Lost Arcana; Team A

[Sliver]

Chapter 1
Scars

Master Roh sat down his table, checking that the papers are in order. Crossing the Kremonian borders would be a hassle without those, one that he could easily spare for the adventurers.

Besides, he had to keep his mind occupied, for he feared he would sink into madness otherwise; Like the others. His hands shook uncontrollably as he unfolded one of the letters, forcing him to grab his own wrist. He smirked to himself. Would she appreciate it? He probably won't find out.

One envelope had all the paperwork, and he had six more for each of the adventurers, in case something happens to the driver and they'll need copies.

His head suddenly feeling lighter, Roh let go of his wrist, confirming the shaking has subsided, and folded the paperwork back into the envelopes. As he heard the incoherent ramblings in the hallway outside his door, he sighed before putting the envelopes in his pouch and leaving the room.

Outside the room was Apprentice Kale, a young boy, which in itself was extremely rare in the Academy, with great skills in the Arcane, and more. The boy was having an argument over the validity of a multi layered bacon-cake as a pillow with a chicken. From Kale's rage, the chicken was winning.

Roh shook his head and led the child back to his room. Kale was one of the lesser cases; Roh wasn't sure of the reason. It could be a combination of his strong mind and how fresh the knowledge of Lost Arcana was in his mind... But his arcane powers had manifested in ways that made keeping Kale contained... Difficult.

On his way back, Master Roh saw the driver getting the horses ready. It's a long way from the Academy, Roh thought. Perhaps that's why they managed to catch that lead. Whoever did it, traveled such a long way that he didn't manage to raise defenses fast enough. If there are other locations, perhaps they are protected already...

His hands shook once again, but Roh didn't even notice. The thought that so much rested in such unexperienced men that just barely able to learn the Lost Arcana was too unsettling for him. He took a deep breath and moved towards the first floor where they waited.

A small crowd, half a dozen men and women waited by the large wooden doors for Master Roh as he slowly walked down the stairs towards them. He shook slightly with each step, but managed to keep a steady pace without the risk of collapsing. Behind him, followed a chicken.

Roh was tall, with long brown hair tied with a thin black band behind his head. His beard used to be neatly trimmed, but has grown messy in the last few days, with Roh avoiding cutting it for obvious reasons. His black eyes were unfocused and tires, visible circles under them. He wore the formal black Academy robes with green decorations, but the robes were wrinkled and fell awkwardly around him.

"I'm sorry for the wait." He finally addressed you as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "I had a couple of things to take care of while the driver got ready." He took out the six envelopes and handed each of them to you in order. A smooth black ink writing notes your names on the designated envelopes.

"It's hard to know what to expect. The driver is very experienced, so nothing should happen to him, but in case things go south, these envelopes contain the necessary paperwork for you to clear the border with ease."

Roh ignored the quiet clucking of the chicken as he stepped towards the doors and opened them into the yard. Two large, black horses were tied to a large carriage. One of the horses had white stripes going through it's entire length, while the other one had a large red spot on it's right side and at the end of it's nose.

Master Roh stepped towards the front of the carriage, where an old man stood and talked to the striped horse. The man stopped as Roh approached and walked to him, limping slowly, his cane providing support. He quietly took an envelope from Roh and nodded as they exchanged final words.

With that done, Roh turned back to you and nodded. "Everything is ready for the trip. Usually, it would take you almost a week to get to Kremon's borders from here, but with Old Euwig here, it should take you two days." He turns his head slightly for the driver's confirmation.

"He will take you to Lireon Village, which should be close to the Lire Dome... Haven't heard much of it, so I can't really tell you what to expect." Roh lowers his gaze before continuing. "My friend managed to trace residual energy that looked similar to Lost Arcana, so that is our only lead at the moment. I will continue looking for information from here while taking care of the other members of the Academy."

"One last thing... I know that you weren't official members of the Academy yet, but to accept such a mission on the Academy's behalf, I see no other option to call you. Please, accept these." Master Roh holds out six rings which are the same as the one he is wearing, a red dragon shaped ruby resting within silvery fangs.

"These are rings that are worn by the Academy members when they are out on missions on it's behalf. It would grant you favor with any past students of the Academy, mostly masters that have left after learning their share of the Lost Arcana. Besides those, there are plenty of men out there that owe the Academy and will gladly repay their debts by aiding you. You will need those as well, to prove that you haven't stolen the rings." He hands you bracelets made out of what appears to be horse tail.

"All participants of Lost Arcana wear those outside of the Academy. I... I know much is on your plate already, but please... If you find people wearing these bracelets while you are out there, check on them. They might be badly hurt, like some of the people here. If you can help them, please... Even arranging passage for them to get to the Academy..." The thought of his brethren out there, their minds shattered by an unknown force, being far away from anyone who would understand, pained Master Roh.

Euwig looked at the scholar with sad eyes before turning away and climbing slowly into the driver's bench, his bones almost creaking as he grabbed the reins. The chicken set by his side.

"Be strong." Roh said finally and waited.

[bindin garoth]

Jin is eager to head out, clearly shown by his impatient tapping of his foot. It's obvious he isn't really paying attention either. He more focused on finding out who did this. He could still hardly believe what had happened! How could something steal knowledge directly from people, and leave them in such weakened states! Especially the head master!

Jin was consumed by his thoughts about the incident until he was handed the papers, snapping him out of his headspace. He takes the ring and bracelet, and puts them on. It would of felt great to be wearing these, had it been normal circumstances. But alas, it was not, and Jin simply puts them on and waits for the master to finish.

"Will you all be ok here? There are more people needed taken care of here than there are hands....." Jin asks the master.

[PersonMan]

Lirial listens intently as Master Roh speaks. She is all too aware of the situation in the formerly prosperous Academy. The sudden insanity that had struck them all was frightening, even more so was the prospect that if she had arrived only a few weeks later, her own mind could have been shattered. Perhaps the Moon would have protected her with its blessing once more. Such things were to be avoided anyways, though, not being careful with her mind and soul were things that could cause the Moon to revoke its blessing. With a slight shudder, Lirial banishes the thoughts from her mind, instead refocusing on what Master Roh was saying.

As Master Roh mentions sending those stricken by the madness left behind in the wake of the Lost Arcana's theft, Lirial nods, turning her attention from affixing the band to her wrist back to him. At the man's final words Lirial's calm facade nearly cracks, but she exhales slowly to keep control of her thoughts before she speaks, to keep her emotions under control.

"Do not worry. I won't waver in this task and," Lirial pauses to glance at the others, "I doubt the others will either," As she speaks, Lirial feels a slight pulsing in her forehead. A subtle reminder of why she was here, the thing that had given her the drive to seek out the Academy and now to seek to reclaim the Lost Arcana from whatever force had taken it.

[THEChanger]

Ordon

The man stood, in stark gray armor, lines of energy coursing up and down the protective metal. Blue as the sky at noon, the lines met in the center of the armor, forming a core of blue energy. This was Ordon, the man whose sheer will to live created the armor around him, and burned through the eye-slits of his helmet. He accepted the ring and bracelet with reverence, sliding the ring onto his right glove and tying the bracelet around his gauntlet. He bowed to Master Roh. "We will find the people who did this, and we will bring them to justice. I will not rest until the power is once more returned to your hand, Master."

[tonberryking]

"..We have to ride in the carriage, then?"

Red's not been here long, and in fact he already had his own steed saddled, waiting in fact as he'd assume this was to be a dismissal of some sort. To see the man in the somber trappings and mysterious mask at a loss is probably more unexpected however...

Before he can cross his arms and assume the withdrawn countenance usually given, the second surprise of gifted authority makes the Soul Knife (or so it's been rumored) drop his arms in even more surprise, unable to move to take the offered ring.

"I... don't wish to leave Seig-- my horse behind here..."

[Cuaqchi]

Removing her gauntlets Siobhan accepted the tokens from Roh, tying the bracelet around her wrist before pairing the ring up with the signet already in place on her right hand. "We shall not fail you master," Her words seeming to carry greater authority from an unknown source. "With the sun to guide our path, and Euwig to travel the road your worries can be put to rest."

[TooManySecrets]

Wyrdsmeithan
The Smith takes the ring and bracelet carefully. He considers them, before putting them into one of the pouches on his belt. If the Academy had been targeted deliberately by an unseen force, there was no need to mark oneself as another target.

"Justice is cold comfort, Ordon, when it's your head that is on the chopping block." The changeling spoke with a soft accent. It was probably more of an affection than anything else, as it had a tendency to disappear when he was shapeshifted. "We have been attacked. We now go to take back that which was stolen and do violence upon those who stand in our way. To pretend that we are doing anything else is short-sighted."

The changeling was in his natural form. His bright gray skin was not unusual for his kind, but his long hair of the same color - drawn back into a ponytail - was.

[Sliver]

Roh shakes his head at Jin's question. "No doubt I'll require more hands. I have already sent a courier to the city, they should send aid soon. They can't abandon the Academy at the first sign of distress... Although they would likely become impatient quickly and start rethinking our worth if results aren't seen soon."

As Red brings up the question of his steed, Roh thinks for a moment. "Normal horses wouldn't be able to keep up with Euwig's carriage for such a long time. They would die of exhaustion..."

"Don't worry, old man." Old Euwig, who looked to be double Roh's age, if that's possible, called from the driver's seat. His hearing doesn't seem to worsen with the years. "If he doesn't mind, I could use the carriage's special function for large cargo..."

Roh smiles at being called an old man by Euwig and turns back to Red. "He can reduce your horse to about coin size for the duration of it's stay in the carriage. Would that be acceptable?"

@tonberryking
I believe you still don't have your items listed in the sheet... Or gold remaining.

[bindin garoth]

"They better send aid........." Jin mutters. He wishes he could help more, but if he stayed he'd probably go mad himself. He couldn't stand seeing his friends like this. They were suffering so much from..... Whatever had happened. He couldn't wait to see who had did this, for whoever it was, they were going to pay! He almost released some of his energies, luckily he caught himself in time..... This time. He had released the energies before without catching himself, and it almost always resulted in trouble. But the anger is still clear on his face.

"You're right. We ARE going to violence on who did this." He says in response to Wyrdsmeithan's comment. Unfortunately, he wasn't so good with names though. "Err..... What was your name again? I'm so horrible with names....." Rubbing the back of his head as he asks.

[Cuaqchi]

"I would hope that we can find a means of resolving this situation without undue bloodshed," As she spoke her eyes turned to both Jin and the shapeshifter, "If we only seek to kill them then we increase the amount of work we must do in finding all of the involved parties; if we instead use a little tact we can get them to turn on each other and ensure that the justice you wish to dispense misses none of our targets."

Replacing her gauntlets she then moves toward the stable, leading her own horse out to the wagon for whatever transformation is to take place. After ensuring that all of the gear is properly stowed she says, "We have two days of travel ahead of us, any introductions you desire can be done in that time. For now I would recommend that everyone ensure they are ready to leave so that we don't force Euwig to exhaust his magics returning here until our task is complete."

[Sliver]

Roh looked at the exchange, but his face was blank and he did not comment.

As Siobhan's horse approaches the carriage, a wooden platform seems to come out of it, with a few sugar cubes on the stand to lure the horse. It works, as the horse steps into the platform and is suddenly engulfed in a purple sphere of magic. It doesn't seem to bother the horse until the magic subsides and the horse looks annoying now that it's the size of a mouse. The platform, with the horse on it, withdraws back into the carriage, where a moment later you can see the horse exploring.

[THEChanger]

Ordon's armored head turned towards the Smith. That head hung momentarily, in disappointment presumably, before fixing his companion with the sky-blue eyes which gazed from out the helm. "Brother, you may join this quest for whatever reason you choose. I'll not begrudge your lack of devotion to justice. But violence will be a last resort, so long as I am here. Our mission is first and foremost to retrieve the Lost Arcana, and secure it once more for our Master, and ourselves. Vengeance, and indeed justice, must take a backseat to that." So saying, Ordon clambered into the carraige. "I have all I need. We should depart posthaste. To remain is to waste time."

[tonberryking]

@ Silver
Sorry, misinterpreted when the sheet had to be completely finished but as of the time you'd seen it, I'd spent all but 1000g on armaments and the horse/saddling, was going to buy a few other potions and odds/ends but work kicked me in the arse.

Something akin to a muffled sigh escapes the mask that hides Red's visage; the masked man only takes the ring and armband after the assurance, only leaves to retrieve his horse after watching with satisfaction that Euwig's magic doesn't pulverize the first one. He brings back an all black brute with brown barding that loyally follows after though it takes some coaxing to get him to eat the cube.

With that done, he finally regards the others, spending a long moment looking at Lirial. Something about the all white get up seems to hold his attention, but the masked man keeps mum over it. Something else holds his attention now.

"...We definitely have more to talk about than introductions... he mumbles, at the moment refusing to get within arms reach of anyone else present, even as the carriage beckons.

[PersonMan]

Lirial notices Red's gaze lingering on her, wondering why he would be looking at her. Before she can decide whether or not to mention it, he looks to someone else. He was a strange man, that was for sure. Even for a heathen. His mask made it clear, but now that Lirial was paying more attention to him, she realized that he was standing significantly further apart from the others than most people would. Deciding to ignore Red's gaze and his mumbled comment, Lirial keeps a look of serenity on her face and moves over to the carriage.

"I agree with...Orton?" Lirial pauses for a moment as she realizes that she barely knows the armored man's name. "With Orton-heathen's statement. We can discuss the details of our journey while underway," she finishes. Her tone is calm and it's clear that she attaches no hostility to the word 'heathen'.

Lirial's thoughts go for a moment to the other female of the group, the armored one who had mentioned the sun guiding them. That was an unusual thing to say, even for a heathen. It would be interesting to see what she meant by that. Her name...Sio-something. Sioho? No, not quite...

Still mulling over the names of her new comrades, Lirial steps up to the carriage in a graceful manner, clearly at ease with movement in her robes. She looks at Red as she does so, her own red eyes glancing over his similarly colored hair before she briefly looks him in the eyes. A bit embarrassed at her confrontational behaviour, Lirial looks away after a moment and enters the carriage.

[Cuaqchi]

Moving toward the carriage Siobhan makes a quick check of interior - to ensure she doesn't step on her horse - before leaping up and joining the other woman. Inside she moved to find herself a position close to the back opening, watching the group outside as they finished their own preparations and climbed aboard.

[Sliver]

As everybody climb up, Euwig swiftly commands the horses with a loud command that you don't understand and... Nothing happens. That is, nothing inside. The carriage seems to move so smoothly that if it were not the shifting of the view outside the windows, nothing would indicate you are actually on the move.

The carriage is roomy, with three benches that could fit comfortably at least nine men. By the ceiling are floating blue crystals that capture the light during the day and release it at night, and under each bench is a footlocker for personal items. A small stand in the middle has a bowl of fruit, some bread and cheese, various nuts, two pitchers, one of water and another of mead, a bottle of elven white wine, a selection of pastries and 8 clear glasses. A few small small bows feature different spreads for the bread, with different knives for each.

And so the first day of the journey has begun. What do you do?

[tonberryking]

Lastly entering the carriage, Red retreats to the back after pilfering a chunk of cheese and the closest bread loaf. Seeming petulant after his words were ignored, he eats with his head bowed, rather ravenously, and then once re-masked, takes to watching the others with a gloomy acceptance from his corner. This makes him somewhat close to Siobhan unless she changed seats...

For now he seems content to wait, though muffled murmurings from the mask, if anyone bothers to pay attention, make it seem as if he's planning his next words better than a half arsed cautioning.

[Cuaqchi]

Grabbing a glass and the pitcher of water Siobhan proceeded to pour herself a drink, ignoring the food until everyone else had a chance to take something. Once comfortable she removed her helmet revealing both a golden shimmer in her hazel eyes and a seemingly misplaced, rag-like bundle of cloth which she had tied around her head underneath the steel helm.

"So, now that we are on the way who wishes to start with the introductions," Her gaze turned to the other woman as she spoke, "Maybe you could explain how you can be so callous in disregarding the beliefs of our comrades. I have never known a person to enjoy being called a heathen; yet, when you said the words you were far to... Frosty in your delivery."

[PersonMan]

Lirial is a bit surprised by Shiver's question. Disregard for the beliefs of their comrades? Callous? If she wasn't so confused Lirial would probably be quite embarassed. Well, it looked like she wasn't going to switch her attention to someone else, so she'd have to be the first one to introduce herself. As Lirial considers how to begin, her forehead grows lighter for a second before going back to normal.

"I-I am Lirial of the Silver Moon," Lirial considers how to explain the next part for a moment before she speaks again. "Where I come from, there is a system of honorifics that one uses to speak with others. Not using an honorifics implies...A very intimiate relationship with the other person. The honorific 'heathen' comes from the old word 'hathe', which means 'without honorific'. The Common meaning is not what I am referring to when I use it," At this point, Lirial is happy that she was one of the few that paid attention in the 'etymology of honorifics' discussions at home. Around now it's becoming clear that she has an accent. It isn't especially thick, but its present.

"Eh...while this is the topic, could you explain exactly what the Common meaning of 'heathen' is? I've improved greatly since I started speaking it regularly, but I'd like to know why the term seems to offend people," Lirial asks sheepishly, clearly embarassed. At least she could finally find out why people didn't like her calling them that. It was so strange...after all, they were heathens, so why object to her referring to them as such? It was better than the way they spoke to each other; Lirial still wasn't used to the way they seemed to be fine with implying all sorts of things in everyday conversation.

After a bit of fidgeting, Lirial turns to Red, focusing on him rather than speaking to the group as a whole or to Shiver. If possible, she looks him in the eyes again, for a moment, her expression neutral. "You seem...upset, would you mind me asking why?" Lirial realizes that she doesn't even know the name of this man. "Ehm...would you be offended if I asked for your name?" Lirial was quite curious as to what he wanted to talk about, but she didn't want to be rude and ask him before she even knew his name.

OOC:
tonberryking, if you want, just assume that Lirial asks him what he wanted to talk about after she gets an answer as to his name. I want to move the conversation, but I don't want to fall into a sort of volley-conversation thing.

[bindin garoth]

At the sight of food, Jin realizes how hungry he was. Unfortunately, for all to hear, his stomach growls rather loudly for everyone to hear. After freezing for a moment due to his embarrassment, Jin digs in, taking pretty much one of everything (and 2 of the pastries!), except for the fruits, which he purposely avoids. And of course, he chows down! One could wish Jin had a little more manners.......


After hearing Siobhan and Lirial though, he figures he should at least say something. While he definitely wouldn't of liked to be called 'Jin-Heathen,' he was sure it was only a cultural thing, and speaks out. "I'm Jin. And Lirial, the common word 'Heathen' means uncivilized. But don't worry about it, as you've said it means something different in your culture."

[tonberryking]

The jade eyes behind the mask dart to the left and the right when asked for his name, Red's figure, however, shifts languidly as he reclines.

"Red... Red Almasy." he manages, though the surname is an old term for apple orchard, making it seem the stranger. But he does have red hair, honestly, so the name seems to fit in some way.

" 'm not upset, just worried. Not because of the magic, though there's that, but because Master Roh gives us authority, gives us some directives and the first thing I hear is arguing about how violent we conduct ourselves." He bobs his head at the "violent" part in his explanation.

I... just don't think we'll be getting anywhere fast as this carriage if we don't settle that. That's all."

[PersonMan]

Lirial blushes as Jin speaks to her, struggling to keep herself under control. He probably had no idea what he had just implied, so it would be a bad idea to lash out at him now. The cooperation of the group would not be improved by her smacking Jin for his lewd manner of speech. It was a shame that his manners were so bad, he was quite charming, even with his lack of understanding of the place of honorifics and what not using them meant.

As Red speaks, Lirial tears her gaze from the strange eyes of Jin to look at him. Red Almasy. Unusual name, but his point about their discussion was a valid one. For her, the level of destruction that would follow the group didn't matter all that much. While unnecessary killing was something she would need to oppose, Lirial didn't feel that the group would need to be informed of that. They didn't seem to be the type to kill without good reason.

"I agree. We should decide what level of violence we, as a group, will use to accomplish our goal. A sudden internal conflict on the battlefield will not do us any good," Lirial says, nodding, after Red finishes. He seemed to have a good grasp on what was important, this Red Almaze.

[Cuaqchi]

"Although Jin is correct in its meaning as uncivilized, it also carries the intention of labeling the person as a non-believer; regardless of their actual religious views." Siobhan says, "Regarding the level of necessary violence my worry is in relation to the changeling's comment regarding our actions against any thing that ends up in our way. We will very quickly make ourselves more enemies than we can properly handle if we fail to consider what we are fighting against. Do we attack every merchant or soldier who in the act of their own duties stops us on the street?"

[tonberryking]

"I've known alot of violence," Red explains, though no weapon hangs from his belt. After been called alot worse the whole "heathen" business falls from his shoulders like rain over a goose. "Though not many Gods. But we have to have order to our collective actions, right? Or else we're... just a mob."

The word mob is used more like a pejorative than heathen, coming from him...

[bindin garoth]

Jin notices Lirial's blushing, but can't figure out what it's from. He just ponders for a moment before giving up, and going back to eating. Or would of, if he hadn't already eaten all of his food. And finally realizing his bad manners, he scratches the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry about that. I hadn't eaten all day, I was busy in the clinic helping Athone in the medical center of the Academy..."

"As for about the level of violence, I agree that there's a time and place for it. But I do want the one who took away my home to suffer. Dearly." Jin says, his voice barely steady as he says the last part. It's clear that he's infuriated about what happened, and that he's barely holding it back at the moment. You swear you saw a flash of red in his eyes........

[TooManySecrets]

Wyrdsmeithan
"Oh, you should all know me. It's not like there are many changelings in the Academy and my accomplishments should speak for themselves. For the benefit of those who don't know me, I am Wyrdsmeithan. Smith is also acceptable if that is too hard to say. By my hands, magic is bound."

You get the impression that Wyrdsmeithan is a man who is very impressed with himself.

"I wouldn't worry about violence. I've been a wanderer for years. When the blades and axes and clubs and unusually large bones with iron spikes in them are out, I find that most people are admirably able at killing each other. If you're really worried about killing people, why are most of you carrying around ten pounds of steel? Wouldn't it be easier to just leave the weapons at the Academy?"

[PersonMan]

Lirial considers Weirdsmasher's question, although it doesn't really apply to her as she isn't carrying weapons. Well, not exactly. She feels along her fingertips, probing for the blessed silver hidden within. It was yet another reminder of her stance in the moon's eyes.

As Jin barely keeps his emotions under control, Lirial notices his eyes change color for a split second. Surprised, she looks at them quickly. They appeared to have gone back to their normal coloration already. Interesting...

"Jin. I know this may be a bit strange, but are you left handed?" Lirial asks, pausing for a moment before asking the actual question. If he was, then his eyes were a clear sign. If not...then perhaps he had been touched by one of the foreign gods these people worshiped. Maybe he was a Sun Child?

"Ehm...I've only recently arrived at the Academy and so I haven't heard of you. What precisely are your accomplishments?" Lirial asks Weirdsmasher, clearly curious. It was always interesting to meet someone clearly confident in their abilities and actions in the outside world. She could tell that he was the sort who would silver his tongue.

[bindin garoth]

Wyrdsmeithan........? The name seems familiar to Jin, but he just cannot put a finger on it..... Oh well. He wasn't good with names anyway. He seems a bit overconfident though, we'll have to see if that confidence is well placed or not.

"Your name sounds familiar. Just can't remember what I heard of it for. What did you do again? Oh, and for me this weapon is actually just for show. I'm actually best at........ Flame magics. I can actually do a few things with fire that you'd never think of, such as healing and empowering others!" Jin says, scratching the back of his head again. It was clear that he was proud of the advancements he had made with his powers. "But I think the main point is how far we are willing to go for our objective. I agree with diplomacy or avoidance first....... If we're able to."

But Lirial's question intrigued him more. Left-handed? Yes, he was, but what difference did that make? Jin shrugs for a second, figuring its a religious belief or similar thing, and then answers the question.

"Yup, I'm definitely left handed. Why do you ask?" He also takes note that she didn't use a honorific with him. Did she adjust too their culture that fast? Or did it mean something else........ Jin decides to leave it be at the moment though.

[PersonMan]

Lirial smiles as Jin replies. It's the sort of one-sides smile one wears just as they've realized something that whoever they're talking to hasn't. It was so clear now, especially what he mentioned about flame magic. Now she knew how to address him, too. While once was easy enough, although it felt odd to not let the familiar '-heathen' slip off her tongue as she spoke to him, remembering to avoid using that until she found an honorific would have been difficult. Had she not just found one, which she had.

"I was just wondering something, Jin-zol. You have the eyes of...ah, I'm not sure what it's called in Common. I believe it would be..."Blessed of the Crimson Moon"," Lirial explains. "Which explains some of your behaviour," as she says 'behaviour' she considers his barely-controlled rage before. Yes, he was definitely a ksiezycowy.

[Sliver]

Euwig suddenly speaks up. "I would not wish to intrude, young one, but I couldn't help but wonder. What is the honorific you would prefer to be addressed by?"

[PersonMan]

Lirial blinks as the old man speaks, having forgotten his presence entirely.

"Ah, I must admit I forgot that. Hmmmm, well, I believe the honorific that would most fit in my situation is -ka," Lirial says after a bit of consideration. She's glad that he had the wisdom to ask - now the others would know what to address her with.

[TooManySecrets]

Blarg. Just ... insert this into where it should be appropriate (I should have refreshed before posting.)

Wyrdsmeithan
"I am a binder of magic into physical vessels. What you may call an 'artificer'. Unfortunately, most of my items have been destroyed. It's a long story involving a disagreement with an overfond necromancer who didn't understand our relationship. I was only able to save a few." He pats a thin leather-bound book connected by an iron chain to his belt. "Das Wyrdlied was one of them."

"Most of my current work involves highly technical matter. I don't think you'd enjoy or understand a discussion about, say, how and when to use the rune of vargr versus ulfr. I actually find it to be a fascinating topic, but as I said I don't think that anybody else here would appreciate it."

[bindin garoth]

Jin was completely surprised by what Lirial had said. Blessed? Him? As if he was that lucky.

"........ I don't know that I'd call it blessed....." Jin says, his mood having shifted to a more depressed one. It was obvious that the comment had sent him to some distant memories, and none too pleasant, if his face was any indication.

Jin felt himself remember what had happened that day. What he did. What they..... 'No, can't think like that....' He thinks to himself, almost completely unaware of what was going on around him. He appears distant at the moment.

[THEChanger]

Ordon

In the uncomfortable silence which followed Jin's statement, Ordon cleared his throat. "Well, since everyone else has introduced themselves, I suppose it is my turn. I am Ordon Black, smith and protector. Though my power is not exactly traditional magic, it certainly goes beyond the capabilities of a normal smith. As for your question, Wyrdsmeithan, the only steel I bear is my armor, and is meant to protect. Just as I mean to."

Turning to Lirial, Ordon nodded his head in respect. "Then, Lirial-Ka, if you would give me an honorific, I would ask you address me as Ordon-Iron. Heathen, as has already been said, has some rather disquieting connotations in the common tongue."

[Cuaqchi]

Shaken out of the personal silence that had developed as the others debated the merits of her first question Siobhan waits for Ordon to finish and says, "I had figured the conversation would naturally return to finishing our introductions; but, I'll take Ordon's lead and cut to the finish. I'm Siobhan, a newly titled knight of the realm and - according to my first teachers at least - am blessed by the sun itself. My sword is as much a badge of that station as it is a tool of combat; however, as you likely could have guessed from my earlier comments I would prefer to avoid its usage if at all possible."

[PersonMan]

As Shiver says her name, Lirial realizes that she's made a mistake - she wasn't called Shiver, but rather Shaver. It was still an unusual name, but then again someone named Rid, Weirdsmasher, Orton and Jin were in the same carriage as her, so it was probably just a cultural difference in names. As Shaver mentions being blessed by the sun, Lirial straightens, clearly surprised. So there was a Sun Child in the group! This would be quite interesting.

Brimming with questions, Lirial decides to wait before asking Shiver about her marks. This could be very exciting, with a Sun Child, herself and a Crimson Moon Blessed all together on a single journey. It reminded her of the stories she used to hear about strange bands of people coming together to fight some great evil. Of course, in those stories everyone eventually ended up converting to moon worship after seeing the amazing grace and power of the priestess, which Lirial doubted would happen here.

"I'm sorry to be asking so many questions, but...Shiver-ki, what is a 'knight of the realm'? I understand knights are armored cavalry troops, but a realm?" Lirial asks. She had had realm translated before, but reich could mean anything from 'empire' to 'nation' to 'reach' (as in 'reach me the potatoes'), so it hadn't been of much use.

OOC:
I'm using a Polish/German hybrid as Lirial's first language, just so I can both use exotic-sounding things and actual language knowledge at the same time.

[Cuaqchi]

"Realm is a common word for a specific region within a nation," Siobhan answers, slightly surprised that the term could be unknown to any person. "I don't have any personal holdings; but, I do bear a title though it usually seems awkward when I consider my family's roots."

[bindin garoth]

Great. Another religious fanatic. And worse, he was stuck with the fanatic for the journey! He instantly makes a face when the subject of religion is brought up, but quickly hides it as soon as he realizes what he did, not wanting to get on his teammates bad side. What was someone like him suppose to do in this situation? Well, as long as it isn't shoved down his throat, he supposes it's ok, remembering his promise to Athone that he'd be more open to people who worshiped gods. He gets the feeling that Lirial has some religious views too, based on her reference to being blessed and all. But at least she seemed to be kind, and wasn't cramming religion down anyone's throat. He hopes Siobhan is the same way.....

To try and cover up for his face (and out of curiosity too), he decides to asks Lirial "What exactly is a 'Blessed of the Crimson Moon,' Lirial?........ Ka." Somehow, he had managed to remember the honorific at the end of her name, abit with a second or two pause. He wondered why it was so important to use honorifics, finding it an interesting and different way to address others.

[PersonMan]

Lirial smiles at Jin's question. It was nice that he was showing an interest in a potentially important factor of his life and his near-forgetting of her honorific was fairly humorous. It was strange to think that these people had gone all their lives without ever using them. Well, the world was a strange place, after all, which was part of the reason she had been chosen to go out and seek out the Lost Arcana.

"A Blessed of the Crimson Moon is one who has been blessed, as the title implies, by the warrior aspect of the moon. While they are constrained to one form, they gain a deep connection to the moon and incredible combat prowess. My sister is one, incidentally," Lirial replies. It seems like she's fairly proud of her sister when she mentions her, judging by her tone.

[bindin garoth]

"........ It sounds like you're quite proud of your sister. Is there anything else you know about those Blessed by the Crimson Moon, Lirial-Ka?" Jin asks, now quite curious about her beliefs, and with a slight smile on his face.

He found it interesting that there were so many beliefs in the world. So many differences between people, and he had seen so few! He starts to wonder what else awaits them on the trip...

[PersonMan]

"Hmmm. Well, not much, actually. The Silver and Crimson Moon aren't really allowed to exchange much information. I do know that their minds change in battle, while their bodies stay the same. Their swords are different from yours, though," Lirial says, gesturing to Jin's weapon. "They're much more curved," she adds, forming a quarter-circle with one hand to demonstrate.

"The Blessing of the Crimson Moon brings with it great physical power in most cases, but sometimes those blessed gain great offensive magic instead," Lirial continues, "They generally leave the temple much more often than those of the Silver Moon such as myself. It's part of what makes my mission so unusual," she finishes.

[TooManySecrets]

Wyrdsmeithan
"Aspect of the moon...", he says to himself. "Lirial," Wyrdsmeithan says curiously (the lack of honoric probably unintentional), "are you what is called ... Hmmm, I don't know the name of the term in this tongue ... hamrammr? Vargliki? Uh, werwulfaz?"

[PersonMan]

Lirial's face reddens again as Weirdsmasher speaks to her without an honorific. Was it really so hard to remember, or was he really just trying to provoke her? Sometimes, appearing calm at all times was quite difficult...

"Eh...Weirdsmasher-na, I don't know what a werflax is," she says as he finishes, her voice a bit weak. She turns to the others with a questioning look. "Are...are werflaxes common in these lands?" she asks.

Werflax...what kind of a word was that? Maybe it was a loanword from one of the other languages of the outside world. Oh, it was so hard to keep them all apart sometimes, especially since the "Common" tongue was a strange one. It used words from other languages seemingly at random.

[Cuaqchi]

"I think he means Werewolf" Siobhan replies, trying to think of a way of describing it. "It's a term for someone who changes form between that of a human and a wolf with varying degrees of control. Also they are not entirely common; but, almost every culture knows of their existence and most view them as cursed with the behavior of savage beasts."

[PersonMan]

"Thank you, Shiver-ki," Lirial says, smiling and bowing slightly to the knight. So that was what the people here called the Blessed of the Silver Moon...interesting that they had such a strange view of them. Perhaps there had been some sort of religious conflict in the past that had caused such views to form?

"In that case, the answer is yes, Weirdsmasher-na, I am what you call a...werewolf," she says, turning back to Weirdsmasher. It was interesting that he was able to figure out what her abilites were without her ever actuallly describing them in detail. He seemed to be quite clever...that was probably why he was an arctic fissure.

[TooManySecrets]

Wyrdsmeithan
"Oh, I find the entire thing absolutely fascinating." Wyrdsmeithan is almost bubbling with excitement and it's obvious that he's working on keeping his emotions under control. "In many ways, the entire concept is a, uh, zeitgaistas, um, a reflection of how a culture interprets the unknown. Lerer Garnier taught that werwulfaz were the result of a curse or a pact with infernal powers. This is why he called them vargliki - vargr can mean both a wolf as well as an evil man. As Siobhan says, this is a common belief. Lerer Thiess called them Hunts Karasuthra, um, the Hounds of Karasuthra, the celestial land of eternal night and moon. He believed that they were great hunters of injustice and the right hand of the heavens. Unfortunately, in my homeland, Tings Thul accepted Lerer Garnier's teachings and I have never seen a ... werewolf."

He stops for a second and considers something. "Uh, I'm not entirely familiar with human customs in this case. Would it be out of place to say that I want to examine you?"

[tonberryking]

Red had no inclination to introduce himself further, and ducked his head down mutely as explanations and introductions were passed around the carriage. He'd already felt as if enough attention had been brought to him earlier and the masked man shifts around in his seat a bit.

Until Lirial opens her mouth about Crimson moons. Not because his name is similar, the discussion that follows of increased physical strength and werewolves leave him in rapt attention. It was strange; given that his origins had him in xenophobic Samelna, it's a large wonder that his people didn't ever use lore of shapeshifters to scare themselves further into isolation. The concept probably would have terrified his kin and piers, but Red silently watches, hoping that this priestess shares more information.

Or would have, until the stranger person asks to examine her. Red visibly flinches at the suggestion of anyone being examined, his eyes twitching.

[Cuaqchi]

"I can't speak for Lirial-ka; but, most people I know of would consider all possible meanings of that statement distasteful or worse." As she spoke Siobhan's glare moved to the changeling, seeming to pierce through his very being.

Attempting to redirect the conversation away from the shape-changer's less appealing discussion, she continues to ask questions of the entire group hoping to motivate some level of professional intimacy so that Lirial would drop the uncomfortable honorifics that kept appearing within the present introductions. "I figure, that since we have introduced ourselves the next step is to try and determine what each of us is capable of doing with regards to completing our present mission."

Exhaling slightly, and grabbing a small bun from the assorted platters she begins by describing her own abilities. "Personally, I have been trained in the basics of both courtly behavior and arcane lore so I can provide assistance to any experts when it comes to negotiating with the numerous contacts we are likely to deal with in our present quest. Beyond that, if we are threatened I am trained in using this sword and - thanks to what I have been told is a Fae blessing - can manipulate certain offensive magics both in while armoured and fighting with a sword."

Having finished her own introduction she turned to Ordon and asked, "You stated that you are a smith, beyond any professional contacts what skills can you bring forward in finding our targets?"

[bindin garoth]

Jin stays quite for the moment, content to listen to the rest of them talk. He's especially interested in learning they have a werewolf with them! Well, it does explains her different cultural beliefs. He always felt bad for creatures such as them, who are normally shunned just because their different.

However, what surprises him even more is Wyrdsmeithan's request to examine her! He doesn't know what to make of it, it sounds like he only thinks of Lirial as a test subject......

Still, he stays silent as the talking continues.

[PersonMan]

Lirial blinks at Weirdsmasher's suggestion. Unsure of how to interpret it, she stays silent and considers what he could mean until Shiver starts to speak. It was clear that Weirdsmasher had offender her, but then again she was a Sun Child, so it wasn't unusual that she'd have a temper.

As Shiver changes the topic, Lirial moves so that she can speak directly with Weirdsmasher without awkwardly talking over the Sun Child. Speaking quietly, another measure against interfering with Shiver's conversation (she wanted to avoid drawing the ire of the Sun Child, especially since she had already been offended by Weirdsmasher).

"Ehm. Weirdsmasher, what do you mean by examine?" Lirial asks, a few potential meanings, each more outlandish and risque than the last, flashing through her mind. Despite her feelings, Lirial succeeds in keeping a serene facial expression. With a Sun Child in the group, she would have to keep herself under even more control than usual. While nobody else here knew about it, she still didn't want to reflect badly on her home. Maybe she could even cool the Sun Child's temper like in all those stories...no, that was just a story clichee, it never really happened. The moon would be waxing again in a few days, until then it could lead to misunderstandings if...Lirial realizes that she's making the same mistake again. These people probably didn't know what that would mean anyways. Especially Weirdsmasher, whose culture seemed entirely different from even the others.

[THEChanger]

Ordon

Ordon merely nodded as Lirial explained what she was. Ordon knew of the existance of werewolves, but harbored them no especial ill will, and unless her condition made her dangerous to innocents, it was not something he would concern himself with. Though she might make an interesting companion on the battlefield.

"My skills? Well, I trained myself in the art of combat, and while my style is somewhat...reckless, it has proven effective. I also have some knowledge in the histories of the world, though I do not know how much use this will be. My armor is infused with the magic of my soul, and I have some skill with magical items." Ordon racked his brain for a few more moments, and then shrugged. "My father always said I had a way with words, and people. Beyond that, I don't know how much more help I will be, until we find who we are looking for."

[Sliver]

And with these words, the carriage stops. Not slows down to a stop, but stops. Luckily, just as you haven't felt it moving, the sudden stop doesn't affect you either.

"Hail Euwig, god of the roads!" A soft but manly voice calls out.

"Oh no, this title is reserved to Fharlanghn!" Euwig replies with a laugh.

"Oh but you might as well be his son! Your services are simply Divine!" You hear a female's voice responding.

Euwig laughs even louder. "Aren't you that bard couple from Kremon? Deep within, too, if I recall. Alton and Palma, right?"

"Your memory is so sharp, old master." Replies the man, Alton. "It's a long story, but indeed we are far from home, and wish to go back. Could there be more room in your neverfull carriage for a couple of travelers?"

"I could never deny such a silver-tongued couple to travel weeks on foot before they even reach the border! Of course you can join, hop on in."

And with Euwig's approval, short seconds pass before a couple enters the carriage.

the man, Alton, is a bit short but broad shouldered. His green eyes seem to sparkle as he gives each of the adventurers a smile and a nod of acknowledgment. His short black hair is mostly covered under a brown hat and his clothes aren't too flashy, mostly white with a few azure-green decorations. Most notable is a fine silver lute shaped brooch attached to the collar of his shirt.

As he's on, he helps his partner, Palma, onto the cart. Palma is quite tall, almost two feet above Alton. Her hair is golden and her eyes are almost milky white, she looks at you with a shy smile before looking away and sitting next to Alton. She's wearing even simpler clothes than Alton, going for a normal traveler's outfit. She is wearing a cloak of azure-green color, similar to the decorations and outlines of Alton's shirt, and the cloak is attached with a similar brooch.

"Hello." Alton speaks up as he and Palma have settled into their seats. "I'm Alton, and this is Palma. We are traveling musicians, entertainers, explorers and whatever is in between, although this time we found ourselves quite a bit further than intended. I'm hoping it isn't a bother for us to accompany you for the rest of this ride!" He exclaims and with a swift plunk, pulls out a couple of peaches from the fruit bowl.

The food has been refilled and a new variety is added, lunch is served! There are various meats added and even a small cattle of soup, with bowls and spoons, for those that would want to eat something warm and liquid. Of course there are more loaves of bread now.

[bindin garoth]

Jin stares blankly at the strangers for a moment. He clearly hadn't expected to be picking up others on their travels. He quickly recovers, however.

"Hello. Name's Jin. what are you all doing all the way out here?" He asks the couple.

[tonberryking]

Red thinks the same thing Jin asks. The masked man seems to retreat further into the corner, though he does shoot both the sun paladin and the moon priestess looks of unbridled wariness. Apparently he considers Lirial and Siobhan to be the trustworthy ones.

Why are we taking them? he finally asks, manners be damned, "When we're on such an important job? We shouldn't be stopping at all until the ride's over."

[THEChanger]

Ordon

Ordon grinned underneath his helmet when he heard the exchange outside the carraige. He liked minstrels. Their stories always cheered him when he felt low, and meeting two on the road was auspicious indeed. As the pair clambered into the wagon, Ordon removed his helmet, his longish blonde hair tumbling out. His saphirre eye twinkled as he held a hand out in greeting to Alton. "Ordon Black. A pleasure to have you aboard."

[Sliver]

At Jin's question, Alton smiles before answering. "It's a long story..." He begins, but then Red asks his own question, which Palma shakes her head at.

Euwig is the one to answer. "For two reasons, young one. First, you are not my master, nor the one to decide my pay. This is my carriage and if you have qualms with my mannerism, you are welcome to look for a different form of transport. But I promise you, even with this detour you find so bothersome, you won't find one that is faster than I."

"Second reason is, that I find you saving a few seconds to not be so important as to leave these fellows on the road for a few weeks. If you want to save time, then perhaps skip a night's sleep once we part ways. That will make more difference then the few moments it took for Alton and Palma to get on board." After he is done, Euwig remains quiet.

Alton coughs awkwardly and seems to wish to ease the mood and smiles at Ordon. "Pleasure to be had here."

"As I was saying..." He then continues. "We are traveling musicians, minstrels, bards if you wish. You may or may not know this, but one of the brilliant features of the kingdom of Kremon is it's transportation magic. Most magical transportation methods require a lot of resource investment and constant maintenance, making them more of a hassle than it's worth. But Kremon's teleportation methods are so fine tuned and optimized, that you can see them at every major junction."

"There are two main types of transport magic in Kremon. The usual, Teleportation Circles, allow you to get from a certain point, to any point in Kremon with another circle. This is cheaper than in most of the world due to technical mumbo jumbo that I won't get into because it's not interesting and I have no clue how it works. The other form is ORET. Stands for Outer-Realm Entrance Transport. What it does is, when an object with an extra dimensional capabilities is placed within the magical circle, the entrance to said dimension is moved to the chosen destination. If there is an item that is capable of having the entrance to the dimension attached to, it does. Otherwise, the content of the container is expelled into the new location. This is much cheaper than the teleportation circle method as it uses far less energy to perform."

Palma nudges Alton. "You are getting sidetracked." She notes.

"Ah, right, right." Alton smiles sheepishly and continues. "Anyway, for a few decades there was no advancement in the field of teleportation magic. So this is where our last employer comes in. He's a wizard that wanted to perfect long range spontaneous teleportation. Basically, he wanted to master a way to teleport a target to a very specific area, practically blindly, without there being a prior link to the area. And he wanted the spell to be simple and cheap."

"After a few test runs, he noticed us nearby and asked us to test the spell. He wanted to teleport us straight into the wizard's guild main hall, make a grand entrance and show off the perfect teleportation spell, his words. And the pay was real good. Palma, being an enthusiastic supporter of new magic convinced me to go along with this."

"Needless to say, we were off the mark." Alton laughed. "We appeared nearby two days ago. We wandered the wild until we found a village that showed us the direction, but it was quite a poor village and most of our wealth has remained in the wizard's lab to minimize... Interference." Alton lowers his gaze.

"Palma, this was a trap." He suddenly realizes. Palma responds with a laugh.

[bindin garoth]

Jin was surprised at their tale. A wizard had tricked them, huh? Well, that was no fun. But he was curious about one thing.....

"So, whatcha going to do once you meet the wizard again?"

[Sliver]

Alton thinks for a moment before answering. "To be honest, I doubt we ever will. The wizard is powerful enough to use teleportation magic, and is experienced enough to know how to con... I doubt his skills at deception are all natural, so he must have been prepared, so we don't even know how he actually looks like. If we'd ever meet him? I doubt we'll ever confront him. My current feelings are that we are lucky to be conned only out of our wealth, and not life."

"Now it's our turn!" Palma exclaims. "What is your important mission that even stopped for a moment to pick us up would aggravate you so much?"

[Cuaqchi]

"To be brief, a hunt." Siobhan states, "And I would think it is more a matter of our least diplomatic member presenting his displeasure - and distrust - at dealing with yet more strangers, than an actual distaste for lending a helping hand."

[Sliver]

"That's an odd thing to be distraught about." Palma continues. "The world is full of strangers. From the looks of it, Euwig is no less of a stranger to you than Alton or I, yet you must trust him to get you to your destination. Is the only thing you need for your hunt is transportation, or is the fellow going to point out his displeasure every time you stop at a tavern? Because you have to trust them to not poison your food or kill you in your sleep."

"Palma..." Alton whispers as he tries to take her hand into his.

"No, I'm sorry." She pulls her hand away. "Being so arrogant to think you can handle everything by yourself is a road to death and I would rather he get disciplined in a safe environment rather than when it's too late."

"Do you realize who we are? Considering both our destinations are for Kremon, otherwise you wouldn't be on this road, you should be nicer to it's minstrels. We know people, we can get you information, or access to places. Both things that you absolutely need for your hunt." Palma's words come out faster and faster as she gets more emotional.

"Palma..." Alton tries again, but he gets a very angry look in response.

"What, Alton?!" She almost shouts. "You know how I feel about this matter! He's my father!" She turns back to the group. "You think I didn't notice?" She motions at the ring and bracelet around Jin's hand. "You're on Academy business. We were in the wild only for two days, we aren't so misinformed! My father has been to the Academy years ago, now he can barely eat soup. We know something is wrong and you know something."

Alton looks at his hands, embarrassed. "I'm sorry..." He apologizes for Palma's heated words. "I thought we agreed not to bring it up unless you do but... Apparently I was wrong." He looks sideways at Palma. Seeing her ignore him, he returns to stare at his hands. "We have a telepathic connection." He says before more questions are brought up, explaining how they agreed not to bring it up without anyone noticing.

It's also apparent now that Palma's question was really just her trying to pull you in and share information about the Lost Arcana situation.

[bindin garoth]

'.......Another unfortunate soul, who was affected by the change. Another family torn apart, this time because the gods hadn't acted.... Jin thinks to himself. He tightens his fist, remembering what had happened to his friends back at the academy.

"....... Yes, we are on academy business. Unfortunately we really don't know much more than you do. We're just following a lead, to where the same energies used in the academy's techniques were spotted. But that's all we know.......... I'm sorry for what happened." Jin says to Palma, his eyes showing he knows her pain.

[THEChanger]

Ordon turned his head towards Red. A single upward twitch of his nose and a frosty gaze communicated all that was needed. Then, a twitch of the head towards the grieving woman. Ordon's meaning was clear.

Red was to appologize. And if he wouldn't, then any shred of respect Ordon still had for him would fly out the window-possibly with Red along for the ride.

[tonberryking]

Well, there goes that, then.

Gripping his right arm just below the elbow, white knuckled or no you can't tell, Red goes statue still as Palma raves. Somethings that she says strike nerves, no mystery there as he twitches under the mask at the suggestion that you can't always go it alone. He clearly wanted to snap back something at that, but doesn't.

Instead, after a glance at Lirial and Siobhan, he crosses his arms and leans back ever so slightly, waiting for a long moment before speaking.

"I'm anathema, and I don't trust easy. But if we have to stop and pick up anyone, it may as well be someone like you." he spits.

This is suddenly going to become a very long ride....

[Sliver]

This time, when Alton grabs Palma's hand, she lets him. She doesn't look more pleased or calm, but she does look embarrassed at her reaction. Alton tries to veer the conversation in a different direction, sharing tales of his travels in Kremon along with Palma.

As time passes, Palma eases up and becomes more cheerful and chatty, although she clearly avoids eye contact with Red. It also seems that the idea of anyone examining female lycans is forgotten for the moment.

As the day passes by, the food continues to refresh and change by itself. Lunch is followed by dinner and night quickly falls. The carriage doesn't stop, and soon Palma is the first to voice out her will to call it a day.

Euwig asks you to stand up for a moment and the benches suddenly withdraw back into the carriage walls. Then they are quickly replaced with two bunk beds on each side, enough for eight people to comfortably sleep. A covered lantern pops out of the ceiling, spreading heat and dim light into the space of the carriage.

Anything you want to talk about during the rest of the day and the morning after, this is your chance. Next day will be posted tomorrow evening.

[bindin garoth]

"I call the top bunk!" Jin yells out, rushing to climb up on top of the nearest bed. He's clearly fascinated with the carriage, he had never seen anything quite like this one, with all of it's abilities!

"Hey by chance does the roof of this thing open up too? It'd be nice to see the stars!" Jin says with a grin.

[Sliver]

At the question it appears Euwig goes for an alternative solution as the roof of the carriage turns transparent, only the hanging lantern indicating it's presence, and the starry night sky is visible through it.

[Sliver]

You wake up to the smell of warm breakfast. The journey continues quietly as it did during the night, peaceful and quiet. Alton and Palma help you pass time with tales and songs, and even Euwig shares a few stories of the people he met on the roads.

It is late afternoon that you leave the forests of Palewood. Normally, it would take two days for you to get to the Kremonian borders from here, but Palma happily notes that with Euwig, you should be crossing the border by next morning. From there it would be easy to get to any destination within Kremon.

By the evening, you can feel the chill in the air as you are approaching Night-Thirst River. Palma explains that the river's name is from the great war. A spell was cast on the area, causing an eternal darkness for a long time. All the plants and animals in the area died out and the military men that camped there from time to time led to any water sources drying out. After the war, an early group of Knights of Thyssa's Flame found the beacon of darkness and destroyed it, bringing the light of day into the now desert. They found a water source up the mountains nearby and... Redecorated the mountains a bit, thus creating the river within the desert, enabling life to thrive in the area once more.

It took longer to build a bridge.

"We have some issues here, let me just light it up for you." Euwig says as he slows down. He pulls up his cane and a ball of light shoots out, hovering high above the bridge. Then you see them. Two zombie trolls are standing on the bridge, ripping apart a giant's corpse. Crows gather around the corpses, red eyes shine in the magical light.

[Cuaqchi]

"Would seem we have to clear a road block," Siobhan says putting her glass of water back on the table. "Anyone looking for a fight may wish to get that out of their system here against these abominations."

She then moves to where she had stowed he gear, so that she could don at least part of her armour before they entered the fray.

I'm assuming that as we got comfortable those in heavy armour removed it. Also, remember that Plate is "Don Hastily" unless assisted, and takes 4 min regardless. So Siobhan has to take at least that long to be ready unless she goes into the fight without protection.

[PersonMan]

Lirial, herself having no armor to don, remembers the armor as the Sun Child Shiver had worn it the day before. It would probably be difficult to put it all on by herself and even if she could, it would take quite some time. With a sweeping look at the others, Lirial decides to go ahead and aid Shiver.

"I will go and aid Shiver-ki, armor such as hers can be quite difficult to don properly by oneself," she says, nodding to the others before following the Sun Child.

Once she reaches [wherever Siobhan went], Lirial clears her through to get her attention and speaks, her tone a bit more unsure than normal.

"Ah...Shiver-ki, I was thinking that you might require aid with your armor. I may be mistaken...ah, I do not know much of armor, myself," Lirial admits, seeming a bit embarrassed, spreading her hands as she mentions not knowing much about armor.

---


Once Shiver's armor is fully set, Lirial goes outside to make her own pre-battle preparations. Breathing in deeply, she slips out of her sandals and assumes a posture with her legs about shoulder width apart, closing her eyes and seeming to concentrate.

After a few seconds, Lirial seems to glow, and she fills her lungs one final time before releasing a great shout. The light on her skin grows brighter and spills outwards, blurring her form slightly as her skin is covered in white. Then she begins to change, body shifting as the strength of the moon fills her. Her shoulders stretch a bit, her legs shifting with her feet as she gains a distinctly lupine appearance. Next her head changes, ears seemingly becoming lost under her new coat of fur before rising near the top of her head as her human face becomes a mix of human and wolf.

As her transformation ends, Lirial's shout also draws to a close. Instead of a slightly below average sized human, she now stands at nearly six feet tall, covered in snow-colored fur that gleams in the moonlight. Her robes, formerly loose and covering most of her body, seem to have shifted around during the change; now they are a tunic and what is essentially a pair of short pants. Another difference: in the center of her forehead there is now a brightly shining circle, as if a miniature full moon had been implanted in her skull.

Breathing serenely, as if she had just been going out to check the weather rather than transforming into a wolf/human hybrid thing, Lirial turns back towards the carriage, her hands flexing slightly. Powerful claws extend from her fingers, a clearly metallic lining along their edges reflecting the moonlight.

"The Moon fills me. I am prepared to engage in combat or work the will of the Moon to clear this obstacle," Lirial says, her voice a bit different but surprisingly unchanged by the great teeth now lining her jaw.

OOC:
For reference, this is about what Lirial looks like, apart from the robes and fur color it's a pretty good representation.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG173.jpg

[bindin garoth]

Jin quickly perks up at the announcement of enemies. Finally, a chance to let out steam! He was clearly excited for the upcoming battle. But, he was also curious. What were his allies like in battle? Would they be an absolute terror? Sling spells, causing mass destruction? Or perhaps bring their weapons to bear upon their foes, leaving nothing behind but a bloody mess?

As he starts to put on his chitin armor, he soon get his answer, or at least for a few of his allies. One immediately started to put on quite heavy armor, much heavier than what Jin was use to seeing. It was quite clear that he would be in the thicket of things. Good, he was glad to have at least one heavy melee-er in the party.

But, even knowing before hand, he was taken by surprise by Lirial's transformation. He had never seen someone transform before, and ended up just watching for a moment. It truly was an amazing sight.

But he soon remembers the enemies laying ahead of them. It was time for him to start his own preparations. He closes his eyes and focuses for a moment, gathering his wits. Sparks of arcane energy start to float around him. Suddenly, he opens his eyes, and a wave of red-hot flames shot out from him, surrounding each of his allies. Surprisingly, the flames don't harm anyone, but they seem to focus around each ones weapons.


Using a bardic music to activate Dragonfire inspiration. Each ally deals +2d6 fire damage on attacks. Maintaining concentration on it until we get within range of the enemies.

Switching aura over to Senses. All gain a +1 to spot, listen, and initiative checks.

[Cuaqchi]

As Lirial entered the room Siobhan tried to hide a smile, thinking to herself. "Wherever this woman came from she at least understands what this damned armour requires to be useful.

---

With Lirial's help - even if she had to be guided throughout the process - Siobhan was able to get her armour properly set in place before she left the wagon. Joining the others performing their own preparations she lifted her blade over her head uttering a short draconic phrase before the blade was glowing with a soft amber light.

Casting Magic Weapon before we approach the zombies. It lasts 4 min, so should be good for the entire duration.

[THEChanger]

Ordon never takes off his armor.

The armored figure looked towards the door, seeming to consider whether or not to simply leap from the carraige and join the fray, not waiting for his companions. Taking a look out at the zombies and crows, Ordon changed his decision. The zombies he might be able to deal with alone. The crows...not so much. Instead, Ordon focused inward for a moment, pulling the raw power of his soul outward, into the soulmelds which incorporate themselves into his armor. Around his head, a crown of blue light shimmered, enveloping his helmet. From his hands, claws of blue light shot forward, and a soft growling could be heard, as though from the throats of lions.

"I'm ready when you all are."

[TooManySecrets]

Wyrdsmeithan

After putting on his armor, Wyrdsmeithan starts to sing - softly - in an unfamiliar language, while using his morningstar to draw strangely shaped sigils in the dirt. There's a sheen on the wicked spikes that quickly fades. Finishing up, he quickly glances through the book chained to his belt, stopping to read a single page and is apparently satisfied by what he finds.

"I am armed with the Wyrd and knowledge. I am ready as well."


Wyrdsmeithan casts Weapon Augmentation, Personal on Necksplitter to give it Bane (Undead) [40 minute duration]
Wyrdsmeithan uses the Wyrdlied to cast Lore of the Gods [30 minute duration]
Wyrdsmeithan uses Knowledge Devotion. Rolls a [roll0], which gives him a +4 insight bonus to weapon attacks and damage for the encounter.

[tonberryking]

If Red was ever out of his armor, it went unseen. The masked man remained withdrawn after the prior falling out; any attempts to ally with his traveling companions died half-formed and unnoticed... But... by default his silence gives him better manners than before.

And then the zombies show up. Forcing himself to action, and shoving if necessary, Red's out of the carriage pretty quick and out of the general reach of an arm, hunched forward as if ready to draw an unseen blade.

It remains that way. His eyes widen at the call to arms of magics and powers unknown to him; even though Lirial explained what she was seeing the end of her transformation was still the proverbial slap to the face... And yet, some form of animosity burns in his eyes as the others come out.

He's still out of any arm's reach.

"Hells, it figures..." he mumbles oddly, though this precedes a curt nod in Siobahn's direction.

[Sliver]

The group prepares and exits the carriage. Even with the four minutes it takes Siobhan to wear her armor, the zombies don't seem to notice, their intent is to thoroughly rip the giant carcass. On the other hand, some of the crows perk up at Lirial's shout and watch for a moment. Some of the watching crows turn back to the zombies, while a few take flight and land on the zombie troll's heads.

As the crows land, both zombies halt and turn around, watching the group. They turn slowly but wait for you to make the first move.

Alton and Palma exit the carriage as well, but hang back.

[Cuaqchi]

"If everyone's ready we might as well get this over with." Siobhan says, picking up the pace as she advances towards the hulking corpses with unnatural alacrity.

Might as well lead the charge, Init [roll0]; Casting True Strike while moving to within charge range of the first zombie. If required I'll use my Swift action to add Swift Expeditious Retreat for a little more distance.

[bindin garoth]

Init: [roll0]

Jin moves up swiftly, only a little behind Siobhan. He didn't want to get caught in the front lines, lease he get caught from a blow from one of those guys. He was sure that would leave a nasty mark.

So instead he leaves that job to any others who would like to fight up front. Instead, as he gets in range, two small spheres split off from the flames surrounding him. They spiral upwards rapidly, and upon reaching a little above Jin's head, glow brightly!

But this brightness only lasts for a moment, before they each release a ray at the one zombie troll, searing some of it's flesh off!



Move within 60ft of one of the trolls.

Eldritch blast!
Attack (Touch): [roll1]
Damage: [roll2] Non-typed + [roll3] Fire = 18


Buffs for everyone!:

Everyone has a +1 to Initiative, Spot, Listen, due to my aura.
4 rounds remain: Dragonfire inspiration: everyone deals +2d6 fire damage with all attacks.

[THEChanger]

Ordon joined the charge as well, the fiery orbs from Jin's magic enveloping his fists. Drawing close to one of the zombies, Ordon let fly with two strikes of his fists, lunging out further than should be possible with his size, fists burning with the energies let loose by Jin.

Since Ordon knows only one Stance, Reckless Offensive, he constantly maintains it, giving enemies a -2 on melee attacks against my allies if I damage it.

Initiative-[roll0]

If Ordon can draw within 10 feet of one of the zombie trolls in a single move action, he does so, using a Swift Action to initiate Ludicrous Length, adding 5 feet to his reach. He then makes two Knuckle Bomb attacks with Two-Weapon Fighting.

If necessary, Ordon insteads charges to within 10 ft, but in that case only makes a single Knuckle Bomb attack, the bonus from not Two-Weapon Fighting being canceled out by the penalty for charging.

If Ordon is just too far away, he makes a double move to draw as close as possible.

First To Hit-[roll1]
First Fist Damage-[roll2]
First Fire Damage-[roll3]

Second To Hit-[roll4]
Second Fist Damage-[roll5]
Second Fire Damage-[roll6]

[TooManySecrets]

Wyrdsmeithan

Without a word or emotion, Wyrdsmeithan charges forward to hit the undead beast on the right, bashing away with Necksplitter and hoping it lives up to it's name.


Initiative roll: [roll0] + 3 = 6
Attack roll: [roll1] + 11 = 27
Damage roll: [roll2] + 9 + 1 [Acid] + [roll3] = [B]18

[tonberryking]

Let the others charge in; the masked man will meet his foes as he wills it... especially once Red realizes what Jin's up to. His hand itself pulses with added magic that he wastes no time in bringing to bear.

Only what he does next isn't magic. With a flick of his wrist, small sparking chains of red energy seep down his arm and once he grasps the writhing energies they snap into the form of an angular and glowing sword, punctuated with a hissing crackle. Now holding a sword that looks like a sharp brand of fire, he storms after the others and with the most casual disdain *hurls* the mind blade at a zombie troll's head without breaking stride.

While he doesn't, seeing that the weapon erupts into draconic flame as it serves as a missile *almost* makes him grin behind the mask. Almost. He may not be fond of his powers, but when faced with a situation that calls for a flaming sword...


Initiative:[roll0]
Free action to form mind blade, and my attack, once I move within 60 feet of a troll, is to hurl that mother right in it's face: [roll1]

Damage if applicable: Blade: [roll2] and DRAGON FIRE: [roll3]