Fantasy Behold, the Shadow Lord Returns

[Dolches]

Shadow pours from the World as a plague of evil spreads to all that is known and unknown. Surely, this must be the result of our villainy. Woe upon us, who got comfortable with our lot in life, for the future shall pay for our crimes! Sons and daughters shall pay for the misdeeds of their mothers and fathers, without knowing their reckless bliss!
Thus all oracles spoke in unison upon his birth. What is now known as the time lost to history, a villain like no other had appeared to mete out justice. The Shadow Lord had arrived, and he toppled the foundations of our societies. Nations crumbled in his wake, races of peoples were wiped out, and cultures were obliterated in the wake of his judgement. For a thousand years, known now as the millennium of shadow, he reigned unopposed. Nations formed and were crushed as his gaze wandered around, and people lived with an innate knowledge of fear.
This was, however, until the arrival of the first hero.
Lo, we have not been abandoned by the World, for it weighs its entirety upon the shoulders of one man and his allies! They slew the Lord of Shadows! Let all know that we need not live in despair!
But... He shall return, and so shall his rule. So shall the horrors he wrought.
Thus began the After Shadow era. In the 200 years after the map was wiped clean, society was rebuilt. In those years, they began to grow akin to their forefathers.
"Let us drink and make merriment, the Shadow Lord is dead! Let us sin to our hearts content!"
Out cometh shadow from the pit of rituals, out poureth evil from the heart of its creation. It hath been uncountable moons since he last was put to rest. All whom lived during his reign have since passed, and all who live to see his next will envy them. Villainy still plagues our world, and creates the catalyst for his return. Behold, the Lord of Shadows is resurrected. Lo, his reign shall return.
It was not meant to be. Soon, he returned, and all who lived felt his power yet again. Again did salvation arrive on the coattails of a hero and their companions, far too late to save any who endured his wrath. Thus was the cycle of shadow discovered. For 200 years, he would rest until his return. For 200 years after, he would rule until the heroes came to oppose him.

The legend is not enough to instill dread in people's hearts after two centuries. Few are those who hold the appropriate fear in their hearts of him, and even fewer are those who have the power to fight him. Yes, the people of the Grijan Kingdom are blessed to have King Brontos as their leader. In these past decades he has made friends of the nations around him and truces with the enemies of his people, all for even the slimmest of chances he may drive back the Shadow Lord. He has decreed that the hero is to be found and given his whole support, for along with the prophecy of the Shadow Lord's return, there is one of his demise.
Yet, hope must not be lost, for a hero shall liberate you. Chosen and guided by the World, he shall rise up and set the Lord of Shadows back to rest. With the whole of the World and his trusted party by his side, he shall return his fated nemesis to rest.
And so King Brontos prays. He prays for his people, for himself, and for the hero. He prays for the World to spare them from the Lord of Shadows and his reign.​

 

[Dolches]

Year 857 A.S.
The castle of Bastin, capital city of Grijan​

"You stand before King Brontos, ruler of Grijan! Show your respect!" A booming voice echoed from a sturdy metal helmet accompanied by well decorated armor. The hero and his party stood before their benefactor, the king.

"That is quite alright, there is no need to bow. If anything, I should be on my knees pleading to all of you." King Brontos jested, chuckling at his own insinuation. "You are all gathered here for your own reasons, be they what they may, but all with one goal." He stood to his feet, rising with a great axe in his hand. He dropped the head to the ground and held the hilt firmly. "We must send the Lord of Shadows back to his slumber before his hands take hold of our lands, our people, and our very souls. For every time he has returned, there has been an advance party to serve as the vanguard for all living beings. Never have they returned. However, I have high hopes for you. I believe that you shall prevail, thus why you're here." He turned his head to the knight standing at the side of his throne. "Were I a younger man, I might personally accompany you. That time has obviously passed us." He laughed again. "Japhet, you are to accompany them as their leader and manager until River awakens to his true potential. I trust you shall be capable of managing their supplies and protecting our guiding star until such a thing is no longer necessary."

"As you command, your highness." The knight knelt before the king.

"You all have my blessing, and all the supplies the treasury can afford you. Now, go! His return is in a year, prepare yourselves all you can!" The king sent them out, and Japhet moved away from his side.

The road between Bastin and Kilok​

The scene had finished replaying in everyone's minds. They were currently in a horse-drawn wagon, driven by their well-armored handler, heading towards their first destination.

"You all heard His Majesty, yes? I shall be in charge." Japhet said to them over his shoulder. "Despite how it may have appeared, I was notified of my involvement before the meeting and had prepared beforehand." He went silent for some time. "It would be a good idea to get to know your allies. If we cannot establish trust between each other in time for our mission, we might as well lay ourselves down on the Shadow Lord's doorstep."

Mentions:
Nellancholy argotNaut Spoiled Bread Karcen BuggaBoo Gaius Danius Griinia ​

 

[Nellancholy]

The night before...​

Svengali peered over her workstation, a gracious allowance made to her by His Benevolence, King Brontos of Grijan. First of his name? She wasn't sure. But with any luck, he wouldn't be the last. Idly, she reached over her shoulder, checking on the membranous appendages she currently wore that bore the likeness of diaphanous, insectoid wings. Incapable of flight, at least without further mutation, but sturdy enough to serve as a shield against blunt force or certain attacks of flammable or electrical nature. One of her finer recent works.

Carefully, she packed all the team might need on their journey. After all, this was almost certainly the last chance she would get to carry out any real preparations. From here on out, everything would be improvisation, the kind of situation to really test a scholar's work. With that in mind, capsules, vials, and pouches all went into a pack that seemed to be almost as tall as her current size. She had already considered what would likely happen to the room once she left. Maybe they'd reuse it as a storage place for the castle's scribes and wizards. Maybe they'd just board it up until the need arose. Either way, it would behoove her not to leave anything too heretical behind that could reflect poorly on King Brontos.

Leaving her pack for the moment, Svengali trotted over to a shelf on the other side of the room, picking up a large metal basin from a shelf. With some effort, she hauled it back to her desk, setting it under one edge and proceeding to sweep all her notes, formulae, and anatomical diagrams into it.

She took a moment to breathe in, carefully activating the gas pouch in her throat...

And exhaled. The smell of sulfur filled the room as a jet of flame spewed forth from her nose and throat, engulfing the papers in the basin.

Svengali let out a contented sigh of smoke as it all went up in flames. Wyverns were rather impressive, after all, being able to command such flame through entirely biological structures, unlike salamanders who utilized mana to conjure fire.

By the time only ash remained in the basin, Svengali had finished up her final project in this castle. Taking up the precious metal capsule, about the size of a baseball, she dropped that into her pack as well before turning to her bedroll.

Tomorrow would be a big day, and all living things needed their rest...

---

The road between Bastin and Kilok​

"Why, of course, Ser Japhet. You know well I am as committed to this as you are." The diminutive figure smiled thinly at their leader. As she looked around the wagon, she took in the sights, barely lingering on their guiding star, the hero ( Gaius Danius Griinia ). She had already taken samples from him, analysed him extensively. Made note of his...untapped potential and determined how best to keep him alive and functional in the greatest extremity. Toxin-filtering kidneys? Accelerated skeletal expansion? Emergency psychic insulation? All planned and prepared for.

No, what had her attention were the two who utterly stank of radiant magic, the kind that had bound and captured her before. If it was a healer they needed, she would do just fine. Ah, but they were up against a lord of shadow, and their blasts of light and blessed swords would make shorter work of the Shadow Lord's forces than rending claws or clouds of venom. Probably.

"Feeling uneasy, altar boy?" Svengali's voice managed to carry a hint of reassurance towards the pale one. ( argotNaut ) "Might this be your first time travelling afield from the cloister?" She raised an eyebrow at the knight ( Spoiled Bread ). "I imagine he's hardly a handful, if you are his escort?" They didn't seem to have recognised each other before, likely being from different sects. But the knight's reaction to the idea of associating with the...priest? might be interesting to see. After all, building relationships didn't just mean building her own relationships with others.

 

[BuggaBoo]

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Silhouette - The Huntress
(and Shader - The Mystical Great Cat)
Location - The road between Bastin and Kilok. ​

---

---

In Castle Brontos...

As was her custom, upon entering the abode of an esteemed noble, Silhouette held one gloved hand at the pommel of her blade, the other reached out and lay upon the hide of Shader, her quadriped companion as they marched towards the throne room.

Normally the nocturnal elf's presence would triple in size despite her small stature when she strut along beside the massive great cat. He stood with his head at her shoulders, yet there was an aura about her that made her his equal in prsence if not more. Yes she was powerful in the Way of the Shadow and spirits walked with her too, but it was more so that she lived and breathed the title bestowed upon her by her own Mother and her Mother's sister, the Armeti Martriarch. Silhouette was the Apex Hunter of her people.

But as of now, she could barely contain herself. Dusky lips slightly agape, yellow eyes were sweeping away, taking in all the decor and architecture of such a grand and airy palace. Shader himself was twice, if not more, curious than she and his practiced regal composure was all but forgotten. His own golden eyes and huge head swivelled, darted, bobbed, sniffed this way and that. Neither was agitated, but both had succumbed to stimulation overload; they had never seen such excess before.

True back in their own Armeti abodes, much was shown as to how much they valued artisans and crafting more so than simple architecture, but the sheer amount of thought and energy put into lavish decorating and sculpting of these surfacers? No doubt impressive, however, it smacked of just how different as peoples they were. Mother was right; so much about the here and now, surfacers needed to exercise their efforts into excess and creature comforts due to their short time upon their lands. Upon seeing first hand proof of such a statement, Sil understood now her upbringing to disdain such peoples. However, as she stood before the male Matriarch, this 'King Brontos,' she would be lying if she said she did not pity them for their stunted worldviews.

At any other parlay, she would have reached out to the other envoy and enacted her peoples' ritual greeting, however, she was indoors and had no point of reference as to how to greet this esteemed male in his own abode. And so she chose to greet him as she would a male of another peoples in adjacent territories; she would not touch him for she was forbidden. Instead, she held a hand in front of her, palm facing herself. Fingertips of the other hand barely touching her chin. The hand that touched her chin then reached out towards the king. Upon 3 places she kissed the hand that faced herself, representing: Martriarch, the Armeti and their Honour. Then the kissed hand would press her forehead and reach out in a similar manner as the other hand.

Both hands would cup the warmth of the received presence of the king, "Hail to you. With grace of 'ar-Matriarch' of the Armeti Peoples, this one, Apex Hunter of her cause, daughter of 'dal-Cherishe', will give her Name for this male sovreign. Her name is 'Silhouette'. Her Soul Charged Companion is 'Shader'. Hail again, sovreign..." chin would lower, both hands would spread out at shoulder height and a few words from her native tongue and her formal greeting would be complete.

Shader sat upon his haunches, then in near mirrored motions of his Armeti companion: he licked his massive paw, wiped at his forehead, reached out said paw at the king, humongous talons extracted. A low rumble of from his chest, then his paw returned to rest and his own formal greeting would also be complete.

After the king had spoken, both Sil and Shae glanced at each other. This underling of the sovreign was supposed to lead them, but not once did it formally greet its troupe. A simple decree was not enough for the Armeti; even if Matriarch herself stated who was to lead Silhouette, it meant nothing without the leader properly introducing their worth and Name to the troupe. Sil should have spit. but instead she sucked at her teeth. Both she and Shader nodded at each other. This was not a leader; it was Nameless and Unworthy.

Despite their overwhelming denial of any authority of this 'knight,' the pair followed rank and file towards the horses and wagon.

---

There was no way she would remain upon this janky, bumbling, wheeled trough any longer.

She had swallowed back the bile and pushed back at the contents of her stomach trying to shoot its way up her throat and out her mouth like a projectile. Yes, Silhouette had ridden upon watercraft before, but this was her first time upon a horse-drawn wagon. Ever. And the results were meant to be explosive no doubt. But she had better plans than to humiliate herself and be known as 'the puking Elf'. No, they would know her as the 'Spitting Elf' for she spat more than she spoke really. And that was enough. Clutching her cloak, she rose to her feet, then sprinted right down the aisle and off the wagon she leapt.

In mid-air, she pulled her hood over her head, the Billowing Shadow over took the rest of the length of her cloak. With her other hand she whipped the shadow in a semi-circular motion.

^Shader Awaken!!^ yelled out the Armeti in her own tongue. The black mystical fabric stretched away impossibly wide and less than a heartbeat later, out leapt the gigantic midnight hued beast melding with the rest of said fabric. She collared the snarling great cat as it flew across the expanse towards the rocky ground. Like liquid lightning, Sil had straddled Shader and held on tight as he stuck the landing. She pat his side and whispered gently in his ear. He leaned up as she nuzzle the top of his head, then instantly he wheeled about and dashed back towards the wagon. The horses, sensing the aura of the mystical predator, whinnied and faltered in pace.

࿏Fear not, runners, this one is not here to harm you. The presence of this one follows the words of his 'big sister', Silhouette and she feeds this one,࿏ said Shader in the Primal language that spoke to all animals connected by nature's spirits, ࿏fear this one not. Know Shader's scent. Keep running and this one will protect you.࿏

Silhouette patted his head and scratched behind his ears. Then yellow eyes slid back towards those upon the wagon. Once more she spat, not out of disdain nor disrespect but because it was how she was. Hopefully they knew such behaviour by now. If not... the Armeti shrugged, eyes forward now.

Suddenly her eyes took on a moonlit glow.

⁂Huntress. I see you. You made contact with many that fluctuate with powers beyond mortal⁂

Silhouette nodded at her Spirit Guide, Crescent as it manifested upon the top of Shader's head for none to see nor hear save her and Shader.

⁂Huntress. Then do as you must to cease the ShadowReign before it begins anew.⁂

Silhouette sighed shaking her head slightly.

⁂Huntress. You surface now with surfacers. Yet you are still Apex Hunter, no?⁂

Silhouette nodded slowly.

⁂Huntress. Choose the land then. Do what you do best. Shadow is your Way. Hunt it. It is your quarry now. And theirs too.⁂

Silhouette nodded once curtly with much affirmation, eyebrows knitted together.

⁂Huntress. A ship can only sail smoothy if its crew allows it. Protect the River. Because "Hero" the boat afterall...⁂

Shader yowled loudly at the terrible pun. Silhouette, however could not help stave off the hit upon her funny bone. The diminutive elf pressed a gloved hand to her mouth but little did that do to smother the bubbly giggles from escaping her throat. When she was done, she regained her composure, then turned to face the others in the wagon. Shader ran up closer beside the wheeled thing.

"This honoured female Armeti is Named: 'Silhouette.' This honoured great cat male is Named: 'Shader.'" Sil had foregone the formal intro since she had already done that in the king's chambers, "She is The Huntress trained in the Way of Shadow. She is a great archer and acrobat. Deadly in the dark and especially in the night is she and her Soul Charged Companion, her 'little brother.' Shader may speak with animals and Silhouette may see as an eagle will... and in the dark too. Together they have defeated a shadow demon and together they lead their own entourage of scouts, warriors and hunters for her Armeti peoples under wisdom and grace of ar-Matriarch.

"As many may bear witness, the Hero protected, this troupe will prevail for unlike others, Silhouette is a leader both Worthy and Named."

---

---

Nellancholy argotNaut Spoiled Bread Karcen Gaius Danius Griinia Dolches RanRed Acethekidd ​

 

[Karcen]

Viza Zeveh
Mentions:​

Tick, tick, tick, an endless ticking emanated from within Viza one of the only signs that the rather still elf that seemed as much metal as flesh was indeed functioning. Viza seemed to not be looking at those around her and in truth she wasn't but at the same time she was. Viza was a Chornographer and what she saw and what others saw weren't always the same. Her senses had been attuned through mystical modification and enchanted implants to perceive time differently. She saw the actions of those around her not as what was happening, but what might happen. When she did not focus she saw the choices others could have made and the different permutations of the group. While other saw the armeti elf get up and leave the wagon Viza saw her vomit, saw her try to hide it, and saw her not suffering all at once the ghostly images of what could have been all occupying the same space. She heard the words the thing pretending to be a fairy said and what she had not said, she also saw the forms she could have taken. It was easy to get lost in the sea of time and space to see the many possibilities and forget what is when you were focusing on what is not .

The knight did say something that was amusing " Trust, do you believe there is any uncertainty in your world?" She asked with a sly smile at what to her and those like her would be a joke. Others lived in what is unable to see beyond it so how could they be uncertain. " Well i suppose to you the world seems uncertain even if you can't see all of it" Viza mused " That matters little i guess." She continued before looking as if she had remembered something " Oh yes i did not introduce myself this time yet I am Viza Zeveh of the Chornographer order of Lyg. What is, what isn't, and maybe are my domain it is interesting to meet this you " She finished not expecting to be understood.

 

[argotNaut]

If anyone were to ask Nyr of his opinion on his own magic, then he would say that light is a menace, a terrifying wielder of omnipresence and a bummer to be around. It didn't really matter if the one who asked would react in a bad or a good way, for everyone born of this world had the capacity to understand his not-so-subtle jab. It belied a very real fear, after all. A concealed beast, light roamed lands and seas like rooms of a house, inviting itself to all the space there was. It was invisible at its greatest, painting the grand picture of all to ever happen, yet visible as a simple stream, as gentle rain of gold upon a tree crown, as pieces of a sunset shattering across the horizon. Never to be grasped by anyone, yet grasping everything; no face to look at, yet countless faces it took. In a sense, all of magic had this cosmic complexity to it, a few granted the right to read the magnum opus of its meanings. There were, of course, those that were able to grasp a single glance at said meanings, but they were doomed to think too highly of a piece seen without context, not realising that it forever estranged them from the idea as a whole.

Take clerics and paladins. While Nyrthe was forever grateful to the church and would never voice a harmful opinion, he couldn't close his eyes to the way its bearing on magic affected all the rest of magicians. Was it their natural right to cleanse holy magic and to isolate it? All the rocking of a suitably run down carriage aside, the mage's gaze would fall on the hero ( Gaius Danius Griinia ). One such isolated bit of holiness.

Was it really a good idea to aid the hero's journey in such a way? Would there ever be a moment when they would realise that their intervention caused more harm than good? That their help made the other side an even greater foe? It terrorised his mind, it terrorised all the rest of his thoughts. The sheer assumption was dangerous and would fare badly if he had voiced it. Thankfully, the internal ramblings were too deep to escape right away, and Nyr's unwilling audience couldn't read his mind. Unfortunately, the thoughts still were being thought, as brilliant of an observation as it was, so he was confronted with fear. He was definitely doing the right thing... right now, but how long would this rightness last?

As entrenched in his thoughts as he was, he was still sitting here. It was imprudent to remain silent, especially since he hadn't spoken to anyone, not even to the man who was to lead their effort. He was in bad need of warm enough bonds to justify him not speaking as much. If he didn't manage to arrange such in time, he would be destined to speaking incessantly and, eventually, saying something stupid. He was smart enough to do something like that, definitely.

Before he could get to talking, though, Nyrthe dragged his gaze across those around him. His eyes weren't of any interesting or bizarre colour, yet their grayness turned to opalescence at any and all opportune moments. Light was the backdrop for his entire being, which translated to an ambient shine outwards and a migraine-inducing flash inwards. It tired him to see light only, which was a pity, since the majority of all mages associated itself with light. Divine light, just light, light of stars, light of bodies, light of fire. Light, light, light, all luminous and all radiant, dotted with tiny little arcs, or silly-looking beams. It was no surprise for him to see the same repeated in the team assembled to defeat darkness incarnate, of course, but it only worsened his mood.

Until, of course, someone ( Nellancholy ) called to him. And when his eyes fixed on their figure...

"You're... so refreshing!" He blurted out, forgetting to listen to what the person had to say; a foreign smile on his lips, like someone else was grasping at the strings most unfamiliar. "I can't see my reflection in your darkness, it's incredible! Are you a witch?" His eyes seemed to glow brighter, a different sort of meaning to his gaze, and then his entire face adopted an expression of unhuman curiosity. "Or a priestess of a dark god? Or a dark goddess herself?"

The prospect of coming across someone with such a potent shadow aura was to Nyrthe like finding a shiny stone on a riverbank to a kid. The motion took him by storm, removing any and all tact, before he caught himself being impolite. Though a strange twinkle in his eyes remained, he made sure to tone the expressions down a bit; he pushed his long, blonde curls behind his shoulders.

"Pardon me for the outburst, sincerely. I'm Nyrthe Gordemann, no priest at all."

At the corner of his sight, something else was happening with the elf of their group. In fact, someone was speaking, too, but Nyr was far more interested in his sudden interlocutor. Other conversations would follow suit, but he had to talk to the glistening obsidian in front of him.

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Diagonal cut, Diagonal cut, Dodge and Pierce the Heart.
Diagonal cut, Diagonal cut, Dodge and Pierce the Heart.
Diagonal cut, Diagonal cut, Dodge and Pierce the Heart.

This had been Rivers focus ever since he'd been given free reign of the training yard. He felt far more at home here than in the throne room with King Brontos. The sword in his hand had been a gift from the royal blacksmith. It was probably worth more than his hometown twice over. They had given such an expensive item to someone with no background like him. Not only that, but they had also put their faith in someone untested like him. Even if he had made up his mind to come here. River couldn't help but doubt himself. He knew just how much the Shadow Lord's tyranny had hurt the people. Anyone else in his position would likely have accepted on that fact alone. However River had felt something the moment the Royal Guard had come to collect him. He'd felt the same thing when King Brontos knighted him. It was a feeling of blood between his fingers. Only once before had River ever felt this sensation.

Diagonal cut, Diagonal cut, Dodge and Pierce the Heart.
Diagonal cut, Diagonal cut, Dodge and Pierce the Heart.
Diagonal cut, Diagonal cut, Dodge and Pierce the Heart.

His mind drifted back to a time in his past, when he had cleaved through a boy no older than he. Bandits had been plaguing the forests where he had lived. With the Shadow Lords forces taking most of the army's attention. Regular Civilians had to take up arms alongside their town guard. So it was that a fifteen year old River marched on a bandit hideout with steel in his hand. Even though they had successfully ambushed the brigands. They still had a fight on their hands. He'd seen a girl he'd trained alongside for two years get run through on pikes like a wild pig. An orc lose an eye to an arrow and even an old man with no business fighting get clubbed across the head with a lit torch. Blood on the walls, the floor and in the air. Even though he tried his best to protect his comrades. River still ended up killing another living person to do it. It was like he could feel the sword cutting through the guys flesh like it was his own.

Diagonal cut, Diagonal cut, Dodge and Pierce the Heart.

---

The rustling of the cart pulled him from this reverie within a reverie. Looking at the group who would be his comrades on this quest against the Shadow Lord. River did his best to listen in on their conversation. If he was going to work with all of them. It would be best to develop a good understanding of who they were as people. Sir Japhet ( Dolches ) took the lead in asking them to work on their trust. River agreed with this sentiment. Although he wasn't quite sure how to verbalize this. Making friends was never really his strong suit. Unless they were birds like sparrows, which were friendly in their own way. This seemed to start an inquiry from Ms Svengali ( Nellancholy ), who River understood was some kind of mage or witch like his mother. That inquiry was seemingly targeted at Mr Nyr ( argotNaut ) and Ms Ruth ( Spoiled Bread ). Though only Mr Nyr seemed to respond. He looked at Ms Svengali like he had found a diamond while picking berries in the woods. Maybe he'd never seen a witch before. Mother had told him that their birthrates were dropping. However the thing that surprised him the most was when Ms Silhouette ( BuggaBoo ) summoned a big kitty. Naturally his immediate response was to try to touch its face.

When Sir Japhet looked to him with a gentle look despite wearing his helmet. River realized he hadn't introduced himself yet. Ms Viza ( Karcen ) had done so already. So River scratched the back of his neck with a gauntlet clad hand. "My name is River. I'm... a swordsman from Oakveil. I guess I became a knight the other day so thats something..." uttered the youth, unsure of how to address the matter. Understandably he wasn't just going to outright call himself some kind of HERO. That was something His Majesty came up with on his own. River himself didn't feel too heroic. So he instead chose to introduce himself in as simple but accurate terms as possible. A sparrow came down from the nearby trees to settle on Rivers shoulder. Locking eyes with Shader. River asked the kitty to be patient and he'd find him something much more suitable to eat.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Ruth
Location: Bastin - Kilok road

Ruth had been silent ever since the party was dismissed from the castle. Her absurdly large sword rested behind her as the paladin took the opportunity to snooze for a bit, athough the wagon was too cramped for her to rest properly so she didn't take more than a few minutes of napping. After years of training under her mentor she developed a sleeping pattern that was similar to his, several brief naps throughout the day instead of lengthy slumber at night. A lot of the demons she hunted were nocturnal so this sleeping style fits her.

One of the member of the party, the shortest one, seemed to be interested in the relationship between her and another member of the party, the pale young man. Ruth looked at her and raised her eyebrows in confusion, for Ruth that question seemed to came out of nowhere. The pale young man though, suddenly seems estatic at talking with the short woman. Ruth's interest was piqued. Was this... was this that thing called love at first sight? She was't sure. As part of the job she had been sterilized from young age so she never had any thought about love before. Watching the pale man trying to woo the short woman with strange compliments was fascinating, like watching birds do their mating dance. Ruth kept her mouth shut so the pale man can get all the attention. May God helps your endeavor.

"Name's Ruth." Ruth chimed in as several other members started introducing themself, albeit her introduction was much shorter. She simply didn't see much of herself that can be introduced. She's just a plain boring humble paladin for this mission. Though she found a particular person's introduction quite interesting.

"Chronographer, are you saying that even the uncertain is certain for you? that tomorrow is not a mystery?" She asked Vyza.

Karcen argotNaut Nellancholy

 

[Dolches]

Japhet split his attention between the road and the party, keeping an eye and ear on each with ease. He had figured that the people surrounding the hero would not be the most simple, but wasn't this a bit much? One had already jumped out the wagon, one was speaking in tongues, and the priest called someone a witch filled with dark magic. The witchcraft accusation was done in front of a paladin, who seemed completely indifferent to it. The most normal members of their party were seemingly the witch and the hero, who introduced himself as a knight. "The World sure knows how to pick them. If I were in your shoes, my head would be too big to get in and out the wagon." He chuckled to River. "Hang on to that modesty, kid, an ego will get in the way of your training." His advice came from the heart, he'd seen many men fall to ego when he was the hero's age. With the priests' comments his gaze shifted to the witch. "If she is a witch, then she is excellent at hiding it. King Brontos gave her stay in the castle for some time, and no heretical paraphernalia was found." He was fully aware of the cleaning she had done before they set out. He stared blankly at the elf speak of... Perhaps it was a consequence of his multi-tasking, but he didn't understand what she was saying. He understood the words, but the way she arranged them was nonsensical to him. "If King Brontos deems you fit for this mission, I believe his judgement. Was your assignment to this certain to you?" His attention was turned back to the road. They were already approaching the first checkpoint to Kilok, thankfully. They weren't stopping here, as the wagon began to approach the guards approached.

"Hail to the King!" Japhet shouted to them, displaying the royal sigil.

"Long may he reign!" The guards bowed and returned to their posts. The wagon continued onward without so much as slowing down.

"I suppose I should introduce myself more formally." He finally said. "I am Sir Japhet Grilstin, right hand man of King Brontos. I shall be acting as this party's leader and manager, as well as furthering the hero's training. Despite how I may look, I can support you all in combat through performance aside from fighting." He brandished a small Lyre from his driver's seat and, with one hand on it and the other on the reins, he played a melody as cheerful as it was short for a demonstration. "I'm looking forward to working with you all."

Mentions:
BuggaBoo Karcen argotNaut Nellancholy Gaius Danius Griinia ​

 

[Nellancholy]

Svengali's eyes widened ever so slightly as the elf ( BuggaBoo ) conjured her spectral companion, leaving it to walk alongside the convoy. "Why, hello there Shader. Pleased to make your acquaintance on this journey." She reached out her thin arm to the shadow, accompanied by a guttural purr that simulated a gesture of welcome. Though she didn't particularly expect the big cat to respond to it, her point was to acknowledge the shadow and not its mistress first. She wondered how the elf would respond, if at all. Gosh, the Armeti certainly had gotten pompous since she had last crossed paths with them. She had never gotten particularly close to their domain, which was just as well, but she certainly had many chances to admire their adaptation to darkness from a distance, while she probed underground for several resources that only surfaced in such shadow. A luminous moss, a parasitic spider that could interface with the nervous system of its host...her initial research there yielded nothing more than a compound that would make the consumer's nerves glow through their skin. Not the most useful, but the principles behind it proved more useful down the line. But that was a different story.

---

As for the pale boy ( argotNaut )...

"I've been called many things, dear boy." Svengali tittered. "Including yes, a witch. A heretic." She wondered if the knightess sitting by him might make her displeasure clear if she confessed. "But if you will listen to my words, all you need to call me is Svengali." She leaned in, patting him on the knee. "I...understand the gods, at least as much as they allow. But I am no one's servant." Perhaps a little gesture of her capabilities was in order. Curling her ring finger in, she pressed her fingertip to her palm. In response to an internal signal, the veins in her forearm glowed a bright green, throbbing a bit more firmly for a few seconds. "You may consider my learnings a gift from the gods, if you would prefer. I am a woman of science, though unlike some of my peers, I do not...fully eschew the arcane or the divine."

His interest was certainly quite refreshing, though just like many others he was quick to jump to "a witch". Even so...he looked at her with something almost resembling...relief. Quite the interesting fellow, she'd look forward to learning more about him. "I will say that's as much of a demonstration as you'll get for now, boy. I imagine we'll have many opportunities for practical application in the days to come."

 

[Karcen]

Viza Zeveh
Mentions:​

Dolches Spoiled Bread

Well at least they got a bit of how playing with time worked, though being only in the world that is did limit the ideas of those that experienced it as such. That was something Viza had never really experienced, she had form her earliest memories had the implants that let her perceive things differently. For a moment Viza did wonder how different life was without seeing what maybe and only what is. That thought quickly passed as there was no way for her to do that so much of her was mystical machinery that removal was death.

Viza nodded to Ruth " More or less, i can see what is to come, though my vision without and aid is limited. Also despite how you might perceive it there is no one future. I can see all the possibilities and focus them down to the most likely. If I focused and used an aid I might see what tomorrow is going to be, but i will also see what it isn't. Augurs of my order are experts in weeding out what is unlikely to happen using various formulas. To them what is going to happen has already happened though there are variables that can always skew results. The simplest example is if i tell you what you are most likely to do as what you are going to do you will select a different possibility. There are also some things that our magic can't fully account for, mostly emotional outburst, for example love is one of the most notoriously hard emotions to account for as there is little logic behind it. So in summary no tomorrow is not a mystery, the mystery is which tomorrow it will be. " Viza explained it was a complex topic and she was boiling it down as there were still debates on the topics and libraries full tomes about debates over emotions, time, and reality.

Viza then looked to the Japhet " Yes i knew I would be here when the augurs revealed it to me. We do watch the outside world and intervene when necessary " She explained though of course they did far more than that as they needed things and new recruits from outside so chronographers did sell their services.

 

[RanRed]

Val had taken a seat at the very back of the wagon, the big leather-wrapped two-handed sword upright in her arms like a child in its mother's. Rolling past the first checkpoint, the tall—impressively shoulder-height to the paladin—northman had added little to the conversation other than the odd raised eyebrow or narrowing of the eyes. She did cup her chin thoughtfully at points, taking in Sir Japhet's talents and Svengali's succinct introduction shortly before breaking her silence.

"Ever done this before, Sir Hero—er, Sir River? I mean, soldiering... going out looking for trouble." She said, looking the young man in the eye, her voice deep enough to come across as gruff despite the smile reaching her brown eyes. Posing the question despite the fact, looking at the young woman, It could not have been more than a few years since her own first blundering steps out into the larger and unpredictably varied world of adventures and peoples and individuals and roles played.

"Gods, I feel old." The armswoman blurted out with a snort, leaning back to stretch bare arms tattooed with what looked like black runes. Pausing, long brown hair in the breeze and then her eyes, she pushed off with her elbows against the sideboard and propped herself back upright. Meeting young River's eyes with a wink as she added, smiling.

"Val. If you need that sword sharpened or that armor seen to, keep me in mind. A blade isn't the only thing I'm handy with."

Mentions:
Gaius Danius Griinia ​

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

River kept his silence while his traveling companions continued their own little discussions. Ms Viza ( Karcen ) and Ms Ruths ( Spoiled Bread ) talk about the nature of Divination was a bit much for his brain to comprehend. While he was no slouch when it came to magical theory. Something like that wasn't really covered in the scant few magic books he'd been able to read or his mothers notes. The ability to know things ahead of time sounded pretty useful to River. However it sounded like it came with a lot of caveats. Plus the pale haired swordsman was magically inept anyway. Not like he could even use a fifth of what Ms Viza likely considered apprentice level stuff.

Then there was the exchange between Ms Svengali ( Nellancholy ) and Mr Nyr ( argotNaut ). As River had guessed from her rigorous tests on him. Ms Svengali was a Witch like his mother. The Holy Church had always been quite confusing on what did or did not constitute a Witch. Usually it boiled down to either Magic-Users who use magic we don't like or Magic-Users who consort with people we don't like. In the case of Carlotta the Witch, she was a Contractor of Spirits. She had earned her branding as a heretic because among her menagerie of spirits were some formerly contracted by a known Demonic Witch. When she had refused to allow such spirits to be destroyed, Carlotta was branded a Heretical Witch. Fortunately she had just given birth to River so moving out to forests in the middle of nowhere was a welcome change of pace. River had grown up largely ignored or even disdained by the couple of Church Officials he did meet. However nowadays the nuns at the chapel were much kinder to him. So he had no real opinion on the topic of heresy.

Noticing Ms Val ( RanRed ) address him directly. River listened to her questions and offers to work on his gear. "A few times, not to this extent though. Mostly monster tides or brigands. You can also just call me River... I'm not too fond of formalities considering I come from the frontier" replied River as he kept his words concise and to the point. Call him a Hero all you want. That wouldn't just magically make him some social butterfly or paragon. He also politely declined her offer for maintenance, at least for now. Maintaining his gear was something he'd always done himself. Handing the task over to someone else was a foreign concept to him given his background.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Ruth
Location: Bastin - Kilok road

"I see. Interesting. So it does resembles the oracles'." Ruth found herself nodding along at Viza's explanation. She briefly closed her eyes to absorb what she just learned and contemplate the implications of it. When she opened her eyes, there's glimpse of curiousity in her eyes.

"Would you like to entertain my thought?" Ruth asked Viza while pulling a small object from her pocket, a small six-sided wooden dice. She gazed directly into Viza's eyes, but this time its more like a challenging gaze than anything else.

"Let's say, I want you to take a guess on the number this dice will shows after I throw it. However... after you tell me your prediction, I said I will make your prediction wrong. What would happen here? Would your prediction becames obsolete because something with their own will makes it clear that it will oppose yours?"

"Let's take it a bit further. After the previous scenario unfolded, you make your second prediction and write it on a piece of paper so I know nothing about it. Would this prediction be true because I didn't oppose this prediction?"

"And my last question..." Ruth raised the dice so it was placed between Ruth's and Viza's sight. "What would the number this dice shows after I throw it?"

Karcen

 

[BuggaBoo]

---

---

Silhouette - The Huntress
(and Shader - The Mystical Great Cat)
Location - The road between Bastin and Kilok. ​

---

---

The arms that reached out to Shader would be received by a growl, a glowing of golden eyes and a snap of massive ivory teeth. ( Nellancholy Gaius Danius Griinia ) Silhouette would merely shake her neck from left to right, eyes forward yet a small hint of a smile pulled up at dusky lips.

If he caught flesh; good. If he drew blood; even better. He was not some precious, little sack of fur kitten. No, this was a being from the Otherside; a manifestation of Sil's soul and her Way of Shadow. Shader was her Soul Charged Companion and let them know that trivializing such a notion and treating him in a lesser than honoured way should and will result in a swift and painful lesson.

But still...

࿏Big sister, that Silver-haired River, it means to feed this one,࿏ said Shader in the Primal speech to Sil. Golden eyes broke gaze with River and rolled upward towards her, ࿏Shader reeeeeally does wish to see what it would feed a surfacer Soul Charged Companion. And that other that radiates the Old Magicks, let it know that Shader senses its age and presence. That one... feels straingely familiar, although faint. Sil, somehow this one has felt its presence a lifetime ago before Shader was 'realized.' ࿏

⁂That Silver-haired River does not realize nor know anything about Companions, little brother. Only disrespect can come of its offering to a mystical great cat,⁂ said the Armeti in the language of the Otherside. It was low, but not really meant to be heard. There was more of a 'feel' to it. It did sound as if she were mumbling in her sleep, but those sensitive to the spiritual realm ( argotNaut ) perhaps could feel a 'presence' from her as she spoke, like an apparition in a haunted room. She spat to the side before continuing, ⁂As for the other... this one does not understand what Shae means by familiarity with it... perhaps Sil will consult with The Whispering for guidance. But as for dealing with these surfacers, allow big sis to take the lead and she will answer for Shader.⁂

࿏Of course, Sil. Aaaaaaand... please do heed The Whispering's words? Big sis. Play nice with the surfacers.࿏ Shader sighed. Despite her patting his neck fondly, he could feel that defiant smirk pull up at the corner of Sil's mouth.

Silhouette patted his head and scratched behind his ears. Then yellow eyes slid back towards those upon the wagon that had reached out to Shader. Once more she spat. Again, not out of disdain nor disrespect but because it was how she was, "The attempts to 'pet' Shader will not be tolerated. He is his own being and as such demands such things as courtesy and consideration. Were it you and a stranger reached out and treated you like a small animal upon meeting you, perhaps your hackles would rise too. Keep your hands to yourselves..."

Shae grumbled softly and made a small sound of protest, shrugging sharply to jostle his big sis. Sil inhaled, held her breath. Then shaking her head lightly, she exhaled. The Armeti spat once more.

"...but. Once this troupe has made it to a resting point, perhaps The Huntress, her Companion and the Hero may go through a proper ritual to 'mark' the Hero's scent to further keeping him protected; Shader will be able to track him no matter the conditions. As such, the Hero will be courteously and considered properly introduced to this one's Companion, if the Hero so chooses."

Another jostling shrug from below. Another breath. Another spit.

"....and both Silhouette and Shader will be honoured to work with the troupe."

---​

Sil and Shae both tensed up as the guards approached the troupe. They had given the pair a very, very wary and obvious stink-eye, however they had no choice but to let them pass with the wagon. The guards called out their hail to the king, and Sil merely spat. No disdain nor disrespect of course.

And so finally their 'troupe leader' introduced itself. Sil had licked her lips and swallowed the distaste back down her gullet. It was only now that this thing decided to respect its followers; those that were supposed to lay down their lives for its leige? Yellow eyes flashed as if the light of the half-moon slid across her gaze. Ridiculous and unworthy of a sovreign's approval was her evaluation of this 'leader.'

Despite the competant performance of surfacer music perking up her ears, Silhouette needed time away to settle her ill mood, ( Dolches ), "Shader and Silhouette will scout up ahead. This pair will return with a report when it is time."

And with that, the mystical great cat's massive claws dug into the ground and launched the shadowy pair forward, leaving the troupe behind for the moment.

---

---

​

 

[RanRed]

Strong frame resting lazily against the sideboard, Val stared as if taking young River's measure as he spoke. Silent until she lowered her eyes with a slow shake of the head and a broadening grin. The new knight—honored by the King himself—had declined to hear a title attached to his name when Val had offered. Which she clearly found incongruous. Or perhaps it was the way he put it.

"It's not like it wouldn't stick. Extent? Formalities? That's officer talk." She pointed out with a chuckle. Sizing up the modest young man out of a remote frontier who, to many eyes, looked barely out of his teens. Her gaze shifted to settle on some of the wagon's better-spoken and evidently knowledgeable passengers.

"You sound almost like Miss Svengali or Miss Viza over there. Pretty good for someone from the sticks." She went on, repeating the sage nod to drive the point home. Obviously pleased with herself for the catch—then stiffened, blinking as if it suddenly dawned the observation could be taken as something other than a compliment. Particularly by River, the trained fighter from said sticks.

"Uh, not that I'm, uhh, disparagin' anyone from the sticks. Come from way out past them myself." The big northman's shoulders seemed to shrink in on themselves flailing to pre-empt her choice of words. Going on stiffly before she exhaled and resigned herself to trying to change the subject.

"Must got some good schoolteachers back in Oakveil."

Mentions:
@ Gaius Danius Griinia ​

 

[Darkbloom]

Thomas sat on the far end of the carriage, listening to the party members talk. They were all supposed to put the Dark Lord back into slumber, but what if they could end this cycle completely? For him, that sounds like a better plan so future generations wouldn't have to deal with the terror of his return. No small amount of persuasion would be necessary. He likes his privacy similar to most elves, but there'll probably be not too much of that.


"Greetings, other party members. My name is Thomas. I hail from..." As soon as he tries to recall the name of the city, his head begins to ring painfully. Thomas puts his hands on his head and tries to make the pain subside. "Uugghh..." After a moment, the pain is gone. What was that? A mystery, that's what it is. Someone doesn't want him to remember the name of the city he came from. "I'm fine... It's nothing." He hopes that's believable despite his tone.

 

[Karcen]

Viza Zeveh
Mentions: Spoiled Bread​

Some one trying to prove the cronographers weren't all knowing. What those people didn't realize is they didn't claim to be the Chronographers didn't know lots of things. Really Viza had seen to many people liek this those who wanted to just have some victory over what they thought was an all seeing being. Viza had explained she saw all options, but it was harder to be sure about what exactly would happen. Ruth also misunderstood one difference between a normal oracle and a chronographer augur.

" There is a lot more too it, namely all the variables from you observing it to the very wood and paint upon the dice. I explained the simplest variables of telling someone a future and them reacting in a way that cancels that out by changing the chances. " Viza sighed not truly wanting to deal with someone not really getting it, but well she was here to teach. " You also make a mistake in magnitude , the ones who see second to second the best are the guards and warriors, i focus on larger what ifs. I do see all the changes but they are less focused than the timeline where you declare you love Nyrthe over there " Viza explained picking the most embarrassing possible event to illustrate what she focused on.

" Still i'll play your game let me focus" Visa said wavign her and and making strange sym,bols with her fingers. She had said this was to focus but it had a diffrent goal. She would do what Chronographers did and make the furture they wanted most happen through altering the chances. In this case she altered the gravity of the dice so she would knwo the number when thrown. " Four and six" she said having already changed how the dice would interact with the world so that they could for a short time land on no other numbers achivign the future she wanted.

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

River felt the sharp maw of a predator wrap around his gauntlet clad arm in response to his attempts to pet the big kitty. Luckily his armor had been made by a master craftsman or he'd have serious injuries. Although all that really mattered to him was that he couldn't pet the kitty. Ms Silhouette seemed to engage in some kind of dialogue with it. Likely they were using a form of communication provided by their pact. His mother was able to use a similar technique to speak to the spirits. Apparently he wouldn't be allowed to touch the kitty for now. Ms Silhouette and her familiar kept having their conversation for a while before the elf addressed River. Her views on how he had casually treated her companion so casually were understandable. Though her response seemed to be a bit more scathing than Shader may have expected. River himself wasn't too fazed by her blunt tone. He'd gotten used to straightforward people. After all, he'd been raised by one for all of his life. If they stopped to rest up ahead. River would get the chance to have Shader remember his scent. Maybe he'd be able to understand Ms Silhouette a bit more if that happened.

Eventually the merry band were met by the first checkpoint to Kilok. The guards there primarily interacted with Sir Japhet. Yet River could see them sneak a few glances at him. The youngest knight to be recognized in the past hundred years. He was supposedly the great hero who would lead the charge against the Shadow Lord. So the expectant gazes given to him by these guards was a little much for him. However he did his best to maintain a confident exterior. It was a farce, but he'd only have to see them for a few moments more while the wagon moved through the checkpoint. Sir Japhet even played a jaunty little tune on his lyre. It was a tune he'd heard the other day when the pair had taken a break from training. The experience gap had been obvious with how easily Sir Japhet switched from sparring for a prolonged period to playing the lyre at the drop of a hat with minimal change in his demeanor. At this point Ms Silhouette had disappeared somewhere with Shader to scout ahead.

"Big words can't be helped, Val. Mother used to be a scholar before the church branded her a heretic witch. Plus the nuns from my local church all came from minor noble families with a lot of children. They apparently had to search a bunch of old documents just to find out where it Oakveil even was. Avoiding political marriage is easy if you head off to a town literally nobody ever heard of" said River as he recalled the nice Sisters who had arrived just after the towns opinion of him improved. They had fled being married off by joining the Holy Church. Thanks to their noble educations and etiquette lessons. River had been able to gain a far better grasp of subjects a regular frontiersman would struggle with.

BuggaBoo RanRed Dolches

 

[Dolches]

After much idle chatter, Japhet played his lyre to get everyone's attention before speaking again. "Everyone listen up, our first stop will be the town of Kirara. We'll be spending the night there, but we also have a mission to complete with this. Bastin castle intelligence has much reason to believe heretics will be in our midst." He looks over his shoulder at Svengali. "Not people the Worldly Church disagrees with, I'm speaking of Shadow worshippers. They keenly await the return of their lord, and it is nigh guaranteed that we will have a run in with them eventually. That is why we will being doing so now. They will have very little time to prepare, and we will have the backing of Kirara's guards. I hope none of you are especially heavy sleepers!" He added that last line in jest. "When this conflict happens, they'll likely be aiming for you, River. We'll do our best to protect you, even at the costs of our lives if necessary, but do your best to help us all avoid such an outcome." With that said, he shut up until they got to Kirara's gate. Again, the wagon stopped and the guards approached.

"Hail to the King!" He shouted to the guards, displaying the royal sigil.

"Long may he reign!" The guards bowed, and returned to their posts. However, something seemed off with one of the guards to Sir Japhet, and anyone with a trained eye or Grijan's military training could notice. Their guide did not react until they were out of earshot.

"That man bowed too deeply. He's either a rookie or there's a Shadow worshipper in their ranks." He thought out loud before beginning to speak louder so everyone can hear him. "We'll be booking an inn that I've picked out. I've interviewed the staff and gotten the full layout of their building already, we'll have the advantage in a defensive fight." They rode a bit more until they got to the place, and stopped their wagon there. Japhet brought the horses to the stables behind the building, and then they entered by the time the sun had set.

"Ah, you must be Sir Japhet and the training party! Quite a... diverse group of soldiers, huh?" The woman working at the counter said. None of the employees here seemed to pay any mind to them, not even River. It would appear that their mission and status was kept a secret when their rooms were reserved. The rooms weren't all Japhet had purchased, however, as he sat at one of the tables and motioned for everyone to join him.

"I believe all of you must be hungry. While I was planning all this, I decided to be generous and order dinner for all of us." He undid his helmet, exposing his face to most for the first time.

​

"Dig in while you can, we'll be living off of our rations more often than not." The waiters brought out their food, plenty of different meats and vegetables lining their tables. "Oh, and I'd prefer nobody gets blackout drunk. Ale is available, but please restrain yourself so that I don't have to." He filled his own plate with mostly potatoes and chicken, and took a swig of milk from his cup before he began to eat.

 

[Darkbloom]

From his observations when they reached the city and from what he overheard about River being targeted, he decides to make it a point to devote all of his inherent elf senses to deter potential attackers. He was certainly no pushover when it came to using bows and swords, his training was very extensive.

Japhet had gone overboard, not only ordering the rooms but a massive feast as well. It was a kindness Thomas wouldn't soon forget, and he slightly inclined his head in Japhet's direction. In elven society it was common to say thank you before starting to eat. "Sir Japhet, thank you very much. You didn't have to have this all prepared but you did. I will not forget this any time soon." He didn't pile up his plate like a human would. No, he has a strict dietary plan to follow which helps him maintain his fighting shape. A medium sized slab of steak, the main part of his selection, and everything else permissible.

 

[BuggaBoo]

---

---

Silhouette - The Huntress
(and Shader - The Mystical Great Cat)
Location - The checkpoint at Kirara. ​

---

---

Sil and Shae held motionless, shrouded deep within shadow as they waited to move until such time the horses and wagon rendezvous'd at their position.

This time when the guards approached the troupe, Sil and Shae did not tense up yet still both gave wary looks upon the standing guards. These ones here, just like the others at the previous checkpoint, had given the pair a very, very cold and obvious stink-eye, however, yet again they had no choice but to let them pass with the wagon. The guards called out their hail to the king, and Sil merely spat. Again, no disdain nor disrespect of course.

"That man bowed too deeply. He's either a rookie or there's a Shadow worshipper in their ranks."

The concerned words of Japhet both she and her Companion caught. ࿏And what is so distasteful regarding one from the Way of Shadow, big sister,࿏ said Shader with a rolling growl of disdain. Golden eyes glowered as ivory teeth flashed, ࿏does this surfacer not know that it is the lead of a troupe that harbours 2 from the Way of Shadow?! ࿏

⁂Be easy little brother's mind. There is no disrespect directed toward this pair. The WAY of Shadow is not its concern. It is the OTHER shadow that casts itself across these lands that the lead speaks of. The corrupted one; the source of the ShadowReign. That is the shadow that it suspects runs rampant here. It is that perverse shadow that the Huntress and her Soul Charged Companion will find, slay and conquer. Swear it with Silhouette, mystical great cat...⁂ said the Armeti as she scratched softly at his neck to calm him.

࿏That perverse shadow will be found, slain and conquered. This Shader swears࿏.࿏ Shader gave single curt nod. Sil stroked the top of his head then kissed it.

---
​

---

Location - The Inn at Kirara. ​

---

Silhouette rode atop Shader as they followed Japhet into the stables. She pretended to be engrossed in sharpening a few arrowheads, despite her eyes wandering this way and that everyso often. A couple of attendants had tried in vain to deter the gigantic midnight feline from entering this area, but Shae just kept padding along behind the knight and his new runner friends. The youthful stablehands dared not attempt to restrain him after he accidentally yawned and accidentally displayed his gigantic, sharp ivory teeth in full.

He was curious to see their housing. When both he and Sil had met surfacer envoys in their home territories, Matriarch said it was forbidden for Sil to enter into surfacer encampments and so she had never seen how horses were cared for. Shader was curious to know and she was 'too busy sharpening arrows' to notice that they had, oops, wandered into an area they were not supposed to be.

࿏No. No! Listen now. Again. No. This one will not eat you runners. No. No, this one is not a 'dirty predator...!' Shader is an honoured Companion! Just ask his friend runners,࿏ said Shader with an annoyed yowl at the jumpy reactions and neighing of the stabled horses, ࿏there! There did you runners not hear that? Shader's friend runners said; 'Be still, it is friend.' Now be still...!࿏

Shader gave off a final scoffing sound then lifted himself up to get a better look behind the stable gates. Sil readjusted herself to straddle his shoulders and inspect all the gear, feed and tools behind the gate. She spat once and marvelled at the saddles and stirrups. She wondered if Shader would ever allow her to harness him as such. As if he read her mind, Shader made a few chuffing noises, blew a disdaining gust of huffy air out his nose, then lowered himself back down.

Once more they passed the attendants but this time Sil directed Shae towards them right up close and personal.

"This is Shader, the Companion of the Huntress..." Shader pressed his chin onto the chest of the poor young attendant. Then he licked his chops, "Those motley pair of runners back there are his friends. If he wishes to visit them, respect his wishes. He is not to be handled like the runners. He is no harm to them. He will protect his runner friends. Understood?"

The poor attendand just whimpered in agreement, eyes locked with Shader, not daring to wipe the sweat from his brow. Sil nodded, patted Shader's neck and of course, spat. Shae winked at the attendant and removed his snout from their chest and strut on out of the stable area.

---​

Silhouette just stood there at the entrance to the dining area, yellow eyes aglow taking upon the shape of rippling, burning crescents. Both hands held tightly balled into fists. What was wrong with these surfacers? They ate and drank out of turn. Not a single one of them waited for the presence of the House Matron to appear and grace them with wise words or even just a simple greeting. How dare they all stuff their faces and down their gullets without even a simple acknowledgement to the Matron...?!

Shader let out a small whine and nuzzled his big sisters arm; anger always made her act out in ways not flattering to any of Armeti blood. ࿏Apex Hunter of the Armeti peoples, daughter of 'dal-Cherishe'. She is the Huntress that leads her entourage with honour, respect and grace... Yet she is still Silhouette, follower of this troupe under the lead of that male warrior, Sir Japhet Grilstin, representative of the Sovreingn itself. Big sister, these are not your peoples...࿏

Silhouette responded with an inward hiss and merely spat into the planter.

࿏The Huntress' little brother has sworn the end with his big sister. And what has his big sister sworn...? "...Surface with the surfacers..." said the Whispering.࿏

The fire in her yellow eyes burned no longer. She glanced at her Companion then dark lashed lids fluttered close. Shae was right; this was not her place as Apex Hunter. If the perverse shadow was to be conquered she would have to 'surface with the surfacers.' Compromise.

⁂Very well then, Shader. However, this Armeti will not eat nor drink until this Armeti finds a satisfaction...⁂ said Sil with a defiant huff, but still she relented and strut her way on over to the others. Shader nuzzled her arm fondly as he strut along beside her practically purring with pride that he actually talked her down from her angered stance.

{@zacharychi} "Sir Japhet Griltin, knight of the Sovreign, the Huntress desires the Name of the House Matron of this abode. The Huntress desires to honour her Name as proper Armeti should. Her dwelling is worthy of accepting the Hero and the Hero's Wardens," yellow eyes slid towards River. A slow respectful nod she bestowed the silvery-headed youth, {@Gaius Danius Griinia} "for the Hero is worthy of such a Title. Is such a truth correct?

---

---

​

 

[Nellancholy]

So, already they were expecting battle. No hunting them down in the manner of the inquisitors, these first batch of straggling foes would likely come at them in an ambush. Here in the inn, if Japhet was to be believed.

Though frankly Svengali thought she would wait, if it was her job to strike at some unassuming hero. After all, the hero was currently quite well attended to, by protectors who varied in their skills and capabilities, and barely needed her help as it were. For now, at least.

"Oh, you needn't hesitate to bring up that word around me, Sir Japhet." ( Dolches ) Svengali tittered. The word in question being "heretic", of course. "I'm very used to it, and the more we can discern our adversaries, the better we can get to...rending them."

Even so, she did flash a glare at the barmaid over the collar of her cloak as she brought up the...diversity of their group. Which probably went unnoticed thanks to the compactness of her current form, anyway.

She was used to being able to subsist on little when the situations demanded, as the improvements she'd made to herself over the years allowed her body to get by on quite little, or quite strange. Even so, she availed herself of some of the vegetation served, which proved better than sulfur, algae, or pond flies.

Her gaze met the Hero's for a moment, and her arm seemed to elongate ever so slightly, by an inch if that, as she gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. "Does the notion of battle discomfit you? Do not fear just yet...we're here after all. Ready to do all it takes for you..." Gaius Danius Griinia

 

[Dolches]

"There's no problem, consider it a gift from King Brontos. This came out of the royal treasury, after all." Japhet answered Thomas before biting into a piece of chicken. "Watching what you eat, are you? That's good, I'd hate for anyone to get a cramp tonight." His gaze wandered about the room, attempting to pick out any suspicious figures, when it landed upon Sil. Ah, it seemed to be culture shock. This much was expected.

"The House Matron? Darcia passed away a month ago, from what I hear. It's a real shame, too. I used to come here a lot when I was more youthful. She grew old and died in a bed surrounded by loved ones, so don't feel too bad. She didn't name any one of her children as the inheritor of the business, though, so I believe the title would be split between them. I believe they hired one of her associates the run this place, though, so I doubt you'll get the opportunity to thank them." He explained all this to the Armeti Elf between bites of food. "Though, if you still wish to honor someone, I can go fetch the guy running this place nowadays." When she addressed them as the Hero's party, he glanced around the room to judge the employees' reactions. None of them seemed out of place, thankfully. "Of course it is. We're here, aren't we?"

He made a face of slight concern at how much the party seemed to pile upon young River. Yes, he had the weight of everyone's worlds upon his shoulders, but their words of reassurance also served to push that down upon him as a grim reminder of his duty. Even a Hero has a breaking point. "There's no need to address him so highly. We're his party, not assistants. While he may be of the utmost importance, he is still our equal for the time being and should be treated as such." He could completely understand where they were coming from, and it took all he had not to add his own words of encouragement. "If you exalt him so highly, the kid'll get lonely up there." He chuckled before finishing off his mug of milk.

He finally noticed someone out of place. When he first came to here to set such a dinner up, he familiarized himself with all the staff and, via royal decree, forbid them from acquiring new hires. The man that fell under his scrutinizing gaze had long hair, hiding the back of his neck, where the Shadow cult would mark its members. Making a mental note to investigate later, he finished off the rest of his meal. He was a quick eater, and if it came to it, a full stomach would not impair him. He wondered for a second before remembering that it was mentioned earlier that day that Ruth and Nyrthe were not acquainted.

He plucked his Lyre's strings to gain everyone's attention. "Before our supper is done, we must still draw up rooms. As the youngest, River will be booked with two others, and the rest will be two to a room. Anyone left over will be put in another room. I will, of course, be one of the two with River. I'll leave the rest up to all of you, split into groups as you see fit." He quieted down before adding the last part. "Remember, it's entirely possible you'll be ambushed alongside whoever you pick to room with."

Mentions:
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[Spoiled Bread]

Ruth
Location: Bastin - Kilok road

Ruth kept her silence as she listened to what Viza tried to explain, in honestly she wasn't sure if she already grasped some the concepts, but she felts like she found out what makes the way the chonographer and oracle felts different to her. That's what matter the most for her.

"The oracle talks with one reality in mind, while you talks as if there's multiple of it." She concluded her observation, eyes wide from the revelation. She then followed by doing a subtle gesture of prayer and a whisper to herself. "O shifu, is this what you talks about enlightment?"

"Thank you for explaining, chronographer. I would like to hear about that reality where I declare love for Nyrthe later. That sounds interesting." Love, huh. A world where she actually capable of feeling love for another person sounds like a wonderful idea. Unfortunately she didn't see anyway that would happen, or as the chronographer would probably say, not in this timeline. She threw the dices and they indeed landed on both four and six. She stared at the dice for a few seconds before pockeing it back.

"I see, so this is the reality where I decided to throw it properly." Ruth bowed at Viza before sliding back to her original spot and resumed her power napping. She wasn't an oracle or chronographer, but her guts feeling told her that she would need some extra naps for tonight.

---------------
Location: Kirara Inn

Shadow worshipper, huh... Ruth did expect them to pop out at some point in their journey, but she didn't it to be this early. She knew it would be best if they never hinder the journey at all but she would be lying if she said wasn't getting excited at the opportunity to beat up some of them. She's confident she can handle them, although if they bring a demon that would be another story altogether. Sir Japhet seemed to have taken some precaution for their accomodation tonight. Good. She trusted his decision so started to wolf down quite some amount of foods. Before they finished dinner though, Sir Japhet brought up the topic of roommate. In a potentially dangerous situation like this Ruth prefers if they all sleep together in one big room but the hotel probably didn't have that big of a room.

"I'm going with the hero then." Ruth announced. If they would get ambushed tonight then her priority would be the hero.

Karcen Dolches Gaius Danius Griinia