upon him, her question for him was obvious...where the hell have you been. "The witch has done more than simply change the forest and make it over grow upon itself. She has shifted entire sections around to confuse hunters, scouts, and soldiers." He pointed off to the left of where Phoebe had traveled to scout. "That will lead us further in, however the forest, the trees, roots, grass, bushes, everything about it is alive."

CALYPSO
04-17-2011, 02:43 AM
“Way to protect the group, running away and hiding like that. Tell me is that a tactic they taught you during your training or was that something you made up on the fly? And here I thought I was the resident coward.” As he spoke he rummaged through his bag, “perhaps we could exchange notes, tell me do you prefer to call it a ‘tactical retreat’ or ‘advancing to the rear’?”

"I'd rather not insult a trained knight, lest you want to lose limbs."

Her rage boiled in her veins as Jason began to insult her in every way possible. As he ranted, she thought about slicing his head off or even his tongue to prevent him from talking ever again. “It will be wise of you to follow his advice, Jason,” she said firmly after Ceasios spoke. So much arguing, so much complaining, just what kind of party did she gather here? Just as she turned to glance at the group, the priestess had fallen into a weaken state causing a damper in their travels. As Marilyn and Tal’set helped Luna, Ialia found herself taking deep breaths to remain calm thinking about her chivalrous code. These people chose to be part of this quest for whatever reason they may have. Defeating Mordra Sayd required more than a lone knight; and for that, Ialia felt grateful to have these people as her team.

She just…needed to get accustomed to their personalities.

A familiar voice rang in her ears causing her to turn again; when she saw Verlous, she raised a brow in curiosity. He hasn’t been with the group since the night they camped out. She honestly thought he had run off in fear.

"The witch has done more than simply change the forest and make it over grow upon itself. She has shifted entire sections around to confuse hunters, scouts, and soldiers." He pointed off to the left of where Phoebe had traveled to scout. "That will lead us further in, however the forest, the trees, roots, grass, bushes, everything about it is alive."

“You were scouting this entire time?”

Verlous only gave her a simple nod and walked towards the rest of the party, leaving her in front of the line. She let out a low growl in frustration and distrust; there was something about him that made her feel alert. “Right, well, it’s best for us to stick together as Phoebe said. So Verlous, no running off this time.” She looked at everyone, “Just remain alert. And protect the priestess.” ‘May the great gods protect us,' she thought. First step into Silvershadow Woods and one of their healers was already down.

Before Ialia continued down the path, she walked up to Isora and stared down at her, “Try not getting possessed this time, so I don’t have to humiliate myself. Understand?” She gave her a sarcastic grin and left without letting the mage respond. She signaled the group to follow her.


*** (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtScfh0IHUs)
Like Verlous mentioned, the forest was moving right before their eyes. Each step they took, the roots of the trees twisted to form new paths that lead into danger; a kind of danger that Ialia was familiar with. She looked up at the trees to see a silver glint of webbing wrapped around the branches, forming what appeared to be a large nest. Cocoons of various sizes were trapped on the net-like surface; they were most like bodies of previous adventurers, she concluded to herself.

“Watch out!” someone in the party exclaimed. The hissing sound surrounded them as a dozen (or more) of giant spiders cascaded down from the trees.

“Augh! Of course!” She shouted as she began fighting with two of them. “Don’t get caught in their webbing!” She remembered fighting spiders back in her days of training because they were so simple to kill. However, these creatures were much larger and most likely venomous. She used her shield to block their attacks, swiping her sword in a swift motion that severely wounded both of them. When she timed it just right, she stabbed one in the mouth, leaving the other last wounded one. It consistently spat an oozing green fluid at her, which gave her no choice but to raise her shield in defense. “Can you please stop spitting at me?” she snarled. Just as it stopped, she jabbed her sword into it’s belly, causing it to fall on its back and spiral about until it’s death.

Kiall
04-17-2011, 03:34 AM
Jason’s hands were getting twitchy and that was never a sign of good times. For one thing the elf had reared his broody androgynous face and had apparently found a way forward, Jason was suspicious he’s gone for two days and he just happens to stumble upon the secret of the woods and how to go through? He wasn’t buying it but of course Sir Runsawayalot took to his explanation like an Ogre took to a ham and feces sandwich. “Oh thank ya mistah elf for leading us to the promised land!” he muttered under his breath as the group saddled forth. As they walked he made his way towards Phoebe, “Geeze talk about a Deus Ex Nympha huh? You suppose he found out about this path in a book or did he, I don’t know wish upon a star?” Someone cried out “Watch out!” and sure enough spiders were falling down from the trees giant ones. Jason took this opportunity to leave blasting a few of the spiders as he headed off towards the side and disappeared into the trees.

****

This whole quest was getting too dangerous he figured as he moved through the dark woods using his gauntlet as a torch, too much pain not enough profit. He didn’t trust any of the group to see them through, not the knight who apparently was afraid of magic the very thing their target used, or that scheming elf who was about as trustworthy as… well himself, this whole thing had the feeling of a suicide mission and Jason had learned long ago to trust that feeling. Worst case scenario they succeed and he doesn’t get his cut no big deal there’s other work to be had, and if they didn’t well… too bad. Jason looked around he could’ve sworn he’d seen that tree before, “yeah I’m definitely lost” he said with a sigh. A low growl startled him, he turned around “who’s there!?” he yelped. He only managed to get a quick glance before a dark shadow descended upon him.

Imp
04-20-2011, 01:21 AM
Tal'set turned to see Isora in what looked to be shock from what just occurred in the deranged and evil forest. Curious towards her well-being, he began to approach her in signifying support by asking her how she was. In the last step he took in front of Isora, a faint hissing began to grow in size and soon enveloped the group.

"Watch out!" He heard someone behind him shout as large demonic spiders seem to pounce upon the individuals.

The Jotun raised his shield over Isora, managing to catch one of the creatures on it's face. He then took the shield and stomped on it, crushing the large spider underneath. He wasn't that great at defending himself from things so numerous as they had begun swarming him along with the others.

A splash of some material made a thud sound upon Tal'set's mask and instantly all that came to mind was the webbing that the knight just finished explaining. Using the toothed bottom of the giant shield, he began attempting to crush the spiders under it. The shield would be his best choice as a spear or even guan dao would be too cumbersome at this time.

Anne Bonny
04-20-2011, 10:33 PM
Phoebe trudged behind the knight with her usual spring absent from her step. Everything about the forest was beginning to bother her. A woman of action always, this walking around, fearing what might jump out at them was just too much anticipation for the ranger to enjoy herself. And when there had been danger, it had been from within one of their fellows, so brandishing her sword and fighting it off was out of the question.

“Geeze talk about a Deus Ex Nympha huh? You suppose he found out about this path in a book or did he, I don’t know wish upon a star?” Jason asked after he caught up with her. Phoebe couldn't help but laugh. She didn't expect to become best friends with people (and otherwise) she traveled with, but the girl had to admit that she had a hard time trusting Verlous. He had probably run off, afraid, but was too scared to travel home alone. So at an opportune time he reentered their little party and claimed to have useful information about the woods. A likely story, Phoebe sniffed. She must remember not to rely on the elf in battle.

She opened her mouth to respond to Jason that it was a wonder Verlous had noticed anything about the forest while running scared, but she was interrupted by someone yelling for them to watch out. Her blue eyes snapped forward to see giant spiders dropping from the trees. A wide grin spread across Phoebe's face. Finally! Some tangible action... something she could kill!

The girl grabbed her bow and with a quickly drawn arrow she speared one of the arachnids in the head as it dropped down on its webbing. But with the creatures swarming all around them, Phoebe realized she wouldn't have a chance to notch another arrow before the spiders got too close to shoot. She cast the bow aside and drew her short sword in her right hand, a dagger in her left.

A few feet away she caught sight of one of the beasts spitting a green goo all over Tal'set's mask. Phoebe didn't have such protection, but she wasn't going to wait and hope that the spiders weren't venomous. Instead, she continuously moved, keeping the spiders from taking her as an easy target. Her sword hacked off three legs from one close to her, leaving it writhing on the ground, before Phoebe put her dagger through it's head to put it out of it's misery.

"Ugly creatures, aren't they?" she gasped as she turned to face the next. "I think we're doing the whole of Athamar a favor by getting rid of this swarm."

Mosaic
04-22-2011, 07:44 PM
He did not worry himself over the words or whispers of others. It would not matter, some would die in this forest, or some would die at the witches hands. What worry were their thoughts at this point in time. Though he had hoped to keep and gain some trust among them, little did he know that many seemed to highly distrust him with just his disappearance.

All that mattered was gaining Mordra's trust as much as possible, since he had denied her access to his mind any further than to see through his eyes. It was a term he was fervent on, he refused to let her get any closer to his thoughts and mind.

The amulet worked as it should as they walked into the middle of a giant spiders nest. He let go of the repulsion charm on it to let the spiders impulse to protect their nest, and feed, take over. They swarmed down all around them, many of the spiders began attacking immediately. He looked among the group and watched one move away from the group at the appearance of the spiders. "A coward then...the forest shall claim him soon enough." he thought to himself. The one he had argued with over the giant was who ran off. Good it was one annoyance he didn't feel like handling personally.

The spiders began their attack two turning their attention to Verlous. He wouldn't have it differently, he needed to gain the groups trust and faith in his capabilities. He drew the sword from its sheathe and took the first that raced after him. It jumped, body going vertical to wrap its legs around the dark elf. He extended his leg and sent it to its back, catching his balance again he took the sword and cleaved its head off, dark violet blood gracing the blade as the legs writhed and curled.

The second raced along the forest floor for him, he stepped aside and swung the blade at it, for it to jump back at the last moment and charge again. The second didn't seem too keen on making the mistake of the first. As the others fought he seemed to dance and toy with the spider before catching it in its side, slicing off three legs on one side.
Verlous had felt a bit of a rush coming on at the sight of the creatures blood on the sword, and the legs separating from its body and he gave a wicked grin. He pushed his left leg to send him into a full turn around, he used the momentum to swing the sword in a pendulum motion and cleave off two other legs on the monstrosities other side. Without the forward legs to help support most of its body it fell to the ground writhing, dying. However Verlous would drag out its agony as he mounted its back as one would a horse and reached down grabbing hold of its poisonous fangs, he pulled with his might, the dying creature giving off a blasting screech of agony as Verlous ripped the fangs from its maw and thrust one into one of its eight massive eyes.

The elfs sword remained on the ground beside the dead and butchered corpse, a third spider lunged at Verlous's moment of weakness where he reveled in the pain he inflicted, watching the spiders violet lifes elixir grace his darkened hands. He was thrown from the dead spider to the ground, pinned, now finding himself without his weapon and holding a large spider back from pressing its fangs into his flesh.

Ace of Hearts™
04-22-2011, 10:34 PM
His face sweaty and his blonde hair dirty and damp, Ceasios kept a firm grip upon his rapier. They had already lost one member to exhuastion. That, and you know, the damned trees were moving. He recalled to the comment to the Jason fellow about burning the forest down. Perhaps this was the right plan? Maybe his urination caused the trees to get angry? The trees weren't attacking, but they would make the trek back a chore. And he was sure no one would want to climb them to find the edge of the forest.

"Watch out!" Rang in his ear loudly. His grip on his sword grew tighter Before he knew it, they were surrounded by spiders. A legion of spiders. The firsts to attack were Ialia and Tal'set. 'Maybe they could kill all of them?' He tought. 'No, coward talk.' He heard a scraping behind him. His eyes met eight. It's fangs twiddling, venom dripping onto the ground. In a blink, it lunged at him. He drew his rapier and swung it in one swift motion. As he ducked, the spider passed above him, unable to land as it's front legs had been sliced off.

It was still alive, it's remaining legs trembling. He drove his blade into the eyes of the creature, twisting it as he did so. Thugs and warlords fought differently than these bugs of unusual size. 'B.O.U.S.' He thought, grinning at the phonetics of it. These spiders were far more dangerous than, say, the killer rabbits they had encountered earlier. Wiping his blade off on his pant leg, He ran back to the other's on the front lines.

"It's like my mother's basement in my nightmares. Should we use that adhesive tape they make in Porzul?"

Wattz
04-25-2011, 03:38 AM
The spiders scuttled through the trees, on the ground, their numbers seeming to increasing by the second. The sound was unnerving, their little legs ticking and their fangs chittering. Their forms were difficult to see under the darkness, but Ualan could see their exteriors glitter as they advanced. Something about the sight and sound sent chills up her spine. Images of her beloved desert thrashed in her head in a vain attempt to block the unforgiving cold.

She was one of the slower members of the group, fearful of being overwhelmed by the beasts. As one approached her feet she raised her leg high and squished it beneath her foot with a cry. Its bloody, venomous insides covered her bare feet, seeping through the toes. Ualan grimaced, but had no time to react as one fell onto her shoulder. The giant took a firm hold and flung the beast into a tree. It let out a pathetic scream upon impact, falling to the ground twitching.

Another one spat its green poison right at her leg, a close call indeed. She whipped around to face the culprit, though she was unsure what direction she should be facing. They were gaining on the entire troop fast. Ualan had barely enough time to react before another spat at her. She whipped her cloak in the line of fire, the horrid stuff starting to burn a hole in the corner of the fabric. She stepped on this spider before it had another chance to fire, and moved to squish another, though the third had caught on to her stomping tactic and managed to scuttle away in a zigzag pattern.

AngelicAsylum
04-25-2011, 04:28 AM
Isora was about to reply to the Knight scolding her with something apologetic, but the large woman had already walked away, leading the rest of the group. She felt small and stupid for being so vulnerable. No more of that, she promised herself, she would prove her worth to the rest of the group.

Her chance came sooner than she expected. With almost no warning, she heard and anxious warning, and the shouts of battle were soon upon her. Before she could react, a large spider ran towards her ready to spring into action. Right before it met its target (her face), a large wooden shield blocked its path. She watched in amazement as the giant stomped the bug with his foot. "Thank you Jotun," she replied breathlessly. "Please, watch out."

Once she had a clear path, she reached into one of her pouches that hung by her hip, and pulled out a bit of bat guano and sulfur, crushing them together with her right hand. With one swift motion she hurled them at a large cluster of spiders and exclaimed "Ast Kiranann Kair Soth-aran/Suh Kali Jalaran!"

A large fireball lit up the forest, and the explosion quickly traveled down the path in front of her, incinerating waves of spiders in its wake. The enchanted trees and shrubbery were not effected by the flames, but dark marks of soot remained on the trunks and leaves. The spell left her lightheaded for a moment, but she quickly prepared another spell if it was needed.

Auki
04-25-2011, 10:50 AM
It appeared that the Unicorn had been the first to notice, his eyes absently scouring the details of the forest canopy. He had spotted them, eyes glistening, frenzied expressions, and reacted without thought.

“Watch out!”

The words had left Reilios’ mouth with the utmost urgency. It had not been much of a warning, as the spiders cascaded down just seconds after, but at least it gave them a chance to raise their weapons.

“Oh, by the light,” he muttered, attention darting anxiously from one large spider to the next, as it dawned upon him that he was not adept for battling such creatures. Although he might crush them beneath the stomping of his hooves, they scuttled too quickly and did he miss, their venom would likely find its way into his blood. Being the only conscious healer at the time, he did not think his attempts would be worth the risk.

“Il’kane’baest’th.” In a time of prayer such as it was, it felt only natural to revert back to his mother tongue. The words flowed without break, mumbled in a nervous voice as he dived towards the centre of the group. He hoped to find protection surrounded by his comrades but instead found them fighting disjointedly, spiders breaking through their ranks with ease. There was no structure or teamwork to his party’s method; just hack-and-slash for the most part. Reilios wasn’t too bothered as long as they all managed to survive. His main concern was the priestess - despite her humanoid qualities she had shown admirable bravery beforehand – but in the shadows and chaos, he could not locate her.

Regardless, there were more pressing matters. He watched as the elf found himself pinned against the ground. No-one made an attempt to help him - It was apparent from the way they spoke that the group held little trust in Verlous. Reilios, however, held little trust in any humanoid – He was simply just not fickle enough to let it affect his actions until he was given true reason to.

A powerful kick from his hind legs smashed into the spider’s side, knocking it from the dark elf. It rolled across the ground, still alive but struggling to even stand. The exhilarated rush the Unicorn felt was not a welcome feeling and nerves settled in again soon after. Stepping back, he wondered if he might vomit but resisted the urge. In honesty, he felt useless and hoped only that he could prove his true worth at the battle’s end.

Kiall
04-25-2011, 08:16 PM
It was only pure chance that the large figure decided to descend on him from the left towards his gauntlet hand. Startled Jason released a gout of flame the creature swerved in mid air to avoid it dealing a glancing blow to Jason knocking him over and rushing off into the brush with a snarl of rage and confusion. Jason picked himself up and studied the area looking for movement, what was that thing? He saw it then, it was huge standing on all fours it looked to be the size of a large bear, it had long arms thick with muscle that ended in hands which it kept curled like a gorilla, the thing was hairless with brown skin and had a large doglike snout bristling with teeth everything about it suggested a feral ravenous beast except for its eyes which gleamed with intelligence and malice. The creature roared and charged, Jason raised his gauntlet and sprayed another gout of flame again the creature veered off at the last minute. This went on several times the creature would charge only to veer off to avoid the flames, Jason was getting worried the creature was wising up to his pattern it was getting harder and harder to judge from which way it would come, it was only a matter of time before the thing got him. Just then the creature roared and bounded from behind, Jason desperately swung his gauntlet around in hopes of making it on time.

The creature made a surprised yelp and then a howl of pain, Jason opened his eyes and saw that a long orange rope of flame was coming out of his gauntlet and was now wrapped around the creature’s neck simultaneously burning and choking it. “huh, I didn’t know it could do that” he said surprise and relief in his voice as the creature shuddered and slumped to the ground. As the creature fell Jason deactivated his gauntlet, the creature made a weak growl but didn’t have the energy to move. Jason looked down at his gauntlet with a flick of his wrist he activated it, sure enough the long tendril of flame dropped ready to be used. He smiled a devilish smile, “Jason has a plan most cunning,” he murmured looking at the creature.

---------

The creature growled as Jason shifted his weight on its back. He had managed to get a regular rope looped around its neck and was now holding it with his right hand, while his left held the flaming rope he was now using as a whip to keep creature in line. His plan was to ride the creature out of the woods and to safety and really what could go wrong? He thought looking down as the creature looked up at him with absolute hate in its eyes. Well no time like the present, “Yah! Zanzibar!” he cried smacking the creature with his flame whip. The beast roared and sped off into the woods. Jason had to grip the rope hard to keep balance and the creature’s constant twisting and turning was not helping, it was almost like it wanted him to fall off, the fact that he still had no idea where he was going didn’t help matters either.

sneakyonfoota
04-26-2011, 02:57 AM
"This is your test," whispered Marilyn, her mouth better communicating than her breath. Her vision was downcast, her eyes staring unseeingly through the thick magnifying lenses of her bifocals. "This is your test. This is your test."

With a gasp the muttering ceased, though the twitch of her lips did not--Silvershadow's twisted denizens were upon the adventurers. Master Reilios' warning barely registered at the moment it reached her ears.

The girl's free hand lingered over the pouches of her materials belt that hung at her waist, ready to tear open the snaps of its stiff, boiled leather compartments to extract the materials necessary for her spells. Spells that were growing shorter and shorter in supply; the cantrips she had cast were of little consequence, however the Floating Disk was of a magnitude greater than a parlour trick like Light or Message.

The language of magic danced and scrolled in her lenses as she beheld Mistress Lelah. Recognizing the incantation immediately, she stood observing, her personal mantra silenced as she witnessed a senior in the arcane arts perform a splendid--


See the seed, see it spread,
Blossom beautifully and destroy.
It does not blow like the wind,
Rather it pours and consumes like a torrid wave.
Ashes and cinders, remember its name:

"Fireball," whispered Marilyn to no one.

Her attention roved all about her, assessing and observing, her fingers dancing across her belt from compartment to compartment as she caught glimpse of a new danger or situation. Glancing down at the metallic disk that held the unconscious priestess aloft, the girl bit her lip and raised her free hand, pointing her index straight. Spacing and then planting her feet firmly on the ground, she pushed her spectacles up to her eyes and stood in vigilant defense of Luna, her pointing finger moving along with her gaze like a readied pistol.

"This is your test. This is your test."

CALYPSO
05-04-2011, 04:19 AM
The impact of the fireball caused Ialia to lose her balance as she continued battling with the arachnids. A few sparks of the flame landed on her arm, but it did not burn through the armor or her skin. She quickly patted it out in a panic and soon noticed that the creatures were long gone thanks to the powerful spell and the help from her team. “Great work everyone,” she exclaimed as she sheathed her sword.

Unfortunately, she wished Reilios had left Verlous in his troublesome state with the spider. Leaving him to be poisoned or shredded by them would have been a sight to see after he shown up to the party unexpectedly. Sadly, he was there and standing. Ignoring her lack of trust and rage for the elf, she looked up to smile at Ualan, “Your squishing was a great help.” Ialia looked at Isora, “And that fireball was immense.” Maybe black magic did have a good use after all, she thought.

Regardless of whatever color the mages were, Ialia needed to check up on the white mage—the priestess. Though she was rather helpful to exorcise Isora, she was just overall useless in the group. She still laid there unconscious, however, they made sure to protect one of their healers. Are casting spells just that draining, she questioned to herself. Why cast such powerful magic that it’ll just leave you vulnerable and useless? She hoped Luna rose to her feet soon; Ialia didn’t want the scratch on her face to scar over.

Ialia scouted the party one last time before they continued on in Silvershadow Woods, “Are you all right? We can certainly move on yes?” She spun her body around several times when she noticed Jason was missing. “Wait a minute,” she paused, “Where is Jason? Don’t tell me he ran off as well!” She said sternly.

Mosaic
05-04-2011, 05:54 AM
Verlous stood as the other spiders scurried away in fright from the fireball that soared past him as he wrestled with the spider above him before it was abruptly removed by a pair of hooves. He recovered his disarmed blade and wiped the blood off on a fallen spiders hairy corpse and sheathed it. He walked past Reilios without thanks and stood to the still writhing and pain stricken spider that had so rudely mounted him.

He planted a solid stomp on three of its legs, breaking them as it let out a low attempt at a shriek of pain. His boot planted on its head and he reached down grabbing hold of one of its eight eyes. "No one pins me down." his tone severe as he ripped the first eye, prolonging the creatures death as he did so with the other three larger orbs, finishing it off by removing its fangs and crushing its head beneath his boot. He was ruthless to all life, and he enjoyed prolonging suffering. It was how he was taught in the guild.

The dark purple blood stained and coated his hands, and he made no apparent attempt to wipe it from his hands. His actions had finished towards the end of Ialia's comments.

“Wait a minute,” she paused, “Where is Jason? Don’t tell me he ran off as well!”

"If the fool ran off from the rest of us, then he is surely dead. He won't survive." He said as he returned to the gathering group after he finished butchering the spider. "Looking for him will be useless, we need to move forward. Hunting him down will only invite the forest to turn us around, then we'll never find our way further in."

"You're one to talk? You were gone for three days!"

"I also knew what I was getting into and what I was doing." he snapped back.

"Kinda like you knew what you were doing with that spider that had you pinned?" she said snidely.

"A misjudgment, something that won't happen again. Now if you have no further remarks we need to find the path we were on before the forest sees fit to move it, and continue in the direction we traveled."

sneakyonfoota
05-06-2011, 04:13 PM
Marilyn's quivering hand lowered slowly. The girl panted as her eyes darted about, still searching for the targets that were now in full retreat. Her free hand went to her left shoulder as she lowered the shillelagh that still cast its light upon the darkened forest around the group.

Slowing her breath, she checked upon Priestess Luna. The Floating Disk carrying the woman began to descend slowly, but with a short gasp and a tight grip of her shillelagh, the Disk rose again to be in line with Marilyn's vision. Recomposed, she held the walking stick up high like a torch, looking to the knight for direction. As she searched, though, her gaze fell briefly upon Mistress Lelah and then quickly to Ialia.

To the knight's general inquiry she offered only a slight shake of her head--she hadn't seen where Jason had gone.

She glanced again at the prone priestess and then proceeded to where the knight stood, the Floating Disk trailing behind her.

"Lady Ialia," she began quietly, "while it may not be advisable in the best conditions, I may forcibly revive Priestess Luna with this." She removed from her components belt a small corked vial containing what appeared to be a thumb-sized lump of salt crystal. "While it will make her conscious, she will still be subject to the ill effects of spell fatigue. As Sir Reggin is unaccounted for and Priestess Luna no doubt possesses divination..." she trailed off.

Wattz
05-07-2011, 05:59 PM
The spiders seemed to disappear as fast as they had arrived, meaning that Ualan was still a little on edge. She’d seen magic before, but not quite so up close, and the idea that these two people possessed such power was more than a little awe inspiring.

But even more shocking to Ualan was the compliment paid by the leader, the knight. The half-giant didn’t know the woman well at all, but she’d already garnered the opinion that she was incapable of handing out genuine smiles. Seeing Ialia speak so well of the others (well at least to some of them. She had a clear distaste for Verlous. There’d been animosity for the dark elf almost since the beginning. Ualan herself was just glad to have another desert dweller around) was quite refreshing.

“Your squishing was a great help.”

“Nothing, nothing,” Ualan said shyly with an enormous grin. She tried in vain to get the spider guts off her feet by rubbing them on the grass, but to no avail. Clumsily, she lifted a foot up and used her cloak (oh, the poor state of her cloak) to wipe off the grime, almost knocking in to a few people.

“Loud man run off?” she responded as the little uproar over Jason arose. “Loud man is little man.” Ualan shrugged and laughed at her own joke, though it made much more sense in her head.

She heard the slight voice of Marilyn, still holding the priestess aloft with her magical Disk. Would she really be able to revive Luna? Ualan was too fascinated at the moment to be all that worried. The half-giant crouched down and watched intently, wondering just how the hell they were able to perform such magical feats.

Vampirequeen
05-10-2011, 08:22 PM
After an unknown amount of time, Luna slowly began to regain consciousness. As she regained feeling in her body, she felt herself floating gently in when seemed to be a sea of darkness. She breathed gently, enjoying the strange floating sensation.

Wait, floating? She thought unexpectedly. She was still for a few moments more while she regained the will to open her eyes. After those few moments passed, she slowly opened her eyes and moved her head as she looked with somewhat blurry vision at the dark forest that surrounded her and the members of the group. She rubbed her eyes as her gaze settled on the strange disc that was apparently holding her up. So she was floating...

She rubbed her eyes again, then looked around, hesitant to sit up since she didn't know where the disk came from or how it was able to float. Then, she spoke, letting everyone know that she was awake.

"What happened?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes again, finally seeing clearly and noticing that the appeared to be missing one or two members.

AngelicAsylum
05-12-2011, 02:33 AM
"Spiders," Isora replied, leaning heavily on her cane for a few moments to regain her composure. It was certainly a long time since she had to cast any spells as powerful as that one, but she supposed it would be wise to get past the dizziness and prepare for more as the journey went on. "Many spiders. And Jason has gone missing." She would know - there had not been one comment about her hat since the battle.

A predicament, of course. Would they search for him or simply continue on? Judging by their leader and the task at hand, she figured they wouldn't stop to look, at least not for very long. After all, when the dark elf went missing for days he was barely missed. Then again... the young man was certainly louder than the suspicious elf. His absence would be more noticeable.

The group still seemed to be regaining their senses after the fight. She took that moment to pull out a handkerchief and wipe the excess bat guano from her hands. It was one of the more... unsavory spell components she possessed, but necessary nonetheless. Her eyes trailed over to the young mage a few feet away. The girl had much potential. It was pleasant to have another magic user in their odd group, even if both of them were not exactly the social types.

Imp
05-15-2011, 03:33 AM
Tal'set leaned against a tree, sighing in relief the spiders were gone. The witch was sending waves at them it seemed. First the evil spirits haunting them and now jumping to spiders. He wondered what could possibly be next. The Jotun wanted a more difficult challenge as the hardest thing his kind have ever challenged were greater giants one such as the female half-giant Ualan in the party.

Now the issue seemed to be where Jason had run off to. Tal'set thought it be best to continue on in the journey or split the group. One could form a search party for Jason and the other continue on the trail for the witch. One would think the scouts could track Jason easily but perhaps not.

"Split party?" He looked to the leading knight. "One track Jason while other continues forward." He pointed his guan dao in a forward direction. Jason's disappearance confused the Jotun. It was strange that a supposed warrior join the group only to be a shifty character. Perhaps he was scared and ran or something else was on the rise.

Kiall
05-18-2011, 01:01 AM
The forest sped past as Jason desperately held on to the charging beast. He had long since given up any attempt to calm or slow it down. The fire whip did nothing but make become even more crazed he half suspected the only reason it hadn’t try to buck him off is simply because it was too angry to think of it. Suddenly the beast reared back making a sound that was more scream than yell, Jason tumbled backwards landing hard on the cold ground. Jason’s vision swam as he saw the beast race off right before everything went black.

He came to with a loud groan, rubbing his forehead he sat up and looked around. The forest looked different now, it was still barren but the pervading sense of darkness was gone so was the ever present feeling of being watched. Jason looked up it seemed brighter now, how long had he been out? He couldn’t actually see the sun through the trees so it was impossible to tell. Shrugging his shoulders he stood up stumbling a bit from the blood rush. “Last time I do any job that involves the bloody woods,” he muttered before heading out.

sneakyonfoota
05-24-2011, 04:29 PM
Nonplussed (save for a twitch of an eyebrow), Marilyn tucked the vial containing the crystal away into its pouch. She switched her shillelagh to her right hand, rotating her left shoulder and flexing her gloved fingers to restore their circulation. Though she glanced around at the party as they decided their next course of action, she did so with detachment--or even distraction.

She visibly straightened at the suggestion of dividing the group. Casting her glance downward, she chewed her lip and curled a finger, the Floating Disk obliging her by drifting closer to her. When the priestess was within whispering distance, she asked,

"Forgive my forwardness, Priestess Luna... But if my understanding is correct, those blessed by the gods have the gift of divination. Are you able to scry for Sir Reggin? This Disk and a meagre amount of water will suffice for a scrying surface."

CALYPSO
06-04-2011, 11:34 PM
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/pureelven/arisusgrove.jpg


The sacred grove (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAkSPMjSKAE&feature=channel_video_title) of Silvershadow Woods was a land not covered by the taint of Morda Sayd. It was the glimmer of hope for the Fairie Realm and the creatures that were inhabitant to the forest. The trees were not black and dead like those of its counterparts, but rather they were rich with leaves and mosses. They welcomed the sunrays that peered between their branches, while other trees leaned towards each other to form majestic archways that lead deeper into the grove.

Those who entered feel the lush of soft grass beneath their feet, kissed by the smallest dewdrops given from the moisture of the clean air. Little streams of water shimmered under the sunlight, giving rocks a smooth glistening finish on their surface. The sound of flowing water against the earth’s pebbles can only make someone forget the curse on the rest of Silvershadow. It cascaded through the archways surrounding a colossal tree.

Though the trees of the grove were untainted, the one before Jason’s eyes was not. The tree was not overwhelmed in darkness, but its roots were deformed and its branches curled as if to whither in anguish. Its bark was of dark blue undertones of the endless night that surrounded Silvershadow Woods. But what made the tree plead for help was the creature that resided on its exterior. His skin was indistinguishable from the gigantic tree, as they looked to be unified. Horns protruded from his skull, along with several little spikes, yet the creature showed no threat. His eyes were closed as if in a peaceful slumber, yet the strain on his face showed concern and worry.

When he felt Jason’s presence, he slowly opened his eyes and observed his domain. Two flickering bulbs of light flew around the tree and stopped in front of him; as the light dimmed down, two fairies bowed to him. They were identical in facial appearance and body type. However, they shared two differences: their hair, which one had auburn while the other had blue; and their wings, which the colors were similar to their hair.

“Your Majesty,” one spoke in their sweet voice, “One lone human has entered your grove.”

“He does not seem to be tainted,” the other fairy finished. “Shall we bring him to you?”

His eyes traced to the young human girl whom held a similar curse as him. Her long brown hair entwined with the roots and her body attached to the smaller tree’s surface. Her skin was black, nearly appearing to be rotten along with the tree that encased her. “If he can save us and break the curse that lingers over Silvershadow, yes,” he responded. The two fairies bowed again and fluttered off in haste.

Jason was not at all distant from him, as he was able to scout the colossal tree quite well. As he followed the path of the archways, the two glowing bulbs of light flew towards him. As they were near him, one stopped by his ear, “Excuse me!” She squealed. Jason brushed off the bugging sound of the fairy with a simple swipe of his hand causing her to soar off. She flew by her fairy sister and sighed, “It’s no use Tik, he won’t hear us.”

Tik scowled, “Let me try, Tak.” She flew behind Jason as he kept looking around, “Humans are so ridiculous. You think they know by now.” She raised her hands and chanted a small spell. The light that surrounded her grew brighter and larger; and as soon as it disappeared, Tik was the size of a human. Yet she looked not like a human, but still as a fairy; her wings were bigger and her auburn hair was longer. She urged her sister to follow as she trailed behind Jason.

“Hey!” She nearly shouted as she forcefully turned Jason around to make him face her. Too shocked to say anything, she continued, “You think you can enter King Arisu’s grotto, brush off my sister like she’s a bug, and act nonchalant about it?!” Before he responded, she sighed in frustration and walked ahead of him, “My spell is shortened, so let’s make this quick shall we? Follow me. Our King wishes to speak with you.”

“Uhh…right,” he finally managed to say. The fairies lead him deeper into the grotto, with Tik floating light by Tak’s shoulder. As they arrived, Tak’s spell came to an end and she was her normal size. The sisters flew in front of the King and bowed.

“He is here, Your Majesty,” Tak spoke up.

“Thank you Tak and Tik.” The two fairies flew off into one of the trees.


***

The light chatter amongst the group made Ialia contemplate on what to do with Jason. Although he was a loud and rowdy man with much lack of respect, his skills and abilities served well. As Tal’set began to speak, she bent her head upwards to look at him.

"Split party?" He looked to the leading knight. "One track Jason while other continues forward." He pointed his guan dao in a forward direction.

Ialia gazed at the direction he pointed to, “I do not think that will be a wise decision,” she responded. “The forest continues to move. If we split up, what are the chances of finding each other?”

She waited to see if the group had any other ideas, yet only silenced filled them. Rather than waiting for any more spiders to come, she gathered them together, “We will find him together,” she finally concluded, “Our path will lead us to him and to Mordra’s tower.”

After everyone made sure they were well enough to move and gather items (such as vials of poisons from the corpse spiders), Ialia began to lead them once again. It was strange to venture into the woods without the loudmouth bashing someone or complaining about the quest. The mere quietness between them was eerie; Ialia only hoped he was still alive.

Their walking came to halts occasionally with either spiders or tainted creatures attacking them. As they neared the sacred grotto, the enemies grew less and less, until they were not seen any longer. Ialia quirked a brow and slowly sheathed her blood dripped blade. As the knight done so, the others felt safe to put their weapons aside.

They continued strolling through the grotto, admiring the new foliage that surrounded them. “This is a strange place,” she spoke up, “It is not tainted.” She urged the group to follow, while staying close together. They explored the grotto, not knowing what to expect next in their quest.

Kiall
06-07-2011, 05:50 AM
The grove was a stark contrast to the oppressive darkness of the rest of the forest, the trees were lush and vibrant the whole place teemed with life, after being in the dank oppressiveness of Mordra Sayd’s domain for so long the affect was breathtaking, and if Jason wasn’t tired, hungry, and in desperate need of a drink he might have enjoyed it. Instead as he muttered darkly about tearing the place down and building a tavern he found himself drawn to one tree in particular, it was colossal but it was also malformed it’s branches were withered and its bark was a dark blue even to Jason’s uninformed eyes the thing looked sick maybe even dying.

As he contemplated this, a loud obnoxious buzzing started up in his ear, “damnable pests” he muttered swiping at the offending bug. No sooner had he gone back to his thoughts he felt himself being grabbed and pulled to face a very angry auburn haired woman with wings who proceeded to yell at him. Jason taken off his guard and still reeling from some mild head trauma could only stare and gawk. Before he could get a word in edgewise he found himself being led deeper into the grotto. As he followed his mind turned to all the surreal moments in his life, he then decided that this easily took the number four spot on his top five.

He stood before a man with a brown bark like skin and a pair of jutting horns, Jason couldn’t tell where he ended and the tree began. Well this was awkward he should probably say something he figured “Greetings your…” he paused trying to find the right words “Treeness” yeah that was good. “This is a lovely place you have…” he stopped and sighed and began rubbing his eyes. “Sorry I’m still feeling a little concussed, and I’m not very good with this diplomatic stuff even when I’m at my best so if it’s all the same I’m just gonna go for blunt and brazen.” Taking a deep breath he spoke “why the hell did you have that snippy little bug woman bring me here?” he asked, “ You know what don’t answer that I’ve seen enough of you namby pamby sparkle forest folk to know you only have three ways of interacting with chumps like me.” holding up his hand he started counting out the different ways as he talked “one you’re either going to kill me because of some perceived slight against the trees, two you’re going to send me home because human blood doesn’t go well with the current décor, or three you want my help.”

A part of him thought this probably wasn’t the manner in which you addressed a forest king, but he had a splitting headache and was dead sober and in the court of Jason these were unforgivable transgressions. “Considering I’m not dead and you’ve bothered to bring me to your inner sanctum it must be number three. So tell me, whaddaya want? And why should I care?”

Ace of Hearts™
06-08-2011, 10:32 PM
Heavy breathing. Dirty hair. Hell, dirty everything. Ceasios leaned over himself to catch his breath. Spider blood covered his sword and hands. A bit on his cheek. It mixed with his sweat. One final hand swipe across his face brought him back to full energy. The group was scattered around the opening where the spider's had ambushed them. The priestess managed to wake herself.

"Miss all the fun!" Ceasios said, a mixture of warmness and envy.

One of the group were missing. The loud one. The funny one, too. Everyone was debating what to do, how to handle it. The giant, well, the other giant, had the idea of splitting up into groups. The idea was shot down by Ialia, who wouldn't want even more people getting lost. The group was ordered to move forward. He gathered up some food, storing it in his pack. He cleaned the blood off his blade with his shirt, like a child wiping snot on his sleeve.

The traveled father into the forest. A few spiders here, though Mordra minions were getting thoroughly unoriginal. As if out of a children's dream. This whole thing seemed like a dream. When do the busty elven girls come to polish my sword? He thought. The forest became more and more darker and dead.

It's always darkest before the dawn.

The grotto was beautiful. Sparkling water and thick, lively trees, branches dancing in the wind. Ialia sheathed her blade as a sign of relief.

"You know, you really must clean the blade of blood, you run the risk of having it rust." He said, matter of factly. While he knew not to upset a trained and possibly man hating knight, he did it more out of concern. Poor and rusty swords. Maybe Ceasios could polish her sword. And she could polish his.

Who needed to dream?

Mosaic
06-10-2011, 04:58 AM
Verlous remained quiet as the group spoke among themselves. He had originally hoped the knight would take the Jotun's suggestion, a smaller group would be so much easier to manage, and fewer people in his way when it came down to business. However, the woman decided it was best for everyone to stay together, perhaps he shouldn't have said anything on the moving forest. Hindsight, still all would surely go well enough in the end, for him that is to say.

Walking, walking, ambush, butcher, maim, kill and more walking. Verlous certainly looked a sight, as the only thing he seemed quite intent on keeping clean were his blades. His own appearance and hygiene was last on his mind, and from the way he kept holding his demeanor after every drop of blood stained his arms, face, and clothes. Well it seemed as if he was rather happy to be coated in blood. In fact, he was quite, well excited might be the best term to describe it.

This was getting him nowhere to thinning the group, the forest's movements was keeping them on the edges, where the weak creatures lived. He needed to get past the untainted land that Mordra had told him of to attract the stronger monstrocities of the forest.

As he thought on the matter the forest changed before them. No longer dark, twisted, and dying foliage, but now lively and healthy flora surrounded them. Growing up in intricate ways as if a caretaker had guided the plants to grow in such a way. Past this land, this only other mass of forest, other than Mordra's fortress, that did not move, would they plunge deeper into the dark dead forest.

He looked about the lively plants that moved as if welcoming the group into the protection away from the taint it offered. He thought of what creatures beyond here he might attract, he'd need something big enough for that Jotun to keep distracted. Surely there were creatures of such size, though that medallion only attracted and repelled the creatures, he had no control over what came to them.

An attempt at a smile jumped along his mouth, at least he tried to make it look a smile from the twisted grin he so felt. This showed that Mordra wasn't as powerful as she claimed to be, as the untainted area was much larger than she described. He had a choice to make, on who to stab in the back.

Auki
06-11-2011, 07:08 PM
Reilios dragged his hooves as they made his advance. There was blood – still warm from the beast! – slathered across his rear ones in a way he was most unaccustomed to. The dank grass seemed no more welcoming of the liquid to his disappointment. Although the dark purple was barely noticeable on his black hooves, he could feel it and it felt like murder.

As much as it was his role to preserve the light and battle the evil, he could not forget that this was merely a witch’s meddling. These creatures deserved his pity, not his violence. If there were a way to complete their mission without shedding blood, he would have taken such a path even if he walked it alone. Humanoids; they hacked and slashed without thought, all in retaliation to another of their kind’s anger. It was a useless circle. He could remember the crudeness of the first human wars – when both weapons and magic were primitive in comparison – the swirl of jealousy and competition as clear as though they were his own memories. His race had witnessed their moronity and in times, it made him sick. He closed his eyes, breathed a sigh, and tried to let it go. Now was not the time.

He nosed at the corpse of a nearby spider on one of their subsequent encounters, curious by the liquid spewing from its wrenched-out fangs, but made no attempt to harvest it. The leather band strapped around his stomach, nestling snugly against his elbow when he stood still, housed a bag on either side. Despite many assuming him to be a packhorse because of it, it held the meagre entirety of his personal belongings. There was no money, for wealth was useless to him, but instead a few items of his previous travels, a small portion of food in case the grass was too thin to graze and a couple of reagents for the white spells that were not innate to him. Although his horn could act as a catalyst for most restoration spells, it was useless in anything other. Staring at the spider’s venom, he realised two things. Firstly, that he would rather not waste the space for it (he had examined such substance before and concluded that it could not differ much simply due to possession by a witch) and secondly, that its containment would mean asking the aid of a humanoid.

Moving on without a backward glance, the trek posed little variety to him – He stayed near the middle of the group, practically hugging the chest of the half-giant and hoping proximity would grant him protection. He offered her his healing skills in return although the female seemed not to gain any wounds that required urgent care. The other humanoids would receive aid if they asked but otherwise, he avoided engaging them in any sort of conversation. He disliked idle chatter when such anguish was present in their surroundings.

When they reached a difference in the forest, a lightening of the darkness that coated the branches, he felt an odd sadness. It was as though the agony of the creatures was being ignored by this wondrous place, overlooked as everyone was soothed by sanctuary from the witch’s evil. He paced on silently, admiring the beauty with a bitter eye.

Wattz
06-12-2011, 08:38 AM
Ualan was a bit unsure as to what disagreement had occurred. To her immediate understanding, it was a matter of simply pressing forward. She was now near the unicorn Reilios, whom had kindly offered his healing abilities. The half-giant smiled wide, her big teeth flashing, as she waved a grateful hand. She didn’t want to burden him unnecessarily, after all.

“No, no, no, many thanks.”

Ualan took it upon herself to carry some of the vials of spider poison they’d gathered up in an attempt to be helpful. She took extra care to not squish them in her hands, since she had no pouch to carry them in (perhaps she would try to mend this predicament when they were out of this accursed forest. Then again, Ualan had quite a tough time trying to find one that would fit earlier. She certainly hadn’t thought this whole journey out well enough now, hadn’t she?)

The next part of the forest was awkwardly unsettling. It held a different air about it, cleaner, perhaps less dangerous, but strangely ominous all the same. The filtered light looked like pure magic. She felt as if there were things whispering in the trees, and she was immediately reminded of old folk tales the elders of the village had taught her. Ualan slowed down significantly enough to lag behind the group, if only to examine the fresh trees carefully.

“Remind, remind…” Ualan whispered shyly to herself. It could have been her imagination, but she was unsure. It really was just like walking into the folk tale, where the other half-giants would speak of tainted forests, rivals of the desert. The trees extended upwards towards the sky, and the sun fought back to prevent itself from being destroyed. She’d walked through many forests to get to Athamar, similar to this, but for some reason this particular magic rang quite strongly. It was far more terrifying than the labyrinthine darkness filled with venomous spiders. To Ualan, purgatory was more frightening than hell. Ualan secretly hoped that the desert would win this battle.

AngelicAsylum
06-13-2011, 02:33 AM
Mordra stared into the Seeing Pool with what could only be described as frustration etched into her face. "Spiders too simplistic for you, eh?" she snarled before plunging her fist into the viscous fluid, disrupting the image. Clearly, Mordra Sayd had seen enough.

She stepped back from the pool and made her way through the expansive study. Various spell components and suspicious looking vials of liquid were strewn about in on shelves, a desk, and even the floor when she became particularly irate. Today was one of those days; to show just how annoyed she was, she snatched a mouse from the stone floor and flung it across the room. "Ugh!"

Finally, Mordra came to a stop, lounging on a plush sofa. "'Tis not all bad, I suppose," she mused to herself idly. "If they were to die this soon I wouldn't be able to show them the rest of my little pets. Let the Fae royalty say what they like... It won't help." The sound of her cackling filled the tower.

~~~

Isora had shamefully collected some of the spider venom in a small bottle, and tucked it into one of her pouches subtly. Unfortunately, such things would be useful on the battlefield, even though the very idea of using something so deadly made her shudder. It was dirty work, and had only first killed an enemy the night she broke free of prison.

As they walked along, Isora also noticed the sudden change of scenery in the forest. A speck of green or a touch of wildflower here and there was quite a pleasant change from the constant dreariness. They came to the grotto and walked about cautiously, Isora leaning on her cane in bemusement. If there was still goodness and life in a damned forest, perhaps there was hope for all those whose hearts were said to be poisoned.

Vampirequeen
07-01-2011, 06:16 PM
In response to Marilyn's question, Luna had paused to remember the things that she had once read about scrying. After a few moments, she respectfully explained that she had once read that the amount of time that it takes for an image to appear varies from person to person, and if Jason's life was in danger, she wouldn't want to risk wasting time that could be spent trying to save him by spending an unknown amount of time trying to find out where he was. When she finished speaking, she carefully climbed off of the disk and followed the rest of the group to a part of the forest that was much prettier than what she had seen earlier.

"May I please have my weapons back?" She asked as she looked around the forest.

CALYPSO
07-02-2011, 07:08 AM
Maybe it was wrong of him to ask the pesky human for aid; and if that was so, why on Silvershadow was the human here? As Jason spoke in an impetuous manner, Arisu listened to him carefully, sighing in doubt for the human. The young girl, accursed with the same spell as him, was the only human he truly cared for. With an elegant touch from the strings of her harp, she was able to soothe his qualms and gave him a peaceful slumber. Arisu’s hazel eyes wandered over to where her body laid, “I seek assistance from the human realm,” he responded calmly. He gazed over at Jason, “My Kingdom is in desperate need. I inquired King Loranos to inform his people of this alarming matter. I assume that is why you are here, yes?”

Jason did not answer his question, but Arisu knew all too well that was the reason. “You traveled to Silvershadow with company—a group of companions with diverse skills. Amongst your battle with the arachnids, you were separated from them and you stumbled into my grove.” His lips curved into a grin, yet due to his deformity, it appeared as a malicious smile. Jason stuttered for words but was quickly disrupted by Tik Tak, who flew down from the great tree.

“Your Majesty!” Tak squealed in worrisome, “There are more humans!”

“Even an untainted unicorn!” Tik nearly shouted in her small voice.

“Yes, I feel their presence nearing,” Arisu responded, “Lead them here. Let them be reunited with their companion here.” The two fairies bowed to their King and flew off in great haste.

---

Everyone was in awe of their new surroundings, but they all remained cautious for what lies ahead of them. Ialia stopped for a moment to pick a flower from the earth; she smiled as she remembered it was same type of flower the people of Lorana threw her and her acquaintances before they left. Distracted by it’s ivory petals and delicacy, she jumped as Ceasios spoke.

"You know, you really must clean the blade of blood, you run the risk of having it rust."

She dropped the flower as she nodded in agreement, “You’re right, but why clean it now when we might have to fight here soon?” She continued walking forth, moving her head left and right as she observed the grove. “Hmm, but you know,” she paused, “I feel no presence here. Perhaps we found new camping grounds!” She gave a humble laugh at her own joke before brushing the humor aside. As they continued forward, Ialia began to hear a buzzing sound by her ear. With a swift hand movement, the buzzing stopped, only to occur again. Now she was annoyed. She continuously moved her hand, swiping away any insect that tried to enter her ears; by the time her eyes met with the colossal tree, Tak appeared in her bigger form. Her light blue wings flicked in anger as her arms were crossed, staring at the great knight, “Must we rely on these transformations to receive a human’s attention?”

Ialia raised a brow as the fairy spoke, “Are you a good fairy or are you cursed by Mordra Sayd?”

“Ugh, please just follow me,” Tak ordered, “This spell is not strong enough. If we waste more time, I will be small again and my sister will continue buzzing by your ears. You must speak with our King!”

Ialia looked over at her group, whom all waited for her decision; she was hesitant, but confident that the king knew where Mordra’s tower was. “Very well. Take us to him.” Without wasted time, Tak lead them further into the grove with Tik by her side; the small red orb glowed brightly as the two fairies fluttered into Arisu’s grove. As they entered, some of them gasped at the sight of the decayed majestic tree. “Jason!” She called out as she ran towards him, “I see you decided to wander off on your own,” she grinned.

“I do not mean to interfere in your little reunion, but there are grave matters to attend to,” Arisu finally spoke.

Ialia stepped forward as she gave him eye contact, “So, you are the great Fairy King?”

He nodded slowly, studying each person and creature amongst the group, “My name is Arisu. The two fairies that led you here are Tik and Tak.” The fairies, now in their original form, bowed to them and sat on the king’s shoulders. His eyes peered over to the young girl, “This is a human friend of mine, Chelaia. She is the keeper of the harp that Mordra now holds.”

“We arrived to stop Mordra Sayd,” Ialia spoke courageously, “Do you know where her tower lies?”

“Even if I do, you will not be able to make it there alive,” he stated. He studied her expression, which showed frustration, but determination; and the others presented similarities. Breaking the silence, he spoke again, “I predicted Mordra Sayd was going to take over Silvershadow Woods.” Ialia looked up at him again, “Whenever I closed my eyes, the prophecies came: a great evil witch would strike down Silvershadow and taint my kingdom with her curse.” He bowed his head in remorse, “The prophecies haunted me, until Chelaia entered the woods,” he gave a sadden smile. “The sweet melody from her harp comforted me. My people and their friends believed this was the great evil witch I foresaw, but the more I listened to her melody the more I had doubt. Chelaia did nothing more but ease my visions and gave me a tranquil rest.”

Ialia looked over at Chelaia, “Where did she come from? I have not seen her in the town of Lorana.”

“She is from the small village, Belwick, just north of Silvershadow Woods. One day, she traveled to Corus, but she lost her way in my kingdom. Ill-tempered, I encountered her to cast her away, but she pleaded to let her pass through. She begged, ‘Please, allow me to play this tune for you. Should it anger you, you have every right to exile me from your domain.’”

“And she visited you whenever she was on her way to Corus?” Ialia asked curiously.

“Yes, even on the days she did not have a trip to Corus, she would visit me to play her harp.” Arisu sighed, “I mean no harm to her for she is very dear to me. When Mordra attacked, it was too late for her to escape. I used my power to protect us, but Mordra was too strong for me. We fought for three days; three life draining days that forced me to surrender to her.” He paused as he shut his eyes, reliving the anguish that occurred to him. As he opened them, he looked away from his visitors, “She cursed me and I was only able to protect the sacred grove and Tik Tak.”

“That explains why this area is untouched,” she concluded to herself. “But if she is so powerful, why would she need Chelaia’s harp?”

“Mordra took the harp so, not only this curse but also my strong prophecies, can torment me. My visions unveiled Mordra destroying my kingdom, my people, and our allies.” His eyes trailed from Ialia to the rest of her companions, “From darkness, I saw a glint of light. I saw…all of you.”

“King Arisu, we will destroy Mordra and we will retrieve that harp. For you and Chelaia.” She smirked, “Did you not prophesize this?”

It has been months since Arisu smiled with amusement. Laughter filled the grotto, “I suppose that’s a valid point!” he replied, “Why haven’t I foreseen that?” He gave another chuckle before he composed himself. “You have all come a long way to reach this far. Now, I cannot hold you back any longer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h95fBFiegbU&t=0m49s).” He turned his head to the right and focused at the dark twisted woods. Carefully, Arisu extracted his body from the tree and raised his right arm. Absorbing light from the sunrays, his hand began to form a green sphere of energy.

“King Arisu!” The fairies cried out, “Don’t! Remember what Mordra said?” Tik nearly scolded. “She said if you use any sort of power, the tree will—!” Tak attempted to explain, but was only cut off.

“Enough! I rule this domain!” Arisu unleashed the sphere, which formed a long beam into the woods. Ialia shielded her eyes with her arm for the magic was too radiant. The dead trees transformed back to life and began to entwine with other branches, forming the majestic archways that were similar to those in the sacred grove. “I will use the last of my power to open a pathway for you all.” As he spoke, the path gleamed with lush foliage, finally revealing Mordra’s tower. Wincing in pain as the colossal tree began to stir, Arisu continued feeding magic to the long passageway, “You must move quickly! Once the spell dies, the path will close!” The exterior on his skin grew thicker as the spell became stronger. “It’s a…straight run to the tower,” he struggled as he spoke.

“King Arisu…” she said softly.

“Go.” Finally, the bark of the tree covered his mouth and wrapped his body tightly. However, his hand still unleashed the power the path needed.

Ialia ran over to the entrance of the passageway and faced her companions, “Let us fight this witch!” She unsheathed her blade and sprinted, followed by her group. “I will not fail you King Arisu or my King,” she muttered.

As they all left, the withered branches wrapped and covered his entire arm causing the magic to end. “I…I envision…” his words were drifted away as the tree began to bring him inside making him become part of it. Soon, all that was left of King Arisu was his hand.

Mosaic
07-04-2011, 03:55 PM
Verlous wasn't one to pay much attention to this particular moment. He knew about the grotto and who resided in it, Mordra had mentioned the fairy king who resisted her. What point was there to actively accepting to help the decrepit old fairy, if he decided to turn on Mordra he'd benefit from Verlous's actions anyways.

There was no real point to accepting the plea of a forest dweller anyways. What could this man possibly offer Verlous that was of any value for his services? Pretty leaves and rare flowers? That which shimmers and shines of value is what he was interested in, not delicate weeds.

It was indeed just all that, the King of the forest explained the situation and how his condition came about, all quite very droll and boring to be honest. How Mordra tormented him with his own gift of foresight, a genius tactic in of its own. It wore the old king down, forced him into sleepless nights. How much longer could the old King protect this part of the forest, a night maybe two more, a week if he conserved his strength?

Finally the way was opened to them as the king finished, and Verlous snapped from a daydream. He gave a mild grimace to the path that was given to them. A straight shot to the tower was it? Disappointing, he wanted to distract them a little longer, maybe thin down the numbers. After all working around weak people was a bit of a hassle. If he was going to fight beside them he wanted to fight next to only those who knew what the hell they were doing.

The knight was the first to charge off on the path, Verlous would surprisingly be the next to follow. He turned to the group with a cold stare, "Stay here if you want to babysit an old decrepit petrified remnant of the forest, or follow along if you want to see some fun. You're choice if you want to stand here with your thumb up your back sides."

The time on the path was limited, the knight seemed to move fast despite her armor, and Verlous was swift in his movements as he turned without another word and ran off after Ialia.

Wattz
07-06-2011, 06:49 AM
Ualan didn’t know whether to be fearful or relieved that the fairy could grow in size. She recoiled as she heard the buzzing, but jumped a mile when it became bigger. On one hand, the little devils could be seen. On another hand, it gave them a better advantage, at least in Ualan’s eyes. Folklore stories kept churning in her head. She tried to recover from her little jump, looking disinterested and looking about busily. She reluctantly followed the rest of the group as they followed the fairy into the forest. But Ualan wouldn’t let her guard down, diligently keeping her eyes on the two. At one point, she thought she’d heard a buzzing in her ear and violently smacked the side of her head. She couldn’t help but wonder if a pixie thing had gotten stuck in her ear.

The closer they came to approaching the king, the more unsettled Ualan became. The air around him was different, thick with a mysterious sorrow. A girl rest at his side, a human girl, with an ominous aura. But Jason was there as well, the little man who’d run away from the group. She supposed it had been a relief, seeing him alive and well.

Her fear was somewhat abandoned in favor of curiosity. She honed in as best she could to figure out what was going on. There were many words she couldn’t quite catch. It was the tone that she caught on to best. Sometimes it was melancholy, but a burst of jovial laughter was more than a bit daunting. The girl, Chelaia, was at the center of it all, right next to the very distinct word ‘harp’. From what Ualan had gathered, it was the girl’s instrument, the one they were all going after. Relief filled Ualan’s chest, thinking that this whole thing could be over soon. Ualan didn’t care for this forest in the slightest, and it didn’t seem to be helping her get any closer to the whereabouts of her father.

Crack, crack, the trees began to bend, one right after the other, an archway leading off into the unknown. Ialia eagerly lead the way as Verlous followed. Ualan stalled, still caught up in the confusion of the moment, but she followed soon enough. Her steps were clumsily hesitant, but soon enough she was charging forward into the unknown.

"W-wait, wait!"

Auki
07-09-2011, 09:31 AM
[Co-op with Luthien]

Reilios listened to the King’s tale thoughtfully. He placed no interest in Mordra’s tortures of the land. Humans were all aggressive and selfish creatures at heart; just some were more honest about it. His only disapproval was that she brought darkness to other beasts without care or concern. She needed to be stopped for their sake but it would not make for much of a story.

No, the true sweetness of a ballad would be conjured from the affection between the King and the girl. Chelaia – He dedicated the girl’s name to his memory to later turn into song. There was a stab of jealousy that he couldn’t help when he spoke of her harp – Such beauty in an instrument and she probably did not appreciate her fortune in playing it. Fingers; delicate and breakable, impractical for the traumas of life. His envy was immeasurable, culled only by the urgency for action.

The path, it seemed, would not stay true for long. His hooves took him into an immediate trot, building into a canter, before he noticed he was threatening to overtake of his comrades. He glanced forward again – They had much ground to cover. His first calculations had accounted for his own pace and he had been eased in thinking they would be able to reach their destination in time. Reassessing the situation based on his companions, he grew anxious. Hope seemed futile unless…

“Sir! Sir!” He exclaimed, galloping to the side of the knight and slowing to match pace; she seemed to be the one in charge after all. His voice was feverish in speed, adrenaline twisting his usually aloof demeanour. “Gather me spiritsbane root from my pack; it’s the gnarled one of purple hue. Hurry now; I think I have a spell to aid your pitiful speed.”

“Pitiful speed?!” she snapped while breathing heavily. “I think we are running just—“ Ialia paused for a moment and turned her head to see her teammates following. All were running in similar pace, if not, faster. It was not the speed of her companions that concerned her; Ialia’s eyes widened in shock as the path behind them began to wither and turn black. She looked back at Reilios, “I hope this works!” She went through his pouch and immediately began to look for the root. ‘Gnarled one with a purple hue,’ she remembered. Her left hand shaking with adrenaline and nerves, she pulled out the spiritsbane root.

Handing it to him, she wondered if he really called her Sir. Unfortunately for her, she was not ready for that rank level nor did she believe she was ready for it. Unless Reilios still thought of her as a man, regardless, Ialia did not have time to ask him as her heart was filled with panic. “The path is closing! We must hurry!” she shouted to everyone.

He looked at the knight blankly as she dismissed then harried in the blink of an eye but left his thoughts unsaid. As he chanted, the root began to smoulder in her hands but released no heat.

“Esquasna’aen aenmauuna, nuthun’aen maliheu,”
Wind’s speed, river’s pace.
“Akute teitu caianaaen canliaste aenmaunute’aen canliheu.”
Let the gods grant spirit’s grace.

The words were muttered with haste, the Unicorn’s language flowing together in a way that made individual words indistinguishable to anyone else. The root turned to ash and, with a lurch, the rest of the party found themselves running at twice the speed. Reilios carried on as normal but jumped into a gallop, easily matching pace with the rest of his comrades.

Kiall
07-11-2011, 08:03 PM
Jason now once again found himself amongst the group apparently he couldn’t abandon them no matter how hard he tried. The tree king had opened a path a feat that apparently would cost him his life… not that he cared, what? Jason hardly knew the guy, was he supposed to cry over every one dimensional character that happened to die at some point? Ialia was now charging headlong into the unknown, ye gods no wonder he left, he thought smiling despite himself. Of course he was being a hypocrite because now he was running right alongside them, as he ran he felt a strange shift and then he was running at twice his normal speed, apparently the unicorn was to thank, lazy pack animal he though he just doesn’t want to carry anyone.

With a sudden jolt he and the rest were now at the end of the path and now staring at Mordra Sayd’s tower, The tower was large and imposing and was as black as pitch and seemed to absorb the light around it, he saw yellow eyes at the base hundreds of them though they were all covered in a pink mist. Jason gulped and turned towards Ialia, “Can I have a word with you” he said while pulling her to the side, “So… hey! glad to be back actually, I missed you! And I’m sorry about the whole thing with the witch and the possession, things were said, they are regretted now. Anyways…” he looked back over his shoulder before continuing. “I have some experience with witches, though when I say witches I mean crazy old bootleggers with a penchant for magic, not well.. like this” he said pointing towards the tower, “So believe me when I say we do not want to go into that tower, for one she’ll have minions lots of them more so inside than out, she’ll have traps many traps painful traps, and lastly and most importantly Mordra herself will be much more powerful inside her domain than out, what we should do is try to lure her out of her tower fight her on our terms you know? And I have some ideas regarding…what was that?”

Jason turned when he heard a loud snap, a pair of glowing eyes were staring at him, the creature was huge and all to familiar and carried many burn marks on its hide and snout. Jason knew it was impossible its mouth wasn’t designed for it, but he saw the beast smile before tearing through the brush and barreling towards Jason. He screamed and turned to run but the creature snapped him up by his arm and started flinging him around. Jason screamed and a gout of flame leapt out from the gauntleted hand that was now in the beasts’ mouth. Through the pain he managed to grab his sword with his right hand and stabbed the beasts’ side, the creature roared and dropped him and his body went hurtling towards the ground. The beast reared up planning to stomp the life out of him but he rolled away at the last minute and was now clambering back up. Jason leaped over the unicorn and even tried to push Verlous in the way, a classic Jason decision to sacrifice his friends to save himself, but the beast ignored them and continued following. In a panic Jason clambered up the nearest tall thing namely the giant. With his one good arm wrapped firmly around the giantess’s forehead he started yelling “KILL IT! FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS SOMEONE KILL IT!” as the beast prepared another mighty leap.

Wattz
07-15-2011, 07:59 AM
“Loud man Jay-son get OFF!”

Ualan’s hands were just about to grab Jason, but the monster was persistent. It maneuvered around and leapt up in a flash. Ualan was caught in the shock of the moment and came crashing down with the monster grasping at her shoulders, Jason and all. She managed to keep her back off the ground slightly as she fell, if only to prevent herself from crushing the small man.

She caught the mighty beast’s muzzle as it gnashed savagely at her face. Its roiling breath was overpowering, with saliva dripping thick from its fangs. The half-giant grimaced in pain as its claws sunk into her shoulders and legs, struggling against its unforgiving weight. Ualan had never felt so small, so suffocated.

With a loud cry, Ualan threw her weight against the black monster, just barely throwing it off to her side. She stumbled to her feet, bloodied and bruised. Her cloak had fallen to the ground, almost entangling her own feet in it. The thing wasn’t to be stopped, however, for it lunged once again….

AngelicAsylum
07-15-2011, 03:25 PM
Isora had been so wrapped up in the awe and beauty of the Fairy King that she was completely thrown off guard when the beast attacked. The momentum of the creature and it's scuffle with Ualan and Jason literally knocked her backwards, and she was sent sprawling onto the ground. Not a particularly good place for anyone, especially a mage with low self esteem.

The panic button was going off in her mind, and for a moment she was just a blur of skirts, ribbons and spell components, as she used her walking stick to pull herself back up. Isora ran a few paces backwards, trying to keep her eye on the creature and still back up sufficiently for another spell. Its strength was only matched by its stamina. Even with the damage the giant had done, she could still see it's hind legs wind up once again for another lunge.

And much to her dismay, it was looking right at her.

There wasn't time for her to think. Luckily, they had just finished gleaning the previous spider-filled battle site, and her newly acquired spiderwebs were fresh in her mind. Pulling out a small, sticky ball of the stuff from one of her pouches, she threw it at the beast with all her might as it took off towards her. Good thing it was already closing in on her; Isora had a weak throw at best.

"Utzilah Qazlem, Vinaquirem Ta Puch A Ya Vi!"

Upon contact with the animal's chest, the web quickly multiplied and engulfed it with layers and layers of fibrous thread. It's attack was stopped abruptly, and it hit the ground struggling against its bonds with a loud "thud". The spell took her breath away; even though it wasn't a particularly difficult one, she was still recovering from the fireball attack.

"Nows - your - chance!" she panted, leaning heavily on her walking stick. "Set - it - on - fire!"

Mosaic
07-19-2011, 09:32 PM
This was now Verlous's fourth time at the tower, his one failure in his acting was that he did not appear surprised in its appearance or show any awe at all. Any questions they had he would not answer, he wanted their numbers thinned as best as possible. To feign ignorance of what lay inside would be simplest.

His thoughts turned when he heard the movements of the beast and the running form of a frightened Jason. Well this would be a bit simpler, the coward had wandered off and upset a creature of the forest apparently. Why else would it be going specifically for him? Verlous found himself completely relaxed as he watched the scene and as Jason ran straight for him and past. However the idiot pulled an underhanded move by shoving Verlous right in the path of the creature as it barreled straight for him. He gave a unsatisfied groan as he reached for the rental sword only for the creature to ignore him and bound over him and continue for Jason.

The scene unfolded pretty quickly as Verlous seethed in annoyance which quickly moved to anger at the fact that he apparently wasn't enough of a threat to a feral beast. He ran for the bound creature after Isora bound it with her spell.
"Fire won't be neccessary!" he exclaimed pulling his sword out, the beast rolled to its back trying to push out on the webbing to free itself. Verlous jumped onto its lower body and swung the blade down in a pendulum arch and sliced through the spell web and cutting the beast open all the way to its rib cage.
"Better hope the next beastie to come my way doesn't ignore me and die bound up like you, whatever you are." The sword dropped from his hand and he pulled one of his assassin's blades out and angled it along his fore arm and plunged his whole right arm into the wound and through the rib cage. Once he was shoulder deep he angled the blade inside the beast outward and pulled back slicing through several of its major organs, dying almost instantly.

"Why waste energy on magic when you can just bloody your hands?" he commented as he looked at Isora with his indifferent cold eyes as the creatures blood dripped from his arm.

AngelicAsylum
07-19-2011, 09:55 PM
As Verlous took care of the monster, Isora had time to regain her breath and straighten herself with the help of her cane. She was visibly paler, giving her face an ugly starkness that certainly did not help her already harsh features. The moment Verlous spoke to her, however, a deep red flushed her cheeks and she stammered for a moment. "I... Uh."

For a split second her eyes moved about wildly, as if she was searching for the right thing to say. Then, the moment was gone. She looked him in the eyes with a coldness that matched his own. "If you prefer to smell of demon hound blood, that's your choice." She began to walk away, towards the head of the group. "Besides, if it wasn't for my spell, it would have never even noticed you. Shall we move on?"

Her hand was so fiercely clenched on her cane that her knuckles turned white.

Kiall
07-19-2011, 09:56 PM
Jason pushed himself up off the ground with his one good arm, that little tumble off the giant really did a number on him. Seems the elf had managed to kill it after Isora immobilized it, thank the gods for sadists huh? He looked down at his limp left hand, he couldn’t move it, he couldn’t even feel it, He swung his shoulder around and the arm swung limply with it, it was actually kind of funny! If you know it had happened to someone else. He noticed Ualan’s fallen cloak and picked it up with his one good hand. He handed it to the giant and shrugged apologetically, he would’ve actually said something but she still wasn’t good with the language and private apologies were bad enough last thing he wanted was to say it louder to her where someone might hear. He turned back to the rest “I’m sure you’re all wondering what that was all about,” he paused nervously “and I assure you I have a very good reason, it’s a story of love tragedy and heartbreak, but for now…anyone know how to set shoulder bones?” he flung his left arm out for emphasis.

Wattz
07-20-2011, 02:31 AM
Ualan’s shoulders and legs stung from the gashes made by the beast’s claws. Her body shook, not quite used to battle, her nerves overtaken by the after effects of fear. She was grateful when Jason handed the cloak back to her, despite her anger over the whole mess, because she was able to cover her body in an attempt to hide the blood and cuts. There was no need to make a scene about it. When she made sure the cloth was covering her up, she took a deep breath and turned to the foolish man, scowling. Ualan pointed an enormous finger in his face, making sure to keep her arm covered by the blanket.

“Respect *fet’ar-uner, you no respect!” She couldn’t find the right words to convey what she was trying to say. ‘Respect’ was definitely not the right word, but she addressed her people instead of herself: fet’ar-uner. "No respect **kal’na, no respect… horse!” Ualan’s voice was a little shaky. As she addressed Verlous and Reilios, she pointed at them to illustrate her point, though it made little sense.

“Get self danger! Handle danger!” The more Ualan went on, the more ridiculous she sounded. Pretty soon her head began to hurt from fishing for the right words to make herself clear, but her voice dropped off when she realized it was a useless endeavor. Ualan waved her hand before tucking it back inside the cloak and turned away, thinking of all the better ways she could have handled that monster without getting herself hurt.


*Fet'ar-uner is a very rough translation of 'Half-Giant'.
**Kal’na is a rough translation of ‘Dark Elf’ in the Half-Giant language

Auki
07-22-2011, 12:00 PM
There was not a word of thanks uttered in his direction as they sprinted down the path. He guessed gratitude was too much to ask from humans – They did seem to have awfully simple minds; the males, especially so. He didn’t have a chance to glance at the tower in front before they faced yet another attack.

A beast - One that even Reilios had never seen before. The Unicorn barely had time to register he was being leapt over before the scrabble had moved on. He took a few steps back and observed it indifferently as it ravaged the group. The creature did not seem to have any desire to go for his neck, thankfully, focusing on a sole person of their party. Jason, if he remembered correctly. The half-giant was wounded in their antics; that was a shame.

It had a powerful fighting technique, overwhelm and strike. It was a beautiful sight to see it access every inch of strength the gods had blessed it with. Survival of the fittest – Nature at its finest. A shame the beast was not expecting the wonders of a mage. Web and slice – Reilios’ interest in the creature died with it. If it could not best a group of idiots, it was never going to find a place in the world. He lost himself in thought for a few moments, tail flicking from side to side.

Jason was talking; the Unicorn hadn’t even realised.

“…but for now…anyone know how to set shoulder bones?”

That made me Reilios laugh softly. “Unauiate,” he muttered as he walked straight past the human towards Ualan, barely even sparing the fool a glance. If a colt abandoned the herd to explore a dragon’s den, he should not shed tears over scratches when he is lucky to come out alive. Half of the group were like foals locking horns with a chimera’s fangs. It was just a matter of time before the beast’s mouth spewed fire and they were all caught ablaze.

The half-giant seemed to have similar views on his lacking sense, although she expressed them far less eloquently. He nodded as she spoke, examining her wounds with calculating eyes before she covered them. When the word ‘horse’ left her lips, he flinched visibly. If he were capable of doing so, he would have growled threateningly there and then. Instead, dark silence coated his demeanour. He waited – patiently - for her to finish her rant. Eventually she closed her mouth and turned away, disappointment clear on her face – He honestly didn’t care.

His hoof jabbed into her side, a little sharper than he should have done, “Nanulin…” The word for ‘half-giant’ was the same for ‘dread’ in the Unicorn language. Scholars who learnt the ancient tales might know why but such stories were not lightly told. He tried to take the venom out his voice, “Nanulin, do you require healing?”

He jabbed her a second time, blunt,

“I am a Unicorn.”

Kiall
07-23-2011, 07:45 PM
The giant had scolded him, her words had been a bit garbled from the language barrier, but he understood her meaning all the same. She was right of course, he didn’t respect them, he hadn’t even been thinking about them and had almost gotten Ualan killed. A wave of guilt washed over him, he didn’t know how to make things right and was too proud to admit his mistake, he felt his long suppressed self hatred rear up. He didn’t even care how the unicorn pointedly walked past him, he deserved it after all. He saw Reilios prod the giant trying to get her attention, and then he said something that snapped something inside of Jason. “I am a Unicorn,” Reilios said his annoyance clear in his voice, Jason gritted his teeth, is that all he cares about? He thought bitterly. “You… are a bloody horse, with a superiority complex and a damn phallus on your head,” He heard himself spit out. He pointed towards Ualan with his one good arm “She’s injured and can barely speak the language and you’re obsessing over what she called you? What is wrong with you? You’re nothing but a selfish, self centered beast of burden!” his face turned red as he practically screamed at the unicorn, though deep in his mind he knew he wasn’t really talking about Reilios.

“Surly nag! Lording over your abilities only doling them out as some sort of merit badge for good behavior! What right do you have to think yourself superior when all you do is take and let others fight your battles!” his shoulder was starting to hurt and his throat was getting sore but he continued, “You’re nothing but a damned nuisance! You can’t fight you hardly ever heal, the only reason you’re here is because the people who are a thousand times more decent than you, the people you look down on, haven’t decided to abandon you and leave you for the damned wolves!” He panted, he didn’t realize how bottled up those feeling were, especially since he was under the impression he always wore his heart on his sleeve. He left the stunned group and marched towards the tower though not towards the front entrance, he had a plan, he was going to make it up to them all, even if it killed him!

CALYPSO
07-24-2011, 04:39 AM
Co-post with Xesyl

Thanks to Reilios, they made it out of the path before it closed in behind them. The trees darkened and were lifeless once again. Panting with beads of sweat dripping down her face, she peered up at the dark tower that loomed over Silvershadow Woods. “This is it,” she whispered to herself as she clutched onto the hilt of her blade. Thoughts of defeating Mordra were soon disrupted as Jason began to create more chaos amongst the group. A dark beast, unknown to her, was solely fixed on Jason causing her to growl in annoyance.

“KILL IT! FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS SOMEONE KILL IT!”

While she was too busy deciding to react or not, the beast was webbed down and Verlous did the dirty deed of finishing it off. From the technique he used, it almost saddened Ialia; the beast was once untainted, just a mere animal of the lively woods. Shaking off such thoughts, Ialia observed the area as Ualan scolded Jason. The surroundings of the tower were quiet. Too quiet. Not a demon or a minion of Mordra in sight. However, she knew her eyes were watching them.

Ialia could not help but stray away from her party. With her blade held tightly, she walked further down by the tower while no creature appeared. The mere grunt of agony she heard made her cautious. Was it a trap? Or was there someone else who needed more healing than Jason? She needed to know; her slow pace became faster as she followed the small sounds. As she spotted the fallen warrior leaning by the tower, she was unable to tell if this was Mordra’s doing. Running up to him and kneeling by his side, she observed his wounds.

“A lone warrior,” she spoke to herself, though it was enough for him to hear. “Are you all right?”

Admitting to defeat would become a new experience for the Daran warrior as his frame was supported in an upright position against the tower. He had been blindsided by a creature far larger than himself, and was slowly regaining his consciousness. Tingling and burning sensations in his right arm were coming back as they had been left unprotected from the black leather cuirass that hugged his upper torso tightly. Xesyl's breathing was heavy, the result of airflow being blocked and becoming trapped from the blow that knocked him several feet back onto the hard surface of the forest floor. Left in an altered states of consciousness, his past began to haunt him once more.

"Why are you so stubborn?" Nicholai asked. "Is it your Ungotrian blood?"

"Why not the Daran blood, Nicholai? Neither peoples are known for giving ground."

"It was not meant as an insult, Gekkota. You know that."

"Not from you, no." said the taller boy, looking to one of the very few friends he had. "But think about it, you all call me Gekkota- a lizard – and you think of me as a half-breed barbarian."

Nicholai sighed. "You are hard on me, Xesyl. But you are right. I love you as a brother, and yet I do not see you as Daran. I do inside my head, but my heart...no.

It was only the beginning of a long journey to come. Hardships of the military academy, serving in the front lines of an nation that hated him, and now the last two years serving as a mercenary in foreign armies. The pay as a mercenary had hardly been enough to make a modest living. With enough sacrifice over the past year he had saved enough gold coins to cover the expense of his travels across unknown oceans, and sailing westward until he stumbled across Lorana. The eerie darkness and fragrance of death offered by Silvershadow Woods had been all too tempting for the warrior. The tower at the center had been all too intriguing, and Xesyl felt the need to investigate.

The sounds of a figure approaching and her words lingering through his ears broke through his thoughts. Xesyl winced as his arms lifted and stretched forward, his vision becoming less blurry and looking to the bruises and cuts of both new and old that covered his lean body. His angular face was also bruised, the left eye nearly closed shut.

These are the marks I bear for my blood. Since the age of ten I have never known the body to not carry wounds.

Xesyl quickly observed the features of the woman that knelt down next to him. His wounds, though shallow, were still painful. And for this, the warrior's mood was darkened. Xesyl removed his white crested helm, pushing his fingers through his sweat drenched black hair. He quickly noted that the woman was armed, and as he looked over her shoulder into the near distance, his saw his longsword that lied some ten yards in the parched soil of the forest floor. Unarmed and wounded, this left him in a vulnerable position had she been another enemy. A curse in Daran tongue rolled from his lips.

"I'll be fine," he said calmly through clenched teeth.

Only one thought dominated his mind.

How had he been defeated?

She understood a warrior's stubbornness, however; no pain shall affect them and they shall not express it. Yet, when injuries are near severe it was time to let go of that mindset. "Sir, you are wounded." As she spoke, there was no response from him; instead his focus was on something else. She turned her head to see a blade on the ground. Ialia stood and stepped away from him, picking up the sword that belonged to him.

As she walked back, she pointed the hilt away from her for him to grab. "If you do not work for Mordra Sayd, we do not mean you any harm." She looked away from him, almost as if she was looking for her group, "I have healers in my team, if we can trust you," she stared at him again, "will you stand and fight with us?"

His green eyes were expressionless as he followed the woman's movements that would lead her to the only weapon he possessed. As she stepped away Xesyl would slowly push himself upward to his full height, still leaning against the tower wall for support. His body was exhausted, feeling greatly weakened from the previous encounter. Blood began to drip from a shallow cut in his right cheek just below his eye. The warrior remained silent and forced a fake smile to her as she offered the sword, then extending his hand forward and letting his fingers grasp tightly around the black leather of the hilt. No words of thanks would be given, but instead using his free hand to mop the trickles of blood from his face before sheathing his sword.

Xesyl continued to watch her gaze, and her actions would tell the Daran that she wasn't in these forests alone. No alarm was raised however, as she posed no threat at the moment. Within one swift motion he bent his knees, letting his hand scoop up his helm back up within his blood-stained hand and push his body away from the wall in an attempt to support himself alone. The steel plate greaves that protected the front of his lower legs felt as heavy as boulders as he took a step forward. The paining streaming through out his body almost unbearable, but Xesyl did his best to hide his discomfort.

Aside from the pain, he was puzzled as well. A healer would be just what he needed. Since venturing outside of his kingdom the warrior had witnessed events one had only heard of in ancient tales. Creatures of folklore, races unknown to Dara whom practiced "magicks" of sorts, and remedies uncommon to the Daran eye. His sinister like nature took over at last and he lifted the helm back over his head and to mask the dark features of his face.

"I will fight," he said at last.

Alone and friendless so many miles from home, what other choices did he have at the given moment?

"Very well," she finally responded "What is your name, sir?"

"Xesyl."

"Ialia. We must hurry back." Now there was a new member amongst the "companionship" of the group. Whether the man was to be trusted or not, she remained on her guard and she was positive he did the same. Ialia lead him towards the rest of the fellowship, whom were still arguing with each other. Well, it was mainly Jason just blabbering his mouth as usual.

She gave a long loud sigh and cleared her throat, "Everyone! This is not the time!" She said sternly as she walked ahead of Xesyl, gesturing him to follow. "This man has survived the curse of Silvershadow. He has agreed to fight with us if one of our healers remedy him."

Wattz
07-24-2011, 07:24 AM
Ualan winced each time Reilios prodded her with his hoof. Ualan hadn’t known that ‘horse’ would be offensive towards Reilios. Truth be told, there was no real translation for a Unicorn in her language, not to mention she’d constantly been hearing the word ‘horse’ in relation to similar-looking creatures. She had heard Unicorn before, though not enough to come to the forefront of her mind. Ualan thought very hard about what Reilios was saying, trying to think of how best to respond, when Jason began to yell….

Suddenly, things became intensely awkward. Her eyes grew wide and she pulled the cloak tighter to herself, not sure who it was that Jason was angry at. It certainly seemed to be more directed towards the Unicorn, but standing so close to the impromptu rage made Ualan feel responsible. The cloak slowly came up over her shoulders as she pulled it over her head like an ostrich hiding in the sand.

"Everyone! This is not the time! This man has survived the curse of Silvershadow. He has agreed to fight with us if one of our healers remedy him."

Ualan had never been so happy to hear Ialia. She peeked through two holes in the cloak, conveniently near her face, to see the wounded man at the knight’s side.

“Uny-corn, go help.” Ualan’s voice was now at a pathetic whimper, too nervous to grow any louder. “I fine, no danger, go help."

The cuts were still bleeding, and they continued to sting, but she did not desire to call attention to herself right now. Not when she could be the potential cause of a needless shouting-match.

Auki
07-24-2011, 10:17 AM
Reilios had not expected the attack but he was not surprised by its appearance. He had evoked the same response out of many a human. He couldn’t blame them – It was in their nature to feel threatened by creatures more powerful and they had a habit of alienating anyone who did not fit perfectly with their culture. He was kind enough to speak their disgusting tongue, a language that was thieved from the creatures of old and mutilated beyond recognition.

He opened his mouth a few times to interject but the boy did not pause for breath and Reilios was not planning to shout over him. He wondered how the human would appreciate it if he was referred to as a ‘dwarf’ or even ‘female’ – Such things were not easy to distinguish between for any beast. At the very least, he would take corrections gratefully; an experience of learning if only so he could be courteous in future. If he had his way, they would all just be ‘humanoid’ but an uncaring attitude was no excuse for ignorance. He hadn’t been healing? Did the boy even realise that healing hadn’t been needed before he returned to their group? The human only came up to his withers and craning his neck down at such an angle was uncomfortable – Would his efforts to meet the boy’s eyes like social conduit dictated be appreciated? The human would likely tell him it’s his fault for being too tall.

A strand of his mane blew into his face momentarily but tilting his head removed it from his sight. The boy stormed off before the Unicorn could form a reply – Wasn’t that considered rude in their culture? – Heading towards the tower with a look of determination that made Reilios smile in amusement. He had seen the same expression in foals that frequently tripped as they were learning to walk. He had once travelled with a friend who had understood the behaviour of other species in a way that was unfathomable to him – If only she were with him now, there would be a thousand questions he would ask her.

"Everyone! This is not the time! This man has survived the curse of Silvershadow. He has agreed to fight with us if one of our healers remedy him."

“Uny-corn, go help. I fine, no danger, go help."

He glanced between the half-giant and newcomer; the latter did seem to require more urgent care. Although she had said ‘healers’, no one else appeared to be stepping up to the challenge. He glanced back to Ualan with a thoughtful frown; her tone of voice was worrying – Had it been him or Jason that had bought about the change? He had liked her more than the rest of the group; it would be a shame if she were put against him so early on.
“I will tend to you later should you wish,” he said to her, firm yet forcefully kind, “Healing you would be no burden.” He gave a curt nod to himself – that should have been appropriate – before trotting towards the stranger in their midst.

“Greetings.” His voice was blank; there was little else he really needed to say – Hopefully this would not be another humanoid thinking of him as a mere beast. He looked the boy over, wincing at the amount of wounds marring his body. Some were old and healed, those would not require his attention. Those that bled would be his focus and any internal injuries would be his priority. “Stand still.” It wasn’t a request, it was a demand. Movement whilst casting would waste energy for the both of them.

“Nanuma iaad kaeakiana, teulin iaad aenenuas,
Nuaenteiailu esqitlite esqliaen.”

He lowered his neck and pressed the length of his horn, now alight with a black glow, against the boy’s shoulder. There was a rush, as though they’d both been doused in freezing water, that seemed to last for minutes. In reality, a few moments passed as the skin restored, knitting itself back together seamlessly. The wounds were thankfully shallow although plentiful. The incantation had probably been unnecessary but it eased the blow slightly.

Reilios breathed out heavily, about to move back, but then paused. Jason’s words returned to him. He continued,

“Li kaeialin iliaente teunu,
Aenitlinu laiain kaeinauas.”

The Unicorn gasped in pain as exhaustion raced from the human’s body into his own. He stepped back on trembling legs, feeling the tire of travel and battle he had not done upon his shoulders. His teeth gritted – It might not have been much but it was proof that he could sacrifice his own comfort for the sake of another. Apparently selflessness was a large deal to the humanoids. He spoke between shallow pants as he regained his breath,

“You should feel regenerated as well. You will need strength more urgently in this next battle than I.”

Imp
07-28-2011, 02:56 AM
Tal'set stood from where he was sitting, previously resting while listening to the group speak of useless concerns. His kind felt no need for boisterous merriment and trivial reassurances in times of campaigns. A Jotun company would be constantly on the move to complete their objective. Giving up time for themselves gives time to their foe. However, as much as he displeased the current state of the group, he was only one of the many in the group and his advice would probably not earn him anything.

"Let not your wounds slow you and us." Tal'set spoke softly and without much concern to the half-giant while making his way to the head of the group behind Isora. Tal'set wanted to be on his way and to take the head of the demonic woman that awaited inside the castle.

Cutting between the crowd, he dragged his shield, carving a line into the earth while holding his guan dao over one shoulder. Besides just finding companionship in the witch infront, he also knew that the two would make a good team with his mighty shield and her dark powers. Having previous knowledge of fighting with and against magic types, they usually lacked greatly in defense. It wasn't too hard to run up on one and spear them before they would cast their next devious spell on you. Nothing ever proved too much for a Jotun...

Mosaic
07-29-2011, 02:50 AM
Verlous cleaned his knife on the corpse of the beast he slew without a second thought for possible prolonged suffering. Whether it died quickly or in a calm and slow manner, he did not know or care. It was dead, that's all that mattered.

He made sure to clean it flawlessly, his personal weapons that he actually owned were always well maintained and cared for. However even as he took the time to clean them with detail as he propped himself against the corpse, the group bickered and argued, namely that loudmouth and the unicorn.

Why did that wild card have to come back anyways? He sighed long as he returned the assassination blade back to its holster at his right side to match its partner on his left.

He stood shortly after Ialia returned, having not paid attention to a single word she said, only recognizing that she was barely even gone.

"I'm going inside, it seems I'm likely the only one who could properly spot a trap. Unless anyone else here has experience with traps?" He looked and no one seemed to step up, the ranger Phoebe was a tracker, no trap finder by any means. Looked like he'd be alone, good.

"I'll scout ahead, remove what I can from the halls." he was the first to move out of the group, shortly after he moved to the doors, Isora and Tal'set began behind him. He pushed it open and slipped inside, the group would see no trace of him beyond this point.

Kiall
07-30-2011, 10:51 PM
Co-Post by Spiro and The Fudge


Jason had stayed just out of sight, taking refuge in the shadows of the trees. He was putting on the finishing touches to one of the handful of dummies he had scattered throughout the area. He winced, his shoulder was starting to deeply ache though his arm was still numb, he had to switch his gauntlet to his right hand, he hadn’t taken it off since he had found it over three years ago it was strange it felt almost like hadn’t wanted to get off his hand. He lit a nearby stick and picked it up brandishing it like a torch, he side as he slowly walked out of the woods towards the horde. He sighed “This plan suuuuucks” he muttered to himself, he was already regretting doing this, how many times had he mocked the selfless hero who was doing the same thing he was doing now? He hated fate and it hated him apparently. He stood a few feet away from the horde, already some of them were starting to notice him, their eyes black little pebbles above jaws forced open by long fangs. “Oy Hag! You birth these things yourself!?” The creatures began pouring out of the inside of the tower, one of them roared at him. “Was that your husband?!” he yelled, looked down at the nasty beast “Oh you could’ve done better than her man, a looker like you-“ he had to stop as the creatures charged. Laughing Jason headed towards one of his dummies lighting the torch he had carefully placed on each one, and ducking behind a nearby tree. As dark as it was they’d never be able to guess which one was real and which one was fake, and considering that the dummy had several crude explosives propped around it well…you get the idea.

He heard the creatures roar and head towards the dummy, just as they were getting close enough to tell the difference Jason hurled a fireball at it causing it to burst into a great pillar of flame sending shrapnel flying everywhere, some died instantly, others were wounded but many had been unaffected and were now rushing him. Jason took off towards the next dummy. Hoping to get some distance between the horde he loosed a gout of flame, creating a barrier between him and the horde. He was just about to make it to the next dummy when he came face to face with Mordra….

"Enough."

With a mere flick of her finger, the flames extinguished. "I see you dislike my pets," she murmured, running a long and boney finger under his chin. There was a slight accent in her voice, which remained monotone. "Such a shame. Good help is particularly hard to come by."

As she spoke, the black mist curling around her hair and clothing swarmed around him, holding Jason firmly in place from the top of his head and down to his toes. "I appreciate heroics. I really do," Mordra's eyes were filmed over and dead, almost appearing to stare past him. "It's a refreshing change from the affairs I usually meddle with."

Still staring past him, she slowly moved her finger upwards and Jason began to lift off the ground. "But do you know what I do to those who cross me? Especially those such as yourself?" They were moving towards her tower now, the inside as cold and daunting as the outside grounds. "I take their power. Their life force, if you will. Yours is especially strong, my dear."

____________
Jason struggled against the invisible forces the bound him as he was lifted up with the witch and headed towards the tower. Jason tried activating his gauntlet but nothing happened. Flying through an open window they entered Mordra’s inner sanctum. All around were books written in strange tongues and other morbid items he didn’t recognize. Mordra flicked her finger once and a hempen rope jumped into view and wrapped itself firmly around Jason’s wrists tying his arms to his back. He felt the spell around him break and he fell to the ground with a heavy thud, Mordra smiled a wicked smile and began muttering, as she did so Jason began to feel wasted and weak. On the verge of panic his mind raced for something to do when he had an idea. He worked steadily with his right hand trying to push it through the ropes, the great thing about his left arm being numb he didn’t have to worry about getting it into a painful position. He finally got his right hand free, and slowly fighting off the increasing feeling of weakness he reached into the pack at his side and pulled out, a chunk of rendered bear fat… With one swift motion he threw it at the witch’s face. Mordra gasped in surprise as the bear fat chunk hit her squarely in the face, it slid down entering the maw on her chest. Mordra screamed in pain as it did so and pink frothy liquid began to spill from the maw. Jason had already bolted out heading downwards.

_______________

He had entered a laboratory of some sorts, there were vials of strange liquids everywhere. Whatever he had done must’ve been effective since the witch hadn’t followed him nor had he heard any creature come yet. Then again maybe she was busy with the rest of the group. He eventually found a drawer full of bottles of potions. He picked up a red one, this looked medicinal right? He thought. He noticed a rat was busy eating some crumbs in the corner. Inconspicuously he placed a small drop near it. The rat scurried over and lapped up the substance. The creature trembled and emitted a high pitched scream he had never heard from a rat before, its little body was becoming bloated and finally burst open covering the wall in blood and gore. Eyes wide with alarm, Jason carefully placed the stopper on the bottle and took a few steps back.

Vampirequeen
08-06-2011, 05:36 PM
The past several minutes had been full of excitement for Luna. It had started off with King Arisu's story about the harp, then led to the horrible sight of the King turning into a tree. She had been greatly surprised when the unicorn's spell had made her and the rest of the group speed up as they ran through the forest. Then came another battle with some woodland creatures, which led to a few injuries and some arguing among the group.

While the others in the group were involved in their disputes, Luna was able to get her bow and arrows back from Tal'set. She happily put her quiver of arrows back over her shoulder and didn't notice the newcomer who had joined the group. However, she did notice that Jason had vanished yet again.

One of these days, he's going to run off and get himself killed. She thought.

Luna leaned lightly on her bow and waited for the rest of the group to start moving again.

Mosaic
08-15-2011, 12:17 AM
Verlous darted down the halls of Mordra's tower, the sight was a trickery. The inside of her tower was much larger than it appeared from outside. Mordra didn't seem to take a single risk as this time around all her traps were in place, her creatures were out and looking for a kill. He slayed one after the other that was dumb enough to attack him. He watched above as the thorns upon the ceiling and the walls moved, but whatever it was didn't seem to make any attempt for him. They were waiting, watching it seemed.

There had to be a faster way to her now that she had everything in place for the others. He kept going past the thorned walls until they were clear and clean at least at first glance. He stayed far away from the walls, but the one hallway he was on seemed to run on forever. He needed to get to the top before the others made the decision to go inside. This hallway had to be one of Mordra's tricks, he hated magic for a reason, and this was it.

Warily he went to the wall and felt along it, this had to be an illusion. A sigh sounded through the hall as the wall gave way. He fell through and found himself at the top of the tower. He looked up and saw Mordra standing upon the far wall.
"You couldn't bring me here when I entered? I'd rather not have gone through your torment of a tower."
After just finishing a thorough cleaning of any excess bear fat from her being, Mordra looked less than pleased. "I was... detained," she began, stepping forward, the dark mist surrounding her twist and turning in the air like black smoke. "And now that slimy, revolting human is wandering about IN MY TOWER." It seemed that the anger she felt made the air denser. Even the walls seemed to retreat in terror. "I want him found. AND. USED. AS. PARTS."

It only took a few moments for her to regain composure. Being so very old (at least in her human mind) had given her the ability to relax... a bit. There was no use getting worked up over the flailing about of mere ordinary humans with no other magical skill than a few flashy tricks to impress the ladies. With the cunning and vicious mind of the dark elf, paired with his skillful and trained body, he would make quick work of the pest.

Mordra moved closer to him, one of her bony, unnaturally long hands caressing his cheek with care. "You see how distraught this makes me. And you also know how very well rewarded you will be for your actions..."
"Which one have you separated from the group?" he needed to know who he was going for. At least to know what to expect.

"I believe the rest referred to him as Jason, the man with the gauntlet." she said with a disdainful hiss in her voice as she spoke of Jason. He had caused her pain and she wanted the gift returned.

"I'll make short work of that pest. Though he'll be more useful to me alive for the time being."

"I want him ripped apart!"

"You're pets will do that for me." he said with a wry smirk streaking his lips. Mordra couldn't help but smile at the thought, a smile that was none comforting at all. He walked out of the room in hopes that this level was not the maze that below was. Hopefully the little rat hadn't wandered too far.

CALYPSO
08-22-2011, 04:06 PM
Ialia raised her head as her eyes gazed upon Mordra’s tower, feeling nothing but determination to destroy the witch. After many preparations, she sprinted ahead and looked back at the group, “Let’s go!” They ran towards the entrance of the tower, with doors already opened as an eerie welcoming. Verlous was scouting for traps, yet Ialia felt uncertain from the way he carried himself. And as for Jason, well, just what was he doing? She didn’t have time to be saving damsels in distress. Regardless of her two companions already inside, she was more focused on the main matter: the moment to defeat Mordra Sayd has come.



http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/pureelven/the_tower.png (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBvkltxyJVg)
^ Click the picture to hear a song! ^


A cold wind breezed through the party as the doors shut behind them. All was heard was the sound of locks and soon, the maniacal laughter filled the entire tower. Ialia gritted her teeth as she ran forward, “Mordra Sayd!” She shouted, her voice echoing throughout the tower, “We will end you!” Ialia made way for the spiral staircase that lead to the upper levels, setting her foot on the first step. As she did so, she felt someone pulling her back just as a series of spikes protruded on each step. It took her a moment to recover from her near death experience. “I see Verlous is doing a great job disarming the traps!” She walked away from the staircase, “We have to find the device to disarm it ourselves if we want to go further.”

With the darkness surrounding them, it was difficult to see any other paths. There were a few dim lit candles along the walls, but nothing gave them a proper source of lighting. When Tal’set pointed out the archway leading to a series of rooms, they all agreed to explore. Walking through the peculiar hall was not mundane either as a dozen of demons (http://images.wikia.com/dragonage/images/7/7f/Demon.jpg) crawled out from the floors. Their skin was thick and seethed with flame, their claws sharp, and their speed was swift. Ialia darted away from the group with her sword raised and her shield ready for defense. As one of the demons roared in rage, she shield bashed the creature and jabbed her sword through its head while it was stunned. Soon after it’s fall, three other demons went after her, while the rest of the horde went straight for her companions.

Kiall
08-23-2011, 01:40 AM
Jason looked hard at the slightly pink mixture he was preparing to ingest, he had found a color coded guide and this one was supposed to do something called ‘Awaken Limbs’ whatever that means.. He gulped it down and grimaced, it tasted just like those mushrooms he had stolen from Isora’s bag while she was passed out from the possession. He felt a twinge in his left arm and gasped in surprise in pain as his shoulder forced itself back in the proper position causing a strange intense tingling pain.

After it passed he tried to move his arm and was relieved that he could, he placed the gauntlet back on his left hand and sighed in relief, ye gods it was good to have the use of his arm again. “Aye laddie! Twas most uncomfortable in that thar position!” Jason jerked surprised by the voice he had heard yet at the same time hadn’t heard. “Who said that?” he asked aloud looking around, “Twas me! Gary! Yer bloody arm!” Jason realized he was hearing the voice in his head, oh gods what had that potion done? Trying his best to ignore the ramblings of his now chatty left arm he looked through the color coded list before finally pulling out a vial of a green substance and placed it in his pack. According to the list it was either a powerful metal dissolving acid…or a fast acting bowel cleanser, either way it could prove quite effective against Mordra.

Satisfied he headed out of the lab and came smack dab into Verlous. “Verlous? What are you doing here?” he asked, “Whaddaya think he’s doin lad? He’s a bloody backstabbin son of a three copper piece whore!” Jason snickered and thought towards Gary, “Betray us to the witch? Don’t be absurd,” “Wot? You think he gives a toss about any loyalty to the group?” Gary grumbled, “Of course not he’d kill his own mother for just the promise of gold, but he’s not an idiot, and only a daft fool would make a deal with a witch,” witches were notoriously bad business partners, they were quite mad and would always go back on a deal or curse the person afterwards. There were only two ways to ensure a witch’s loyalty either with a knife or a bed and both ways usually ended badly for both parties. “Well maybe he thinks he’s too smart for her, thinks he can get what he wants and run,” Jason scoffed, “Oh please not even I am that big headed, I mean you can’t outwit someone capable of doing all this…it’d be like trying to wrestle a tsunami.” “I’m warnin yew lad! Don’t go near him!” Jason ignored the voice heading forward to greet the surly elf. Just as he was getting close his left arm reacted on its own backhanding Verlous. Jason was stunned for a moment, “Oh shit” was all he said before bolting away from him down the stairs.

Mosaic
08-23-2011, 11:57 PM
Copost with Kiall

Verlous had walked through the potions room, walking down isle after isle of potions, ingredients, books. The witch had her own freaking library in a single room. Pots, burning materials, vials lined tables and filled cabinets.

He had stopped for a moment when he heard movement farther down. This woman had live ingredients in here, but doubted that one had gotten loose, unless Jason had gone about and let some out.

He made his way past the groups of shelves until he found Jason, standing as if he was fine. Wait he was fine, his arm wasn't in its odd position like it had been with the dislocation. He owed Jason for setting his shirt on fire back in the town, so the arm situation needed to be remedied.

Jason took a long pause before approaching Verlous, but when he reached arms length he struck him and ran off. Oh that little bastard, he was going to break that other arm in so many places it would make his mother cry.

He bolted right after him after just a momentary pause. "Why are you running Jason!" He bolted down and out of the room, drawing his blades slowly from their holster. "It was only a strike, it's not like I'm going to kill you for it."

He turned a corner and into a room full of bars, cages built into the walls that held all of Mordra's beasties. They gave off howls and bellows at the presence of fresh meat, only wishing that the bars they threw their bodies against would give away.

"You're not planning on running away again little man? Are you? You'll miss the fight when the others get here." He stood in the rooms only obvious exit, save for a window that lead to a good four or five story drop.





Well this could be better, Jason thought bitterly, here he was with a sadistic elf he had just slapped surrounded by cages full of ravenous beasts and he honestly didn’t know which one was worse. Something he said made him pause, “Wait…so you are working for the witch? What are you an idiot? What makes you think she’ll keep her half of a bargain,” already what little regard he had for the backstabber fading, “Did you ever bloody stop to think why I didn’t bargain with her? Hmm? It wasn’t because of my sense of honor or bloody love for that gaggle of fools!” Gary whispered in his mind a plan that made him smile.

Gary was right of course if he wasn’t smart enough to not bargain with her then he certainly wasn’t smart enough to listen to him and back out of it now. With one swift motion he unleashed his fire whip curling it around one of the cage doors and with a quick jerk pulled it open, before hurling himself out the window. Unfortunatly he didn’t get too far, one of the spikes jutting just outside the window got caught on his pants, he was now suspended upside down with his legs flailing within arms reach of the window. “Son of a whore!” he cried despite his frustration though, he was glad he had worn a belt.


He had ignored anything Jason had said, he didn't trust the witch as far as he could thrust a sword into her. Then again, Verlous could be trusted half that. He waited for it, for the fool to make his move and it wasn't to bolt past him like he had half expected. He actually tried to jump out of the window, a true faux pas as he got stuck.

The creature in the cage that Jason had freed was comparable to a giant millipede, capable of eating Verlous whole with a little effort. It raced out as Jason went out the window and circled around Verlous ready to feed. However it was stopped short when Verlous pulled out the amulet Mordra had given him, "Down where you lay vermin!" It slid back away from Verlous as if it were frightened of him with the amulet in his hand. It would remain obedient until he left. It did not move merely waited until the amulet would be gone.

Verlous went to the window to see Jason caught by his pants hanging upside down. "What a buffoon." He reached out and grabbed him by the pant leg and hoisted him back in, grabbing his hair and keeping his right arm behind his back firmly. "You're more use alive than as a splatter on her doorstep!"

He tore the gauntlet from his left hand and threw it to the millipede, "Eat up you nasty bug." and in a flash the gauntlet was in the gullet of the beast.

"I've dealt with witches before, I don't trust Mordra anymore than she trusts me." He threw Jason face first into the cold stone floor and held his right arm out with his hand behind his elbow. "Now be a good little distraction and make a lot of noise. And with a forceful fluid motion of his hand, he push his hand into Jason's elbow bending it backwards shattering the bone.


Jason screamed loud and hard, white hot pain bursting from his now broken elbow. “Nooo not tha bloody right arm! I was always fond of that one!” Gary said distraught but otherwise unaffected by Jason’s pain. His left hand curled into a fist without his control, and began banging on the floor hard. Through the pain Jason felt his left arm growing hot. The centipede still far away from Verlous made a distraught and sickly gurgle, it shuddered once before exploding in a shower of partially charred guts.

The gauntlet now sitting where the centipede used to be released a continuous stream of flame igniting the floor, walls and ceilings. The various monsters now made growls and hoots of fear and banged ever harder trying to escape the fire that was slowly creeping towards them. Jason now too hoarse to scream any more and fighting to stay conscious smiled at the scene, “I’ll see you in hell you son of a bitch! You…son…son of a…bitch…” he managed to groan out before falling into unconsciousness. Gary still quite awake grabbed the ankle of the unaware elf and with one swift pull pulled his leg from under him toppling the elf, before grabbing the floor and pulling the rest of his body forward away from the fire, “Don’t worry laddie! I’ll save us!” he cried in Jason’s unconscious mind.


The elf pulled himself from the floor, he could have sworn he saw Jason collapse from the shock of the pain, or was he faking it. He stood as the room continued to try to burn around them, the creatures in the cages trying to avoid the flames. He noticed the left arm was still moving, an oddity. He took a long length of rope and doused it in water, then putting it on an outcropping on the ceiling, he tied Jason up with Gary held tightly against his body and heaved him up in the air after putting the amulet in his pocket. One last command for the amulet before he left, "Come get him you freakish monstrosities." it gave a dim glow from Jason's pocket and the beasts went wild, slamming against the hot bars of the cages.

Before he left Verlous approached the raging gauntlet and placed a hand at the base, and the fire died immediately, leaving the room and walls burning in its wake.

He left the room with haste and barred the door from the outside so the creatures wouldn't leave if they managed to break the bars. He returned to the upper level and to Mordra.

"You didn't kill him" she said with a spiteful tone that befit every drop of her wicked nature.
"I told you I wasn't going to, he's bait, when he comes to." He tossed the gauntlet on the table across from her. "Let's hope he can't use this thing from here. He killed one of your giant bugs with it after it had eaten it. Speaking of this thing, I might suggest doing some of whatever voodoo you do on that room, so your tower doesn't burn to the ground."

AngelicAsylum
08-24-2011, 01:50 AM
She rolled her eyes. "The next time I tell you to kill something, KILL IT. I don't care what kind of 'bait' you might think it is." Picking up a light blue stone on her writing desk, she whispered a few words into it. Within seconds, water gushed from the very walls, putting out the fire and dissipating into steam. "The maggots are making their way into the tower. You know what I expect you to do." With a wave of her arm, the windows and doors of the tower slammed shut and locked. There would be no escape for them. "Make sure all the traps are set and ready. Prepare the unicorns for second assault should my pets fail."

As she spoke, she crumbled various powders, leaves and strong smelling liquid into a small bowl with a dedicated kind of precision. Then, without any ceremony whatsoever, Mordra grasped the bowl with one skeletal hand and poured the mixture onto the floor in front of Verlous's feet. Immediately, purple vapors began to rise from the ground, and a dozen molten forms began to take shape. "My pets," she hissed as they bowed at her feet. "There appear to be intruders in our lovely home. Take care of it."

Without another word, they slithered off to attack Ialia and her group of misfits. "As for you," she turned to Verlous. "You are in charge of the idiot in the other room. If he escapes, it is YOUR duty to take care of it. Understand?"

They observed eachother for a moment with a certain kind of understanding.

"Good. Do as I say."

~~~

Isora jumped slightly out of her skin as the doors slammed and locked behind her. Jason and Verlous running off did not do much for her confidence. For one, she was concerned about the dolt and his broken arm. One injured human against Mordra? It just wasn't a good outcome.

As for Verlous, she was suspicious of his motives. In the back of her mind, she knew that her unease was due to a simple reason: His race. Dark elves were known to be distrustful and aligned with evil, and being a student of pure magic her whole life she was taught to avoid them at all costs. But, bitterly, she knew judging in such a way was unbecoming. After all, one's outward appearance was not necessarily an indicator of what was inside their hearts.

Her contemplative mood was interrupted once she noticed Ialia walking up the first step of a spiral staircase. The sound of gears turning throughout the great hall made her panic, and in a blur of motion she pulled the Knight out of the way. "Careful, Miss!" she sputtered as spikes jutted out of each individual step.

Clearly, the way was blocked. They quickly agreed to find the mechanism to reverse the trap, but were suddenly bombarded with what Isora could only recognize as fire demons. This was most probably Mordra's first assault; she knew they were there.

One demon turned it's focus on her, mouth agape in a sick grin. Logically, Isora knew to reserve her spells and her energy. Mordra would certainly take much more effort to destroy than these creatures. Looking to Tal'set (who just sliced a demon in half effortlessly) she shouted in his language "I'll blind the creature, and you kill it!" He nodded - at least it looked like he nodded under that huge mask - and she stretched out her hand to the demon and shouted "Boli Sular!"

Imp
08-24-2011, 05:07 AM
Such a disturbing place, an obvious choice for someone as wicked as the owner. The energy within the group felt unsteady with some unsure and with fear of what awaited while others were confident to purge Mordra's home of the evils that rest within the walls. Tal'set was in his defensive stance and had been so they first entered. With shield positioned in front of him and guan dao being held closely by the blade (for a quick slice against the enemy), he wasn't going to take this place lightly at all and would be ready for any surprises.

This journey had reminded him of another which had bounded itself into the tribe's historical journal. A archaic ruin had become a settlement for a daunting cult seeking to take a dragon egg. The ruin was fortified with nearby wood and various travelers had decorated the outside with their innards. It was a gruesome sight to behold and welcomed to as the Tal'set and a group of hardened warriors came upon it. Scouts revealed that the cult was hiding in the ruins and so as the group made their way in, the demonic cultists charged them with crude weapons only found in a torture chamber.

Having made it out alive of that moment taught him much about surprises and the dark ways of malevolent beings. After pointing out the archway and a possible area to consider for exploring, the group moved onward in that direction. It wasn't long till suddenly something strange began to take shape in front of the group. Within the hall, a glow began to rise from the ground and through the cracks, it looked as if fire was pulling itself out from hell. The flames grew to finally give shape to a disturbing bunch of fire demons.

It would be such a waste to take away the great amount of light they gave off but there was no choice. With that thought in mind, Tal'set stepped forward after Ialia jumped away to tackle one. Fortifying himself with the shield in front, he gripped the guan dao and immediately gave a downward thrust to one. Thanks to the length of the blade as well as pole, he could keep his distance from the fearsome flaming demon. If one of the creatures had spat fire upon his shield, it would thus burn being the hardwood it is. He had not yet soaked the shield in water and so needed to ensure the demons weren't given the chance to land a hit.

"I'll blind the creature, and you kill it!" Tal'set heard from behind and saw it was the black mage. He nodded in confirmation as he saw another demon approaching to outflank. "Boli Sular!" She shouted at the flamer which immediately after, Tal'set gave a step forward to the screaming thing and began stabbing it furiously. After each time the blade was removed from the beast, sparks of the creature would spill out upon the stone floor and the corpse would soon after turn to cinders.

"We must continue or be forced fallback." Tal'set struggled to make himself heard over the shrieks of the fire demons. He had also learned some new words from the English language. this would help in communicating with the group so he wouldn't be looked strangely upon like how the half giant often was.

Kiall
08-24-2011, 09:57 PM
Gary was worried that knife eared bastard had tied him up good, and had even taken the gauntlet, after so many years of wearing it the gauntlet had bonded in a way to Gary and he could do things with it even Jason couldn’t but even their bond as strong as it was had its limit. “Bloody hell I cannae even call to it!” he grumbled “Oy! Wake up! Wake up and save us you wimpy bastard!” Jason groaned groggy and looked around. He was suspended by some ropes, his pants seemed to be glowing and looking around the monsters seemed very intent on getting to him, they were all banging on the cage doors alarmingly hard…but at least the room was no longer on fire! He supposed. His right arm was for obvious reasons the least tied down, he tried to move it and winced. “You think you can reach my pack Gary?” he asked, “I can try laddie!” technically Gary didn’t feel any pain, it was all Jason a fact that he was very aware of as his left arm began twisting and struggling to reach his pack.

Eventually Gary managed to reach the vial carrying the acid and carefully placed a drop on a section of the rope, he heard the rope begin to sizzle and the smell of burning rope hit his nose and finally he breathed a sigh of relief as the bindings loosened. With more room to maneuver it was easy enough to pour the stuff on the rest of his bindings, they came loose sending Jason tumbling to the floor in a heap. He groaned and picked himself his arm on fire from the movement. He sighed and took of his shirt making it into a crude but functional sling before putting his arm in it. A loud bang made his head jerk, one of the monsters had loosened a joint snapping it off entirely, what’s up with that? Why were the so aggressive now, he looked down at the glowing part of his pants and pulled out a strange amulet, he moved it around and noticed the monsters moved with it. He smiled, “Jason has a plan most cunning,” he said wickedly.

Using the remains of the rope he had been tied up with as well as several others hanging around the he carefully looped one around the bars of each of the doors, it was difficult doing it one handed and with the beasts trying to get at him but he managed. He took the longest rope and tied it to the spike on the window before tying the other to his waist, there was still quite a bit of slack perfect for climbing down. Standing by the window he took all the ropes in his left hand and jerked hard, slamming the doors open unleashing all the creatures at once, he quickly jumped out the window holding onto the rope with his left hand, he only fell a few inches down from the window and watched in amusement as the monsters came barreling out of the window falling into a heap on the ground below. Jason chuckled as he slowly made his way down, unfortunately there wasn’t enough slack to go all the way down, but there was a window so with a mighty push with his feet he crashed through the glass hurtling onto the floor below.

He brushed himself off and gulped, his group was here and had been fighting firey demon things, which were now focused entirely on him and began to charge towards him all at once. Uncertain of what to do he backed away and almost tumbled into a pit of spikes, he managed to right himself as they sped towards him. Thinking quickly he dropped the glowing amulet into the pit and jumped to the side out of the way as the demons hurtled into the pit and impaled themselves on the spikes below.

He picked himself up with his one good arm and looked at the faces of his comrades, he was shirtless his right arm in a sling and he was covered in soot and scratches, he must look a right mess to him. “What the bloody hell have you idiots been doing!” he shouted, “How hard is it to storm a bloody tower you amateur hour sods!” He turned towards Ialia, “Nice job with ole tall dark and sadistic too! He’s bloody sold us out to the damn witch! So I guess that makes him an idiot as well as a bad stereotype!” he pointed to Ualan, “And you, you giant ass! Thanks for nothing! Guilt tripping me into doing some second rate heroic shenanigans! I’ve had both my arms broken on the same damn day because of you!”

Wattz
08-24-2011, 10:16 PM
The atmosphere was crushing, the dark walls and smell of death filling Ualan’s lungs. Everything was closing in, and Ualan’s cuts still stung. She shuffled her feet, unsure of where to start. It couldn’t be so hard to kill a witch, could it? Or maybe they could talk her down, negotiate, let her know that they needed… something…. It had something to do with the fairy king, of that she was sure. Something about music…. Perhaps she could ask Verlous later.

The spikes jetting up from the steps only made things worse. Getting impaled through the foot was definitely not something Ualan had in mind. Maybe her father came back to the village, and all was well in her world.

Ualan cowered back even further when the demons began to attack. She raised her fist and hesitated as she smashed it on the head, though it certainly didn’t have the impact that Tal’set and Isora had on another one. Seeing their strength was momentarily inspirational, and she grabbed the fire demon at her feet by the scruff of its neck and flung it at the wall.

“Turn back now! No witch, oh well!” Ualan went back to the door, but jumped back with a yelp. The doorknobs were gone, and in their place were menacing snakes.

Ualan had to say that she was vaguely relieved to see Jason barreling down the corner. At least he hadn’t died! She even cracked a light smile, but then he began his yelling again, pointing fingers and accusing the group. Ualan’s eyes scrunched up with frustration, and her lips pursed together. She stepped forward, shuffling her feet along the ground for fear of spikes. At that moment, a screech shook the wavering tower, deafening and ominous. How could Mordra possibly fit all of these monstrosities into one building?

“Little, loud man Jay-son complain later! Get witch, get out, go home! No more loud man, no more loud people! No time for mad, no time for complain. We go?" Ualan said this to the rest of the group, anxious to leave as soon as possible.

CALYPSO
08-25-2011, 06:31 AM
“It will take more than your petty attacks to stop me!” She taunted as she spun around, knocking down the three demons that attempted to get close to her. The assault was enough to cause heavy damage on them, yet only one stood. With her adrenaline rush granting her more strength, Ialia easily finished the demon with one swipe of her sword. She ran back towards the party just as Tal’set killed one off, taking few down. Just how many were there? She honestly felt the battle with the fire demons were endless.

"We must continue or be forced fallback," she heard him speak.

“No! We will not fallback!” Ialia replied, “No demon, creature, or spell shall stop us!” As she spoke with valor, she ducked under a demon’s attack and sliced its body in half. As the battle continued, she knew she heard one familiar voice.

Jason.

Just as he barged in, the demons immediately went after him, falling out the window and into their demise. She scoffed, “Well, that was easy,” she muttered under her breath. Though, she couldn't help but roll her eyes as he began yelling at the group again.

“What the bloody hell have you idiots been doing!” he shouted, “How hard is it to storm a bloody tower you amateur hour sods!”

“Well!” she pointed her sword at the corpses, “We were attacked by these damned raged demons!” She scolded as she kicked one off to the side. As he continued ranting, Ialia ignored him by exploring the rooms ahead. Hearing his loud voice from the hall, she entered one room with a series of switches and other devices. It was strange that the trap was not caused by magic, but more so easier for her to disarm it. She heard the sound of locks and latches from the other side as she flicked one switch. There was no doubt about it, from the design of the trap, the tower once belonged to humans now long forgotten.

Ialia walked back to the hall and stood in front of Jason. “…Guilt tripping me into doing some second rate heroic shenanigans! I’ve had both my arms broken on the same damn day because of you!”

Quickly, she held onto his right arm tightly and squeezed it. “Are you done Jason?” He squirmed, he winced, and he cursed. “Because I’ve had enough with your complaints,” she hissed.

“Little, loud man Jay-son complain later! Get witch, get out, go home! No more loud man, no more loud people! No time for mad, no time for complain. We go?"

Ialia pushed him forward towards the group and looked up at Ualan. “We go!” She replied, walking towards the spiral staircase. Before she continued, she looked at Luna and Reilios, “And please, may one of you heal him? If he continues playing bait, I want him to be at least capable of defending himself,” she said a little more softly with a playful grin on her lips.

She placed her foot on the first step again, taking a deep breathe of relief that the trap was deactivated. "We'll see what Verlous is really doing here," she said to herself as she began going up the stairs.

Kiall
08-25-2011, 06:54 AM
Jason winced in pain as Ialia grabbed his arm and squeezed and shoved him towards the group. His first instinct was to yell some more, so was his second, and his third, and fourth…ooh complain? I haven’t even begun you bloody ingrate! He thought bitterly. “Look at her taking charge ahh what a beauty! A true warrior woman!” Gary said admiringly, “She’s a mannish bullheaded prat!” he thought back angrily, “Aye lad! That’s why ya like her so much!” Gary said, damn his left arm was insightful. He took a deep breath and forced down his anger.

“Ialia! Wait!” he said running towards her and putting his left hand on her shoulder, he took another deep breath “forgive me…this is not easy, but I wanted to tell you….i’m sorry, I honestly wanted to help this time, I felt bad about all the pain I caused you with the beast and hoped I could kill enough of the creatures from the outside to help the rest of the group storm the tower, but Mordra found me and…” he pointed to his right arm in its sling, “things got out of hand, I didn’t mean to cause worry I just wanted to help, I even got rid of many of her caged monsters further up,” He scratched the back of his head, “Verlous thinks he can get something from the witch, he doesn’t fully realize how unpredictable they are, dumb sod doesn’t even know how much danger he is in,” He sighed trying to put all his jumbled thoughts together. “Not too much farther up there’s a room full of potions and the like, it may help…I guess I just want you to know…I don’t want to let you down anymore, and I’m with you for whatever that’s worth.” He grinned, “Now can I go back to yelling and complaining now? All this plain emotional speaking makes me feel…dirty”

Auki
08-27-2011, 07:03 AM
As they entered the tower, it came to Reilios’ attention that, once again, he hadn’t been thanked. Was it stupid of him to expect such a thing? No. In fact, they should be expressing their gratitude that he even bothered to accompany their group given the circumstances. He wasn’t here to be used just because some idiot thought he could get hurt and, lo and behold, the Unicorn would help him. When he didn’t help, apparently he was a ‘damned nuisance’ or whatever that boy had said. When he did, they all took it for granted.

Typical human behaviour; that’s what it was! They always wanted what they couldn’t have and never appreciated anything that was done for them. He could have ranted about the fools all day if it would get him anywhere. Although, considering the predicament, there wasn’t a lot else he could do.

It was almost a relief to him when the stairs rejected the party’s assault. He had managed to master the normal stairs one might find in a household – It had taken him a week of practice but with the help of an old friend, he had managed. These were spiralled though – It was an awkward practice for an equine to tackle such a feat. His only prayer was that another passage upwards was found.

Even when the demons attacked, he was a little bit glad his comrades were no longer focused on the stairs. He had no intention of denting his pride in such a manner. Monsters, however, he felt no guilt in sitting back and letting the fighters do all the work. It was what they were there for after all – All brawn, no brains.

Their foe was somewhat fascinating – Similar but not exact to those he’d seen before. Their fiery bodies were a matter of grace; they fought well for such inferior minds. He could not attack them even if he wanted to, without knowing their intentions. For all he knew, this was their territory that the party was invading – It was a slight chance, what with the witch present, but for him to harm an innocent creature falsely would mean disaster. If only the others knew, they might sympathise, but no. They did not ask for they did not care. What was the life of a ‘horse’ to them?

Whilst keeping behind the knight had seemed a good tactic at first, he darted around so erratically that it was a pain to keep up. Eventually, a demon caught sight of him and Reilios couldn’t help but groan in annoyance. Any decent group storming tower or dungeon knew to keep the monsters away from the healer. Why did these humanoids insist on showing off their combat styles in such a wild manner? It was a thankful event when the demons were drawn away before they reached his hooves even if the cause of such was that same boy who irked him so. His heroic efforts might have been enough to redeem him until Reilios caught sight of his arm in a sling.

“Son of a she-dragon,” he muttered bitterly, stepping forward when the knight called upon him. The priestess seemed more capable with a bow and the occasional exorcism than doing any serious healing. Of course, he might be jumping to conclusions but who was going to judge him? The man was softly talking to the knight by the time he bothered to saunter over. He moved to prevent the fool from following Ialia, “Again, Unauiate? How many times before the colt learns about safety in numbers?”

He might have thanked the man for his endeavours previous but the idiot still owed him an apology for speaking out of turn.

Curiously, it appeared his left arm had been healed. Having the man bare-chested proved useful for examination. He looked over that which was previously dislocated – The joint seemed to have been joined correctly, the cartilage repaired and everything restored that was lost in the trauma. It was beautiful work, all in all, but it didn’t feel right to him. He resisted the urge to sniff it, like one might do with questionable food. It took all his efforts to shrug off the itch it gave him; perhaps he would interrogate the fool later on it.

Looking towards the right arm, Reilios cocked his head, studying it. “Shattered elbow, correct? It will be complicated to repair; to fuse the bones back into their original places, it is like those jigsaw games I’ve seen the human children play with. More difficult, however, I suppose. Still…”

He bent down and gently pressed the cool of his horn against the break. It glowed black as he chanted,

“Nanuma iaad kaeakiana, teulin iaad aenenuas,
Nuaenteiailu esqitlite esqliaen."

One by one, the shards of bone fused back together in perfect order. There was a certain satisfaction out of healing; it was not a simple task after all. One had to be of a certain intelligence just to pull off the basics of the matter. White magic, in general, required less ability but healing… Only the most intelligent of white mages became healers. All Unicorns were born with the knowledge of restoration spells but it did not mean that any could use them. To try and do so wrongly could often cause irreparable damage to the patient, it was why Reilios always took so much care even in the simplest of tasks. One should not heal under time pressure or stress; that much was common sense.

What felt like minutes of hard work to the Unicorn, in fact, only took a moment. He nudged the fool’s arm out its sling to test the joint, content with his work.

“…It is no trouble for a Unicorn. Happy, Unauiate?”

Mosaic
08-29-2011, 05:11 AM
Verlous nodded with a slight bow of acknowledgment to the task she had given him. Turned and left the room, to return into the potions room, scowling. This was the only part of jobs like this he hated, he actually had to take orders. It was so much simpler when it was just a signed assassination, he was given guidelines to follow for his pay and left to his devices. Find the target, get a way in, kill it and get paid.

He took his time in the potions room, this was her tower, why send him off to let out some mindless corpses of unicorns? He didn't have the amulet anymore, there needed to be something to help keep these beasts from attacking him. He turned through various book legends to find where they should be, though he found one entry 'Health potion' Health potion?

He took the book for a moment and found the potion and took two of them, hooking the vials onto his side. "Ah I do love health potions, tastes like strawberries." He looked back into the book again and found a potion called "Potion of disappearance." sounded good enough! After walking down the isles he found what he needed, taking one potion from the shelf. It should be all he needed.

After getting what he needed he made his way out and down the hall. He didn't bother checking on the room he left Jason tied up in. He was sure things set into place as they needed to, if it didn't go out as planned, it should play out well none the less.

He made his way into the room that held those damned husks she called pets. These damned undead unicorns, rotting corpses with their spirits bound to them. All individuality droned out of them so that all they know are the commands Mordra gives to them. Right now it was either show some worth to her, or everything goes wrong.

He got the potion ready as he pushed the wooden bar off the door. Undead had a bad tendency to somehow be stronger than their living counterparts, she had the door barred quite effectively. With the bar off the door, he pulled the lever next to the door and the locks on the other side began to disengage. The minute the door began to open he popped the top off the vial and downed the potion. Unfortunately this wasn't what he expected, he had thought it would make him temporarily invisible, but it made him disappear, into another part of the tower. The second level to be exact, the very level the group below would soon find themselves on, and the same level those damned corpse beasts would be making their way to. Either way he was in a bit of a bad state, there had to be one of those shortcut walls around here!

CALYPSO
08-30-2011, 01:48 AM
“Ialia! Wait!”

When she felt his hand on her shoulder, she stopped herself from continuing up the stairs and faced him. The stern look on her face softened when she realized his words were sincere. She was taken aback when he even apologized. Apologized! So the belligerent idiot was capable of admitting his mistakes! Though, it was clearly a rare thing to see of Jason. Nodding her head as he spoke and understanding what Verlous was plotting, she finally concluded it was going to be the last time she heard those sugar coated words.

For once, she had nothing to say to him.

“Now can I go back to yelling and complaining now? All this plain emotional speaking makes me feel…dirty.”

Ialia shook her head slightly, but only brushed him off with a shooing hand gesture. Reilios stepped beside him, “Again, Unauiate? How many times before the colt learns about safety in numbers?”

She chuckled, “Reilios is right. I hope you know that,” she finally spoken. She waited and watched patiently as the unicorn observed him; chanting in that familiar language she heard back when they were on the forest path. It was beautiful to her; the words were blessed with such grace just like the creature themselves. Such a moment was disrupted by the sound of bones cracking into place, however. Ialia couldn’t help but cringe at the sound, it reminded her too much of Hesper relocating her shoulders after rounds of sparring. As he finished healing Jason, she looked at him, “Thank you for your aid, Reilios.”

Leading the group as usual, Ialia finally went up the spiral staircase. She expected more demons, but nothing appeared. She expected another trap, but there was none nearby. The tower was just eerily quiet. The words of Jason still lingered in her head, when she realized something. “Jason,” she turned around, looking at him again, “where’s your gauntlet? Ugh! Now how are you going to fight!?” As she spoke those words, she heard the sound hooves galloping on the cold floor. The galloping slowly came to a halt and all she heard was it’s breathing. Ialia slowly turned around to meet face to face with a unicorn (http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lbhbpmWYOe1qbn5e0o1_500.jpg). She jumped out the way just as it attacked with its horn. “That’s!” She looked at Reilios and back to the dead looking unicorn. A feeling of remorse overcame her; she didn’t want to kill a creature that was of the same race.

Auki
08-30-2011, 10:06 PM
“Thank you for your aid, Reilios."

The shock of it! A human expressing gratitude? The gods must have been playing their tricks on him. He nodded graciously and muttered that such thanks was unneeded; he was only playing his role after all.

He waited for the rest of the party to ascend before he made an attempt to tackle the stairs. One hoof at a time? No, that wouldn't work. Hop, skip and a jump? Now he was just grasping at straws. Many of the humans would have loved such a challenge and gone forth with the ambition to prove themselves. Reilios was not as such; he did not delve into that which he did not know. Oh, the embarrassment! He could not show the others of his reluctance. The climb was not one of elegance - he cursed in his language every step of the way - but he managed... somehow.

The second floor was like a haven from the awkward hell he’d come from. Peace. Quiet. It was a blessing to his ears. Tranquillity unscarred by the taint of the tower. He sent a prayer that it could last one moment more but alas, such request was deemed to fall on deafened ears. The clicking of the gallop on a cold, stone floor proved the calm too good to be true. Staring down the corridor, he caught sight of their foes charging forth.

His heart… He could have sworn it ceased in beating.

His entire body might have trembled but he could not feel its quiver. He just… stared.

They halted but his eyes refused to blink, could not dare to draw away for a second. Each hair upon his coat felt electric; his ears were flat against his skull. He might have retreated if not for those cursed stairs halting his path.

Could it be? Was this really how it was to end?

His party members might hesitate - he caught sadness in the knight’s expression – but like hell did they know! This was it! The destruction of his race! If only they knew of the god’s contract… Now broken in pieces upon the floor before them… They might, just might, grasp the severity of the-…

“They’re dead,” he whispered, “Oh…”

The creatures (he refused to call them Unicorns) pawed at the ground and screeched a cry that tore all peace of mind. They were nothing more than puppets it seemed; corpses possessed by the witch of the tower.

“By horn and hoof,” he cried in joy, “Praise the bloody heavens! They’re dead!”

Throwing caution to the wind, he leapt forward, locking horn with one of his shadow brethren and pushing forth with all his might. It felt similar to the sparring matches of the herd each mating season except his life was on the line and not some pretty mare. In a deadlock, the both of them reared and pushed away but Reilios was not put off. The rest of the party could choose their target as long as he was given the chance to lay some down. The witch… That cursed hag would pay!

Imp
08-31-2011, 08:03 PM
The Jason fellow once again disrupted the party's sanity with harsh discrediting and accusations. Even Ualan became easily upset and unable to defend her position swiftly. This wasn't new as she lacked any strength in morality or will compared to the others. Being a giant, Tal'set expected her to be rather surly or hesitant in enjoying to crush smaller and squishier objects when commanded. Though the giants Tal'set has dealt with were around the same size, they still wouldn't give up the will to kill even when chained down and immobile.

Hearing something of potions and understanding they are in the residence of a dark and powerful witch, Tal'set exclaimed "I trust no potions unless Isora trust dem." Sure his understanding of English was slowly growing, only issue was the enunciation others could easily point out.

As for Jason and his verbal attack and humiliation of Ualan, Tal'set felt the need to not slap down Jason but rather strike Ualan with the back of his hand. Doing so would hopefully unleash her understanding for 'standing up for ones self'. Preparing to do so before they continued on, Tal'set's plan faded and instead he pointed to Ualan. "You fight wit us; group stronger!" He then followed after the knight up the steps to which he had to make an adjustment by side stepping up. This movement worked in his favor since he had the shield held against one arm and the guan dao equipped in the other for thrusting.

Suddenly stopping behind Ialia and Reilios, he moved into view to look upon the horrors that stood in their way. A pack of disgustingly undead unicorns couldn't have put it better.

“By horn and hoof,” Reilios cried out, “Praise the bloody heavens! They’re dead!” and immediately the unicorn took to duel with one of his rotting kind. Tal'set looked back to Ualan, she could fight but would wet herself before swatting a fly as she already looked horrified from what lie ahead. "Ualan! You kill, I defend you!" He looked away from her and back to battle with shield raised. "Trust me" Tal'set shouted back to her and signaling for the giant to step up. His only reason for this action was to help Ualan in battle and have the giant gain some confidence in battle so she would be willing to fight further.

Kiall
08-31-2011, 08:52 PM
Jason sighed as he felt his elbow knit back together, pulling it out of his shirt sling he flexed his arm and found it worked perfectly. As he was unknotting his shirt he heard Ialia say “Thank you for your aid, Reilios.” Jason rolled his eyes as he put on his shirt, yes thanks for maintaining the bare minimum of usefulness you mazalren! He thought bitterly and if you call me a colt again, I’m gonna rub the groups dirty undergarments all over your horn while you sleep you pompous jackass.

As they continued walking he noticed Tal’set speak to Ualan, he recalled the angry words he had said not too long ago and felt guilty, he still felt he was perfectly justified in his anger, but…she didn’t understand the language all that she had gotten out of it was that he was angry, it was like yelling at a puppy! A giant oddly sexy puppy…wait did he just think that? “Aye lad you did!” Gary chimed in, “Stay out of my head!” Jason cried out mentally, “Too late laddie! Gary knows all your twisted perverse thoughts!”, “it’s not perverse!” he shouted outloud, “it’s a perfectly normal fascination with her unique physique!” he stopped when he realized what he had just said, “uhh did I just say that outloud?” he muttered, “ya pretty much screamed it lad,” Gary said chortling.

Thankfully they had made it up the stairs before anyone could say anything, he heard Ialia mentioned his lack of his gauntlet, “Hey! I can still fight! I’ll just use Diplomacy!” he said reaching behind his back and showing off his scabbard that had the words Diplomacy stitched on it, “ha ha get it? Ohh man I’ve been waiting forever to use that joke!” his words were interrupted by the appearance of a nasty looking undead unicorn, crap he wasn’t ready for this, he was really only a rank amateur with the sword…”give it to me laddie! I’m an excellent swordsman!” Gary chimed in, “Really? but…you’ve only been alive for like…two hours,” Jason thought, “Look lad, don’t bloody overanalyze this just give me the damn sword and be grateful that one of us is actually bloody competent!” Gary grunted, “Okay fine geeze,” Jason thought, pulling his sword out with his left hand. As the battle began and more undead unicorns joined the fray he notice Reilios was really getting into it, shame he was hoping to taunt him…well he could still get a few nice jibes in.

“Wow, why are unicorns always soooo ugly!” he said as Gary hacked into the hide of one, wow this was great he didn’t have to concentrate on the fight with Gary doing all the work, he could just concentrate on what he was good at…snarky barbs! He slashed at the legs of one of the beast as it reared it’s legs up, “Wow you’re mother’s quite firey isn’t she Reilios? Guess it’s just her looks she passed on to you!” ha ha still got it he thought. One of the beast knocked him over sending sprawling with a grunt as it reared its legs up to smash him, he rolled to the side just as its feet came down. As he stood up an idea came into his head, and running towards it he jumped onto the creature gripping it’s hide with his legs and grabbing its horn with his right hand. The creature bucked and tried to throw him off but couldn’t, it then started running at an incredible speed, Jason just laughed and slashed wildly as it galloped around the room.

Vampirequeen
09-01-2011, 02:15 AM
When the group approached the tower, Luna took her bow off of her shoulders, pulled an arrow out of her quiver, and put it on her bow. Holding the arrow in place, she lowered her bow and followed the group into the tower.

"May the gods have mercy on us." She said quietly as soon as both of her feet were inside the tower.

A few seconds after the group had entered the tower, several demons appeared out of nowhere.

"May the gods guide my aim." She said as she raised her bow and sent the arrow flying into one of the demons. Before she could shoot another arrow, the rest of the group defeated the demons and Jason seemed to appear out of nowhere.

She listened as Jason spoke to the knight, then tried to remember if she had learned anything about healing bones, since Jason's arm seemed to be pretty damaged. Before she could respond, the unicorn healed Jason's shoulder, which was a good thing because healing bones was something that she hadn't learned as a priestess.

Keeping her hands on her bow and the arrow that rested on it, she followed the group up a spiral staircase. As she reached the top of the stairs, she heard a sound that reminded her of hoofbeats.

More demons? She thought.

A moment later, the source of the sound revealed itself to be something terribly shocking.

"This...it can't be, that's not..possible." She said in obvious shock. Luna had always liked unicorns, and she considered them to be the priests and priestesses of the non-human races because of their purity and goodness. Seeing a corrupted version of such a pure creature was as much of a shock as it would probably be if Luna had looked in a mirror and saw a prostitute instead of a priestess. Of course, Luna would never become a prostitute, but she never thought that a unicorn could be so corrupted. One of the corrupted unicorns saw her shocked hesitation and decided that she would make an easy target.

The sight of the creature charging at her brought Luna out of her thoughts and she stepped out of the way just in time to avoid being impaled by the creature's horn. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to completely move out of the way and the edge of her right sleeve was completely torn off.

If I get out of here alive, I'm going to have to find some way to get that repaired. That witch is going to regret defiling such pure and magnificent creatures. She thought as she turned around and raised her bow at the unicorn that was getting ready to charge at her again. She pulled the string and the arrow back, and pointed the arrow at the creature's chest. She stared at it, and it stared back at her, unmoving and watching her as if it was waiting to see if she would actually shoot it.

After several seconds, she lowered her bow and moved up against a wall, feeling ashamed at herself for being unable to shoot a creature that bore almost no resemblance to a creature that she had admired since her childhood.

Mosaic
09-01-2011, 04:33 AM
He had moved down the halls as quickly as he could. There were three more levels above this, and who knew if those beasts had knowledge of the various shortcuts Mordra had throughout the tower labyrinth. He knew his time was short, and getting shorter with every step he took. There weren't many things that he was wary of fighting, but anything undead was another story. It took way too much effort to bring down one single undead, depending on the spells that bound the spirits to the rotting corpse. He was in no hurry to see what level of necromancy the witch had preformed to create those monstrosities.

His heart began to race when he heard it, the rumbling storm that was a herd of hooves. He first heard it coming like a rolling thunder down the halls, and soon enough felt it quake the stone beneath his feet. They had made more progress than he had thought, and all the progress he had feared. Once in many years he felt stress as a bead of sweat ran down his face, anticipating the timing. This hall went on forever, damn the witch and her illusions, he was stuck in it again, with the creatures barreling for him.

It a matter of moments, he slammed his body against the wall, wishing for nothing more than the ability to become part of it so that he might not be seen. The group dashed down past him, though three at the end took notice and interest in the lone elf. He stayed for a moment, until the one closest charged at him, he rolled along the wall as it smashed its horn against the stone, shattering it. He hadn't heard of a unicorn shattering its horn before, then again these weren't normal healthy unicorns.

If they wouldn't follow the herd, he'd give them a death to silence their pathetic existence. "Come at me you accursed beasts." Mordra could have stopped them at any time, but it seemed he'd get no help from the witch. Typical, he'd have done the same though.

Another charged horn pointed level for his throat, but he ducked to one knee, doing his best to make himself a smaller target, he pulled the two daggers from his sides and as the beast got close enough he pushed up diagonally catching it with the blades in either side of its neck, though he was taken for the trip. Knocked from his feet, he wrapped his legs around the base of its neck and tore the blades from its rotting flesh. It only made a flesh wound, nothing that would slow or kill it.

It bucked, standing on its hind legs after coming to a stop, Verlous took the time to let go, landing on his feet, he sliced the daggers through the lower parts of the hind legs, the bone had grown weak and was cut by the edge easily. Its legs rendered, it fell to its back, and the elf put the daggers away and pulled the sword from his back and cleaved its head off. If it wasn't dead after that he didn't know what would kill the damned things.

The hornless beast came next, where did the third go?! It was a similar dance, however Verlous was only worried about it hitting him with its hooves since it no longer bore personal impalement device on its head. Within minutes Verlous was on its back and pressed a blade to the base of its neck, it didn't die, but it rendered the rest of the monsters body limp and useless.

Now for the last one, where did it go? He hadn't seen it move or leave, so where was it. It was too late by the time he registered the charging hooves. He turned with a moments notice to receive that blackened horn through the left side of his chest. The irony of it all, all the jobs he'd been on and he was bested by a vermin like this. It went to pull the horn from his chest but Verlous wrapped his left arm around its head and under its rotting jaw. "If this kills me, I'm going to make sure you go with me. The witch won't have the pleasure of keeping a pet that killed her loose end!" He drove his free dagger into its neck, once, twice, three times. By the time he was done stabbing the creature, he had practically severed each spinal plate along its neck. It fell with him atop its head. His next work went into cutting the horn off, simply pulling himself off would prove a painful and fatal mistake.

Once free with the horn still in his chest he found himself with a lack of energy. He lay atop the floor, the potion he needed one of the damned potions, using one would clear a single wound like this up. He reached and unclipped one grasping it in his fist he lifted the cork to his lips, but lost consciousness before he could remove it.

Wattz
09-01-2011, 09:04 AM
It was quite lucky that Ualan couldn’t catch what Jason was talking about seemingly to himself. Not only could she not catch onto the meaning of it, but she was too busy being thoroughly intimidated by Tal’set. He was shorter, yes, but his demeanor was daunting, and his weapons were taller than the both of them. Ualan almost preferred his silence, when he’d speak a few words and then continue on with his own business. At least he didn’t speak as fast as the humans, not to mention his vocabulary was somewhat limited as well. He was by far easier to understand.

The sound of hooves trampling down the corridor was just as shocking as the sight of the unicorns themselves. She looked from Reilios to the monsters, and then back to Reilios. The look in his eye was crazed, almost desperate. The word continued to echo through the halls, dead, dead, dead. The smell of rotting flesh was overpowering, but the sight was even more so.

”Ualan! You kill, I defend you!”

“Tal?!” Ualan was incredulous. How could you possibly kill something that was already dead? But as one charged right for the giant pair, she had no time to stall. Tal’set showed no sign of backing down.

”Trust me,” he shouted. Trust. She’d heard the word spoken before, had taken in its meaning. It held a strange amount of weight behind it, especially for human folk. Ualan could not help but come to the conclusion that Tal’set held similar convictions.

She was still not tuned in with her fighting abilities, but Ualan had to take the chance. One of the unicorns lunged toward Tal’set and herself. The half-giant’s movement lacked hesitation as she reached out a dark hand and grabbed a snarling unicorn by the neck. Its flesh bunched up in her fist, peeling off little by little as it gnashed its teeth at her, trying to gore her with its horn. Ualan kept the thing just barely away from goring her in the stomach, then used her other hand in an attempt to pick the thing up. She tried to swing it up into the air, but the creature thrashed wildly, making it difficult to get a proper hold. Ualan rammed the thing against the nearest wall, crushing it with her own body weight. It whinnied with pain, but even with its belly smashed, it managed to thrash with pain. The priestess was against the same wall, and the decaying unicorn’s horn had just barely missed the poor girl.

“My sorry!” Ualan said with some strain. “You help? Help, safety?” In between each word Ualan, still wrestled with the monster. But another one came barreling for her, and the half-giant took the one she’d crushed and swung it at the next. The great beasts fell down together. Ualan took a momentary breather to talk to the priestess Luna.

Ualan made a motion with her hands as if imitating the use of a bow and arrow, though it was obvious her technique was off. “Too much danger! Be safe!”

Then she was off again, though her steam was already wearing thin. The surrounding carnage was daunting, and she was still having some time getting used to being in the thick of it all.

Imp
09-02-2011, 12:39 AM
Tal'set watched Ualan display her prowess within the skirmish against the undead unicorns. Only a few more were in the distance and galloping forth while the rest of the rotting mob stay locked in combat with the party. The odor of the dead was finally reaching Tal'set through his mask, it was heavy and putrid but he did his best to keep with the moment.

"Good!" He congratulated Ualan for her effort. He charged forward and joined in the fray after her second kill. He took the bloody edge of his guan dao to one of the slain zombified unicorns, ensuring complete death was now it's current state. These creatures must be laid to rest or else they would surely rise again and continue their furious charge.

Within the nearby halls echoed the clash that was present. Hooves upon the stone and shrieks from the unicorns overpowered everything else. Whatever lay ahead should know no fear if they expect to take on the juggernaut that is the party from Lorana. This is how Tal'set felt about their current state, at least. Nothing proved itself as a great threat against the journey-goers as a whole. However, individually, he knew almost all could not stand by themselves against the fear and might, especially combined. He knew himself as well could only stand against so much before falling to the maelstrom in this conflict.

With another pair of hooves heard galloping forth, Tal'set looked over his shield and immediately stood his ground, entering into a defensive stance with just his shield in hands as his guan dao was clattering against the stone floor. The unicorn attempted to kick upon the shield and push him over but instead he maneuvered the beast's energy against it by shield bashing it and then giving it another but stronger blow against the wall, crushing the monster's chest and pelvis.

The creature continued an attempted attack even with it unable to stand. The horn thrashed angrily while the unicorn kicked against the wall to move closer. A planned blow to the creatures skull using the shield failed immediately as the sharpened horn made contact with Tal'set's shin. A loud groan was distinguished through his mask a second after as he slammed the shield into the unicorns head, smashing it and destroying the brain. He looked to his wound which didn't seem much but he was unsure of what could happen with being struck by that of an undead creature as such. Tal'set continued to grip his shield and hold ground against anymore unicrons wishing to come towards the masked half-giant. Once the battle finishes, he will seek out the magi in the party to check his wound.

Kiall
09-02-2011, 02:05 AM
Jason laughed enjoying the rush as the undead thing he rode galloped at its constant pace. Gary was slashing his sword wildly cutting into the surrounding unicorns as his unwilling mount sped past, it wasn’t the most effective way to kill them but it proved a wonderful distraction as several of them peeled out trying to attack him instead of the rest of the group. The room was just big enough that the creature could run around without him having to worry about hurting the rest of the group. He noticed as his unicorn turned around giving him a look at his group that Ualan was really getting into it this time smashing one of the creatures against a wall, “Yeah big girl! Throw him on the ground stomp on his face!”

His words were cut short when his mount tried to buck him off again, damn it was getting smarter it had almost done it this time, with one swift movement he swung the sword down across his neck, he wasn’t able to go all the way through though instead he had sliced several of its neck muscles causing the creatures head to droop. This turned out to work well for him, as the creature ended up impaling one of its brethren in the chest with its horn. Jason laughed and jumped off and stabbed through both of their skulls before rejoining the rest of the group. Something occurred to him though…this shit was a lot of work! Ye gods he missed his gauntlet.

CALYPSO
09-02-2011, 03:03 AM
It comforted her to know that Reilios did not hold back in attacking the creatures. Everyone fought them no matter how shocked they were at the sight of them. Their appearance, their stench, and their screeching, was more than enough to disgust Ialia. There was no point in trying to save them.

Ialia provoked one of them, causing the unicorn to turn away from the group and galloped straight towards her. Just how bad can it be, she thought. It was dead already after all. Just as it attacked, she raised her shield causing the unicorn’s horn to puncture through. “Whoa!” she exclaimed in shock by the horn’s sharpness. The unicorn pushed forward, attempting to knock her back. Ialia pulled away in haste, her shield still protecting her; the undead creature refused to give up, puncturing her shield once more. As it did so, she couldn’t help but wince in sharp pain.

In anger, she stabbed the unicorn’s face when it was vulnerable. It peeled away from her shield, and it’s head buckled in anguish. She stabbed it one more time causing it to fall with it’s companions. Ialia took a big sigh of relief as the fight was over, by the time she was finished with one, the unicorns were all dead.

She lowered her shield, leaning it against the wall, and sheathed her sword. Turning her left arm over, she began undoing the buckles, “Is everyone all right?” she asked concernedly. The battle was indeed a tough one, and now they were less prepared with fresh wounds. Ialia peeled off her gauntlet, bending her narrow fingers; they were never delicate, or soft, or anything feminine of the sort. She was grateful to even have feminine looking hands! Ialia kept calm as she studied the fresh gaping hole wound on her forearm. Blood dripped and her gauntlet was stained, but it was nothing that required healing.

Vampirequeen
09-04-2011, 06:30 PM
Luna flinched as Ualan swung one of the corrupted unicorns against the wall that she was up against.

“My sorry!” Ualan said to her. Before Luna could respond, Ualan spoke again.

“You help? Help, safety?”

"I'm fine, but I can't kill them." Luna said as another creature came at Ualan and forced her to stop talking before she could tell the half giant that she liked unicorns too much to kill something that was just a posessed shell of one.

A moment later, Ualan had used the unicorn that she had hit against the wall to take out the unicorn that had charged at her. Despite her unwillingness to fight against the corrupted versions of her favorite creature, Luna was impressed.

Once Ualan was done with the two unicorns, she turned to Luna and moved her hands in a way that make it look as though she was trying to use a bow and arrow.

“Too much danger! Be safe!” She said to Luna.

"Yes. You too." Luna responded as she continuted to watch the rest of the battle.

A few moments later, the rest of the group had defeated the corrupted unicorns, but Luna noticed that a few people in the group had recieved some minor injuries, but there was nothing life-threatening.

Hopefully this witch has some kind of healing potions or some ingredients for a healing potion in this tower. She thought as she caught sight of Ialia's arm.

Kiall
09-04-2011, 10:00 PM
Co-post by The King and I

Jason sighed gods he missed his gauntlet, sure the battle had gone pretty well but still..that had been a lot of work! He wasn’t getting paid enough for this, why had he agreed to this again? He noticed Ialia had a cut on her forearm, it probably looked worse from the bleeding he thought as he smiled “you know in my homeland scars are considered sexy,” that was a complete lie of course, no country thought scars were sexy ever. That was just a line used by natives to fool dumb foreigners. After they had checked to see if everyone was okay they pressed on heading up the stairs.


Above in that damned accursed hall, Verlous lay in pain as he began to come back to the waking realm. Everything was blurry, the sounds from below had stopped, though he wasn't sure if he was focused on hearing or trying to fight down the pain. As an assassin for a guild he was always trained to avoid being hit, his pain tolerance wasn't the highest. A flaw he now saw that needed to be fixed, eventually.
He tried to move, but his body felt numb. He'd be damned before he just laid down and died. "Come on, move. The last thing I need is for that group to find me like this." he thought looking through blurred vision trying to get a grasp of hall.


They walked up the stairs and headed into another chamber, and then Jason saw something that made him smile. There was Verlous laying on the floor apparently wounded if the horn jutting out of his chest was any suggestion. “Well, well,well…it is a small androgynous piece of shit world after all,” he rushing towards Verlous’s struggling form and examining him. “What’s that in your hand Verlous?” he asked as he plucked the vial from his hands, “Ooh! I bet this will make you better won’t it?” he said beaming before smashing the bottle against a wall, “Oop! I accidentally smashed your medicine vial accidentally! Ooh I’m such a klutz!” he said laughing before kicking Verlous hard in the ribs, “and now I’m accidentally kicking you! Oh I just can’t seem to stop! It’s like my foot is possessed!” he said continuously kicking the downed elf in the ribs as hard as he could. Ohh he was throwing all of his repressed anger into those kicks…maybe a few daddy issues as well. “Break my arm will you? Ya big eared mazalren!?” he muttered, “You always loved Aloysha more than me!” slipped out as well, “Ignore that last part!” he said continuing to kick him.

"Jason! That's enough!" Ialia snapped, forcing Jason to pull himself back. She stood between Verlous and him, preventing any more harm on the dark elf. "I know he has caused you much torment, but I want answers from him." She carefully eyed Verlous, curious if he was ever coming back to his senses. Ialia shot a glare at Jason, "And you should have given that health vial to me instead of smashing it!"

The elf's visions and senses had flared into focus after Jason had begun to beat him without any thought to what the group might want of him. That damned idiot took one of his only two potions as well, he should have taken some extras, however it was enough that the other was hidden by the cloth of his clothing.

Ceasios had come near to check to see if the elf was still even alive from the look of the wound. He had checked for Verlous' pulse "He's alive, though it seems just barely so. If we want answers from him someone needs to treat him.

Ialia had pulled Jason aside and tried to calm him down so they could take a rational approach, good their backs were turned. He shot his hand down the the spare vial and tore the top from it and downed the liquid, and almost immediately after ripped the horn from his chest, for a red crystal substance to cover over the wound.

In a moment he was on his feet, and a dagger drawn, he had Ceasios in a lock with the blade to his throat. They'd found him, he wasn't intent on finding out what they were to do with him. Jason had shown he had intention of any form of payback for his arm and being tied up, surely the rest of the group wasn't too fond of his two-faced antics.

"Don't fight back, and you just might get out of this one alive old man. Keep your hands up and away from your weapons." he said lowly to Ceasios. A proper shield like this should be a deterrent for blades and spells alike.


“Are you insane, woman? He’s useless to us! He’s willing to trust a bloody witch! He’s as dumb as they come!” Jason had no respect for the dark elf, not even for his capabilities. He was untrustworthy and worse stupid, which made him dangerous to keep alive, why they were even considering keeping him around was beyond him. As they continued to argue there was a scuffle, and Ceasios was now being held hostage by a healed Verlous. “Whatever happens is on your head!” he hissed as at Ialia. The others had backed away not wanting to harm the old man, Jason knew he was bluffing, though to be honest he didn’t care one way or the other about Ceasios.

But what to do, that’s when he noticed Luna’s bow…too bad he was a crappy shot, “Give it to me Lad! I’m an-“ “I know I know," Jason chimed in interrupting Gary "an excellent marksman, you are so full of shit Gary” whatever still worth a shot. With one fluid motion he wrenched the bow off the back of the priestess and took two arrows, he then fired one straight into Ceasios’s leg. The older man cried out in pain and surprise, “You think I won’t kill him to get to you!? You are in no position to negotiate!” he threatened drawing his last arrow and pointing it at Ceasios’s face. “On your knees elf! Be grateful Ialia thinks your still useful! You just might come out of this alive!"

Vampirequeen
09-05-2011, 02:14 AM
Luna had followed the group up yet another flight of stairs, keeping her bow in her hand until they reached the next level, at which point she put it back over her shoulders once she realized that there weren't any threatening creatures around. A moment later, she and the group caught sight of the dark elf who had travelled with them. He was lying on the ground with what looked like a unicorn horn stuck in his chest. The sight caused the slightest smile to cross Luna's face, as she was in no way fond of the traitorous creature who was more than unworthy to be called an elf.

A moment later, the smile faded and she rolled her eyes as Jason tried to attack the dark elf. Before she could step in an tell Jason to let the gods decide his punishment, the knight stepped in and pulled him away from the elf.

As the elf tried to calm Jason down, another member of the group had gone to check on the dark elf, which had proved to be a bit of a mistake because the man wound up with a knife next to his throat. Luna quickly backed away from them, fearing that she could be next if the elf actually killed the man.

Without warning, Jason came over to her and yanked her bow off of her shoulders and took two arrows out of her quiver. Before Luna could say anything, Jason had shot one of the arrows into the man's leg and had pointed the other arrow at his face.

What in the name of the gods is he doing? She thought in complete and utter shock.

"Stop!" She said in a firm voice that she only used when someone did something that she saw as wrong in regards to religion.

She took a few steps forward and spoke again.

"It is a sin to kill another living being, and that sin is multiplied when it is committed with holy and blessed items. My bow and arrows were made and blessed by the high priest at my temple, and they were both blessed by me before I came to Lorana. As blessed items, they cannot be used to shed blood of any kind unless it is absolutely necessary. Yes, the dark elf deserves some kind of punishment, but that punishment is to be decided by the gods, and if you kill an innocent man and the elf, you will be punished along with him."

Luna paused for a moment to calm down, and then she spoke again, this time in a more gentle voice.

"Jason, please give me back my bow and that arrow. The gods will look upon you with favor if you give them back to me."

Mosaic
09-05-2011, 06:40 AM
"Why are you doing this!" Ceasios grunted through his teeth after Jason had shot him in the leg. The old man was seasoned, he knew what pain was, and could bear it. Verlous didn't say anything out loud for the group to hear, only for Ceasios's ears alone. To be honest Verlous didn't know how to judge Jason anymore, he was an annoyance. Though there was a shred of an inclination to some off brand version of respect for his unpredictability. Maybe this fool would have someone put a hit out on him one day, hey it'd be money in his pocket, and would make for an interesting assassination to be sure.

"Let him go and get on your knees elf! I don't care what happens for using these arrows on you." Jason was surely not about to let Verlous go.

Verlous did something he normally would never do, but he was in a situation he did not favor right now. He dropped his dagger and pushed Ceasios away from himself, and dropped his other dagger from its holder in front of him.

"What kind of trick is this!" the ranger Phoebe piped up.

"No trick girl. I've no where to go, we're stuck here. In this damned endless hallway she's made." and sure enough if the members of the party looked back, their passage up would be gone from sight. Only stone floor where stairs once were.

The hole in the leather armor showed the crimson red crystal substance that sealed his wound, and would gradually heal it. The potion he took surely did wonders to heal such a wound, to think that an evil witch like Mordra had legitimate healing solutions on her.

Ialia and Jason moved forward, though the fool kept the arrow trained on Verlous despite the priestess's protests. Ceasios moved away slowly, and right as they got within feet of him, Verlous ducked back under Jason's direct line of fire and pulled a pouch off his side. He pulled the string and threw the pouch in an arching motion across both of their paths. The pouch let off a thick black violet powder that streamed across the air and descended quickly and lingered, leaving a thick smoke screen.

As soon as their vision was obscured, Verlous grabbed both of his daggers and bolted in the direction of the hall away from them, the whole time he dragged an empty hand down the inside wall of the hall, there had to be a passage to Mordra's room along this wall, at least the potions room if nothing else.

CALYPSO
09-06-2011, 02:32 AM
Great gods, Ialia just couldn’t comprehend the entire situation. Wasn’t the quest about killing the great witch and retrieving the harp? So why were they standing in the endless hall watching Jason and Verlous make fools of themselves? Ceasios was already wounded thanks to Jason’s idiocy, which made Ialia furious that another person was injured before the final battle.

She sided with no one in the group, however, the more sly Verlous acted, the more she wanted him stopped. Ialia stepped forward as the dark elf began talking, her hand carefully wrapped around the hilt of her blade. Just as he threw the powder, Ialia ran forward, “Verlous!” She scolded, her voice echoing down the hall, “You can’t run forever in this tower!” As the smoke grew thick, Ialia coughed a few times, “Ugh. Damn that elf.”

Jason glared furiously at her; even though, he didn't say a word she still felt the need to cut him off. “Shut up. And give me that,” she replied as she yanked the bow and arrow away from him. She walked over to Luna and returned her weapon. As the smoke screen cleared away, Ialia sprinted over to Ceasios who sat on the floor against the wall. “Are you all right?”

He pulled out the arrow from his leg, flinching only a little, “Augh, yes.” He stood up and moved his leg a bit. “No thanks to Jason, of course,” he stared angrily. “It’s best we move on and deal with that knife ear afterwards.”

Ialia nodded in agreement, “We’re here to stop Mordra and retrieve Chelaia’s harp.” Plus take a nice hot bath followed by drinking at the tavern after all of this, she thought to herself; and avoid Jason and Verlous at all costs, she concluded. If there were two people she couldn’t stand, it was definitely them.

Before they moved on, Ialia placed her hand on the left wall and began to walk down the hallway. Though it was endless, there had to be an opening of some sort that lead them to another part of the tower. She honestly had no idea where she was going, but she refused to let anyone know of that. As they continued, part of her hand went through the wall; she glanced at everyone, “This way.” She stepped through it and stopped for a moment. The new hallway was shorter, but the grand doorway was enough to tell her that Mordra Sayd was in that room.

Ialia paced herself in front of the doorway and turned to face everyone, “And so it comes down to this. One of us may fall in battle,” she looked at Jason briefly before the others, “but do not let that falter you. Use your strength and together we will kill Mordra!” She took a deep breath, turned around, and placed her hand on the handle.

“Wait!” Luna called out. Ialia stopped herself from opening the door and stared at Luna. “I would like to say a prayer for us.” She clasped her hands, closed her eyes, and began to speak:


O Goddess! Make us strong in spirit
Courageous in action

Gentle of heart
Let us act in wisdom

Conquer our fears and doubts

Discover our own hidden gifts
Meet others with compassion

Be a source of healing energies
And face each day with hope and joy

“Thank you Luna,” she responded. She placed her hands on the door handles once again and with one swift motion, she slammed them open. As they rushed into the study room, the doors disappeared and transformed into a wall. Books and potions surrounded them, but what caught their eyes was Chelaia’s harp that stood in the middle of the room.

“Look Ialia!” Ceasios called out, “The harp!” He ran towards it just as the room grew dark and cold.

Ialia chased after him just as their surroundings drastically changed, “CEASIOS DON’T!”

CALYPSO
09-06-2011, 02:35 AM
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/pureelven/Mordra3.png (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85tRqLgfmDU)
^Click the picture to hear the song!^

AngelicAsylum
09-06-2011, 04:12 AM
The second Ceasios grabbed the harp, a foul hissing noise filled the air and it became clear that his hand was beginning to melt. He screamed and tugged at his arm in agony, but it held fast to the harp, which began to turn red and shake. The most vile music began to play from it, a disjointing tune that seemed unnatural for the instrument, as black smoke began to fill the room.

Isora quickly reached out to save Ceasios from his fate, her common sense no match for her instinctual urge to help, fueled by the guilt of her own weakness. It had been a difficult decision to not partake in the Unicorn battle in order to save her own casting energies, but being somewhat useless simply made her feel worse. Her quest to redeem herself was in vain, however, as Ialia swiftly pulled her back. The armored arm against her shoulder may have saved her life, for at that moment the harp shattered, and the smoke cleared revealing none other than Mordra Sayd.

"Very nice... very nice," she appeared to observe each and every one, but it was difficult to tell. Her face held a dead expression, her eyes blank and staring straight ahead into the distance. Her bony right arm, seemingly separate from the rest of her body, stretched towards Ceasios, who lay on the ground in pain from his destroyed hand. "I am quite impressed." As she spoke, her right hand clenched, and Ceasios was lifted into the air, his one good hand clawing at his throat. "To get this far, it means possessing quite a bit of power." Her hand clenched tighter and tighter, and her victims body began to contort and constrict, his choked screams barely making a sound. Bones began to snap, blood dripped to the floor, and all the while Mordra stared straight ahead.

"But I know all about power."

With a flourish she threw her arm down, and what was left of Ceasios's body fell to the floor in a heap of mangled bones and blood. Isora gagged, burning tears welling up in her eyes from the mere shock. While the group was not particularly close, they had come to know one another in the past few days, and to watch a life end like that... brought back bad memories. "Why do you cry, Dark One?" Mordra asked, seeing right through the young mage. "Why do any of you gasp in such shock?! You invade my home and my land, and you expect less?! Pathetic." Though her expression gave no evidence of her agitation, it was clear through the swirling black mass of her hair and attire that seemed to expand and take over.

As anger seemingly radiated around her, the room dimmed until they were surrounded by nothing but blackness. Suddenly, there was no ceiling, no floor, no walls, just an abyss that lay endless in front of them. "I grow tired of mere mortals grasping at the Kings teat for coins, interrupting MY WORK." A translucent blue force field surrounded her and she levitated higher and higher into the air. Meanwhile, the space in front of them glowed a similar shade, and a loud monstrous shriek pierced the heavy air.

"I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT I DO WITH THOSE WHO CROSS ME!"

With Mordra safely out of reach, the darkness in front of them gave way, and a hideous winged beast (http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll126/AngelicAsylum/Prey_to_Tzeentch_by_tyrantwache.jpg) rose from it, bearing its teeth and focused intently on its prey.

"She has a shield up!" Isora shouted. "We can't get to her like this!" They would have to destroy the creature first.

Kiall
09-06-2011, 10:29 PM
Jason glared at Ialia as the smoke dissipated, they could’ve ended it right there! Now the bastard was going to warn the witch and Ceasios was injured because she couldn’t step up and do what had to be done. A thousand angry words filled his throat but he held them back, he had learned that yelling at them was not the way to get them to see the error of their ways, stupid woman probably didn’t even realize how bad that situation was, none of them knew what Verlous was capable of.

Jason growled at Ceasios’s childish remark, “You’re lucky all you got was a hurt leg old man, if I hadn’t called his bluff Verlous would’ve slit your throat as soon as he was out of range,” he whispered angrily. They moved on for awhile before the priestess asked if she could pray. Jason rolled his eyes, he hadn’t forgotten about her, a sin to kill someone? What exactly did she think they were going to do to the witch? Wag our fingers and tell her she’s been naughty?

They entered a room whereupon Ceasios was excited to see a harp. Jason was confused, who cares about a dumb harp? ooh wait…they were supposed to get that as well right? He had completely forgotten what they were meant to do beyond kill Mordra, he still wasn’t sure why they needed it, who enjoys harp music anyways? it was a boring instrument for boring people. His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Mordra who had severely wounded Ceasios and was now holding him. He rolled his eyes typical, he thought Mordra’d be different but nope, obsessed with theatrics same as any magic user, she just had to show everyone in the room her dick was bigger than everyone else’s. Sure enough he killed the older man, Jason shuddered at the gruesome display but was otherwise nonplussed, well atleast he died as he lived he thought…a dumbass.

Mordra then summoned a nasty looking winged creature which stared at them with hungry eyes. “Let me handle it lad,” Gary chimed in, Jason rolled his eyes, “Oh stop it! I’ve had enough of your Deus Ex Machina attitude, it’s getting old,” Gary sniffed slightly from the insult but was resolute, “Ya dinnae understand lad, I feel it…” A sudden flash of understanding hit Jason causing him to grin, “Go for it then,” he thought.

He felt his left hand clench tightly into a fist and began banging hard on the wall in a rhythmic thump, thump,thump, which slowly got faster as Gary built up energy calling to his gauntlet. “Oooohh Haaaaaaagggg!” Jason cried out probably looking insane banging on the wall like he was, “Remember me? I see you’ve gussied yourself up, though you still look like a big steaming pile of shit!” before the witch could react the side of the room erupted into an inferno as the gauntlet was activated, the creature screeched and took wing to avoid the flames.

Seeing his chance Jason rushed towards the center of the fire and placed his gauntlet back on his hand with a satisfying click. Laughing he activated his gauntlet and wrapped his fire whip around one of the creatures wings. Unfortunatly the creature was a great deal stronger than him and pulled him into the air with him as it screeched from its wings being sizzled. Legs flailing Jason felt himself being pulled along the room through the air hoping for the best he deactivated his whip and dropped though not before sending a fire ball right at the creatures face, it shrieked as it was blinded though otherwise unharmed. Jason fell hard and rolled to the ground and picked himself up as the creature landed in front of him and took blind swipes at him.

Mosaic
09-07-2011, 05:13 AM
Verlous had been looking for a portal on the opposite side of the hall that Ialia had looked along. It took him a while longer as well, but when he did he pushed through it, though the witch had made these portals to be a mixture of passageways and transportation portals. This one happened to be another transportation portal, though this one dropped him from the ceiling of the potions room. He fell onto a table crushing potion apparati beneath him.

He pealed himself off the broken table and stood. "Damn witches, damn magic, damn freaking portals! I feel more like a guinea pig to this witch than a hired blade."

The glass of the flasks was flimsy, didn't penetrate through the back of the leather vest, he was lucky the portal left his back to be the only thing to actually hit the table. He stood and made his way through the room. He didn't know what powers the witch had, and didn't feel like being stabbed in the back by her later. A simple accident would happen, he fell on the shelves and they tipped over. He gave one a push and sent the various rows of potions clattering and smashing to the ground, when he made it to the last row he grabbed a set of potions, three health potions and two clarity potions, a mage's best friend. Followed quickly by tipping them all over, if she did betray him she wouldn't have potions to help her.

He entered into her study and looked about. She was nowhere to be found, and neither were those pests. That sword he had pulled from her discarded refuse was in the center of the room. Symbols and runes lined the blade. She had enchanted it according to their agreement.

He stepped forward and reached for it, "Mordra, where in all Athamar are you?! Those pests are sure to be here." he grabbed the blade and felt the air around him grow cold as the room turned black as night. He found himself behind a large beast that stood at least four feet taller than himself.

"There you are elf! You're pathetic," that voice shrilled. "You can't hold off a ragtag group of vermin, I figured you could use some help if you hope to fulfill your end of the bargain for that sword." every word was like ice to the back of his neck as he heard it from above him.

"I'll fulfill my job witch, be sure of that." he moved forward and placed his foot firmly on Jason's back and held him there. The beast moved to knock Verlous away.

"No my pet, you are to fight at his side. He and I have an agreement." she said hovering over the room.

This ploy was getting old fast. "As I said, I have an agreement to live up to." He looked down at Jason, "You really don't know what you're doing do you." He didn't know what happened, but the fact that he was on the floor in front of it, was enough for Verlous to assume he had done something stupid.

He gave a grin and pulled the blade high and swung it at the hip of the monster, though the blade rang as it hit it's body. Not a scratch, didn't even dig into flesh. "What!" what was that thing made of.

It jumped up and put some distance between the two of them, Verlous let his foot up from Jason's back. "You can try to kill me later fool." He didn't care what the fool thought of him, so long as he didn't try to kill him in the middle of the fight. He wouldn't take any blame for doing something to Jason if he was idiotic enough to not know his priorities.

"EEELF!" the witch screeched.

He dashed forward and swung again, though it lifted its foot up, and the blade grazed across one of the orbs on its lower leg, leaving a scratch across the surface. It swung its wings and lifted off the ground as it let off a roar in the room they were in.

"You DARE ELF! YOU DARE!"

"Nothing personal Mordra, just good business." The monster was good and pissed off now, surely enough to get the group revved up as it swooped down over the lot of them

"Kill them, KILL THEM ALL MY PET! EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!"

Imp
09-07-2011, 07:48 PM
After the horrors the journeyers were welcomed by the witch and her daunting presence (as they stood from shock and watched her crush a foolish harpist), the room immediately became pitch black with only echoes of cackling telling everyone they were still alive. Tal'set, shaken by the sudden change, struck the floor with his guan dao to ensure he wasn't floating in an abyss. He heavily dislike having the inability of being in control of his own body.

Soon after, the hardened Jotun watched Jason attempt to tackle the great hell spawn the witch so delightfully and insidiously gifted them to play with. Stepping away from the group and following the wall next to him, Tal'set raised the head of the guan dao and moved it in a circular motion for all to see and with that he shouted "Circle da beast! Cover all sides!" By doing so, the demon would not be safe in attempting to shield itself as various attacks would strike from it's surroundings.

The massive hardwood shield grazed against the unbalanced stone floor-pattern from the Jotun stepping forward, preparing to deliver a critical blow with his spear into the back of the beast closest to the left wing. Hopefully Jason would keep it's attention long enough for Tal'set to ensure it hits without any hesitation interrupting the moment...

Wattz
09-08-2011, 08:44 PM
After Jason had scorched one of its wings, Ualan ran for the beast without thinking. Fired up from her success against the unicorns and her anger towards Mordra’s display against Ceasios, the half-giant was sure that she could pin the creature down long enough for the others to attack as well. She grabbed its left arm as it brandished it against her, the teeth on it gnashing violently. Ualan had to use most of her energy to keep the thing from biting her flesh, but just as it was inches away from gnawing into her, the beast stomped on the ground. The ensuing shockwave made Ualan stumble away, losing her grip on its arm, and stunning her for the moment.

Thankfully Verlous had attacked it just in time, making the thing give out a terrible screech. It gave her just enough time to recover, before hearing Tal’set:

”Circle da beast! Cover all sides!”

“Yes, yes, I go there! You attack! Trust me!” Ualan yelled as she made her way behind the creature. She grabbed one of its wings, twisting it in her grasp. She used her other hand to try lifting the creature by the waist, but it thrashed defiantly, and she soon found that its skin was too tough to crush. But hopefully someone could get a hit in before Mordra’s pet broke free….

Big mistake. The mouth on its right shoulder extended, wrapping around her waist. She could already feel its teeth begin to gnaw, ever slowly, into her flesh. Ualan tried desperately to pry it away from her skin, but it was already lifting her up into the air. In her desperation, Ualan smashed her fists at the creature, accidentally hitting one of its blue orbs as she was flung violently across the room.

Kiall
09-09-2011, 02:23 AM
The creature shrieked in pain as thick blue liquid spurted from the cracks in the blue orb that Ualan had hit. Jason had to admire how sturdy she was, as he glanced at her prone form, a hit like that would’ve turned anyone of them into a dripping sack of meat. The beast roared and moved toward the giant, Jason activated his gauntlet sending a gout of flame creating a wall of fire between the monster and Ualan, the monster growled and backed away from the flame.

This wasn’t good, it was only a matter of time before the creature got wise of who was making the fire. He looked back at Tal'set, he had the right idea the problem was he was thinking like a warrior, basically hit something until it stops moving, with something like this you had to hit the thing behind the slavering monster, namely Mordra and he hadn’t forgotten that oh so interesting new sword Verlous had. Stopping the fire he rushed towards the dark elf, “Verlous!” he called out causing the drow to turn to face him, Jason then released a gout of flame mere inches from his face, Verlous cried out in pain as the heat and brightness blinded him. Jason laughed and grabbed his sword while he was bent over shoving him back for good measure, “You wanted to be allies! Ask anyone how well I treat those!” the elf was right they shouldn’t focus on killing each other right now but that elf had to be brain damaged if he thought Jason was going to ask for anything from him. He placed the sword in his left hand and started to feel it vibrate hard, the hell? He thought.

“The magic in the sword! It’s Mordra’s! it recognizes the magic that made me!” Gary said, “What the hell is it doing?” Jason asked, “No idea lad...” Jason shrugged whatever more important things to worry about now. Jason activated his fire whip and twirled it around the swords handle, pausing only to look back at a recovering Verlous, “How’s planning things out working for you so far, asshole?” before flinging the sword straight at the witch’s barrier. Things didn’t go as planned though, the blade sank fast into the barrier the point mere inches from the witches face before being held fast, shit he had hoped it would shatter “your sword’s a piece of shit Verlous!”. The witch shrieked loudly, god that woman had some powerful lungs! The monster concerned for its mistress flew to her aid and began trying to pull the sword out.

Oh this wasn’t going well had to think of something fast, it’s wings seemed pretty weak if the scorch marks were any indicator. He looked at Tal'set, “When I say grab me, hold on to my body and pull as hard as you can! Trust me!” he said making his fire whip, Twirling it overhead he swung watching the flaming rope wrap itself around the small section where the wing joined the back, “Grab me grab me grab me grab me!” he cried as the creature screamed and began to pull him forward. He felt the giant warrior wrap his hands around him and pull using him like a fishing rod. The creature screamed as the rope simultaneously cut off circulation and burned its flesh, and began to flap around trying to out strength them. Jason groaned at the strain on his spine as the giant leaned back with all his weight sending the creature toppling to the ground. It growled and struggled to get up from its hard fall, Tal'set placed Jason back on the ground and they stared. The monster roared and tried to flap into the air but couldn’t the wing was now badly damaged and could barely flap and hung loosely off it.

It roared in pain and rage and moved towards them. Well atleast it was ground bound, that was good right? He had helped things, right? “What was your plan again? Move around it?” Jason asked, moving away from the giant, “I’m gonna go over that way now..” he said gesturing towards the side.

CALYPSO
09-09-2011, 03:41 AM
No matter how many times her blade clashed with the beast, it still rattled with a clang. Not even the tiniest scratch was taken. As it threw Ualan, she couldn’t help but grasp in shock, “Damnit! It's strong!” The abyss room was filled with cackling laughter from Mordra, making Ialia enraged. She ignored the commotion between Jason and Verlous and was more focused on the creature in front of her. Once it eyed her, it began stomping ferociously causing the knight’s vision to blur, immobile, and vulnerable.

The stun felt like an eternity, but when she came to her senses, she quickly jumped out the way as it was about to crush her. She observed the creature’s body in frustration; it’s rock hard armor made it impossible for weapons like hers. Just how was she suppose to kill it? Ialia looked over to Jason who seemed to have a better plan than she did. Well, she certainly admired his bravery, but still an idiot nonetheless. Provoking danger onto him as usual. She watched as the wing of the beast burnt, flesh boiling with bones peaking through. Ialia took a step back as the monster stepped towards them.

“So the wing is destroyed, now what!?” She called out.

As she said those words, the creature stopped inching towards them as the orbs glowed a brilliant blue. As Mordra began to laugh, the blue hue surrounded the creature’s wing. Its flesh now covered the bones; soon, its feathers covered the flesh. Both wings were completely healed, but the orbs still held a few cracks from previous attackers. Ialia cursed loudly.

The beast gave its high-pitch screech and spat acid at anyone, causing her to raise her shield again. Running away from it’s horrid spitting, she made her way to the back of him staring at any little crevice she can hold on to. Immediately, she sheathed her sword and shield, leapt high enough to reach its furs. Upon yanking on them and getting a firm hold, she began climbing onto it’s back, hoping she was able to cut off the wing completely before Mordra’s pet soared into the sky.

AngelicAsylum
09-11-2011, 06:03 AM
Time to pull yourself together.

Isora repeated that thought over and over in her mind as the surroundings turned to pitch blackness, and especially after she came face to face with that... thing. This is what happened when one dabbled in the dark arts? This was the future she had to look forward to? Not even human, just an ethereal being more magic than flesh?

Time to pull yourself together.

This was no time for getting lost in thought. Isora took a deep breath and cleared her mind of her disgust and self doubt. Her companions were suffering. She could smell blood and fear. It was time to act.

With a trained hand of someone who had reached for the same pouch time and time again, she pulled out a bit of rabbit fur and a rod of amber. As she rubbed the two together in her left hand, she outstretched her right and shouted "Ast Kiranann Kair Gadurm Soth-arn/Suh Kali Jalaran!"

A brilliant white bolt of lightening shot from the air and hit the monster square on the head. It paused for a moment, shrieking from the sudden pain, when the blue orbs dotted about it's body began to glow once more. The electricity surrounding the beast seemed to get sucked into the orbs, and the monster, clearly not at all phased, simply continued its attack on the others.

"Damn," she silently cursed under her breath. It absorbs magic? What good was she without her magic? For once Isora was at a loss for what to do next. Never in her life had someone been resistant to her spells before.

The wind was knocked out of her. Leaning onto her knees, she breathed deeply for a few moments, mind racing. The battle raged on, the beast taking particular interest in those who fought more hand to hand. She was further back, away from the action, but the monster would notice her before long. That was when she spotted Verlous, on the ground and recovering from one of Jason's attacks.

With much resolve and determination, she stepped towards him and placed her trembling hand on his shoulder. "Prove yourself not traitorous," her words were slow and measured. "I can lift you high enough to destroy its wing." He seemed to observe her with an amused cynicism, but nodded curtly at her request. "Very well," she said, pulling out a leather rope, bent and tied in a cup-like shape. "You'll only have one chance. I can't hold it for long."

Her hand still on her shoulder, she whispered "Gravitus-Denii."

Wattz
09-11-2011, 06:24 AM
Ualan landed in a crumpled heap on the other side of the chamber. She collided with the wall hard enough to make it shake and crack, a few chunks of rubble falling on her head. When the half-giant moved to stand, she felt a sharp pain in her side. The monster’s attack had eaten through a long strip of the clothing on her waist, and the partially chewed flesh beneath bled. Ualan hoisted herself up despite it, and watched as the others continued to attack. Jason was using some strange method with Tal’set, but thankfully it damaged the monster’s wing…

… only to have it heal a few seconds later.

Her heavy sigh was almost louder than the beast itself as she dodged the acid attack clumsily. Who in their right mind thought it was acceptable to have a healing enemy? Shaking off the frustration, Ualan approached once again, though she was far more tentative. Ialia had jumped up on and began hacking away at its wing once again, and Isora had cast some kind of spell, though it didn’t seem very effective.

Part of her wanted to run over and keep Isora out of harm, but she saw out of the corner of her eye that she was addressing Verlous. Feeling as if she were wasting time, Ualan rushed forward once again, though she still maintained some distance. Perhaps she could act as a distraction?

Ualan reached behind her and picked up a table adorned with an assortment of magical items. The knick knacks flew off as she hurled the table for its head. It certainly took notice, turning towards her and beginning its advance. She wasn’t, however, prepared for the ensuing shockwaves, unable to find a proper way to dodge them. Ualan was stunned once again, but did her best to keep her stance, lest the beast not find her a threat. She stumbled out of its way before it could get a hold of her, continuing to let the thing chase her around while attempting to step away from its shockwaves. Soon, it began spitting more acid as well, and the ground became covered in random spots in the sizzling substance.

Mosaic
09-12-2011, 04:13 AM
The witch Mordra placed her hand in front of the blade she had enchanted, moving its angle right at Verlous. "Backstabbing little elf! I should have expected no less from an assassin who's eyes are so easily clouded by gold!" The blade shot out from the shield and right for Verlous and Isora, though its aim was off and it headed straight for Isora.

The elf's eyes widened right as the girl finished her little spell and his arm shot out faster than he had ever felt it as he ripped the blade from its flight, stopping it a foot away from Isora's chest. A strange anger washed over him, one he wasn't familiar with. What did he care for a witchling he'd probably be hired to kill one day?

However this anger wasn't his own, as soon as his feet touched off the floor he slammed them down and started running for the rampaging monster and kicked off, almost rocketing for it as the spell allowed him to defy gravity.

A voice he had never heard rang in his head, echoed, resonated, then burst from his mouth.

"WIIIITCH! YOU'LL DIE BY MY HANDS, AND SO WILL THIS BEAST OF YOURS!" He slammed into the monster's back and wrapped an arm around the boney branch of the wing.

He stopped and looked over at Ialia who was hacking away at the other wing. "Well hello fair Ser Knight." he stated in an unusually uncharacteristic tone that did not befit him. The tone held a sense of pride and dignity, which Verlous had obviously lost both of long before. "Some assistance for one such as yourself is needed I assume." he gave Ialia a wink as the beast bucked but the both of them held fast.

"Fair? Ser?" She stopped what she was doing for a moment, only to raise a brow at the elf. "Verlous, if this is your way of showing you're not traitorous, now's not the time!" Ialia slashed the beast's wing once again with more force. For wings so frail, it was a challenge cutting them through.

Her other companions attacked as well, which was useful as a distraction. Yet as they fought, the monster healed itself with the glowing blue orbs. She looked at Verlous who began cutting the other wing. "Listen Verlous," the elf looked at her, "if we try to cut off the wings together, I think it will have a lesser chance of regenerating its wings!"

He quirked a brow as slashed down and dug the blade into the bone of the wings branch. "Verlous? Surely I know not who you speak of. I am Ser Calendorf the Brave, High Knight and Royal Guard to the great King of Lamordia!" He pulled the blade from the wing as it healed over. "Surely this will be a risk." he yanked on the branch of the wing and was up on the beasts shoulders. He jumped off the shoulders and fell facing the wing as he brought the sword down with all the force a Knight of the Guard could muster and cleaved clean through the wing after the glow had ended.

The beast lurched over in pain as Calendorf, or Verlous or whoever he was, landed a foot on its lower back and pushed off landing on the ground behind him.

"Ser Calendorf?! A Knight of Lamordia?! Verlous, what is--you know what, nevermind." Ask questions later, she thought and continued chopping at the creature's wing. It began to hang loosely as the orbs began to glow brighter. Just as Verlous torn off its wing, Ialia stomped the other with her boot and gave it one last swipe. The sound of agony filled their surroundings as both wings slid off from its body and onto the ground.

Ialia refused to get down from Mordra's pet, however. She climbed higher until she was met with another blue orb. These things heal him, she thought. Feeling the blood rush, she did not hesitate to raise her sword and stab one of them. Continuing the sudden pace, her sword forcefully destroyed the healing mechanism. She looked down at the her party, "Aim for the orbs! It'll slow down his healing magic!" She shouted loudly. Just as she spoke, the creature's right tentacle extended and wrapped itself around her.

Holding onto her tightly, the mouth bit through parts of her armor until it found a weak spot. Ialia struggled as it constricted her body. When she felt the mouth clench on her wounded arm, her body jolted in pain as she screamed.


Calendorf stood and faced Mordra, his attention on her as he had so valiantly removed the beasts limb, he stood with pride wielding the sword that contained him, unbeknownst to his knowledge. "I don't know how it is, or by what witchery, but I live! You hear me Sayd you foul wench! I Ser Calendorf of Lamordia LIVE! You killed me once but somehow I live. I'll be the death of you ye bride of a demon's prat!" he spoke in a prideful, boastful, and very obnoxious tone that anyone who had ears could hear.

Kiall
09-12-2011, 04:53 AM
Jason continued to throw the odd fireball but mostly stayed out of the way, hoping to find something that would give them an edge. The sudden change in Verlous was not lost on him, the hell is up with him? He’s acting like he has real human emotions, “tis the sword lad! Cannae not feel it?”, Jason mentally raised an eyebrow, “this got something to do with the potion right?” Jason asked mentally, “Aye! Lemme explain the best I can,” Gary said clearing his throat, “Everything in this world, has their own vibrations…the goblins in your homeland called It The Music, that potion allows the vibrations within something to gain sentience and become self aware, Since I’m part of your body, I take after your own mind which is why I know everything you do, and some things you wish you did…like how tae please a lass!” the arm chuckled as Jason slapped his left hand causing him more pain, “Anyways, with items it’s a bit trickier, most of their vibrations are a culmination of the ones from living creatures, this Sir Calendorf must’ve left a real impression on that sword! Which is why-“ Any further explanation was cut off when he heard Ialia scream.

One of the creature’s tentacles was wrapped firmly around her squeezing her as its jaws started biting into her arm. Shit! What was he gonna do? What could he do? His mind raced but he couldn’t think of any trick that could work. He sighed a determined look in his eye as he drew out his sword Diplomacy, he’ll have to do this the direct way. He raced forward towards the monster trying to sneak past it’s eyes and stabbed at one of it’s glowing orbs, it sank in though not deep and the monster roared more in annoyance than pain and reached with its jaws to snap at him. Time seemed to slow down as he prepared itself for what he was about to do, he could see its mouth racing for his head as he brought up his glowing gauntlet, with a yell he released a fireball at its face at point blank range. The creature reared back in pain dropping Ialia and sending Jason sprawling.

He groaned lying on the ground, his face felt intensly hot like it was burning, and he wasn’t sure but he was pretty sure his eyebrows were gone. Jason struggled to his feet, trying to drag him and Ialia back towards the safety of the group. The monster roared glaring at them, but he sent several more firbalss trying to keep it back, “Horse! Horse! For the love of the gods man! Get over here and help her before I turn you into glue!” he paused for a second, “come to think of it I might still do that! All we need is the horn right?” he chuckled looking at Ialia, “I’m just bluffing don’t worry,” he said to her.

Imp
09-13-2011, 11:25 PM
Co-post by Wattz & Imp

The battle ensued as each warrior had their turn with the great monster. Each knocked around, unable to fully scar the monster. Nothing was capable of truly crippling it as a the healing factor was rather extraordinary. However, it was not until Ialia and Verlous were able to counter the beast and nullify it's chance of flight by removing the wings completely. The undeniable truth was present now, the beast would soon fall. The truth was visible in Tal'set's eyes. Readying his guan dao, he targeted an untouched orb on the side of the monster and took a moment to prepare himself for the strike. Only few critical points remained and it was time to bring the giant to it's knees.

After another figure was knocked aside and the demon's attention taken elsewhere, Tal'set began his charge, determined to lay the strike. With each heavy step taken, he prepared the guan dao's edge and coordinated the strike in his mind and eyes. Muscles flexing, no strain would take away his aim. No stress would overcome his courage. With the last few steps, Tal'set thrusted the blade forward. A clang was heard and then a crack. The tip of the guan dao broke the protective shell of the orb and continued. Deeper into the flesh, the blade was forced and the monster immediately retaliated with a screech and then swung an arm back to grab onto Tal'set's shield. With a simple flick of the monstrous arm, the Jotun was sent colliding with the wall. What crippling blow he had hoped to complete may have been an arrogant thought.

Its wings were gone, and Ualan was growing impatient. Keeping her distance was neither satisfying nor productive. The half giant’s thoughts were interrupted as Tal’set was flung across the room to collide with the wall. Ualan tilted her head to the side, trying to gauge the potential success of yet another head-on attack. If Tal’set couldn’t do it by himself, surely she wouldn’t be able to either.

She hurried over to the fallen Tal’set. “Up, up, up!” she said as she helped him to his feet. “I go, you smash!” Ualan pointed to the both of them, then towards the beast. The rush of battle left her little time to search for the right words, so she decided instead to lead by example.

“Go, go, go!” Ualan rushed towards the monster, her hands out as if ready to tackle it. She caught some of its acid attack in her cloak, just before it burned her skin. Aiming for a blue orb on its chest, she hopes that she could keep the thing distracted long enough so that Tal’set could jump in with his own strength. Ualan found herself once again in a struggle against the thing’s ferocious arms, resisting its wrath with all her strength. She was unable to reach the orb, and she was all too close to being thrown across the room once again.

Tal'set responded and dropped his spear as the blow from his massive shield would do the trick. There was no time to spare with Ualan in great danger and so picking up momentum, Tal'set pushed himself away from the wall and wildly charged to the beast's side. Putting all of his weight behind the giant piece of wood, he collided against the monster and knocked it down.

The mood changed for everyone in the room as the beast was down, struggling to rise. Ualan refused to allow it to stand and thus began pounding away furiously at the blue orbs, breaking the last of them. Meanwhile the Jotun recovered from his run-in and took his shield with both hands. With haste, he made his return to the conflict.

Still the beast frantically tried to stand, only to find the massive arms of the great half-giant wrapping around the neck. Slowly the grip became fierce; the collar bone of the monster could be heard snapping as Ualan's hands covered the neck and more. The beast tried to struggle out of the position but each time, Ualan kept it down to only grip the neck tighter. Her feet cleverly placed to keep the arms placed separately under each closed leg so no longer would she suffer the lashings or bits..

Tal'set had made his way over and raised his shield high, revealing to the beast of his intentions in using spiked bottom. With great force, the shield stuck into the chest, crushing several ribs. Another pounding of the shield destroyed even more ribs and also gave way to the black heart inside. Tal'set reached into the gore and plucked the large beating heart from it's vessel.

With a good twist, a large crack was heard and the screaming immediately faded soon after. The neck was snapped and Ualan quickly rolled out of the way of the spurting demon blood. As champions they humbly and yet angrily rose to look upon Mordra with pity. "Pet DEAD!" Tal'set held the now still heart high for the witch to see. "Trophy!" The Jotun placed the heart into a burlap sack hanging by his side. Tal'set's expression was not clear thanks to large mask; while Ualan smiled to the group in favor of her accomplishment.

Auki
09-14-2011, 05:00 PM
He watched, still. Whenever the beast would step, his balance would tremble but other that that, he moved not an inch. There was no use drawing attention to himself – He could only watch for the chance to provide support, trusting the attacks of his comrades to do the monster damage. They worked out its weak points… eventually. The chaos of battle felt like a lifetime to an onlooker, to one that yearned to shout advice but knew it unwise to utter a word.

Silent… Invisible…

“Horse! Horse! For the love of the gods man! Get over here and help her before I turn you into glue!”

He was going to murder Jason.

Keeping distance, he galloped to the knight’s aid, relieved to find the beast distracted by the larger humanoids of the party.

“Come to think of it I might still do that! All we need is the horn right?”

“Unless you became a mage whilst I had my head turned, I think not, Unauiate.” He turned to Ialia, “Hold still, Sir. This won’t take a moment.”

He had no desire for his chant of healing to be heard by tainted ears and so, he performed the spell through muttered breaths. Its effects were just the same minus for an added twinge to his stamina. Flesh knitted back together seamlessly, not a scar to be seen. It was a shame he could not do the same for the man’s armour.

“Do you even have a plan, Sir?”

CALYPSO
09-15-2011, 12:08 AM
Her lips quivered when her body registered the agonizing pain from her left arm. She dropped her blade by her side, her shield gone when it fell from her grasp during the attack. She watched as the beast stomped on it as it was fighting with Tal’set and Ualan. She continued taking deep breaths, exhaling the pain while ignoring the blood dripping out of her armor piece. “Th-Thank you,” she struggled.

While the battle was focused on the two giants, Reilios rushed by her side. She didn’t even want to acknowledge that the Unicorn called her sir again. She’ll just have to deal with that later. As he chanted his words, Ialia grunted and bit her lower lip as the flesh stitched back together. The metal pieces of her gauntlet extruded out of her skin and the bleeding came to an end. Relieved, she unbuckled the damaged armor piece and threw it off to the side. “Well, that’s certainly useless.” She gave a nod of thanks to Reilios.

When Tal’set and Ualan managed to hold the monster down, Ialia watched. Plan? Plan?! Of course she had a plan! Destroy the evil witch and retrieve the harp! Only… The harp was shattered. She eyed Reilios, “Not in the slightest,” she finally responded glancing up at Mordra Sayd. The demon was finally dead and now it was time to battle their true opponent.

Ialia reached for her sword and stood on top of the creature. “Did you enjoy watching your pet’s torment, Mordra?!”

AngelicAsylum
09-15-2011, 04:54 AM
As the beast fell to the ground, Mordra could only stare from her safety zone so high up in the blackness. "Charming, Ser Knight! Your pride shines greater than your armor!" she called down to them, her cool demeanor only given away by her clenched fists. "But you should be wary of pride!"

As she spoke, the ground shook with such intensity that several of the companions could not keep their footing. Her shield flickered wildly as she rose her arms high above her head, summoning the next demonic creature to be dealt with. "Pride can destroy without a warning!"

Isora looked up from the ground, holding her hat steady with one hand and using her walking stick to hoist herself back to her feet. Unfortunately, she was failing and kept falling to her knees. "Like it destroyed you, Sayd?" Her voice sounded stupid and meek over the sound of the void splitting in two. Immediately she regretted saying anything at all.

There was no time for her usual anxious self deprecation, however. Mordra could only pointedly stare down at her before a creature (http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll126/AngelicAsylum/Winged_Giant_by_Broken_Orange.jpg) rose from the abyss so unbelievably horrible and great that it soon blocked the witch out entirely. It was hairless, winged and absolutely enraged.

A huge scream burst forth from its fanged mouth so loud that everyone - Mordra included - had to cover their ears. It seemed alarmed and looked around wildly, lifting itself into the air and soaring over them, obviously looking for a way out. It wasn't until it shrieked again in defeat before it laid eyes on the only thing that could have caused this upheaval - the companions, staring in utter shock.

It became clear to Isora, that even Mordra couldn't control the monster she had summoned. And her shield was beginning to fail.

Wattz
09-23-2011, 06:35 AM
Confused didn’t even begin to describe the way Ualan felt about the massive gargoyle towering above them all. Such a gargantuan size was truly only befitting of her ancestors, the Fet’ar. Truth be told, the stories described the size of the Fet’ar as being taller than mountains, their heads peaking through the clouds and into the stars where their duties awaited them. This creature certainly rivaled such tales. Was it possible that Mordra had found and harnessed a True Giant? Ualan’s blood boiled at the very thought.

But no, she would not believe it. Mordra was strong, of course, but she could never take control over a Fet’ar. There were only four in existence, as the stories often told. But they were more than just stories to Ualan. She refused to believe that this demonic creature was an ancestor of her people. She herself believed the Fet’ar to be twice as tall as this puny being.

The shadow of the gargoyle’s foot came down upon Ualan, giving her just enough time to run out of the way. She was so small in comparison to the monster it was almost unreal. Quite frankly, she didn’t even know where to start attacking it. How could they possibly bring it down? At long last, she reluctantly attacked the side of its foot, but obviously to no avail. Ualan wasn’t even sure if it had taken any notice. Alas, she once again had to use her energy to dodge out of the way, this time from the monster’s claw. Narrowly avoiding it, she tried to put as much distance between herself and it.

“No good, no good!”

Imp
09-26-2011, 03:14 AM
"Another crude beast to do the dirty work..." Tal'set sighed at the appearance of the giant. The massive shield would do nihil to affect or defend against the giant. However, the guan dao lay alone some couple yards away which could be useful. Honestly, it was doubtful to tal'set but still it was worth the try to throw the spear. Still, what he himself could do to even harm the creature in a critical spot did not come to mind, all that could be done was to frustrate the beast.

Slowly he stepped towards the direction of his spear while keeping an eye on the giant. In no time did the beast attempt to strike as Tal'set and Ualan as they were drowned under a large shadow. It was obvious to Tal'set that the giant was hoping to stomp them into oblivion. "There will be no such thing..." Tal'set threw his shield away from him as he then dived away to evade the crush. Being so close allowed for much of the shock to hit Tal'set, causing him to be pushed further away, sliding and rolling upon the stone floor.

Looking back, he saw that Ualan also evaded the slow yet fearsome attack. As for the monster they killed earlier, the corpse was now flattened and stuck under the giant's foot. No time to analyze the situation, Tal'set had to keep with the moment and snag his spear. He had never fought such a massive giant. It was bizarre to him even seeing one. Fright would not overtake him but more so ignorance and futility. Still he had to try and find a way to be gone with this monster as that is what he was crafted for. Smaller targets like humans were easy, half-giants, not so easy, but this was seemingly out of his league.

Picking himself up, he scurried like a rat towards the guan dao. Grabbing the weapon on the second try thanks to being morally shaken, he looked back to the giant. It was obvious it was slow and unable to react as fast as something smaller could. Perhaps he or another could attempt to climb it...

Auki
10-06-2011, 07:53 AM
Memories flashed through Jason’s head as he saw the beast rise, memories of a terrible ship, a rebellion, and a lady in white… “Bloody hell that thing is big!” he cried, how the hell were they suppose to fight something like that?...also why they hell didn’t the witch summon him first? Was she an idiot? Speaking of the witch her shield kept flickering on and off, he had an idea that might work but he’d need some way to get there fast enough. “Hey! uhh…” ha ha it had been so long since he had used the unicorns real name he had forgotten it, “Ryan! Relic! Relitoss! You see that big thing!?” he said pointing towards the demon, “How about you be useful for once and let me ride on your back, I got a plan!”

True, the new foe was terrifying in appearance but that did not mean the Unicorn would budge in his morals. “I do hope you’re joking,” he replied dryly, continuing to check he had healed every inch of the knight’s body whilst he had the time to do so.

Jason made an exasperated noise and grabbed the sides of the equine’s head jerking it towards him careful not to poke himself with the horn. “Listen to me you pompous beast of burden! We are all going to die soon! Do you see that thing?!” he cried jerking Reilios ‘s head towards the giant devil, “Do you really think we have a chance against that thing? It’s huge! The only hope we have is if we turn it against the witch! So stop acting like a Jackass and more like a Unicorn and help me!”

Shaking his head roughly to rid himself of the fool’s grip, he would have growled should his species have been able, “Fine. To hell with you, fine! But what about him?” He pointed a hoof towards Ialia, no longer caring if he appeared rude in their primitive view of etiquette and courtesy. It was not a matter of disliking that knight; if anything, it was an attempt at consideration not to leave him by himself. To not do this would be selfish. To do so would go against his morals. The situation was infuriating!

Meanwhile, judging by Ualan's and Tal'set's struggles with the new beast, Ialia knew it was impossible to kill the damn thing. The entire battle made her frustrated; the creature was slow, yet there was no trace of vulnerability on him. As it stomped the ground, the earth shook once again causing her and a few others to fall from the impact. Ialia glanced over Mordra whose shield was still flickering, the mouth on her chest grew wide into a grin exposing it's sharp teeth. Without hesitation, Ialia ran over to Phoebe, who was just as clueless in ways of attacking the new giant.

"I might have a plan!" she shouted when the beast roared in anger.

"We can't kill this thing!" Phoebe responded.

"No, we can't, but we can stop Mordra. With your help." Phoebe looked over to Ialia, "If her shield dies out completely and that mouth on her chest is open, you must shoot an arrow in there!"

"Right. I can certainly give it a shot," she grinned.

"Let's hope it causes her to fall to our reach. Be careful Phoebe, be vigilant." The ranger nodded and scurried farther away from the giant, keeping a close eye on Mordra. Ialia couldn't help but notice Reilios and Jason bickering; that blabbering idiot, she thought. He always had to pick a fight at the wrong time. She sprinted towards them, dodging another stomping attack from the beast, and heard their conversation as she got closer. "Him?" She questioned, "Him who?" For a moment, the unicorn and Jason stared at her blankly. Ialia gave a huff, "Do I really need to show you that I am a woman? I'd question a man's masculinity if he had my voice," she grinned. Reilios blinked but didn’t think it best to point out that pitch meant nothing pertaining towards gender. He had witnessed female dwarfs with voices to match his own in deepness after all. Really, the only definite ‘proof’ would be rather inappropriate for him to try and obtain. Foolish human simplicity… He allowed the knight to continue his… or ‘her’ speech with nothing more than a polite nod in reply. Now wasn’t the time for anything more. "Now, what's the plan here? I just told Phoebe to keep on a look out for Mordra." She glared at Jason, "Are you going to sacrifice yourself to the beast? He seems hungry and you're skillful at distractions!"

“Shouldn’t you be getting caught in some tentacles?” he retorted, “Honestly just because it..” he said gesturing towards Reilios, “couldn’t tell you were a woman doesn’t mean I can’t so don’t get snippy with me! not now, not when we’re all about to die!” He looked at the giant beast as it continued to stomp and thrash about. “That thing isn’t under her control, see how unfocused it is? If I can get close to it we could turn it against her…but to do that I’ll need to be fast, and the only one here fast enough is a four legged prude who can’t understand the simple concept of team work!” he barked. Reilios did his best to refrain from screaming at the fool, talking calmly through gritted teeth, "I said 'Fine'."

Ialia did not wish to argue any longer for the beast was becoming ferocious by the second. She carefully eyed Jason, "Then I will be coming along. Reilios is our healer, we can't put him in that kind of danger." From the way he carried himself, she sensed he was not fond of the idea; she smiled warmly, "It will only be just this once! Promise. I can't speak for Jason though." Steadily, she mounted Reilios and lend out her hand to Jason. "Sidetrack the colossus as much as possible! That shield must diminish!" Oh, just what were they getting into, she wondered.

“I know what to do woman! It was my idea, and why are you so obsessed with me getting eaten by that thing? I never mentioned causing a distraction…ingratitude everywhere!” he said taking her hand and climbing up onto the unicorn. He had no intention of doing this he hated asking the damn horse for help but it was the only idea he had. “Keep moving but get in close to the creature, circle it!”

Silently cursing the knight’s armour for its burden, the Unicorn broke off into a gallop before anyone could ‘kick’ him into doing so. He would not put it past Jason to try steering but thankfully, Reilios had never been trained nor domesticated. Unless the bastard lowered himself to jerking on his mane, it would be easy to resist or ignore his directions. Never again… He told himself a dozen times over as his hooves were pounding down towards the beast. Fear reared in his face, taunting ever urge he had to balk, but the gods knew he had no choice. He laboured – the final fight after a long line of battles – but neither lungs nor muscles gave in. If anything the rush, the slap of the air against his muzzle, the blood surging through his veins – he could hear his pulse beating against his ears – it was that that drove him forth. That and he had no wish to see dear Gale crushed beneath the titan’s step. This stage was a place for the strong and the foolish… not her…

It was not long before the creature loomed above them, Jason throwing fireballs to try to gain the creatures attention. The devil roared and looked down, raising its fist as Reilios galloped ever faster, bringing it down with a crash just behind them. “Turn around and get close!” he yelled. Reilios circled round as sharply as he was able, leaning into the turn and hoping his passengers knew how to stay on. He aimed himself for the creature’s massive fist, straining every tendon in an attempt to reach it before the beast could withdraw. He guessed the fool had some sort of plan – What, he didn’t even want to ask. As Reilios had predicted, Jason leapt off as they passed the fist, clinging to the creatures skin as the devil raised his arm up to eye level to inspect Jason. Before the creature could decide what to do with him, he loosed a fireball straight into the creature’s eyes.

The devil screamed and brought his hands towards his face allowing Jason to climb up to the top of his head unnoticed. “Well hello there hag! You’re looking rather frazzled…are you getting tired or is it just your time of the month?” He yelled, presenting his middle finger to the witch. Mordra screamed and threw out a bolt of green fire. Jason ducked, climbing down the back of the devil’s head, causing the blast to hit it squarely on top of its skull. The creature screamed in rage and glared at Mordra. The devil bared its fangs and raised its fists and began pummelling the shield. Sparks came off as the devil landed blow after blow with its huge fists, raising them high and bringing them down on top of the force field like a hammer. The shield flashed, but wouldn’t break, from his position behind the devil he could see the witch was trying to retaliate with her own spells. The battle between them continued. The witch wavered in mid-air, her concentration broken, as Jason continued to lean against the neck of the giant devil, figuring that was probably the safest place for now. Besides…he had no idea how he was going to get down anyway.

Reilios did not even notice the idiot’s dilemma. After avoiding the agitated feet of the thrashing creature, he had thought to get out of its way – It was no longer after their teammates anyway. Thankfully, Ialia had stayed with him, instead of jumping ship, and for that he was rather glad. Staring up at the match between the titan and the witch was not something he wished to do by himself. He was not built to face monsters alone. They stood still whilst Mordra faced her summon’s wrath, watching as her shield shuddered. In its absence, they might have a chance for victory.

sneakyonfoota
10-07-2011, 01:12 AM
Marilyn pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Her heart could have beat itself out of her chest; its rapid staccato undulations thundered in her ears. The clamour of battle drowned out the strained breathing from her flared nostrils. The dim, ever-changing light of the chamber turned her sweat into glittering trails from her temple to her jawline.

Raising her arm upward, the tremors in her casting hand ceased. In a stiff, deliberate movement her index and middle fingers stretched out to aim. The sight of her pressed fingertips found their target.

Her eyes narrowed as she focused.

Her mouth contorted and flexed; quietly, clearly enunciating the words of power. Her will commanding the ambivalent universe, she forced it to bend to her desire, exchanging her mana for the transmutation--flames from her hand, flames compressed so tightly that they became a terrible beam of destruction.

Her hand quivered and she winced painfully. She blinked back the tears that formed and clouded her vision, she continued to speak the words through gritted teeth. Her legs buckled for a moment, but she caught herself. Her shoulders slumped, but she straightened, seemingly pulled down by an immense invisible weight. Tucking her shillelagh under her left arm, she supported her right tightly in the grip of the left.

Perhaps the size of a pea, and wreathed in a swirling aura of crimson and pitch, was what could be described as a tiny star... Intense, ever-erupting and as hot as all creation; impatient to release itself in a climactic burst of incendiary ruin. The little arcane bead fought against its confines while it hovered in place before its creator's fingertips.

The Disk's once-straight metallic edge began to stagger and fray as it disintegrated, steadily being eaten away for want of its caster's precious mana. The Disk dipped, provoking a terrified gasp from the girl. The bead reacted with a swelling pulse: it had doubled in size.

The arcane novice's face, already drained of colour, turned an ashen palour at her predicament. Her soaked brow knitted itself in determination. Standing straight, she lifted her head once again, fixing her blurred vision upon the Witch. Transferring her incomplete spell to the tip of her shillelagh, she held the walking stick with both hands as if grasping a firearm; its worn, rounded tip nestled into the crook of her arm like a stock.

She continued to speak the words of power, each syllable igniting in her mind as they were uttered, never clearer than this moment.

With a whisper she finished,

"...Scorching Ray!"

The bolt fired; a thin exquisite beam of deepest red no wider than a finger, screaming as it sailed, streaking in an erratic path of odd angles like a single ray in a house of mirrors. It veered away from the pounding limbs of the titanic devil and bended unerringly toward Mordra.

The Disk split and then was no more.

The shillelagh shattered in an explosion of splinters.

The girl fell.

Mosaic
10-08-2011, 08:24 AM
The sword bound knight in possession of Verlous's body looked on in awe as he watched the creature rise, never in all his days past had he seen something so massive. I very well possibly dwarfed some of the dragons of legend! The minute he saw it move its foot high over where the previous slain beast lay, he ran for his life, for it very well depended on it. His only hope was that the others would evade quickly enough.

Though he was far enough away to keep from being hit, the sheer shock sent through the ground knocked him to the floor as he slid against the smooth surface. It was massive, and would take a bit of cunning to bring down. Surely he'd need to get atop it, he had heard of knights being swallowed by massive creatures and killing them from the inside, and cutting out of the corpse. Could that work with this thing? He sheathed the blade to take a moment to gather himself, though as soon as he let the blade go, he lost the connection with Verlous.

~~~~

What in the name of the desert dunes? What had happened? He looked around, wasn't Isora next to him a moment ago? He looked and there was a massive foot on the ground and Tal'set and Ualan scurrying around to avoid it, he followed the foot to an ankle, to a leg, to a hip, to a chest, to a wing, to a mountainous creature he knew only to belong to the desert dunes of home. And...it...was...pissed.

"Oooohhh, shit." They were massive, supposed to be peaceful within the desert. He was surely still confused as to what had happened and transpired, and why he didn't remember anything up to this point, but there would be plenty of time for questions later.

There wasn't a need to kill this thing if Mordra had summoned it, perhaps the spell that bound it might return it to the desert sands? Or it would stay, and continue to be pissed as all hell. He needed a plan, he watched as Ialia, Jason, and Relios rode off to the creature and Jason leaping to climb atop it. That was it, he needed to get up there as well. Mordra was high up, climbing the monster would get him to the vantage point he needed to be at.

He ran, ran with all his might for one of the two large party members, one of them surely could throw him high enough to get atop its back. He ran, keeping as far of a wide berth away from the creatures foot as he could, keeping a moderately high leap when its foot landed to avoid as much of the shock as possible. The Jotun looked like his best bet, it might take too much time to go through the motions and translations for Ualan.

Verlous shouted as he approached the Jotun vaguely recalling his name "You! Tal'sen!" He grabbed hold of the Jotuns lower arm as he kept pace with him, "Get us behind that thing!"

He had pulled his arm from the elf's grip. He just gave him a look like the elf was mad. "Elf is insane. You're like Jason fellow."

"Give me some credit, I do things like this for a living. We need to get close enough so you can throw me to get on it's back. From there you can run like a hound out of hellfire."

The massive warrior looked like he still wasn't all that sure of the idea, however it was the elf's deathwish, he'd only get close enough to throw him up there.

From there they both moved as the creature seemed to get angrier and began to swing its arms around wildly. Verlous watched that flickering light of Mordra's shield fly around and avoid the swings as much as she could.

Verlous unhooked the two magic vials from his belt as he and Tal'set reached the point they'd part. "These vials, give them to any two mages who need them. It should restore some of their ability, we might need their spells later." anything to make killing this bitch easier would be a great help. The large warrior took them and nodded as he looked over towards Isora and the other mage who kept their distance. He put his weapon down and cupped his hands as Verlous put his feet in the massive bulks that were to pass for hands. Tal'set took a few large strides forward and launched Verlous into the air and the elf found himself on the arch of the monsters back as it had itself crouched down and bent over.

He didn't know how long it would stay in this position so he pulled himself up and made his way up the beasts back, though when he was almost at its shoulders he was forced to dig a blade into its skin just to keep a hold on him. What was that idiot doing up there. He pulled out a second blade and started climbing up little by little, keeping the blades horizontal so they wouldn't drag down the flesh. He would probably be no more than pinpricks to the creature, compared to what Jason was doing with the fire.

By the time he reached its shoulder near its neck, Jason was chilling hiding behind it's neck. He stowed the daggers away and just ignored Jason as he grabbed hold of the creatures ear and climbed up atop its head. It was all or nothing hopefully he'd reach the damned witch.

It lurched forward and swung for Mordra again and she dodged, putting herself a little closer to Verlous and front and center to the creatures head, with its forward movement, Verlous drew the enchanted sword, and lost himself again to Calendorf.

~~~~

The knight didn't question where he was, he saw Mordra front and center, he was moving already and that was enough. He took three steps and jumped off the giants head and found himself flying, or rather falling with style, for her shield. "YOU DIE HERE WITCH!" he cried out. A red beam struck against the shield hard but the shield held fast though weakened even more, tongues of the beam splashed off passing the gliding knight/elf. He hit the shield, dug the blade in and the runes glowed a brilliant vermillion as the wavering shield became absorbed into the blade, breaking from the opposite end to the blade.

Surely he would have fallen to his death if Mordra had not grabbed hold of him by his neck.
She squeezed to cut off his breath, and spoke in an aggrivated tone, "Calendorf you said? Knight weren't you? Knights are so prideful, every last one of you filled to the brim with hubris, and it killed you once. Seems you're an annoying little fly. But there is some pleasure in this, I can kill an annoyance twice, and a back stabbing elf at the same time."

He spoke through the choking. "I'll...hear no more...of your words." he lifted the sword up and held it forward as he lunged it for the mouth on her chest, but she threw him before he could hit her with it, he slammed into the monsters shoulder and rolled down its back as it crouched down again, bending its knees. It was akin to rolling down a very leathery hill, though when he hit the floor he did indeed hit it hard, his left shoulder very possibly more than a fracture and the world around him spun for a moment.

He had to gather himself, the group had come together back near the mages it seemed and the creature still rampaged as it got up and rose a foot to bring down on the group as it swung for Morda again. She stayed in the air but she no longer had her shield, just barely managing to avoid the massive hands trying to act as flyswatters.

He pulled himself from the ground, the blade dragging against the stone in his good right arm. "You're right Mordra, Knights have much pride, and it kills some of us. However, it is our pride by which we fight, and our Honor, by which we find the strength to protect!" He swung the blade and the vermillion runes died as the shield was expelled from the blade, strong once again and stretched across the party on the ground like a large wall between them and the descending foot of the monster.

The foot connected once, the shield held, twice, it cracked, thrice the cracks spread along the whole shield, but after that it stopped its assult and focused on Mordra as the shield crumbled around the party.

AngelicAsylum
10-09-2011, 02:20 AM
Isora felt about ready to vomit. The vast, overwhelming size of the creature was almost too much for her to register. She had seen ghastly things, especially after her escape from execution, but this was... horrifying.

For a few moments she stood there stupidly, watching everyone struggle equally against the beast. Over it all stood Mordra Sayd, her sickening smile a harsh contrast to her wild, uncertain eyes. The others battled on, and Isora saw everything with a certain clarity that only absolute terror could bring. It was as if she was frozen in place, hallucinating the entire scenario.

But suddenly, reality was forced upon her as the enchanted sword hit Mordra's shield, and a loud cracking sound was heard throughout the blackness. The witch's scream was piercing and terrible, something Isora would hear in her nightmares years later, which forced her to clasp her hands over her ears. Just as Mordra began to fall to the ground, Scorching Ray hit her squarely in the chest, cutting off the witch's scream with a strangled gasp.

It was then the apprentice fell.

With a strange sense of alarm, Isora raced over to Marilyn and knelt down beside her. "No!" The girls pale skin and shallow breathing was a bad sign. "Please, wake up!" Tal'set bent down to hand her the strange potions, explaining in his own language their purpose. It was doubtful such a mixture could fully revive the apprentice, but feeling responsible for not protecting the younger mage, she popped open the lid and poured it into her mouth. There was a slight improvement to her color, however her body remained still. "We can't let her die!" she shouted angrily.

But the girls heart had stopped.

As Isora frantically tended to Marilyn, the witch laughed hoarsely as the large demon flickered in and out of existence, before finally disappearing. She was far too weak to keep up the transport spell, and the creature was put back in its rightful place, as if it was never there at all.

Jason was the first to approach her as she laid on the ground. For once, he kept silent, obviously aware of the seriousness of the situation. Raising his sword high over his head, he prepared for a killing blow. Just before her neck was severed however, she raised her arm, causing the sword to fly out of his hand and rattle onto the ground useless. Muttering just one last word, Jason was blown into bits.

Pieces of Jason covered the ground and some of the companions, leading to gagging and screaming throughout. Mordra was spent, not even strong enough to lift her head, weakened by the enchanted sword. Phoebe approached, bow at the ready, aiming it to her chest. "I'll get...revenge..." Mordra promised breathlessly. "I'll... never... die..."

CALYPSO
10-10-2011, 06:00 AM
Phoebe was stunned when Jason’s blood splattered on her face and clothes; her voice refused to let out a scream or a mere sound of panic. Her eyes scouted the scene: the colossal vanished, Jason was dead, Marilyn had fallen, and Mordra was vulnerable. Her stance was rigid, yet she raised a shaking hand to touch the blood on her face; staring at her stained hand, she hyperventilated.

“Phoebe!” Ialia shouted, “Now’s your chance!”

Ialia was right, there was no time to mourn their companions. It was time to give Mordra what she deserved. She was on the ground, severely weak, and the moment to destroy her arrived. Phoebe ran, bow clutched and arrow ready. Mordra cackled, her dead cold eyes staring blankly at the ranger made her heart froze with intense fear and anger.

"I'll... never... die..."

“Shut up, bitch,” she spoke firmly with hatred in each word. Her fingers released the string and the arrow flew straight into Mordra’s chest. The arrow, however, did not pass through the other side of her body. The sharp grin disappeared as the mouth closed shut causing Mordra to fall on her knees, her screaming echoing throughout the tower. Amongst her torture, there was laughter when Phoebe fell onto her knees as well. Dropping her bow, she placed her hand on her heart as she gasped for air. The stabbing pain suddenly caused her to shriek in horror as the arrow flew out of her backside. Phoebe fell on her side, hand still clamped onto her bleeding chest while her breathing slowed.

“Phoe…Phoe…” Ialia was unable to say her name through the sound of tormented mirth. She got off Reilios, cautiously speed walking behind Mordra, her sword was already at hand, and a glare was locked on the witch.

Ectoplasm began dripping from the mouth, causing her to raise her head at the ceiling, “No! NO!” She bellowed, “I WILL NEVER DIE!”

Ialia cut her off by stabbing the back of her neck, letting the blade peer through Mordra’s throat. With one sweep, she yanked it out and decapitated her; leaving the body to fall and the head to roll away from it. Black aether rose from the neck, as well as from her eyes and the rest of her body; meanwhile, the mouth hung open and the ectoplasm became more. Ialia dropped her sword and walked over to Phoebe, kneeling beside her and placing her head on her lap.

“Ph-Phoebe,” Ialia looked her over with remorse. “I’m so sorry, I did not know…”

She gave one last smile, “This is not…your fault.” There was a moment of silence as Phoebe stared at the hole on her chest. She gazed at the knight, “Ialia… Thank you, I had…a lot of fun…”

“Phoebe…” The ranger did not respond with an expression or even a word, causing her to punch the floor. “Damnit Phoebe! Don’t give in too!” A few tears slid down her face as she gently closed Phoebe’s eyes. She shook her head slowly, “Phoebe, Jason, Ceasios—none of you deserved this. I am sorry.”

The aether and the ectoplasm rose higher throughout the tower, sparks of light flickered as the tower began to do the same.

Ace of Hearts™
10-12-2011, 04:06 AM
Meanwhile...



"Katho'rua huagata, ouaja vas neao.
Guhara es Dov eh ano vas ryla et
Hanoe jes avanta des neao"


The chant bellowed withing the inner sanctum of the ruin. It echoed off the dank, mold covered walls and collapsed columns. The room was grand, with a stone staircase leading up to where the thin, rotting figure stood.


"Domis de Vanade, vah nagah teoded"
Dea...Deaos ano...Hu...hu..."

His voice weakened as he began loose concentration, and the sphere of energy that was forming between his hands began to dim. The figure wobbled, as his levitation spell began to become inconsistent. He steadied himself on a table in front of him, trying to concentrate the words on his levitation. He managed to concentrate again, but on something entirely new.

"Spirits of Dark and Light, give my mind knowledge and insight." He said, in a deep, gravely voice.

Between his hands formed a ball of blueish energy, which transformed into a window into the battle with the Sorceress Mordra Sayd.

"It appears to me Mordra has gotten herself into a spot of trouble. I do hope she can survive."

At that point, she was beheaded by the Knight.

"Oh my. I do not think she can come back from that."

He surveyed the area more, nothing the two dead bodies of the Ranger and Assassin. He also noticed the...pieces, of another. He pondered the idea of meditating and tapping into the spirit and retrieving theirs, to infuse them into back into their bodies. Or for the splattered one, into a whole new one. Perhaps he would, perhaps he wouldn't. The mind of a Lich is as complex as it is dark. He moved, well, hovered, over to a table.

"For any spirit fraught with strife, come to me and receive new life." He chanted, raising his arm to the sky. A large ball of red, wispy energy whirred around his hand. As he brought it down to the body which lied on the table, the corpse began to tremble and glow. The red ball of lifeforce was absorbed fully, and there it sat, starting to mimic the motion of breathing. It raised it's head, staring directly at the Lich.

"Be calm. You have been given another chance at life, for have use for you. Go. Patrol the ruin." He said, and motion with his hand. The body hopped onto it's partially decayed legs. He would toil with the bodies in the ruin and the souls he stole from the Talking Marshes, making more and more servants to fill the ruin. The Elf Girl's lifeforce was dwindling, and he would need to find another person foolish enough to wander into the Marshes and come here alive.

Perhaps the party that killed Mordra.

Perhaps...

Wattz
10-13-2011, 12:05 AM
Ualan had skinned a beast before. When the men came back from hunting and thumped the bloody masses on the ground, females like Ualan would gut, slice, and yank away the fur and entrails. Her father was among the hunters, as were most of the males of her village. She never took a second thought towards the slaughter. Stronger, older women could join in the hunt, or even defend the village. Even her mother had once thrown stones at intruders, or so Ualan had been told.

Just a moment before, Jason had been alive, loud and rambunctious as ever. But now, Jason was gone, spattered everywhere, even on her own clothes. Eyes wide, mouth clasped tight, and unable to utter a sound. All Ualan could think about was the ritualistic way in which she’d take a kill apart, the crunching bone of the undead unicorns, the snapping neck of Mordra’s beast…

As Phoebe’s arrow shot the witch, she too fell. Mordra’s incessant screeching was silenced by the knight’s blade, but her cries still rang true. The walls whispered secrets and the aether twisted upwards towards the sky, daring to mingle with the sacred stars.

Ualan thundered past the dying Phoebe, avoiding parts of Jason, too confused to look at death. That they had fallen would take far too long to sink in properly. From a slight distance, the half-giant could see Isora still frantically tending to little Marilyn, still passed out on the ground.

“Girl… alright?” One more death. One more possible death. But how close had she actually been to any of these people?

sneakyonfoota
10-18-2011, 05:42 AM
Dryden disliked omens.

Divination was his least favourite school, even below necromancy. Ignorance was bliss, after all. A quiet life in a town that wasn't podunk and wasn't bristling with hurlyburly; with a modest shop that wasn't too popular but with a small, dedicated clientele... that was all that he wanted. He didn't go out of his way to look for trouble, shake bird cages or solve the mysteries of the universe... Nope. I'll just look up at the stars at night and admire how pretty they are. I don't see any constellations or alignments of heavenly bodies that bode ill, no sir.

But how often does a cup fall free from its handle?

It was doing perfectly well, being whole, serving its purpose of being attached to the loop of baked ceramic that the drinker would hold as to not burn his hands. Doing perfectly fine, as it did for the decade or so that it had been in the mage's possession.

He was too lazy to be alarmed. He merely watched the tea spill over the side of the table and onto his lap and floor. The tea was hot, certainly. Thank the Gods that he hadn't pushed his chair in any closer... his knees accepted the tea better than his groin would. Discarding the now useless tea cup handle with an indifferent toss, he prodded the shards of the tea cup with an idle finger. Turning over a large piece of what was once part of the cup's base, he noticed the neat, cursive letters of a familiar name: M. Gale.

With a sigh he rested his chin against his knuckles and toyed with the shard between his fingertips.

Dryden disliked omens very much.

Imp
10-19-2011, 02:18 AM
Just like that, it was over. Whatever essence that was left of the witch, had glimmered into nothing. Her body: a beacon of fading light that was absorbed into the surrounding walls. Darkness still draped the horrid place but any signs of lurking aggressors were unseen. An uplifting feeling of accomplishment and gratitude ensorceled Tal'set. He served his purpose in defeating the witch. The losses were inevitable and the spatter of now dried blood had covered his large mask. He had no concern to be wipe it off but rather keep it as symbolism of what hardship the group had gone through.

The loss of the few was painful for the group, but for him, there was no mourning weight sitting upon his shoulders. They did what they could in sacrifice and so shall be honored. Tal'set couldn't think of anything proper to say at this time. It was true that Jotun's looked to war differently and didn't mourn the dead as others did. Instead, they would be celebrated joyfully as without them, who knows if the mission could even be completed.

Taking up his shield and spear, he made his way back over to the group as he finally thought of something aspiring and kind to say. Clearing his throat, he sighed and spoke deeply. "Without their help, we would not have been able to accomplish this feat. Now, dry your eyes and let's go back."

Auki
10-25-2011, 07:22 PM
[Co-op with the lovely Angelic]

Twitching in the blood of his comrade, the inner solace that often came with death was instead cracked. He had adventured with many groups, more than he could count. Never had everyone made it out alive. Gore splattered was another thing however and not one that boded well for the mentality of any. Perhaps it was lucky that he was so secure in his sanity; no matter how the burning scent of flesh rent at it, his mind held strong. It did what it always did; moved on.

Putting Jason and the others dead out of mind, he observed the remaining to see who required his service. After battle was the time he was usually needed most. Where many seemed capable of standing on two feet, his gaze was drawn to Gale, pale upon the floor. He approached with haste, thudding hooves against the stone, leaving Ialia to travel the journey back afoot.

The girl did not appear to have sustained injury yet the colour had drained from her face. No youthful blush, her skin was almost grey. If he had heard a whisper of a breath right then, he would have thanked the gods, but they did not grant his wish that day. No flow of blood… The most common cause, her heart had ceased to beat.

In that was the problem. Nothing was broken, fractured. Nought was there to stitch together and fuse in place. No, his magic did not stretch to reanimating the flesh. There was no white mage in the world that could do such thing.

No… no white mage… His mind grasped at memories long before, the shadows of conversations once had. There had been something – he remembered it, if only vaguely – but alas, he could not do it alone. Damn the need to request a human’s aid…

Isora was there, just a pace or two away. She did not have the knowledge he needed of her but resources were limited; he could not fuss. He asked her, gentle as he could whilst time pressed against them, “I know of a conjunction spell that may save her from this death should you have the will – albeit, and the skill - to help me.”

"But..." Isora knew that she could not longer practice white magic spells due to the curse placed upon her during her arrest. While she didn't know what exactly would happen to her if she tried, the intense pain she felt attempting to lift a book of healing spells gave her a good idea.

But when she looked down at the young girl, she simply could not let her die. When she was cursed, all her magical ability was stripped from her - but they could not take her gift. Isora struggled through physical pain, humiliation, and shame just to learn the incantations in her spellbook, and relied on the help from others in order to break free from her chains. The years she spent scraping by, running from the law, and learning magic that she found morally reprehensible had only increased her guilt.

She had failed her Master. But she would not fail the child. "I'll do whatever you wish to the best of my ability. Thank you."

He snorted, “Do not look so nervous, girl. I’m not asking of you anything more than what I have already seen you do.” He trotted next to the mage and lay down so that Gale was within his reach. He could feel her chill against his fore fetlocks and he grew all the more nervous, despite how much his mind tried to deny the feeling. By the gods but he had so little an idea of what he was doing! It was only through years of practising a conceited façade that he was able to hide that fact.

“One hand on me, one hand on the child’s body.” He ordered and whilst she acted, he felt the need to ask, “I pray you know the workings of Conjunction Magic, yes?”

"...Oh," that wasn't as terrible as she thought it would be. "Very well." She placed her right hand on Reilios, tempted to stroke his long mane but ultimately resisting. Then, she placed her left hand on Marilyn, freezing cold to the touch and completely still. The two of them were so opposite one another that Isora felt like she was a necessary component to bridge the gap.

Time was running out. Isora was vaguely aware that Mordra had fallen, as well as another one of their party. There was blood splattered on her face and clothing, the stench of it filling her nostrils. They had lost too many - it was up to them to make sure there would not be another.

"Yes. I had studied it frequently when my Master was still alive." It was one of the final things he taught her before that night. "Are you ready?"

“A master that taught you illegal magic – I can’t say I’m impressed but it may have saved a life today.” He rested his horn so it touched the opposite side of Gale’s body to Isora’s hand, wasting no time in his instruction. “I’ll lead. I only need a trickle of your mana – Flow it through me, into my own, and when you feel it leave through my horn, perform the chant for your Lightening spell – Gently! It’s a trick I learnt from the Thunder Mages of Espeos, decades ago now. Whilst your part ‘shocks’ the body back to life, my part heals the damage it causes as it goes.”

He rolled his eyes to look up at her, “Ready?” They only had one shot after all.

She did not comment on Reilios's judgement. The truth of it was that she thought it strange and shocking herself at the time, but followed her Master's orders loyally. He knew best, she figured, and the magic practiced was only the simplest and with the best of intentions. "Remember," he would tell her. "Your purpose in life is to help. Sometimes the rules must be bent in order to save a life."

Years later, evidence of what went on those few nights was held against her, condemning her further to death.

What the Unicorn explained to her, however, was something she had never done before. Being years out of practice with the forbidden art also contributed to her anxiety, but as he so firmly stated, they only had one chance.

Suddenly, she was aware of another problem. Having already cast the lightening spell, she realized that most of it was wiped from memory. Damn. With a swift motion, she pulled out her spellbook with one hand (the hand on Marilyn), and flipped through it until she found the incantation. Then, she pulled out a small, leftover tuft of rabbit fur and an extra stick of amber.

Hopefully it would work. It wasn't the most ideal situation for spell-casting, but her Master DID tell her that there would be times when everything seemed grim and "not by the book", so to speak. Rubbing the two components together, she gently replaced her hand, and took a deep breath. "Let's begin."

She could feel the magic swelling inside of her, radiating through her fingertips, leaving a path to Reilios that she knew they could both feel. It was one of the most beautiful and powerful feelings imaginable. There was nothing like it. Almost at a whisper, Isora chanted: "Ast Kiranann Kair Gadurm Soth-arn/Suh Kali Jalaran."

To Reilios, it was like a warmth seeping through his body, both wildly and with direction. He could feel everything a hundred fold stronger, the whispers of the air like raging storms and each minute shift to the climate freezing and burning at his core. Described to the ignorant mind, it might have sounded painful, but in truth, it was bliss. Such was the price when one led Conjunction Magic – Ecstasy so tantalising that even the stronger of human minds often found themselves addicted to its taste. They were such easy prey for greed and the dangers were so great; it was no wonder that the practice of the magic was banned…That and the requirement of a dark mage to complete the spells.

Adliuteit’s mercy but how the magic whispered to him; the part to be glad of its release was so small in resolve, it may well have not existed. Melding white and black together as quick as an eye’s blink, it surged from his horn into the girl, so thin, delicate, yet coursing with the power of a tempest. He heard Isora’s incantation and with it, muttered his own,

“Aenitiahen iad ilinauna kaenliteit
Heituakna kalihen adniail nauliteit”

The girl convulsed violently as it passed through her, running through her veins, wrapping round her heart. He struggled to control it – The part that came from Isora became more difficult to manage the longer he tried to keep it in his grasp – and after just a few seconds, he sent it towards her hands, ready to be absorbed. The loss was no matter for it merely circled through them both, renewed for his continued attempts to revive the child’s flesh, until exhaustion began to bear down upon them.

Trembling, he looked towards Isora, silently asking her to cut off her magic and seep in its final remnants.

With a gasp, she felt its powerful force leave her, almost knocking her back. As a student of benign magic, she remembered the feelings of pleasure, the temptation to continue forever. On the other side of the spectrum, however, it was nothing short of terrifying. For several moments, she could feel the dark forces become a part of her. It held her there, and in that short span of time all she wanted was more power, at any cost. No wonder she was so forcibly separated from the dark apprentice she had practiced with - it would have destroyed them both.

Needless to say, it was not something she would ever do again. It was far too risky. "...Did it work?"

Mosaic
10-28-2011, 12:27 AM
The shards of the magic barrier that had protected them for that short moment fell around them as shards of a glass dome breaking away from weakened support. However unlike glass the pieces of barrier just dispersed into a fine cloud and seemed to blend into the air around them. For some reason he couldn't move now, something seemed to hold him back. An invisible wire that anchored him to the ground, someone rushed past him and after Mordra who lay on the ground.

A moment to look away and at the archer that some commotion was being made of, an arrow ejecting from her chest as if it came from inside her. The knight was all too aware he was technically dead, and confused as to how he was alive at the moment. Was that how he died, he couldn't remember if Mordra had cast a fatal spell, or if he had buried his blade into that chest.

The flesh of this body suddenly felt wet, hot, sticky. He looked over indifferent not having paid any attention to what happened to the man that went after Mordra, this body's face and arms were peppered in blood, a fine mist still lingered in the air as it descended as a fog upon the ground. How much death really was this wretched witch worth?

Then in moments out of reaction to the final death of that group, the female knight that he had met atop the first monstrosity beheaded her, her body falling limp to the floor, a final pained scowl forever etched on her head. Whatever magic held her body together began to fade, frail limbs and barely decrepit skin began to decompose quickly as if the woman herself had long been dead only held together by her dark magic.

However in her death, he began to feel a release, he may not have had revenge at his hands at the witch, but it was good to know others would be safe from her wickedness and corruption. The symbols of the enchantment on the sword began to fade, though the most basic remained. Calendorf's remaining time was drawing ever closer to the end as each symbol corroded away from the blade.

"And with a sudden calm in an ever raging swell. I take my leave to escort Mordra on her trip to hell." Whatever remained of Calendorf's preservation of being that was held in the blade left with Mordra's death as all her magic began to die with her. Whatever spell held them in this alternate place, began to break away, would this return them to the tower. One could only hope the tower itself was not also held by her magic.

~~~~~~~~~

Verlous began regaining himself, his head was foggy for a moment. Stopping for a moment to look around, two dead bodies, the ranger, and a decomposing one, Mordra's head in Ialia's hand, and a fine paste on the floor and his arms.

What was going on, honestly, the elf had never been more confused in all his life, and he had been included in some very difficult schemes that most people might not follow. He looked about, most seemed to still be alive, though that horned horse and the branded mage were around the other mage. Something about her being dead, or something near death. Honestly what was the point to trying to save a dying person, they obviously weren't strong enough to keep themselves out of fatal danger, why bother.

sneakyonfoota
10-30-2011, 02:16 AM
The girl's body convulsed and spasmed, curling in a way that only primal agony could fashion. The silent howl gave way to a dry, growling moan: it was an ugly, squelching noise, but it was a breath.

Her previously unseeing eyes, covered with squeezing, blood-starved veins, rolled trying to fix themselves upon something familiar.

She gasped and coughed to fill her hungry lungs. Her quivering chest shuddered as it pumped; rushing to work, making up for lost time. As though her body was still in the thrall of the painful shocks that had jolted it back to working order, her body was overcome with a palsy before she quivered to tranquility and a steady, quiet breath.

The girl stared straight and dumb.

CALYPSO
11-16-2011, 03:59 AM
Ialia watched Isora and Reilios perform the conjunction spell with aversion. Her face grew stern with eyes glaring at the two mages. Such an act was deemed evil and dangerous by the King that penalties were to be taken. “Of all the creatures in Athamar, I expected better from a Unicorn,” she spoke scornfully. “His Majesty will be displeased by your—” The slightest cough and the gasping for air made Ialia pause to stare at Marilyn. Her firm facial expression softened into gratitude that even the smallest smile appeared on her lips. She glanced over to Isora and Reilios, “I…” For once she was at a loss for words; the darkest magic saved a life and for that, she felt conflicted. Ialia sighed as she rubbed her temples, “I will not mention this to the King. However, I will have a word with you, Isora, when we arrive at Lorana.”

Thoughts of enforcing punishment upon them were left behind as the black aether faded into a warm welcoming light (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vQUNPZpZk0&feature=related). The radiance that shone cascaded amongst them, enveloping their fallen companions whom slowly disappeared. Faeries and creatures that once roamed Silvershadow were now released from Mordra’s captivity, bestowing such luminosity throughout the tower. “Thank you everyone,” echoed a soft hopeful voice. “You have freed us from Mordra’s dark magic. We cannot return to our previous bodies, but as spirits you have allowed us to begin the healing process of Silvershadow Woods.”

The spirits of Silvershadow gathered around the walls of the tower, which continued to spark rays of light. The intense brightness made Ialia cover her eyes with her hand, unable to see what they were about to do. The tower began to shake rapidly once again, not from summoning a colossal beast, but rather from spirits who were breaking down the walls of the citadel. Debris had fallen but did no harm for it formed into dust before it touched the floor. As the walls shattered, the illusion of the dark tower transformed into what it was once before: a small stronghold that protected the forest.

Ialia felt a cool breeze brush by her causing her to drop her hand and stare in astonishment. The air was no longer foggy and poisonous, but fresh, clear, and spiritual that it was enough to heal their wounds and put undead creatures to rest. Standing on top of the fort, they watched the spirits pass through the woods with ease. Corrupted trees turned green and vibrant with their branches curling back to what they were originally. Paths were reopened. Animals were no longer possessed. A gradient of darkness and foliage soon covered the land.

Amongst the healing process of Silvershadow, strings of music were heard along with the sound of wooden materials reforming into one. Ialia looked away from the forest to face her comrades. Before their very eyes, Chelaia’s harp began to piece itself back together; a serene harmonizing tune softly played as the final wooden frame constructed itself onto the instrument. Ialia gave a small humble laugh, yet she was unable to absorb all that was occurring. With a deep breath, she inhaled the clean air and smiled at their victory.

The only item covered with darkness was Mordra’s cloak, which Ialia picked up carefully and wrapped it around the witch’s head. “Let us return to King Arisu’s grove and speak of the news. Then, we are finally able to go home.” Home… The one place she wanted to be. She wondered what Sir Hesper and the Royal Family were doing at the time. As Ialia lead them out of the tower, Tal’set followed with the harp in one hand; the instrument was just a mere handheld object to the giants, but to a human it was a burden to carry.

The path to Arisu’s grove was a simplistic one as the forest stopped moving. As they walked, the cursed trees spiraled into transformations of their old selves. With the grace of a spirit’s touch, the buds on the branches grew into leaves. They were met with majestic arches that were all too familiar to them.


http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/pureelven/arisusgrove.jpg

Ialia strutted proudly into Arisu’s grove, holding onto Mordra’s head tightly, while Tal’set presented the harp. Like the forest, the curse on Arisu and Chelaia were broken. The girl, bound to the earth no more, stood next to Tik and Tak who were both in human form. The enormous tree that was tainted was now a royal throne; there, Arisu (http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs44/f/2009/063/d/d/ddcacc76de663a94a4cba1f8b7477ace.jpg) stood with a smile on his face, green eyes shining ever so brilliantly as the leaves on his horns grew. As Tal’set placed the harp on a tree stump, Chelaia sprinted towards the instrument and sat on a seat made of thick vines and flowers. Embracing her harp, she smiled, “All of you… Thank you for shattering Mordra’s spell.”

Arisu stepped forward from his throne, while Tik and Tak remained standing on each side. “It will take a new year of trees for Silvershadow Woods to fully heal. The spirits of my kin and your fallen companions will continue to restore my kingdom. You have my eternal gratitude.” He gave a small bow and returned to his throne. “I do not have gold or items that you seek. However, I can tell each of you a prophecy you may wish to know.”

Tik lowered her head to look at him, “Your Majesty, you wish to perform this?”

Arisu nodded, “Of course. Our human friends here have saved us all from damnation.” Rubbing the tree bark of his horns, he stared at the group. “I cannot tell you everything, but I will tell you what I see.”

Wattz
11-16-2011, 07:58 AM
She couldn't understand the ritual passed between Reilios and Isora. It was curious, confusing, and she had initially thought the young girl was long since dead. But at long last Marilyn took a deep, gasping breath, and she was alive. Ualan jumped as the girl sat up, taken aback by the display. Even more alarming was the sudden change in the atmosphere, as the dark magics melted away to recede into light.

Ualan had almost forgotten how heavy the air had been before the weight had been lifted. She felt lighter, as if she could simply float away. She flinched slightly at the sight of the little faery spirits, but the airy atmosphere provided distraction enough. They left the tower, following Ialia with the harp. It was still uneasy, leaving the death at their back and basking in the glory of the light. It would be a while before Ualan could find a moment to forget the flying hunks of flesh.

Just as the group had gone on ahead some, Ualan stepped on something smooth, nearly slipping. It was lying on the ground, an enormous necklace with a dusty, beige disk on the end, a familiar material from Gallagona. Ualan plucked it from the dirt and brushed away the dust, gaping stupidly with wide eyes at the crudely-carved eye on the surface, indicating her own Clan of Lothar.

It belonged to her father.

It announced his status as the current head of the Clan, passed down by bloodline to the next son. The re-found joy in the forest brushed off her skin, bouncing away from her mind. It was replaced with the familiar sight of the necklace, that day when he awkwardly waved it in front of her face to play with, and of her mother in the back shaking her head with disapproval. Ualan was just a young baby then.

He could still be nearby. She welled with excitement, feeling that her journey was already almost over. It was too good to be true, and her spirits flew so high she thought she might be lifted off the ground. Ualan could already feel the warm sands beneath her feet, could already hear the brash approval of the other half giants as the two marched home.

Ualan was about to turn back around without the group to search the tower, but she’d hesitated too long with her musings and they were already back to Arisu’s Grove returning the harp.

The man was far healthier now that the curse had been lifted and the young girl jumped with glee as Tal’set placed down her harp. The word ‘prophecy’ didn’t properly register in Ualan’s mind, but if anyone knew where Kuan could be in the area it was the king of the forest, and she had no time to waste.

The half giant stepped forward and shoved the necklace in front of the king’s face. “Where? Where fal-Kuan?”

Arisu’s silence heightened Ualan’s impatience. He was closing his eyes, humming, making obscure motions with his hands, hungering for truth with his fingertips. A spark visibly passed through Arisu’s mind, and he began to speak, unfolding his words slowly as if they were filtered through his trance.



”Kuan travels across the land
reliving the days of his youth.
Corruptors of sand lead him by the hand
and tear holes in his heels for truth.”


Ualan blinked twice, waiting for a more comprehensive answer. Arisu slowly opened his eyes, his eyes furrowed and his face troubled but confused. She flicked her wrist to wave the necklace in front of his face again. This time, it was Arisu’s turn to blink.

“He is not around here.”

The curt clarification did her no good. Ualan pursed her lips and sighed angrily through her nose, striding back to the end of the group and crossing her arms, the family heirloom still swinging from her hand.

Auki
11-16-2011, 05:05 PM
Reilios’ mind focused on nothing more than the unicorns lost to the witches plight. He held no personal resentment towards her; all humans were vulnerable to the same power-seeking manicness when the opportunity presented itself. Even Unicorns were edging into that trap although thank the gods they had not fallen yet. The knight’s berating had done nothing but sour the occasion. His race’s legacy was not to preserve the righteous but to keep balance – He had managed to console himself with the ideal that the girl’s life saved contributed towards correcting the many lost. The human’s rules were so strict they did not allow for the subjective nature of conflicts and emotions. To be told he was ‘doing wrong’ by an animal like a human struck him like a mouse teaching a lion how to fight. She had no right when she could not see past laws first designed for them by his own race. It was their own idiocy that added taxes and an unrelenting nature to save those that benefited the country financially. Their cowardice was what had made sure all strength was to be controlled by them, black or conjunction magic alike.

He looked up from his thoughts as Ualan brushed past him, taking it as a signal she was done speaking to Arisu. The Unicorn had no personal quest of his own and no knowledge that he could not seek out himself but he figured no harm could come from hearing the words given to him. It played out in the same manner it had done for the half-giant.


‘No eyes can remember beyond its sight.
The greatest minds have been misled.
The god’s mercy lies beyond the light
And hides where the Naesqlinad tread.’

“The Naesqlinad? What part do dwarves play in my life?” He asked but the question was rhetorical; he knew he would receive no further explanation. Thanking Arisu for his generosity, he retreated back for someone else to step forth.

AngelicAsylum
11-16-2011, 09:37 PM
Isora was shocked and nervous by the knight's harsh words, given her own conflicted feelings. She tried to remember her Master's advice - sometimes one must bend the rules to help others. But she always strove to do well and please authority. To have someone of such high regard look down on her made her feel small and weak; far too much so to defend herself.

The dry cough of the young apprentice jarred her thoughts. She knelt down and held out her hand. "You've done well, child. Lets leave this place."


The forest was entirely different from when they first entered. It was practically overflowing with life energy, and the dense fog that covered the ground completely dissipated. It was almost as if they were transported to an entirely new land. Isora couldn't help but look around, dumbfounded at the intense change.

Upon entering Arisu's Grove, she was immediately taken aback by his kind offering to grant them answers. Isora knew what she wanted to ask... but was she worthy? The idea of being shamed out of the forest made her cheeks redden considerably. However, watching Ualan and Reilios made her muster her courage. There would probably never be an opportunity like that again.

Tentatively stepping forward, Isora knelt down on one knee. "You know what I truly am and who I am seeking. Please... help me."

The Fairy King smiled before succumbing to his visions.



Consumed by the quest for power.
A sly traveler of the night.
Fear not the darkest hour.
But when passion takes its flight.


"I..." she rose to her feet steadily. "Thank you. I shall take it to heart." Isora bowed and stepped back. If only she knew what it all meant.

Mosaic
11-17-2011, 03:57 AM
Verlous' interest, what little there was for him to give, was lost the minute the young girl shot back into the realm of the living. He sat while the party gathered themselves, cleaning his blades, and examining the one he had received from Mordra. Many of the markings were gone, though some were still there. He only knew enough about magic to be able to fight against it, enchantments were another thing though. His best guess was the witch did something that would make it almost useless if she died. He'd hold onto it and see if there was any use to be made of it, if not it was always capable of being sold.

He followed when others began to leave, keeping to the back as they made their way to the grotto of Arisu, only paying enough attention to see if this was going to benefit him in any way. Prophecies, ugh like he needed one of those. He worked as a hired blade for a living, he chose his jobs, he didn't need to be told who he would be sent for or if he'd be successful, he was always successful or he didn't take the job.

He had no interest in anything, there was no physical or monetary gain from this, so he began to move away to leave the other side of the Grotto when Arisu addressed him after giving Isora's reading.

"And what of you elf of the sands? Do you not wish to know your fates?" Arisu looked at him with a mild curiosity as images and scenes flashed within his mind, a mild headache began to sting at his forehead and he sat back into his throne for just a moment.

"Prophecies? I have no need for that, I make my path, and I know their outcomes."

"You speak as if you believe you are not bound by fate." Arisu laughed pushing himself away, trying to disconnect himself from the threads that held fast to Verlous.

"Fate is a fools belief to give himself a feeling of worth. I make my own value."

"It matters not, there are too many paths for you to walk, many choices that you may make. I couldn't tell you where your path from here begins or where it ends."

Verlous began to walk away again, a finger teetering on the pommel of his new blade, having nothing better to hold onto. He felt the dirt holding fast to his feet as he began leaving the grassy grotto, thinking to himself. Since when did he ever begin walking a set path in life.

He pushed it away from his mind as he began to leave the grotto further into the forest. He needed to retrieve this original payment from Mordra for spying on the group in the beginning. They had seen the forest healing, but the extent of its healing was limited, compared to what they traveled and the forests sheer size, much of it was still corrupted, as he found when he left the extent of what had healed, crossing over to land still tainted, and very well may be tainted for time to come.

sneakyonfoota
11-18-2011, 01:15 AM
Despite the life returned to her, ruddy-faced Marilyn Gale still retained a lingering palour of death beneath her leaf-shaped hat and spectacles. When the dark elf concluded his tête-à-tête with King Arisu, the girl lurched forward with both hands upon the knob of her walking stick for support.

She bowed with spread arms, nearly losing her balance in the attempt, but caught herself instantly and in way that one may find both comical and painful to watch.

"Please... Your Highness..." rasped Gale in a hoarse voice. She swallowed to allow the words to exit more smoothly. "I have an important choice to make. Could--my apologies--would you please tell me when?"

The Fairy King gave the girl a brief, polite smile and a dignified nod. And then the visions overtook him.


Little human girl, doomed to die,
the Question's time comes undelayed.
High-stake games of sorcery are nigh;
the fated choice will be made.

The girl grimaced with her lips together and nodded, looking down upon the forest floor. Catching herself she attempted a grateful smile, though her wet, red eyes betrayed her true feelings. She bowed at the waist and then curtseyed, as though overcompensating for forgotten manners and then stepped back toward the group, hugging her shillelagh close. The tightness of her embrace, however, did not cease the tremble in her shoulders.

Imp
11-22-2011, 02:55 AM
Another mission was completed. The once gloom-filled forest was now a place of great beauty. The leaves were bright green in catching the sunlight and stripped of their dark former selves. Birds and other wildlife had made their way into the woods, helping to fill it with life. The harp was back in the hands of the owner and now the group stood in front of the prophesier name Arisu. One by one each approached to learn about some trivial rhyme. It was a vestigial form of something that could have actually benefited them. Tal'set kept away from it, leaning against a tree behind the group. He'd rather not hear any possible nonsense and besides, he liked surprises...

Seemed the only one with any sense was Verlous out of the group. It wasn't that the Jotun doubted Arisu's powers but rather that telling someone of the divine seemed far fetched to him. Even the wizards that Tal'set knew couldn't do such things and even they have occasionally laughed at the idea. There was no point to doing much really at this time other than enjoying the time under the shady tree with arms crossed, just passing the time until they carried onward...

CALYPSO
11-30-2011, 10:11 PM
Calmly, she listened to their prophecies that were all too confusing to her. Well, all except for Ualan’s; she understood that perfectly. Observing each of her companions, their true goal was mysterious to Ialia. All this time in Silvershadow and she never knew what their purpose was in joining the quest—other than for gold and valuable items. She hoped they stayed with her when they arrive Lorana for the duty of helping them already crossed her mind.

“Ialia.”

Slowly, she passed through her comrades and stopped just before Arisu. She gave a small bow, “Your Highness, please enlighten me, what do you foresee in my future?”

Arisu eyes stared at her for just a moment before closing them. All the visions that flashed by made his eyebrows touch and his forehead wrinkle. His hands were tightly clutched onto the arms of his throne as his body twitched. There are no reasons for him to look so worrisome, Ialia thought. All she wanted was fame and possibly a promotion.

When he opened his eyes in haste, he did not speak. Almost frightened by what he saw, he rubbed his eyes, daring not to look at the knight. He sat in silence, gazing upon the grass in a deep contemplation.

She shifted her feet, waiting patiently for her fate. “…Well?”

Arisu broke away from him thoughts and focused on Ialia. His face was stern, but his voice showed concern as he began to speak:



To bare one's steel against a king,
Is often deemed an awful thing.
But for one hero, a thing of pride
When she prevents the crimson tide.

Ialia quickly looked away from the fairy king, her head shaking in disbelief. She gave a small laugh in shock, “This is a joke, right?” When there was no response from Arisu, she glared at him, “You mean to tell me that I will draw my sword against my King?”

“Yes.”

She paced about in anger, “It is my duty to protect the Loranian family and you SEE me attacking King Loranos!? Years of training, swearing an oath, and this is what you tell me!?”

“That is enough human!” Scolded Tak.

She remained in silence until her rage subsided. “That day will never come.” Motioning for the others to leave the grotto, she too turned away to leave.

“Ialia,” she stopped and faced Arisu, “be wary.”

Her face softened and she nodded, “Thank you.” She left his domain, ignoring the stares from her friends.

Arisu sighed as he sat back comfortably in his throne. “I need rest. These prophecies were all too strong today. Chelaia, if you don’t mind—”

Chelaia smiled, “Of course not, Arisu.” Her fingers flicked the strings of her harp in one motion and began to play a tranquil tune (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVuETSoliTM). Arisu watched her performance in admiration and hummed the song until his eyes grew heavy with sleep.

--

From the events that just occurred, Ialia was unsure of the paths they needed to take to leave the forest. Following one road led them deeper into Silvershadow; however, she did not want to tell them they were lost. When she spotted the small cabin on top of a hill, she raised a brow. “I do not recognize this area,” she muttered to herself.

The cabin was fairly small, made for only one person. Some traps surrounded the area, which made Ialia cautious as to who lived there.

Lady of Silk
12-02-2011, 01:13 AM
Arya was aware of the encroaching group far before they were in view of the cabin. Her shadowcat, Selina, alerted her to the rare occasion. She was usually left alone in her neck of the woods, and preferred to keep it that way. Although game and predators were the primary reason for the abundance of traps encircling her hovel, keeping men away was a favorable outcome, as well.

Arya learned all too young that people were not to be trusted. She had a large garden. Vegetables, devilweed, and mystic mushrooms were among the many things she tended within her large garden. Surrounding her formidable plot of land with lethal wards was the only option. Some of the traps were plainly obvious to stop people from trying to approach. Others were far more hidden.

She had even added more tripwires recently after the strangest of dreams. A disembodied voice spoke to her out of a blue lit fog. It sang to her in a melodic timbre:

Although you sit content aloof
Soon you'll find a daunting truth.
You must stray your stagnant course
and ride among a changing force.

The steadfast sniper was no stranger to prophetic visions but she never had one herself. And she certainly wasn't going to start now. Whoever was out there had best leave.

Arya wasn't too particularly antisocial. She wasn't inherently bad with people. She was outspoken, loud-mouthed and brazen when she needed to be, and had no problems diplomatically handling a situation. But after a good time dealing with the cutthroat city-folk, she had gotten comfortable with her cloistered lifestyle; as a result, she generally preferred the company of the ink-black cat that now stalked in the shadows. Selina wouldn't attack unless Arya whistled a simple bird call.

The wary ranger perched in the tree she had climbed up when Selina made her aware of the incursion. She noticed that one of the travelers was a knight, and they were not just passerbys. They definitely seemed to be headed right to her home. She saw two abnormally large figures, what appeared to be a couple of magic users, and what seemed to be a horse. They were headed straight towards a tripwire. They didn't seem to be aware of it. The group seemed to only be avoiding the obvious traps, which was usually enough to keep people away.

When triggered a swinging log wrapped in brambles would hurtle toward the group.

***

Ialia ducked to the ground as the log swept over her, crashing into another tree causing a loud rattle. As soon as she felt comfortable that the trap was over, she stood up but too weary to draw her blade. "Hold your ground," she ordered her group. The worse situation that could happen right now was one of them triggering another trap and loosing a fourth companion.

She remained vigilant as she studied their surroundings. The trees were now covered with leaves that it was impossible to spot the hunter. It was clear that whoever lived here did not want any visitors. A few steps forward and Ialia was immediately off the ground, gasping and swinging about as one of the nettings caught her feet. The netting was made of thick vines and wrapped in shrubbery that it blended too well with the ground. Hanging upside down, her sword slid out of its sheath and Mordra’s head slipped out of her hand. “Bloody hell, I am too tired for this.”

***

The group would hear a bird call, and suddenly a hundred pound cat sprung out of the shadows and stood sentinel before the hanging knight, bearing her long deadly fangs at the intruders. In the same instant, Arya dropped from the trees and landed beside the ensnared paladin, stirring up a cloud of leaves.

The lone ranger pointed her knocked bow at the trapped crusader. The arrow was fully strung, and she certainly had the strength to keep it so. Even if she fell unconscious suddenly, she probably wouldn't miss when she let go on reflex. Arya spoke in a deadly determined tone. It was such a gentle declaration that they almost had to strain to hear her.

“One false move, and you'll be short a companion. If any of you mages try some mystic trick, I'll let go on reflex. If you manage to incapacitate me without consequence, my kitty here will gore her. Now, tell me. Why are you here? What have you come to steal? Leave! At once.”

***
"As if we haven't lost enough!" She rolled her eyes at the threats, gave an exasperated sigh, and waited impatiently until the ranger was done. "Listen ranger, we were just leaving this forest until your little snares were triggered." Ialia crossed her arms, not showing any fear that an arrow was pointed to her and the cat was growling. "Actually, I believe you should be grateful! We saved your precious home by defeating the great Mordra Sayd." She grinned, "Don't believe me? See for yourself." She nodded her head over to the cloak wrapped head that laid by her.

***
The suspicious sniper narrowed her eyes. "You didn't have to approach my home to exit." Maybe they were lost and just wanted help. Arya's eyes widened. "She's dead? You lie.." But the knight motioned over to the head that had tumbled free when she was strung up, and the proof was there for all to see.

Arya had been growing more and more aware of the changes in the forest. Dark, necrotic, morbid changes. Her traps had more and more often began to snare things she had never seen before and she had always been aware of the witches legacy. She didn't stray too close to her domain as a result. She lowered her bow, pulled out a dagger, and cut the snare. With a crash of metal the knight was free. "The only people who come here are thieves and marauders. Honest travelers are more than rare." She still didn't trust them. She still wanted them to leave, but she didn't mind helping them do so. "If you're lost I can guide you out..."

***
Ialia dusted herself, placed her sword away, and adjusted a few armor pieces. "The roads are different now that the forest is changing back to it's old ways," she responded.* Though Arisu stated it will take a year or so for the forest to fully heal, the transformations were drastic. "If you lead us out, it will be appreciated."

***
“Okay. But then we part ways.” Arya turned. “Follow me in single file lest you want more traps.”

(Co post with Luthien)

CALYPSO
01-23-2012, 07:31 AM
With help from the ranger, they were not led astray and soon found themselves out of Silvershadow Woods. It was then that Ialia realized having her in the group could be beneficial; the trap and poison making, and her deadly cat were proved useful. It took much convincing for Arya, but the talk of adventure, rewards, and coin (as thanks), made her agree by sunset. She followed them until they made a campfire and introduced herself among the group.

Their journey to Lorana was swift; they were weary with grief and battle that all wanted nothing but drink, food, and a bed to lie on. Not afar was the castle in its entire splendor, with its white walls encasing the city. Ialia smiled upon their arrival as the gates to kingdom began to unlock. As the doors opened, they were met with city guards and civilians, whom all greeted them with delight. Talk of the great witch destroyed was whispered amongst the people as Ialia continued to reach the castle. She did not know what to expect from the king other than gold and a few goods.

And there was no knowing what other adventures laid ahead of them.

Chapter 2: An Unexpected Visitor

The man she knew all her life, stood before the doors of the throne. With his full heavy armor and his two-handed claymore hung just on his back, he appeared unapproachable. Yet for Ialia, she was more perplexed as to why he was guarding the chamber. As her group followed, she stopped carefully in front of the great knight and gave a small bow. There was no response to him, except silence.

Ialia stared up at him for he towered over her and cleared her throat, “Sir Hesper Leret—”

“You are late, child,” he cut off, his voice muffled from his helm.

“…Yes, well, there were many dangers ahead of us and—“

“You are late for the meeting with both Kings.”

“King Irwin has arrived?”

“King Shahjahan of Gallagon, my child.”

Ialia turned to Ualan for a moment before facing Hesper again, “The desert has a King?” She snickered, “I thought it was nothing but half giants and sandworms.” She recalled no history of Gallagona having neither a royal family nor people ever living there. Unless what explorers in the tavern said was true: that Gallagona was a vast land divided. “Hm, and what does a desert king want with us?”

Before he spoke again, he unlatched his helm and pulled it off. Gray and golden brown locks were tied back into a low ponytail, and wrinkles and a few scars were shown on his face. “He seeks an alliance to benefit his kingdom, Ialia.”

Verlous pushed his way through the little gathering of those who survived and returned to seek audience with King Loranos. Even moving Ialia aside without much word, only a hand to her shoulder to move her out of his way. The elf stood before the tower of a man, only a few inches shorter than the Grand Knight Commander. "And what possible advantage could a King of a desert country find in an alliance with a land so far from his own? The sands of Gallagona alone are half a week’s travel under unrelenting sun. Why so far?" This was an odd bit of news for few inhabitants of Gallagona left its sands. The politics there must have weaken for its own king to leave in seek of allegiances, he thought.

"Ah, a Dark Elf. Your kind are from the desert, yes?" Hesper assumed as a look of disapproval showed; one Ialia had seen too many times, with his lips turned down and his eyes narrowed. It was clear he was not thrilled that a simple blade for hire began to speak to him in forms of disrespect.

"Yes, we travel the dunes,” Verlous responded. “You, however, have failed to answer my question. Why has Gallagon's King sought ties of 'friendship' from a kingdom so far outside his own lands?" The elf was either oblivious to Hesper's body language or blatantly disregarded it. The latter was more possible given his disposition.

"I do not know his reasons,” Hesper retorted. “The one who does at this point is His Majesty, King Loranos. I would have been more informed by now if my pupil," he casted a glare at Ialia, "had been more punctual in her arrival. For now, his reasons will only be revealed through time or by either of the Majesty’s themselves."

“Sir Hesper, forgive me, I was unaware of this significant meeting. Had I known before our departure, I would have hastened our quest.”

There was just a nod of his head, “Your victory makes up for this subject.” He raised his helm and placed it on with a fastened click. “Though, this does not mean I can let you through. You all must wait until the meeting is ceased. Now be gone.” Hesper spoke no more, only watched Ialia and her partly leave the entrance to the throne.


It was then that time felt like an eternity for them; some sat on the stairs of the castle, while others leaned against the walls, or walked about. It was Ialia who paced about, ignoring the three long hours that were wasted. Yet it was those three final hours that were the end of the meeting with Loranos and Shahjahan. The two walked towards the end of throne doors as Hesper opened them. He bowed to both and led Loranos as an escort. Where Loranos' guards were armored in metal and broadswords, Shahjahan's men were dressed in light tunics with cloths covering their heads and mouths. Light chainmail hung underneath their attire and exotic curved blades were sheathed.

One man in particular, that caught Ialia’s eye, was the desert king’s personal elite guard. He stayed to the very front, next to Hesper, who stood just the same height as him. He was broad, tanned, and bald; filled with tattoos and piercings that were striking and unordinary to the knight. He wore only a light pair of pants and a leather-padded vest lined with his weapons: two swords different from the others of Shahjahan's men. He looked threatening, but vulnerable with the lack of armor to protect him.

“Make way for the Kings!” Hesper shouted as his knights formed a line for them. Ialia’s group stood behind her in line as she waited for the Kings to pass.

Shahjahan walked ahead and stared at the city for sometime. His long black hair was well kept and brushed back, his facial features were slim and angular with defined cheekbones. And shown high as many of those from the desert regions, a narrow goatee dropped from his chin, which he stroked as he drew his time with Loranos to an end. Soon he turned and extended his hand from his warm red traveling cloak and placed it on Loranos’ shoulder. Ialia only noted the grand golden chains and gems that were draped around his neck, and the broad shoulders the cloak rested upon. "This day is the day of reassurance for my people," his voice deep and resounding, with the tone of masculinity and authority that one might expect from a leader of Gallagona. "This had been encouraging for myself as well, Your Majesty," he spoke respectfully. "I had almost given up hope of finding any arm of aid and friendship for my lands and people."

When Shahjahan observed his army, he caught eye of the half-giant Ualan and the dark elf Verlous, “Ahh, it seems I am not the only one from the untamed lands that has made a pilgrimage so far home," he said drawing note to the two who stood out quite significantly from the regions denizens.

Ialia bowed slightly to him, “They were with me Your Majesty, for a long journey. We have returned from a great battle. The two have fought cleverly,” she concurred, even though she did not agree with Verlous’ backstabbing.

He smiled as he turned to Loranos, “I truly see hope for my country and yours, Your Majesty.”

Loranos took Shahjahan's hand, both making a firm and solid grip to one another as they shook hands. "My kingdom has the resources to spare, and your offer is one that is hard to refuse. What you need, will be made readily available—materials, masons, we will send what we can offer. In the meantime, if you will be staying in my city I shall make any accommodations necessary for you and your people; food, entertainment, and beds!" Their handshake came to an end, " We see many travelers from all corners of Athamar here. Though it is surprising to see so many from the same lands all at once!" The king exclaimed.

"Thank you, my friend." Shahjahan responded gratefully with a small bow of his head, "You are a gracious host. We shall remain the night but be no more the burden on the morrow." His gaze turned to Ialia and her companions, "It seems, however, you may have other business to attend to, so I shall keep you no longer. I eagerly await your audience tomorrow, King Loranos. Farewell." Shahjahan departed down the steps, his one elite guard in front of him, and the other four in tow.

Loranos looked at Ialia, “Meet me in the throne. There we shall discuss your journey.” He left with one of the knights.

Ialia tightened her grip to Mordra’s head and began to follow, with Hesper walking by her. “I did not want to be rude earlier…”

“What do you mean, Sir Hesper?” She asked curiously.

He raised his hand to his helm and coughed lightly, “You smell like the old witch’s ass fresh out of the tainted forest. I’m sure you gave King Shahjahan a positive impression.” Ialia scowled, but did not say a word to him. “And where is your shield?”

“It was destroyed in battle.”

He shook his head in disappointment, “You need to request a new armor set after this is through.”

“Yes, Sir Hesper.”

“It has weakened and you cannot go on duties like this.”

“You are right, Sir Hesper.”

Once again, he opened the doors to the throne, “Once the meeting is over and you have rested, please come see me.”

“Yes, Sir Hesper.” He closed the doors on them as they walked inside and Ialia sighed in relief, “That old man…” she muttered.

Many Meetings

They all stood before the King and Queen of Lorana; Ialia kneeled on one knee and placed the head on the floor before her. Slowly, she unwrapped the cloth and presented the decayed head of Mordra Sayd. Queen Edalene gagged and choked, quickly departing herself from their chamber. King Loranos gave a little smirk of amusement when she left. “Eleven were here, yet now there are eight with two new companions.” He stared at Arya and Xesyl for a moment. “Tell me, where are the other three?”

Ialia lowered her head, “They have fallen, Your Majesty,” she said softly.

“I see. That is a shame, but know that they died courageously.”

Ialia nodded in agreement, ‘some of them did,’ she thought. “It was a grave confrontation, Your Majesty, but Silvershadow Woods can rest and heal now.” Much was said between Ialia and the king; she spoke about the corruption, the companions they encountered, and King Arisu regaining his power. She did not, however, speak of the prophecies that were made for each of them. After hearing enough, Loranos rewarded them each with gold coin and an amulet of recognition. The amulet (http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.46215338.jpg) was small, made with a marbled white stone surrounded by silver wiring.

“Thank you for partaking in this quest.” As he sat back on his throne, he glanced at Ialia, “Ialia, you are free from your duties today. You may take your friends to your estate so that they all may rest well. Celebrations and free drink shall be held at The Stumbling Bard tonight!”

“We are humbly grateful, Your Majesty!” Ialia rose to her feet and led them out of the throne room. Her estate, she thought! She could not remember the last time she slept in her own home that she honestly believed the barracks was her home. She could not even remember the last time she was off duty; it was quite refreshing that she did not have to watch the princesses or the castle gates for the day. Before she passed through their courtyard, Xesyl and Luna said their farewells and parted ways from the group. Ialia continued through another castle gate and onto the main route that was rich with foliage. It was the only trail that directed them to the knight’s manors, but it was one that was scenic and peaceful.

“Ialia!” She quickly turned to see Bastian sprinting towards her; whom she smiled and waved at. He came to a slow stop as he walked by her, “Well, well, it’s about time you arrived.” He grinned, “I bet your task would have been quicker if I was with you.” Ialia’s acquaintance, Bastian, was just a few inches shorter than herself. He bore the armor of the Loranian Knights, suggesting he had just come off his own assignment.

She rolled her eyes, “Hello to you too, Bastian. I do not believe your presence would have made a difference.”

He scoffed, “The bean sprout thinks she’s better than me?”

“No, I am better than you and I am no longer a bean sprout!”

“Well, you were at one point,” he said, never specifying whether he was referring to her height or her ability. They both laughed all the same. “I’m glad you are well Ialia,” Bastian said kindly. “But I’m going with you on the next mission whether you like it or not. After all, you left before I returned from my escort, so I’ve had to entertain myself for the past two weeks”

“Of course, of course,” she replied nonchalantly.

They walked in silence as Bastian glanced over at the group; his hazel eyes scouted over each person until he looked at Ialia again, “This is one hell of a strange party you have here. Giants, mages, and a unicorn?” He leaned into whisper lowly to Ialia, “I thought those stayed in the forests…why is it, I mean,” he doubled back to be sure, “why is he here, in a city of all places?”

Ialia shrugged, “I do not know,” she whispered in returned, “Perhaps it’s a story he’s willing to share one day.” After a few more winding paths, they came across a majestic manor with vines adorning it’s walls. As they came closer to the entrance, the servants stepped outside for a proper welcome.

Bastian gawked for a moment, “Now with your hesitation to show me I started to think you lived in a run down estate...but this is very much the opposite."

Ialia did not respond, but greeted her servants instead. She introduced everyone to each other and led everyone inside the grand entrance. With a simple walk down the hall, they were in main room, which was surrounded by bookshelves and a fireplace. Yet what was more distinguishing was not the amount of books Ialia had, but the large family portrait that hung above the mantel.

Isora stepped forward to gaze upon the couple holding a baby. Both shared similar features like the dark hair; but it was the mother who was so distinct with the elaborate braids, her stature, while holding her daughter. “…Are these your parents?” she asked curiously.

Ialia peered up and smiled when she looked into the eyes of her parents, “Yes, that’s them and this was their estate.” She paused before she continued, “Months after our majesty was crowned King of Lorana, we were invaded by an old opposing nation. Many viewed him as weak for he was young; but it was his strategy, his men, and my parents that brought Lorana to prosperity. They may have died in battle, but I am proud to be an Avalden.”

She stepped away from the portrait, “My parents were lovers of all creatures and races, which is why they requested such a huge estate. With the inheritance I gained, I expanded the land and manor. Ah, but enough about me,” she concluded and motioned for her servants to step forward, “My servants will accompany you to your rooms and,“ she looked at Ualan, Tal’set, and Reilios, “find ones that are more suitable for such.”

“So wash up, get some sleep if you can, and, uh, try not to get lost.” When they left, Ialia grinned at Bastian, “Stumbling Bard tonight? There’s free drink.”

Bastian quirked a high brow when he heard mention of free drink. His fist shot up in the air in excitement. "You know I'm there Ialia! I just need to get out of this and into something more comfortable." Once everyone was out of earshot he quipped at Ialia, "So long as you promise not to try and seduce a drunken friend into your bed again."

She blushed, but remained calm, “I was just as drunk! How do you know it wasn’t you seducing me, Bastian?” When he did not respond, she laughed, “Goodbye Bastian, I will see you tonight.” Ialia followed her servant to her room, while Bastian only shook his head and left.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/pureelven/IaliasManor.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/pureelven/IaliasManor2.jpg

Auki
01-23-2012, 02:49 PM
Despite what he was sure were their best intentions, Reilios grew swiftly tired with the manner in which the palace’s inhabitants looked at him. It was not their fault, precisely, but more the blame of history and culture that had warped their perception. The stables couldn’t have been more than a few hundred metres from where they stood within the castle; inside would be the King’s personal mount and carriage ‘horses’. A fool of a name for as if the great ruler of Lorana would allow an equine of lesser intelligence to be his guide. No, their horns had been forced straight, the coats trimmed and clipped to the perfection his ‘Majesty’ deserved. They were beasts with the idea of individual thought flayed out of them from birth. No wonder the humans looked at him as though he was a mere pack animal. Could he have saved the unicorns trapped there, he would have in an instant. It was a shame that freeing them now would do them no favours. Their horns were soft, incapable as a method of defence, and their minds were of the same nature. All Reilios could do was lock his eyes on the ground and keep a calm head about him; the frivolities of the King’s words washed over him without gaining the least part of his attention.

Gold, he did not need, yet it was placed within his pack before he had time to protest. The amulet was slid over his head, stark against the silver of his coat, but he was already planning to be rid of it as soon as he was able. There were things that he wished to remember about the journey; the reward was not one of them. He put up with their celebratory attitude but, in truth, he felt disconnected from the group. At least when Jason had been around, he had had someone to converse with… even if most the words exchanged had been of a hateful nature. He could leave the group – the idea certainly crossed his mind – but by the time he thought of doing so, they were outside Ialia’s estate. The socially proper time to depart had long gone. He was not often one to care about courtesy but the knight was kindly offering her home to them; he did not want to act as uncivilised as his brethren at the castle’s stables had become. Reinforcing a stereotype would do him no favours and he needed a lead to his next destination before he galloped off anyway.

“My servants will accompany you to your rooms and find ones that are more suitable for such.”

He inclined his head slightly in appreciation of her generosity, the prospect of sleep an ever-tempting notion.

His eyes lifted and he noticed one servant in particular, a youthful boy, staring at him in a way that politely asked for his attention. Perhaps he knew the perfect place that a bestial creature, such as himself, could sleep; Reilios tried to rationalise the notion with himself. It was difficult however, to ignore the dirt beneath the child’s fingernails or the straw that had tucked itself in the seams of his attire. He may have been being judgmental but the human’s appearance screamed ‘stable boy’.

Hesitantly, the Unicorn made his way towards the servant; his nerves abated slightly when they walked on without comment. The silence was beautiful while it lasted.

“You poor boy,” the youth muttered as they walked, glancing over his shoulder with every other step, “Your hair’s all tangled, your coat’s been muddied…”

“Pardon?” Reilios asked, wondering if he was really the recipient of such audacity.

“Oh, aren’t you a clever colt? I’m not used to ones that can talk.”

The Unicorn remained too stunned to work out a reply.

“Don’t you worry,” the boy cooed through the silence, “I’ll bring out some warm soap and water and we’ll scrub your lovely self down…”

“…Okay.” was all that Reilios could get out. Struggling not to be disturbed by the servant’s proposition, he was unsure what to do. He could deal quite effectively with being patronised for his bestial appearance; from what he could tell, however, the youth did not have a malicious intent with his condescending tone. If he believed Reilios to be dumb, withholding the truth could quickly make the situation turn awkward. Was this how humans talked to normal horses? It was no wonder that animals clung onto their stupidity if this was what they had to deal with.

Losing track of what should have occupied his thoughts, it occurred to him that Ialia wouldn’t appreciate dirt and grime upon her bed linen. Washing thus became a mandatory procedure. Sure, there was a river nearby that he had spotted, but it was not within the walls of the estate and should he wander off, he was not sure the knight would welcome him back in. There was no other way for him to wash himself thus without the aid of a boy like the one who paced before him.

Such were the woes of being an intelligent equine, the apparent underdogs of social delicacy.

Wattz
01-28-2012, 12:45 AM
Sure the quest was over, but that didn't mean Tal'set could go home just yet. Lorana needed more fat to be trimmed and so the group would rest and prepare for the next one to come. Of all places the Jotun had to rest, it had to be a tight mansion with doorways that didn't agree with either giant's height. Atleast the front door was massive but the ceiling welcomed them from about a foot above their heads. Seemed that many of the rooms surrounding it were smaller than the main lobby.

After being introduced to Ialia's great estate, everyone was being shown their resting quarters. Tal'set and Ualan both stood there awkwardly. They felt like rats inside a wall with being so constricted. But the feeling changed when a servant nervously approached. His words fumbled about while his hands gestured them to the upstairs. "We have a fitting room for you upstairs that even includes a balcony!"

Ualan was in a daze, hunched over as if trying to hide herself. She had yet to speak since arriving back, lacking the energy to try and find the right words to say. She followed the little servant, struggling to not trip as she made her way up the stairs (her feet were far too big for each step).

'Fitting', not the word Tal'set wanted to hear as it sounded as if there was no place for the two giants. Sadly it was true once the servant presented them to a 'fitting' bedroom. A heavy sigh was heard, muffled under the dragon skull. The gaudy colors that stretched about the room were menacing to him. He missed his simple bedroom with the round bed in the center and the colors not so bright.

When Ualan realized that she and Tal'set would be sharing a room together, she grimaced, her nose wrinkling and her stance lowering even more.

The Jotun looked to the three beds put together to accompany his great size with disdain and then looked back at the servant only to look back at the beds and sigh once again. Noticing Ualan would be staying in the same room but with her own collection of jointed beds, Tal'set immediately sought to speak with the servant about sleeping elsewhere but the human ran off, simply vanishing into the mansion.

"No, no, new sleep-room! You!" Ualan cried out in protest after the servant, though it did her no good. She muttered under her breath in her native language, a small comfort.

"Stuffed in a room with ieth'fet... of course."

Ieth'fet meant outsider, though culturally it had a nasty bite to it, something akin to 'incomplete.'

Shrugging, he then went to unequip himself to rest. His shield was rested against a china hutch, filled with ornate pottery. He didn't understand the worth of it unlike the humans who spent days and days on it. His spear was almost too tall for this place so he moved it under the mesh of beds. Then, removing his dragon mask, he had contemplated as to where it should sit. Such a symbol meant more to him than that lousy china hutch multiplied by ten.

Ualan was astounded by the arrangements. The beds were nothing like her homeland, burrowed into caves with beds made of leather from beasts. These beds were plush, delicate, and greatly gave beneath her weight as she sat down on it. At the very least, she hoped they would not be staying for too long. Honestly, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to stay.

With a sulking sigh, Ualan got slowly to her feet, and left the room. With a sigh of relief of Ualan's sudden absence, Tal'set was relieved and sat down on the bedside. He was still clutching his mask, a sacred piece of armor, he felt uneasy about letting it sit idle in the bedroom while he may be out later. He simply just placed it onto the bed and then stood back up, cautious of the low ceiling. Curious about the others and what was to happen next, he decided he would follow Ualan's way and exit the room.

AngelicAsylum
01-31-2012, 05:19 AM
Isora felt a distinct uneasiness returning to the kingdom, fearing the disgusted looks of the townspeople and the suspicion of the King. Hiding the mark on her throat with the scarves from her hat, she accepted her award graciously and with quiet thanks, blushing furiously and bowing her head to hide her unworthiness. There were whispers of course, from the servants and the passerby's, and shared glances of anger or worry from the public officials. Isora did her best to ignore it. If she fell to pieces every time someone was cruel to her, she wouldn't have anything left of herself.

The estate, however, perked up her mood considerably. It was just so...beautiful. It reminded her almost of the mage's tower, with its plush furniture and ornate decorations, except of course it wasn't basically a huge library. Though she would have loved to see the library all the same. Constantly being on the run didn't give her much time to study anything except her shameful spells. Reading was the one thing that calmed her, made her forget her predicament and the horrid, lonely emptiness of losing her Master. With her escape from the law, she never even had time to properly mourn.

As Isora stood in the grand hall, looking at the pictures and wall hangings, she fiddled with the amulet in one of her pouches. To wear it would be absolutely out of the question. She dare not put such an honorable gift around the same neck that proclaimed her a murderer. It would have to stay hidden until her name was cleared. Only then could she consider herself worthy of praise and respect. After all... in a way, his murder was all her fault.

Ace of Hearts™
01-31-2012, 07:40 AM
"Another round!" Said the now red faced Dwarf. The Stumbling Bard is where he sat, many empty tankards littered about the table. Besides him was a rather (compared to the dwarf) civilized fellow, slowly sipping the remains of wine from a goblet. The tavern wench brought over two tankards, trying her best to pick up the others that were on the table. The 'civilized' man grabbed her by the wrist, with an almost unnecessary force. "Excuse me, but might I bother you for a second pouring of that wine?" The woman was about to vocalize her response, but figured a nod would suffice. "There's a good girl. Hurry back now."

With that, he let her go. Eyeing the wench, he slowly ran his finger across the brim of the glass. She was quite quick to come back with the wine and whatever Brol was drinking. Mead or Ale. She gave the tankard and to Brol and poured wine into Arsene's goblet. She walked off, Arsene giving one final glance at her rear before going back to his business.

"Brol, we're, excuse me, you're drinking more than we can afford at this point. That last job didn't pay much, not that you can count." Arsene proclaimed. And it was true. It was only Arsene's second filling of wine, and Brol's...well, you couldn't count them on both hands. "Augh, quit yer belly aching! We alive ain't we? Live a little!" He bellowed, pounding his ale onto the table. "If by living you mean drinking myself into a stupor, I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I don't wish to feel like death in the morning, unlike some." A few moments passed, the was a silence at their table, only interrupted by a loud belch from Brol. "If we hadn't gotten lost, we could have signed that blasted board and been off doing grand things like killing a dragon, or protecting some rich strumpet and her spawns. Instead we wandered around the slums."

"Well, I told you I read that damned map wrong! I swear it wasn't even accurate!"

"First off, the map was upside down half the time. Second, It was in the Elves Tongue. I can read that, you can't. But you were so stubborn about it." Arsene said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Another silence.

"I tell you, we'll find more work. We always do. Trust, work will walk right through that door any time now!"

Arsene crossed his arms and scoffed. Not many others had a more bleaker outlook on life. But it was better than farming corn. Or running a market stall. And they got to visit such beautiful places! Perhaps this life wasn't the best. But it fit him well. And he fit it will. And just maybe something, or someone, would show up.

Just maybe.

"Another round!"

Mosaic
02-01-2012, 03:07 AM
Verlous hated the waiting they had to do outside all for diplomatic bullshit. The only part of politics he liked was when someone needed someone dead for their gain. His move here to Lorana had been a trip wasted; there were no jobs that needed a single hand for hire here. Now he was stuck for a time, anything he were to take on would require him to work in a group, as all the posted jobs he had seen before he left on this latest venture had shown. He’d ask for a favor of Gallagona’s king for a return trip home in exchange for an added hand to his escort, but Shajahan was notorious for being very picky about who he let into his escorts. He dismissed the idea immediately, it was best to deal with the cards he was dealt for now.

The worst part of this matter was that their audience with the king was kept brief. The damned knight was the only one given chance to speak to him, and she didn’t even use the time for anything useful like asking about the meeting with Shajahan. Once they were rewarded they were ushered out as the king had precious little time! This made him wonder what was going on. If Gallagon was truly in such a bad state, he would have been better off staying. Countries in bad times usually have a high turnout for assassination contracts.

He didn’t bother staying with the group after leaving the castle. He had his coin, and the seemingly useless trinket the king had given him and the others, perhaps it’d fetch a nice price. Once he had the chance he slipped away from the group and out of the castle walls into town. His sword should be done by now, and that smith had better not have fouled up the blade. His first stop however was not the smith, but a general trading store, Mordra had given him some of her own little trinkets that had been lying about; a necklace, a little statuette, a medallion, and a few gems. He handed each over to the store owner, and each brought more small hand pouches of gold coin. “There is one last item too,” Verlous said reaching beneath the leather vest. “Oh dear, not another item! You’ll leave me with no coin at this rate elf!” He placed the amulet the king had given him and the others, “I’m sure this should fetch a fair price.” Verlous said confidently, surely enough to at least start gathering some supplies for a trip home.

“Oooohhhohohoh no, I can’t take that!” the shop keep said backing away. “Why not? It was given to me by the king himself.” His eyes narrowed in displeasure. “That’s exactly it. That is an honorary amulet given to few by the king, just the idea that you would sell that is insulting!”

Verlous wasn’t happy on the matter, but he tucked the amulet away and took the coin the gathered, seemed he’d be using that to pay off his sword after all. He left with coin pouch in hand and made for the smith shop, sending him heading back in the direction of the castle walls. He was arranged there claiming his proximity to the walls meant his goods and work was best. Verlous however would be the judge of that, any smith worth his salt should be capable of properly fixing, shaping, and sharpening a desert elves blade. When he stepped in the smith was at the forge finishing his work on a blade, placing his mark upon the pommel. “I hope the two weeks I was away was enough for you to work the steel properly.” Verlous said placing the sword he had been loaned by the smith upon the counter. “Ahhh, two weeks…you had that chipped curved sword right?” the smith asked, as if he had dark elf customers every day. “The Elvin Scimitar (http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/M8412/RP%20pictures/decorative_sword.jpg), yes that would be the one.” He said as bluntly as he was being talked down to.

“Beautiful craftsmanship that was,” “Was?!” Verlous interrupted alarmed by the tense of the word the smith had used. “Yes, was might handy work, but the metal you had in it had gotten weak. I’ve worked on many Elvin blades before, so this wasn’t all that foreign to me, save for the shape and the blending. However, I wasn’t familiar with your peoples smithing form. I hate to say it but I couldn’t fix the blade.”

“Then return it to me and I’ll find someone who can!” He was growing impatient, and this man had shown himself incompetent and unable to measure up to his boasts so far.

“Oh no hold on just a moment darkie! I couldn’t fix it, but I did remake it with a different technique.” He pulled the blade from the rack behind the counter and pulled it up. “The handle is the original, I remade the blade with a new technique I learned. It looked like your smiths use a process to blend glass and metal together, light and strong however doesn’t hold up to time all that well.” He set the blade down after admiring his own work for a moment longer. “I used steel shaping it with Elvin methods, and I gave it a mythril core. It has the same balance as the previous blade, twice the integrity and will last longer as well.” Sure enough the blade appeared in shape and style, exactly the same as the previous one. Though it held some sentimental value, he was somewhat happy he turned out to have gained a slightly better blade. He felt the edges, raking the blade across his fingers, sharp enough to sever what he set the blade against, for once the elf was feeling generous. “Now for having to rework the blade and take the old one apart, carefully, it’ll be about, “ However Verlous didn’t care to hear the price, he took the money he had gained from the general shop and dropped the pouch on the counter with a thump and a jingle and made his way out. Money for the job done, and a fitting tip he figured. The sounds from the smith were far from the sounds of complaints. Now he had two blades of his own, a refurbished Elvin blade and the one from Mordra that still retained some minor enchantments after her death.

He returned to the castle gates, inquiring about Ialia’s estate only for the gate guards to question him as to his business with the Avalden knight. He stood, taking their jibes and remarks. He asked again, and they commented to his equipment saying shady figures like himself couldn’t possibly have any good business with a knight of the Avalden name. As if such a name meant anything to anyone outside the city. He could just simply avoid this annoyance and just walk further down and scale the wall, but he wouldn’t know where to go, and only run into the same issue. Instead he made the guards eat their own words as he pulled out the amulet handed to him by the king. Their pestering ceased immediately as they stammered for words for a moment. “Uhh, we’re sorry sir elf. We had no idea. You must have been within her group today.” They let him past and showed him a map of the city showing him where he was and the most direct route to her estate. So the amulet had its uses other than decoration, who knew?!

It took him considerably less time for him to make his way to the estate than it did for them to take the scenic route. In fact he walked in through the doors just as they were beginning to figure out sleeping arrangements. A new blade upon his back, and a coin purse full, just a little larger than his fist, if you could tell his different expressions of scowling you could tell he was quite chipper right now.

He was about to approach Ialia and inquire as to where the lot of them would be sleeping. However he was cut off by a squirrely little girl with dirty blonde hair, she only looked little based off her stature as she was rather short. In actuality she was probably nearing her late teens. “My mistress said you’d probably make your way back. Said you’d be another hard one to miss. We’ve your sleeping arrangements ready.” She turned to Isora who was standing a little ways from the group as she had been most of the whole time. “And you Miss the one with the funny head thingy. Yes you, if you’ll follow me as well.” The servants were all abuzz around the estate now, it was a rarity to have guests just as rare to have Ialia staying. She escorted them upstairs, around several bends, and up another flight, it seemed like the young lady was taking them as far away from the main entrance as possible.

The... funny head thingy? Isora tugged on her scarves self consciously. She liked her hat. Most mages wore headgear, some far more outlandish than anything she could come up with. Frankly, it hid her thigh-length red hair, and that was why she chose to keep it. People kept mentioning it though, for some reason, as if THAT was the oddest part of her ensemble.

Her hat was the least of her concerns, however. Immediately her gaze slowly shifted to Verlous, the scowling dark elf, and she could feel her heart quicken with panic. Frankly, she wanted to room with the apprentice mage, eager to speak to the young girl and discuss her studies. Perhaps make a companion. Someone to talk to, even if she was just a child. But no. She would be forced to room with that, someone of a race known for their evil ways. Isora told herself to be open minded, but there was just something about him that made her...uneasy.

There was nothing to be done. Without a word of complaint (in fears of being rude), she followed the both of them to their room. It was beautiful, of course, with a lovely view and quite spacious for both of them. That didn't make her any less embarrassed. She was supposed to share a room with a man?! "I um..." she finally spoke. "Thank you miss."

Auki
02-02-2012, 12:20 PM
“Thank you so much for your help!” The tavern’s owner exclaimed as he finished removing the last part of the harness. Ever since she had refused his gold as payment, he had been more than welcoming to her. All she needed was a warm place to sleep and so that was all she asked for.
Although he had attempted to line the offer of accommodation with a few free drinks at the bar, she had quickly explained the poisonous nature of alcohol and that had been the end of that discussion.
“I’m glad I could get the shipment to you safely,” Neye replied, genuinely pleased with her work. The load had only come from the farms and vineyards that lined the city, but it could be difficult to keep a package safe when the crowds of Lorana bombarded you at every corner. “If I may politely ask…” she began, interrupting the bliss-filled humming of the man, “…could I sit within your tavern until dark has fallen? I saw that you had a fireplace and warmth really soothes the ache of muscles.”
The owner contemplated the request for many moments, but was surprising quick to concede, “As long as you don’t make a mess, I don’t really have reason to keep you out.”
She smiled at his generosity but sensed the underlying dread. She was, after all, the height of a horse and twice as wide. She wasn’t clumsy by nature but there was only so much finesse you could retain with her girth. The fact that she had been bounding around since the moment his stock was unloaded was unlikely to have done her favours.
“You serve food?” she asked.
“A vegetable broth for those staying upstairs. You can have some on the house, girl. I’d have to pay an ox-and-cart five gold pieces a journey for what you’ve just done. This is the least I can do if you might stay in the city a little longer.”
She blushed, the freckled blue of her skin taking a purple hue for that moment, but he waved off her bashfulness. He really was a kind man; Neye’s thoughts didn’t even consider the idea that he might have motives besides a good heart. Maintaining a business was one of the few things her race knew nothing about – They were creatures of bartering, not gold.

She entered the Stumbling Bard with careful steps, thankful that the time of day kept the place from being over-crowded. The ceiling stretched far above her head, enough so that even she felt small, but the other patrons made sure to remind her of her size. While it had seemed simple when the tavern owner directed her to sit at the bar, she hadn’t expected the rudeness she would face.
A dozen hurtful comments later – most mocking her intelligence and width - and she found a place to sit down, pride bruised. It was the same no matter where she went; it was the reason she asked for a stall in the stables and not a room within the tavern itself. Kings and Queens knew the beauty and wisdom of her race. Villagers in the rural areas of Lorana had often seen it for themselves. It was the working class of the city that treated her ill, but she did not blame them for it. Her only hope was that, should they allow her to talk to them, she could show them all she was not a mere beast. Perhaps if the tavern owner would give her the chance to sing… she could at least entertain them. It was a question she would have to ask when he returned.

Placing two paws upon the bar, she rested on her haunches and placed her snout on the smooth wood of the counter. There were those who made a ruckus nearby and around but she thought better than to disturb them.

Wattz
02-16-2012, 10:42 AM
Ualan really, truly did not want to attend to the festivities at the Stumbling Bard, but the moment she came down the stairs, Ialia’s servants were hopping about her feet, ushering her forward like cattle. How persistent they were, waving their hands about, shouting unintelligible orders. She knew she was to get to a tavern of sorts, and the word “Stumbling Bard” continually showed up in their speech. Ualan looked down at them with a frown, trying to step over them, but every time she did so another one just got in her way.

Eventually she made her way outside, found her way far enough into the city to see a herd of people flocking towards the bar she’d been near earlier. It seemed so loud inside the bar, so filled with merriment, and really all she wanted was some peace and quiet, some time to think. Ualan really had no desire to wrack her brain trying to talk to anyone anyways, and the bar stools were so horribly small.

Unfortunately, her parched throat got the better of her. Small as human glasses were, she’d just need a few drinks to coat her throat, then she could move away and find a quiet place to sit. Ualan struggled to get through the doorframe, her shoulders so broad they got stuck on the sides, and her head so high that she had to duck down considerably. Finally twisting to the side, she managed to get in. Luckily, many of the patrons were too drunk to stare. She found herself taken aback, however, by the large blue creature sitting at the bar.

She shuffled carefully to the front, knowing better than to stare at this point. Ualan found that she didn’t much care for being stared at herself. She pointed to the bartender, then to a glass, saying “Drink. Me, give, drink.” When the bartender finally understood what she was implying, he placed a full mug on the table, alcohol sloshing from his shaking fingers.

Ualan had yet to be formally introduced to alcohol. She knew of the fermented drinks her people rarely imported from surrounding villages and towns, but it was such a rare drink that only the shamans were allowed its bounty. Half-giants had an exceptionally crude version of it in an attempt to mimic its effects, but had yet to perfect the method.

So she struggled with the glass, as she always did when she had to drink from puny human cups, though it was not nearly enough to quench her thirst. Ualan asked for another, then a third, all the while wondering if she should say anything to the blue creature to her right. No, no, that was a terrible idea, especially with her low vocabulary. It was so loud in the bar she could barely concentrate on finding the right words for anything, so she simply asked for a fourth glass, just about ready to leave.

CALYPSO
02-26-2012, 03:06 AM
Loranos' Chamber
Late afternoon

Edalene peered out the windows that over looked their city, while her husband sat by, with a quill in hand and a parchment in front him. As she turned, she silently watched him as he signed the contract of alliance. He settled the quill in its jar of ink and looked up to see his wife pensive. “My love, is there something troubling you?”

“It has been years since I’ve seen Shahjahan,” she said with a touch of concern in her voice. “I was just a young princess of Espeos, betrothed to him.” She slowly paced about in their room, “When I saw him today, I was immediately reminded that I am never to return home.”

Loranos rose from his seat and walked towards his queen, gently caressing her face, “I am sorry he gave you that memory.”

Edalene leaned into him, placing her hand on his, “I know this is my true home now, with you, and with our daughters.” Her fingers played with a few strands of his hair, “Parts of Gallagona has always been in peril, I understand why Shahjahan traveled so far to seek an ally.” She smiled, “He went to the right King.”

No words were exchanged once their lips met. Edalene placed her hands behind his neck, not wanting to part from their passionate kiss. Loranos began to trace the lace of her bodice, just as he heard their door open abruptly. Edalene pulled away from him as they saw Delwyn’s disgusted expression.

“Ugh, gross!” She whined.

“Delwyn, what did I say about knocking first?” she began to lecture.

“I did knock!” the princess replied, “But it seems you two were… well, whatever. I need to speak to Daddy.”

Loranos gave a genuine laugh at his daughter’s reaction. “And what troubles my sweet darling daughter,” he asked as he picked her up and settled her down on his lap.

“My birthday!”

Edalene shook her head in disbelief, “Now, Delwyn, we discussed this matter already,” she spoke sternly.

Their daughter nodded in agreement, “Yes, but I did not discuss it with my father.” She quickly turned back to Loranos, “Daddy, I know what I want for my birthday, but Mommy says it’s dangerous and I don’t deserve such a thing!”

“Hm, and what is the gift?”

“A dragon’s egg.”

Loranos paused before he said a word, “Well, wow, that is quite the gift you want, my dear. I can understand why Mommy says it’s dangerous.”

“Oh but, please, please, please!” She begged, “My teacher said it’s a great idea too! I can learn more about dragons that way!”

Edalane sighed, “Yes, your teacher, who is a mad dragonologist. Delwyn you cannot expect to have such a thing! A dragon is NOT a pet.”

Delwyn’s expression grew from hopeful to defeated in a matter of seconds when her father did not respond. Loranos took note of it and looked at his wife almost as if to say, forgive me.

“Dragons are not pets, but certainly can be useful if you teach it since birth. Tell you what Delwyn, you can have a dragon’s egg for your birthday.” As soon as he said the words, the princess rejoiced and gave him a hug. “I will let this be another quest, in honor of your birthday, and have one of my messengers write it on the bulletin.”

“You’re the best Daddy! Thank you!” Delwyn hopped off his lap and ran out their room.

Edalene glared at her husband, “You spoil that child.”

“Aye, this I do not deny. But would you not want to ride on a majestic creature of legend? Flying in such a speed that the wind plays with your hair as you see the world of Athamar before you?”

“No. No, I do not want to ride a dragon that is capable of eating me. But let our daughter have whatever she wants!” Before he was given the chance to defend himself, Edalene left their chamber.

--

Ialia’s Estate
Late Afternoon

A long deep sigh of relaxation escaped Ialia’s lips as she soaked in a warm bath. She scrubbed her body with a bar of black soap her servants gave her. They claimed it was magical for it not only washed the body, but also drawn out any possible poisons from the body. Ialia, of course, was skeptical, but she enjoyed the sensation of clean skin and hair while inhaling the aroma of lavender. She sighed in relief again.

She heard the sound of heavy footsteps scurrying down the hall and the faint sound of the door opening and closing. No doubt, it was one of her giant friends, but she was not going to stop them; after all, they were all going to the same place. They all needed time for themselves, even if her companions were paired with another.

Oh, but what a terrible hostess she thought! She couldn’t even find the most comfortable rooms that were perfect for Reilios and the two giant folk. And of Isora and Verlous? She never thought of pairing a man and a woman together in the same chamber; but Verlous was not to be trusted and she was not too keen on Isora’s black magic either.

“Ugh, Isora,” she spoke in an annoyed tone as she rubbed her forehead. “I must speak with that woman.”

Once the lavender scent faded away, she stepped out of the bath and slipped on a robe. A servant began to set up her outfit as she sat in front of a mirror and began to comb her long hair. She stopped and stared for a while, until she turned to the lady before her, “What do you think Menelwen? How should I do my hair?” Menelwen was the only Elf amongst the group; it was her magic that filled the bathtub with warm water and it was her joyful nature that the Avalden family hired her.

Menelwen smiled, “Ah, Lady Avalden, I think you will look beautiful with your hair down tonight! It’s always braided, you should at least give it a rest,” she responded.

Ialia ran the brush through her hair one last time, “You’re right.” She stood and walked towards Melnewen who had finished preparing her attire. As she proceeded to get dressed, the Elf made sure the leather corset (http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/043/1/0/the_fiddler__s_corset_by_artisansdazure-d39ctw6.jpg) fit accordingly to her body. She adjusted a few strings for support, which caused Ialia to grimace in pain. Now she remembered why she was always in armor.

As she sheathed her sword and let it hung by her side, there were a few knocks before another servant came in. “Lady Avalden,” he spoke, “You have another guest.” He walked off as Princess Delwyn entered the room.

“Your Highness!” Melnewen exclaimed and gave a curtsy. She hurried off as to not to keep the young girl waiting.

Ialia lowered herself to one knee and bowed her head, “Your Highness, your appearance is unexpected.”

“I wanted to see how you were doing,” she said happily. “Oh, you may rise.” Ialia stood up as Delwyn looked about the room.

“My companions and I are doing well after we were able to rest. We shall attend the Stumbling Bard tonight, but that is no place for a princess,” she grinned as she sat on the edge of her bed. “I am off duty, but if you need anythi—“

“Can you braid my hair?” Delwyn asked. “I love the way you braid your hair. My mommy said that your mommy was really good at that stuff.”

“That she was. She would make sure her hair was secured in a fashionable braid before she went about her duties. Townsfolk admired the way she fought; but women were so curious about her braids, they began to mimic her styles.” Ialia laughed, “But they were inferior. Come, sit over there and I’ll braid your hair,” she motioned Delwyn to sit by the mirror.

Ialia reminisced the time she braided girls’ hair when they all were Delwyn’s age. They were all fascinated by her unique designs, but amused at the thought that a female squire would focus on things such as hair. After she became knighted, however, she was too busy to hang out with her girlfriends. Ialia began to wrap the braid around Delwyn’s head and secure it with pins. Simple and easy, she thought.

Delwyn frowned, “I know I make fun of you and call you a boy at times, but you really are girly. Just like my oldest sister.”

Ialia ignored her comment, “Only when it comes to hair, I suppose. Now, did you really come all the way to my estate just to have your hair braided?”

“But of course not, Ialia!” She giggled as the knight began to thread a ribbon through the braid, “I wanted to see how you were doing. Two long weeks in the woods and fighting a witch must’ve been really scary!”

“Hm, yes, it was fairly scary,” she smiled, “But with the help of a few people, we conquered and prevailed.”

“You’re so brave Ialia,” Delwyn responded dreamingly. “Which is why… I have to ask you of something.”

Ialia finished tying a bow at the end and raised a brow, “I knew you were up to something. What is it, Your Highness?”

A mischievous grin crept on her lips, “Daddy said I’m allowed to have a dragon’s egg as a birthday gift. And because you’re soo brave and you have people along your side, I thought this task would be easy for you.”

Ialia gave a nervous laugh, “And you want us to travel to Draconis Peak to steal a dragon’s egg? For your birthday!”

“Yes. It shouldn’t be that hard. I’ll even let my teacher be part of this expedition.” She gave another huge smile, “He studies dragons you know.”

“I do know. But I am not going to risk lives by traveling over there and stealing a dragon’s egg! Your Highness, I mean no disrespect, but you are out of your mind.”

“Too bad, Daddy sent one of his messengers to write it on the bulletin. If you don’t do it, then I guess someone else will be famous for it,” Delwyn shrugged. She jumped off the chair and walked towards the entrance of Ialia’s room, “Or even better! I’ll ask Bastian to go in your place!” She gave a hearty giggle and a small bow, “Have a good evening, Ialia.” She left.

“That little brat,” she muttered. She gave herself a few minutes to be sure that the princess was gone; and soon found herself back at the entrance, contemplating the new quest.

Imp
03-03-2012, 07:01 PM
A cloud of smoke rushed out as Tal'set opened the tavern door. He was glad about leaving the estate and staying away from the crude servants who seemed frightened by him. Leaving the dragon mask behind made Tal'set feel a bit awkward and defenseless as he entered the tavern. Ialia's party would most likely recognize him none the less and after all he looked no different from any human... just taller. His battle-hardened face wasn't anything special minus one side had a large dragon tattoo and the other a scar from his temple to the corner of his mouth. But still, it was a first he was in a place alien of his own and so felt naked without the protection of his mask.

Through the smoke and bumbling drunkards, the half-giant found an empty chair in the corner which was perfect for him. Within seconds, an ample barmaid approached with a plethora of alcoholic drinks, all smelling heavily of the addictive compound. She placed the platter down on the small table next to him. "One, please." Tal'set spoke up over the music and obnoxious drunken chatter. The barmaid laughed and pointed to a brawny man only half the Jotun's size. "He wishes to challenge you and loser pays the tab. I assure you that it will be fun, handsome!" The temptress failed to attract him as she would have with other men but still he decided to join for nothing better to do but prove his might.

"Welcome, my large friend!" The contender's arm opened to wave Tal'set over to an open seat. The passed-out loser from the previous match was shoved from the table as a crowd formed. Tal'set welcomed the match since he knew well victory was his. The alcohol was far stronger in his part of the world and including his outrageous height, he was sure to win. The ample barmaid returned to place another platter so both rivals had enough for the first round. "Once the lovely lady says go! We drink till one of us drops, aye?!" His breath was rotten like a corpse and Tal'set grimaced in response.

"Alright, boys! Three... two... one... GO!" The muscle-head gripped the handle of his mug and began gulping away. Tal'set followed suit but his massive hand embraced the entire mug. Drinking down the beverage, he heard the barmaid say "Ooooh what big hands! I may need to get some time off with this man tonight!" and looked oddly at her. Finishing the first drink seconds before his rival, he slammed the empty glass onto the platter and fetched another. The crowd of drunken fools around the table cheered hardest in those moments.

Time passed and after the second round of drinks, Tal'set was feeling rather filled and not even a bit tipsy unlike his blabbering buffoon of a contender. The Jotun opened up and began laughing as the buffoon fell backwards, passing out in the process. The crowd went wild and Tal'set had his fun for the moment but soon the company around him had either left or turned into complete morons, crying over trifling things the Jotun didn't even understand. Once again, he was alone... besides the sobbing fool next to him filling a mug with tears. It was time to leave...

Ace of Hearts™
03-04-2012, 11:43 PM
Arsene picked at the questionable meat that was before him, all the while Brol was stuffing his face with soup. Some of the liquid dribbled onto his beard. He was so very sophisticated. Arsene stopped picking and finally took a bite. Not bad, if a little tough. He sipped his wine, but it didn't stay in his mouth for long. From the door way, a large blue colored...thing, came through Arsene caught a small glimpse, looking back at his food, and did a massive double take. Wide eyed, he almost choked on his wine. He turned over to Brol, who was finishing off the last off his soup. Arsene tried to lower his voice into a frantic whisper. "Brol, Brol, Look by the door, but don't look by the door." Brol looked at him with a narrowed brow. "Aye, this ain't one of them fancy Elven tricks...right?" Arsene simply pointed at the doorway. "Whoa! What is that?" Brol questioned, mouth agape. "Damned if I know, I'm not a walking textbook on, on...whatever that is!"

The creature sat at the bar, or rather stood near it with it's paws upon wood. Arsene couldn't help but look up on many occasions. 'That can't be very sanitary', he thought. He went back to his food, now much cooler than it was. Still tough. Another sip of wine. The door opened again. The two payed no attention to it until they heard the subtle thumps and saw the ripple in each drink. Ducking under the door, an incredibly large woman with wild brown hair walked through. Arsene let out a crackly high pitched moan of sorts, in utter amazement. Brol was stroking his beard as he watched her movements. "Here you used to be the smallest one in the tavern, now we all are." Arsene joked, eyes still fixated on the giant. This day had certainly taken a far more...interesting turn.

Their food was now finished, and Arsene placed his coin purse onto to table. The was no sound of coins jangling. This was not good. "Empty." He said to Brol. "How're we gonna pay for the drinks and food?" The Dwarf asked. All Arsene could do was shrug his shoulders. There was one more person of interest to come in, another giant. The two mercenaries could only wonder at the variation of people, or things, they've seen in the past half hour. It'd been awhile since they'd last been in Lorana, and apparently the country had changed much, much more since. That, or the carnival was in town and the workers need a drink.

Lady of Silk
03-05-2012, 08:53 PM
Arya sat alone. She felt largely out of place, and she was in a bad mood after having her cat turned away at the city gates. Somewhere outside, Selina waited for Arya to return and her thoughts were primarily on her estranged companion. She had shunned most attempts at socializing, too busy with her brooding to care for a celebration that hardly concerned her. She wondered how she managed to let herself be convinced of such a hasty and uncharacteristic course of action.

No! She scolded herself. Arya went along with it because she was a young woman who hadn't seen much but her small corner of the woods. It was time to expand her horizons, she reminded herself. Still, she had little stomach for the bar with it's incoherent denizens and the haze of dizzying exotic pipeweeds that smoked up the place. Silently, she slipped from the bar and out into the fresh air.

Mosaic
03-14-2012, 04:34 AM
Once the little servant had left the two to their own devices, Verlous took no hesitation in looking within the room and quickly taking his pick of the two beds. Without giving Isora even a second thought he walked in and threw his reclaimed weapon upon the bed furthest from any of the windows, even going so far as to move the small one person bed a little further away. If there was one thing he hated about his profession it was sleeping in a room remotely near a window. Anyone capable of scaling a wall could get through a window, as Verlous knew first hand. He took no time to bother explaining or even to care whether his actions seemed eccentric.

His attention was taken to his remade scimitar, to the point that Isora's existence in the room was blotted from his mind. Earlier he had no chance to look at the handy work placed upon his only other tie to home, but now he had all the time in the world to hold it and familiarize himself with his old and refurbished friend. He pulled a rag from a pouch as he removed the blade from its sheath and ran it along the flat of the blade ensuring it was clean for every last inch almost to the point of obsession.

As Isora moved about the room he pulled his eyes away from the blade, careful that his hand and the cloth caressed each curve to avoid pressure and slicing his hand open. That smith did a perfect job recapturing every curve of the blade from base to point. He looked directly at the black mage as she paced about doing whatever it was. The room was alight with the glow of the early evening sun as it began its descent towards the horizon giving the sky and the room a light orange glow. He stared at the mage with a gaze that looked almost detached and uninterested, as far as one could judge from the elf's stone faced glare. On the contrary his interest had been piqued in by the mage from her actions days prior. Though he looked uninterested, it was more like he was studying her.

Isora followed the elf into the room silently, letting him do whatever he wanted for the most part. She took her designated bed and sat down for a moment before sighing and glancing at her roommate uncomfortably. Well. She supposed it couldn't be helped. With a slow, nervous movement, she removed her hat. Long, thigh length red hair spilled down her back, which she began to comb out systematically.

Once she was finished brushing her hair, she removed most of her pouches and leaned them against the wall with her walking stick. It was nice to feel not so weighted down, even if she felt vulnerable and shy in front of the strange man before her.

Speaking of which, eventually Isora became aware of him staring at her. He seemed aloof, as if her very actions were boring her, and it made her uncomfortable. "Is something the matter?" she said finally, doing her best to keep her voice level and steady. Over the years, it was common for her to mumble or stutter when she was put in an awkward position, and she rarely held her head high.

His expression remained unchanged as she finally spoke to him. To be honest now was the only real time he was paying any attention to her, its just that he had begun thinking on the events in the forest and how little she had actually done. His blade went down, settled perfectly parallel to him on the bed. His elbows rested on his knees as his arms hung out in front of him. "Why?" his response short and to the point, and completely cryptic as to what he meant.
Isora was mid-brush stroke on her hair when his question stopped her in her tracks. Why what? What did that even mean? She could feel her cheeks beginning to turn red. Why was this strange elf just staring at her, and what was he plotting?

Her eyes trailed over to her hat. Was that what he was asking? Why she wore her hat? Isora was having enough with that nonsense. "I ah, I wear my hat because I enjoy it. It took me quite long to finish, you know." Every mage makes their own headgear. The more advances ones even enchant them, and hold competitions. It's a symbol of coming of age.
The elf shook his head and gave a tired sigh. Setting everything aside he reclined back onto the bed ready to rest after the late events. "I could care less about your simple hat. I'm more concern with why you hold back. I've heard a lot about black mages, and you don't measure up at all." His tone was hard to decipher if he was being insulting or just being Verlous. With this dark elf, either was very possible as neither concept strayed far from one another.
Isora blanched, her previous blush draining from her face and leaving her stark white. "H-hold back?" was all she could sputter. For a few moments she seemed to ponder his words, considering how she should react - and then frowned. "I have no wish to be associated with black mages at all, Sir Elf," she spat. Then she stood to her feet and grabbed her hat and belongings. Frantically shoving her hair under her cap, she flung open the door. Before storming out, she looked behind her. "Using those vile spells alone disgusts me." And then she was gone - to the inn. For a nice glass of wine.

CALYPSO
03-25-2012, 12:21 AM
It had been some time ago since he had a chance to rest and relax. It was the case of duty before comfort they say, and he followed it like it were a religion. If there were some way for him to show his capability and reliability as a soldier and a knight, he took it even if he hadn't been home in days. The barracks, for the most part, had become a second home for him.

Bastian sat in his room just taking a moment for himself, it had been at least a full week since he'd actually been home. Compared to Ialia's family estate, his was minuscule. She had a grand home and her own grounds that required servants to tend, his was a single building with a small archway that opened into a closed roofless garden courtyard that lead to the estate entrance.

He rested for a few hours in the comfort of his own bed before one of the family servants walked in, and prepared Bastian's garb for the night and woke him. His rest had been wonderful in an actually comfortable bed, to the point he wanted to say to hell with the tavern tonight. Though that wouldn't be much fun, he always liked to have a good reason to drink Ialia under the table.

Once he was up and changed into a more casual wear, other than the knights armor he so commonly wore about, he made his way for the tavern. By now the sun had just fully set beyond the horizon, darkening the streets leaving them lit by only the lamps on each side. He smoothed out his pants and straightened his shirt out underneath his tanned leather vest.

From there it was away from the estates, past the castle walls, and into the city streets. Though one thing that caught his attention was when he passed the main fountain. One of the city heralds was leaving the board after pinning up a post. Always interested in something to do he walked up and read over it once.

"Oh my, a dragon's egg, our little princess has high standards." he gave a bit of a grin, a nice challenge. "This ought to catch Ialia's attention sooner or later." He picked up a stick of lead on the boards holder and signed his name on the top line. He was very eager to find out who else would join in on something like this, dragons after all were not to be trifled with.

Now from the main fountain it wasn't far to the tavern. A night of merriment and drinking awaited, and both he intended to have his fill of; merriment and possibly a tavern wench.

Time drew on for Ialia. Some of her companions left for the Stumbling Bard, while the last few waited for her by the grand entrance. They were clueless as to why she sat in silence by the fireplace, contemplating and sighing. Once she stood, she stared at them and grinned, "I need a drink. Let's go!"

There was no way to ease the quest to Tal'set; taking or stealing a dragon's egg was the same thing and wrong in their culture! The little princess demanded too much! Ialia needed ale first before considering such a task.

As soon as they arrived at the tavern, she noticed the new post on the King's Bulletin. Once her friends walked inside, she read the piece of parchment. A reminder to all that Delwyn's birthday was soon and the little brat requested a dragon's egg. Yet the quest did not anger Ialia further, it was the name signed on the first line:

Bastian Tenias.

"You idiot!" She practically scolded to herself, "Of course you would sign your name. Well, not without me!" She took the quill, inked it, and hastily scribbled her name on the first line next to his.

Ialia barged into the Stumbling Bard, scouting for the dark blonde fool. And there he was, boasting about and drinking, she gave a little scowl as she stormed towards him. "Bastian! Are you mad!?"

"Mad?" He turned when he heard his name called only to see Ialia. "My dear Ialia you should know of all people I am not Bastian the Mad, but BASTIAN THE BRAVE! You of all should know this, after all I was the one to fearlessly run to the kings aid in the middle of a raid." he boasted as a few at the table who were all far gone on the drunkards wagon, each one cheering at every excuse to slam their mugs together and drink. This was a boisterous to be sure. "I continue to prove this as I have volunteered without hesitation to climb to the deadly heights of Draconis Peak to retrieve a prized gift for our dear sweet Princess Delwyn!"

"HERE HERE!" the men behind him shouted, one of them passed out before his mug met his lips.

"Why it seems such a venture has caused many pause even the great Ialia Avalden. After all yours is usually the first I see on a quest board, what gives you pause now? Haven't you defeated a dragon before?" he said taunting her.

The men around them laughed and cheered, "Oye! Ialia! Tell us the story about the dragon again!"

She smirked at Bastian, "But of course!" The tavern wench handed her a drink and took several gulps before she began. "I tell you right now," she pointed at Bastian, "This man may be brave, but I am the bravest!" Ialia stepped up on a chair and onto a table for all to be seen. "Who was the squire that traveled to Anorgath when they were invaded by a ferocious ice dragon!?" The men raised their drinks in merriment, "No other man, no Loranian knight, could withstand the battle. Bastian may have protected our King," she laughed, "But that is our duty." The men laughed with her. "It was I, who saved Queen Damia from such a beast!"

"And how was the battle?" one of them asked.

"Vicious," she replied, "The dragon's attacks were deadly, enough to freeze your blood. BUT! With my trusted hammer, at the time, and with my intention to kill the creature, his icy breath did no harm to me!" Ialia pulled out her sword as if she was reliving the day. "Through many bashes, I conquered and defeated him!" The cheers grew louder as she twirled the blade about, "Fallen and ill, the great creature left Anorgath to die alone." She sheathed her weapon, "And I became knighted!"

Bastian rolled his eyes at her boasts. "Yes yes, Ialia the dragon-slayer, who never saw her dragon die. Lets not forget, out of Lorana's two most promising squires who was knighted first!" Those at the table who had seemed to befriend Bastian, for the night, shouted and drank, and more passed out. Through a labored attempt one shouted "Te...Tell....Tellll us how that went again Bastain, see...msss only fair!"

"He speaks true. After all we all remember the raid the savage Telraine brought to our city. Descending into our streets in the dead of night hoping to catch us unawares. However our armies are ever vigilant and we had prepared what we could. As the knights met their forces the squires were tasked to get those who could not or would not fight to safety. Their numbers were less than our own but their fighting spirit equaled our own! By the time I had finished aiding Ialia in securing a safe route out of the city, our forces had been pushed back into the castle gates, we were among the back ranks of the Telraine. I could not abandon our brothers and sisters!" He spoke with such gusto that even the bar maids and other tavern workers joined in the cheering. His eyes met Ialia's as he gave her his smug I've got them look.

"With a path secured and the civilians safety ensured, Ialia had decided to remain with them. Our numbers had been pushed back, and needed aid. If one blade could turn the tide it needed to be done then and there! So I took to my feet and headed for the castle! It has taken armies to defeat a dragon, but not even an army could stop me from reaching that castle as I ran right through their numbers! In time after cutting down savage after savage I reached the bridge and over to the castle grounds. Slipping past the bulk of their numbers guarding the door, they had already made it inside. Through a side entrance and into the halls I found a few knights that had been separated from the king. With them at my back we charged through the halls to the throne room as the enemy tried to smash the door with their war chief. Through the clashing of blades and bashing of armor, my blade found the war chiefs heart. A fallen leader sent those still standing running in fear of our men!"

Ialia snickered, "Very well Bastian, you did what you could during the raid." She strutted around him, "But last I recall, who was the one who ventured with a group of courageous folk to slay the evil witch Mordra Sayd?" Now the crowd was intrigued, "The task was gruesome! We were lost in the forest for days surrounded by tainted creatures. Why if it wasn't for Reilios' healing spells, none of us would've survived!" A few patrons gasped and murmured to each other. "When we encountered Mordra, we did not know what to expect other than her black magic." As soon as Ialia felt the crowd grew their attention to her, she continued the story of the great battle with the witch. "When she grew weak and the time was right, I decapitated her; thus saving Silvershadow Woods!" She raised her mug, "To my companions, I couldn't have done it without you!" She took another gulp followed by the patrons who listened to her.

Bastian applauded slowly, "Oh wow, you decapitated a decaying old woman. How brave!" He mocked.

Ialia raised a brow as some people began to laugh in amusement. She walked over to the bar and faced Bastian. "Well, it was certainly brave! After all, His Majesty rewarded us handsomely! 'Free drinks at the Stumbling Bard tonight!' He said!" Now everyone grew excited, raising their drinks in delight. "Tell me, Bastian, have you been rewarded as such?"

She gave him an evil grin for his audience was now on her side.

ILYTH
03-25-2012, 05:22 AM
Broken twigs and shuffling footsteps, the Fat Man's mute's made altogether too much noise for men who had been robbed of their tongues. The golden haired man at the front of the group was put ill at ease by the strange thugs he had traveled with since leaving Porzul. when the four mutes moved they stepped in unison creating an unnerving thud with every step, coupled with their uniformly jet black skin and foreign dress they made a most unnatural group. Traders and pilgrims on the road had avoided their small column as if they carried unspeakable diseases or might curse them with a glance. Meraxes was eager to reach Lorana and claim the black mage for the Fat Man so he could be shot of this eerie entourage.

Meraxes had been quite insulted by the Fat Man's insistence on coupling him with the four guards but now he began to wonder if they were serving an altogether more sinister purpose, maybe to slip a knife between his ribs once he had given the bloated trader his prize and outlived his usefulness. This suspicion had grown in Meraxes mind all the way along the journey, he often found his had slipping to his sword hilt when the mutes stared at him with their bright wet eyes or at night when the black skinned men moved without any trace of sight or sound.

When the highest towers of Lorana breached over the horizon Meraxes felt a warm tear roll down his cheek, the city was more beautiful than he had remembered. It had been many long winters since he had been driven from the capital by the lash of the whip and the order of a king. Meraxes made a promise to himself then and there to never be driven from that place again, he would sooner have his head adorn a spike on the gate than be pushed out once more.

The guards on the gate gave his party little trouble, the black skinned mutes unnerved them so much they let Meraxes pass without so much as asking him to remove his hood. As they walked into the main street of Lorana his senses were bombarded by a hundred wondrous scents and sounds, some were new to him while others were as familiar as a pair of well worn shoes. From the bakeries came the mouth watering smell of freshly baked loves drifting on the nights warm breeze, spices and incense from distant lands warmed him from within as he inhaled their aromas. All around him came the chatter of socialites and friends, lovers arm in arm brought a smile to his lips. For Meraxes it was refreshing to see a nightlife, in Porzul respectable people did not venture out past the day time hours and with good reason too.

The group eventually came to the questing board, it was illuminated from all around with warm torchlight giving it a near otherworldly glow. The Knight's eye's darted from one petition to the next for a trace of his quarry, some were bleached clean and unreadable by the capital sun while others were browned and damp from exposure to rain. In the end it mattered not, for eventually on a weathered scroll outlining a quest against a foul witch were a score of names one of witch stood out like a shining beacon, Isora Lelah, black mage...murderer...target.

ripping the piece of parchment from the wall Meraxes turned to a near by couple, two young romantics out for an evening in each others arms.
"Excuse me my friends." Meraxes put himself between the lovers with an arm over a shoulder of each
"Do you know where I can find the party who took up this quest, I have a reward of my own I must give them in gratitude." Meraxes relied on his charm for information from the couple, it would be ever such a shame to have to squeeze it from them, happily though the handsome young man replied merrily with sweet wine on his breath.
"Oh my everyone knows that party, they are the toast of the town these days. You'll find most of them in that tavern over there, I think if you get there soon they'll tell you a story of what happened." Meraxes nodded his thanks and put a small purse in the hand of the swaggering young fellow before leading his men over to the tavern.

Meraxes lowered his hood before throwing open the door, his hair shone like golden thread in the merry light of the pub as his voice rang out clear and authoritative.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for interrupting your evening. Isorah Lelah?! I have instructions for your collection, you are to come with me now, we must leave quickly for your very life is in the balance." Meraxes hated the deception but 'come with me so I can bring your head to employer' doesn't sound quite so enticing.

From the corner of his eye he saw her instantly, the little twitch of recognition at her name, so small and young, how could she be such a threat in the Fat Man's eyes? Meraxes cared not, her death would buy him life. He was so focused he almost missed the large man with auburn hair stomping towards him. He was taller than Meraxes and broader at the shoulders, his hair was cut close to his head and his clothes placed him as a man of wealth, a knight to be sure.

"And who are you to make demands of a citizen of Lorana, It wont stand sir and I on my honor as a knight would appreciate you telling me who you are and what you want with this girl." The blustering fool confirmed his chivalrous status beyond doubt, Meraxes couldn't risk exposure, not at this point and any knight of this city may well have been a squire before his exile. As quick as a flash Meraxes drew his sword from it's bottle green scabbard, before the knight could react he brought it up in a devastating sweep leaving the young knight's head to bounce mournfully across the floor while his body dropped to its knees, a fountain of blood. Meraxes chuckled to himself before replying loud enough for all the tavern to hear "My good sir, I too am a knight."

Meraxes wiped the blood from his blade before addressing the shocked crowd once more without removing his eyes from the sword in his hands

"Once more, Isora Lelah, come forward."

Wattz
03-27-2012, 08:20 AM
Ualan had stopped drinking a while ago, but still had a half-empty glass before her. It hadn't been long before the liquid became so bitter she grimaced with every sip. She decided that she did not like human alcohol, quite decidedly.

But she knew her fellow... adventurers were slowly starting to filter in to the bar. Ualan hung her head a bit in a vain attempt at invisibility, but obviously it did her no good. A certain anxiety hung in her chest that made the jovial atmosphere less than pleasant. She made the decision to leave the bar, but she was having a hard time stepping away, since she was placing most of her concentration in not stepping on anyone's feet.

Bottoms up. Brol kept drinking while Arsene tried to formulate a plan to get themselves out of this jam. If only Calisa was here, she could hypnotize the Barkeep. The thief tapped his chin. Of course! He thought. "Pick some pockets." Arsene said with a devilish grin. He gazed around the room. If he was to steal, it'd have to be planned. Rummaging around pockets was a sure to result in the guards being called. The glint of silver hanging loose caught his eyes. Unfortunately...

"The giant." He sighed.

Silver was valuable. And hell, who knows what that Giant's intelligence was? He elbowed Brol. "Alright, he's the idea. You see that lumbering woman by the bar? I'm going to call her over and I want you to keep her attention. I'm going to pick her pocket and fence that necklace I saw." The dwarf placed his stubby hand on Arsene's shoulders. "You sure this'll work, boy?" Arsene closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, and gave a very blunt "No."

"Uhm, excuse me, Giant...lady? Would you please come over here?" He yelled across the bar, hoping it wasn't drowned out by the music and merriment.

"Huh?" Ualan looked up from her struggle to get away from the bar safely to see an average man yelling at her, motioning her forward. She raised an eyebrow, then tilted her head. Yes, she was confused by the human's sudden interest in her, but she was even more interested in the short man by his side. She'd only seen human children with such a small size, though he appeared full grown with the beard to prove it.

She carefully lumbered over, though she really, truly did wish to leave. But perhaps it would be a bit too rude to just ignore the human. "Hello?" Ualan said slowly with an upward inflection, her neck bending down far to get a good look at the stranger. "What you want?"

Arsene grimaced as the Giantess came over. Slowly she got bigger and bigger, now towering over their table. He gulped and with his voice cracking said "Er uh, it's not what I want, but my friend here wants to talk to you while I go to get more...drinks, right Brol?" Arsene nudged him a little more. "Uh uh, yeah! I was gonna ask you about..." He thought of what to say as Arsene left the table, only to wait and sneak behind the mountain of a woman. "I was thinking...I bet you could swing an mean Axe?"

"Mean... axe?" Ualan squinted her eyes, trying to understand the concept of such a thing. Was it even possible, a mean axe? She was unfamiliar with such nuances of the Common language. "Why axe... mean? Axe weapon, no make face." Such a silly conversation, but the idea of an axe that could be mean made Ualan smile, the first smile she'd made since the fight with Mordra. "No sense, no sense!" she shook her head and grinned. "Tiny man, drink too much?"

Brol couldn't help but laughed at the mistake. "No girl! Mean Axe means it's of top quality. Fine craftsmanship and the like. Us Dwarves make some of the finest weapons in all of Athamar." He said, proudly. "Buuut... you're probably right about having too much to drink. Here, help yourself to this last tankard. It'll put some hair on your chest...unless you already have some..."

"Mean axe.... Fine craftsmanship...." Ualan said carefully, tasting the words for the first time. It always did come in handy, having new phrases to get her by. "Dwar...fs. Dwarf! I hear of dwarf! Fal-Kuan speak of Dwarfes! Tiny men, much craft." Ualan had heard brief segments about dwarves from her father, though not very much to have recognized one when she saw it. To think, he'd even met one of these curious men.

Ualan grimaced at the offering of the tankard, knowing that her last few had only been to quench her thirst. "No, no, not so tasty. Had too much!"

Brol shrugged his shoulders. "Aye, but what we Dwarves lack in height we make up for in muscle. And suit yourself about the ale." He said, tankard to his lips. Gulping in down, he peered to see Arsene. He was almost in place, just a few more minute of conversation. He slammed the tankard onto the table, little droplets of mead splashing up. "Hm...Fal-Kuan. Doesn't ring a bell. Is that some kind of a ruin?" He said, raising one of his brows. "Where do you come from, if I can be so bold?"

"Fal-Kuan is... fal-Kuan." It was difficult to explain him as anything else to someone not of her language. She stuck out her tongue and furrowed her eyebrows, trying to remember what the word for it would be in Common. "What you call... father?" She then tried to search for the next words, to describe where her home was. Normally she would not have divulged such information, but she was quite enjoying the momentum of this conversation.

"From... sands... rock... much warmer, not cold like here." Ualan tried to use her hands to help describe each meaning, but she wasn't sure if her point was coming across. "Too cold here, not much like. But Fal-Kuan leave, I go find." She shrugged her shoulders, looking a bit apprehensive, since she wasn't even quite sure why she was looking in the first place.

"Where dwarf live? Dwarf seen often? Much more human here, not much other."

Brol thought on what she said. Sand and rock. Could be anywhere. Sounded like a desert though. On the question at hand however. "Well, Dwarves are a nomadic people usually. We travel across the land, never staying in one place too long. But there are larger encampment that could be called 'cities'. I myself come from a large valley to the north. Fevaran." He peered over once more, Arsene was now on the move. "Blast, I forgot to ask your name. I'm Brol Askerad, 3rd son of Rigar Askerad. My friend is named Arsene Salazar. Yours?"

"Brol! Arsene! Hello, Brol!" Ualan said with a beaming smile. "My name Ualan, rua-Lothar. Er... clan! Lothar clan," she said in an attempt to make herself easier to understand. She remembered watching humans greet one another, by extending their hands out, and then did so, leaning down to place her right hand in Brol's face.

"Dwarfes move much? Why not stay? Fet'ar-uner stay one place, much easier," she pointed at herself with her left thumb. "Too many humans, not always nice."

Brol took Ualan's hand. Though the size comparison was like a baby's hand against their mother's. "Pleased to meetcha, Ualan. I'd offer you a drink, but since you don't like them..." Arsene was now directly behind her, and hopefully Brol could hold her attention while he got the necklace. "Well, My clan I guess you could call them moves because the ore gets dug up. Metal. Iron. We take it and make are armor and weapons. Most of the time we camp is a few months. We're growing in number, until we have enough supplies and people to settle down. What are the Fet'ar-uner?"

She was greatly amused by the size difference of Brol's hand, making her smile even more. "Fet'ar-uner is me!" Ualan said again, pointing to herself. "You call giant, I call Fet'ar-uner. 'Giant' not true, I am no Fet'ar. I am only Fet'ar-uner." It was all so self-explanatory, really quite simple. She never could understand why other races didn't understand the difference. "Fet'ar-unner make weapons too! Not metal, use rock. Make mean axe!"

"Heh, very mean axe." Before he could continue, a fight broke out. A Knight it seemed was mopping up the streets. Many men abound, one bumped hard into Arsene as his hands were mid-picking. He got knocked down, necklaces clutched in his hand. He shot up instantly, sitting on his bum. He closely inspected one of the necklaces. "Hm, intricate silver work. Is that a hunk of Ivory? Hm. Could go for about...250?" He looked at the other. It appeared as a Talisman of some kind, though it looked like it was worth less.

The crash didn't go unnoticed by Ualan. Her face fell at the sight of the necklaces in his hands. She could have done without the little silver amulet issued by the king, but the large stone in his hands, the sign of her clan carved deep into the rock....

Her lips pursed as she turned and stepped forward, bending down and grasping the man on the scruff of his shirt. Ualan brought him up to her height, staring him straight in the face as his legs dangled high above the ground. "That mine, you no touch!" she growled as she pointed her other finger in his face accusingly. Ualan felt the anger rising in her chest. "I keep mine, you no touch!" She then ripped the two necklaces from his grasp using the previously pointing hand, but continued to hold Arsene suspended in the air.

Arsene went wide-eyed and the sight of the giant holding him up, his hands held up. "Brol, could you tell this...charming and beautiful giant to LET ME GO?" He yelled. Brol jumped out of his seat, losing a few inches of his height. "Whoa now, Ualan, put my friend down and I'll explain what's going on."

"Friend? Friend Arsene steal!" She was still seething, but Ualan turned and put the man down beside Brol, though not gently at all. "Friend who steals, no friend at all!"

Arsene wiped his collar off, with a very discomfortable face. "Yes, Arsene did try to steal, and he's very bad for it." Brol said, while Arsene scoffed. "However, we've drank to much than we could afford. We need more coins than we have you see. My friend is a thief by profession, I just suppose he made the mistake of stealing from you."

"Thief as profession?" It made no sense to Ualan, to have a certified job as a thief. "No sense, no sense, no take, very important!" she indicated to the necklaces. She didn't know what she would have done if she'd lost her father's necklace, and she was sure the kingdom one would come in handy around the city. Ualan paused, looking at Brol, then at Arsene, then sighed heavily. She had plenty of coins left from the quest, and she had no real use for all that money. Digging out the coin pouch, she fished out some of the gold and placed it roughly in Brol's hands.

"Tell friend no more steal! Bad, very bad! Find good job, go hunt, sell kill!"

"Yes, I'll be sure to do that." Arsene said to Ualan as he sat back down. Brol took the money gratefully. "Thank you Ualan. Again I apologize for my friend. Sometimes his greed takes over his brain. But...if you're comfortable still, and Arsene keeps his hands to himself, you're welcomed to stay and gab some more with me."

"Hm..." Ualan thought for a bit, tapping the side of her face. Perhaps she should have realized that Brol was more involved in the theft than he let on, but it mattered not to her for the moment. "He stay here," she pointed to the side of Brol. "I see him, no cause trouble." She glared hard at Arsene before tucking the necklaces away, then once again settling herself at the bar. "Now more about Fe...feran, tell more," Ualan said with a fascinated glint in her eye.

CALYPSO
05-14-2012, 04:04 AM
There were a few she did not recognize at the tavern. Particularly the oxen type creature that stood by the bar. She heard of pack animals roaming around the lands of Lamordia and Lorana; hence, it was quite a sight to see one! A pack animal would serve its use with the large group of companions she made. But for now…

“Another!” She shouted in glee. The music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm7SgPxEKWA) continuously played as some of the patrons danced in excitement. The barmaiden handed her another jug of ale just as Bastian finished his.

“That’s your fourth! You should be sick by now!” He snapped, as his new drink was served.

“Nonsense, this is my last one!” She drank with him as some patrons cheered them on to finish. Although she hated the taste when she was younger, it was something she grew accustomed to. Ialia placed the mug on the table at the same time as Bastian, “Well, that’s enough for me! I feel quite content!” She stood up and walked around the tavern to see how her friends were doing.

Some were having a good time, drinking and talking with other adventurers, while others remained to themselves. She noticed Isora sitting alone with a glass of wine, quietly watching the atmosphere that surrounded her. Ialia refused to let the mage sulk; after all, she needed to speak with her about her magic. The knight pulled back a chair and sat down next to her. “Isora! Must you always be so quiet?” She asked kindly and laughed, she was in a delightful mood thanks to the alcohol. Though, aside from the free beverages, it was a night of celebration! “I admit, Isora, your magic is really impressive and valuable. Even for one of a black mage, which leads me to something.” Her expression became serious, but not as stern like she was at Mordra’s tower, “Although you do not strike me as the type to be ruthless, the magic is still dangerous. We’d both be in serious predicaments because you roam freely and I have not reported you.” She hesitated, “And I feel no reason to. You wear the clothes and use the spells of a black mage, but your personality speaks otherwise to me.”

Isora was certainly not used to having company that was kind. Therefore, she immediately leaned back in her chair, preparing to escape if there was any sign of trouble. The knight seemed kind enough though, and when she asked why Isora was so silent, she smiled slightly and shrugged. "I've always been quiet, I suppose," she replied.

Of course when the subject of her magic came up, her mood darkened considerably. "I...I understand the risk you take by keeping me in your company. I thank you for it. But I assure you Miss, I am not what I seem." She self consciously tugged at the ribbons from her hat. "I only use what I must. Saving the young mage was my highest priority at the time. I apologize for any trouble it may have caused." Her master had warned her to never use such spells unless it was an emergency - and Isora couldn't let the child die.

“Oh Isora! No need to apologize, you used your magic for the greater good! Marilyn is well thanks to you.” Ialia observed her carefully, the way she pulled her ribbons made her seem anxious. Why? Why was Isora so troubled? Ialia’s curiosity made her want to question the mage more, but not tonight. She wanted to drink and dance! The knight gave a small laugh, “You sure are strange for a black mage. I feel like the class does not match with whom you are.” She paused for a moment, staring at Ualan conversing with a dwarf and a man. “Hm, well! Go easy on the magic and you’re safe.”

They continued making a small conversation or rather… Ialia was talking about herself. She didn’t mind Isora asking her questions about her childhood, her parents, or how she became a knight. Their moment of storytelling grew dim as the music came to a full stop when another man made himself known.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for interrupting your evening. Isorah Lelah?! I have instructions for your collection, you are to come with me now, we must leave quickly for your very life is in the balance."

“What?” Ialia quickly turned to Isora, who only tugged on her ribbons some more. Just as she was about to question him, Ualan snarled at the dwarf and the man. “Just what is going on here?” She muttered, her hand caressing the hilt of her blade.

"Friend? Friend Arsene steal!"

Bad idea to steal from a giant, she thought, regaining her focus on the man who just decapitated one of Hesper’s knights. “Damnit!” She jumped out of her chair and turned to Isora, “Stay behind me,” she ordered. Their evening of glory! Ruined by some idiot who wanted to cause a scene! How he knew of Isora was questionable. Ialia hastily stepped forward into the scene with the mage directly behind her.

"My good sir, I too am a knight."

“You are no knight for starting a quarrel,” she retorted. Ialia quickly unsheathed the dead knight’s blade and threw it towards Bastian. As he stepped beside her, she whispered in his ear, “Protect Isora.”

He nodded in agreement before he realized she meant the black mage. “Wait, you mean her?”

“Question me later, Bastian.” She drew her attention back to Meraxes, her hand gripped tightly on the hilt, “Miss Lelah is not going anywhere,” she said harshly. “You bring unwanted attention here, so how about we discuss this outside, hm?” She grinned as she drew her sword.

Cautiously, they all stepped outside with weapons ready. Ialia placed her hand on Isora’s shoulder, “I know I told you to go easy on the magic.” She glanced around them to notice they were surrounded, “I want you to forget what I said.”

Wattz
07-21-2012, 01:24 AM
Ualan wanted nothing more than to continue learning more about this Brol dwarf and to scowl at his skinny little friend but she found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on his words when there was so much noise going on in the background. She had a hard enough time trying to talk to one person in a quiet atmosphere without having to worry about the extra dialog. Ualan looked behind her shoulder, wondering what all the extra fuss was about.

“Oh.”

There was a man in the doorway, clad in armor and pointing a sword threateningly at Ualan’s companions, Ialia and Isora. Ualan heaved a great sigh, rolling her eyes upward to the ceiling and puffing a strand of hair out of her face in frustration. First she was placed in a room with Tal’set, then her family heirloom was almost stolen by a scathing thief, and now her companions were under attack? Such luck she had today.

“Brol one moment,” Ualan patted Brol on the head and then pointed a large thumb behind her. “We talk more later, talk up mean axe, I promise!”

So she got up with a thunderous footstep and turned to face the assailant. She put her hands on her hips and approached. “You! Put mean axe down! No good, much danger to friends!”

Kris
08-02-2012, 08:47 PM
*moves to HoF*