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Dawn of Destiny; dun dun DUN!
Topic Started: Aug 28 2006, 03:35 PM (3,037 Views)
eocine
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Sometimes you just have to burn the card fate dealt you.
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Karosin heard the shaking of the tree leaves before he saw Fade’s motion, watching as she shot along the branch and launched herself into the air. His expression didn’t change in the slightest has he watched her clawing fingers snag themselves a purchase on the wall before a second hand swung up as well.

Technically he probably could have moved across and helped, but she seemed to have the situation covered well enough anyway…

A belief that was soon to be proved when she nimbly swung herself up onto the same level. He followed her eyeline when she looked out over the encampment, but there was little more that he could have added to the Fey’ri’s impression of it.

As Skafloc pulled his massive frame up the rope he heard the gate creaking, as the wood protested the weight, but in no time at all his brawny arms had pulled up as well. “Not a lot yet”, came the quiet reply, before he looked down at Jonas and gestured for the Shadow-Dancer to follow them up, standing well back to give him room.
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Darkwind
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When he satisfied himself that she was well guarded, Greg proceeded to walk into the wall, timing the activation of his cloak's magic to occur just as he would hit it. Instead of bouncing off it, he walked through the wall. On the other side, he decided to remain ethereal for a few seconds--the place was just too quiet, too suspicious. Where were they, then? Underground? Doubtful. Were they observed as they made their way here? Thoughts of ambush prompted him to seek higher ground and he floated up to the top of the wall near the others.
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Mwa13
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Jonas smirked as the big barbarian hurled Karosin upwards. He had had confidence in Skafloc and his smile widened as Karosin landed on the wall safely.

He waited quietly, watching Fade doing her own climbing, until he noticed Karosin motion him to climb, which he then did. He had noticed Greg walk through the wall and shook his head. "Mages..." he quietly said to himself and continued climbing. Once up, he took a look around and looked at Skafloc and Karosin. "I don't like this. It's too quiet", he whispered to the two men.
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Pamela
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Molly
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Llana watched the caperings of the others with a smile, before deciding that it was probably time to get herself over the barrier as well. Her eyes slid shut as her prayer began, a prayer that Sune grant her the gift of a sprinkling of her holy energies to dedicate to the mission.

As her prayer ended the very air around Llana seemed to glow and vibrate with a holy radiance, and her hair morphed for a moment into a torrent of gloriously red flame. At the same time a pair of angelic wings began to push through out of her shoulder blades, magically parting clothing and armor as the did so, and growing to full size in seconds. Already luminous eyes were lit with a holy fire, and her skin began to glow a golden colour even more lustrous then before.

In a matter of seconds the transformation was over, and where once had stood Llana Arden, cleric of Sune, now stood an image of celestial energy.

OOC; Llana sacrifices all of her turn undead slots to use a Divine Metamagic infused Persistent Spell casting Greater Visage of the Deity.

eo writes; Yep, this was me because Pammy's getting ready for work... ;)
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eocine
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Sometimes you just have to burn the card fate dealt you.
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Karosin nodded but said nothing to the concerns of the others, more concerned with looking out over the field before them. It was curious; did it mean that they had already left? It couldn’t do though because if they HAD left they surely wouldn’t have left the gem behind, and without the gem they would have been able to scry on the area. So they were surely here somewhere, but where.

And how to find them before they find us…

It was a transformation that he’d seen several times before, but it never became less impressive for that fact, and a rare public smile that wasn’t one of victory or sadistic joy crossed his lips. Once the transformation had been completed he allowed himself to drop down from the fence, dropping into a crouch to cushion the landing before straightening up and brushing himself down.

From down there the view changed significantly, as directly in front of them a small group of houses stood, and to the left was the bizarre blue-stone edifice shaped like a whale. Drawing both his blades he waited for the others to drop down as well.
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Mistress Elysia
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Quirking one crimson brow, the fey'ri grinned at the barbarian's comment, mischief dancing in her eyes. "Depends on the time of the year" she bantered back" and only then if it concerns the subject of nuts..."

Again, she shielded one hand in a vain attempt to aid her sight. With a slight frown she shook her head, knowing that what she had seen in the obscured region could have simply have been the breeze eddying through it as opposed to anything else. She pointed out the place to the men she shared the fence with. "Over there" she said, quietly. "Can you see that area that is obscured with what looks like steam or mist? There's something... odd about it. It may have been nothing... a simple trick of the light or a gust of wind, but it caught my attention when I was in the tree. It could be somewhere to begin a search." she then dropped her arm and cocked her head to one side in consternation. "Where are they?" she murmered, to herself.

From behind and below her, the rebel fey'ri heard Llana begin to chant. Slightly curious at what she was about to do, Fade glanced back, only to have her full attention caught by the amazing transformation that was playing out below her. With a low whistle of appreciation, she turned back to Skafloc and Jonas - Karosin now having jumped of the fence - with a slightly incredulous look on her face.

"Now there's something you don't see everyday..."

Then, taking Karosin's lead, she jumped from the fence, still scanning the area and drew both her blades with a grin.
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Pamela
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As Karosin jumped down, Llana flew up. She still felt incredible joy at the experience of having wings, a childhood fantasy fulfilled. She was careful however not to soar- at least not yet- and landed beside the others on the wall, though not so close as to bat them with her wings. That had happened once, and she smiled privately at that particular memory.

The smile quickly faded as she turned her attention to her surroundings. She knew the settlement was per force small, but it still seemed unnaturally quiet. Have they perhaps moved their base? But surely they would have taken the shard with them then; they’re not tanarruk, after all. There was also no sign of any battles- no scorched walls, no new ruins- to suggest a sudden departure. Or do they now live underground? Very un-elvish of them…

She realised that she was staring at the blue glass. The material seemed to be unique to the North, and many of Silverymoon’s most ancient buildings were constructed from it. She caught the shape and scrutinized it more carefully as she recalled which god...“Deep Sashelas…” she murmured, and she felt dread as she saw how well it looked on the outside. But what have they done on the inside…

“It’s a temple, or rather, it used to be one,” she said, her eyes still caught by the whale-shaped building. “And Goddess only knows what they’ve made it into now. I’m sure there’ll be a shrine to someone else there now. But I don’t know if they’d hold the shard there.” She looked around at the other buildings. The two towers seemed to be two other good candidates. “Which one shall we go to? I personally think it's likely to be in the crooked tower myself. And do you want me to take a better look?”
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Castamir
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Fade's comment caused Skafloc to glance around, and catch the final moments of Llana's transformation.

He realised his mouth was open, and closed it. Forcing his attention back to what lay before them. After all these years, there were still things that impressed him.

He jumped down after Karosin, landing with both hands gripping his greataxe, almost as if using it's length and weight as a balance. He immediately moved towards the blue building a few feet, leaving space for the other's to drop, and dropped to one knee, eyes scanning the closest buildings for movement, listening intently for any sounds that might betray the presence of the enemy, while the other's mustered behind him.

He may have been the only meat shield present, but he took his job very seriously, and if anything came out of those buildings, they would meet Skafloc first, and though he was only one, he would make sure they paid a heavy price to get past him.
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Mwa13
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Jonas looked at the direction Fade was pointing in. "I agree, it does look like the place start searching at." he said to her while staring at the area.

He glanced over his shoulder when Fade made her comment and saw Llana flying after them. He lifted one eyebrow, as he had seen winged humans back in Sigil only, so seeing her with wings was an odd sight indeed, but he didn't put much thought into it as he jumped right after Skafloc, landing on his feet in a crouching position to soften the fall a little. He looked around the area himself, still not liking what he was seeing, taking out his daggers and twirling them in his fingers.

He turned to Llana. "I and Karosin could also go and take a look." He glanced and smiled wickedly at the man.
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Mistress Elysia
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Fade scrutinised the Whale-shaped building for a moment and then stepped forward.

"I could go in first. I'm fey'ri - even though I was being pursued by two of my race, there is no reason for them as a whole to know exactly who I am and what my agenda is; I'm certainly not *that* well known. There is more of a chance that they'll ask questions first and then attack if they see me first, if they are indeed in there. They won't trust me - I doubt any fey'ri trusts another - but they may be curious as to what I am doing here in this company" especially with a Sunite... she added a little ruefully to herself ... And one that is so obviously powerful and in full favour of her Goddess "...as opposed to just attacking straight away. Because, believe me, if they're here, they already know of our presence - no matter how much we try to hide from them, they *will* find us, and it won't be upon our terms. If I go first, I may be able to speak with them - glean any information from them - before they attack. And if they attack before I get to speak..." a feral grin spread across her face again and she raised her now main hand weapon "they will be introduced in a most intimate way to Tholdagnir..."
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Pamela
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Llana looked back at the ancient temple, and was about to answer Jonas when the rebel made her own offer. She smiled at Fade but shook her head. “They may not know who you are exactly, but their numbers are surely few enough that they would immediately recognise a stranger, and that will invite hostility. And I cannot speak for the others, but I would not want you to endanger yourself by walking alone into a possible trap.” There was no thought in her head that this was an attempt to ally herself with her kind; but Llana did worry about her desire for revenge outweighing common sense in this situation. She did appreciate both the gesture and willingness to prove her new allegiances.

“You may be right that they are aware of us; I can’t imagine that they have all gone to sleep or are buried in some hole below. But I also don’t want us to fight more than is necessary right now. We’re here for one purpose- find it and leave, with prisoners if possible.” The size of the encampment, and sense of foreboding, seemed to render that idea as very unlikely. Her next comments were directed to the group as a whole. “I’d like to deal with the temple at some point but I question whether now is the time. Do any of you really believe that what we seek is there?”

She brought her attention back to the Tiefling. “I don’t suggest that we divide this early on. We’re too few as it is, and there’s too many obstructions between us and that,” the Sunite remarked, gesturing at the ruins that riddled the land between them. I think that we should stay together for now, and head immediately for whichever location we judge most likely to end our quest immediately.”
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eocine
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Karosin had been keeping a careful eye out from his position, though of course his comparative lack of height now that he was on the ground rendered that at best a cursory affair. The phrase ‘too quiet’ was actually one that he normally liked to hear, because invariably it had come from the mouths of people who should have been more worried about him. This though was different, because there was every chance that this silence wasn’t the silence of the unaware, rather it was the silence of a cat watching an unwary mouse.

But I’m not minded to be the mouse for long…

He tilted his head to the side as Fade dropped down, and noted the way that she used her tail as a counterweight, which made sense really, of course in combat it would probably be a disadvantage but there were assuredly plus sides to it. These ponderings were interrupted though by the far more audible thud as Skafloc’s mass of muscle leapt down from the fence.

“I should prefer for the time being to keep you out of the skies”, replied Karosin to Llana’s question on aerial scouting. It would certainly come in useful in the future, but he felt it was probably to soon to challenge the dominance that the Fey’ri would presumably have in the skies. That would wait till later.

At Jonas suggestion a grin crossed his lips for a moment, before he quelled it… He turned his head back to regard the Tiefling shadow-dancer and gave a resigned shrug, “eager as I am to wet my blades for the time being I have to agree with our feathery companion”, he smiled up at Llana as he spoke. “Instead I suggest that we try tailing the others at a distance, in a split of four to two… That way we should be able to keep distance between ourselves that isn’t excessive and hopefully throw our enemies off guard if they stop the others.”

He suspected that on a technical level Fade would be able to show sufficient stealth, but… The last thing I need is Miss used and abused here screaming out threats from near my position and charging a group of Fey’ri head on with a sword clamped between her teeth.

Fade’s request that she attempt to show trickery was met a dismissive shrug from the assassin. “It would be a disaster.” He said simply. “I for one flat refuse to believe that you can carry this off.” He gestured towards her with the dagger, pointing up and down her. “You’re virtually fit to explode with fury, and whilst admirable in battle that will not serve here.”

Llana’s words brought forth a retort from her husband, “I believe it would be better to check out the temple first, because the last thing I want as I go into the rest of this decrepit ruin is to have the gods know what pour out of that temple and attack us from behind. I say we deal with that, and then move on once we’re sure it’s clear to do so.”
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Mistress Elysia
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Fade bristled at the assasin's words, and found herself unconciously squaring herself up to him, her tail flicking jerkily from side to side.

"Oh, and I suppose you think sneeking in and slipping the odd dagger between a few ribs is going to do it, hmmm? Think you know more about the fey'ri that I do? That you know more about their tactics? They understand fury - they expect it! I may have been a way for a while, but just like the leopard, the fey'ri won't change their spots - I know their ways. Let me re-iterate; if they're here, they already know we're here. Sneaking about in pairs is going to get us nowhere - they'll just cut us from each other and slaughter us at their leisure. We may as well just charge in head on for all the good it will do us. The only thing we may have on our side is curiosity - why am I here with you? Why is a fey'ri with a bunch of what they will undoubtedly perceive as weaklings? Are you all my thralls? My slaves? They're so bloody arrogant that they won't even entertain the notion that I have been captured - or even worse, that I've sided with you. Once we're in - cut the bastards down. It's the only thing they understand."
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eocine
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Karosin watched the display through decidedly bored eyes…

“An impressive tirade for sure, I normally prefer people to snarl a little more but you’ve certainly got my attention.” He said languidly before taking a few steps back and leaning against the wall. Though this was mostly done so that he wouldn’t have to feel Llana’s stare attempting to burn holes in the back of his neck.

“A few questions though do rather present themselves…”

He let his weapons rest against his hips as he spoke and had to suppress a yawn, it really was unreasonably early after all. “You say that they expect fury and then you exhort that we use it… Does that not strike you as foolhardy in the extreme, to give them exactly what they expect?”

“Secondly I have to assume that you have some experience in combat, enough to know that charging in is never the best strategy, even if you have overwhelming numbers it can still fall to a well thought out plan.” He flipped his dagger over hin his hand so that the pommel pointed upwards and gestured out over Elven-Port. “We don’t know how many there are in here, so we can’t risk it all on a frontal assault, that would likely see us slaughtered in seconds.”

The assassin shrugged… “This area is immune to most forms of scrying, we know that much which means that there’s no certainly that they know we’re here, but lets assume that you’re correct and they know we’re here…”

“Would they not then be asking each other who you are, and if they find out… Assuming of course that you were honest with us, then attempting the deception you suggested earlier would be beyond fallacy and approaching being a blunder of monumental proportions.”
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Mistress Elysia
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"Sneaking around and being a cold bastard won't help you against this enemy" Fade replied, flatly, her tail still twitching. "If there's enough of them, they'll cut us off from each other eat us for breakfast. And yes, I meant that literally, in case you were wondering. I for one" she jabbed herself in the chest "am not going to go down with out a fight. Chances are they're hidden - just as well as you or the shadowdancer can hide. Like I said - if they're here, they're watching. All I'm hoping is that through some measure of curiosity, they *might* show themselves first to find out what I'm up to, rather than just shoot us down from the shadows like dogs." She turned away from Karosin so he didn't have to see her pained look at her next admission. "I *know* their tactics. I've *used* them. I've been on raids as one of them. I've..." she stopped, closed her eyes briefly to try to dispel some of the more unpleasant memories she had of her past life and whirled around again.

"Okay, Mr. Clever Bastard - tell us what we should do, since you've obviously got a far superior plan oh-so worked out. Either which way - we're sitting ducks here..."
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eocine
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“It’s rather amusing really”, replied the assassin in a voice that sounded virtually sepulchral in its decided lack of amusement, “that you earlier tell us how terrible humans are and that they do things that your demon kin would never dream of, but then you speak like this.” A smile that was as much about malice as it was happiness crept across his lips. “Perhaps before you judge our chances you should see what we’re truly capable of as a race”.

He pushed himself off the wall, his eyes widening slightly as if he were coming more awake, “Believe me when I tell you that I have no intention of going down without a fight either, and I can promise that you will get to spill blood with that wonderfully balanced blade of yours.” He nodded towards the sword still gripped in her hands, and smiled at how white her knuckles were.

“It may be that I’m mentally neglectful here but I struggle to recall claming that I had a brilliant plan, only that your own suggestion was sub-par”. In an act he hated carrying out he raised a conciliatory hand towards her. “Please understand that I admire your blood-lust”, which was true indeed, “however your closeness to those we combat may mean that you aren’t the best at seeing things as they are.”

“Either way this isn’t the time for arguments as you correctly point out.”

Possibly the first correct thing you’ve said in a while but…
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Mistress Elysia
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At Karosin's sting about her previous comment about humans, Fade had to physically stop herself from punching the assassin - something that even she realised might be a little stupid in her current situation, especially since half her annoyance was at being contradicted like that.
Like he'd know she thought viciously He's one of them. And a male at that...

"So. You've come out here on a mission... and you don't have a plan?" she near sneered. "I offer the one thing I have to my advantage here - my race and the knowledge I have of them - and that's sub par." Fade felt her stomach drop slightly with disappointment - she had offered to go into any one of these buildings first, as a token of her previous gratitude - she hadn't originally offered out of arrogance - she had simply wanted to be helpful - but Karosin's disdain and her own temper had turned it all in to a battle of wills; on some level she realised she was probably coming across as arrogant and very bull-headed, but her anger, her lust for revenge and the sheer amount she had already gone through this day meant her always volatile temper was particularly short... well, no point in back-tracking now....

"Fine. You do what you have to, since you obviously know best and require no asistance from me" Fade turned sharply on one heel and began to stride away from the small party, her tail now lashing wildly from side to side "I'm going to find myself something - or someone - to fight. I suddenly have the all - encompasing urge to gut something."
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eocine
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Karosin’s lips tugged up into a sneer at her words on planning, but he said nothing, feeling that there was little more to say, she’d made her choice. The idea was to utilize our flexibility… Something I’d assume from your demeanor you only ever use in the bedroom when some syphilitic merchant is humping his filthy desires out over you…

Still it wasn’t the worst news that they could have had, after all she’d certainly prove to be a more than adequate distraction for the rest of them. At her final words he shrugged, and when she was walking away he then raised his dagger’s point to his forehead, giving her a mocking salute of sorts…

Yet he wasn’t sure… And furthermore was nothing if not pragmatic…

“Prove you do know best then…” He said simply, hating having to say anything that even hinted at reproach, and in truth not really meaning any, but still realizing that it would be better to have her battle alongside them than elsewhere. “You’ll get your fight soon enough but we don’t have the luxury”, and there was a subtle emphasis on the last word, “of rage at this time”, and again emphasis on the ‘this’, perhaps a hint that her fury would eventually be indulged…

In truth he was never probably going to get on with her, but he didn’t mind using a living weapon if one came to hand.
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Darkwind
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Greg materialized on top of the wall a bit to the left of the others and watched the scene with growing frustration. Were they at a tavern or in the middle of enemy territory? If there ever was a group in dire need of a leader, it was them.

"You know, I think I'd place a Fireball riiight there between the two of you, if I were the fey'ri sorcerer who I understand resides here. Or maybe a Resilient Sphere? Take out several at once and mop up the rest. What do you think? It's not like we're watching all directions simultaneously as we carefully make our way through this here enemy territory. In fact, we're not making our way anywhere."
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Castamir
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Skafloc listened to the exchange without turning away from his self appointed job as sentinel. He agreed with Karosin, but he associated closer with the obvious rage burning within Fade. It was a destructive energy that could be turned against friend and foe alike, and if it wasn't used, it would destroy her. Perhaps he alone recognised that.

He also recognised that her rage was unfocused right now, and would have stepped in had Greg not had the sense to do so first. Greg was hardly the politician, but he was probably more eloquent that Skafloc would have been. He knew his weaknesses.

He stood and turned away from the focus of his senses for just a moment, speaking primarily to Fade, knowing Karosin was perfectly in control of his emotions - if he had any.

"Keep your rage close, make it yours, and when the time comes, use it on our enemies. Let it burn incandescent as you rend their flesh and rob them of life, let it flow through you as you snuff the light from their eyes and spill their entrails onto the floor. But don't let it endanger our mission, for if it does, the subjects of your anger will prevail, and your anger will proove impotent and be wasted."

He paused a second, and broke into a grin, his eyes reflecting a light that didn't seem to emanate from anywhere natural, "When I lose it. You can lose it. We'll see who howls the loudest, and the gods spare anyone who stands in our way. But until then, take deep breaths eh?"
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Mwa13
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Jonas stood in watch, a little to the side from the others and listened to the argument, saying nothing at all, his grin on his face, but his face showed a sign of worry. If they could not get any agreement, this mission would become into a disaster. He did agree with Karosin and Llana on the plan that they should stick together. For now he stared at the towers and the surrounding, not looking at the others argue. He kept watch.

He listened to Greg's and Skafloc's comments, his grin widening at the mage's notion. This was enemy territory and thank goodness he was at least keeping watch. His grin widened a little more (if that was even possible) at Skafloc's attempt to calm the others down. He hoped the barbarian's attempt to cool of the two blood-thirsty bandits worked.
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Mistress Elysia
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Fade heard the barbarian's words, but couldn't trust herself to respond and certainly couldn't match his grin. She knew he spoke the truth, but was damned if she was going to admit it in any way. Greg's words didn't bother her - he could throw as many damned fireballs at her as he liked; chances are she's either be able to evade them, and well, fire based magic had never bothered her much, anyway.

She moved a little way from the group - not so far as to be alone, but far enough away to get a little breathing space. It was always the way with humans - offer to help them and they threw it back in your face, always thinking that they knew best, thinking themselves so damn *better* than everyone else. Even if he had thought her offer stupid, there was no need for him to be so damn rude to her. The half elf hadn't been. But there again, the human was a male; males always had to dominate, always had to be in charge...

In a vain attempt at re-focusing her energies, Fade began scanning the area again, a moody caste to her face, trying to see if anything was different from when she had overseen the area from her tree top perch. Her focus slowly returning, she also found herself beginning to filter out the voices of her allies nearby, and she found herself closing her eyes, concentrating on what she could hear rather than see, since sight alone wasn't giving her any clues.

At first, there was nothing... but then... Yes. Something. Indistinct... but it was there. From over where the steam was.... Concentrating hard now, she cocked her head towards the obscurred area. Something... like a whisper. No... it's stopped... and there it is again! Voices? Voices! Female voices.

"I *knew* I had seen something!" she whispered to herself, her eyes snapping open. She listened again, straining her ears, maintaining a stillness others wouldn't have thought her capable of. Again, she heard the indistinct murmerings of a female...

"No... two females" she breathed, stepping backwards towards the small party and falling into a defensive stance. Her eyes never left the steam-filled area, as she brought her weapons to bear in front of her.
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Pamela
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Llana nodded at Karosin’s suggestion that she hold off on any surveillance. It wasn’t her particular specialty, but she thought it only fair to offer to try to do it. She smiled back at him at his reference to her, privately relieved that he did agree not to move on alone.

The smile faded as the argument began, and she stared meaningfully at her husband who chose to be too preoccupied now to look up. For goddess’ sake, can we go twenty-four hours without a fight?! “Karosin!” she murmured warningly when he began to infer that Fade might be trying to deceive them. Why antagonise her?

She turned startled, when Greg materialized at her side and directed an apologetic glance in his direction. Welcome to the party, she thought bitterly. She nodded at his criticisms, then looked on with relief as Skafloc approached the fey’ri to offer his own support. Thank heavens…

She stepped off the wall, red-gold wings lightly flapping as she lit upon the earth. She gave one quick warning glance at her husband before she turned to approach the fey’ri. She stopped when she saw the intense concentration, and looked in vain in the direction that Fade was looking.

“Well that settles it as far as I’m concerned,” she replied. “The temple can wait. I suggest we check out whether these women are fey’ri or elves, and whether they're doing.” She turned to the pair of the barbarian and rebel. “If you would lead, please?”
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eocine
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Though at this state it would have probably killed either of them to admit it, both Fade and Karosin thought alike at Greg’s fireball comment. It’ll be a cold day in Kossuth’s domain before you catch me with a fireball… Still Greg did have a point, and in truth he hadn’t actually been intending to antagonize her, unfortunately however invariably that didn’t much matter in this case.

Skafloc’s interjection brought no real reaction from him, there was little enough point in going on with it now, the fun was over and his opponent had wandered away, thus he felt no need to speak any more.

Instead he was simply content instead to push himself away from the wall to stretch and then, noting her look, shrug at Llana’s glance. Frankly compared to what he’d been thinking what he’d said had been pretty tame. If he’d voiced those thoughts then perhaps she would have had more of a point, as it was he considered that he’d actually been pretty restrained.

Rather than focus on what Fade was up to he sheathed both his weapons and pulled out his secondary dagger, the Talonan blade he had looted many years ago from the corpse of one of the Mistress of Poison’s clerics. The blade was designed to carry poisons in such a way that the victim was more likely to be struck down with the venom.

He judged that this would perhaps be a better weapon for the time being that his more commonly used blade.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Fade had stopped and even started retreating towards them.

Curious…

He stepped forwards lightly, but angled his stride away from where Fade stood, taking up a position to the side and letting Llana’s suggestion about the Fey’ri and the barbarian go first send him into a non central path.
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eocine
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Posting for Castamir;

Skafloc had been watching the crimson haired Fey’ri woman carefully, and his expression clouded for a second as he watched her tense up. The second ended, and his woad stained face shifted instead into a grin of madness tinged anticipation as he gripped and re-gripped the handle of his vorpal edged battle-axe.

Some men find their calling in helping others, some find them in the relentless acquisition of information and knowledge. The warrior Skafloc on the other hand found his calling on the field of battle.

And still after all the years of combat and bloodshed, of fury and pain, still it called him with the strength of a God.

However, wild as he was Skafloc was no fool, you didn’t survive on the planes as he had done being that. Knowing when to unleash the full scope of your rage was vital and thus he kept it under control, much as a blacksmith will refine an edge, tempering it with care and balancing it until it was perfect.

It was a juggling act that the Northman had long become used to.

Working to hold his own breathing in check he too listened, trying to push aside the other sounds, and yes… She was right, he stepped forwards several paces, able to make out tone but not any specifics.

Llana’s words brought a nod from the barbarian, and his pulse began to race as he stepped forwards to Fade’s side. “I think you should go first”, he rumbled towards the demon-spawned elf who was probably only a little over a third of his body weight.
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eocine
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Posting for Mwa;

Least said soonest mended…

Was very much Jonas’ thought as he watched the argument peter out, there was no point in his adding anything, in truth for the time being he didn’t really know either party well enough to interject into the situation. This was of course a situation that the invariably gregarious Tiefling intended to remedy before long. Still he had noticed that bonds tended to form under tension, so he hoped for something to happen soon.

He was idly tapping Pain and Misery against his hips and watching for any signs of movement when he noted Fade assuming something akin to a defensive position.

“Ahah! The game could well be afoot, but better perhaps it were a hand, a hand to slay the evil and rescue the innocent!”

He said to Greg who was stood closeby before giving him a grin that caused his serpentine eyes to glow, before he leaned over the edge of the wall, planting a foot on the vertical and ambling down it. The magic of his enchanted cloak allowing him to move as a spider would.

Once he was on the horizontal once more he approached Llana, sweeping his shoulder length hair back up out of his face and smiling at her. “So my angel-winged Sunestress do we think our second dance of the day is soon to commence?”

Without waiting for a reply he tossed his daggers into the air and snatched them out with the opposing hands. “I for one hope so, for the first dance was a fast number and not to my taste, next I hope for a slower affair.” He bowed to her and then moved over towards where Karosin stood, humming quietly to himself as he whirled his blades about.
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Fade continued to listen, her head jerking slighty from side to side as she tried to catch as much of the indistinct conversation as she could, making her look like a very odd bird of prey. She was now exhibiting a very different demeanor; before, her temper was in control. Now, it was her hunting instinct.

Such was her concentration on the spot in front of her that she felt the barbarian's presence behind her rather than hearing him approach. She nodded once at his words to indicate that she had heard him.

"Two of them" she replied in a whisper. "Females. Follow."

Carefully, but not particularly slowly, she stalked towards the voices, slightly hunched forwards with both Lawbreaker and Tholdagnir held ready in her hands, her tail flicking slightly from side to side. She felt a slight shiver creep up her spine and curled her upper lip into a feral grin of anticipation, exposing pointed canines. Still she continued to listen, straining her ears all the while to see if she could catch anything distinct from the voices ahead.

The rest of the world melted away; now she hunted.

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His cloak's magic had the drawback of rendering him unable to attack. Consequently, he decided to cast a spell that would have a similar effect. An improvement of the simple Invisibility glamer, it would keep him out of sight even after he attacked. Combine that with another spell he favored, one of short range teleportation, and his effectiveness would increase manifold. With that, he'd been known to convince enemies that several mages were attacking them.

Invisible, he stayed still when Fade invited them to follow her. To avoid detection, he would have to fly--expending the magic of his boots--or go ethereal again. Otherwise, his footsteps would betray him. Instead, he cast the second spell in the combo and teleported near where he'd seen Fade go.

ooc: Casts Greater Invisibility, then Greater Dimension Door to put himself closer to where Fade heard the voices from.
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Llana turned at Jonas’ question, and smiled at the pale-skinned tiefling’s odd question. “Unfortunately, this is a dance I’ve never particularly cared for,” she replied, “Fast or slow…” But if that were true, why do you still get involved? she asked herself. She mentally shrugged as an inner reply, and added aloud, “But I do think that I do prefer it quick to be over that much sooner.”

She took a central position behind the barbarian and rebel, watching them move forward like a pair of hunting cats. Large cats, of course, she thought to herself, watching the fey’ri’s tail lash about. Panther and lion perhaps…

She held her wings folded as close to her body as she could, and watched the wrecks of buildings they passed, as well as the skies above. Still no movement or sound reached her ears, and she prayed for a swift, successful resolution to this waiting game.
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eocine
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It would perhaps have been fair to assume that of all the sights that Greg, Fade and Skafloc were expecting to see when they parted the mists, in Greg’s case invisibly, the spectacle of two naked females stretched out over a large rock would not have been high up on the list.

Yet there they were, indubitably female and undeniably nude. They seemed to notice the party, but made no attempt to hail or speak with them, continuing their conversation. A conversation that was being carried out in a language that none in the party understood. Content instead to ignore the sudden presence of strangers in their midst, and showing no more bashfulness about their state of undress than would a young child.

Though it was clear of course that the two figures were not that.

Both were virtually identical, slender of limb and taut of skin, skin that was a curious honey colour no less. Their faces were as delicate as those of a porcelain doll, and whilst one had vibrantly crimson hair in the same tone as Fade’s the other had hair as black as pitch. The steamy area had lent a sheen to their skin, and they seemed to have been unconsciously or otherwise positioned for best effect in terms of a display to the party.

They trailed fingertips into the bubbling spring that unleashed the steamy geysers and acted as though there was barely a care in the world.

The conversation continued, and though the language wasn’t understandable by all, it was possible to guess that it may have been Sylvan they were talking. For the language was nigh on musical and the pattern of speech smooth and silken.

Clearly at one point a joke was made, for they both dissolved into laughter, a high pitched tinkling that seemed to dissolve into the air around them.
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If Llana had been in the middle of a forest glade, she might have found the tableau before her charming…Or not, considering the well-known enchanting natures of the faerie-kin. The fact that they were comfortable to live in the middle of this particular encampment didn’t reassure her in the slightest. The fey’ri wouldn’t have let them remain if they hadn’t been able to ally each other for whatever inexplicable cause.

“How idyllic,” Llana remarked dryly, “I think it safe to say that they aren’t likely to be prisoners unless they’ve been charmed themselves. Do we ignore them, and continue on, and hope that they don’t either attack or reveal us, or do we try to parley- assuming that we can find a common tongue? Does anyone here know Sylvan?” She personally preferred to move on; any creature that was comfortable in a steam spring wasn't something she wanted to approach too closely.
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Fade straightened up from her hunters-crouch with one quirked eyebrow and a rather incredulous look on her face.

"Oooookkkaaaayyyyy...." she said to herself as she took in the tableau in front of her "NOT what I was expecting..."

She kept her weapons to hand as she heard Llana comment from behind her and nodded.

"Chances are they're in league - or they're playthings. The fey'ri can be remarkably persuasive when we want to be. I just wish I knew what they were saying... considering where they are and in whose territory, I wonder if they speak Abyssal?" she glanced back to the others. "Or shall we just leave well alone?"

Or shall we just slit their throats now to save us a lot of potential trouble? the hunter in her asked.
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eocine
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From his position further out Karosin couldn’t actually see the tableaux perfectly, but he registered enough from the tone of Llana’s voice and what little he could make out of the two beings to realise that what they were seeing wasn’t threatening, but nor perhaps was it a good thing either. That in mind he twisted away from the direction that the others were looking in, just on the off chance that this was intended to be a distraction from an ambush of sorts.

A thin smile crossed his lips as he considered the situation. A honey pot trap perhaps? But if it is then this is the most unsubtle set up imaginable… Do they think us no better than mindlessly rutting brutes to be so easily seduced from our path?

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eocine
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Posting as Jonas;

Jonas grin stretched across his face to near breaking point as he spied the two specimens of female fey perfection spread out before him. It seemed that unlike the others in the group he spoke fluent Sylvan, and was certainly amused to catch the discussion between the two of them. A discussion that was apparently about one of the prisoners stationed close by, a Moon Elf apparently.

Flipping his daggers over and over around his fingers rapidly he finally slammed them back into their sheaths and, still grinning broadly and ignoring the discussion between Fade and Llana, approached the pair…

“Greetings damsels”, he said in Sylvan with a low bow, “Pleased I am by your lack of distress, but puzzled be I by your lacking in dress.” He straightened back up again and nimbly hopped up onto one of the stones, seating himself in the lotus position.

“I’m charmed to acquaint two of such daint, and such beauteous form, but inquire I must, truly without lust as why your greeting is so lukewarm?” He placed his hands down flat on the stone, and was surprised by a heat that even slightly scorched his resistant hands.
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eocine
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Posting as Skafloc,

Skafloc thought of several circumstances where this sight would be a more than pleasant one, but this was certainly not one of them, and his face clouded over at the sight. He kept his axe gripped firmly, the warnings of the others to be on guard not really needed, he knew well enough that the legions of evil would never shy away from having beings of great beauty do their dirty work for them.

Still the thought of slaying them was troubling as they weren’t actually doing anything at all other than laying still in the steam… And what steam it was, he found himself sweating already, and he was hardly in the worst of it.

“Much as leaving them alone would perhaps be smart, they may know something that can help us, either way I would prefer to know what they’re doing here.” He replied to Fade’s question.
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eocine
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The chatter between the pair continued until Jonas spoke up and hopped up onto a stone that was several yards away from where they themselves lay. The black haired one frowned slightly, her face becoming exaggeratedly disappointed it seemed, whilst the red haired being gained a look of total joy at his interjection into their conversation, which had been about how foolish an earlier suitor had been to approach the darker of the two, who Jonas had judged to be named Isiele. Apparently his rebuffing had sent him running.

The discussion though had mostly been about this Elf, and the crimson locked one’s attraction to him, combined with her pique that Vaerilmor was keeping her away from him. She only wanted a look after all…

“My my, aren’t you a pretty one?” giggled the red head named Iliseve to Jonas, gleefully, turning slightly on her rock to more fully expose herself to him. “Are you one of the summoned?” She asked then without pausing for a reply continued, “such a pity you’ll be gone so soon, you do have time to play though first don’t you?”

Whilst this discussion was going on in Sylvan Isiele turned her dark eyes towards Fade, her frown vanishing in an instant and being replaced with a faintly lustful smile. “Abyssal my dear why of course, it’s still so rare to have one of the family come here to discuss things with us… Apart from dear Xhalph of course, but then he never is one for much conversation, and even he hasn’t been here in oh so long…”

Her gaze then swept to Llana and interest flared in her eyes again, “my my princess you have been a busy one haven’t you, are they all yours?” She continued in Infernal.
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At first, Fade was a little surprised at the forwardness of Jonas' approach, but she could see the wisdom in it; he understood them and, as a tiefling, could easily be taken for a natural ally of the fey'ri. She was a little taken aback when the darker of the two creatures addressed her directly, but her comments and questions left her in no doubt to the female's allegiances. Now she just had to communicate that to the others some how without the females realising... and without her new allies thinking she had duped them from the beginning.

Slowly, she slid her blades back into their scabbards and returned the creature's smile to her. To the rest of the party, she spoke nothing more than an oddly melodious yet at the same time gutteral form of gibberish; to the creature, she greeted her cordially, mirroring the familiarity with which she had been greeted. As she spoke, she put her hands behind her back; from the front, it would look like a gesture of being comfortable with her surroundings. Those behind her would be able to see the universal, open-palmed gesture for 'wait'.

She almost choked when the creature mentioned Xhalph, but thought it wise to keep her mouth shut about him - it had been a long time since she had had anything to do with that particular stupid brute, and saying too much may give clues to her own absence from her people. Instead, she concentrated on the last question asked to her.

"Busy indeed. Still, you know what it is like... for all their bluster and pride, these lesser creatures fall easy to us. It's almost as if they have no will of their own..." she purred back in Abyssal.

Since he was closest to her, she laid a hand on Skafloc's massive forearm and murmered a few quiet words in common to him, making it look as much like a mistress giving an instruction to one of her thralls as she could.

"Watch it. They think I'm loyal, and all of you are mine. Play along for now... let Llana know if possible"

She then stepped towards the dark haired female, the heat emanating from the area bothering her very little.

"I have been away for a while, I must admit; gathering suitable candidates and thralls for Our Lady can prove... lonely work." the rebel fey'ri continued in Abyssal. She then reached forward and took a lock of the female's hair in one hand, gently twining it between her fingers. "Do you have any news for me? Anything I should be aware of?"
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eocine
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Skafloc’s face showed no reaction to Fade’s words, he’d been required to play dumb before in the past and this was no different. He stepped back as if asked to give his mistress some privacy and crouched down by Llana’s side, placing the hilt of his axe against the floor and resting his head on the flat of the axe-blade. This had the value of hiding his face from the two strange creatures. “They think her our leader”, he whispered quietly, slightly angling his head towards the Sunite cleric.

Whilst he was very much a man of action that didn’t mean that he was incapable of controlling himself.

Well, at least in small bursts…
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Llana nodded at Fade’s explanation of the faeries’ relationship to the fey’ri. At her crimson-haired companion’s questions she replied, “They might; I think we should…” Leave them alone, she thought as she stopped speaking and watched the Tiefling suddenly walk away and join the pair in the steaming pools. Has he been charmed or is he just foolhardy?! She turned to look at the others to see if any of them had any sudden urges to move forward- Karosin of course being her first concern- and took some slight relief in realizing that it wasn’t a hidden attack.

She sighed at Skafloc’s suggestion of parley, nodding towards Jonas as she remarked, “Well, we’ll have to now. I wish he’d let us know what they’re talking about.” They admittedly were doing nothing that warranted her sense of alarm, but she didn’t like not knowing what was going on around her. She watched with caution when the dark-haired woman began to address Fade, and kept her face neutral when the gaze turned in her direction.

She caught Fade’s hand-signal and was careful not to let it change her expression, while she still looked around for any sign of movement. She looked back when Fade began to answer the faerie, and made no attempt to hide her curiosity when she whispered to the barbarian. At least there doesn’t seem to be any danger of an attack from these two- yet…

As Fade moved away, she turned to the approaching barbarian, and listened to his brief answer. She watched the fey’ri’s action, and had to contain a smile at the rebel’s actions. This inspired her own sense of what might be appropriate, considering the fey’ri’s known views of their own superiority.

She frowned, eyes narrowing as her ‘mistress’ suddenly began to show favour to another, letting a light pout settle upon her lips. She let a wing spread jealously over Skafloc’s shoulders, as if she were trying to maintain some sense of desperate possession- but not enough of course to challenge Fade. “I hope we won’t have to keep up this charade much longer,” she murmured.
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eocine
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Posted as Jonas;

One of the summoned? Wondered Jonas, realising her mistake and at the same time becoming aware that he had to go along with it, and of course not end up having to repel any advances she seemed sure to make with over much force lest he arouse suspicions. The trouble was that he feared the being might prove over-aroused anyway.

“To play, to stay? Alas lady nay…” Replied the Tiefling with a look of disappointment, one that was soon broken as the trademark smile returned to him. “Speaking you were of a captured Elf? One who was in poorest health?” He mimicked her own position, turning his smile more fully on her and giving her the impression of his full attention, all the while though he was listening to the conversation between Fade and the other of the two women.

His decision was to carry on with the charade as long as possible, if they believed that he was a summoned being down on the Prime to aid the Fey’ri then he didn’t see what harm it could befall them. “This Elf is a toy kept from you, by whom is made this order true? It seems a pity to deny you this, when all you want is a tender kiss?”
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eocine
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Standing well away from the steam and heat Karosin merely watched mutely, there was little enough point in his involvement in whatever was going on at the moment. After all at the moment there was no battle going on and he always preferred to be able to choose his exact moment before entering into combat, very much living by the maxim that it was vastly better to have the final say in combat rather than the first one. Of course it was even better to have your say before combat even started…

Provided it was a terminal one of course…

What he did wonder though was where Greg had managed to get to… He imagined that the sorcerer was probably standing back and watching things closely, preparing to rattle off a spell should things suddenly have gone bad. Which of course was always a possibility.

He wasn’t close enough to hear exactly what had passed between Skafloc and Llana, but saw his wife drape a decidedly proprietary wing over the shoulders of the massive barbarian. There was little enough jealousy in him, he trusted her implicitly after all, but he was nevertheless intrigued by what had caused her little display…
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eocine
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Isiele nodded at Fade’s words, and her hands idly stroked her hips as she met the Fey’ri female’s eyes.

“Humans and their kin are ever easily bent to our wills”, she agreed in a tone that certainly suggested that more than their fair share had fallen to hers.

She watched the beautiful winged creature for a moment, admiring her slender form and wondering briefly if the Princess would accept a barter for some time with her. Not much time really, for she quickly tired of her playthings but…

She turned back as Fade stepped closer, letting her eyes travel up over Fade’s leather clad body. One hand came up and haltingly stroked the outside of the balletic-barbarian’s thigh for a moment, before she pulled her hand away with some difficulty.

“Please princess”, she whispered huskily, “you know it’s forbidden and family is off limits to us…” Her jaw worked mutely as if there was much to say but that she couldn’t… “Don’t tease me Mistress.”

----------

Iliseve’s face warped into a distressed pout, and she appeared ready to cry with sheer disappointment at being turned down in this way. “Nobody ever stays here for long”, she replied in her singsong voice, her tone wavering slightly.

She though perked up at the mention of the Elf, “He was indeed a pretty one!” Gushed the creature, “But Vaerilmor took him from us before we could have any fun!” Her delicate hands slapped the burningly hot rock that she was seated on in a tantrum. “They have imprisoned him in the dirty water temple!”

“If you cannot stay with us can you bring him here”, she looked up at Jonas imploringly, “I promise I won’t tell the Master!”
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As the faerie touched her thigh, Fade had to fight back the urge to pull away from her. Instead, she made herself stand stock still, giving the pleading creature a stony stare - in fey'ri society, it certainly was not becoming of 'the help' to act in this way towards their masters and mistresses. She really must be itching thought Fade, half disgusted and half amused To even attempt to touch one of us, let alone beg for our attentions....

Still, if there was one thing Fade had learnt over the years, it was that no matter the race (or in this case, species), this kind of desperate behaviour could be exploited. She allowed her stony stare to slip into an amused, faintly seductive lop-sided smile as she took more of the creature's hair into her hand and slowly wound it about her neck. Leaning closer, she yanked on the now-wound lock - not viciously, but enough so that the faerie knew who was the boss in this situation - bringing the other female's face so close to hers that their noses almost touched.

"You know what I should do to you for even entertaining such ideas, don't you?" she said softly, allowing a trickle of menace to enter her tone to maintain the charade. "I would enjoy it, too. But..." she tilted her head slightly, bringing her lips closer to the faerie's, stopping just short of them actually touching "I have been alone for some time" she whispered. "And thralls couldn't satisfy a horny donkey. Give me a full report of the movements of my kin here, and maybe - maybe - I'll be able to spare you five minutes." She then let go of the creature's impromptu hair-leash and straightened up, still maintaining eye contact, awaiting the female's answer... and hating herself for the ease in which she had slipped back into the fey'ri mentality.
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As Fade tugged on the lock of inky black hair the creature gave a gasp that was almost a moan, as if this small piece of physical contact was a decidedly erotic moment. Fade’s physical closeness caused Isiele to draw in a shuddering breath, and as the Fey’ri lowered her face close enough for her the Fey to feel her breath on her face she bit her lip almost hard enough to draw blood, physically shaking in a bid to stop herself doing something that would be physically punishable.

Her relase brought a forward slump of supplication towards Fade’s booted feet, and Isiele looked upwards towards the woman she assumed to be one of her masters… “Thank you Princess…” she breathed, “Vaerilmor has been preparing for your withdrawal as ordered by Her”, the word her was virtually capitalized, and it seemed obvious to Fade that the creature referred to Countess Sarya, the leader and master of the Fey’ri.

“The unspeakables are stored in the ship now ready for transport”, the tilt of her head indicated the direction of the ship, though the only boat that had been visible was the wrecked and ruined one at the docks.

Slowly the faerie’s gaze fell away from the Fey’ri and she stared at the patch of grass by her feet, seemingly lost in some erotic reverie for a moment before she realised once more where she was and blurted out the next part. “Xhalph used to be here often to use my sister, but he has been gone for some time, there is talk of war Princess, but you will know more of that than I”.

“Please Mistress… Have I not pleased you?” She begged.
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Posting as Jonas;

Jonas tilted his head to the side to regard the creature, who seemed to undergo overwhelming emotional fluctuations at the dropping of the proverbial hat. Whilst he himself was rather ‘quirky’ this faerie was flat out mad… He felt it was probably better to get the conversation over and done with before he accidentally said something that sent her off into a torrent of rage.

“You promise and swear?” Asked the Tiefling with an oversized wink, receiving a childlike frantic nodding in return he placed a hand on top of her head and chuckled… “I can’t see what harm it can do, you?” He asked rhetorically…

His own knowledge of Abyssal meant that he understood well what was going on with Fade, and thus, leaned down and whispered into Iliseve’s ear, who blushed a curious silver at the attention. “As soon as your sister is done I promise we’ll go and find you the company… Can you be good until then?”

She giggled and nodded, and Jonas straightened up with a smile. The female then rolled over and slipped into the boiling stream, dropping out of sight with a giggle.
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Fade took a long look in the direction of the ruined boat, making it seem as if she was confirming the fey's report, but actually pondering what she meant by 'unspeakables' and the 'withdrawl'. That Xhalph was showing his face here less and less was a small comfort to her; he was one brute they could certainly do without having to face at this precise moment. That Vaerilmor was here did surprise her... she had known him, albeit distantly and mainly by name only - she just had to hope that if they came face to face, he wouldn't recognise her until it suited her and her allies...

She watched the grovelling creature at her feet with a measure of disgust, but was careful to keep a look of haughty aloofness about her at the same time. She desperately wanted to inform her new companions if what she had discovered, but knew she had to maintain the charade of being their mistress for a while longer. Narrowing her eyes, she looked thoughtfully at the faerie, tapping her teeth with her talonesque nails, asif deciding what to do with her.

"If your information is true, then you have pleased me." she answered rather abruptly, her tone now commanding. "Where is Vaerilmor at the moment? I wish to speak with him". She glanced back to where Llana and Skafloc were standing "I would like to find somewhere I could station my thralls as well" she looked back to Isiele, her tone sweet again. She then crouched down and cupped her chin lightly with one hand.
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“Thank you Princess”, mewled the Fey creature as it looked at the floor and groveled by the booted feet of the Fey’ri. “I do not know, I’m sorry my Mistress… “ She bowed her head low as she made the apology. “Lord Floshin has been very busy lately, and he wouldn’t ever inform the likes of us of his whereabouts anyway my Mistress”.

Isiele looked up at Fade and gestured further to her right, “the stables are there my Mistress, but most of the thralls have now gone.”

As Fade’s fingers made contact with her chin Isiele’s eyes glazed over in a rhapsodic moment of joy, and she rubbed her thighs together as surreptitiously as she could. Her breathing was jagged and her sense of longing was almost palpable, but still the barriers of behavior pressed down on her, and her fingers shredded the small patch of grass by her side.
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Mistress Elysia
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Rolling her eyes surreptitiously at the behaviour of the rhapsodising creature at her feet, Fade straightened up again and looked to Jonas, the nearest of her companions. She had no idea whether he had followed any of her conversation, but judging that he had not alarmed these creatures in any way, she guessed that they thought him an ally of the fey'ri considering that he was a tiefling. She hoped that he would recognise that her orders to him were part of the charade she was playing; if not, she would have to apologise later.

"You. Follow me." she near barked at the tiefling. She then gestured to the fey at her feet. "I may be back for her later." Glancing down to check that the faerie's attention was squarely upon her own burning desires and not on the nuances of the fey'ri's expression, Fade simply mouthed one word: Please?

She then disentangled her feet from Isiele with a slight look of contempt upon her face. "Stay here." she ordered the fey in Abyssal, her tone stern. "I'll stable my thralls, seek out Vaerilmor and then..." She left the third and final of her intentions completely to the no doubt warped imaginations of the other female.

Under the pretence of gathering her 'thralls' together, Fade stalked over to Llana and Skafloc.
"Can't say much yet" she muttered ashamedly as she approached them, hardly able to meet their eyes. "Just follow me; when we're inside, I'll explain all..."

"Come!" she ordered in common, knowing that the female fey would now be watching her. "Attend."

Then, without a backwards glance to her new companions, she strode off towards the 'stables' that Isiele had pointed out to her.
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Castamir
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Skafloc watched all, ready to stain his axe red at a moment's notice, but at the same time remaining immobile, his appearance giving the impression he was waiting like a faithful hound, trusting and stupid.

As the rebel Fey'ri returned, he continued to play along, though truth be told even the action of 'pretending' to be a thrall to another was grating on his nerves, his pride - though never ruling his head - was a strong and powerful thing.

He stood, holding his axe loosely with one hand, appearing relaxed as he bowed his head.

"Aye, as you wish." he said slowly, adding only after taking a deep breath "..Mistress."

Whatever foul enemy they came across next would pay dearly for this indignity.
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Darkwind
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Meanwhile...

Drip...

His thoughts resumed after the droplet his his face. He'd come to be able to predict them, time their fall with heartbeats. His thoughts were becoming feverish. There could be no Reverie like this, not even sleep. He would pass out after a while as his body refused to remain awake; he'd only come around thirty drops ago. How long has it been since he was captured and brought here? He'd come to visit the Grandfather Tree, and captured, and brought here--when? It didn't matter--all that mattered was that in a few heartbeats--

Drip...

He assured himself again that he had no reason to be ashamed of being captured. Avelaer Lafesti, Weapon Master of the Bladesingers, had put up quite a fight. His arrows poked the life of many of them, though he had to use up the Dimension Door he had prepared, and then his blade claimed more. And then he was taken with a single spell--paralyzed, stripped of his items and chained. Why they didn't kill him then or torture him to death now, he didn't know. All he knew was--

Drip...

"Damn it!" He clamped his jaws shut, angry he let that slip despite his determination not to give them the satisfaction of a reaction. If only he hadn't used up that Dimension Door--bound as he was, he could still have teleported out of here. Maybe he could have made it look like he was escaping, and they'd kill him. At least he'd get away from the drops. He was beginning to think that this was worse than the rape--he didn't know, before, that it was possible for a female to rape a man. They taught him better. Then they'd stopped coming, even to gloat--they'd kept the ioun stone circling around his head, so he didn't need to be fed. He didn't know why they suddenly left. All he knew was--

Drip...


Greg was glad he was spared having to play along with this charade, being invisible, and when Fade began to make her way to the Temple, he merely transfered himself near to it. He looked around to see if there were any enemies around, then looked inside. What greeted him was quite a sight, one that made him ache with sympathy at the bindings. This must be the Moon Elf. He decided it was better to stay out here, so he could provide support if need be.
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eocine
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As Greg gently eased the door open a gust of foul and fetid steam swept out of the corrupted temple of the Seldarine member, Deep Sashelas. Inside the temple it was dark and humid, condensation dripped down off the ceilings and walls, and a series of stalactites were beginning to form. The stink of death was incredible, a virtual charnel house odor that threatened to cling to clothes and hair.

The watery light that the open door allowed in meant that the party could see that the floor was made up of a series of floating platforms. Platforms that floated on a reddish tinged liquid that looked to be virulently corrupted. In the corners of the main temple building they could see a build up of a reddish-brown scum that frothed and bubbled even as they watched. Clearly this substance wouldn’t have been there when the temple was in use, and was just another sign of the rot that the Fey’ri had allowed to befall the ancient citadel of Elven-Port.

Looking into the water they could see a series of bodies stretched out beneath them, most seeming to be newly killed and all of them staring up at the ceiling with milky white eyes that held no spark behind them.

The light spread a little further into the room, and more than that they could hear a coughing and spluttering from the far end of the church. Looking up they could see a figure, the Elf perhaps? Seemingly glued to the wall with some kind of substance, a substance that Greg was able to identify as the after effects of the Viscid Glob spell, a very popular spell amongst Drow casters.
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Mistress Elysia
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Fade felt dreadful as she led her three companions to the building the fey had indicated to; the whale-shaped temple. She simply hadn't realised how it would feel to slip back into old habits, even if she was only pretending. Turning to face them again, mainly to make sure that Isiele was not following them in any way, she risked a glance at them all; Llana's face was unreadable, contrasting greatly with the look of pure thunder on Skafloc's. Jonas still had his grin plastered across his, although whether that was genuine or a rictus he had contrived for this little pantomime, she didn't know. Her heart sank into her boots; she didn't know which one made her feel worse.

Still, she had to maintain the charade, and so ensured her head was thrown high as she stepped up to the temple door and swung the already ajar door completely open. The stench that hit her almost overwhelmed her senses; the mixed odours of blood, death and corruption called out enticingly to the demon that she tried to keep buried as deep as she could within her, whilst the elven side that she had been cultivating and nurturing so hard over the last few years was absolutely revolted. This massive conflict of interests was almost too much, making her gasp as she fought for control.

"By Erevan..." Fade whispered inadvertently, her hand flying to her mouth in incredulous horror. What in the Abyss have they done?! she lamented to herself as she scanned the desecrated temple. Nothing has remained sacred - the fey'ri's job here was thorough. On hearing a spluttering sound, she caught sight of a figure seemingly plastered on the opposite wall.
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Castamir
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Skafloc raised his hand to his face as the fetid air washed over them. It stank like the carrion of a two day old battlefield. Various flashbacks assaulted his memory, unwelcome flashbacks that the warrior could feel stoking the furnace of pure rage that was already welling up inside him.

He longed for things to be simple. Sneaking around went against the grain. The suicidal result of a direct and open assault was evident to him, but the longer this expedition went on, the more he wished that they could be discovered, so that the blood letting could begin and the tremendous tension building up inside him could find some release.

He looked at the floating platforms, wondering if they would even take his weight.. they were old, and they were constructed for elves. Skafloc was an entirely different proposition in terms of weight... then he noticed and heard the figure.

A wretched fate indeed. he thought to himself, deciding that if it could not be saved, then at least it could be put out of it's misery..
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Pamela
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Llana had turned her head away from the interaction between Fade and the dark-haired fey. She understood the possible need for this ruse, but it was repelling and left a bad taste in her mouth. She focused again on the skies above and the rest of her surroundings, praying that they would be able to move on quickly and get this all over with soon.

She looked over when she picked up movement from the springs, and kept a calm expression on her face. She gave a small nod in answer and took her place behind the pair, keeping a surreptitious eye out for her husband. Why are we going to the temple? she wondered wearily, but still said nothing. Was the shard there after all?

Her stomach knotted as they approached the lovely former temple; she’d seen the kinds of desecration that were wreaked upon ruins. Her main concern was whether it had been converted to some other god or demon in the meantime. Her hand quickly rose to cover her nose and mouth as the thick stench of decay coiled itself around her. She shuddered, closing her eyes for a moment as she had a sudden vision of Kanchelsis’ tomb, and opening her eyes she saw that there was some basis for that ugly memory of the carpet of liquescent corpses. Sweet Goddess of Love…

Her eyes quickly darted over the forms that reposed in various states of desecration, and she had to work to contain her fury at being exposed to this for nothing. No- not for nothing, she thought as she heard the sound of at least one living soul in the midst of the desecration. She had a memory of a young woman pleading for life, torn apart before her eyes. Not again! She thought, and her wings spread and she flew across the room, heedless of the dangers or the traps that might be present.

She alit beside the figure- elf- spread-eagled on the wall, contained in some yellowy-green substance. He didn't seem injured but... A golden wing rose to interrupt the steady flow of drops above his head. "We're here to help you...We'll get you out of here as soon as we can," the Sunite murmured. "Are you paralysed, or ill? Any injuries?"
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eocine
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Given that he had elected to stay far away from where the conversation was going on it was perhaps fortunate that Fade didn’t point in his direction when she gave the order to her ‘thralls’. As it was he was decidedly unhappy with the ‘demand’ for supplication from his wife, but decided to say nothing, better to save that ire for when it could be more sensibly used, and thus he pushed it away to be called upon when needed, shrouding himself once more in that curious coldness that seemed to envelop him in times of extreme danger.

He followed the others at a short distance, content to watch their progress from elsewhere for now, clearly though during the discussion that Fade and Jonas had just been though there had been something of interest in the temple mentioned. Personally he wasn’t entirely sure that leaving the fey creatures alive was the best of ideas, but this was one of those occasions where he felt compelled to do what was ‘right’ rather than what he felt was for the best.

It wasn’t that he regretted the change that the last years had wrought in him, but he did recognise that things used to be far easier. In the life of an assassin if something threatened to be a future threat then it was eliminated without conscience or hesitation at the earliest convenience, regardless of whether or not it directly threatened you at the given time.

Now though things had to be weighted more carefully and with more of an eye for what was ‘morally right’. Which meant more risks as far as he was concerned, but perhaps it was worth it in the end.

Besides which it wasn’t as if life was any duller…

He saw the door swing slightly open, almost as if the wind had done it… The sorcerer perhaps? Then Fade finished the job, pulling the doors apart and letting the dreary light inside. From the distance he was away Karosin could neither see inside the temple, nor could he smell the necrotic fester of the corrupted church, but he could see Llana’s face easily enough, and the hand that shot up to cover her nose and mouth told him as much as a first hand view would have.

With a final gaze around himself he slipped closer to the building, soon picking up the stink of death as it escaped into the morning air. Whilst the assassin was more than familiar with death he was very rarely still around to experience decomposition, and the smell was still one that disgusted him, though you wouldn’t have known it to look at him as he kept his face totally neutral.

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Mistress Elysia
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Fade's first instinct was to make her way over the the trapped figure and help the escape - such vistas upset her more than she would ever openly admit, and the sight of the figure pinned immobile to the wall brought a flash of vivid memories - memories that she would rather have remained buried - foremost to her mind. However, she did realise the folly of going to help; she knew who had done this terrible thing in the first place, and the sight of 'just another fey'ri' would only complicate matters. At the moment, Llana was probably the best choice to see to the fey'ri's victim; they could explain the rebel fey'ri's involvement in everything later, hopefully at their leisure.

The only problem that Fade could now see was that her original plan of getting everyone into a 'safe' (subjectively, of course...) place to discuss what she had learned from the faerie was now all but obsolete. She wanted desperately to tell them ofthe fey'ri wizard who still remained here - to warn then of his presence, and that of the 'unspeakables' on the ship. The chances were that this 'shard' they were looking for would be in Vaerilmor's keep. She also wanted to warn them of Xhalph and tell them of the things even she did not understand yet - this 'withdrawl' Isiele mentioned, plus the exact nature of these 'unspeakables'.

Since he was still standing next to her, she turned to Skafloc, carefully avoiding direct eye contact with the barbarian, still ashamed at what she had had to do to get the information she had gathered from the fey creature. She began to relay quickly and concisely as she could what she had learned so if things kicked off; at least then the party's main warrior knew the score as much as she did.
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Darkwind
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There was no response from the figure for a long moment as his wide open eyes stared inward. Then, a drop of water fell on his forehead and trickled down his face, and he focused on her.

"I am uninjured." He let his gaze wander to the others, stopping on the fey'ri and tiefling. "As you well know. What do you hope to gain by this charade?"


Repulsed by all the filth and desecration, Greg decided to reveal himself--and let everyone know once and for all who he was, an agent of a good god. Even as he dismissed his invisibility, he allowed the holy energy suffusing his body to radiate out of him, extending to several feet all around him. To all who saw him, he appeared to be surrounded with an aura of light which all good people recognized.

"No charade, my friend. We are newly come here, to cleanse this place of the taint of evil." A while ago, he might have said 'of the taint of the fey'ri', but given whom he traveled with these days, that wouldn't make sense. "Llana, support him. I am about to dispel the effect that holds him." He waited for her to do so.

ooc: lets his Nimbus of Light shine
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Castamir
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Skafloc turned his head, looking down on the Fey'ri - though only physically - a frown decorating his fierce brow as she explained herself. He nodded, and then broke into an unexpected grin, her seeming guilt over the deception touched him. He had not been blaming her, he'd been blaming circumstance for forcing him into a deception that wouldn't look suitably heroic when relayed by a bard. In truth, he'd been mostly gutted about the lack of axe swinging since crossing the wall..

He spared her a wink, "It sounds like there will be plenty need for bloodletting before we're done here, so I'll try to forget about the humiliation of acting the thrall. My people are stubborn bastards, and we'd rather die than bow to anyone or anything." he turned his head back to the sight of Llana flying over to the figure, and moved towards the platforms between where they were standing and the cleric and the prisoner - it wouldn't do for their cleric to be attacked while on her own, either by the prisoner she was releasing, or by anything else lurking in the filth..

As he did he said one more thing, under his breath maybe, but audiable enough for the Fey'ri to hear it loud and clear. Perhaps it was a sign the barbarian had a sense of humour, or perhaps it wasn't meant for her ears at all.

"..unless she's really worth the effort."

Whatever was meant by it, it was said with a rueful smile, before the intense seriousness took over again, and the colourful warrior leapt seemingly effortlessly from platform to platform, axe in one hand acting like a balance, as he moved towards the cleric.
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eocine
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Karosin was by now standing close enough to hear the barbarian’s words and unseen he flicked his gaze towards the skies at their banter. It would perhaps not be correct to say that Karosin would be too proud to kneel before someone, for he was pragmatic enough to do so. Under the proviso of course that before long the being who lorded over him would be made to pay for their arrogance in blood.

He raised an eyebrow at the comments of the imprisoned Elf, but deigned to comment. From what they knew of the Fey’ri and their minions they were more than capable of changing their shapes, and were he to be in charge of breaking prisoners then he would be certain to use that to its fullest advantage. Nevertheless the Elf would need to regain his manners quickly or he’d lose something that most males regardless of species tended to find precious.

As he was thinking these thoughts Greg revealed himself, and he was forced to squint and turn away as the sorcerer glowed like a torch… I hereby dub thee ‘target’, thought the assassin to himself as he stepped away from the light source and scanned the area for signs of anyone seeing the display of Holy radiance.

Fortunately though nothing stirred in the stillness, and he turned back around to gaze once more into the bowels of the temple. In the light shed by Greg’s nimbus the horrors were even more evident, as the shadows that hid the cuts and lacerations on the underwater bodies were dispelled, showing the bloated and grey corpses in all of their hideous ‘glory’.

It was not a pretty sight.

He considered entering the church, but the puddles of filth decreed otherwise, thus he instead drifted out to the left to check that there was nobody hiding on the other side and about to attack. Creeping forwards cautiously he started to skirt the perimeter, looking out onto the pale grey waters as he did so.

Something was moving inside it… Something that looked big. Very big.
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Mistress Elysia
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At the barbarian's final comment, Fade glanced up at him, and followed his line of sight to Llana. At that, she quirked an incredulous eyebrow, but decided to say nothing. Some things, she decided, were definitely best left alone...

At Greg's display, the fey'ri had to shield her sensitive eyes - after the gloom of the temple and the fact that her vision had adjusted to it quite comfortably, this sudden burst of radiance near blinded her. "Oh wonderful" she muttered irritably to herself "Now I can't see a damn thing..."
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Pamela
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Again Llana brought up her wing to protect the elf’s head, then shook her head at his remarks. She knew full well who he was talking about but there was no point in antagonizing him or adding further stress to the situation. She turned when Greg appeared, and carefully fit her hands upon the sticky slime which held the stranger in place.

When the light began to shine she closed her eyes, listening for any sounds behind her. She began to recall the brief glimpses she’d taken of her surroundings when she’d hurried over; there’d been no sign of any doors; no need then to worry about someone coming in that way. There was the possibility of invisible guards but she doubted that this was the case. Unless it’s gone to summon help…

That left the water, and in a temple to Deep Sashelas it was the prime area for desecration. Had the fey’ri been content to foul the pristine holy water? Probably not, she thought to herself. The question was whether the threat was able to leave the putrid depths or waited patiently for a false step among any visitors.
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Mwa13
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Jonas followed the others, twirling his daggers in his hands while staring at the trapped elf. Whatever had happened here proved that the fey'ri truly were dangerous, but he had been in dangerous situations before and up against very dangerous opponents. He remembered many battles he had gone in Sigil and remembered them fondly. Those had been good times. Good times...

Jonas blinked and came back to the now from his memories as Greg shone brightly. His eyes were used to sudden change of light, but he still frowned a little at Greg. That brightness was definetly not a good idea.
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eocine
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As the assassin watched the water he became more and more aware of something… It wasn’t a definite outline, more a shadow beneath the steely greyness, a threat of some considerable size that had remained hidden.

Or at least it did, till the tip of a tentacle broke the opaque surface of the normally crystalline mountainous waters. What little was visible of the beast beneath the waters was an inky black, and seemed to be coated by a layer of mucus that one would perhaps have expected to be washed away by the quickly flowing torrents of the Delimbyr River.

Still, mystery layer of mucus or not this was most assuredly more than Karosin felt willing to handle alone. Against another humanoid he would back himself in most situations, but the leviathans of the deep were, to use an almost fitting cliché, another bucket of fish entirely.

It was with this in mind that he slowly backtracked his steps, pressing himself into the shadows that the temple of Deep Sashelas was throwing onto the grassy earth. Once he had slipped out of where he assumed that the creature’s field of vision was he span on his heel and sprinted back towards the door where Fade and Jonas stood.

“There would appear to be a rather large creature in the river, and were I to place a guess I would assume that it is rather over inclined towards beings of our rather, by comparison anyway, edible forms”. He flipped his dagger and sabre free of their sheaths, and smiled slightly.

“I should prefer to give the aforementioned horror what could only be described as chronic indigestion”.

---------------

The sticky substance that pinned the Moon-Elf from the wall began to heatlessly steam for a moment, before it dissolved away into nothingness, leaving Llana and Skafloc to catch the Blade-Singer, who was evidently mostly unharmed given the fact that there seemed to be no blood or anything else visible on him. He was nevertheless virtually naked, and clearly suffering from the problems of spending to long in one position, for as soon as the Elf put his feet on the floor he could feel the blood rushing into his extremities.

A slightly painful period of pins and needles was however the worst of their problems however, for as soon as the magic of the Viscid Glob had been dispelled there was movement in the filthy and corrupted water that surrounded them all.

With a loud splashing noise one of the formerly motionless corpses that had been laying in the channels of the church erupted out of the waters and started to pull itself onto the platforms with the jerky movements that warriors as seasoned as those in the group would have surely have known to be indicators of zombies.

As one such being slowly pulled itself up by its fingers, tearing out the nails and leaving bloody streaks across the floor as it did so, Avelaer was able to see that it wore his own gleaming chain-mail, and in fact, as he looked at the other shambling corpses that were rising he was able to spot virtually all of his equipment. The only thing that was missing was his weapon, though of course a zombie would be far too clumsy to wield any kind of weapon, and besides which the holy blessing on the blade would do such a creature more harm than good.
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Castamir
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The elf weighed next to nothing to Skafloc, and he gripped him around the upper arm as Llana supported him from the other side. He frowned his concern, but turned and cursed as the bodies stirred and started emerging from the corrupted and filthy liquid.

"Fucking disgusting." he spat, before looking at the winged cleric.

"If you can do something holy to these fuckers then do it, otherwise, can you carry him out?" he asked, nodding his head towards the elf, letting go of his arm and hefting Brainbiter with both hands, taking a deep breath of the thick putrid air, his lungs taking in the oxygen as his heart pumped harder, the adrenaline starting to flow through his veins dilating his pupils and flaring his nostrils.

He registered Karosin's words, but barely considered them, he was already swinging his axe at the closest zombie...
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Mistress Elysia
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Fade looked over to Karosin's rather abrupt arrival to the temple entrance, still blinking a little from Greg's display of holy radiance. At his description of a large creature in the river, she unsheathed both of her swords in anticipation. Suddenly, she then heard a loud splashing from behind her and turned to look just as the first wave of zombies had managed to clamber out of the putrid liquid they had once rested so peacefully in. She couldn't help but offer both Karosin and Jonas a rather wry grin.

"Ironic, isn't it? You wait all day for a decent scrap, and then two turn up at same time..."

Weighing up the odds, Fade knew that if there was one person who could deal with the zombies, it would be Llana: a cleric in full favour of her goddess should have little trouble from the undead, she reasoned. And even then, she had Skafloc with her, and she knew he was just itching to smash some heads. So, to the river creature...

Fade had never needed encouragement nor coercion to join a fight head on, and so it was with a rather manic grin and gleam of malice in her crimson eyes that she ran out of the temple, her own need to slake the burning feeling of rage she had sublimated for so long overtaking any sense of caution; so much so that she did not even wait to see if the two men with her had followed.

On seeing the size of the tentacles that were breaking the surface of the river, Fade paused for a moment and cocked her head a little to one side as if sizing up her opponent, and then with a feral, almost gleeful yowl she charged headlong at the creature's nearest appendage, her swords and an overwhelming sense of bloodlust leading.
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Darkwind
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Since it had served its purpose, Greg willed his nimbus to disappear--it was fine for diplomacy, but made him too conspicuous. He started toward the elf, but backtracked to the entrance at the appearance of company.

Assuming that the priestess could easily handle the undead, Greg decided to test the water monster's ability to hold itself together. With a few seconds' spellcasting, he launched a brutal attack at it. A green ray shot out of his pointing finger toward the creature and if it hit the energy of the spell would try to literally tear it into specks.

He wanted a weapon--his Avelas, a rapier, really any weapon would do. He could make use of most weapons ever invented, except for those he had available to him--his fists. He began to see the advantage of the path of a martial artist, whose very body was a deadly weapon.

As seemed prudent, he cast a spell to keep himself from harm and looked around desperately for a weapon. Surely there was something about a warrior could turn into a weapon--or maybe the undead might have something?


ooc: Greg casts Disintegrate at the creature. Avelaer casts Greater Invisibility on himself and looks around for anything that might serve as an improvised weapon.
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Pamela
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Once the elf was standing on his own, Llana turned to take in the group of undead splashing up from the pool. She had an awful image of the whole room coming to unlife before her, but fortunately there were less than ten. So far, she reminded herself…

She pulled on the sash which was wrapped across her chest, and it came free in her hands. The flimsy scarlet material seemed to become more rigid as she began to flick it at the closest approaching zombie. As it snaked out towards her foe, she smiled wryly at the barbarian’s uncouth but concise remark. “Unfortunately, we’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way. And I’m not going to leave you alone with these till I’m sure this is all we have to deal with,” she remarked.

She turned towards where the the elf had last been seen, calling out, “I have a dagger if you require but I think it best that you sit back till you get some armour to protect yourself.” She worried briefly as to what was distracting the others but set herself to focus on the task at hand. Let this be all of them, she prayed fervently.
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eocine
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Unlike his demonically spawned companion Karosin had no great love for, as she put it ‘a decent scrap’, he was one who would far rather have the victory assured before he went in to battle. Still that didn’t mean he was a coward, nor that he would hesitate to hurl himself in to combat, rather it meant that he would pick an choose fights he thought he could win… Or at the very least walk away from.

This battle perhaps fit the second part of the above description, though he had in truth gained little enough experience against ‘monsters’ the majority of his enemies over time had been humanoids, not of the ilk of the tentacled horror that resided in the river.

He followed closely behind Fade as she approached the creature, hearing her virtually primal scream as she hurled herself into the fray. Foolish and self indulgent… Thought the assassin to himself as he angled his own run away from her, hoping that the screaming Fey’ri would prove to be a sufficient distraction for him to get a few attacks in himself.

Realising that it would be beyond foolhardy to leap into the slate-coloured river he also attacked one of the visible sucker-dotted tentacles, hacking down with his blades over and over at the same piece of rubbery flesh, hoping to sever the limb and thus negate one of the beasts weapons.
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eocine
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Tholdagnir and Lawbreaker both slammed into the obsidian tinted tentacle, but instantly she was aware of the fact that the more potent magics of the blades were having no effect on the leviathan. Still they were obviously still more than sharp enough to slice through the monsters skin and into it’s curiously elastic flesh.

The evident pain sent a shudder through the monster, and a gigantic head emerged from the river.

The rest of the huge octopus was the same black as its tentacles, though there were vividly red circles dotted over its bulbous head. In response to the pain that Fade’s blades were causing it opened its beaked maw and screamed with sufficient volume and at a high enough pitch to leave the ears of those close by ringing.

It was whilst the screaming was going on that Greg had made his move, and at beam of green light flashed across the short distance between himself and the beast. At this range and against a creature of such size the sorcerer could hardly miss, and so it proved as the beam lanced into the creatures cartilaginous head and vanished into it’s body.

For a moment there was no change, but then an eerie light seemed to glow from inside the being, spearing out through myriad minor tears. The monster shook for a moment and seemed to swell slightly, but then the light dimmed and vanished, leaving only a variety of different fissures that leaked a light blue blood.

Karosin too found that the creature was difficult to actually damage, and was glad that his own blades were magically sharpened so that they were actually able to slice through the creature’s skin. He would have hated to try the same attack with un-enchanted weaponry.

The octopus’s tentacles whirled rapidly in rage, and one exploded out of the water and struck towards the assassin, the fleshy appendage slammed heavily into his ribs and attempted to encircle him, but he was able to wriggle free of it’s grasp and leap away from the suckered horror.

Fade however was not so lucky.

A heavy blow sent her reeling, and the tentacle gripped and squeezed her, attempting to crush the life out of the crimson haired Fey’ri.

Greg and Jonas both were fortunately out of range of the creature, so against them it could do no more than impotently scream out a challenge of sorts.

-----------

The closest zombie to Skafloc was actually wearing both of Avelaer’s rings, not that the barbarian would actually have noticed such details in the midst of combat, and whilst wearing that snarl of rage that had been the last sight of many men, and far more Orcs.

It didn’t take long before Avelaer’s ring of air command had been removed from the body of the shambling undead. One huge swing of Brainbiter saw to that. However the ring was still attached to the undead’s arm, it’s just that the limb had been neatly severed by the vorpal blade of Skafloc’s great axe.

To a zombie however the loss of such an appendage is hardly a hindrance, and so it staggered on towards the muscle-bound human, arms outstretched and mouth hanging open as it did so.

Still, whilst losing an arm is no big deal to a zombie being cleaved entirely in half from your groin to the top of your head is going to be fatal no matter how you look at it, and so it was proved when Skafloc took a mighty underhand swing and achieved just such a cut, watching as the two halves of the creature flopped apart to the floor.

Llana’a attack on the other hand was carried out with rather more finesse, but much the same effect. The Sune enchanted material slid across the creatures’ face, leaving a bubbling scar for a moment. A scar that became a burn, which ignited and caused cinders of burning flesh to fall to the floor, even as the rest of the creature was enveloped in holy flames. In a matter of seconds all that remained of the zombie was a pile of smoldering embers on the floor, in which a pair of bracers and a silvery headband were visible.

However whilst two were down there were still six more that lumbered towards the visible party members, one flung itself at Llana, but she managed to swat the lumbering beast away with her shield and send it topping to the floor, before easily stepping to the side to dodge another, Skafloc was suffering similar attacks, and having similar success, common undead such as these being virtually no threat to such a seasoned adventurer.
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Mistress Elysia
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Fade screamed in pain and fury as one of the monstrous cephalopod's tentacles encircled her body and squeezed in an attempt to crush her. As she felt her bones grinding together, one rib possibly snapping, she knew she only had a few seconds to attempt escape before it threw another tentacle her way and literally ripped her in half. Gathering her remaining strength, she stabbed down with both her blades; not to try to sever the appendage - she knew that would be futile - but to open a wound so that she could use the monster's own ichor as a lubricant to aid her as she wriggled free from it's grasp. Gritting her teeth against the pain in her chest, she managed to drive the points of her blades into the cephalopod's rubbery flesh and then worked them side to side, as if she was using a giant pair of scissors. It didn't take long for the wound to begin to ooze an unpleasant blue blood, but this was no time to be squeamish; using the ichor that now coated the massive tentacle, she wriggled and squirmed until she had managed to get the majority of her body free from the monster's grasp. Then, half as leverage and half out of sheer spite and anger, she drove her blades down one last time and used them to haul herself up and slide the rest of her body free from the grasping appendage. She then wrenched her blades free and jumped clear from the tentacle, screaming obscenities at it in Abyssal.
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Darkwind
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Greg shrugged mentally at his apparent failure to affect the creature. Thinking to kill several rabbits with one stone, so to speak, he drew on his knowledge of holy energy and infused one of his spells with it. A lightning bolt sprung from his hand toward the water-dweller, and weaker sparks rebounded from it to strike all the undead.

Invisible and hence ignored, Avelaer rushed to retrieve the items as the undead were relieved of them. There was no telling, after all, when he might be called to participate. His mind boggled at the fey'ri's decision to just dump his powerful magic items here among the dead--why, they'd even left his armor here! He only hoped his Avelas might also be around.

ooc: Greg casts Consecrated Chain Lightning at the octopus and the undead. Avelaer picks up every loose item he has time to grab, in the order you described--rings, headband, bracers, etc.
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eocine
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Greg’s blast of purified lighting managed to completely scour the field of the minor undead, the magically altered energy leaping from one desecrated corpse to the other and igniting internal organs and shorting out the magic that gave them such a grip on the afterlife. There was a series of thuds as they all fell to the floor in heaps, followed by a loud splash as one, with a curiously feathery cloak fell backwards into the water from where it had only moments earlier crawled from.

The scent of burning flesh mingled with the odor of the undead inside the temple of the Elven water god, but there was at least peace in that house.

Which would be more than could be said for the outside.

With one of it’s limbs oozing a foul blue ichor the monster flailed it’s remaining limbs frantically, slamming one into the side of the temple with enough force for there to be an audible cracking sound.

The primary bolt that Greg had fired came into play now, as Fade skipped away from the beast it struck the titanic monster, causing blisters to bubble up out of its skin and its body to steam vibrantly as it whipped its massive limbs about.
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Mwa13
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Round One.... FIGHT!

Jonas gripped tightly his daggers as he watched both the tentacle monster and the zombies emerge. He wore a big, evil grin on his face as he stared at the zombies. "Come now, my pretties, let us move our feet to the dance of death. YOUR death." Jonas hopped and skipped lightly and gracefully as he went at the nearest zombie, noticing that the others were almost surrounded by them. He waved his daggers in swift motions, slashing at the zombie in several places, moving at all times.

---------

Round Two.... Fight!

Jonas danced around the zombie, his grin shining amidst the battle, his daggers moving through the air in a circle of grace, his dance ever-in-motion. He did not stop for one moment as he punched the living corpse with his daggers.
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Pamela
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Llana pursed her lips at the brief inferno that enveloped the zombie before her. Her eyes briefly lit upon the jewelry which clattered to the floor amid its ashes but quickly returned to her next foe- who dissolved in a chain of lightning with the rest of the undead. She paused for a second, looking and listening for any sign of movement: a ripple of the waters, or the slow rising of limbs from the other scattered corpses.

Deeming it presently safe, she turned to her companions, seen and unseen. “Unless any of you want a lift, I’ll meet you outside. Time to see what caught the others’ attention…” Her wings spread, careful to avoid any contact with the sprawl of decay as she prepared to take off and out.
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Castamir
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Skafloc blinked as the zombie he was about to dissect immolated. As did the others.

Greg? - if it was then he figured he owed the sorcerer for relieving him of having to sully his axe on the zombies. Skafloc didn't view them as worthy adversaries, hardly worthy of mention in a tale. Certainly there was little honour in cutting up already dead bodies..

He turned and grinned at Llana's mention of a lift. He wondered truly if the half elf would be able to get airborne carrying his axe alone, let alone him as well, and by way of answer sprang off towards the temple entrance leaping across the platforms at incredible speed - whatever it was they were battling outside, it certainly sounded like more of a challenge, especially when it hit the wall of the temple, causeing the building to shudder...
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Darkwind
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ooc: Summon Monster VIII to summon a Greater Water Elemental into the water behind the octopus

He hoped his spells were having some sort of effect on the monster--it didn't look much worse for them. Perhaps a different approach was called for... Greg reached for a tiny bag he carried with him and pull it out along with a candle. After making the necessary gestures, and pronouncing the incantation, he completed the summoning. Behind the creature, water itself seemed to condense into a living creature three dozen feet high. A water elemental, one of the most powerful of its kind and even more effective against water-bound creatures like the one they were facing. It swung what might be called its fists and slammed them into the octopus.
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Mistress Elysia
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Watching Greg's spell injure the monster simply intensified Fade's own resolve to help bring this beast down. Problem was, she realised that attacking its tentacles was near useless - not only were they hard to cut into and therefore injure, but it also put her in a direct and easily accesible position to bear the full brunt of its primary attacks.

No, she had to get somewhere where it was vulnerable in order to do some damage...

Quickly scanning the enormous cephalopod, she quickly came to the conclusion that she could do the most damage to areas where its tough hide had already been injured - namedly its head. Only problem was how could she get close enough to actually utilise these weak spots?

As the slightly insane and definitely near-suicidal plan formulated in her mind, Fade's maniacal grin spread once again across her face... close enough? Surely being ON the beast was close enough...?

Never one to think things through, and having acted upon her impulses nearly all her life, Fade flipped her blades in her hands so that they pointed downwards, making a potential stabbing motion much easier. She then charged headlong at the enormous octopus, dodging it's thrashing tentacles as she ran, aiming for one of the running wounds that she deemed most easily accessible to her. At the last moment, she flung herself straight at the beast, using the momentum of her jump to drive both her blades into the already open wound and hauled herself up onto the flailing monster. Fade's sense of balance was keen however, and using her blades as improvised picks, she managed to haul herself into a position where she could work both her blades deeper into one of the wounds Greg's spell had caused and not immediately fall off the beast, hopefully injuring it further.

Only once, as she drove her blades in for a second time, did she wonder exactly what she was doing. She had always been a slave to her temper, and it had got her, and others, into many different kinds trouble countless times before; the kind of trouble that had ended up in situations she now desperately tried to forget. With this thought in mind, her fury towards herself and her own perceived failures deepened and with a feral shriek, she drove the blades of her swords in even deeper, hoping to reach something vital and really hurt this damn beast and help her forget...

As the water erupted beside her, she whipped her head around, for the first time feeling the twinges of fear as an immense water elemental soared above both her and her foe. However, when it joined in with her attacks and pummelled the monster with more force than she could ever dream of being able to do, she half-laughed, half-shouted in battle-induced glee as she realised that this monster was on her side.
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eocine
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Lighting burning into cephalopod flesh doesn’t produce what could be described as a pleasant smell, and Karosin’s face screwed up in disgust at the acrid smoke that rose up off the hideous monster. The monster appeared to be showing signs of damage now, with the cracks and burn marks in its skin, as well as the hacked up tentacles that were making the heavily grassed ground slippery with the blue ichor that they bled.

Watching the Fey’ri warrior escaping from the crushing grip of the octopus had made him doubly glad that he was able to evade the sucker lined grip of the beast when it had made its own attack. He wasn’t overly eager to risk that kind of treatment himself, but given that he could hear the others now emerging from the temple he figured that any trouble he got himself into they would probably be able to get him out of, a belief that was only increased by Greg’s spell.

The summoning of creatures from the planes had ever been an odd one to his eyes, though on this occasion it was a relief as he could see the water behind the octopus glow for a second, and a blue lit circle flared into life for the merest of moments before the elemental had exploded upwards into his field of vision.

Had he been utterly insane he would have considered throwing himself into the water and using the security that the elemental would bring.

He wasn’t insane however, and keeping his feet on the terra-firma was most certainly the order of the day.

Clearly however the same wasn’t true of Fade… Idiot… Thought the assassin to himself as he watched her scramble up the side of the monster. He grit his teeth as he watched her athletic path, and decided that he would be better as a target to distract the creature from her than as an attacker himself. With that in mind he neglected to take the attack to the being, instead focusing on using his own astounding agility to avoid getting hit.
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eocine
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The hugely heavy blows of the water elemental landed across the domed head of the octopus, and the great beast gave a shiver of protest, unleashing a torrent of black inky fluid into the already slate grey river in response. It’s body was deformed by the force of the attacks, and the mighty bludgeoning weapons left deep imprints in its flesh.

Fade’s own attacks dug ever more deeply into the beasts scarred hide, and it was at this point that the creature decided that it was over matched. Twisting slightly it suddenly drew a huge amount of water into itself, and then released it at astounding velocity.

This jet of water sent the monster shooting backwards and away from the shore, downstream and back in the direction from which they had already come from.

In a matter of seconds Fade was two hundred feet away from the others and still moving, the jetstream leaving her holding on for dear life.
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Darkwind
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ooc: If his Greater Dimension Door had already expired, I'll change this to have him cast it again.

This was just the sort of thing that made him wish he were one of those sage wizards. Then, he would be able to predict the squid could, and would, do that. He swallowed a curse and shouted for the elemental to go after it. Though he didn't speak its language, he hoped it would understand his gestures and pointing--it was fairly intelligent, after all. No chance to tell it to bring Fade back, of course, not with gestures.

Greg realized he would have to go after them himself. Once on the scene, he could take care of the squid and bring her back. He wasn't sure how--if he attacked it, it might submerge--but he felt responsible. With that in mind, he willed the lingering enchantment to teleport him 100 feet above the creature's current position. When he arrived, he activated his boots and hung there, flying.

"Fade! The elemental is on its way" He hoped. "If you can get loose, I can teleport us back."
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Castamir
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Skafloc emerged from the temple at full tilt, and skidded to a halt on the edge of dry land as the huge creature powered away.

For a second the barbarian was disappointed, he'd never battled a huge sea creature before, and it would have been a good one to add to his list. He then figured if it was running away like that, it probably wasn't going to return..

..then he noticed the figure of Fade desperately clinging onto it still...

He laughed out loud, it wasn't a malicious laugh though, in a way he appreciated of such death or glory displays of extreme bravery in the face of common sense. He saw a figure he surmised to be Greg materialise over the creature, and hoped that he'd be able to do something to either bring the squid, or at the very least the rebel Fey'ri back.

"Hang on girl, the mage is on his way.." he said, a broad smile still plastered across his face.
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Mistress Elysia
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At first, Fade grinned when she felt the giant octopus swell beneath her, thinking that it was at last giving up the fight. She soon changed her mind, though, after the monster took off like a magic missile... with her still on board.

Clinging on for dear life to her still-embedded weapons, she barely had time to take stock of her situation before she was well away from her companions and once again on her own. Swearing violently to herself and cursing every single deity she knew of, she tried desperately to think of a way to get off the beast in one piece.

Well, water was soft - well, kind of... wasn't it?

After she had finished cursing herself, marine life in general and 'bloody stupid arsing giant octopussies' specifically, she decided that since she had got herself into this damn fool situation, she really had to at least attempt to get herself out of it. Vowing to never again tackle anything that had tentacles and swearing that if Erevan let her die, she'd bloody well do all she could to bypass the Abyss and go and live in Arvandor out of sheer bloody spite, just so she could bloody well irritate him for all eternity for ending it all in this rather undignified manner, Fade steadied herself and wrenched Tholdagnir out of the monster and quickly sheathed it.

That was the easy part.

Now closing her eyes, she offered a very rare prayer to the elven god of thieves (although if anyone could have heard her, they may have considered it more of a threat, but well, that was about as much of a concession as the rebel fey'ri would give to anything considered even vaguely 'holy'), she steading herself again, placed both her feet firmly on either side of Lawbreaker, took its hilt in both hands, drew in as deep a breath as she could, and jumped backwards.

The momentum of her jump wrenched the sword free and sent her somersaulting backwards. Before she hit the water, she though she could hear someone yelling at her, but couldn't make out what they were saying - not that she was paying much attention, because the most difficult part of her escape plan now came into action: sheathing Lawbreaker before she hit the water.

Luckily, she knew her blade well, and she almost cried in sheer joy when the weapon slid back home. So... back to the next problem in her plan.

The fey'ri never had had much to do with boats, nor the sea; some of them, especially in the case of Xhalph, not even baths, and so had never really become a race of competent swimmers. Fade had often enjoyed the odd relaxing bathe in the cool, limpid pools dotted around the High Forest when she was younger, but hadn't really seriously had to swim before. Suddenly, all the reasons why swimming was a good idea - the health benefits, the ability to save oneself and possibly others if a boating trip went wrong, the usefulness of being able to fling oneself from the back of a giant octopus without the near certainty of drowning whilst doing it - flashed before her eyes and all seemed like rather good reasons to learn.

With that thought in mind and a huge shriek, Fade hit the water.
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Pamela
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At the silence, Llana soared out of the room, rising up once she emerged from the dark temple as if rising above the temple would remove the taint on her memories. She saw the octopus which was heading upstream, with a water elemental moving towards it. A quick count revealed Fade missing, but her eyes followed her husband’s line of sight and she saw the fey’ri on its large bulbous head. Ugh…

She began to fly in that direction as she saw the woman moving upon the blue-spattered flesh. She saw Greg suddenly appear above the creature, then gaped as the crimson-haired rebel jumped into the river. Oh dear goddess… She soared towards the woman, praying the sudden shock of the northern icy waters wouldn’t seize the hot-blooded fey’ri.
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eocine
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As the leviathan jetted off in the other direction the assassin gave a rare smile, even in the face of a decidedly bracing icy cold spraying of water from the creature. He watched as Fade gripped hold of her blades for dear life, and raised one of his blades to his forehead in a sardonic salute of her stupidity. Whilst Skafloc may have seen only bravery Karosin instead saw foolishness and risk.

Nevertheless it did have to be granted that she had done a good turn. After all the look on her face when it shot off in the other direction was priceless.

Crossing his arms across his chest he watched with mute interest as she hit the water, perhaps a tad disappointed that the octopus hadn’t given her a slap to send her on her way. He was however cheered by the thought of how uncomfortable the leather she wore would be after a total submersion in the Delimbyr River.

Still he was disappointed to see his wife shoot off overhead, feeling as he did that letting her swim back in the icy water would be a fine way for her to be taught a lesson in the perils of pride-slaking risks. As much as he may have enjoyed the show instead he twisted on his heel hand headed towards the temple again.

The other Elf still needed to be dealt with, and he had little doubt that Greg could effect a rescue of the impetuous whore.
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eocine
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Even given that the creature was compromised of the very Elemental substance in which it now moved, even the creature that Greg had summoned couldn’t easily keep up with the jetting octopus, and had to strain every fibre of it’s being into shooting after its tenatacled opponent. The creature sent a ripple along the whole river, and exploded past Fade in an attempt to chase it down.

Grey and icy water crashed into the Fey’ri, making it even harder for her to maintain her control, but in seconds it was past her and gone.

The Octopus though seemed to have totally given up on the combat, and paused for a second before inflating its siphon-chamber once more and carrying on its rapid upstream journey.
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Darkwind
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ooc: assuming that all his equipment was there to be recovered.

Well, it seemed that Fade preferred to rely on herself. Or maybe she simply hadn't heard him from this far away. Well, a cantrip can take care of that. He pointed a piece of a copper wire at her and whispered his message, knowing she would hear it as well as if he were right next to her. He flew, pacing her, as he spoke.

"Fade, I'm right above you. Any time you feel like getting out of that water and back on solid ground, feel free to stop and let me teleport us back."

His elemental, moving several dozen feet per second, shot by them but could not match the squid's speed. No way to stop it now, so Greg decided to just let it go. The spell will expire soon enough.

His invisibility had expired at about the same time he'd recovered his last possession, Avelas. How thrilling it was to hold the wonderous weapon--currently a rapier--once again! He sheathed it and hurried out, eager to be away from the desecrated place that was his prison for so long and to meet and properly thank his saviors.

Outside, he found the group distracted, with several of them missing. A quick search, aided by the fact that they were all staring in that direction, explained where they were. The black-robed man, sans holy radiance, tread on air and the red-winged human (what was up with that, anyway?) was flying toward them. Below, someone was swimming, though it was hard to tell who.

He approached unhurriedly, taking them in one by one. Some of the more radical of his kind back at Evereska often spoke of humans as being little different from orcs. One of these certainly looked like he could give any orc a run for its money, at least in terms of brute strength. The others, it seemed were more like him, build for subtle swordplay and mobility. He felt dubious about the tiefling, but the fact he--and that fey'ri--traveled with the black-robed man argued that they'd conquered the taint within. He stopped a bit behind them.

"Thank you all for what you have done for me. If you hadn't come, I'd have gone insane soon in there, I'm sure. My name is Avelaer Lafesti. What can I do for you to express my gratitude?"
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Mistress Elysia
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As she hit the water, Fade's shriek was abruptly cut off by the sheer iciness of the water. For a moment it felt as if her heart had simply frozen in her chest and so she simply sank into the freezing depths of the river. Panicking slightly, she looked up and saw the surface dwindling far above her, kick-starting her cold-shocked limbs into working. Flailing frantically, she headed for the surface, all the while hating the odd, muffled clanging noise the water made in her ears.

As her head broke the surface, she took in huge gulps of air and near-yelped at the stinging touch of the breeze on the frozen skin of her face. Then she heard Greg's voice. Looking up, she lost her rather tenuous fight with the surface and sank back underwater again, but only for a brief moment. She heard his - rather scathing she thought, bristling a little: it wasn't as if she'd jumped into this damn freezing river out of choice - question and began to make her rather ungainly way over to the river bank, her swimming stroke more of a doggy-paddle than a smooth crawl or breaststroke. With every inch of progress she made, she swore she would never, ever swim in a freezing river like this again and added it to the long list of other things she swore she'd never do again, but inevitably ended up ignoring.

Eventually, Fade reached the shore and hauled herself up on to the bank, staggering a little, for her limbs felt like they were made of very, very cold lead, and shivering in cold. As Greg alighted beside her, she turned to him a little clumsily.

"I d-d-d-didn't s-see you" she said, her teeth chattering with the cold. "I-I-I th-thought I heard s-something, b-b-b-ut I d-d-didn't know w-what it w-was". She glanced back to the river. "S-s-s-so c-c-cold... h-h-hate s-swimming..."
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Mwa13
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Jonas stopped his dance of death as he noticed that the zombie which he had been fighting against had collapsed to the ground, dead as it can be. He had missed the whole magic show, that much he had been focused on the fighting. He poked at the zombie with his boot a couple of times and hmphed. "Indeed a good fight, a strong struggle, you fell down quickly and I can only boggle. What happened?"

Jonas looked around and saw the giant octopus fleeing from the scene. Jonas stayed where he was and put his daggers back into their sheaths, a little disappointed at how quickly the fight was over, but relieved that it actually was over. No matter how big the opponent, they were a good team.

Jonas turned around to face Avelaer with his big smile upon his face. "Jonas, at your service." He gave the now free elf a bow. "Nothing comes to my mind about what you can do for us. You should ask the others. They might have an idea what to do with you." Jonas held his hands up. "Just to make you understand clearly, I'm not one of your enemy nor one of your keepers. I came here to destroy the fey'ri. Don't let the looks tell you anything else. I'm a good guy, even if I may not look like it."

He turned to look at Fade getting out of the river. He stared at the water and his smile turned into a sly one. "Hopefully it was not cold enough to make her forget things, like the cold waters of the river Styx." Jonas glanced up and sighed. "Ah, river Styx. I know of an item that holds an endless amount of it's water. A very dangerous object that one. Good thing it has it's place in the museum and not in someone's hands." He smiled widely at Avelaer and looked back at the others.
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Castamir
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Skafloc turned at the elf's approach, and noted he was now armed. His smile still in place he nodded his head in greeting.

"Well met Avelaer Lafesti. I am Skafloc of the White Wolf tribe." as he spoke he lowered his axe into a more non-threatening posture.

"We are here to retrieve an item from the fey'ri, and hopefully give them a bloody nose too. We were warned there would be prisoners, but so far you have been the only one.." he paused for a second and turned, offering a toothy grin as Fade climbed out of the water, before returning his attention to the newly freed elf.

"How much do you know of this place? Have you only been in that foul temple?"
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Pamela
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Llana paid no attention to the retreating octopus; it was merely an animal as far as she was concerned, and she didn’t see any point in killing what had probably been some hungry watch-dog of the fey’ri. Her attention was solely focused upon the spot where Fade had leapt, and disappeared from sight. Oh goddess, she thought, at the idea of having to plunge into the waters, and recalled the boots which had seen her through the past winter. A moment to put those on and…

But that idea was cut short as the fey’ri emerged once more, and began to splash towards the shore. She heaved a sigh of relief when Fade straggled onto land, and alit beside her, wrapping her wings around the woman to give her some form of warm shelter.

She quickly rummaged through her bag and produced a pair of boots which were covered in what looked like white wolf fur. “Here, put these on,” she ordered, the brisk healer at the forefront for the moment. That concerned stance began to crumble as she took in the stringy haired, bedraggled appearance of the rebel, and amusement suddenly quirked the corners of her lips and eyes. “They won’t dry you off but they will warm you up…” She brought up a hand to cover her lips, and was unable to stop the laughter that trickled out. “You really do like to throw yourself into your work, don’t you?”
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Mistress Elysia
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As Llana landed beside her and and wrapped her wings around her, Fade's first instinct was to balk and run. After all she'd experienced at the hands of others, the sudden close proximity of the half elf triggered a deep fight-or-flight response in her. Luckily, however, she managed to swallow down the urge as she reminded herself that Llana wouldn't hurt her - in fact, out of all of the rebel fey'ri's new travelling companions, Llana was probably the one who had been kindest to her.

Any way, she was too damned cold to get very far, even if she had run...

Fade accepted the boots that the Sunite offered her with a rather sceptical look, seriously doubting that footwear alone could warm her up.

"Th-Thank y-y-you..." she replied, still shivering as she bent down and tried to force her cold-benumbed fingers to undo the laces of her own sopping wet boots. At Llana's badly supressed laugh, Fade looked up, and at her comment, she straightened, leaving the furry boots on the floor. At first, Fade grinned sheepishly at the half elf's quip. "I-I'm s-s-sorry" she stammered as she tried to wring out her hair "I t-t-tend to g-g-get c-carried away. I-it's the only th-thing that allows m-me to f-f-forget..." Suddenly, for a split second, all of Fade's cocksure attitude and bravado left her, leaving the fey'ri looking very weary, very small and very, very vulnerable. Then, as quickly as she had lost it, her habitual cockiness returned. "Th-th-ese are s-s-soft..." she commented with a grin, gesturing to the furry boots and bending down again to continue removing her own wet boots.

After inspecting the fur covered boots one last time, Fade slipped her feet into them. At first, nothing happened - she still felt as cold as ever. Them she felt a slow, warming tingle make its way up her legs. With a decidely out-of-character girlish giggle, she looked up at Llana and winked.

"I can see why you like these!" she remarked, a sparkle of mischief in her crimson eyes. "He hee... tingly...."
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eocine
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“You could stand downwind…” Observed Karosin as the Elf approached and asked if there was anything he could do, after all his equipment had just been looted from the undead and was thus a little on the ripe side, still if you spend a long time in a place you become accustomed to its odor, and he had little doubt that it would fade in due time. He examined the blade-singer closely, and was impressed by the general sense of physical control that was evident about him.

“I am Karosin, the glowing fellow is named Greg and the winged woman is called Llana, finally the Fey’ri we travel with goes by the name of Shade”. He paused for a moment, “Or Fade or Raid or something equally foolish”.

“Can you be of use to us?” Asked the assassin bluntly, knowing that they should probably get moving as soon as possible, and being more than willing to get the Elf back out of their hands and with the Mist-Master if it were to come to that.
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Darkwind
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He knew better than let the slight rankle him. As if he weren't aware he stank. But, after all, the man was only a human. At least the others seemed more civil. "I can be of use in a fight." He understated. "Would you like to test me? If you're not planning any fights... I have a handharp and know how to use it."

He kept his eyes on Karosin, and his hand around Avelas, as he replied to the mountain of a man. "I've been chained up most of the time, Scaflock. They tried to make a slave out of me, but I'd tried to get away, so they put me where you've found me. So I don't know much about it."

When the others arrived, he made his way to them. He took in the winged woman--a half elf, how interesting!--up close and felt motivated to be even more gracious than before. He bowed as only an elven experienced dancer could, keeping his eyes on hers. "Thank you all very much for my release. My name is Avelaer Lafesti. I was on my way to visit the Grandfather Tree north of here, but was ambushed and taken. I owe you my life, and my sanity."


He was about to give her his own cloak, though it would have done her little good, when Llana came up with a much better, and much more original, solution. When the elf approached he smiled wryly. It seems the Sunite had acquired an admirer. Greg kept half an eye trained on Karosin, who wasn't the sort of man to take that lightly, as he responded. "I am glad we arrived in time, then. I am Greg Smith, and yes my father was a whitesmith. We're here on a mission, and should be getting on with it soon. Will you join us? I can see you're a powerful warrior, heir to the excellent martial tradition of your people."
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eocine
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“A terrifying prospect I’m sure…” He replied flatly to Avelear’s crack about his hand-harp. “Still I see no reason to test your combat skills, you either have them or you don’t and if you’re overstating your case it will be your funeral”. Observed the assassin. To a degree though he was pleased with the evidence of steel from the Moon-Elf, generally he had found them to be overly diffident and thus less than trustworthy in combat.

Of course there were of course exceptions though, Mela being one of them, he pushed the thought of the ‘Captain’ away though and focused on the events at hand…

Karosin, contrary to what perhaps would be expected of him wasn’t an overly jealous sort, instead he invariably found it highly amusing when people fawned over his wife. It helped him justify the belief that most people, be they Elven, Human or even, on one memorable occasion Gnomish, were no better than rutting animals who were all too easily given over to their most base instincts.
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Castamir
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Skafloc was impressed with the manners of the Elf. He wasn't particularly bothered by such things usually, but some 'high' elves he'd met in the past had left him wanting to rip their heads off and stuff them where they obviously thought the sun shone from within minutes of making their acquaintance. Luckily for everyone, this one seemed like a reasonable sort, or maybe Skafloc was simply getting used to having Karosin around, and compared to him, everyone seemed easy going.

He did raise an eyebrow at Greg's effusive greeting though.

"I can see you're a powerful warrior" - where Skafloc came from, that amounted to foreplay.

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Pamela
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Llana’s heart went out to the fey’ri at the sudden reference to her previous mistreatment. But she kept her sympathy to herself, unsure whether it would be interpreted as unwanted pity. She did smile however at Fade’s good spirits, and grinned when she saw that the boots were beginning to work their magic. “They are indeed wonderful; I bought them specifically for my trip to Waterdeep, and spent many wintry days thanking Sune for them.” She then laughed and said, “But white fur boots in spring is so passé…”

She looked towards Greg, her glance thanking him for coming to the fey’ri’s aid. “I suppose we’d better make our way back to the others before some other maritime onslaught begins.” Her manner grew solemn once more as she noticed that the eerie silence was still in place. Someone must have seen the disturbance, and she didn’t want to be separated from the others any longer than they had to be. She offered her hand to Fade if she required it, but in such a way that the woman could pretend she hadn’t seen it if she didn’t want it.

When the trio reached the others, she smiled at her husband then turned her healer’s eye upon the stranger. The gift of the spell upon her gave her the wisdom to see beyond her normal prejudices, so her smile at the elf was sincere. She returned his graceful bow with one of her own, saying, “I’m Llana Darkoff, priestess of Sune. There is no debt when chance put you in those circumstances, and moral decency called us to help those who require it.”

She smiled at Greg’s words but also was concerned about how willing Avelaer might be in facing his foes after whatever ordeal he must have suffered in the temple. She was willing to accept any support but also didn’t want him to do it out of any false sense of obligation. “You’d be welcome to join us, but I also would not wish you to feel required to aid us in our own mission. Nor would I wish to interrupt your pilgrimage to the Grandfather Tree.”

She found her eyes caught upon his coronet, and when she recognised it, she frowned. She suddenly realised how it might be misinterpreted and explained, “Excuse me- I just realised that if the fey’ri didn’t bother to confiscate your items, it means that they didn’t see any need among their numbers for it. I am glad for your own sake, but it does have me concerned about how well-armed they now are.”
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Mistress Elysia
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Fade accepted Llana's hand, and was struck again by the similarities between this half elf and another half elf she had known. She winced a little as she stood up; now that she felt surprisingly warm, the cracked rib that the octopus had given her decided to make its presence known again. Ahh well.... had worse... Fade thought to herself as she trailed behind Greg and the Sunite towards the others.

She deliberately kept herself towards the back of the group - although she was used to not being accepted by near enough every single race of what, in her opinion, they laughably called the 'goodly folk', some of the worst prejudice she had experienced had come from the mouths of moon elves. She had simply not met one yet who was willing to even attempt to see past her heritage, let alone try to get to know her before judging her. Considering she was already having to contend with some hostility towards her - she doubted very much that this small band trusted her, even after she had helped them and fought alongside them - and so she feared greatly that this moon elf would only increase this hostility.

She also couldn't help but feel decidedly jealous of the way he was being treated; compared to the interrogation she had undergone to even be allowed to live, let alone travel with these people, they were welcoming this stranger on his word with open arms, simply because he was traditionally from 'goodly' stock. Whilst she had been treated with contempt (and still was, in the case of Karosin... she thought bitterly) and had been threatened with violence, this elf was treated to a warm reception and compliments for his - as yet untested - battle prowess, no questions asked.

At Llana's comment about the weapons and equipment that had seemingly been left by the fey'ri for this Avelear to find if need be, she couldn't help but snort back a rather derisive chuckle.

"They wouldn't go near that stuff with a 50ft dragon prod" the rebel fey'ri remarked quietly. "Inferior, see?" she shrugged her shoulders. "Not of fey'ri or sun-elf make. They're leary even of demon-crafted weapons. There'll be enough fey'ri weapon caches buried around here to arm up the Legion - I expect they've recovered what they need from those."
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eocine
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“Why waste your time with this?”

The question was generally dismissive, but there was perhaps a tiny piece of interest, as if the speaker knew that there was every chance that he simply didn’t understand exactly what was going on. Which was in fact almost certainly true in this case.

The speaker stood closer to seven feet than six, and was absurdly muscular, his mostly golden skin seemed to be stretched to breaking point as it was pulled taught over his outsized physique. The hair on his head was more of a mane than hair, and sprouted down as far as his broad shoulders, tufts of crimson hair covering every inch and adding an even more imposing aura to him.

He wore a black breastplate from which a gleaming green eye stared, the piece of armor was battered and scratched and had clearly seen much battle and blood in its time. Other than that though he wore little other than a short armor plated kilt that covered massively powerful legs.

Perhaps the only thing about him that appeared to be well kept was the huge flamberge that was strapped to his back It was a weapon that seemed to carry an aura of desecration with it, almost as if it were shrouded in darkness. The weapon itself was at least five feet in length, and would have weighed a huge amount, but in battle it was well established that the being could wield it as if it were virtually weightless.

The creatures name was Xhalph, and he stood alone in the ranks of the family D’lardragdeth as it’s most impressive warrior.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t spell subtle, much less truly understand it, and the woman that was stood ignoring him as he spoke had subtlety in spades. Eventually she looked up from her work and spared him a brief glance. “Were I in a worse mood nephew I would have you punished for the impudence of that question…” She threatened idly as she turned back towards what she had previously been examining, something that appeared to be no more than a pile of dust on a black marble dais.

“It is a risk yes…” Admitted the Countess, but sometimes risks must be taken if the rewards are worth it. This tenet was something that the Fey’ri had long lived by, for had their initial experimentations into breeding with Demons been anything but a huge risk with the chance of paying off well? Of course it hadn’t, but they had reaped the rewards of Arcane might, and that was a success that Sarya herself intended on attempting to equal.

“But if it works I shall regain a son…” A slight and uncharacteristic smile crossed her lips, exposing extended canines as she did so… “and one who will be totally obedient to me, rather than the ingrate he originally was.”

She reached out a taloned hand to the pile of dust and idly sifted the grey powder with a claw. “He was such a disappointment in life, but now we shall see how he does in”, there was an interruption from the door, and she twisted her head suddenly to regard the intruder.

“My lady”, came a voice in her head… “The ceremony is ready to begin…”
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Darkwind
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Avelaer accepted the compliment with a smile. "I hope I can prove to be up to your expectations."

After Llana spoke, he matched her smile. "You are very gracious, my--would you mind if I called you by name? I'm afraid I was never much in favor of courtly etiquette. It interferes. Beholden or not, I wish to be of use to you. My sword and bow are at your disposal--the Grandfather Tree can wait." He wondered if they found it curious that he spoke of a bow, and carried a quiver, but did not seem to have one. Surely they wouldn't have seen a swordbow in action, and he didn't carry an obvious bag of holding. "When we get a chance, I'd like to speak with you about your goddess, if you don't mind. I am familiar with Hanali Celanil, of course, and from what little I've heard of Sune they are quite similar."

He nodded at Fade's words. "Ah, I see. Makes sense, in a twisted sort of way. Then again...there are, of course, manufacturers whose works I would not even touch, no matter how powerful. I'm just glad they are that picky, or I would be in big trouble.
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eocine
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Moral decency was one of those concepts that Karosin really only had a rudimentary grasp of, though he was learning it had been a rather slow process, and one that he and Llana had of course disagreed over. His own nod to it was rather more pragmatic, people received help if they deserved it, not merely because they desired it. Still if the Elf could wield a blade as well as he could apparently schmooze then they could perhaps be considered to have gained a worthwhile ally.

Though until proven otherwise it remained a big if.

“I hardly see how you can fail to live up to my expectations, low as they are”… He observed before leaning backwards against the cool stone of the temple. In truth he knew some Elves could fight, but in his experience they had always tended to fight with honour and decency, and to his way of thinking that was going into battle at half your capacity.

If you were going to fight then you had to fight to win, by any means necessary.

Trying to get laid are we? He thought with an internal smirk at the Elf’s wish to speak about his wife’s Goddess to her, deigning though to comment on it.

He listened to Fade’s words on the Fey’ri distrust of the equipment of other species with a trace of a smile on his face. It will be good then to kill them with what they consider to be inferior, it adds a certain elegance to the event.
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