The Monk's Retreat

[Thornblade]

((OOC: Basically, all the other RP threads have died. So I've decided to ceate my own, and hope it takes off. Not sure how many RPers we have left amongst us.

Backstory: The Monk's Retreat is a small inn just west of Beetletun. It was established by a retiring monk some time ago, and has been taken over by one of his friends, named Jerrad. The barman, and waiters, are within the fiction, you may use them as you wish as long as it does not conflict with someone else using them. At this time, the Ascalon Settlement is about to be founded, which may happen within the storyline if we choose. The White Mantle are a dominant power, but have not yet reached the notoriety they possess in the game's storyline. Please refer to the map below for a few other details, click it for a larger image. I've named a few places myself for the sake of roleplay.

http://files.photojerk.com/Tickle64/RPMapThumb.jpg (http://files.photojerk.com/Tickle64/RPMap.jpg)

And that's about it. I hope this takes off, I've been waiting for an RP in Kryta for quite some time, hence why I've done one myself.

When joining the roleplay for the first time, please post your character class, name, and a basic bio within OOC tags in the first post. Last note, for the sake of continuity please write in the past tense, and try to keep it readable. Many thanks, and have fun.))

((OOC:-
Name: Maksha
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Profession: Ranger/Elementalist
Armour: Basic Leather dyed dark green (Picture for reference (http://files.photojerk.com/Tickle64/MakshaRPChar.jpg))
Biography: Born in the wilds of the Maguuma jungle, and having lived there most of his life, Maksha is a strong survivor. His father taught him how to use bows and the environment around him at an early age, and his mother tutored him in air magic. After seeing the Mantle execute the Chosen at the site of the Bloodstone, he has been seperated from his family and branded as a dangerous criminal, not to be trusted. He now looks for adventures taking him to far away places, away from the White Mantle and their evil presence.))

Maksha walked down the dirt road in deep thought. Rounding a bend, he saw a tavern up ahead and glanced at the sign swinging lazily above it, 'The Monk's Retreat'. The windows were faded and the paint was peeling, but it looked welcoming, so Maksha quickened his pace towards the front door.

He stepped inside and quickly observed the few customers, checking for any sign of the White Mantle. Seeing nothing of interest, he sat at a table near one of the grimy windows and motioned to the barman. After ordering a basic meal and drink, he settled back into the comfortable chair and resumed thinking.

[The Thing]

((ooc- Yeah it's a shame we all seem to have lost interest. Well, hopefully Kryta will work better for us. Anyway, on to the bio:

Name: Parvati
Age:19
Gender: Female
Profession: Ranger/Assassin
Armor: A basic mottled ranger's leather armor, with a White Mantle cape.
Appearance: Lean and supple build, lightly tanned skin, long blood red hair kept in check by a leather headband, and emerald green eyes.
Bio: Parvati grew up in Kryta with her mother whilst her father, a Canthan scallywag, made regular journeys at sea. Having been taught many peculiar 'tricks' by him, Pai found no trouble becoming an efficient hunter of all sorts. Unfortunately, her father was lost to the sea with the destruction of Orr, and her mother died of grief soon after. At the present point, she has just abandoned the Shining Blade, which were still a rather small group of royalist rebels; and joined up with the White Mantle instead, as a scout. This allowed her more freedom of movement than other jobs, since she holds no actual loyalty to anyone. I'll note that this is before she became a mesmer secondary, lost an eye, and all that Destroyer stuff from 'A New Tavern...'.

Well, there you go, I hope this will pick up; unfortunately I'll be away for a couple days.))

[Thornblade]

((OOC: Good to see some interest, have fun while you're away, hopefully this will have taken off by the time you get back.))

[Age]

That is near the res shrine btw why not close by Fishermans Haven.

[Thornblade]

That is near the res shrine btw why not close by Fishermans Haven.

((OOC: Pardon? The tavern doesn't exist, hence why this is fictional and ergo a roleplay.))

[Necris]

((OOC:
Yeah, I'll bite. I've wanted to take part in a roleplay for sometime now but have never been given the opportunity. Thank you for starting this up, friend.

Name: Necris.
Age: He appears to be in his sixties.
Gender: Male.
Profession: A 'Curser'. It's a combination of Necromancer and Mesmer.
Armour: An odd combination of old, and very rusted looking Fanatics and Tormentors armour, but it is all covered by a long, torn cloak, so you can only see hints of what he might be wearing.
Bio: I try to keep things a little realistic. If you want to know about his past, you must interact with him. I do have a much more detailed description of what he physically looks like here: http://www.guild-hall.net/forum/showpost.php?p=432407&postcount=59 Please read it.))

The old man hobbled his way along a path that stretched its way from the hilly and dangerous parts of western Kryta to the south east where it would lead to the gates of the accursed Lion's Arch. He was supporting himself on his favourite and staff and his cloak fluttered gently with his movements that betrayed his exhaustion.

It was then that a new sound had reached his ears. He looked up from the road to find a building standing roughly a hundred feet down the road, its sign, labelled in wooden letters 'The Monk's Retreat', squeaked on its unoiled hinges. Under his hood, he felt a small smile grace his cracked lips and his bones creak with gratitude at the structure. It was not a place he had happened upon when he passed along these roads long ago. Must be new. he thought.

He willed his body onward, the flesh now being all the more exhausted at the promise of a place to rest. He stretched his arm out and pushed the door inwards with ease since someone had forgotten to properly close it. A few of the customers turned to look at the strange old man and his cloaked face and body, but they turned back to their affairs with a slightly offended temperment. The old man had brought in a stench of rotting leather and rusted metal with him.

With a quiet sigh of relief he took a seat far from the main crowd, solitary in a darkened corner-bound table. A bar-mistress happened by to take his order, but before she could utter a word he gently waved a spindly-fingered hand in a sign of dismissal. She trotted away with unhidden content. Something didn't feel, or smell, right about that old man.

After resting his staff next to him, he pulled a scroll out from underneath his cloak and began to read it in peace.

((OOC: If my post was a tad too long, do tell me. I'll try and make certain I don't do it again.))

[Thornblade]

Maksha saw the other patrons quickly look up as the door creaked open again, before readily busying themselves with their food in an awkward manner. Following their gaze, Maksha watched an old necromancer step inside and find a darkened table. After rather rudely dismissing the serving girl, he withdrew something and began to stare intently, as if reading. Maksha shifted in his seat slightly, trying to see what the object was.

Fearing the necromancer's gaze might fall upon him, however, Maksha settled back down in his seat, but moved the handle of his composite bow within easy reach of his nimble fingers.

[Necris]

The old man did not appear to take notice of anyone else in the tavern as he went about with his scrollwork, now having brought out a sickly quill pen, its feather broken and wrinkled. The Ranger, who might have heightened ocular senses (a standard requirement for such a profession) would find that the necromancer had a scroll fashioned from something which might not be papyrus. Its surface was wrinkled and yellowed with age, but it was also splattered with blots of thin brown crust.

The old man could be seen writing on it after he set it on the table, but after a minute of this, he would store it underneath his cloak. He would then press his hands and lock his fingers together, thumbs and index fingers excluded so it would appear as if he were praying.

His eyes, hidden by the hood, would be closed. Was he sleeping?

[Thornblade]

Maksha's view of the dark figure was interrupted as the barman hurried over with a small pie, some bread and a mug of water, apologizing for it's lateness. Having been without food for a day or two, Maksha lost interest in the necromancer's doings and tucked into the food, quickly finishing the bread and moving on to the pastry.

As the initial pangs of hunger were lost, the ranger slowed his eating and began to think of the cloaked man again. Something was not right about him, that was for sure.

After finishing the entire meal, Maksha gathered his things and went up to the bar area and dropped some gold coins on to the surface. The man nodded in thanks at the payment, and after Maksha enquired about lodgings and handed over a few more coins, he took out a small key from a shelf behind him and pointed up the stairs. The ranger took the offered key and slowly climbed the creaky staircase to the left of the bar, heading for his appointed room.

[Necris]

The old man was disturbed by the creaking of the staircase. He did not tilt his head upwards to look, but he did shrug off the surprise mentally.

The barman who had just given the Ranger a key to his lodging had worked up the confidence to confront the old man. He asked if the man would like a room. That was when the necromancer looked up.

His gaze seemed to have frightened the barman because his body betrayed a slight recoil. The old man shook his head and spoke with a rhasping voice that could send a chill up one's neck, "No. It is my desire to nap on this spot for the night." His hands seperated and the right one disappeared underneath his cloak for a moment. It then revealed a rather heavy looking little pouch filled with what sounded like metal coins. "I will also not be disturbed... For the night." He emphasized by tossing the pouch to the barman, who fumbled with it for a moment before finally getting a grip on it.

The Barman would understand that the extra funds provided to him in this pouch told him that he would... encourage discretion and avoidance to anyone who would approach the old man as he napped.

The Necromancer replaced his hands and lowered his head once more, where he would nap for a time. He obviously did not wish to be disturbed for now.

[Thornblade]

Maksha unlocked his room door and stepped inside. The small space looked comfortable enough, there was a small window opposite the door, which was slightly open and allowed a refreshing breeze to enter. The bed was easily large enough for Maksha, and there was also a short chest of drawers, though he had no use for them. The ranger propped his bow and quiver against the wall near the drawers and start taking off his armour, only pausing briefly to lock the room door so he would not be bothered in his slumber. He lazily climbed into the bed, happy on the soft mattress after weeks of sleeping on dirt, and settled down to sleep.

[Necrotic]

(OOC: Well I'm not sure I want to join this one as it seems not long after I do the threads die....cept the first one. But I'm bored and have nothing else to do while I have a connection to the net.)

Name: Adara
Age: ~16
Gender: Female
Profession: Ranger/Monk

Armor/look: She wears a combination of armor, fur-lined gloves, studded tunic, druid leggings and drakescale boots. Long reddish/amber hair kept away from her face by a headband that belonged to her mother. Tanned skin such as one from the jungle areas not the dark tan of the desert nomads. Still growing she only stands a finger or two above five feet and fills out her clothes just enough to seem older than she is. (see new pic below)

Adara was born into a nomadic clan of hunters and trappers that managed to survive the searing simply by not being anywhere near it at the time. The couple she mostly assumed were her parents faded from memory at an early age. Rumors within the clan suggest they were either ambushed by bandits or silenced by the White Mantle, as the clan primarily supported the Shining Blade with food and trade goods in return for well made weapons. Adara liked her clan and preferred to stick with them as they moved rather than be raised by her uncle...who despite the blood ties, knew almost nothing of his sister's way of life. He was generous though and wealthy, he always manages to locate which town she is in and provides enough coin or barter for her to get almost anything she wanted. She studied the ways of monks under a friend of her uncle's for a short time before realizing she didn't have the spirit for it. Unfortunately since there is no longer anyone in her clan that witnessed her birth, no one....not even Adara herself, really knows her age for a certainty. She loves the thrill of adventure in the wild and frequently tries to live up to her name: Bird catcher. But not all birds are alike, as she has just discovered....to her horror.-----------------------

Adara ran toward the pass in the mountains as quickly as she could, barely able to stay upright she was exhausted from the fight. Several cuts and nicks reminding her of their presence when her sweat poured across her body. She spotted a possible safe place to mend her wounds if she could just lose her pursuers. She wasn't sure how many were left but she was certain of how many had started and that number frightened her more than anything else at the moment. As she approached the opening in the mountains she thought perhaps she had outran them....her thoughts exploded as a burst of searing pain flooded her right leg and she collapsed to the earth with a less than gracious tumble. Sprawled about Adara saw the arrowhead protruding from her shin and became faint, until a shadow loomed over her. Looking over her shoulder she saw the Tengu knock another arrow and heard the creaking of his bow and string as he pulled it ....sooo far ...back. Her heart sank and she truly felt despair....that she would die all alone out here. "No one will even know I am gone..." she whispered. She closed her eyes and felt the tip of the arrow's broad head just scratch her cheek and the feathers brush away the blood. She felt something hit the ground hard....was that the arrow? She Looked up and saw the Tengu nearly upon her and laid out with a rather large bear sitting upon it's back chewing thoughtfully on the neck of the tengu. The bear paused for a moment as though it had just now noticed the trembling girl, then went back to chewing.

(OOC:Appologies for the long post....I will try to keep the next one shorter)

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/593/adara7qm.th.jpg (http://img69.imageshack.us/my.php?image=adara7qm.jpg)

[Necrotic]

continued.....

Adara looked for the rest of the "flock" that she had run through. Not seeing any more following she looked again at the dead bird and realized that more than a dozen of her own arrows had perforated it in one place or another. She was too astonished to do anything other than sit staring, mouth agape, gasping for breath. Then Adara began to feel light-headed and her vision tunneled as she fell flat to the ground.

As things grew dark a huge head filled her vision and began to lick her face, Adara thought as she slipped away into unconsciousness "I bet I taste better than that bird." and she wanted to laugh but could not muster the strength and instead smiled faintly as the darkness consumed her view.

[Necris]

It was morning. The old man awoke to find himself still in the inn, and from the weight on his body no one had taken the initiative to try and finger his belongings. The tavern was empty.

He breathed in heavily, and that was when something caught his nostrils. Ah, there is nothing like the scent of pain in the morning... Something... no, someone, was in trouble nearby.

Early to sleep, early to rise are the ones who are wise... Hee hee hee... He stood up from his dark corner-table after taking hold of his old wooden staff and he shuffled groggily to the exit. Again, with his staff, he would nudge the door open. As he came to a stop underneath the swinging sign of the inn, he took another breath.

Mmm... that way. He pointed his staff in the direction indicated and began to hobble along the path that would lead him to the source. It took him roughly an hour to get there, where he discovered the body of a pretty, young little girl. Underneath the hood covering his face, a frown came upon his lips at the unfortunate discovery that she was still alive.

This thought seemed to have stirred something nearby for from the bushes there came a rather large bear, its muzzle slick with blood. Tengu blood, the necromancer could recognize that anywhere. The animal growled angrily at the old man and that was when he shook his head and spoke in his rhasping voice, "Your quarrel isn't with me, beast. I'll not be turning her into one of mine since she's still alive." The bear tilted its head, confused at first but it continued to growl, not seeming to be convinced.

The old man sighed, "Stand aside, watch me if you must. I will not harm her, but if you get in my way, you'll find yourself turned inside out." He began to approach her, ignoring the fact that the large, half-ton beast still stood in his path. Then the old man's smell hit the bear's nostrils and that caused it to back off a bit. Something didn't seem right with this old man.

The Necromancer kneeled down and rolled her gently onto her back. "You're a little young to be a ranger..." He observed her wounds and regretted having lost contact with one of his fellows in the past, a monk of sorts. Rangers had unguents and ointments for minor wounds, he knew, so he began to look through the pouches in her armour for those things, much to the Bear's disagreement.

She'll need a monk for the arrow going through her leg though... He thought.

[Necrotic]

Adara could feel someone nearby, barely conscious that whoever it was seemed to be groping her and panic began to fill her....then a thought entered her head "he tries to help". "HE....oh great....just what I don't need." and she managed enough strength to move an arm though nearly imperceptible to her observers.

She thought of all the horrible things this man may do to her while she lay helpless and began to cry....though for all of the emotions running wild within her the only external sign was a small tear that escaped her left eye, which ran down the side of her head and into her hair. She tried to cry out for help but all that came was a faint whimper "Pathetic." she thought "I am going to die here."

"Hush....he helps....and I am here." the thought came....but was that really a thought? She was certain someone had spoken it.

[Necris]

The old man found what he was looking for; a small vial of healing unguent. He opened the vial after tearing a bit of his cloak into a long strip of tissue and applied the ointment. He then slid and pressed the tissue onto one of the long sword wounds that stretched along her flank. There were more wounds dotting her frame and he did what he could to address them with smaller tears in his cloak. He then made a mental note to get a new cloak later.

He saw the tear and, his face still very much hidden by the hood on his head, lifted a brow. Lightly tapping her cheek with his rough, wrinkly palm, he said with a hoarse voice, "Open your eyes already, young one. Do not force me to submit your nose to my smelling salts."

[Necrotic]

Adara could feel the soothing balm of Troll Unguent being applied to her wounds and felt strength returning to her, ever so slowly though and despite her attempt to see who this kind traveller was she could not make her eyes open and only barely managed to breath out a sigh of relief.

"Patience....strength will come." she heard the other voice say.....this time she knew it had to be another traveller....he spoke with the same clarity that she heard the other mention his smelling salts. She tried to laugh at the comment, thinking that he must have lost his sense of smell if he doesn't realize that troll unguent is by far a more punguent odor than very nearly anything else found in the wild. Perhaps though he does know of something stronger made by necromancers or magicians....she has heard stories from the trappers about things literally waking the dead.

Again she tried to laugh at her own humor but managed only a barely noticable huff of air.

[Necris]

The old man frowned with dissapointment. While the unguents would dramatically increase her chances of a successful recovery, sleeping in the wild would not. He would have to get her to that inn he happened upon earlier, but he was too old to carry anything more than his staff and his bones.

He looked at the bear nearby, and then looked back down at her. A realization came to his mind and he proded at her with the base of his staff after standing up, "I know you can hear me now. Tell your furry friend there to come forward and pick you up, and tell him to follow my shadow. I will guide the both of you to a nearby inn." He took a few steps back and observed the bear. In his old age and experience, he learned that while rangers would often choose their pets, it is also not uncommon to see their pets choose them. He turned and began to slowly hobble his way down the path which brought him to her that morning. His age would not afford him much speed, but speed wasn't of the essence here.

[Necrotic]

"Oww" she thought as something hard poked at her, still in pain from the fight even a mosquito landing would have been painful....she thought she heard something about a friend and an inn....a place to sleep would be nice she mused to herself....someplace where the beds are softer than the grass she was now laying on. "He wants me to follow." she heard "He wants me to bring you."

Knowing that she could not survive out here alone she used what little new strength she had to try and say "Please.....do." not even certain the words had left her mouth she wondered if they heard. She realized then that she was being dragged along the ground, not harshly but as though they were trying very carefully not to move her too fast. Despite the care they took she felt something catch on the shaft of the arrow still in her leg, sending a wave of pain through her so intense she saw colors that she never before imagined, a quick gasp of agony was all the indication of pain her body could summon before darkness took her again.

The bear stopped tugging at her and began licking her face, then turned to look at the man who had helped.

[Necris]

The old man continued to walk when the bear stopped. It was only when he realized that he no longer heard the splendid sound of a dragging body that he stopped to turn. He saw that the beast was watching him and from underneath his hood he frowned with an audible sigh. "You look at me as if you expect me to carry her. I guess you cannot hear the insanity inducing creaking of my own bones as much as I can. Hah!" His laugh sounded like sharp claws scraping across polished wood. He then went into a coughing fit before calming down and hobbling over to the bear. It stood up in a defensive posture on its hind legs.

The old man bonked it on its snout with the head of his staff and shouted, "Don't you dare presume to raise a paw against me, you... you... furry beast!" He waited a moment, staring down the bear (if that was possible) with his own eyes that glinted a shining yellow from underneath a hood that was falling back a little as he tilted his head upwards. "Now get back down and lay still while I try to get her on your back with what meager strength I can muster."

[Thornblade]

Maksha awoke with a start and almost fell out of bed. After groggily shaking his head to clear the fatigue, he pulled back the sheets, stood up and stretched.

After putting his armour back on he went over to the window. The sun was high in the sky, it was almost midday. 'Damnit,' Maksha though to himself, 'I need to wake up earlier.' He grabbed his composite bow and quiver and headed for the stairs.

The common room was empty, not even the barman was present to serve guests a simple breakfast.
"Looks like I'll need to hunt for breakfast, as usual." He said to himself. He crossed the room and opened the door, breathing the fresh air in deeply. He enjoyed a drink in the inn as much as the next man, but he found the air inside most taverns to taste stale and bitter. He closed the door behind him and was about to start walking when he noticed footsteps in the dirt. A large number of them went in the direction of Beetletun, obviously from the locals, but one set led up a different road. Maksha had passed through this area enough times to know there were no houses or other settlements up that road. 'Maybe that's the necromancer... I didn't like the look of him, I better see what he's up to.' Maksha followed the tracks for a few paces, then moved to the edge of the road, concealed within the treeline.

((OOC: Sorry if there are a few typo's in there, I'm on a horrible keyboard right now...))

[Necris]

The old man was walking down the middle of the pathway which led to the inn. He was still roughly half an hour's journey from the tavern, but, unknown to him, lurking in the bushes, would be the other ranger. Lumbering close to the old man was a large furry shape. A bear? Why was a bear following this cloaked figure?

Wait. There was something on the bear.

As the two came closer, the ranger could see that the bear had a passenger on its back. A young, little girl who was not moving. She was laying on the beast with his arms and legs hanging over its sides. With every step, it would appear as if she were to fall off but the bear appeared quite capable of keeping her steady. Suddenly the bear stopped and sniffed the air. This hesitation caused the old man to turn and look at it. That was when he spoke, a voice that sounded like sandpaper against rough cement,

"You stop. Why? There is no food here." The beast ignored him and its snout waved about in the air continually until it finally stopped. Then it growled, a sound that shook the very ground, in the direction of the roads edge.

The old man now appeared to be at attention. He looked in the same direction as the beast and readied his staff. It's head of gnarled wood began to glow purple, faintly. He appeared decent enough to give a warning, "Whatever hides in that shrubbery, step out where I can see you. As much as I would enjoy the sight of decaying trees and bushes, I would rather not waste my talents on having to dispatch simple ruffians."

[Thornblade]

Stunned at suddenly being discovered, Maksha glared at the bear. 'Damn wildlife.' He thought. He quickly weighed up his options. Being caught by a deadly wave of decay did not sound like a pleasant way to go, but there was no telling what the necromancer would do if Maksha revealed himself.

Making his decision in an instant, Maksha boldly stepped from the treeline with a broad arrow nocked to his bow. "Who are you?" He asked, "And who is she?" He indicated the girl with a nod of his head.

[Necris]

The old man's gaze lay trained on this opposing traveller. His face was still hidden by the hooded cloak around his head and body. Ah. Another ranger. He thought. There was a bit of a rhasping chuckle that permeated from the old man's throat and he stowed his staff. The young man was not a threat to him, he decided. The staff's head lost its faint glow, but that wouldn't make the Ranger feel any safer in his presence.

The old man began to slowly hobble his way down the path with the aid of his equally old and gnarled staff, continuing on his journey to the Inn and spoke as he went about, "Our identities do not need to be exchanged, I merely wanted to know if I had accidentally happened upon some threatening force." His head lifted slightly and the ranger caught a glimpse of two faint speckled specks gazing out at him from under the hood. "And I decided you are not a threat."

He spoke again when he was closer, "This body comes from the inn that I left." He pointed at the Ranger standing before him with one spindly-fingered hand, "Make it useful and keep the little girl from falling off the beast." His smell was foul and sour. It would explain why the beast kept its distance from him. And his voice... it rhasped more than a ghost.

[Thornblade]

Ignoring the last comment the necromancer made, Maksha stepped forward again, keeping the arrow trained at the man's chest. "I can be very threatening, if the situation requires it." He exclaimed. With that he tilted his head down and whispered some incantation, as if speaking to the bow itself. A light sparked up at the tip of the arrow and slithered down the shaft, writhing like a snake. Smiling in the glow of the conjured lightning, Maksha asked the question again. "Who are you?"

[Necris]

The old man ignored the petty threat and brushed lightly past the ranger, continuing his way down the path with the bear following at a respectful distance. The physical contact caused a very tiny little feeling of coldness to surge its way through the ranger's spine, but it quickly dissapeared.

The young lady was still unconscious. The ranger would see that she was heavily wounded, including a rather disturbing blow struck to her leg, the arrow was still stuck through that limb.

His back was now to the ranger, and the bear grunted as it lumbered past. He heard the old man's rhasping voice once more, "I've no time to waste. Keep her on the beast, it will not harm you." He stood still for a moment as a cough caused a shudder to run through his old frame. His head tilted to the side and he spat a bilous looking fluid into the dirt that, for a second, looked like it was bubbling.

The necromancer then continued on his way, uncaring as to whether or not the Ranger would help, or not. He leaned heavily on his staff to support his slow gait.

[Thornblade]

Maksha watched the old man walk away, anger racing through him. No-one else he had ever met responded to the threat of an elemental arrow through their chest in such a way. He didn't like this man one bit, but it seemed the girl was genuinely in need of help. The bear was having a tough time keeping her on it's back and plodding along behind the necromancer.

Maksha's stubborness got the better of him, however, and he walked back into the treeline in the direction of Beetletun, muttering about old age.

[The Thing]

A figure stepped out silently from the treeline, seemingly appearing out of thin air as its mottled armor blended in with the lights and shadows. Parvati prodded a dead tengu with a foot, as if checking its condition of non-life. Coming up behind her was a huffing and much more visible White Mantle Justiciar. "What's going on?" He asked authoritively.

"Looks like the Rogue Tengu finally got put down. Mauled by a bear, from the looks of it." answered Pai, shifting her foot to expose the tengu's bloody neck. "Well I guess that's 'Mission Accomplished.' "

"Not so fast!" barked the immaculately armored warrior. "We found the tengu dead. This warrants looking into; we must know who killed it, and why." He walked a little ahead, as if expecting the scout to simply produce evidence from nowhere.

Parvati gritted her teeth...this was by far the worst 'partner' she had been paired up with. Her green eyes gleamed as she unslung her bow from her shoulder and stooped to pick up one of the late tengu's arrows...who cared how the accursed bird had died? She nocked the arrow and pulled back, aiming at the back of the knight's neck, right at the armor joint. The bow creaked and groaned its soon-to-be-released fury, and in a flash, it was done. The man was dead before he hit the ground, the arrow protruding from both sides of his neck.

"Oh, look. It seems you've been killed by the tengu. How unfortunate." She told the body. Now at least she was free for a while from the (now literally) dead weight of a 'partner'.

[Necris]

The old man sighed tiredly. Young people. Useful bodies inhabited by stubborn minds. Bah!

He chanced a look behind him and saw that the bear was still following. At least they would get to the inn soon and there were no bandits or dangerous forms of wild-life on this part of the road. A pity that the Ranger didn't stick around. The necromancer had... uses for such a person. Perhaps once the little girl was revived, she might make a suitable substitute.

Half an hour passed. The Inn now stood before them. He turned to face the bear and said, "Stay here for a moment, beast. I'll return shortly." He disappeared through the door for a few minutes and came out with the barkeep. Necris took a few steps towards the bear and told it to let the barkeeper take the girl off of its back. The bribery of a fish was enough to get the bear to understand that his intentions were not bad.

Using his staff, he pointed at the girl and told the barkeep that it was okay to take her. The bear growled to warn them that she was under its protection but allowed them to fulfill their objectives. The Barkeep dissapeared through the door and, after giving the bear a few fish to eat and parting it with a few words, the necromancer dissapeared, leaving the bear to fend for itself, "Come back in one day. You will have your... master."

Inside the structure, the Necromancer sat in a little room, furnished with a bed, table and chair. He was on the chair, and a wounded little girl lay in bed. He would wait here, his head still covered by the hood and body concealed in the shrouded, torn garment that was his cloak. His staff lay in his lap, head and shoulders hunched forward against hands that were locked together by spider-like fingers. His eyes lay closed in thought.

One could almost mistake him for an avatar of Grenth himself in the dark room, lit only by a small candle. Its single window shielded by some cheap curtains.

The young girl was still unconscious, or asleep. Perhaps she had made the transition somewhere on the journey between here and where he had found her. She had been stripped and cleaned by one of the bar maidens, who also tucked her into the bed after taking the liberty to dress her in a simple nightgown. Her armour lay nearby, also cleaned and sown of its own wounds and her blood.

However, She still had the arrow in her leg.That would still require a monk to extract and heal. In the meantime, the Necromancer was using his powers to passively keep her from bleeding or being infected by disease.

Thus began the wait.

[Thornblade]

((OOC: Nice to see you back Thing, looks like the ball is rolling as promised :D))

Maksha walked almost silently, a natural adaption he had discovered while living in the hostile areas of the Maguuma. He walked on tip-toes, carely stepping over the dry twigs that littered the forest floor every now and then. His head snapped around as he heard muffled voices, not far from where he had left the path. He hurried through the thick undergrowth and accidentally stumbled on to the dirt road once more. Before him now was a dead White Mantle Justiciar, and a Tengu Brave as well. As he was looking around, the trees seemed to shift, until suddenly he realised he was staring at the form of another ranger, a girl. He smiled, "Looks like you took care of this Knight for me, those bloody Mantle don't like me very much."

((OOC: We must assume that because you are not dressed as a Mantle soldier, Maksha has no idea you are actually working for them. Poor guy.))

[Jink]

Name: Violet Blackjack
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Profession: Warrior/Monk
Armor: Platemail with silver-blue edging

Name: Rose Blackjack
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Profession: Elementalist/Ranger
Armor: Canthan dyed blue, Pyromancer's Aura

Two sisters of a rather large family, they are the children of one of the few surviving noble houses of Orr. The family had been exiled from their homeland early in the Guild Wars, and took up residence in Ascalon.

Violet is the more levelheaded of the two, experienced in battle and tempered by the Searing. She does not openly acknowledge her noble blood, rather wishing to remain just another nondescript warrioress. Her dark skin, blue eyes, and pale hair still mark her as a foreigner, however. She loves a good dark ale and sharing tales by a campfire in the middle of nowhere. She was trained in rudimentary monk arts, but prefers her blade over prayers.

Rose is quite opposite of her sister, flamboyant and rambuncious, and quite the model of a spoiled little princess. She still proudly wears the headdress of an Orrian noble, a web of finely wrought silver chains set with aquamarines, over her pale blue hair. She loves fine wine, rich clothing, and being doted on by others. She would rather be at a high society event than caught dead hiking through the Maguuma.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're just jealous because Daddy didn't get you any Canthan clothes!" Rose laughed as she skipped ahead of her sister. She pirouetted, showing off the finely embroidered skirt that was of a barely decent length to cover her rear end. "Daddy always gives me the best gifts!"

"I could care less," Violet muttered as she wiped sweat from her forehead. Unlike her sister's revealing wardrobe, Violet was encased in platemail armor, and it was torture in the hot, humid Krytan air. Her helmet rested atop her backpack, giving some relief to her head, but she could feel the sweat running down the rest of her body. The trees they walked under provided some shade as well. Violet longed for the inn that lay ahead, thirsting for a cold ale.

"I'll get Daddy to fetch me an animal from Cantha for my birthday!" Rose boasted, skipping backwards as she stuck out her tongue at her sister. "I'll get a crane, or a crab, or even a tiger--oof!" The elementalist tripped backward over a root that lay across the path and landed ungracefully on her derriere.

Violet laughed at her sister and walked past her a little ways. The path sloped downward here, giving her a view of what lay ahead. Violet paused for a moment, shading her eyes with a hand as she peered down the dappled path. She drew a startled breath as she caught sight of the gleaming white armor of a White Mantle knight.

"What is he doing here?" she murmured quietly. She felt a stab of fear - was he looking for them?! But before she could say anything to her sister, a camoflaged form took aim with a bow and sent an arrow flying through his neck. The knight fell without a sound. Violet stared for a moment, mouth agape.

"Gah - stupid roo--!" Rose was silenced as Violet clamped a gauntleted hand over her mouth. "Whmmhmmph-hmph?"

"Shh - we may be in trouble." Violet paused for a quick moment to slip her helmet onto her head, then straightened and took another look down the path. The camoflaged form had disappeared from view.

[Weezer_Blue]

A young man trounced through the mud of the swamps. He appeared to be in his late twenties. Sheathed at his side was a long, slender ******* [stupid text filter. Fine: Hand and a Half] sword. It's pewter-hued hilt was plainly leather wrapped and it's pommel was adorned only with a single glimmering stone of onyx.
The man pulled from his hip pocket a small compass and flipped it open, one side displayed the time, while the other quickly spun around before finding North. He closed it and stuffed it back into his pocket before slashing several thorned vines from his way with a short, blunt sword.
At his back was a quiver containing some forty odd arrows of different types. Stuffed between it's strap and his back was a modest bow. It was short and recurved where the string met the staff, a common design for a mounted archer.
The man was clothed from top to bottom in nothing but grey. He wore very little armour aside from a breastplate that reached only half-way down his torso, it's accompanied shoulder guards, and the two leather and metal gauntlets that covered the majority of his forearms and palms. Over all but his quiver, he wore a tattered, dirtied, and wet cloak that was indistinguishable between grey and green. Not a thing on him sparkled or showed any reflection.

After cutting his way through several more branches, the ranger stuffed the dirk into his belt and walked towards the inviting tavern. A sign hung proudly above it's door "The Monk's Retreat".
He shoved open the door, and without taking in anything but the smell of freshly brewed ale, he walked to the bar and ordered a pint of drink. And sat down, trying not to let the sheath of his sword get in the way, and slowly drank, looking out over his pitcher to examine the tavern's occupants.

[Description...
Name: Melros
Profession: R/W
Fighting Style: A finessful fighter who relies more upon his sword than his bow.]

[The Thing]

Parvati turned her head at the subtle sounds of minute twigs cracking. Only a trained ranger might hear and recognize another ranger trying to walk silently. The man stalking the underbrush came out onto the road and immediately noticed the shining form of the fallen knight. Pai hissed a curse under her breath. Then he seemed to peer confusingly at her before apparently realizing she was a person and not some part of the environment. Oh, how she loved this suit.

Thankfully, the man's words comforted her. His expression spoke of honesty as he confessed the Mantle's hostility towards him. Pai grinned, "The White Mantle is pretty good at making themselves unappreciated, aren't they?" It's true that the only part of her outfit that would show her affiliation to the Mantle was her cape, and that was torn off by a bunch of skales a few days back.

Something caught her eye from the top of the hill. The reflection of the sun on a piece of metal. Someone was walking over in their direction. "We might want to put a little distance between ourselves and the 'evidence'." she told the other ranger as she skipped back a few steps to blend into a tree. She pulled her mask up and a hood over her scarlet hair.

[Thornblade]

Maksha pulled his hunting mask up over his nose and mouth and paced backward into the undergrowth. His hair took care of itself as it was, what he called, 'bark brown'. In a loud whisper, he said, "Whoever you are, girl, we should make for the tavern down this road, it's only around a mile. As you say, we need to put some distance between us and this... incident. Even if I had no involvement, if the Mantle find me here they will say otherwise."

[The Thing]

Pai smirked under the cover of her mask. The man was right, of course. Being White Mantle, she would indeed say he was involved rather than herself. "A tavern a mile from here? Its construction must be fairly recent." I'd have known otherwise. she added silently. "Well in that case, if you'll kindly lead the way..." she whispered at the ranger's intention.

[Thornblade]

"We'll get there faster on the road, and speed is of the essence it would seem. Come." Maksha said, and with that he began to run.

As he ran, he uttered a small enchantment under his breath, giving himself and the other ranger a light wind to speed their travel.

((OOC: I just read the entire thread from the beginning, and I realise now that I caused Parvati to lose her cape against your will. I didn't realise before that she was wearing a White Mantle one, which is why I said Maksha had no idea she was with the Mantle. Sorry Thing, if you want we can change it, but thanks for covering it up with the 'losing it to the skales' thing.))

[Mahtar]

((OOC:
Character:
Name: Makil Taure (Male)
Age: 19
Profession: W/R
Appearance: Average height (for a warrior so some where near 6 foot), verry short black hair with a small amount of unshaven stubble and (though i doubt any1 cares) brown eyes.
Armour: Ascalon armour normal colour
Background: Since he was old enough Makil ventured out into the wilderness of Ascalon with his father and after the searing he travelled to Kryta (before Rurik) seeking adventure and thrill of the hunt. Makil uses his bow to take down enemies from range before charging in for the final blow with his sword
(This is my first time so sorry if I make some mistakes. Oh and I’m not very good with grammar so please just tell me if I get it wrong)
))

Makil lay in the golden sands of the beach hidden from view just down a small ditch listening to the sounds of the passing bog skales. Grasping his bow tight he took aim slowly and carefully waited for his chance. Focusing his gaze on his target Makil let his hand loosen its grip and with a quick swish the arrow flew through the air soaring over the bog skales and landing in the sand. Makil dropped his bow and charged at full speed towards the skales his sword raised high, with a loud bang the arrow exploded scattering sand and distracting the skales as they turned to face where the arrow had been. With three swipes of his sword the skales fell with no fight Makil quickly gathered what little he could from the corpses, his tactics were good for the kill but never for stealth. Standing upright he glanced down the beach where a group of skales were running towards him, then up the beach where Mergoyle were coming to inspect the explosion. Grabbing his bow and shield from the ditch where he had lay Makil decided to make a break for the safety of Beetletun. Running flat out across the open land Makil did not take time to check if he was being followed. Now on the path he slowed slightly listening, nothing. A smile came to his face, no beast could catch him, rounding the last corner to Beetletun he turned his head to check again, still nothing. He turned his head back with a wide smile across his face before quickly replacing it with a shocked expression as he crashed right into someone lost his footing and crashed to the ground, his sword slipped from his grasp and landed with a muffled thud in the earth near his right foot as the coins and items he had gathered scatted across the ground.

[Necrotic]

The smells were intense....she could make out the dank, stale smell of a small house or room and associated scents... but the one troubling her the most was the scent of decaying flesh that seemed to permeate the room. Adara managed to open her eyes and was greeted with dim light and shadows soo dark that she thought them to be denizens of the underworld in the flickering light which gave a surreal and confusing cast to everything in the room. She looked about the small space to see if anything was familiar but it seemed to have no real detail until she saw the figure sitting next to her bed.

"Are you here to take me to Grenth?" Adara spoke with the faintest voice she had....she was not certain after all, that what she saw was real.

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

[Necris]

The old man smiled underneath the hood of his cloak. If the room had been lit a little better, one could make out his unstraightened, yellowed teeth gleaming out from cracked lips at her.

His ghostly voice rose up from a hoarse throat, like an almost painful whisper in her ear, "Your time to meet the unmaker has not yet been decided, child. Grenth has many other things to worry about before he concerns himself with your young flesh."

He extended his staff towards the curtains and wooden blinds that kept the afternoon light from entering the room, and with it, opened them. The window now became the room's sun, light touched everything.

The cloaked figure returned his staff back to his lap and continued to sit and watch her with his hunched over, gargoyle-like stance. She could not see his face, but at least she could now clearly see the body of her 'rescuer'. One leg was uncovered by the cloak and it was covered by rotting leather and rusted metal bits and pieces. He spoke to her once more.

"Do not rise for the most dangerous of your wounds have yet to be healed. A missile has struck your leg and I have been keeping the wound from bleeding or being infected. You will need a monk, or someone with similar expertise to remove it." His breath smelled sour, although not overly foul. Just unpleasant.

His tone changed at the discovery of her tears. It was sharp and terse, "Don't."

[Necrotic]

When the sunlight burst into the room Adara felt relieved that she wasn't dead and awaiting judgement for passage into the next life...she hadn't finished with this one yet and there were so many things she wanted to do.

The tears of dread turned instantly to tears of joy but she didn't wish to offend her rescuer and wiped them away with the blanket that was at her chin. She became a bit embarassed when she realized she was not in her own clothes and wondered if this man was the one who had removed them. Adara then remembered the bear and feeling her face where she remembered getting licked "I wonder why he didn't eat me..." she said aloud "I guess I must not have tasted as good as the bird after all." and she managed a short laugh at that.

Considering what the man had said she wondered if she should attempt to heal her leg wound or allow someone else who is more experienced to do so.

She turned her head toward the man seated next to her "My name is Adara...thankyou for saving me from an early death."

[Necris]

The old man huffed a cough of disgruntlement. He placed his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, his chin resting on his locked fingers. She could hear his bones creaking with the weight of his body. He said nothing for a very long time, seeming to either watch her or stare through her at thoughts that bubbled in his brain.

He then spoke, "Pain is a shameful thing to waste, but a delicious thing to taste..." He nodded in the general direction of the end of the bed which faced the door. "Your armour is over there."

He then thought for another moment, and, his voice rhasping, he recalled, "Your furry friend will return when the sun reaches its zenith on the morrow. It was that beast that helped me bring you here." She saw the wrinkles of a frown grow on the lips and chin that were uncovered by the dark hood on his head, "Your flesh will not be disturbed in its lodgings here. I saw fit that as long as you have that crippling wound in your leg, you won't be thrown out of the inn."

He leaned back, and her ears were met by more gentle creaking of his bones. His voice wheezed, "It is because of me that you feel no pain from the wound in your leg, that you do not bleed, that you do not become diseased." His head slightly ****ed to the right, "It will be so until a healer comes to remove the missile and seal the wound. Until then do not move from that nest."

His head lifted enough that she could see the faint glimmer of his eyes in the dark of the hood. There was curiousity in them. "So young, yet you are a ranger. How is it that you are not familiar with the lore of your own creed? A ranger is a creature who chooses, or is chosen, by a denizen of the wild?"

His cracked lips curled upwards, yellowed teeth slightly exposed in a sneer, "In your case, a bear."

[Necrotic]

Adara lay in wonder at the revelation....could it be true she thought. Her clan was well known for their trapping skills and were good enough hunters to always have extra meat to sell or trade even during the harder winters. She had simply become used to the idea of not having a pet around that she may one day need to eat to survive.

The bear did seem to arrive just in time to keep her alive...perhaps fate had intervened to change what she thought was her destiny, realizing her mind was wandering a bit she turned back to the man "Umm....I don't mean to impose upon you sir....but..." Adara looked down at the floorboards sheepishly " well.....I'm a bit hungry....and, well....I had intended to cook that bird for...." her voice trailing off. She didn't want to seem ungrateful but her stomach had been empty for several days now since the run-in with the Ettin at a cliff.

"I could probably heal my own leg....if someone else were to remove the arrow." she said in an attempt to sound more self-sufficient.

[Necris]

In the very little light that made it into the darkness of his hood Adara could make out the faint wrinkles of a furrowed brow. The old man leaned slowly forward, the noise of creaking bones echoing in her ears. He spoke, "The flesh's cry for sustanunce was something not overlooked. Food will be served to this room within the hour, and at another interval during today." His head tilted slightly to one side as if looking sidelong at the floor, "And on the morrow should a healer not come by on this day."

His head twitched slightly, the hood ruffled by this sudden motion but not enough to betray his face. She could feel his gaze descend upon her, "The missile's head has been embedded into the flesh. To remove it would break the bones and the tear muscle. It is barbed. I know this because of the way your leg cries in pain to me. It does not cry to you, however, which is why you aren't screaming the name of your god at this moment." As he spoke, she could see the faint shining grin of yellowed teeth growing under the cover of the hood.

[Thornblade]

((OOC: Sorry I haven't posted yet, really waiting for The Thing to catch up :D))

[Necrotic]

Adara stared at her right leg which was covered to the knee but the rest left open for the protruding arrow, which while considerably shorter than it had been, was still enough of an obstacle to prevent her from being comfortable.

As she stared she began feeling helpless, again she wanted to cry but decided to wait until after her rescuer was gone. "Thankyou....for everything." she said quietly, then almost without concern for the answer "How long was I asleep?"

[Necris]

The old man leaned back a little more, the weight of his frail frame causing the chair to creak along with his old bones. He thought for a moment before answering her question, "A few hours. You were unconscious for the most part, don't mistake that with sleeping."

A fist gently rapped against the door, and the man rose his hoarse voice a little to usher in whoever it was. "Come!"

A waitress came in with a wooden serving tray which was topped with a wooden plate and mug. The old man waved her in the direction of the bed, "Set that there, on her thighs."

The mug, Adara would discover, had water, and the plate had several thick slices of roast beast, glazed with what smelled like a mixture of ground black pepper, parsley, and a gloss of sweet honey. White bread was set to one side while a small bowl of lettuce, lathered with a bit of olive oil and ground mint leaves completed the platter.

The old man extended his wrinkled, spider-like hand towards her and said, "Eat." He then used the support of his wooden staff to stand up and began to slowly hobble his way to the door after the waitress, speaking as he left, "I will be in the tavern for an hour. Upon its end I will return to check on you. My powers will continue to passively keep the leg from bleeding and being infected regardless of whether I am in this room or not."

It would take him a few seconds to get out of the room due to his age and weak body. If she had anything to say, she would have to say it now before he left.

[Necrotic]

Adara had the mug half finished before the man could even get out the door....her mouth was quite dry. She looked at the meal before her and began eating with a bit of viciousness, tasting it just enough to know it was fairly good food. The bread was especially tasty to her....since it had been several weeks since she last had any....and that ended up moldy after only a few days.

After her plate was half emptied she slowed down to enjoy the food more, and to think about her uncle, wondering if he might be able to find her here...wherever here was.

[Necris]

Clunk, tok-tok. Clunk, tok-tok.

The figure of the cloaked old man made his way down the staircase from the rooms above to the tavern below. His eyes, always under the shadow of his hood, made a subtle scan of the large hall. For the most part everything looked the way it did when he first came in - there were men playing a dice game around a table, some were enjoying a cold drink at the bar, others were eating supper at their own tables. Among all of them, he did pick out the shape of a Ranger enjoying a drink on his own in a far off table.

His favourite table, the one in the darkened corner, was conviniently vacant. Perhaps, in the eyes of everyone here, he had left some kind of taint on the spot he chose to rest. Let them think that. He thought.

He made his way at a gentle pace to his spot and sat down. He was not disturbed by the barkeep or any of his busty maids - this the old man had seen to the day before. He would have his peace as he watched everyone from his quiet and dark little corner table. Perhaps he would find the one he was looking for amongst this rabble if he waited long enough.

[Jink]

"Act casual," Violet whispered to her sister as they approached the body of the White Mantle knight.

"'Act casual?'" Rose whispered back incredulously. "It's a dead body - I ought to be running to the next town, screaming my head off!"

"However amusing that would be, I don't think it would do us any good." Violet was trying to gauge how concerned she should act, when Rose walked right up to the body and started rummaging through his belongings. "Roooooossssse," she hissed between her teeth.

"What? This is what we usually do, so I'm doing what you told me to." She stood up with a pouty expression and dusted off her hands. "He doesn't have anything of worth anyway."

Violet gritted her teeth and studied the trees around them, but she didn't see any sign of the camoflaged person that had killed the knight. Her helmet muffled a lot of the subtler noises as well, so she had to hope that Rose was paying attention enough to hear anything out of the ordinary. "Let's get moving."

Rose shrugged her shoulders and started skipping down the path. Violet muttered under her breath and hurried to keep up. Soon the path forked and curved around a hill, behind which a curl of smoke could be seen. Violet urged her sister to pick up her pace as she broke out into a trot. Soon, soon... They rounded the hill and the Monk's Retreat came into view.

"Praise to Balthazar - we're finally here," Violet declared as she removed her helmet. Yea gods, she was sweating like a pig.

"We would have gotten here faster if you hadn't insisted on mopping up the undead south of the Temple," Rose remarked.

"I didn't insist on it - you did, you bloodthirsty pyro."

"Oh yeah." Rose giggled and lifted her hand, a wreath of flame encircling her fingers. "Undead burn quite well."

"Put that away. I don't want you burning the place down."

Rose giggled again, and Violet just sighed. She opened the door, affording the room the briefest of glances as she pointed at the barkeep. "Draw me a tankard of your darkest, coldest brew, and you will be well rewarded!"

The barkeep stared at her for a moment of surprise, then sent one of the barmaids to the cellar to fetch a fresh keg.

Rose snorted and murmured to herself, "Do we even have any money?"

[Necris]

The old man lifted his hooded head at the sound and presence of new flesh in the building. There were two of them, he observed. He watched them from the darkness of the poorly lit corner-table.

One was a very young and spry little girl whose clothing left very little to the imagination. Very little... He thought with disgust. Elementalists.He knew. It was incredibly easy to identify an elementalist. So vain. Human pea****s!(OOC: Sorry... I know most of you realize what bird I am talking about, yes?)

The other was an older woman. Her body was heavy with metal armour, completed with a sheathed sword and a helmet under the crook of her arm. A warrioress... He smiled under the darkness that was cast over his face by the hood on his head. In his many lengthy tavels, he had yet to have the pleasure to meet one who has trained their flesh in the ways of that profession. There were uses for a body which was so well endowed with physical strength.

He decided he would sit back and watch them for awhile. He wouldn't be noticed due to his seating choice. Not until he wanted to be noticed, at anyrate.

That was when he smelled something. A nostril flared. But what is this?..

[Thornblade]

Maksha could see the tavern up ahead, so he let the beneficial wind die down, and turned to speak to the other ranger. His face fell when he realised he was alone. Presuming she would be here soon under her own steam, he walked towards the inn and stepped inside.

It appeared things were almost the same as when he had entered the other night, the scary necromancer still sat in the dark, and the regular folk were seated at the bar. However, the presence of two attractive women, a warrior and an elementalist by the look of them, instantly caught Maksha's attention. He moved to his familiar table by the window and signalled a goblet of water from the barman.

[Jink]

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/4724/violetht4.th.jpg (http://img180.imageshack.us/my.php?image=violetht4.jpg) Violet http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/2446/rosexc5.th.jpg (http://img180.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rosexc5.jpg) Rose

Violet strod over to the bar and leaned against it, dropping her pack beside her on the floor. The barkeep placed her tankard before her and she took a deep drink of it, followed by a relieved, "Ahhh!"

Rose sauntered up to the bar and waved for the barkeep's attention. "I'll have a nice balanced chardonnay with good body and a robust taste," she ordered, inspecting her fingernails. "If it's a bit lemony, all the better."

The barkeep gave her a long stare as well, then motioned to one of the snickering barmaids. The woman disappeared into the back and returned with a bottle that she manhandled into giving up its cork. She brusquely poured the wine into a pewter goblet and plopped it in front of the elementalist with a disdainful snort.

Rose forced a grin, briefly entertaining the thought of setting the woman on fire. Instead she rolled the wine in the goblet until it had breathed sufficiently, and took a delicate sip. Immediately her face puckered and she sputtered, "Not - balanced at all!" She looked around the bar as if searching for a plant into which she could pour the rest of the offending drink. Her eyes fell upon the dark corner and she squinted, thinking perhaps she had found an elusive potted plant. Instead she caught sight of a hooded form that the shadows seemed to cling to....

Rose automatically recoiled and turned away, reacting to something that only her ranger training let her sense. Suddenly she felt very exposed, and self-consciously tugged downward at the back of her skirt as if to better cover her thighs. Violet noticed her sister's figeting and looked over to her. "What's wrong with you?"

"N-nothing," Rose replied indignantly, peering into the depths of her goblet. "Nothing at all."

[Mahtar]

"Watch where you're going" yelled the man picking himself up, he wore the clothes of a peasant maybe a farmer
"It's not like you moved out of my way" replied Makil, also regaining his feet and hilting his sword. The farmer mouthed soundlessly for a few moments, he was obviously not used to people being so rude, "What about my fruit? That took me months to grow! I demand compensation". Ignoring him Makil began collecting his more valuable items "I said...!"
"You can keep what is still on the floor" said Makil indicating the gold among the scattered fruit.
"That...That must be nearly 300 gold pieces" stuttered the farmer, his face quickly turning from shock and anger too plain shock.
"Looks more like 5 to me" Makil smiled to himself, it was a small price, he had something that was worth many times more than 500 gold pieces to the right person and he knew just who to sell it too.

[Necris]

A smile graced the old man's cracked lips from under his hood as he watched the girl's reaction to him. I still have it... He thought with a bit of comfort. Then again, he never did loose it. Whatever it was. He wasn't interested in that strumpet of an elementalist, however. It was her sister he needed. That smell... He thought.

He stood as he reached the decision to approach her now. His old bones creaked with the effort of supporting an old body. To many, that body always looked like it was on the verge of collapsing.

With the support of his wooden staff he steadily made his way to the bar where the two young girls sat.

Clunk!Tok-tok.

The loud sound of his staff against the floor caused a veil of silence to descend on the tavern. All became quiet, except for a rowdy drunkard who, against the best wishes of his friends, just had to sing one more drinking song. Regardless, it became quiet enough for the sound of his two feet clicking against the wood. His bones creaked with every step.

Clunk!Tok-tok.

It was like listening to the heart of a clock. A constant, steady, rhythmic sound. A reminder of time. Time was always going and never returning. A chilling thought for those who would think it.

Clunk!Tok-tok.

The cloaked figure, in that moment of silence, seemed to be a figure of time as well. A faceless, hooded body. His steps like that of a metronome. Head and shoulders hunched like a vulture, come to watch the death of a poor creature before feasting on it.

Clunk!Tok-tok.

There was something wrong about this old man. Whether it was because he caused a rowdy tavern to go quiet at the sound of his footsteps, or because of the smell that now reached the noses of the two girls at his presence. Maybe it was something else altogether. There was just something wrong.

Clunk!Tok-tok.
Clunk!

The final step came from his staff. There was an air of finality about that act. He stopped at a respectable five or six paces from the seat that held the weight of the iron-clad woman. To the inconvinience of everyone at the bar he brought with him a smell of rotting leather, or rotting flesh to those with wild imaginations... When he spoke, his hoarse voice rhasped with effort.

"If I may have a wee word, maiden of iron," He breathed, "You have the... stench of Dwayna about you."

His head raised a little so that he may look at her. In the darkness of his hood, she could see the glimmer of his sunken eyes peering out at her, but nothing else.

"I am in need of the services of a body which has been tainted with her presence..." The hood tilted to one side with his head, "Help me, and I may give you a wee bit of a reward." It tilted in the opposite direction, "Abstain, and the patient may have a wee problem." Yellowed teeth shined out from the darkness of the hood at the promise of whatever that 'problem' held.

[Jink]

((OOC: Note that this occurs simultaneously with Necris' post))

Violet eyed her sister for a moment longer, wondering what had unnerved her. Usually Rose didn't spook that easily, save in cases of near death. Even then, she was more likely to turn into a whirlwind of elements rather than a stuttering girl. Violet took a deep drink of her ale, savoring the rich taste. Rose murmured a song to Melandru under her breath, using it to calm herself.

Clunk! Tok-tok.

Rose started, the song frozen on her lips as she grew pale. Her reaction did not go unnoticed by Violet, and the woman's eyes narrowed slightly, her hand paused in mid-air.

Clunk! Tok-tok.

Rose turned slightly towards her sister, her frightened eyes wide as she inaudibly whispered, "Violet..." Violet's eyes narrowed farther, and she placed her tankard on the bar.

Clunk! Tok-tok.

Her eyes met Rose's, and she gave her a wink. The elementalist swallowed nervously, but no longer appeared about to panic. Rose clamped one hand firmly around the fat stem of the goblet. The alcohol could burn - not a hot fire, but enough to cause distraction.

Clunk! Tok-tok.
Clunk!

Rose gasped as the full stench violated her nose and covered it with her free hand. Violet showed no reaction to the smell - long months spent on the front line in Ascalon had made the smell of death a constant companion.

"If I may have a wee word, maiden of iron - you have the... stench of Dwayna about you." His voice was horse with age, or perhaps disease.

Violet turned to face him, placing her elbows on the bar behind her as she gave him a mildly disinterested look. Physically, he appeared to be a frail, ancient man that had long outlived his prime. A quick blow to the center of his chest with the hilt of her sword would crush his heart. But Violet was wise enough that she knew he had other defenses to protect himself with. Any number of hexes could make her severely regret bringing physical harm to his body. There was no mistaking that he was a necromancer - the only question was what kind of Grenth-spawn was he, and what other powers did he command?

"I am in need of the services of a body which has been tainted with her presence... Help me, and I may give you a wee bit of a reward. Abstain, and the patient may have a wee problem."

"Tsuu..." Violet breathed out an old Orrian word that meant something along the lines of well, well. "You bring me a curious bargain, old master. How much is 'wee', and how does it define a reward or a problem. One necromancer's reward could be another warrior's problem."

[Necris]

His free arm came out from the folds of his grey, tattered cloak and took up a second position on his staff. He used this to further support himself upright. She was a curious girl, but the gleam in her eye told him that she had been quick to judge just what exactly this flesh was. A character that was quick to judge was sharp of wit and mind.

One had uses for such flesh... He mused.

He spoke to her, paying no attention to the younger sister that shivered with fright.

"Just a wee bit, child. Just a wee bit." He displayed the size by placing his index finger and thumb within a hair's breadth of each other. A chuckle may have been lost to the scratchiness of his tired throat. He replaced his hand back to its spot on his staff afterwards.

"Come." He rhasped as he slowly turned on his heels with the assistance of his staff, "I promised a bear that I would have its master healed before the morrow. I wouldn't want it to come crashing in here, slaughtering everyone in sight because an old man didn't fulfill his promise." He stopped for a moment and off to one side said to himself, "Or do I?.." There was a long pause before he began to make his way to the staircase which led to the upstairs lodgings. "No... no no. That wouldn't do." He murmured to himself with a sad tone.

Clunk! Tok-tok.

He did not even chance to look over his shoulder. He knew they would come - especially the warrioress. Dwayna's followers were always bound in some way to helping the innocent or the meek. Hah! He spoke as he walked his rhythmic, time-keeper's walk.

"I found her sometime ago. The child has an arrow in its leg. I trust you can heal a minor inconvinience such as that, yes?"

[Mahtar]

The sun hung low on the horizon, it had taken much longer to find a messenger than Makil had thought especially at the price he had offered. His backpack felt much lighter than when he had arived and his money jingled happily, it had been a great day, many kills, many rewards and the prospect of making more money than any previous reward from the one item he had not sold. Makil did not feel tired, the prospect of such a payoff gave him new energy but his buyer would be arriving at the small tavern he had seen on his way in to town, he decided on a good round of drinks and a nice sleep would be a better use for his new wealth.
Pushing open the door Makil took a swift look around the room, it was busier than he would have guessed from the outer appearance. Only 1 table in a shadowed corner was unocuppied along with a few seats at the bar. Taking the seat at the far end of the bar Makil motioned the barman to him and placed 3 bags of coins on the counter "You can take the first two for a room, food and drinks" he explained "but you may only have the third if you follow my instructions exactly, without any questions" the barman nodded in consent, Makil dropped his voice to less than a whisper "I must be woke by first light when i'm expecting a guest, who will ask for me. You will ask no questions but send him straight to me" the barman nodded again "You must tell no-one what i have said" the barman took two of the bags and Makil placed the other in his bag "I would like the strongest drink you have and as cold as it can come"

[Necrotic]

(OOC: Ahhhhrrrgg......dial-up.....well its better than nothing I suppose, only able to log in late at night to keep the phone free.)

Adara laid back against the fluffy pillow which was keeping her somewhat upright in the bed. She was still a little hungry even though there was not a single scrap of food left on the plates that still lay across her lap. She was just finishing off the mug of water when she thought she heard the old man moving around downstairs...after all he was quite loud when he moved, with the staff clunking about and all....of course he was probably noticable even to those who weren't rangers but to those used to listening for the brush of a tail against the grass....he was very loud.

She wondered what they looked like...the new folks who had just arrived and apparently caused the old man to stir....she thought there might be three of them, but she wasn't trying hard to keep track....not like she would if she were outside. She wanted to get her armor from the foot of her bed and put it on or at least throw her cloak over herself....the "nightgown" was just not making her feel protected....it was like wearing nothing at all compared to what she was used to. Adara also wanted to get her skinning knife and tuck it under her pillow in case of ...."well, just in case..." she thought.

She wanted to move....but the pain was just at the edge of her awareness....not gone completely but at a point where she didnt notice it and she was worried it might overwhelm her again if she tried to move. "Besides," she thought...."what if the old man really did have something to do with it and he told me if I moved, whatever he did wouldn't help me anymore." she frowned in frustration until she realized that the old man sounded like he was coming toward the stairs.

"Ohh....did he find a monk?" she said out loud and she tried to move the plates onto the floor to her left carefully but not wanting to stretch too far she let one slip off and it hit the floor hard, though not hard enough to break it.

[Jink]

((OOC: Sorry about the long delay - work has been super-stressful recently x_x)

Violet watched the old man make his way to the stairs, another "tsuu" quietly escaping her lips. Bloody hell.... She sighed and shrugged to herself - what else could she do? - and got to her feet.

"Violet - you're not going with him, are you?" Rose hissed, fear in her voice.

"What else am I to do?" the warrioress returned casually. "You know the code of honor I follow." She gave her sister a tight grin. "Besides, I'll have you to back me up in case it's a trap."

"Like hell I'm going up there where he is!" Rose responded, her voice tight but some of her confidence returning.

Violet shrugged. "Stay here then, and wait for when he returns without me."

Rose went blue in the face - facing the necromancer without her sister beside her was almost too frightening for the elementalist to think about.

Violet picked up her pack and slung it over her shoulder, then proceeded to follow after the ancient necromancer. Rose hesitated for a long moment, then as her sister was about to disappear out of sight, she quickly jumped up from the stool and followed after.

[Mahtar]

Makil slammed the empty glass on the counter, while roaring with laughter as another man slid sideways off the stool in front of him. "Come on!" he laughed "Can no one here hold a bit of drink". The man on the floor scrambled to his feet and rushed out the door his hand clamped tight over his mouth. Makil let out another roar of laughter but cut short for a brief glimpse of the back of two girls who had just crossed the room and went up the stairs. "How 'bout you?" he asked. A man near by shook his head and turned away "Ok I’ll make it interesting then" he yelled to the room "The first person to out drink me gets 500 gold pieces" he motioned the barman for two more.

((OOC: I'm glad some1 posted iv been checking back for about a week, ok its not that long but im getting interested lol))

[The Thing]

((ooc: I'm really sorry for the long absence Thornblade, I'm having issues with my phone line. But now it's fixed...more or less.))


Parvati hesitated and halted for a moment. She watched the other ranger continue running off, unaware of her absence at his side. She wasn't sure why she was hesitating; perhaps there was no real reason at all. A few paces ahead or behind where she was expected, those were the places Pai felt most comfortable.

After a short deliberation, she opted to continue following him. And if he proved talkative she'd have to dispose of him.

Nearing the decrepit-looking tavern, she cast back her hood and mask to let her scarlet hair wave wildly in the wind. She stepped into the tavern's main room, which was still oddly quiet from the old man crossing the room. Pai knew something was wrong with a tavern when the only sound came in the form of hasty whispers.

After a few moments, though, the usual noise of speech rose in a roaring crescendo, like a storm after the passing of its eye. Pai walked inside and spotted Maksha sitting near a window. She took place next to him. "Hey, couldn't you wait up for a frail young lass?" she said, flicking a stray strand of crimson hair away from her right eye with a feigned expression of weariness.

[Thornblade]

((OOC: No worries Thing, I am currently on holiday in Switzerland. I will be back in around 5-6 days I think. I would type a post now but their keyboards are weird, I still have not found the apostrophe key, and the Z and Y are in strange locations...))

[Necris]

The old man smiled in the darkness of his hood, knowing that no one would see it. Manipulation of any Balthazarian or Dwayna follower was such an easy thing. Powers were not needed. It was what made them weak in his eyes.

That does not mean you should play with them, old man... The voice whispered in his head.

He continued to make his steady progress up the staircase. The rhythmic beat of his staff and two feet always announcing his passage. It did not take long for him to reach the doorway of Adara's room, the wood construction of which was thin enough for the injured girl to hear his rhasping voice on the other side.

He turned slowly on the heels, always making use of his thick, old wooden staff. The small glint which promised the gaze of two eyes looked out from the darkness of his hood. He was unsurprised to see the elementalist not far behind the warrior, but he paid her no mind.

"You will find her in there. She's awake now, so don't be shy about walking in unannounced. A knock for convinience's sake would be... advisable, though."

Something unknown made his head twitch in the direction of the door - a fleeting glance? But at what?

"I trust you to take care of her. In the event that she needs further rest, her lodging time has been extended for the next day. Her furry friend will be waiting for her tomorrow morning. A great bear of grizzly proportion. Shouldn't be hard to miss." He spoke with the tone of someone about to leave - which he indeed was. His body began to hobble forwards, towards the two girls. There was only one way down the staircase anyway.

The closer he came, the stronger that pungent smell of rotting leather became. Or was that flesh?

But there was something else unsettling about his presence. Always that elusive something. It was a fleeting thing - like the shadows that dance in the corners of your eyes making your head turn only to discover they are no longer there, or ever were, but you question their existence nonetheless.

This thing would only get worse the closer he was, but would also obviously weaken when he was farther.

"I will return to this establishment in a few days. I know I made a promise and you have my word as, not a necromancer, but as a tired old man past his prime, that you will get it."

The clunking of his staff, followed by the clink of his feet, could be heard throughout the inn. When he set foot in the wilderness outside the front door, he would be gone. The only trace of his visit to anyone who would dare follow would be some footprints in the dirt road.

((OOC: You'll have to forgive my tardy reply. I'm helping someone move into a new house so I had to make a quick exit. I will be watching though and I will rejoin the roleplay the moment I get the opportunity to. It's been a real pleasure everyone! I'll be back as soon as possible.))

[Weezer_Blue]

Melros looked around. It was getting too busy for his tastes. He rose as he drained the last drops of drink from his tin pitcher and rested his left hand on the hilt of his sword lazily. With a dull clank, he left several coins upon the bar and recieved his key without saying a word. The ranger walked upstairs and began removing his breastplate, gauntlets, and boots as he pushed the door open. Throwing his belt and sheathed sword into the corner, he locked the door and fell into bed, trying to ignore the sunlight that crept through the curtains. He carefully placed the dirk under his pillow and an uneasy rest swept over him like a rising tide.

[Mahtar]

Makil finished the verse of his song accompanied by a large group most of whom were very drunk and could barely stand. After no one had accepted his drinking challenge he had resigned him self to singing an old Krytan war song with a few of the loudest and drunkest in the bar. He took little note of the people squashing through the crowds but as an aged necromancer passed through it was hard not to notice how the room suddenly went quiet and a thin path opened, the noise returned as he passed through the door, tough much quieter, until a extremely drunk mesmer tried to show his friend how to do a back flip off a table and landed face first on the counter too a roar of laughter and applause.
After laughing with the rest of them Makil dropped a few more gold coins on the counter just above where the drunk mesmer now slept, he had had more drinks than he had originally paid for "Alright" he said to the group "I'd best be off". Collecting his key, his bag, his bow and his shield, he shook a few hands in farewell and forced his way through the crowd towards the stairs after a ranger carrying a dirk.
The door of the rangers’ room closed with a soft thump and a click. Makil felt his head cloud and he felt himself sway as he walked 'maybe it's just stronger ale around these parts' he thought, he stumbled on, stopping too steady him self against a wall just outside a partially open door, where he made out the image of three woman on the other side, then continued his legs felt weaker with every step. He finally reached his room, this was something more than mere drink he realised as he collapsed onto the bed but what was it he couldn't have been poisoned, he had bought all his own drinks and it could not be a disease he had been checked in town, so what? His eyes drooped as he stared through the open door he did not have the strength to even raise his head let alone close the door. His eyes closed and he passed into dream with a final thought back before the searing, of his friends and family in Ascalon.

((OOC: That turned out longer than id thought lol))

[Jink]

Violet watched the ancient man as he shuffled by them (while Rose somehow managed to squeeze herself between her sister and the wall so at no point there was nothing between her and the necromancer). She waited until the noise downstairs had died, then risen again, before taking her hand from the emblem of a hawk affixed to her sword belt.

Rose had her hand over her mouth and looked like she wanted to throw up. "There's something wrong with him, Violet," she whispered intensely. "Even for a necromancer. He's ... unnatural - even our guildmaster is nothing like that!"

"Our guildmaster isn't exactly normal, either," Violet countered, turning her gaze to her sister. "I mean, she has that laboratory...."

Rose waved her hands dismissively. "I can deal with having to bring her a bog skale or charr shaman or whatever's body every week. But I don't feel like I'm going to throw up every time I'm around her."

Violet chuckled and winked at her sister. "Maybe the old man just needs a hot scented bath and some tender loving care."

Rose stared at her sister in shock. "Ewwwww! Violet - ewwww!"

Violet chuckled again, and although the necromancer had unnerved her also, she knew how to deal with the fear so that it wouldn't cripple her. She was going to have to teach Rose better, it seemed. She turned to the door - it was time to get to business. Violet knocked twice on the wooded door, her gauntlets making some racket, and she opened it and stepped in. Rose followed, pausing a moment to watch first one warrior, then a drunken one make their way to their respective rooms. Then she closed the door behind her as Violet greeted the girl.

[Necrotic]

Adara had giggled at the comment about tender loving care and was still grinning when the knock came and the door swung open.

"A fighter..." she thought to herself, mildly dissappointed but confident that a monk would next walk through the door. When Rose followed, Adara was visibly dejected and took a moment to regain a sense of composure.

"Umm....hi...I don't suppose one of you could help with this, could you?" she said as she gestured toward her exposed leg "I think I can heal the damage on my own...it's just getting the arrow out that I need help with."

Once again trying to portray an independant, self-sufficient ranger and hoping that these two wouldn't see how alone and scared she felt.

[Jink]

Violet dropped her pack on the floor and stepped over to the girl's bed. "My name is Violet," she said, giving the ranger a reassuring smile. "The old master sent me to help you." She could tell the girl was frightened, and she tried her best to be soothing - namely not revealing that Violet was not as confident of her healing abilities as the necromancer had seemed to be.

She turned her attention to the wound, eyeing the arrow. The wooden shaft had been cut about four inches above the leg, and the wound cleaned as best as possible. The wound was deep, however, and wasn't going to get any better with the arrow still lodged in the bone. Violet wondered why the girl wasn't howling in pain at the moment - it was a very serious wound. The warrior tapped a finger against her chin, trying to recall one of the healing prayers of Dwayna.

She stood up and first removed her gauntlets, then the rest of her armor. "I hope you don't mind, but I've been broiling in here all day." She dropped the last piece on the pile and stretched. "That's better. Rose - go get some hot water and some clean cloths."

Rose rolled her eyes, but headed back out of the room, closing the door behind her. Violet pulled the chair over to the bed and sat down, her slender yet sword-calloused fingers palpating the girl's shin as she took a closer look at the wound. The arrowhead was barbed, the tiny yet wicked iron spikes hooked into the living bone. "Tsuu..." Violet murmured. "Bear with me, brave one. I am going to have to make the wound worse before I can make it better."

[Mahtar]

Makil raised his hand over his eyes. The sun still shone through the window, he had not been asleep long maybe only a minuet, the voices from the bar below were still as loud but now mixed with the much nearer voice from only short distance down the corridor. Kicking the door closed he removed his gloves and dropped them on the floor. He ran his hand through his hair but quickly stopped, froze stiff from a sudden thought, he searched on the floor, the bed, under the small table and even out in the corridor... where was his backpack? He let out a short laugh as he felt his shoulder, it was on his back. He shook his pack down to his hands he quickly walked back to his room and took a quick look down the corridor before closing and locking the door.
He pulled the curtain across the window even though it was still light outside. He sat on the bed and almost tearing his pack open extracted a fairly large glass vial containing a clear liquid and wrapped in what looked like a dirty white sheet. Releasing a sigh of relief he replaced the vial and the dirty sheet it was wrapped in, carefully back in his bag and pushed it carefully under the bed. Throwing his last piece of armour in a pile he climbed into bed with a small mental note to drink less before a big sale.

[Necrotic]

"Tsuu..." Violet murmured. "Bear with me, brave one. I am going to have to make the wound worse before I can make it better."

Adara thought for a moment then "The old man said he was doing something to keep it from hurting and to keep it clean, though I can't imagine how...it doesn't really hurt that bad." but just as Adara said the words she felt a wave of pain emanating from the place where Violet had touched the surface and she winced.

Adara murmered a quick litany to dull the pain, one she had learned from the Monks in Serentity Temple....her pain eased.

"I think it might be wearing off..." she hissed between her grinding teeth.

[Thornblade]

Maksha jerked awake when he heard a voice nearby. He blinked a few times, attempting to get his bearings in the dark common room, and suddenly realised the other ranger was sitting next to him. "Uh... hi..." He stammered, before he realised he was staring at her and he added, "Yeah, sorry about that, I was... tired." He fidgeted nervously, and broke the awkward silence by signalling to the barman for an ale.

[Necrotic]

(OOC: Yay.....you can type again....;) )

[The Thing]

Pai grinned at Maksha as he fidgeted around. "Oh, so you run faster when you are tired...gotcha." She noted the other ranger's stare, trying to decide whether or not this was sign of a certain weakness; when a barmaid stepped up with two full mugs, and generously swung them down on the table as Pai hissed her away jealously. It was now Parvati's turn to stare down haplessly at her mug. She didn't hold alcohol very well.

She rubbed the mug's handle with a climbing aid fitted under a fingertip, playing around with the idea of switching mugs once Maksha had finished his, and spoke again. "So what is it that makes you unappreciated by the White Mantle?" she asked softly in a secretive tone.

[Thornblade]

Thinking he'd finally found a companion, Maksha started blurting out everthing that he had seen the Mantle do at the Bloodstone. "And now they're after me because I've seen them killing innocents," he finished. He quickly drained the last of his ale and set his mug down.

[Necris]

((OOC: I removed my post, seeing as how Jink put another lengthy post in on the 4th page. Ignore all information inside this post. I will be posting it at another time - after Necrotic's next post, most likely but with chronometric modifications. Sorry Jink, didn't know you were still up and about.))

[Necrotic]

(OOC: Careful about accelerating time without everyone's consent....as far as I know I'm still waiting for the arrow to come out of my leg.)

[Necris]

((OOC: Yeah, I'm sorry about that Necrotic it's just that but someone else already did. One of Mahtar's posts. That and I haven't seen Jink come online in a long while. Maybe for safety's sake we can just assume that our old man is having some time trouble and he can't tell an afternoon from a day. He can be like that. This is in case no one consents.))

[Jink]

A frown creased Violet's brow as the girl mentioned the pain. She leaned over the wounded leg, placing her torso in the line of sight so as to keep the young ranger from seeing what she was doing. She pulled a small, fat-bladed dagger from a hidden sheath under her tunic, and spoke, "Brace yourself, I am going to remove the arrow now."

Without waiting for a reply, not even waiting for the girl's leg muscles to tense up in anticipation, Violet drove the tip of the dagger into the girl's shin bone. Bone cracked and the warrior's other hand snatched the barbed arrow and flung it away from the freshly bleeding wound. She placed her hand upon the girl's leg and prayed, "Lady Dwayna, purge her of the severity of this wound, so she might walk again."

The soft blue glow circled around the girl's leg, mending bone and the worst of the deep wound. The light faded, leaving an ugly, oozing puncture and some dark bruising. "Whew," Violet breathed, giving a relieved smile to the ranger. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

*******************

Rose made her way down the hall, muttering to herself under her breath. She paused at Makil's door, listening - when he had come up, he had seemed incredibly drunk or drugged, but his door was shut now and it sounded like he was still breathing. Snoring, actually. The elementalist shrugged and skipped to the stairs. She hesitated a long moment - what if the necromancer was still down there? Rose slowly made her way down, craning her neck to peer into the room as soon as she was able. No necromancer - good.

Rose smiled to herself and skipped the rest of the way down the stairs, her heels clomping loudly on the floorboards. Eyes turned her way, but she didn't care - she could burn them all in a heartbeat if they decided to threaten her. She stopped at the bar, drawing the attention of the barkeep.

"I need some hot water and clean cloths for the wounded girl upstairs," she stated, hoping that mentioning the girl would get that apathetic look off of the barkeep's face. It seemed to do the trick and the barkeep headed into the kitchen. Rose drummed her fingers on the bar top, listening to the sound of conversation around her. She picked out the words, "after me because I've seen them killing innocents," and turned her attention in the direction of a table by the window.

Two rangers sat there, one male, one female. It was the man that had spoken. Rose knew her curious gaze would be noticed by one or both of the rangers, so she covered it up by giving the man a flirty once-over with her eyes. What he doesn't know won't hurt him - at least not immediately, she thought to herself and giggled.

[Necrotic]

...Bone cracked and the warrior's other hand snatched the barbed arrow and flung it away from the freshly bleeding wound.

Adara screeched a piercing cry as the arrow was flung across the room where it caught on the wooden wall and stayed.

"Whew," Violet breathed, giving a relieved smile to the ranger. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Wiping the tears away from her eyes Adara hoarsly retorted "Maybe not for YOU!"

Most of the pain was gone now....only enough to remind her to not go hunting Tengu again anytime soon....especially not alone.

Adara looked at the woman and still wiping tears away said "Thankyou for helping me....I appreciate it greatly. My name is Adara...and I'm ...well, alone out here..." her voice trailed off as her gaze fell to the floor in the direction of her armor and stayed there for a long pause...then she jerked her head up and looked into the warrioress' eyes, her mouth opening as though she wanted to ask her something....but Adara did not speak and instead looked at the arrow hanging lazily on the wall.

[Necris]

((OOC: Minor change of plans. I am still here, watching the events unfold, but I decided to let more time pass - to let the ranger interact with her healer and the healer's sister. It will be a necessary experience for a little something I have planned... I'll post at a later time.))

[Necrotic]

(OOC: ~Dun-nun....dun-nun~ <Jaws music> .../e Looks around for a dorsal fin popping up outta the thread)

[Jink]

Rose let her skirt inch up along her thigh and leaned forward on the bar, making the outline of her bosom more obvious. She loved flirting - she enjoyed stringing men along until they gave her whatever she wanted in exchange for even the barest of kisses. Violet hated it when she did it though - many a time had Rose taken a pommel to the kidney when she tried to start her flirting game. There was no overbearing older sister present at the moment, however, and the ranger had caught Rose's attention.

"'Ere's yer water," the barkeep drawled as he plopped a bowl and several cloths by the elementalist's hand. Water splashed out and soaked one of the little sleeves of the Canthan outfit. Rose frowned, an arc of fire suddenly running down the fingers of her other hand. She swallowed her anger however, giving a strained smile of thanks to the barkeep. She picked up the bowl and cloths (leaving a hand-shaped scorch mark on the bar top) and started towards the stairs.

"Oi - you and yer sister have a tab to pay, don't ferget," the barkeep reminded her.

Rose smiled sweetly and leaned in close to the barkeep. "You see that ranger, the one by the window, in the dark green leathers? He said he would pay our tab for us."

"Did 'e now?"

"Oh yes - we met him on the road up here." Rose plastered a solemn, innocent expression on her face. "I swear on my honor as a noble." The barkeep didn't speak any other objections, and let the girl traipse back off upstairs. He would find out if she were speaking the truth or not when he gave the tab to the ranger.

***********************
Wiping the tears away from her eyes Adara hoarsly retorted "Maybe not for YOU!"
Violet rubbed the back of her head and laughed abashedly, trying not to reveal that she had actually been talking about her ability to remember healing prayers. I'm way too used to having arrows stuck in my hide - I forget that not everyone is as thick-skinned as a warrior. "Sorry about that - sometimes I'm as calloused as my hands."
"Thankyou for helping me....I appreciate it greatly. My name is Adara...and I'm ...well, alone out here..."
"You're welcome, Adara. One of my duties as a knight of the blade is to grant aid in those of need of it. But ... you say that you're alone - what about the old necromancer that brought me to you? Are you not traveling with him?"

[Necrotic]

.. what about the old necromancer that brought me to you? Are you not traveling with him?"
Looking back toward Violet she quickly answered "Oh no, no....no we're not travelling together. In fact I do not even know his name, but he did bring me here....the last thing I recall before waking up here was a large bear licking my face. I thought he was going to eat me." and she managed a faint giggle.

[The Thing]

Parvati listened to maksha with genuine interest. The sacrifices on the Bloodstone were things kept amongst the highest orders of the most zealous White Mantle. She remembered hearing similar stories from the Shining Blade, however. But those queasy yellow-bellies never could give such accurate tales as the one she had just heard.

Pai decided she'd keep this "companion" for herself after all and, masterfully taking on a concerned expression, put her hand on the ranger's shoulder to reconfort him. "That must have been a terrible sight. I can't believe the Mantle are doing this. To think everyone in the land are holding them in great praise..." She quieted down to let a silence hang betwen them. The righteous are so easy to manipulate, she thought. She caught Rose giving Maksha a flirty glance, before turning her charms to the barkeep. Being male didn't help either...

She turned her green eyes back to her "friend" and brought her head forward to speak softly into his ear. "And what do you plan to do, now that your face is known and wanted by the most powerful entity this side of the Shiverpeaks?"

[Thornblade]

Maksha looked hurt. "I may be a marked man, but that doesn't mean I'm easy to kill. They've sent 3 agents after me so far, and none of them walked away from the confrontation." He said the last few words with what might have been a hint of pride, and at the moment he noticed the elementalist by the barr giving him a look. He saw her skirt slide slowly up her leg, but then it was gone, and she was talking to the barman before turning and going upstairs.

"I'll get us some more drinks." Maksha said, as he stood and walked away. Approaching the barman, he asked, "Who was that girl?"
"No idea mate," came the reply, "but she said you'd offered to pay 'er tab. Eleven gold, in total, chop chop."
Maksha tried to protest, but not wanting to start a row and attract unwanted attention he dug into his belt pouch. He smacked eleven small coins on to the bar top and said with a grimace, "There. And you tell that girl that she should be wary of meeting me again. The next time she sees my face it will be behind a primed bow."

Maksha stalked back to his table and sat next to his accomplice. "That's daylight robbery, that is. Maybe we should go?"

[Jink]

"As I recall, the old master did mention something about a bear. He said that it was waiting for you to get better, or something like that." Violet shrugged. "I suppose he meant that same bear."

The door opened and Rose flitted inside, humming to herself. She pranced across the room and placed the bowl of water and towels down, and then declared, "I saw the cuuuuuuuutest ranger down there!"

"Oh bloody hell," Violet muttered. "And how much trouble did you get us into?"

"None at all!" Rose huffed, pouting at her sister. "Why must you always assume that I'm getting us into trouble!"

"Because you do."

"Oh shut up. You're just jealous." Rose turned away and peered out the window. "I bet I could have him eating out of the palm of my hand by tomorrow."

"Dolyak dung. Us being chased back into the Maguuma is what you'll have by tomorrow." Violet turned to Adara. "You'll have to forgive my sister - she's rather ... stupid."

"I am not!"

Violet proceeded to ignore her sister and asked, "So if you are out here traveling alone, where are you headed?"

[The Thing]

((ooc: I modified Pai's bio on the first page a teensy bit; but nothing that would alter the events thus far. But expect some interesting shenanigans later on. :P))


Pai snickered behind a hand as she heard Maksha's misfortune, and while his back was turned, poured the contents of her flagon into an empty gourd. It might come in handy later on. As the other ranger returned rather glumly, Pai shifted her chair to siddle up next to him and slipped an arm around his sleeve. "And do you have any particular place in mind, my partner in crime?" she cooed sweetly, inspired by the elementalist's mischievous interlude.

[Necrotic]

Adara watched the exchange between the two sisters blinking wide-eyedly as the two verbally fenced, her gaze switching from Violet to Rose as each spoke in turn.

"So if you are out here traveling alone, where are you headed?"
"Well....I don't really know. I mean I don't really have any sort of destination."
shifting her gaze back to the arrow still hanging on the wall "I'm sorta looking for someone....two people....I'm just not sure where to look."

Adara stretched her right leg a bit, wiggling her toes

[Thornblade]

"Not really." He replied, "I've just been wandering around. Normally there are Mantle agents to escape from, but they seem to have retreated for now." He sighed and laid back, content with Pai's arm on his.

[Necris]

((OOC: Since no one is doing anything with this roleplay, I might as well speak up and give everyone a kick in the bee-hind. This thing needs to get on its way. I told you, I've been watching.))

The old man hobbled his way back towards the inn. Nothing had changed in his appearance since he left not long ago which would give no visual clue as to where he had been.

He wasn't a long way from the inn; merely a few more minutes of walking should bring him through the front door.

As he walked, he thought of what he did. He wondered how they would take it. There was an opportunity for bathing his hands in blood, but the opportunity itself wasn't a very healthy one - for anyone here.

He decided that it would be more productive if he avoided that particular path... For now.

His thoughts went to the little girl he discovered and the other two young girls he found in the tavern. Were they still there? Would they accept his boon? Most people seek gold and riches - that Elementalist certainly gave him the impression of being incredibly... magpie-minded.

But the iron maiden... Perhaps she would leap at the opportunity he will present to her. Worshippers of Balthazar and Dwayna will always throw themselves into danger if it means spreading justice and peace in their names.

A canary suddenly flew from one of the trees dotting the path's edge not far from where he walked.

In his eyes it simply looked contradictory. If you're going to kill something you may as well be bloody honest about it!

It had what looked like a mid-flight muscle spasm before falling, dead, from above and hitting the path ahead of him with a light thump.

Calm your temper old man. The thought came. He sighed hoarsely continued on his way.

Ten minutes later he opened the door now him and made his way steadily through the bar. No one stood in his way, and, as usual, the room around him grew deathly quiet - with the exception of some gentle whispers from the clientele.

He recognized one of the two rangers sitting together off to one corner of the establishment – the bandit who held him at bow point - but his body didn’t betray his sudden recognition. He simply continued to make his way to the staircase.

The other ranger… A woman? The old man thought it would be an interesting experience to observe these two interact. No, not because he ‘swooned’ to be younger and mingle with the opposite sex. Blah! Women. They do nothing but manipulate a man by pulling at the strings of his body. That is a privilege reserved for followers of the Unmaker!

No… it wasn’t that. It was because he knew what she was. It was not a difficult thing to guess – if you know how to look, that is. He didn’t care for these petty squabbles between human factions. Shining Blade this, White Mantle that. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!

He merely thought it would be entertaining to watch the events between them unfold into the bandit’s inevitable… conclusion? Heheh…

His staff clunked audibly up the staircase. That metronome sound always announcing his presence.

Clunk! Tok-tok.

[Jink]

"Looking for someone, eh? We might be able to help with that," Violet remarked. "My guild has many contacts across Tyria. Two people won't be that hard to find, as long as you know who to bribe," she said with a wink.

"As long as you have money to bribe with," Rose snorted as she turned back away from the window.

"Tsuu - maybe you should ask your 'cuuuuute ranger' if he'll give you some," Violet said, rolling her eyes.

"Hmph - I think I just might will. After all, how could he possibly resist me?" Rose ran her hands down her body.

Violet shook her head. "Watch it sister - you don't need to be playing with any man's heart - or other body parts for that matter. I'll throw you to the necromancer instead."

Rose blushed deeply at first, then paled. "Y-you wouldn't!"

"I most certainly would. I might even get a good price for you."

"Argh! I hate you Violet! You're so cruel!" Rose ran out the door, slamming it behind her. She stomped down the hall to the stairs, angry at her sister and angry at herself for being angry. Waves of heat emanated from her body, both from embarassment and from her natural attunment to fire. Her clomping footsteps drowned out the tell-tale sound "Clunk! Tok-tok" that would have warned her to run back the opposite direction.

Rose, her eyes turned inward, ran headlong into the someone coming up the stairs. She grabbed at the man to keep him from falling backwards, sensing that he was elderly, mumbling an apology. Then the smell hit her. Her body froze as she recognized the ancient necromancer.

[Mahtar]

((OOC: Ok first off Jink i think u meant me in your first post on page 4 when u mentioned a drunk ranger so just to get that straight my char is a W/R. Also sorry about the length of this next post but i couldn't see a way to shorten it))
A cloaked figure swept through the bustling crowds of beetletun. Only his eyes were visible between his hooded cloak and tattered cloth mask. He never rested his eyes on a single spot as he took in every detail around him, from the thick stream of shoppers racing between shops and stalls too the few lion guards that sat taking little notice and in some cases playing card games. He moved swiftly through the town from the east gate to the north and out towards the tavern. As he approached the tavern he slowed his steps but his eyes moved faster and his ears twitched. He entered with even more caution taking in every face as he crossed to the counter and took the seat in the far corner.
“What can I get you?” the barman asked.
“I’m here to meet my friend, a warrior by the name of Makil” while muffled by his mask his voice was still clear
“He’s upstairs” the barman looked cautious but kept his voice warm “Room …”
“Tell him I’m here and ask him to come down” he withdrew a small flask from his cloak and took a long drink, for a moment the barman looked like he was ready to complain about this but thought better of it and sent the nearest barmaid to fetch the warrior.
Makil lepts from the bed clutching his sword in one hand from the barmaids first knock but hilted it again by the third “Go away I’m sleeping!” he said to the closed door
“Excuse me” replied a womans voice “I did not mean to wake you but your friend has arrived”
“What? Are you sure?” he asked, whipping the door open so quickly a faint cracking sound came from near its hinges.
“Yes” she said slowly, taking in his appearance. It took him a few seconds to realise what she found so funny
“Oh. Sorry” he part closed the door so only his head was visible, in his rush he had forgot he was still not wearing anything but his underwear “Did he bring a drink?”
“What? Er…yes” she looked slightly confused at the question
“Thanks tell him to come up”
“He asked that you come down to the bar”
“Tell him I’ll be right there then” she turned to walk away as he shut the door. Moving as fast as he could he quickly pulled on his armour, retrieved his bag from under the bed, shouldered his bag and bow and tightened his belt while only dimly aware of the shouting down the hall. He should have expected this he thought as he stopped for a second to double check his room. A door slamed jolting him from his thoughts and as loud footsteps travelled down the stairs he nearly ran from the room, locked the door and pelted down the corridor.
“’Scuse me” he said almost pushing his way past two people who stood halfway down the stairs, as he past he felt a strange cold wave from the first person but a distinct heat from the second and had the strangest feeling, like finding a volcano in the shiverpeaks. Leaping the last few steps he stopped and made his way to the cloaked figure at a walk. He took a seat next to the cloaked figure but kept his eyes infrot of him. "You're early" he said out the corner of his mouth
"Does it matter?" ask the figure but without waiting for an answer said "Have you got it?"

[Necris]

((OOC: What you are about to read is not an attempt at god moding, merely what happens when you come into physical contact with my character.))

CLUNK! Tok.

It happened a little too fast for him to see who it was that ran into him. Though, with ease, the old man used his gnarled staff to stop his fall before it ever began and with a quick back-step on the previous stair-step he helped anchor his position. Anger welled up in his body which he fought to control. Who did this?

Then, whomever it was made the poor mistake of actually touching him.

Her fingers made it through a tear in the cloak that kept his body concealed. Their skin would feel cold metal and rough leather - but because of the presence that radiated from his being - her mind would feel ice and rotten flesh. She was touching a dead body.

It started small, the new feeling that would now creep up her spine. Cold. Shivering. Paralysis. These could be used to describe it, but it was more than that... It would become more than that.

It reached her brain, and something awoke inside her head, or invaded it. It was difficult to tell and this simply added to the chaotic nature of the thing. Whatever it was, it awoke pure, uncontrolled madness in her mind.

The world as she knew it disappeared from her peripheral vision and a chilling darkness tried to consume what was left of her sight - she might have welcomed it too because all she saw was the hooded spectre of the old man's head.

What could only be described as the unholy song of the dead invaded her ears. It was everywhere - but this might as well be nowhere because she would be unable to look anywhere else. She heard a chorus of disembodied voices chanting to an impossible, incomprehensible monotone tune that could send a calm mind into a state of screaming confusion.

The old man's face disappeared and now, accompanying the chorus, came visions of the dead, dancing to a tune that only they should hear - but now she shared in that forbidden, taboo experience. It was impossible to tell where they were dancing as the environment appeared out of phase… All attempts to focus it would cause they very roots of her eyes to burn as if set aflame.

But there, amongst the chaos of these impossible dancers, stood a very familiar cloaked figure. It did not take part in the unholy festivities around it, but appeared to be watching. It moved, the hooded head gazing in her direction. Then:

Get out. The words could be felt in her core, like daggers being driven into her being.

It was too late. One of the dancers saw her, and it turned to her with its arm extended, a limb surrounded by flickering ethereal fire. Dance with us… The whisper went not to her ears but to her spirit. More voices came and they whispered the same thing. Dance with us… Dance with us…

Her mind screamed in pain from the sheer madness… But she could feel her spirit yearning to reach out and join them.

Then, just as she felt herself accept the offer, the vision abruptly disappeared and the voices stopped. She felt her physical body get pushed back. She no longer had any physical link to the old man.

No more than two seconds had passed between the beginning and end of the vision.

His hunched body stood two steps below her. She would know he was looking at her - regardless of the shadows wreathing his face under the hood. He retained his ground and his silence for a long time. The message was clear.

Never do that again.

Keeping his silence, he continued his way up the staircase towards the room containing the iron maiden and the little girl.

Clunk!Tok-tok.

The Elementalist would surely be haunted by those visions in her bed for many months ahead, but there was nothing the old man could do about that now. It was too late. She has seen something she should not have.

He opened the door to the room where the two women he sought could be found, and spoke with his hoarse, rasping voice. Whether he interrupted them or not he did not care. There were important matters at hand.

"My apologies for returning earlier than predicted. It appears that the reward I promised will not wait. If you wish to have it, you will need to travel with me. The young girl may come as well if you mended her flesh." The hood nodded respectfully in Adara's direction.

[Jink]

"Haah... haah...." Rose gasped, her eyes wide but her pupils constricted to pinpoints despite the darkness in the hall. She clapped her hand over her mouth and fell to her knees. Suddenly she vomited, the wine she had drunk earlier spilling onto the worn floorboards. She vacated her stomach until she dry-heaved, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Rose stayed there a moment longer, her breathing labored as he brain tried desperately to jump-start. Instead an uncontrollable panic built up in her chest, choking her. She abruptly leapt to her feet and started moving, started running, taking her anywhere but here. Down the stairs her feet led her. Each gasp was now a whimper, then a sob, then a cry, until she was screaming incoherently as she crossed the main tavern room. She rushed out the door, seeking refuge from the nightmares.

[Necris]

Ahh... I haven't heard someone scream like that in a long, long time... The old man thought giddily. His exterior, however, would only react to this new sound with a gentle sway of his head, ear tilting in the direction of the still open door, the way one would tilt his head at an interesting sound. He suppressed a smile that tried to pull at his cracked lips which luckily remained under the shadow of his hood.

((OOC: Short post to let everyone give their reactions before I do my next thing. Nice post, Jink! Brought a smile to my face. I'll assume her sister will react to the cacophony, right?))

[Jink]

((OOC: Thanks Necris! I also want to see Maksha's and Parvati's reactions to Rose before I go too far. :) ))

Violet paused in wiping her neck down with one of the cloths that she had wetted in the water. "She will be able to walk again, though there might be some residual pain. Where is it we will be traveling, old master?"

Then the sound reached her - someone was screaming downstairs. It only took a moment for the fact to register that she knew that voice.

"Rose?!" she exclaimed.

[The Thing]

((ooc: describing Pai's thoughts from the moment Necris entered the room.))

Pai smiled wickedly to herself as Maksha gladly accepted her physical contact. Too easy. A slight paranoia tugged at the edges of her mind. Way too easy. But he seem simply content with finally having an "ally". She wondered into which scheme she would bring him. Before doing both the White Mantle, herself, and Maksha a favor.

Clunk!Tok-tok.

Suddenly the whole cacophonous orchestra of the tavern fell silent to these three sharp notes. A man hobbled calmly through the bar - or was it from handicap? His figure was completely shrouded in a dark cloak, and Pai caught a whiff of rotten leather...or flesh? A dead man walking, or not far from it. There was no possible doubt of the cloaked figure's identity. She smelt and felt the collective fear of the entourage. Primal fear of decay. She stroked Maksha's arm like a pet, feeling very much like a wolf in a flock of sheep. She wanted to know what was under the ragged, dark cloak. A simple old man? Decayed armor? A decayed body?

But the necromancer did not stay long in the room, continuing upstairs instead. Whispers started rising from the people again, when a young elementalist, the flirty "daylight robber", ran down only moments later. She was whimpering like a frightened little girl, a whimper that gradually grew to a scream of terror as she ran out the door. Apparently the cloaked figure was responsible. The inn was now quiet as a morgue, everyone's cold shivers making the room seem almost chilly. Several people hastily but carefully made their way to the exit, taking care to make as little sound as possible in their flight.

Pai shivered with the feeling of fear emanating from the crowd. She instinctively bent her knees under her chair, as if ready to pounce on a hapless mouse. Her curiosity finally got the better of her discipline, and she stood up; lithely and quietly she skipped over to the door, and peered into the staircase. It was empty, but as she walked up the steps she felt a cold air, a chilling remnant of...something.

[Necrotic]

(OOC: changed to include things to make it clearer what is occuring and when.)
"I most certainly would. I might even get a good price for you."
Adara strained to contain the laugh welling up from inside as she watched Rose and Violet but as Rose stormed out she decided it was time to get out of bed and on to taking care of herself. She pulled the blankets back and sat upright in the bed, looking down at her leg and testing it...slowly bending it and then she decided to stand and see if it would bear weight.

Adara suddenly was lost in focus as she concentrated more on sounds outside the room, sounds that were not the sounds of normal activity....at least not all of them. The sound of someone vomiting was common in a tavern, but it did not come from downstairs. Then the frantic steps of someone not quite in control of themselves. And the scream of terror should have been heard by everyone in the building. She was trying to determine the direction Rose was running, after all....who else could it have been when...
"My apologies for returning earlier than predicted. It appears that the reward I promised will not wait. If you wish to have it, you will need to travel with me. The young girl may come as well if you mended her flesh." The hood nodded respectfully in Adara's direction.
The old man's entrance startled her and Adara lost her balance, plopping onto the bed and quickly grabbing the blanket to cover up.
"She will be able to walk again, though there might be some residual pain. Where is it we will be traveling, old master?"

Casting an accusing glare toward the necromancer she said with a bite in her voice "What did you do?" and then she looked toward the open door with concern.

[Mahtar]

Makil sat paying little attention to the crowd but even through this noise it was hard not to notice the sounds of screaming, vomiting and someone running from the room. "We shouldn't stay" said the masked figure to his right
"Yes...Yes just show it me" the figure quickly scetched a symbol on a peice of paper "Yes. Just let me get something". Making his way across the room against the tide of people heading to the door he forced his way onto the stairs. A femal ranger stood just past the fresh vomit that covered three steps on the exact spot he had passed the two people only moments ago. He had been in such a rush, what if he could have helped? "We should go" his buyer had joined him
"I'll...I'll leave it" he gave the key to the barman who stood in apparent shock at the sudden clearing of his bar "Keep it for me I'll be back soon"

[Thornblade]

Maksha watched the girl run from the tavern with glee. 'What goes around, comes around.' He though gladly. As Pai stood to examine the staircase, he went to the door and peered out into gathering darkness. The elementalist was nowhere to be seen. The road to Beetletun was deathly quiet, though many people were walking along it back to their homes, no doubt a rumour would spread that the tavern was cursed or haunted with a few days. Maksha walked up the east road a while, but still he could not see the frightened girl. As he walked back to the welcoming warmth of the tavern, he wondered about Pai. She seemed nice enough, but appearances can be decieving. Normally Maksha was very reserved from strangers, but he had spilled most of his tale to Pai in under an hour. He made a mental note of staying on his guard around her.

He walked in the tavern door and made his way over to the stairs where Pai still stood.

[Jink]

"What did you do?".
Violet blasted a deadly look at the necromancer and grabbed her sword. Her first instinct was to draw it and cut him down, but she overrode that in favor of finding her sister. "Stay here," she growled. "I expect you to explain yourself when I find Rose."

She launched herself into the hall, pausing momentarily at the puddle of vomit, then barreling down the stairs. She pulled up short of the two rangers and accosted them. "Where did the elementalist go?!"

****************************** ****************************

She ran.

She didn't know where she was going. She didn't care. She just had to get away. Away from the darkness. Away from the dance.

"Oh gods.... oh gods....."

The screams had become whimpers again as she ran. An inpenetrable darkness was following her, threatening to swallow her whole if she stopped moving. She ran through the fields, following no path but the one created by sheer panic.

Then she tripped on a broken fencepost and fell headlong down a grassy hill. Rolled and rolled and rolled she did, until she came to a rest near the edge of the woods and a small path. She gasped for air, exhausted from her long sprint. Her ankle pulsed with the pain from tripping, and it was that pain that gave her focus again, breaking her out of the panic.

What happened to me? Rose's thoughts were settling down quickly. A dark curtain seemed to fall in her mind, the subconscious sheltering the conscious. Something terrible had happened - something to do with the necromancer.... She shook her head to clear it. Everything was jumbled up.

[Necris]

"She will be able to walk again, though there might be some residual pain. Where is it we will be traveling, old master?"

He shut his eyes to think about how he should break the news of just where exactly their destination was, but then... The scream, of course...

"Rose?!" she exclaimed.

Under the shroud that covered his face, the old man frowned at her reaction, seeming to threaten him with the promise of a blade in his body.

"I expect you to explain yourself when I find Rose."

Then, appearing to have second thoughts, she charged by him and out of the room. He calmly stepped aside as she did, watching her in his silence. As she rushed past him, she would feel a pang of cold run up her spine. That feeling receeded as the distance between her and him grew. A question reached his ears, just then.

"What did you do?"

"Hmm?.." He hummed and turned his head in her direction. She could see a small glimmer of yellow in the darkness of his hood - the promise of a creepy smile pointed in her direction. Was he enjoying this, perhaps?.. His rhasping voice scratched at her ears as he spoke, the glimmer dissapearing.

"Child... I did not do anything." He corrected her, "Get dressed and come with me. We have a troubled young girl to catch." With that, he turned and used his staff to help him walk out of the room. Before he shut the door, he said, "You may want to hurry before she..." He stopped and thought it better to not feed anything to the young girl's imagination. The door shut with a gentle click.

He made his way steadily down the hall and stood at the top of the staircase, glancing at the puddle of mucky stomach refuse and clicked his tongue as he shook his head. Pity, that. He thought to himself.

His eyes turned to the maiden of iron as she was shouting at the two rangers.

He raised his voice so that they could all hear him and brought his staff down on the wooden floor, once. A voice so hoarse like that did not sound any better when it was used to shout across a tavern, in fact, it brought pain to one's ear-drums due to its grainy tone.

"SILENCE!" CLUNK!

He waited for them to calm down.

[Mahtar]

Makil still accompanied by his buyer made their way through the crowds of beetletun. A few wild rumours of a young girl in a bad state had already reached half the town, with the culprit ranging from the shining blade to the gods themselves and even some naming creatures from stories that could cast spells to destroy minds. It seemed only the girl was the same in every story.
Makil made a quick swap of bags with his buyer but was also handed two very well drawn pictures of a two people he had seen in the tavern along with another bag with a few items including some information they already had.
"We need as much information as you can get"
"Why can't your lot get it?" asked makil taking a book, two antidotes, a bottle of unguent, one bottle of poison and a small handful of arrows from his storage. The cloaked figure just shook their head "Ok but I want a favour this time"
"We can't..."
"I know. It won't be much"
"Fine" they said with much hesitation "But we want all the information" Makil deposited his earnings, took a bag of coins and set off back to the tavern while his buyer left through the east gate. This was going to be difficult, tracking creatures was easy most of them didn't have the common sense to realise they were being watched but people.

[Necrotic]

"Child... I did not do anything." He corrected her, "Get dressed and come with me. We have a troubled young girl to catch." With that, he turned and used his staff to help him walk out of the room. Before he shut the door, he said, "You may want to hurry before she..." He stopped and thought it better to not feed anything to the young girl's imagination. The door shut with a gentle click.

Adara sat staring at the door, listening for the slightest clue as to where Rose may have ran off to. All she heard was Violet interrogating other patrons of the establishment. She wondered what the old man was going to say...."Hrrmmmphh! Death-mages!" she snorted, "Always sooo mysterious...." she said gesturing a mock hex.

Adara rose to her feet again and experienced only a mild pain accompanied by a muscle spasm. "I've felt worse..." she reassured herself, though in truth she hadn't. A moment later the pain subsided as her leg grew accustom to being used again. She looked toward the door again as though expecting someone else to run in and sighed. "Alone again" she whispered.

Adara moved to the pile where her clothing and armor lay....looking down she took a mental inventory....yes....all there. "I guess I should be quick about this." untying the neck of the nightgown she pulled it loose and let it drop to her feet, leaving her half-naked. She paused a moment to enjoy the cool evening air before dressing. The thought of the old man barging in again shattered her reverie and she had her undergarments on in a blink, followed by her armor. While tying the last bootstrap she looked up at the arrow still hanging from the wall. "Can't have too many of those." plucking it from the wall she slid it into her quiver and slung her pack onto her shoulders, feeling a mild throb in her shin as she did. She opened the door and began slightly limping down the hallway.

[Jink]

Violet eyed the necromancer, her eyes cold. She didn't want to dally any longer than absolutely necessary. The longer it took for her to get to her sister, the greater the damage would be. But it seemed that he wanted to say something, and more than likely it would end up being important. She glanced at the two rangers to see if they were listening. She wondered if the man was the one Rose had been yammering on about.

Violet rubbed at her back where the cold pang had chilled it and started moving back up the stairs, stopping two steps down from the ancient necromancer. She was so tall that she was eye-to-eye with him.
He smells just like the killing grounds north of Fort Ranik, Violet mused. Was it him, or was it the armor he wore - or both? Distantly she wondered if he was or had been a member of the necromancer Council of Bones.

"What is it, old master? I'm sure you know the longer we wait, the worse it will be."

****************************** ***************************

First I was angry, then I was scared. It had something to do with the necromancer. Something about being given to him? Rose was staring at her hands when a soft rustle betrayed the presence of another. She looked up to see the green and white leathers of a White Mantle seeker walking her way.

"Are you all right, miss?" he asked as he stepped up beside her and crouched down.

"Could you help me up?" she asked sweetly, holding her arms out to him. "I've sprained my ankle."

The seeker took one look at her chest and willingly wrapped his arms around her to help her stand. "How did you sprain it?"

"I was running. I tripped." She ran one hand along the side of his face.

"W-were you running from something?" The seeker liked how friendly she was!

"I don't remember," she answered with a smile. "Tell me, do you like fire?"

"I - what?" the seeker stammered, thrown by her sudden change of subject.

Rose grinned wickedly, pushing herself away from the seeker, and suddenly he was engulfed in flames. He screamed in agony and collasped as the fire consumed his flesh. Rose watched him until he stopped moving.

"I feel a little better now."

[Necrotic]

"What is it, old master? I'm sure you know the longer we wait, the worse it will be."

"What....the worse what will be??" Adara asked still several paces away from the two of them and still limping lightly. She had just slung her bow over her left shoulder, string facing forward.

[Necris]

((OOC: I hope you don't mind but I'll be waiting for Thornblade or Thing to post something. We can't really continue much farther without their... input.))

[Mahtar]

((OOC: for any1 who wants to no iv just added a better description of my charector on my first post. Sorry it took so long and sorry i havent got a picture yet but i am working on it))

[The Thing]

((ooc:My apologies for another short absence. Let's get the show on the road!))

"Yes, the worse what will be?" sneered Pai in a mock echo of the ranger that had walked out of the room. "If you're talking about the lass that just ran out of the tavern screaming, well...she just ran out of the tavern screaming. Followed by the whole clientele."

She turned her attention back to the old man that stood at the top of the staircase like a raven perched in the wind. She walked up the steps towards him, slowly, as if respectfully. Stopping on the last step, she looked up at him. For a moment, it would have seemed she was reaching towards him in the manner of the lost souls pleading at the feet of the Lord of Death as the statues pictured him. She smelt the stench of death radiate from within his cloak, but found it fascinating instead of repulsive. But then the envying look in her eyes was gone, unseen by any other than the old man himself.

Parvati tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Don't fall asleep on us now, old man. What is it you wanted to tell the lot of us?"

[Necris]

The old man stared right back down at the insolent female ranger with scorn that was, like every other emotion he might have displayed on his face, hidden by the darkness underneath his hood. His stare would exchange nothing with hers, and thus she would be none the wiser as to who he was, or what, if you really want to let your imagination go.

He then found himself as the center attention ontop of this staircase.

Not good... He thought to himself. While he enjoyed making a scene, especially in sleepy little places like this inn, he enjoyed doing it in such a way that his identity would not be known as the catalyst which set off any chain of events. That's how he liked to work.

They could follow the direction of his gaze by watching the movements of his hood. Disengaging his dark stare from the female ranger, it went to the iron maiden, the male bandit who had threatened him that morning, and out the door.

Clunk! His staff made a single step down the staircase. The movement made him hunch over-all the more. This raven now turned into a faceless vulture. His hooded head was only a foot and a half from the ranger, but... She could see nothing betray his face underneath that cloak. How was it that no matter how close one was to him, his face could simply not be revealed? A magic cloak perhaps? No, couldn't be. It didn't give off any magical energy.

But, oh, the smell... It got worse. So did the chill running up her spine.

His grainy voice scratched its way up his tired throat, "Stand aside..." A foul stench unlike any other spilled over the female ranger, and the iron maiden who was not that much farther, as he spoke. If corruption had a smell, then that was as close to it as one could get without bending over and loosing all three meals, plus a stomach.

Luckily, Adara was spared the smell because she was behind him.

His hood flinched a little as he directed his stare at the iron maiden, "I will tell you what you need to know... Outside." The wrinkled and veiny index finger on the hand holding the staff extended, pointing to the doorway. "Go. I will be along."

Every word... Ugh, the smell. The smell!

Meanwhile...

Hello, Rose... A voice would whisper in her head. Or was that behind her? It was a grainy voice, but not as harsh as, say, the old man's. It had the soft tones of an old woman's voice.

Should she turn around, in the darkness, she might just barely make out a humanoid shade standing several feet away from her.

[The Thing]

Parvati stood aside, unvoluntarily turning her nose a little. Such a dangerous old man, he can kill with his morning breath. came her snide remark, though inaudible, as she stopped her lips from uttering it. She realised she was trying to clutch at something behind her, though since there was only the wall, her nails were digging into half-decay slats while chills ran up her spine.

Pai inwardly scowled at herself. Her mind was not easily swayed by the man's presence, but her body would betray her if it had the chance. Steeling herself, she followed the hunched form back down the steps, taking care not to tread onto the puddle of refuse; so as not to attract an ettin later on.

[Jink]

"I will retrieve my armor first, old master," Violet replied somewhat nasally for she was doing her best to not breath through her nose. "Then we will talk." She skipped up the last few stairs and back into Adara's room, where she took a deep breath of normal air. She strapped her armor on as quickly as she could, grabbed her pack, then stepped back out to join Adara. "Coming with us? We may need you to track Rose if she decides to get sneaky."

****************************** ***************************

Rose tilted her head at the silent voice, not turning to look at the shadow form. "Go away," she spoke aloud. "I have to go burn things." She began limping away, favoring her injured ankle.

[Thornblade]

Maksha backed away from the bottom of the stairs. The necromancer worried him. He seemed... almost too powerful to be a mortal. He smelt like a corpse that had been left in the sun for weeks. It was almost overwhelming.

Regaining his composure, Maksha turned to the barman and requested a room. He took the key he was given and hurried past the old man, taking care to pull his mask over his nose, and went to his allocated room. Stepping inside he was surprised to see a double bed, rather than single, and a large wardrobe, as well as a chest of drawers with a lit candle and a wooden bench to sit on. The window showed a light rain begin to fall outside in the dusk. Setting his pack down on the bed, Maksha removed his cloak and hunting knife from inside. He strapped the knife to his thigh and examined the large, dark green cloak. Judging it suitable, he threw it over himself and pinned it, leaving some excess for a hood. He strung his composite bow and plucked twice to check it was secure, then removed his belt pouch and placed it inside the backpack. He threw the pack down by the chest of drawers, drew the hood up over his head and went back out to where everyone else was.

While he waited for the other to be ready, Maksha counted the arrows in the quiver over his right shoulder. 33. And each was deadly.

(OOC: Sorry for the wait, been a bit busy. This is a kind of "getting ready for adventure" post. Have fun :D)

[Necris]

Took his time as he made his way to the portal that led out of the tavern. At least the bandit knows his place... He thought to himself. He heard the heavy rattling of the iron maiden's armour as she left to get her equipment, and would soon hear the inevitable ruckus of her passage when she came back. There was also the little pattering feet that belonged to the young girl he rescued earlier.

Adara, was it?.. He asked himself. Yes... Yes I think it was.

Ah, but there was a second pair of feet. He did not turn to look, he knew who it was. She was starting to grate at what was left of his patience. The fact that he knew what she was did not bother him, no, not at all. It was the fact that she could steel her mind against his... charms. He didn't trust people he couldn't scare. It made them look dishonest in his eyes.

Ahh, but, old man, her body betrays her. You know it... You've felt her disgust when she first smelled you. You felt how repulsed she was by your breath...

But anyone would react that way to such foul odours. It wasn't a difficult thing for him to do.

Don't complain so much. Her body betrayed her and you know that where the body goes, the mind often has no choice to follow... It is all a matter of leverage.

He knew that the bandit would be listening. Rangers often had very sensitive hearing. He didn't want to interrupt Pai's little game with Maksha. It wasn't his place to meddle in the affairs of human factions. Petty squabbles, really.

The question, then, was how to go about dealing with her without revealing her true identity to her new toy?

Maybe a poem will help. He took a moment to think one up.

As he made his way across the tavern, his hoarse voice could be heard singing a little lyric, “I once saw a Krytan dove, its plumage white and gold, fly too close to a cave that gave me a shiver-cold. A dark maw fell shut, its throat was cut, and its story never retold.”

While he didn’t turn to look at her, the implications would be obvious enough to Pai. He knew what she was, and if she meddled in his affairs, something dark indeed awaited her.

Meanwhile…

Ahhh, child. You will not go anywhere with that leg… Came the scratchy hag of a voice, from seemingly everywhere now. The pain in her leg would begin to feel much worse at its passing. Then she saw a shadow appear in the shrubbery ahead of her.

I promise you, if you go any farther you will find that only madness awaits you. Sit. Your friends will be along shortly. Should she disobey the disembodied voice, her legs would begin to feel heavy. With chuckle, it would say, I insist.

[The Thing]

“I once saw a Krytan dove, its plumage white and gold, fly too close to a cave that gave me a shiver-cold. A dark maw fell shut, its throat was cut, and its story never retold.”

Pai smiled at this. Subtle, and yet painfully obvious. The old man knew who she was serving. And yet, perhaps he did not know as much as he thought. "Haven't you heard of the crow among doves? It may watch and rejoice, for when all is done, are left morsels of choice."

In her answer, she had revealed to the old man her true intentions. Loyalty is a fickle thing, for in the end the only worthwhile spectacle is the last requiem of the human spirit. She did not intend to get herself involved in whatever the necromancer had planned, she was simply a spectator. Or more accurately, a scavenger.

[Jink]

Violet listened to the exchange with half an ear - Rose, being more involved in the subterfuges of the noble courts, would have been able to pick out what the two were talking about. Of course, if Rose were here, we wouldn't have this problem, now would we? Violet scowled to herself - she could tell enough from the exchange that she would have to be wary of both of them.

"Just what I'm looking forward to," she muttered quietly. Louder she remarked, "I'll meet you outside once you two are done 'wooing' each other." She strode quickly through the room, moving past the patient pace of the necromancer and walking outside.

She had a few moments before the others joined her and she used it to tap her finger upon the silver hawk affixed to her sword belt several times - a code.

****************************** ****************************

Rose sneered at the shadow, "I have no friends." Inside, she felt the fire burning higher and higher, the delicate arcs, the hungry whorls. It had been a long time since she had felt like this, a very long time indeed. "Madness? I needed a vacation anyway."

She lifted her hands, sparking flames wreathing them and cried out, "Blessing of the god Balthazar! Bwahahahahahaha!" Suddenly she flexed her arms downward, calling down a firey missle from the heavens upon the shubbery. "Burn!" she cried. "BURN!" The meteor slammed into the ground, flash-burning the flora and sending clods of dirt flying. The elementalist grinned, unafraid of the blast.

"I've got more. Want me to show you?"

[Necris]

((OOC: I'll let Necrotic make her input before I go any farther with Necris, that doesn't mean that Rose doesn't get any attention though...))

Rose sneered at the shadow, "I have no friends." Inside, she felt the fire burning higher and higher, the delicate arcs, the hungry whorls. It had been a long time since she had felt like this, a very long time indeed. "Madness? I needed a vacation anyway."

She lifted her hands, sparking flames wreathing them and cried out, "Blessing of the god Balthazar! Bwahahahahahaha!" Suddenly she flexed her arms downward, calling down a firey missle from the heavens upon the shubbery. "Burn!" she cried. "BURN!" The meteor slammed into the ground, flash-burning the flora and sending clods of dirt flying. The elementalist grinned, unafraid of the blast.

"I've got more. Want me to show you?"

Where once there were shrubs and grass now lay a wide, smouldering crater. The singed bones of a rabbit that had been caught in the crossfire disintigrated at the smallest little blow of wind.

For a very long time, nothing happened. There was silence with only the smallest of interruptions from a chorus of nearby crickets who, after a long time, decided they had waited long enough to start chirping again.

And just as Rose thought she had merely imagined it all, just as she might have taken another step forward... It was very faint, but she could still hear her.

My, my, my... Chided the female voice, a croak interrupting what might have once been a soothing voice that set a very feminine example. Next the voice came from her right, closer now, What a volatile little girl! Then it came from her left, even closer, Daddy didn't spank you enough as a baby, did he? The chuckle which followed came from everywhere.

And through it all... Her legs grew heavier, and heavier.

[Necrotic]

((OOC: I'll let Necrotic make her input before I go any farther with Necris, that doesn't mean that Rose doesn't get any attention though...))
(OOC: Aww...now I feel special, thanks Necris ;) )

"Coming with us? We may need you to track Rose if she decides to get sneaky."
"I'll do what I can to help...the clan always told me I was the best tracker they knew."

Adara listened to the exchange between the old man and the new ranger on the stairs, not quite grasping the conversation hidden there but hearing the inflections of voice and understanding a truce was struck. It made her recall some of the lessons she had learned from the monks....about diplomacy and tactful words....she hated them. She always despised the way they seemed to deceive without truly lying to anyone. She decided to follow Violet outside if she could get past the old man.

Adara was grateful to be behind him and unable to smell whatever it was that drove everyone away ahead of him.

Once on the floor Adara heard a distant crash of thunder...but not the type associated with a storm...she knew what made this noise and thought immediatly that it must be Rose. In her haste to tell Violet, she misjudged the movability of a chair wedged under a table. Thinking that she could simply bump it out of her way, instead she was sent forcefully to the floor with a loud thud.

On her back Adara gasped and clenched her teeth while she shut her eyes tightly until the pain subsided. Wiping away a tear she whispered in a trill voice "Oww.." and hugged her leg close to her chest.

[Necris]

Pai smiled at this. Subtle, and yet painfully obvious. The old man knew who she was serving. And yet, perhaps he did not know as much as he thought. "Haven't you heard of the crow among doves? It may watch and rejoice, for when all is done, are left morsels of choice."

Stubborn ranger. I'll not have you use me like some piece of entertainment. He thought with a hiss of dissapointment coming from him.

He grew tired of these games. He had given her a fair warning, now he decided to take a step that was decidedly less subtle and even less... banevolent.

His hood flicked to the right, as if meaning to look over his shoulder, but it never went far enough that you could see past its dark edge. He spoke, "Of vultures and scavengers I have had enough, go away or I'll be sticking you in an iron cage, and then things will get rough."

He stopped for a moment, hear the crash of what sounded like thunder and the flash in the distance that looked like lightning but... He recognized that spell anywhere. A meteor! Damn that pyromaniac to the depths of Grenth's unseen hades, she just gave away her position! He hated Elementalists! Grenth damn him, he hated them! They had no respect for subtlety or stealth!

He quickened his pace, remarkably, and shouted at the clumbsy girl, "Adara! Quit prancing around and stick close to me." He caught a glimpse as Violet tapped on her sword. He decided to save that image for later investigation. Ah, but, he smelled something that would be... beneficial to him. And perhaps to his small merry band.

"Iron Maiden, you too, stick close to me and Adara." If she should take the initiative, "No! Not so close you clumsy giantess of steel! 'Lest you get exposed to what your sister had been screaming about! At least three feet, three."

He took another few steps away from the tavern and looked at Violet and Adara from the darkness of his hood. He used a free hand to further point out where he wanted them to stand.

What he was about to do was not going to be pretty.

His old staff began to glow a very faint purple from its head, while ribbons of green energy swirled around the parchment that had hung from the staff's body. It made no noise except for a faint hum. He hadn't cast a spell like this in a very long time. He whispered, just loud enough for Violet and Adara to hear, "Stay close to me, shut your eyes, and cover your ears. Should you begin to loose feeling in your feet, you are to stop breathing at that point."

[Jink]

The instructions came back to Violet as a chime from the small piece of silver. 'Get within visual sight of her, then grab her if possible.' Tsuu, think it could have been something easier, no?

Then she heard the thwump of something striking the ground. Despite the distance, she recognized it easily - many a time had she been fighting a foe that the rock then crashed upon. Rose had even named it - "The Hefty One" or "Hef" for short. Violet scanned the horizon, but didn't see the glow of a massive fire or anything similar, so hopefully her sister hadn't become completely unhinged yet.
"Iron Maiden, you too, stick close to me and Adara."
Ignoring the smell, she stepped close to the necromancer as her training had always taught her. A thought occurred to her suddenly as the necromancer spoke again.
"No! Not so close you clumsy giantess of steel! 'Lest you get exposed to what your sister had been screaming about! At least three feet, three."
Violet turned her head to eye the man - now she had an idea of what had happened. The necromancer directed them to where he wanted them to stand and Violet took her spot. "We shouldn't cluster," she remarked casually. She knew all too well what Rose did to clustered enemies.

But the necromancer had already started casting his spell. Violet gave a quick look to Adara, hoping that she understood what she was warning about.

****************************** ****************************

"Daddy loved me," Rose said with a mock pout. Her legs felt incrediably heavy, yet her head felt light as though she were a hundred feet tall. Is this how a volcano felt? She liked that, if that were the case. "Did your daddy love you? If he did, he forgot to give you a body." She cackled at that point, dropping a fireball in the percieved direction of the voice. She followed that with several flares all around, as though she weren't even trying to hit anything but her surroundings. The magical fires scorched the grass, sparking up fires of their own.

There was only one last wall left - only one left that kept everything back. "Keep pushing me," she hissed to the voice. "Oh, keep pushing me. Let me feel the freedom I've not felt since the Searing!"

[Necris]

The old man double checked that they were in their designated spots. Lifting his staff above his head with both hands, higher above his head, rather, since the damn thing was already taller than he was, a sickly green light began to bathe him, the iron maiden, and Adara. That was when their feet would begin to feel numb as a toxic gas began to waft up from the ground beneath their feet. Three of the ribbons of light danced away from his staff and began to dance around him and his two companions. One passed very near Violet's face, and she would see a small, infinitely sad phantom face staring back at her, gently moaning the song of the dead.

He heard the words of the maiden. While he did heed them, he wasn't worried. We merely need to get there. With the help of these two, taking down one deranged spellcaster shouldn't be a problem. And if it was... well... He had a few tricks he could use to level the playing field.

Meanwhile...

Again, there was a very long silence after Rose's spellcasting spree before the voice spoke again.

Precisely the problem, my child... He loved you too much. Look at you, you're better dressed than your sister, and you rub it in her face. The voice came from behind her now.

My father?.. The chuckle came from right over her shoulder, My father died long before your grandfather was even concieved.

There was only one last wall left - only one left that kept everything back. "Keep pushing me," she hissed to the voice. "Oh, keep pushing me. Let me feel the freedom I've not felt since the Searing!"

Regardless of what she did or said, the next phrase was whispered right into her left ear. She felt something cold press down on her shoulder as the witch-spirit spoke: My husband, however, was another matter... Again, that cackle came, it was everywhere. The implications of that sentence were bone chilling.

If she turned to look, she would find the humanoid shade blocking her view of the world behind her, its black hand, wreathed in purple fire, pressed down on her shoulder. She could describe a skull shaped by shadows against the light of the fires she started.

Boo.

Going unnoticed by Rose, the corpse of the White Mantle ranger she had killed, had become animate. The skeleton, only barely covered now by singed flesh and clothing, heaved as if suddenly taking a deep breath for the first time.

[The Thing]

"Of vultures and scavengers I have had enough, go away or I'll be sticking you in an iron cage, and then things will get rough."

Pai pouted as she left the necromancer leave with his companions. "Fine, I know when I'm not wanted." Though most of the time that was precisely when she stuck around. But she other things to do, namely find her companion again. But then she found him close by, double-checking his arrows. She thought for a moment. She did have something in mind to have him do.

She walked over to him and gently grabbed his arm, giving him a beaming smile. Since there was no longer anyone in the tavern, save for the bartender hiding in his cellar probably, she did not bother to lower her voice. "Hey Maksha, where do you think you're going? I had a certain task in mind for this evening, and since I now have you as my colleague, you're going to help me. Deal? I promise the White Mantle will be none too pleased."

[Thornblade]

"I was going to go... with..." Maksha stammered to a halt as he saw the old man and the others had left without him. He let out a long sigh, and wished he had been more polite to the necromancer earlier. Glancing up at Pai again, he asked, "So what did you have in mind?".

[The Thing]

Pai grinned mischievously at Maksha. "If I told you now, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" She pulled on his arm to get him going, and beckoned with a finger so he would follow her. "I'll tell you on the way. We're headed to the Watchtower Coast." She stepped outside, casting a glance at the lightshow just over the next hills. That elementalist sure was throwing a tantrum.

"Have you ever heard of Duke Barthalao?" asked Parvati, speaking over her shoulder at Maksha. "He was a holy man of the Unseen. For his long years of service, they granted him a box. A small wooden chest he has guarded with his life. Now one might wonder what is so precious about this little trinket, no?" She spoke the last sentence musingly, her intentions becoming quite clear.

[Jink]

Rose grinned maniacally, her teeth creaking with the pressure. The wall was breaking, shattering - yes, yes, she could see it! She could see it again! Her eyes glazed over, the sheer magnitude of power taking her over. “Thank you,” she whispered, in something almost resembling adoration, but much darker.

A long time ago, magic was sealed up, contained within a great monolith. The monolith was shattered into five pieces and cast away, obstructing the greatest powers from those who would seek it. The most noticeable effect happened to the elementalists. No longer could they summon whatever element they wished, whenever they wished. They had to chose one of the four into which they submerged their psyche. But sometimes, under extreme duress or even insanity, one could glimpse the old connecting paths between the elements. And even more rarely, under extreme circumstances, one could even call upon them – but at a terrible price.

Rose arched her back and keened, a shriek of ecstasy and pain as all conscious thought was wiped from her mind. She was the primal, the elemental, the beginning and ending of all things. Earth, air, water, fire. Destruction and aggression. Lightning flicked through the air, the ground groaned beneath her feet, waves of heat flowed from her even as shards of ice grew on her body.

This was heaven.

((Don’t worry – I’m not going to god-mode her for very long. She can’t do this normally.))

****************************** ***************************

Lightning flashed in the distance, and Violet, holding one hand over her nose and mouth, turned towards it and winced. It had started.

“Damn!” Violet started as the tinny voice spoke from the hawk. She knew the others couldn’t hear it – it was attuned to her ears only – but it didn’t stop her from sliding a hand over it to hide it. “Much harder now, this will be.”

[Jink]

((Yay - doublepost! I’m going to throw in some “bad guys.” Feel free to use them, but try to keep them within their “character.”

Seeker Daran = quiet, observant, sticks to the shadows, somewhat naïve, loves animals but doesn’t keep one as a companion, doesn’t know what really happens to the Chosen.
Savant Rhyana = so devout in her worship of Balthazar that she carries around a hammer as well as a wand (I had to make a reason why Savants carry hammers ¬_¬), well-educated, calm and collected even under fire, does know of the Chosen’s real fate.
Abbot Vihni = not as devout as he should be, sees his role as healer as merely a burden, tends to panic when he comes under attack, whiny, his superiors felt it wise that he not be told about the Chosen’s real fate but he suspects something nonetheless.
Justicar Tiberius = serious, brutal in dealing justice (the White Mantle kind), protective of those deemed “innocent,” fiercely loyal to the White Mantle, a leader and tactician, does know of the final fate of the Chosen and approves.))

Seeker Daran’s mouth dropped open as he watched the elementalist suddenly burst forth with a surge of power. Blessed mother of Saul! He had been scouting along the side of the hill when he had heard the meteor strike the ground. Curious, he had searched until he spotted the elementalist, apparently talking to herself – he could hear her laughing as she burned the area. Then he had seen some burned remains stir and stand up – was she a necromancer as well?

When the air around her burst into a storm of fire and lightning, he decided it was time to take his leave. Daran quickly and quietly climbed the tall hill, following a hidden path that the White Mantle Seekers had carved into it. The farther away he was, the better. Still, he had to report in and so he made his way back to his squad’s camp.

[Mahtar]

Makil watched with the whole of beetletun as the great fiery meteor fell. For a brief moment, before it hit the earth, the town seemed frozen, people all stood still just staring but from the moment of impact everyone just continued what they had been doing as though they hadn't seen anything wrong, except the few people who muttered something about elementalists.
'It must be the girl' he thought setting of at a sprint towards the meteor, well she had looked like an elementalist and she had seemed very distressed. His feet making very little noise as he charged through the town and up the path back towards the tavern. Was it her? it might be another elementalist but either way he had to know, using such a powerful spell was not uncommon but it was normally reserved for times of extreme need.
He charged on as the tavern came into view and did not stop until he reached it where he quickly flattened him self to the wall out of sight of the door where two rangers had just exited. He checked the hills. Above he saw many flashes of light followed by a steady flickering glow. His mind raced arguing about the two choices he now had, he could follow the rangers as his employer had asked or investigate the fires.
"Have you ever heard of Duke Barthalao?" asked Parvati
Making a quick mental note of this name, Makil roughly crammed the book he still held into one of his bags and set off again, with little thought about the Rangers reactions as he raced past them.

((OOC: I'm only assuming she's some where north of beetletun but i can't realy see anywhere that says where she is exactly so i'll guess she's north somewhere))

[Thornblade]

As it was made clear what Pai was intending to do, Maksha was struck by indecision. Half of him wanted to run off with her and steal this mysterious box, but his other half, the sensible half, cast his mind back to his earlier musings. After a few seconds doubt, he forced a smile to his face and nodded enthusiastically, letting himself be led like a puppy. 'Let her think I'm a daft bandit,' Maksha thought, 'we'll see how this turns out.'

[The Thing]

((ooc: Ooh, nice characters, Jink :D I think we could assume at least some of them know Parvati?

No worries, Mahtar, I purposely let the exact location be a little hazy.

I'll put some info on this 'Barthalao' character, if anyone else wants to use him as well.

Duke Barthalao: An ex-consular of the White Mantle. Very devout and righteous, though he will accept sacrifices for the 'bigger picture'. He is an old war hero who was allowed to retire to a peaceful life, though he still prays to the Unseen, and above all keeps safe a small mahagony chest entrusted to him. He knows and dissaproves of the Chosen's fate, but he turns a blind eye to it as there is no other way. He lives in a mansion on the side of a tower-city on Watchtower Coast.))

[Necris]

“Damn!” Violet started as the tinny voice spoke from the hawk. She knew the others couldn’t hear it – it was attuned to her ears only – but it didn’t stop her from sliding a hand over it to hide it. “Much harder now, this will be.”

"No..." Whispered the old man. "It won't." He slammed the metal base of his old staff into the ground, and waves of green energy erupted from the ground around them. He hoped that they had stopped breathing because the journey there were going to take wasn't going to be a pleasant one, and for the sake of their sanity, he hoped they didn't hear a word, or see a thing.

As the waves crashed into the three, they dissapeared. To an observer, they looked like they dissolved. First their clothes, then skin, then bones, all dissapeared. Except for the old man, whose cloak would dissapear with them.

Should they dare to open their eyes or listen to the sounds around them in this new plane, they would find themselves in a world where the impossible existed and the possible was twisted. It could not be described with any more detail than that. It was a world that would make the vision that the Elementalist saw look like the kind of nightmare that would wake a child up in the middle of the night.

But, by Grenth, please don't let them take a breath.

Meanwhile.

You're welcome, little girl. The witch-spirit spoke to her. She would feel its cold hand pull itself from her shoulder.

Ahh... Hah hah hah... The croaking voice would chuckle in her ear. You are such a beautiful embodiment of chaos... The more you rage, the more power I can cage... It didn't take any notice of the burnt body behind it as it continued to twitch.

The body rose up, its mouth slowly creaked open, as if to emit a scream, perhaps? Or maybe a sigh. But this action was quickly followed by a thunderous explosion which easily rivaled Rose's spike of power. The bones were scattered in all directions, many of which were sharp shards. Some would fly in Rose's direction, perhaps cutting her if they didn't get disintigrated by the wreathing elements surrounding her. Bright bile-coloured light filled the area as the green portal opened.

A poisonous fog spilled from the warp and descended upon the land. The cloud easily extended beyond Rose herself. Waves of necrotizing energy brought death and decay to the surrounding environment as trees and grass withered yellow, brown, and black. Any animals caught in the blast would be instantly killed - luckily Adara's bear was nowhere in sight.

Predictably, swarms of insects of all types and sizes rose from the earth. They were attracted to this kind of energy. In their mad frenzy, they ate away at the corpses of the recently deceased fauna, but their mass described a clear five foot circle around the focal point of power that Rose had become.

Many might recognize this perverted form of a rarely seen and often disturbingly disgusting spell - Necrotic Transversal. Neophytes of Grenth could do it, but it took a true master to be able to transport entire parties. No, you didn't have to be a powerful necromancer to transport an entire party. Any necromancer could do it, really, but they often killed their companions in the attempt. The trick was being able to negotiate the Forbidden Planes without killing yourself and your party, something the old man had apparently learned to do, but it was long ago.

The larger the party was to transport, the more energy would be released when they left the Planes to step out of the portal to their destination.

To Adara and Violet, the journey would feel as if they had simply been lifted up and gently dropped back down onto the ground. They would find themselves roughly twenty five feet from Rose. The swarms of insects at their feet seemed to be ignoring them, even if some crawled over their footwear.

They could hear the old man's hoarse breath shout over the ruckus that Rose was making, "I suppose you'll want to deal with this?" He asked. He didn't appear to be impressed all that much by what Rose was doing. "My methods can sometimes be a little... indiscreet... And messy." Violet could see the frown on his face. He knew what was really happening to Rose, what had caused this to happen to her, but he wasn't saying it.

A veiny, calloused hand reached out to the young girl with a vial in it. "Apply a small amount of this elixir to your arrows. It is something I made myself a long, long time ago... Potent with age." When she would take it, he gave her a quick hand gesture, one that only rangers could understand: Find cover and wait for my signal. It was a gesture that most, if not all, rangers knew.

Assuming Violet could not get to her sister, Adara would have to take the shot. If things became really bad, the old man himself would intervene.

That was a scenario that he wished to avoid at all costs. It would... expose him.

Look who it is Rose... It's your sister... Why don't you share some of your new power with her? The voice suggested. As Rose allowed more and more of her power to go unchecked, she could begin to feel something very familiar... A cold feeling in the back of her mind. Was it not supposed to begin in the base of her spine? She hadn't noticed it. Something scratched gently at the back of her mind, she could feel the words being etched there, like needles in her psyche. Let me in... Let me in...

[The Thing]

Maksha followed behind Parvati as she knew he would. From time to time she cast a glance at the horizon behind the hills, where all the fire and lightning was coming from. They approached the coastline. It seemed good fortune was on her side again, as the skales and mergoyles that usually inhabited the area had been driven off by all the flashes of light and noise.

Built on a rock connected to the beach by a sandbank, was their destination. Pai looked at the massive tower of piled houses that stretched up, up, up. It was an impressive sight, the dark pillar of stone planted in the middle of sparkling water, the silver moon shining its outline, a multitude of torches and magical lanterns lighting it up with an orange glow. Pai examined its facade, and then pointed at a piece a hundred feet up sticking out slightly. "There it is." she said. "I hope you've taken climbing gear..." she mused, grinning at Maksha.

She started wading into the dark water to avoid getting near the heavily-guarded main gate.

[Necrotic]

As the green fog had began forming at her feet Adara looked around in near panic, she was about to ask just what was happening but then remembered the old man's words and held her breath. As the three of them began to fade into the netherworld she began to feel sick and then it went beyond that....she closed her eyes tight and hummed a song her uncle used to sing to her. She realised she was going to need to inhale very soon and stopped humming. What was he doing to them?! Adara wanted to ask but she knew better than to do what a caster told her not to....especially with the look of the fog she had seen....no doubt it would be poisonous....necromancers deal in sooo much death.

She suddenly felt the ground beneath her again, crouching in a battle stance she opened her eyes....to her astonishment they were not where they had been. Did he teleport them?!? Adara had heard such things were possible but she never imagined doing it. Adara suddenly felt sick again and vomited very nearly on her boots. The trip through the netherworld had taken it's toll on her and she was still attempting to recover. She was so disoriented that she very nearly forgot to start breathing again. Gasping violently as she remembered, she looked around quickly to get her bearings.

Fire....several small fires all over and many growing into larger fires. Did Rose do this? Quickly she decided to find some concealment...if there was any left not engulfed in flames. Adara caught a gesture out of the corner of her eye... it was the necromancer and he was using one of the ancient hand signals, it was a well known signal but because of that very reason it wasn't used much except when communicating with those not of the "wild", she almost laughed at the old man but the thought occured to her that maybe he was old enough to have been around when it first came into use.

That thought amused her even more and she smiled as she found a small bush that had yet to be inflamed by the maniacal Rose.

The vial he handed her seemed older than he was and she carefully tucked it into a pocket specially made for such things on her belt pouch.

Adara then found a bush that was not yet burning and had a rock under its roots, good for a little cover.

[Jink]

((It's quite possible they know Parvati, Thing! :D In fact, let's say that they do, and they've been looking for her and her (recently deceased) partner to give them a new assignment.
@Mahtar - Rose actually ran in a westerly direction, so now she is due west of Beetletun in the little vale. The White Mantle camp is south west of Rose's location, up on the ridge where in-game you can't climb up onto. I had made a map showing the locations, but the links page isn't working for me. >_< I apologize for the length of the post in advance.))

Violet kept her eyes shut, her mind focused on a set of verses that her guildmaster had taught her. Silly phrases and rhymes they were, designed to distract the mind from distressing happenings from without. The warrior recognized the spell, but didn't realize that it could be cast so powerfully. Her feet pressed against the ground again, and she opened her eyes to see the edge of small forest, lit with unnatural light. She turned around, and spotted Rose.

"Bloody hell," she remarked bitterly. "It did happen." It was just the way it was three years ago, when fire rained down onto Ascalon. She saw the ancient necromancer hand the young ranger a vial, which she settled away in a safe place. "Leave some of your arrows untouched, Adara. I'll need you to distract my sister while I make my approach."

Violet pulled her helmet over her head, slid her shield onto her arm and drew her sword. She had to cross a zone of conflicting elements before she could get to her sister. She tapped the hawk with her thumb, then started her approach.

The Primal sensed the extraneous voice speaking again, but the vibrations made no more sense to her. All that mattered was the winding dance of the elements, of destruction. The voice spoke up again and the Primal grew annoyed. Didn't it see she was busy? Then she noticed the extra collections of Earth-water-air-fire-as-one that had appeared. Curious - were they here to give their elements to her, to separate and add into the Weave she was making? One was moving toward her - something familar about it.

Let me in... Let me in...

Something curious happened on the other side of her psyche. A memory surfaced.

Rose, a ten year old girl, found one of the servant girls crying in the garden, holding the body of a small kitten in her lap. She knew it was one of the kitten's of the calico cat that was living at the estate, the runt of the litter in fact. It must have gotten sick and passed away. Rose hesitated - the servants were beneath her, she had always been taught. But she loved animals as well, and see the little body lying so still brought a lump to her throat. She walked up and crouched down by the girl, a Krytan child named Liia.

Liia started and stammered an apology - she was supposed to be cleaning, not weeping. Rose shook her head and put her hand on the girl's shoulder, keeping her from getting up. 'It's okay. I won't tell.'

'But ... but ... I have to go sweep the porches. But I can't ... leave him here. The Master's dogs will find him ... and ... and....'

Rose shook her head again. 'I won't let them. I know where we can bury him so that they can't find him.'

'But I can't ... I have to work....'

'Then I'll do it. You go, so you won't get in trouble. When I'm done, I'll tell you where he is.'

Liia nodded and carefullly passed the cold body to Rose, who gently cradled it in her hands. The servant girl wiped at her face and hurried from the garden. Rose quickly made her way to the far end, towards a gated enclosure where her father's dogs were never allowed. She took a key from her pocket and unlocked it, stepping into her mother's flower garden. She made her way to the back to the wisteria tree and found a good spot, as well as a flat rock. She broke up a section of the ground with the rock and dug a hole, deep enough that the kitten would be safely out of reach.

Rose wrapped the kitten in her handkerchief and gently placed it in the hole. She paused for a moment, trying to think of something nice to say. Did they give rites to kittens? 'From Melandru you came, and back to her you go.' There, that sounded good. She replaced the dirt and covered the small mound with leaves, topping it with the flat stone. The girl brushed as much dirt off of her hands as she could, and hurried back out of the garden. As she finished locking it back, a voice startled her.

'What were you doing in there?' Her sister, Violet, 18 years of age. 'You weren't digging up the irises again, were you?' Rose hesitated, unsure of what to say. Violet grabbed her wrists and looked at her hands, which were covered in dirt, the manicured nails broken. 'You were digging in there! Mother is going to throw a fit!'

Rose took her hands back. 'No! That's not it at all. One of the kittens died and Liia found it, but she couldn't bury it because she had to go clean and I didn't want her to get in trouble, but the dogs would have eaten him, so I carried him into Mother's garden where I buried him!' She ran out of air and sucked in a new breath to defend herself further when she noticed that Violet's face had softened.

'So that's where he went. I was going to do that myself this morning, but didn't have time before my archery lessons.' She patted Rose on the head. 'I guess you're not always a brat, huh? C'mon, let's go get your hands cleaned up.'

The Primal paused, studying this odd pattern that had found its way into her Weave. She remembered it quite clearly right now. This memory, and a few others, had led her somewhere in the past before. She turned, eyeing the flesh-sacks - one was approaching her, the familiar one.

Sister.

The maelstrom around her intensified.

[Necris]

((OOC: Jink, I'm starting to really think that you want to see the old man intervene... :P))

The old man listened to Violet's command before using another one of his hand gestures to communicate the iron maiden's request to the Ranger. This was to make certain that young Adara would understand what was being asked of her. While she was clumbsy in the tavern, she didn't seem to be that oaf out here on the battlefield. The old man decided that this was a good thing.

The old man leaned against his staff to support himself as reknewed gusts of wind blew his way. The poison fog that settled to the ground had no left, and no matter the amount of wind that this new creature, that which Rose had become, blew there would always be more poison wafting up from the ground. Those swarms of insects were still about, chittering to themselves loud enough to be heard over the roaring winds, the quaking ground, and hissing pyre.

It was a certain fact that if insects could talk, the world would be deaf.

He hoped no one could see his resolve. After all, what possible things could the old man have seen in his time to make what he observed before him seem like nothing more than an inconvinience? What would it possibly take for him to be afraid?

He squinted his eyes to make out Rose's figure. He had often wondered if it was possible for any elementalist to unlock their full potential, having studied how they were barred from being able to master all four elements, and why. He also knew how to stop Rose, but, then again... The word of choice here is that he knew. The original knowledge had been lost to time and bad memory. May Grenth Curse me in my old age... He thought to himself with a mental sigh.

That was when he caught a glimpse of something just beyond the flames that surrounded Rose's body; a shadow with no body. A spirit with no flesh. The only thing that could send a chill up his spine.

He had wondered why his thoughts had been clearer than usual...

Well, well... The witch-spirit spoke aloud. Only Rose and the old man would hear it, and only they could see it. What do you think of my handywork? It's beautiful, isn't it?.. Like old times...

He did not use his mouth to talk back, Violet did not need to know of his... taint. It would make the inner monk in her wish to break out and exorcize his unholy corpse.

Adara didn't need to know either, for that matter.

You rotten, spiteful, old hag. What have you done?! You know this is a major setback on our schedule! And you know what will happen if I am forced to intervene to stop this! Get away from that girl!

She touched you. If she hadn't been so clumsy then none of this would have to happen. Besides, I was curious. I must say, I haven't seen this kind of destruction since... When was it? Kryta's fight for independence? The fall of Orr? Its cackle could cause glass to shatter. Ah, but I suppose you are right... I have had my fun... I would have liked to see the full extent of her power, though. Just look at it... She has so much potential...

The shade rose its black, slender arms in the air and drove its long fingers into Rose's skull. But first, I believe I am in need of a good drink... You really don't feed me enough... Rose, being ever the focal point of power and mana, was a perfect food source for this entity. It began to siphon her energy. While it was impossible to completely drain Rose of her power, the drain placed upon her spirit would be unlike anything any mesmer could accomplish.

Ohh... Yes! YES! The power... The power! With the witch-spirit's ecstatic scream came its appearance to all who looked upon Rose. They could now all see the real cause for Rose's little 'awakening'. The slender humanoid shape of the black shade hovered just behind Rose, its head looking over her shoulder. Two white hot spots of light burned in its dark skull-shaped head describing a pair of sinister eyes.

The moment that happened, the old man tried to regain his posture. Violet could hear his scratchy voice over the racket, "Quickly, iron maiden, Adara! Get the girl! Do not fear the shade, for it will not harm you!"

The vial he had given Adara contained a very special drug that was created by a ranger from the old man's guild. Originally, it was used to keep the old man's power in check when he had first experienced The Taint, but when he became immune to its effects, he decided to keep a few vials for himself in the event he ever came across any magical beast or being that was too powerful for him or anyone he hired to handle alone. It was now a moment to test if the magical potion worked as well on a power-mad elementalist as it did on an over-corrupted necromancer.

It was now up to Adara to make a choice - whether to trust her own arrows or arrows that had been anointed with this mysterious chemical.

((OOC: Note, the witch-spirit is an incorporeal being with corporeal persuasiveness. It cannot be harmed by magical energy, but it certainly likes to feed off of it.))

[Mahtar]

((OOC: @Jink I'm glad I didn't put he ran north from the tavern then))
Makil sprinted on, shaking his bow from his shoulder and loading it as he went. He was close. He slowed keeping his steps quiet and light, which was seemed pointless with all the shouting and great flashes of light.
He raced round the corner making no effort to remain hidden. Whatever he had expected it had been no where near the sight that met his eyes. Each of the four elements shot in every direction, pieces of what seemed to have once been a corpse littered the ground, he could see four people, even though his face was hidden there was a necromancer who seemed very undisturbed by what was happening, a young female ranger who had taken a hiding place not so far away, a female warrior in thick metal armour who seemed to be moving towards the collection of elements and the girl he had seen run from the bar in the centre of the elements.
The warrior in the metal armour shouted something to the necromancer, Makil was too far away to hear but it seemed the necromancer understood as he raised his hand in a old but still well know ranger signal.
He watched on as a spirit appeared over the shoulder of the elementalist, it was a dark, semi-transparent witch. Its two ghostly, long fingered hands were deep into the elementalists head.
Makil dropped his bow, it seemed a useless tool against an incorporeal being, then again so were his sword and shield but he drew them anyway. He made his way slowly forwards until he drew level with the necromancer, still wondering what he could do there seemed little point in him being here. Well he was here and if he could help he would.

[Jink]

((May I assume that Adara did start shooting arrows to distract Rose? If not, I'll edit my post accordingly. Sorry Necris, but I was just building up to this post.))

This is going to mean another set of armor ruined, Violet thought to herself, her emotions surprisingly calm. She called upon the protection enchantments of Dwayna and ran into the storm of elements. The temperature fluctuated wildly between extreme hot and cold. The padding beneath the steel plate would give her protection for a while, before the heat scorched it into uselessness. Daggers made of the bedrock sliced past her, deflected by her shield. Fire hissed through the cracks in the ground, burning Violet's feet, but she continued on. Lightning arced through the air, striking her - and that hurt her, jarring her right down to the bones.

And that was only the damage from the spells Rose did manage to cast. Adara's arrows sang in, not really causing much damage to the elementalist, but stopping her from casting. Gritting her teeth, Violet pressed on. She was so close - then the hawk started to chime. Within the chime were the expertly played notes of a violin. At the same time, a terrible shadow appeared behind Rose, claw-like fingers sunk into the ice-blue tresses. Violet almost lost her focus, almost turned her attention to the shadow to smite it, to cast it down, but a voice sang inside her head.

To your sister first, you must go.

The Primal hear the voice speaking again - how tiring this distraction was. Then a new set of vibrations started, vibrations that strangely enough she could understand. Strains of a violin, carefully played to translate into the arcane. Cold from behind sunk into the Primal, sipping away at her energy source. The Primal paused - while her desire was to only to create the Weave, she also understood self-preservation. But how?

The violin sang. The path taken before, remember. Shown you, I have. Follow it again. Help you, I will.

The Primal took a last look at the Arcanum Mysterium and resigned herself. With the help of the violin-voice she quickly gathered the memories, the thoughts, the shards of magic and rebuilt the wall. Then she shut herself down. The flow of magic stopped, the maelstrom began to blow itself out, and she sealed away the energy that fueled her power, entrusting it to Lyssa.

A wind of air pressure change blasted out from around Rose as her face went slack. Her legs buckled and she fell to the ground. Violet was there in a heartbeat, dropping her sheild and sword to the side. She shed her still-hot armor and picked up her sister in her arms, making sure the hawk (still strangely cool) was pressed firmly against Rose's body.

[Jink]

Seeker Daran slipped into the camp after circling it once to make sure everything was as it should be. Justicar Tiberius was sharpening his blade, Savant Rhyana was meditating with her hammer draped across her thighs, and Abbot Vihni was alseep.

Daran approached Tiberius and saluted. "Reporting in, sir."

Tiberius looked up at him, his cold gray eyes studying the younger man. "What brought you back early?"

"Sir, I spotted an elementalist that appears to be ... well, insane."

"What nationality?" the justicar questioned. Ascalonians from the east had been making an influx into Kryta, something that Tiberius wasn't very keen on. And if it were a Krytan, well, there would be a very special place for her to go.

"I ... I couldn't tell, sir. I couldn't make out her features. I didn't recognize her style of clothing, either."

"Explain what you meant by 'insane.'"

"Sir, it was like ... like she had lost control over her power. She was talking to herself, then began attacking her surroundings with fire spells. But after that she began summoning lightning, rocks, and ice, just as powerful as her fire."

"That's impossible," Rhyana remarked, her quiet yet steely voice cutting into the conversation. "No elementalist can control all four elements at one time. It's hard enough to control two at once."

"It's what I saw, sir," Daran said, looking back at her. "I can't explain it."

Justicar Tiberius climbed to his feet and sheathed his sword. "I believe it deserves our attention. Get up, Vihni." He turned towards the seeker. "Lead the way."

[Necris]

((OOC: While Adara didn't start shooting yet, I think it would be safe to say that she might as well have been while Violet was braving the elements to get to her sister. However... There is one minor detail you forgot to account for. Ah well, I'll compensate.))

No! The shadow screamed, a keening shriek that all would hear. Its eyes burned red now, displaying its anger and discontent. While it did not grow in size due to all the energy it had siphoned from the elementalist, its body did cause ripples in the space around it. The air glowed purple and green with ethereal energy that caused the air to shake and the ground to shudder, while the shadow was an eyesore on all who gazed upon it. It swiped its long, sharp fingers at Rose as she fell, but the action would yield no result. No, no, no! ((OOC: This is where it changed. I was planning on having the shade grab Rose and lift her higher to try and suck all the energy out of her but... Eh, that would draw this out more than necessary.))

Unlike the old man, it did not give off a smell. Instead, it felt like an aspect of corruption. The hair on the back of your neck would stand on end, shivers would run up your spine, and all sorts of unholy voices would whisper in your ears.

Actually, if one thought about it, the only distinction one could find between its presence and the old man's presence was the smell.

This was merely a tiny taste of the real horror that the shade embodied. The true danger would remain unseen - mainly because the shade was wracked with the pangs of disgust and anger directed at, who else, but the old man.

Your soul will be mine! It let out a long shriek as its shape roared over Violet's head. Any attack she may have dealt to it would have no effect, even delivering a blow saturated in holy energy would have merely been an inconvinience to it. It was simply too powerful for any mere warrior with a bear minimum of The Holy teachings to deal with.

An arrow whistled through the air, its tip dipped in the special liquid, at the creature, but since it was completely incorporeal, the missile merely flew through it and got stuck in the dirt. Yet, there was somethign stuck on the missile's tip... It was a black transluscent looking strip of the creature that wriggled and writhed, almost painfully.

The old man did not run from this threat, instead, he seemed to wait for it... He almost seemed to be letting it come for him. His bones creaked silently as he stood his ground, grasping his staff with both hands to anchor himself down.

He spoke three words before he was hit by the being of shadow that were loud enough for Adara and Jink to hear, they were: "Cover your ears!"

The witch-spirit crashed into him. When his cloak flapped in the wind of its passage they could catch a glimpse of the armour he wore underneath - its construction was an odd combination of leather, scales, and metal, all of which had been rotted, chipped, and corroded with the passage of time. Due to the brevity of the exposure, they could not make out anything else, such as his body shape or size with the exception that it looked old. Very, very old.

Luckily his head remained concealed, his face never seen.

He staggered backwards and, like the shade, began screaming. It wasn't just the sound that spilled from him that made it bad. The sound would certainly scratch into the surface of one's very spirit, scarring it permanently with nightmarish memories, but the... language that came from him! It was a foul, sickening, mortally incomprehensible vernacular with impossible sylables and words that twisted the mind as it tried to understand what was being spoken. Any pair of ears that heard so much as a single sylable would begin to burn red hot with pain.

And his presence... The smell... The chill, it was no longer as tame as it had been before.

What in Dwayna's name was this?.. Violet might think.
By the shadow of Melandru's holy leaves... Adara might gasp.

The old man's body twitched as if he was having a seizure, one hand clutched his hooded head, and the other clutched the cloak covering his chest, only to snap away and smack at something only he could see. A minute would pass, filled with this heretical screaming that might make Dwayna herself keel over like Rose did in the bar. He eventually fell to one knee.

My medicine... He managed to think to himself through the chaotic maelstrom that filled his mind.

Struggling, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a vial filled with the same fluid that he had given Adara. With great difficulty, spilling the foul substance all over himself, he managed to drink some of it. He knew he had long ago developed an immunity to the stuff but he decided to give it one last try in his moment of need because not even the God's themselves seemed capable of helping this corrupted little man.

[Necris]

As the three made their way back to the clearing where the old man, the elementalist, the warrior, and (unknown to them) the ranger stood, Tiberius looked at the foliage around him with a scowl. "This isn't what Krytan vegetation looks like, Duran. Explain."

The seeker had noticed as well but wished to keep his opinions reserved. He did not need to be harassed by a superior officer for something he did not witnessed. He decided it would be best to go with a more obvious observation. "This is new to me, sir. The land was not like this when I left but it appears to have been... corrupted."

Their healer, the Abbot, started as his feet noisily crushed a rather large, crunchy beetle that wandered underneath his boot. "Sir Tiberius... I don't think we should be here. The ground is sick and these bugs are starting to make my skin crawl."

"Shut up, Vihni." The Justicar growled. He did not appreciate being stuck with a pathetic, whiny member of their organization like this and someone was going to pay for it. He needed to replace the healer as soon as possible.

They came to the edge of the hill where Duran had first spotted the girl, but she was no longer in her unstable state.

The seeker crouched down on the hill's edge and observed the situation in front of him. Now there was an armoured woman holding the elementalist in her arms and a cloaked figure some distance away from her. And he-...

Then came the words. By Saul's holy mother! The seeker would hear the babbling first because he had better hearing than the rest of them. He fell to his knees and covered his ears, groaning, "Make it stop!"

Their healer, Vihni, whimpered quietly as he watched this while the Justicar shot a glance at his seeker and spoke, "Stop what? Stand up you weakling!"

That was when they all heard it. Rhyna's hammer fell heavily to the ground and she cried out, "It hurts! It hurts!" as she brought her hands up to her ears. Justicar Tiberius' face writhed in agony as he dropped his shield and sword to do the same, while Vihni screamed and dashed away into the nearest piece of uncorrupted shrubbery - thirty feet away.

[Mahtar]

"What in Tyria's going on?!" yelled Makil pushing him self from the ground. He had managed to cover his ears when the old man had shouted and dived out the way as the spirit had flew at the old man. "Well?!" he asked returning his sword to his belt.

[Necrotic]

Adara had taken a fistfull of arrows from her quiver and placed them in front of her, heads loosly in the ground. As Violet approached her sister Adara unslung her bow and nocked an arrow, drew back and let fly with an untreated arrow. The distracting shot aimed for her head but Addara knew it would not strike for the wind Rose was whipping up. The arrow had it's intended effect, sailing a mere fingers length from Rose's face.

Noting the arrival of yet another stranger, Adara merely glanced in his direction to see if it was anyone she knew...seeing otherwise she shot yet another arrow perfectly timed to distract Rose from immolating her sister. If that was truly her intention...Adara doubted it but with the verbal attacks she had seen earlier she figured even siblings might hurt each other if angry enough. Though Rose didn't seem truly angry....more confused than anything.

The third arrow she applied a drop from the vial the old man gave her and when the thing appeared behind Rose, she fired almost without thinking...slightly startled by it's appearance. This time however she aimed carefully at the creature and as she applied more from the vial....suddenly her hands were bathed in an ethereal blue light. Realizing it was emanating from her headband she froze momentarily..."This has never happened before" she whispered and a thin tendril of light snaked from the signet on her headband to the arrowtip where she had applied the liquid.
"Aim for her heart"
The voice was as clear as Violet's had been, as though someone were standing right next to her....but she knew no one was there.
"Cover your ears!"
And Adara felt a warm sensation covering her ears, as though someone else did it for her.

"Aim carefully my Angharad."

As Adara let the arrow fly, sudden realization slammed into her...she has been called that before but not in many years....in fact it had been so long since she has heard that name that she almost didn't recall who it was that called her by that.
She went through a mental list : Uncle Jahn? No....Jamis the clan leader, well he had always called her by one name or another....but not that one and never one so nice. Dera? No.....she continued listing the various people she knew but couldn't remember ever hearing them use the name.
"What in Tyria's going on?!"
The shout distracted her from her memories and Adara replied to him as though he was one of the clan children she had been charged with instructing, undisciplined and ego centric...."We are busy dealing with a problem, now be a good boy and stay out of the way. We will explain things when we have cleaned up!"
She surprised herself at that....she had rarely been so bold to speak to others like that but he did seem to be rather new to fighting or perhaps he just thought this was all for some sort of fun.

[Jink]

"Bloody hell!" Violet winced, but with Rose occupying her arms, she couldn't cover her ears. But the violin still played from the silver hawk, louder now, more maniacal even. It clashed with the hell-sound emanating from the ancient necromancer, providing an audible shield that Violet could remain behind.
"What in Tyria's going on?!"
"I don't know, but I'd suggest getting as far from him as you can!" She didn't know who the man was, but it seemed like he had arrived to help. Well, she had no problem with that. "Come over here, if you can!"

****************************** ***************************

Tiberius gritted his teeth - this was no good. The shrieks were barely muffled by his helmet, and two of his comrades had already fallen. A tactical retreat - much like Vihni's - would be the logical thing to do. The justicar grabbed Rhyana around the waist - she was a small woman and easily enough carried - and took hold of Daran's arm with the other hand. He carried/dragged them away behind a stand of trees that muffled the sound. Tiberus dropped them both unceremoniously and crouched down, waiting for the horrible sounds to come to an end.

[Necris]

All of a sudden, it stopped. The song of chaos that rose from the old man's chest was no more and he barely stood up, one veiny, wrinkled hand clenching his chest as he tried to still his heart. The other clutched desperately to his old wooden staff as he tried to keep himself up, knelt on one knee.

Then, something could be heard all around them. The aftershock which followed the wake of that being of shade and insanity - the witch-spirit. They were voices, gently whispering to one another. Faint, but regardless of their volume, they could be heard clearly by all - even penetrating the musical shield that sang from Violet's sword. The language in which they spoke was not the corrupted lyric that the old man had been screaming out just before, but it would be beyond comprehension anyway.

As they heard him wheeze, a faint green light spilled from the darkness of his hood. It would not betray his face - in fact if they managed to steal a look all they would gain would be the outline of a skull there with a few teeth chipped or missing.

His body shuddered as he coughed, spitting a ball of phlegm onto the ground. The swarms of insects now seemed to be favouring him because they piled around his feet. He barely managed to wave his arm and speak, "Begone..." before he fell to his other knee. His free hand scrambled to take up a spot next to the one that held the staff.

The swarms dispersed and dissapeared.

Whispering to himself audibly, "Witch..." He cursed.

While there were whispers still those voices in the air, the presence which had followed the old man around since everyone present first set their eyes on him was... gone. Or weakened? They would not know yet.

If Violet had been so bold as to walk up to him that moment, she would find that the fate that had met her sister in the tavern only half an hour ago would fall onto her. Whatever had just happened one thing was obvious: there was a connection between the old man and that shade - otherwise why would it have dissapeared as it went through him?

In the old man's mind, he pleaded to his dark god: Grenth, thy will be done through this vessel in whatever shape or form you deem pleasing, but by your eternal shadow, do not let her overpower me in my time of need...

He clutched his staff, still on his knees, his eyes wincing shut in pain. His breathing was heavy, a gasping, ghostly wheeze. To them, though, it looked like he was staring at the ground.

[Mahtar]

"We are busy dealing with a problem, now be a good boy and stay out of the way. We will explain things when we have cleaned up!"
For a brief moment Makil considered shouting a retaliatory comment but decided against it as he covered his ears from the strange whispering that had just started.
"I don't know, but I'd suggest getting as far from him as you can!" She didn't know who the man was, but it seemed like he had arrived to help. Well, she had no problem with that. "Come over here, if you can!"
Removing his gaze from the young ranger Makil slowly started making his way across to where the warrior was holding the elementalist. He definatly didn't appreciate being talked to like a child, 'I'm probably older than her anyway' he thought as he finally reached the warrior.

[Thornblade]

Following Pai through the water, Maksha examined the nearby rockface for handholds. It was hard to see in the darkness, but the first few yards of the wall looked very smooth, obviously worn down by the sea. Higher up though, the face was rugged, and looked easily climbable. Maksha waded over and motioned for Pai to step into his hands, which he had formed into a stirrup shape. Wary of the guards not too far away, he mouthed, "You go first."



(OOC: Just so I have a nice mental picture, so to speak, I assume we're trying to get into something like this. (http://files.photojerk.com/Tickle64/KrytanCastleB.jpg) Sorry for the character right in the middle, it was an old screenshot.)

[Necrotic]

Staring at the old man as he obviously was recovering from the fight...Adara had considered momentarily going to him to help him but thought "Then I might go crazy like Rose did."

Surveying the destruction that Rose had wrought upon the land she was happy to see most of the fires dying out for lack of fuel and the few still burning seemed to be small enough that they would burn out soon. Adara kneeled and said a few quiet words, summoning the spirit of winter to help cool the blazing embers and speed the fires demise. The chill breeze blew across everyone present.

A low grunt came from behind her and almost without thinking Adara responded "He teleported us..." pointing at the old man. As she turned to face the one posing such a question she realized that it was a rather large bear she was facing and not some warrior or ranger wandering by.

"Are....are you the one that saved me from the bird-thing?" she asked it....not entirely sure she would get a reply. Reply the bear did however and still to her own amazement, she understood. Not so much the noise he made but the tones and body language. It was something primal...basic in nature that she related with.

"It must have been my state of mind when you saved me that made me think you actually spoke to me." she said as she started walking toward Violet staying back just enough in case her bow was needed again.

"Maybe"

Adara gave the bear a double take...."Did you......oh nevermind."

[Jink]

The violin's song wound down, complimenting the whispers rather than pushing them away, until it faded completely. Violet eyed the cloaked man, easily resisting the urge to go over and help him. What in the bloody underworld is he? She had heard her guildmaster speak of the sacrifices necromancers made to gain power, but she had imagined nothing like this. She gritted her teeth - this old man was anything but a man!

Violet shifted her sister in her arms, bringing the teenager closer to her. The breeze was cold from Adara's nature spirit, and she didn't want Rose getting chilled. She felt her sister's face - Rose's flesh was still hot from channeling the elements. Her breathing was even and deep, and her pulse felt fine, if a bit elevated.

"Resting now, she is. A mess in her head she now has. Better now, though. Shut herself down, it seems," remarked the voice from the silver hawk that only Violet could hear.

"Will she be all right?" Violet murmured.

"Uncertain that is. Extreme caution you must now take. Dangerous is the company you now keep."

"Tsuu...." Violet looked up as Adara approached, accompanied by a large bear. The other man had reached her now as well, and Violet nodded to him. "Thank you for rushing to our aid. I imagine the lightshow caught a lot of people's attention?"

[Mahtar]

"Tsuu...." Violet looked up as Adara approached, accompanied by a large bear. The other man had reached her now as well, and Violet nodded to him. "Thank you for rushing to our aid. I imagine the lightshow caught a lot of people's attention?"
Makil returned the nod. "You don't need to thank me, I didn't do anything" he answered, he couldn't help feeling he should have done more though he wasn’t sure what he could have done. Makil carefully kept the old necromancer in the corner of his eye, he couldn't say he trusted any of these people, he was sure he had heard the warrior talking to herself, but the necromancer was the only one he wouldn't turn his back on "Is she going to be ok?"

[Necrotic]

As she walked toward Violet and Rose, Adara realized she was limping again. Her leg felt hot, as though on fire and the throbbing was even visible at the wound. She hadn't noticed the pain while the fireworks were happening and now it came back with a vengence. Adara stopped and sat on the ground despite her wariness about her surroundings. She contemplated removing her boot....but figured that her leg might then swell up to big to fit it back on again.

The bear following seemed to be aware of the pain and nudged her shoulder with his nose then licked her cheek.

"Thanks but I just need a moment to rest is all...."

[Necris]

With his strength slowly returning, he found the energy to lift his head. The old man watched them talk to each other, his eyes particularly falling on the newcomer. Interloper... He thought to himself. That would not do. No it would not.

They could hear him as he took in a deep breath, preparing to speak. That sound... It was like listening to a cave of stone and marble breathe its first breath, now animate.

He gently rapped the metal base of his staff against the rotting ground, pebbles, burnt grass, and dirt was all that was left of the dozens of meters of foliage around them, in every direction. "We... will continue..." He spoke, his like that of sand being poured between grinding rock.

They could visibly see the pain he was feeling by watching his body movements as he turned southward. He gave himself the luxury of a steady pace, not irritatingly slow but he would look wounded from a distance because of it. Not to mention that he might have made a rather promising target because he now no longer had that repelling presence about him.

But something in the air just might give the party an impression that it might come back at any moment...

[Necris]

((OOC: Come, come, now... We haven't lost interest now, have we?))

[Thornblade]

(OOC: Not I, I was just waiting for Thing to post.

I'm not trying to 'point the finger' but I prefer role-plays to advance like a ladder, giving anyone involved the chance to post before I rush off without them.)

[Necris]

(OOC: Not I, I was just waiting for Thing to post.

I'm not trying to 'point the finger' but I prefer role-plays to advance like a ladder, giving anyone involved the chance to post before I rush off without them.)

((OOC: It has been seven days since the last in-character post. I was merely concerned for the roleplay, that is all.))

[Necrotic]

Adara sat rubbing her throbbing leg...wishing that she had stayed back at the inn.....wishing that she was back with her clan. By now they were surely through the Maguuma and onto wherever the winds would blow next.

She looked over at Violet and despite intending to sound helpful, her voice betrayed her lack of confidence "Is there anything I can do to help?" painfully aware that there wasnt much she could do, her skills being so limited in healing.

The bear sat next to her in a protective manner....apparently sniffing the air.

[Jink]

((<--Writer’s block.:dizzy:))

“She just needs to rest for a bit, that’s all,” Violet answered Makil after a long moment of introspection. The warrioress turned to Adara. “I have some burns from the fire and lightning Rose was slinging about. My hands are a little full at the moment, so if you could spare a bit of Dwayna’s touch, I would appreciate it.” Violet eyed the bear for a long moment, then decided that if he was indeed Adara’s companion, she shouldn’t have to worry about him.

Violet turned to watch the old necromancer continuing along his path. He doesn’t even stop to wait for us – just continue on doggedly, even though he’s wounded. Violet sighed, acutely aware of the weight in her arms. No “reward” was worth this price. She still had no idea of what it was, and being a “reward” given by a necromancer, she may not want any part of it anyway. She was going to need something a little more substantial.

Violet glanced over at the pile of shed armor, wincing at the splits and cracks riddling the scorched metal, damaged by the power of the Primal’s spells. Not to mention my armor is shot.

[Necris]

The old man stopped in his tracks before he drew too far away from them. His head turned, the hood with it it, he looked over his shoulder. He heaved, willing his rib-cage to lift and expand. Breathe, you old coot. You'll kill us both, permanently.

He wished to scream. To tell it to shut up, but he had long ago grown accustomed to that which had tainted him. He had grown accustomed to its insane ramblings, its scurrying instinct for self-preservation.

It was his fault that it existed anyway.

The medicine was keeping his powers suppressed. This was good. It would give him time to recover, to prepare his mental and spiritual defenses for when the potion would wear off and his taint would once again be known to all.

He turned to face them again, using both hands to learn on a gnarled staff that seemed to be rotting as much as he seemed to be smelling. They could see the tendons of his fingers, stretched amongst the wrinkles of the skin of his hands.

He spoke.

"Adara, we will need to use your bear as a beast of burden to carry Rose to our destination." He said, the darkness of the hood seeming to look at her. It then turned to the warrior, "You, maiden of iron, will don your metal skin, and accompany us. Where I go, there are menders of the flesh and menders of iron. These are two services of which you have desperate need."

He heaved again, "The journey will take us... North... and east. We are to avoid Beetletun and any White Mantle or Shining Blade patrols."

[Necrotic]

“I have some burns from the fire and lightning Rose was slinging about. My hands are a little full at the moment, so if you could spare a bit of Dwayna’s touch, I would appreciate it.”
Adara nearly leaped to her feet....but she then thought a moment and instead, whispered a prayer then kissed her hands and blew a small puff in Violet's direction. Adara was always good at healing burns, even before she received the training from the monks, perhaps it was her natural affinity for the cold or some innate talent that surfaced within her. Either way this was something she knew she could handle herself.

As the faint breeze reached Violet it began to pick up volume and swirl around the fighter, taking on an ethereal blue glow as the mist whipped around her. The cool breeze died down only a few seconds later but Adara could tell it had taken care of Violet's burns completely.

Her leg still throbbing, Adara decided it was time for the old ranger remedy...though she hated using it for the smell. She retrieved a familiar looking vial from her belt pouch and untying the cork, pulled the cork free...being sure to point it away from herself as she did. The smell carried around by the wind, Adara held her breath as she applied small amounts of the unguent to her leg. Feeling the fetid oil do its work she quickly corked and retied the flask. The bear, having smelled the contents almost before she opened it, gave a disapproving grunt and ambled off toward Violet just quick enough to avoid getting a noseful of the foul ointment.

Adara, her leg starting to feel better, layed out staring up at the sky and relaxed a little.

"Adara, we will need to use your bear as a beast of burden to carry Rose to our destination."
"Well that is entirely up to him....but I don't think he will mind too much, will you?" she asked toward the bear who was now next to the sisters and merely huffed a response as he laid next to Rose.

[The Thing]

((ooc: Aaah, I'm really, really sorry, guys. I've had much more stuff to attend to this past week than I thought I would. I apologize again.

- yes, that is the structure I had in mind, Thorn.))


Glancing up at the point where the rocky face of the seawall became rugged again, Pai adjusted her gloves, which presented small metal rods on the figertips to aid in climbing, and set a foot in Maksha's hands. Bending her knees, she kicked off, pushing off her companion's shoulders to reach added height, and landed herself flat against the wall like a spider. She quickly reached up to gain a more secure handhold and stop herself from slipping. Upon hoisting herself up some more, she risked a look down at Maksha. "Come on, slowpoke, the handholds are fine!" she beckoned cheerfully.She looked back up at the top of the first wall section. The ramparts seemed pretty high up from her viewpoint, but she pulled herself higher anyway.

After a while, she could hear the clodding footsteps of patrolling guards over the roar of the sea, and the wind that was making it increasingly difficult to keep her holds. She shifted to a stone brick sloppily jutting from the rest and from there, reached out to grab the walls' crenellations. Risking a peek over the side, she slipped onto firm ground as a guard went past; a piece of cloth to extinguish the nearest torch clinging to it's fire amidst the salty wind, and darkness shrouded the place for a few feet.

[Thornblade]

Maksha looked up the face, he knew he couldn't jump all the way up to the handholds. He didn't check to see if Pai was looking in his direction but motioned he was going to check the main path to the gatehouse.

A few minutes later, Maksha was squatting in the sand, watching the guards. The light of their torches didn't extend far, Maksha was certain he was safely concealed. He was about to attempt a way though the gate when he noticed a handhold on the cliff opposite. He went to the edge of the ramp and estimated the distance, around 6 feet. Looking down, he could see the tide surging though the small gulley between the ramp and the cliff, a very dangerous place. He was hesitant to attempt to jump the distance, however he could see no viable path past the guards either. He walked backwards and did some basic stretches, checked his bow was secure and sprinted at the gap.

[Mahtar]

He heaved again, "The journey will take us... North... and east. We are to avoid Beetletun and any White Mantle or Shining Blade patrols."
'A bit of a foolish old man' thought Makil, abandoning his covert watch of the necromancer. Telling strangers that you were going to dodge both of these groups was considered a very stupid mistake, as most reasons for doing so were not something you would want people talking about. "If you're heading north, I hope you don't mind me following" he said, more to the warrior than any of the others "I have some things to do up there anyway"

[Thornblade]

(OOC: Oh for the love of God, and all that is holy, someone POST! :D)

[The Thing]

A guard trudged along the rampart, trying to keep the humid and salt-filled air from blowing into his face. Suddenly he stopped walking. This part of the wall was too dark...He found the torch still there, it had only blown out after. Suddenly a hand came from over his shoulder to hold his face, clapped over his mouth. Pai grabbed the back of the guard's head as he tried to wrench her off; she twisted her body, throwing weight into a quick movement. A gut-wrenching creak was produced, as the guard's neck snapped. Letting the dead weight fall to the floor, Pai scouted the immediate area for any more. Satisfied she was alone, she pulled the man over to the side of the wall and heaved him over.

Now to find her 'friend'.

[Thornblade]

Maksha leapt just as he reached the edge of the ramp. Time seemed to slow as he flew silently towards the cliff face. Looking down, he saw the tide surge up the gulley again, and he knew if he fell it would be a quick death.

Maksha hit the rocks harder than he had expected, the collision knocking the air from his lungs. His hands clawed at the face for handholds, but he felt himself begin to fall. Suddenly his right hand landed on a small ledge, which he held on to for dear life. Small rocks tumbled past him, the signs of his disturbance. He glanced over at the gate; one of the guards had turned in his direction. The guard said something to his companions and began to walk towards him. Maksha realised he would soon be discovered, so he took a deep breath and began to climb.

He eventually made it to the top and saw the rocky pinnacle he was on formed a natural part of the wall. He stepped off on to the battlements and headed around to the right until he saw Pai. Jogging silently up behind her, he tapped her gently on the shoulder to make her aware of his presence.

(OOC: Sorry if the quality of this post is low, I am having a bit of a writer's block :()

[Necris]

((OOC: Jink? Necrotic? You haven't gotten bored of me have you?))

[Jink]

((XD I just posted!))

"Thanks, Adara." Violet then nodded to Makil, giving him silent consent to join them. She stood up with Rose in her arms and called to the necromancer, "And just where is it we are going, old man? I'll be lucky to salvage enough good steel out of this mess to make a set of gladiators' armor." Fortunately she always wore a light tunic and pants under her heavy armor, and while it was scorched and torn from the damaged armor, she was still decent.

---------------------------------------------------------
The screaming had stopped, followed by an eerie quiet, full of whispering voices. Rhyana and Daran had recovered somewhat, though the Savant was still holding her head, in either pain or fear. Tiberius gestured for Daran to move on ahead and find out what was going on. The seeker hesitated - something very unnatural had just happened, and he wasn't fond of the idea of heading right into the middle of it.

Tiberius gestured again, more forcefully, and Daran acquiesed, knowing the consequences of disobeying the justicar. The seeker slipped into the night, circling around the wasted land as he looked for cover to stay behind. An unusually cold breeze touched him, and Daran spotted the shimmery form of a nature spirit. There's at least one ranger, he noted to himself. He found cover behind a half-rotted palm tree that had been on the very edge of the tainted land. From the shadows there he looked out upon the scene.

[Necris]

"And just where is it we are going, old man? I'll be lucky to salvage enough good steel out of this mess to make a set of gladiators' armor."

The bones of his body audibly creaked as he leaned forwards slightly, "That is a question I cannot answer until we get there..." The hood shifted left, then right, "There are ears which listen and eyes which watch."

His right hand let go of his staff, and he shuffled a bit as he shifted the staff to the left side of his body. He lifted his right arm and pointed his wiry, wrinkled finger at the man which had rushed to their aid, and spoke, "I do not know if he can be trusted. I am wary of him. He meddled in our affairs with the Elementalist and no good can come from someone who is nosy."

The hood now turned its gaze upon Makil, "You. I know not your name, but for your better interests and ours you may wish to decide against following us. You will not understand what you find."

In fact he might even ruin the decades of work we have done, old man... Whispered the voice from the darkest corners of his magically suppressed mind. The potion was losing its resolve on his powers.

Daran blinked in surprise. Might the cloaked figure know he was there? What was he to do? His hand twitched in the direction of his arrow filled quiver. Perhaps he should take a shot.

...Maybe not. He relaxed and decided to continue to watch. There was no way that what looked like an old man wrapped in old clothes could detect him.

[Necrotic]

(OOC: Bored? Of you?...psshh....not yet ;) )


Adara bolted straight up....sitting up she pulled her hair back from her ears and sat motionless for several seconds. She heard it for certain this time and scanned the area beyond the necromancer with her peripheral vision, a trick rangers learned early for the edges of vision detected light more easily. She made no movement with her head and after detecting the faintest hint of motion she finished her hand movement by pretending to comb bugs out with her fingers.

Standing up casually she walked to the sisters and crouched down to say a prayer and lay hands upon Rose, a blessing of sorts that she wasn't entirely familiar with and despite her lack of faith in herself....manifested itself within Rose. As she watched the light glow from beneath her hands...surprising herself, she whispered in a tone that the small fires would keep just between her and Violet " On your guard! We are not alone here! Beyond the old man, we are being watched!" and Adara touched Rose's face, gently caressing her cheek which was still warmer than it should be.

[The Thing]

Pai was looking straight up at the cliff face, trying to decide how best to scale this, as Maksha came up silently behind her. She was so concentrated, that she failed to detect him until the last moment, when he tapped on her shoulder. She jumped a little, and immediately she felt her face burn hotly as she saw Maksha. He'd caught her completely unawares, something she would never admit; thankfully the shadows would mostly conceal the colour rushing to her cheeks.

"Ah, there you are." she said in a flippant manner. She turned her back on him again to point almost straight up, "That's where we're going," she said, indicating a lavish balcony hanging at least a good 50 feet above them. "But I'm rather relunctant to climb all that like a gecko. I think we could shimmy across from his neighbour's window, using the passageways inside to get up there. Although dodging guards might be harder..."

[Thornblade]

Maksha thought for a moment. "I'm not sure I could manage a climb like that..." He admitted finally. "I vote we take our chances inside. From the looks of it, most of the guards remain by the gates anyway." He pulled his bow from his shoulder and checked the string. "I'm ready when you are."

[Necris]

The old man replaced his hand to his staff, letting the two women go about their business to deal with the second interloper that was watching them from the brush of a nearby hill. He could feel the Seeker's eyes. Watching. He was in no state to dispatch of him more discreetly with his powers suppressed, otherwise he would have given him such a fright...

His eyes focused on the man who had come to their aid - aid that they did not need. He was being awefully quiet. The old man didn't like that.

((OOC: I can't post anything until Mahtar makes his post.))

[Jink]

Violet sighed - of course there would be somebody out there watching them. Rose shifted slightly, stirring with Adara's touch but not waking. Violet adjusted her sister and looked over to the bear. Her arms were getting tired. "If you don't mind, Mister Bear." Violet gently draped her sister across the bear's back, watching the animal closely for any signs of discomfort.
"I do not know if he can be trusted. I am wary of him. He meddled in our affairs with the Elementalist and no good can come from someone who is nosy."
"Which would you rather have, old man? Someone nosy following behind us, or someone nosy with us where we can keep an eye on him? And who's to say we can't use his nosiness for our own means?" Not to mention it's always a good idea to have an extra meatshield, as my sister would say.

[Mahtar]

((OOC: Soz Necris but iv only just been able to get on today. Anyway here's my post))

"I do not know if he can be trusted. I am wary of him. He meddled in our affairs with the Elementalist and no good can come from someone who is nosy."
'Maybe i was quick to judge him' Thought Makil, taking little notice of the rangers movement as she made her way to the warrior who still held the elementalist. Makil let himself drift into thought for a moment, wondering why the old necromancer didn't trust people who came to help, feeling slightly annoyed at being referred to as "nosy" and wondering if the ranger had spotted the same movement and herd the same noises as he had.

"Which would you rather have, old man? Someone nosy following behind us, or someone nosy with us where we can keep an eye on him? And who's to say we can't use his nosiness for our own means?"
He still didn't like being called "nosy" but ignored it, glad to have someone on his side. Makil held his silence, waiting to see if the warrior’s words would sway the necromancer’s decision.

[The Thing]

"Good then, our minds are working as one." replied Parvati. She grabbed Maksha's hand to pull him after her as she slipped up a small staircase. They reached a large hallway providing a strange mechanism. A chamber had been left open vertically in the middle of the tower, occupied by a system of chains, pulleys, and reinforced wooden platforms to carry people up every few levels. Quite an effort saver, but unfortunately Pai and her accomplice could not use those, as it required a task force to operate. So they dashed into the main spiral stairwell instead.

[Thornblade]

Maksha rushed up the stairs after Pai, making as little sound as he could. The staircase seemed endless, he was dizzy to the point of nausea, but eventually the top of the circlular stairs could be seen. Maksha slowed his pace to a silent creep and waited for Pai to form some ingenious plan.

[Necris]

The old man did not reply to the question that was asked. The iron maiden did not understand where he intended to bring them and thus the reason why he did not wish for this stranger to come. He could not have too many people following the party.

Knowing that Adara and Violet would deal with the watcher, he humoured the male warrior and continued the little game of silence they had between them. He may have been old, but in his age, one cultivated a sense of patience that would be unmatched by the young.

He also knew that some warriors had a tendency to be impatient. Violet did not seem to be one of those, but this as yet nameless warrior just may be.

You know we don't have the time to play these waiting games, old man. Came the voice again.

He cursed at it mentally, having been reminded of what exactly awaited them at their destination.

He turned to watch Violet and Adara. He made his decision about the other warrior, but tried to keep up the charade of indicision to try and throw off their watcher.

He still didn't like the yet to be named man.

Meanwhile...

Daran furrowed his brows in thought. They were bantering and didn't reveal their destination yet. Or maybe they already had but he wasn't there to hear it. Tiberius wouldn't be pleased if he returned empty handed - he never did like to not see results from an order.

He decided to keep his head down and continue to watch them through the rotten underbrush.

Tiberius rubbed his wrist across his face and sniffed. What is taking Daran so damn long? He should have reported back by now! He looked around and couldn't see Vihni. Suppressing a growl of discontent, he thought, I'm going to have to kill him if I ever find him. This is the last time he's going to run away from us.

[The Thing]

Pai panted as she stuck her head out of a narrow window to check their position. The ascent had been fairly uneventful, aside from avoiding the occasional private guard stalking an adjoining corridor. She peered into the hallway; two guards stood talking on either side of a massive and intricately decorated door. That must be where he lives... Pai turned and sat on a stair. "Give me a minute" she whispered at Maksha. Going in and picking the lock next to the guards would be a little too inconspicuous. She looked at the staircase winow again...it was narrow, but she could slip through. Maksha could probably not, though.

"I have a plan. I'll open his neighbour's door from the inside, when I do so, you will come and join me; don't worry about the guards, I'll handle it. Here, hold onto this for me." She gave Maksha her pack and squeezed herself through the window. The wind whipped her hair around and Pai dug her climbing aids into any cracks she felt. She shimmied across a part of the wall with some difficulty, as her boots kept slipping against the humid rock. Coming across a closed window, she peered inside. The dining room. She set a foot on the windowsill and pulled out a knife from her boot, which she stuck between the two window panes. She then drew it up until a small click indicated her that she had unfastened it. She quickly entered and closed the window to avoid having wind blowing things around.

After checking through the rooms that all occupants were deep asleep (and noting items of value), Pai selected a flowing long-sleeved dress from a lady's wardrobe and slipped it on over her outfit, removing only her gauntlets and boots. Her armor was rather tight-fitting, so it was undetectable under the gown (other than by touching). Working silently, Pai unlocked the door to the main hall and stepped out. She gave the guards next door a little bow. "Good evening, gentlemen." To which they replied likewise. Turning towards Maksha's hiding place in the stairwell, she whispered loudly, "Pssst, are you there, dear?"

[Thornblade]

Maksha stood stock-still, mouth slightly open, trying to work out what had happened. Pai had suddenly handed over her pack and climbed out the window, and the next thing he knew, she was looking like a noblewoman and greeting the guards. He settled on the thought that it must be a female thing, however he was unsure what Pai expected him to do next. She may be looking regal, but Maksha was annoyingly aware he still looked like a bandit. The guards seemed to be quickly becoming suspicious however, so he stepped boldly out into the light of the corridor and started talking before he knew what to say. "Uh... here I am... my lovely..." He stammered, awkwardly.

[The Thing]

Pai lifted a finger to her mouth with an exasperated expression. "Shhh, not so loud, do you want my parents to wake up?" She took Maksha's arm with both hands as he approached and pulled him in. Giving the two guards a beaming smile, she bowed again "Pardon, good sirs; I fancy we won't be disturbing you again tonight." And she pushed the door shut as she heard a guard mutter "Lucky wanker..."

Pai softly locked the door and turned around, rubbing her hands. "Everything is going according to plan." Grinning, she tapped Maksha with the back of her hand, "You'd better work on your improvisation for next time." before taking off the dress and smoothly putting it back in its place. She slipped on her boots and gauntlets again, and slung her pack over her shoulder (after filling it up a little more with what she'd noted earlier.)

She opened the window once more, and motioned for Maksha to follow her along the wall to the lushly decorated balcony of Barthalao's residence. Pai took out her lockpicking tools, and in a few moments they were finally inside.

[Thornblade]

Happy that the guards were now on the other side of a locked door, Maksha relaxed and had a quick look around the expensive home. He thought it a shame he'd brought only what he thought he would need, if he'd had his backpack with him he would have been filling it with precious items. He looked enviously at Pai's slightly fuller bag as she climbed out of the window. He shrugged and followed her out and along the wall to the balcony. While waiting for her to pick the lock, he walked to the railing and peered over. "I think we were right about taking the stairs. That does not look very fun." He said, as he examined the near vertical rockface. A few seconds later he heard the click of the lock being picked, and he turned to enter the building with Pai. It looked dark inside, so Maksha decided to put his elementalist training to good use. He shut the door after he and Pai were inside and silently conjured a tiny ball of lightning in his hand, providing just enough illumination to see by. He motioned for Pai to lead on, it was her idea to come here, after all.

[Mahtar]

((OOC: Ok I guess u lot have been busy so here's 1 to start it up again))
Makil stood staring towards the necromancer but not directly at him, though most people would not notice, his eyes would flick momentarily over the old mans shoulder but returning almost instantly to the necromancer. While Makil could use his peripheral vision he was far from skilled at it. 'I'm late' he thought after a swift glance at the sky "We can either travel north together or not" he said finally "You don't need to tell me where you're going but I am already late"

[Necris]

((OOC: I can't do anything until Jink and Necrotic make their posts, so be patient my friend. Jink's a busy ninja moderator and Necrotic probably has other things to do beyond the screen.))

[Jink]

((OOC: To me it seemed more a stand-off between Makil and Necris. Plus the forums randomly decide to not let me into certain threads at times. O_o Anyhoo....))

Violet made sure that her sister was settled, and gestured subtly to Adara. "Think you can sneak up on our watcher?" she murmured.

[Necrotic]

"Think you can sneak up on our watcher?"
Adara took a moment to think about the possibilities, the fact that the night was veiled by the smoke and dust from Rose's demonstration of power would help tremendously.
"If you were to create a distraction I could probably get close enough to cut a lock of hair off." she smirked "Do we want them alive?"

[Jink]

"We should find out who they are first. Knock 'em out, then we can question them. Or chase 'em my way and I'll knock 'em out."

Violet stepped away from the bear, walking to a point between Makil and Necris. A distraction, eh? Pity my sister was still asleep - she was always better at that than I was. "All right - all right, you two. Here's what I think we should do. We should go straight to Lion's Arch and inform the Lionguard of what's happened here. They are the law of this land, and we should report to them." Violet hoped that she could spark some sort of verbal argument, something to keep the watcher's eyes trained on them, and away from Adara.

[Necris]

The old man saw what the iron maiden was trying to do, so he decided to pitch in, playing the part of the typical old conservatist crank on his last leg.

"Yes, absolutely! We should inform them poste haste before something even worse happens, like a second searing! O' the woe of such an event! I've been through one in my old age and I could not bear having to go through it again!"

Daran's eyes switched from the young girl being put on the bear to the old man who suddenly spoke up. That voice... It grated at his ear drums. Such a hoarse sound... He half expected the cloaked man to drop dead from old age right there.

Sadly, though, the old man put far too much sarcasm in his voice. What reason would he have disagreeing with the warrior?

He must be hiding something... Thought the seeker, who committed the old man's figure to memory. It wouldn't be hard to find a person like that amongst a typical Krytan crowd, especially since he never seemed to want to expose his head.

The old man thought to himself with a snort. He knew who it was that watched them but he decided to not reveal that he knew this lest he accidentally reveal something about himself to the band of adventurers around him that he did not think they should know.

Not right now anyway.

[Necrotic]

"I think you would be better at knocking them out..." she said to Violet as she stood and walked away from the group.
"...but I'll try not to kill them with the first shot." Adara mused as she pulled an arrow from her quiver with a particularly blunt head on it.

Adara paused a moment, turned back to her new found companion and whispered into his ear "keep her safe for me.....okay?" and she scratched his ear. The bear licked her cheek "of course" was his response.

Adara then skulked away toward the edge of the small field they were in to work her way around to the secret watcher. She pondered the many different ways she might be able to frighten the spy into running toward Violet as she quietly made her way.

[The Thing]

As Maksha's orb lit up the room a bit, one could see that, as rich as the next door home was, it was as a pauper's shack compared to this place. The dining room was vast, three stories tall. The three levels of large stained glass windows behind them were hidden behind velvet-lined curtains the size of sails. The walls were covered in tapestries depicting historical scenes or bearing coat-of-arms. A colossal table stood stalwartly in the middle of the room, a huge crystal chandelier hanging over it from the ceiling on the end of three chains. Pai wondered how they lit it, and ran a finger along the table. It was at least partly ebony, with animals engraved in the rim; Pai stepped between two of the dozen plushed chairs to take a closer look at some silverware still on the table. Her theiving senses were overloaded, and it took some will for her to remember what she had come for. The person living here obviously had been immensely influential.

Pai motioned for Maksha to follow her as she stepped towards the main door. It was directly visible from the dining room on the end of a short hall between a pair of staircases and a platform deck that gave way to the second level. She avoided the hall that displayed several suits of armor, and rose up the steps as silently as possible.

[Thornblade]

Maksha eyes boggled at the size of the room as he followed Pai like a loyal puppy. He held his hand up to better illuminate his surroundings and marvelled at the stained glass windows. If he had only been thief, this room alone would have enabled him to retire a happy man. He gazed hungrily at each ornate item as they passed silently, on the way to the stairs. He took special care to be as quiet as possible, even concealing the light a little to make sure their presence was not noticed.

[Necrotic]

Adara crouched low to the ground, partially resting on her outstreched bow arm. She could see the man now....the outline unmistakably familiar, she knew it was a Mantle archer. Being this far out of his peripheral vision meant she may also be closer to his allies....she knew they were there because of the noise they made, just not how many.

"Patience" her father's advice came back to her....she could still remember some things they had done together, the hunting parties he would let her go on with him "...after all the children should learn to fend for themselves should they get seperated from the clan." it seemed soo many years ago.

[star welters]

((i'm so dissappointed, I was really enjoying this.))