Fantasy Realms of Nymserine: Main Thread [[CLOSED]]

[SilverFlight]

Pyrrhus watched the seeds tumble to the ground, and took a step back at they exploded into a fresh wad of foliage, completely obscuring the small young woman. He looked on as the leaves trembled, making several odd expressions, torn between trying to help and allowing the lady to sort this out herself. When she stumbled forward he reached out instinctively to catch her, drawing back when she found her feet.
Once she had made her introduction Pyrrhus smiled, his blue eyes bright.
"Well, 'Fern' like the plant and 'we' like 'they were', it's a truly genuine pleasure to meet you. My name is Pyrrhus. I'm er, sorry I made you drop your...shrubs."
He followed her hungry gaze to the apple in his hand and, still smiling held it out to her.
"I'm always hungry, I've got a big supply of food in my packs. Care to join me for my second lunch?"

Lekiel

 

[Purize]

Verity tugged on Roland's sleeve as he began to walk away. "Roland wait. I have a few errands to do here in Meletus first. And you have to... you know." She looked towards the temple of Thasia that rested tall and proud on the highest point of the city. She patted him gently on the shoulder, hoping to comfort him. She knew that he wasn't overly please to learn about his true identity... and that talking to his mother would be hard on him. "We will meet back at the front gates later on. I have to go see my friend Nalia, but i'll be back soon." She gave him a small smile and a nod before disappearing into the crowd once more.

Truthfully, she had planned on seeing Nalia whenever she was in Meletus. She was a dear friend and helped Verity through a couple of rough patches... but unfortunately she would have to skip on her visit this time around. This time she had other important matters to attend to.

oO*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Oo​

Though she had been to Meletus a few times before, the city never ceased to amaze Verity. It wasn't her favorite place in Nymserine, but it was certainly up there. Her favorite part was how the city seemed to hug the ocean. It curved around the coast of the gulf, getting as close as it could without getting lost into the sea all together. Even the buildings stretched out of the water, held up by support beams. The ocean looked like an endless blanket of water that lapped against the shore, a silent promise to claim it one day. Though she would never say it out loud, especially in her own city, Verity was secretly terrified of Thasia and her power of water and storms. Like any of the gods, she could take life as fast as she'd given it. Something about the ocean, it's depth and mystery held a hint of foreboding; a curiosity that could never be satisfied. Verity drew her eyes away from the ocean with a shiver and kept walking.

Verity walked carefully with perfect balance across the roof tops. She jumped and flipped into the air, a white streak in the sky, as she landed on the next roof, on the end of it which sat a small dark shadow. The halfling. Verity didn't try to hide her presence, she simple walked over and sat down a good foot away from the girl, looking down on the people that hustled around below. "I apologize for earlier," She said quietly. The wind blew softly, carrying the smell of salt and brine. Verity lowered her hood, letting her silver hair flow freely. "I'm always running from my past, it's unsettling when it catches up with me."

BugDozer73 Zazz

 

[Zazz]

The small dark shadow had heard the princess coming. After a quick glance over her shoulder, she waited where she was until Verity sat next to her. At her apology, Azaria set her sharpening stone aside and took a quick, puzzled look at the princess. No member of the royal family had ever apologized to her. For anything.

The halfling took in the beautiful silvery hue and tucked her own dark hair behind a half-pointed ear. Lowering her gaze, she responded, "Your concern is well warranted, Your Highness." Her voice was soft and low, like the hum of a warm breeze through the trees.

Azaria looked down and examined the edge of her dagger. Its metal glinted in the sunlight overhead, the jewel in its hilt a deep red. "But, as I said, I owe you a debt. You killed my father's murderer."

 

[Purize]

Your Highness. The words were like ice that stabbed into her gut. It had been years since she had been referred to as Royalty. Roland had jokingly called her princess, and it had been just as uncomfortable then as it was now.

Verity looked over, watching the elven halfling play with a small blade in her hands. Her breath caught in surprise as she spoke of her uncle. "Your father?" Verity asked softly. "You have my deepest condolences." She looked down at her hands, a habit of hers when she thought of things that upset her. "I, too, know the pain of loosing a parent. Gerard took my mother away from me when I was young." She didn't mention that she tried to kill her and her father as well, those facts seemed like they would forever be lost to history.

"However, you owe me nothing. My uncle's death was of my own volition." Her fists clenched as fractured images and memories flashed through her mind: a burst of white light, the smooth marble statue streaked red, and a garden she once loved now dripping in blood.

 

[Brendanfp]

The Great Library was an expansive network of vast corridors and narrow hallways that span throughout several floors. One could easily get lost in such a place, however, Ali was undeterred by the massive scale of the Library, in fact, he reveled in its magnitude. As the magi passed by several stone archways he felt a scuttling sensation in his shirt. The golden scarab slowly crawled out from the collar and quickly made his way to Ali's shoulder. The magi stopped suddenly.

"What is it?" Ali asked Bajir as a cool breeze blew through the open archway.

"Do you know where your going Master Ali ?" The insect replied inches away from Ali's ear.

To this response, Ali sighed, "No I have no idea where I'm going, but I don't suppose I'll find the Oracle by sticking to the same hallways I've always used. Now stop distracting me I have to keep an eye out for..."

"The Oracle sir?" Bajir finished his master's statement, however, Ali did not hear the remark as he became hyperfocused on the girl who was walking down an intersecting hall. He only got a glimpse of her, but something told him that she was the one, the Oracle. Ali's heart began to pick up.

"Did you see that!" Ali yelled at Bajir. Barely containing his excitement.

"Master?" The scarab responded puzzled.

Ali didn't elaborate as he had already taken off down the hallway and took a sharp turn as he reached the intersection. Now he could see the white-haired girl clearly, she was smallish (says the shortest character) almost frail looking, like a snowflake or a butterfly.

"Wait!" Ali called as she got ready to round another corner, "Oracle is that you?!"

 

[Zazz]

The halfling shook her head, her brows furrowed. "Much of Shylanora has known loss because of your uncle. Many owe you a debt. Unfortunately, most of them are bigoted cowards." She sheathed her dagger, trading it for a small throwing knife. It twirled effortlessly between her fingers, the edges dull and round.

"He was a tyrant." Azaria looked on at the people below. "He deserved what he got." Anger rose in her chest at the memory of when she had first confronted her mother about her father's death. "At least let me have some faith in the Ophelia line. Let me repay my debt."

 

[Purize]

Verity hesitated at the girl's words. She didn't want to be celebrated for a life she didn't mean to take. Yes, her uncle was an awful man who did terrible things, but Verity believed all lives had some sort of value, and that it wasn't for her to judge the fate of others. She'd always felt like a piece of her had died with her uncle that day.

"And how do you propose you do that?" She looked again at the half-elf. She seemed like she could handle herself... and she certainly didn't travel unarmed. If Verity did have confidence in her own combat ability, she would probably be a lot more nervous talking to this girl alone on a rooftop.

Zazz

oO*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Oo​

Books, parchment, and endlessly long hallways lit by nothing but dim, flickering candlelight. That was the world that Tieve spent her life, all of her lives, in. The Great Library. The sanctuary of knowledge and wisdom gifted by the God of Time, himself. She was raised like royalty, and treated as such... but she didn't rule over anything. She was revered and respected... but didn't own any land or have the ability to make any decisions for herself, much less others. Tieve was only special because of the lines that marked her skin and the blood that ran in her veins. She was the Prophet of Tempus, Teller of Fortunes, the Child of Time, but most commonly known as the Oracle. She simply preferred her birth-name, Tieve.

She had her own private chambers in the deepest parts of the Library, locked away and hidden by enchantments so that only herself and the priests could find their way to it. However, she found it to be rather stuffy, and sitting indefinitely in one place for long periods of time drove her mad... so she liked to explore. Or, at least "explore" as much as she could in the halls and corridors that she'd already seen and familiarized herself with dozens and dozens of times. She always told herself that if she ever went blind, she would still be able to get around the crumbling old library just fine. They hated it when she went wandering around... those priests. They were good to her, kind even... but they said she was young and untrained and should keep out of trouble. And yet... she was young and yearned to be free and roam outside of these walls that threatened to close in around her. Nothing ever changes in a museum.

On this particular evening, Tieve was out and about again, her pale, silken robes fluttering behind her softly as she walked, making her look a lot like the ghosts that took residence here. She liked to pretend she was a ghost sometimes. She wished she could float and fade like they did. Sometimes she would dance slowly, humming to a forlorn tune in the moonlight that spilled through the large windows in parts of the library. Presently, though, she was actually looking for Brother Avery, one of her keepers. She was just about to give up entirely when a voice called out to her.

"Wait! Oracle, is that you?"

She turned. Peering down the hallway in which the voice had come from. A man stood there, looking at her with round, hopeful eyes. She wavered slightly, wondering if she should respond to him or quickly walk away. She knew her body couldn't take too much physical activity, so running wasn't much of an option. With an internal sigh, she gave the man a small smile. She felt shy, but certainly didn't let it show as she held her head high and said, "My name is Tieve."

Brendanfp

 

[Zazz]

The halfling closed her fingers around the blade. The metal was cool in her palm. Azaria smirked. "I'm sure you could use someone a little less conspicuous than that lagging fool you travel with."

The halfling uncrossed her legs and took a knee before the princess, her head bowed. Verity was, after all, the true heir to the throne. "I offer you my loyalty, Your Highness."

 

[BugDozer73]

Roland felt Verity's hand grab his shoulder and hold him back. He turned, confusion filling his face. She was right, there were still things to do here, and the bandits would still be there when we returned. Verity told him to meet back at the gates, and then she turned and was swallowed up by the crowd. Roland turned and saw Pyrrhus has left as well, and now he was all alone.

At first he just walked through the streets, dragging his feet and eyeing each vendor that he passed, as if he might buy something. His coin purse was empty, however, and even were it not, there was no need for meat, or blades, or a child's doll. No, instead he simply browsed, irritating the sellers and avoiding the grand white palace, laced with glowing coral. It seemed like it was staring at him, waiting for him to gather the courage to walk through the doors.

After an hour of strolling, he came to the front gardens, flush with higher class citizens draped in blue and green silks, lying lazily along the benches. They watched as he approached, some looking at his lower class garb with surprise, and others with bemusement. He ignored them and pushed inside. There were no actual doors, just an arch way or gold, leading into a room flowing with light and air. The light seemed to bend, like it were filtering down from the surface, and dancing on the tiles beneath your feat: the tiles that were so well polished you could see the vaulted ceilings with murals of the god reaching over the waves and the sea dancing at her command.

A merfolk wrapped in the white and blue robes belonging to the priesthood of the surf approached. He smiled, his Dark blue skin glittering in the light.

"Hello, my child. How can I be of assistance today?" He looked friendly enough, but something about his tone said that someone like roland was a little rougher looking then their usual clientele.

Roland looked around, thinking of a quick lie. "I, uh, just came to see the temple, first time in meletus! It is marvelous."
Roland pointed to the painting on the ceiling and smiled at the man, grinning harder when he wasn't immediately convinced. But in a moment his face turned from disbelief into joy, and he began to explain the history of the painting, as well as the other parts of the temple. Roland followed for a moment, but then looked around, and when no one was looking, slipped away down a hallway to escape.

 

[Purize]

Verity watched as the halfling knelt, bowed her head and professed her indebted loyalty. A shiver of goosebumps spilled over her skin like a bucket of cold water. She could almost feel the weight of a crown on her head and it all felt so wrong. She stood abruptly, catching her balance and she stepped away from the girl. "I...I..." She was stunned and at a loss for words. She had the feeling that even if she declined her offer and left, she would still follow. Verity didn't want another travel partner. The more people she surrounded herself with, the people she would get attached and put them all in danger.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and sighed softly. "Fine. Fine, you can come along... but you have to stop calling me that. No bowing or kneeling or..or... any of that." She shook her head, her face turning a rosy color, and turned to look out over the city again. "How am I going to explain this to Roland..."

 

[Zazz]

Green eyes snapped upward when Verity stood, making sure the elf did not fall. The halfling raised a sharp eyebrow at the woman's uncertainty. She seemed to be uncomfortable with her identity and displays of respect. Azaria nodded at her request and stood gracefully. "Does your companion know...?" The halfling did not wish to put Verity in more danger by blowing her cover.

"Where are you headed next?" She still needed to make a delivery to Aeredale, now that she had the merfolk scales in her possession.

 

[Brendanfp]

The Magi slowed his pace as the Oracle turned around to face him. Ali was able to get a better look at the dainty lady as he approached. The first thing to grab his attention was her eccentric blue tattoos that showed clearly on her skin's ghostly complexion. She was definitely short, but now that Ali was closer he realized that she was slightly taller than him. He felt a tinge embarrassment, but honestly, he had gotten used to it.

"Pleasure to meet you Tieve. My name is Ali. I apologize sincerely for my brashness but are you, in fact, The Oracle?"

Purize

 

[Purize]

Verity pulled her cloak back over her head, tucking away her hair and ears. "No he doesn't, not everything... Only that i'm a fugitive." She wanted to tell him eventually. After all, he had entrusted her with his secret. But she feared for his reaction. She hated lying, and now she would have to come up with an explanation for her new follower. There's no way Roland would believe her, but he had the tendency to not question her... which she was grateful for.

"We're on our way to Aeredale to join the Circle." She chuckled under her breath. "But we'll be doing some guild jobs along the way... I hope you can fight because we'll be attacking a bandit camp before dinner." Verity hoped that this girl knew what sort of mayhem she was about to get herself into.

"So," She said, turning to look at the girl again before leaving the roof. "You know who I am, do I get the pleasure of learning your name?"

oO*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Oo​

Well, Tieve had thought he was a man.... but he was more of a boy. His skin was dark, even in the low lighting of the corridor. He smelled like sun and ash and dressed like the Kali people. Tieve knew she should act in a refined and delicate manor, but annoyance rose within her. She rolled her eyes. "Yes, if you insist... I am the almighty Oracle. I predict that the next thing you'll say is 'You're not what I expected' or 'I thought you'd be older.'" She crossed her hands over her chest as she teased him, feeling a little guilty for taking out her frustration on an innocent bystander.

 

[Lekiel]

"Well, 'Fern' like the plant and 'we' like 'they were', it's a truly genuine pleasure to meet you. My name is Pyrrhus. I'm er, sorry I made you drop your...shrubs."
[/COLOR]"

Pyrrhus... The halfing reiterated the Centaur's name in her head. Growing up in Selenia amongst the other Fairfolk, she was no stranger to his kind; despite the fact that most of his kin lived within the wide expanse of the plains north-east of Nymserine. The few Centaurs that had ventured to Selenia had been rather austere. So she had always been apprehensive at approaching any of them, prefering to keep her distance and observe from afar. Nevertheless, she had always regarded them with a certain sense of awe, marveling at the spirit of untamed freedom they seemed to embody.

"Made me drop my shrubs!? Pfft naw!" The halffairy waved off the centaur's apology, inwardly a little taken aback that a centaur had approached her.

"I just thought this stream right here could do with a little more... yup..." Fernwe pumped her fist half heartedly as she struggled to find a witty reply. Pyrrhus didn't seem to mind her verbal ineptitude, and had already invited her for lunch.

"YES!" Fernwe mentally kicked herself at her over-enthusiastic reply. *cough* "I-I mean... why yes, of course! During her little exchange of conversation, Finwinne had finished with her meal and proceeded to leap up the young halfling's back, before curling her fluffiness around her pet's mistress' neck. No doubt the feline had seen the approach of the other Fairfolk, and had rightly surmised that there was no threat.

SilverFlight

 

[Zazz]

The Circle sounded like a dumb plan; she had already gotten into trouble before with them, what with her tendency to leave cities with a bag full of contraband and assassinations left in her footsteps. But attacking a bandit camp? The corner of her mouth turned up. "I most certainly can fight." It was one of the things she was particularly good at.

The halfling picked up her sharpening stone and tucked it away, her knife still between her fingers, and turned to follow behind Verity. "Azaria. Azaria Eldrvarya."

 

[Brendanfp]

Ali took note of Tieve's frustration. He realized that perhaps he was letting his excitement get the better of him. He took a deep breath, slowing his heart down.

"My apologies Tieve, it's just that I've been waiting to meet you for quite some time now."

Ali took a step back, he didn't want to alarm her.

"Could I ask you to look at something for me," Ali said as he slowly reached towards his collar.

 

[Purize]

Verity made her way through the city, glad to be on solid ground again. The crowds from before were thinner with the approach of the late afternoon. Most had retired to taverns for the evening while outdoor vendors began to pack up their things and close shop. Verity barely noticed the steady hum of the city, she was distracted by the recent events and she felt like whatever little security she had managed to build for herself was slowly crumbling away. Her greatest fear was to be put on trial for what she done without being able to explain; to die with her father thinking she was murderer and a traitor to her people. She didn't feel like royalty. That part of her faded long ago. And she certainly didn't feel like she deserved to be respected for what she did.

Azaria followed behind her like a shadow. She never looked back to check if she was still there, figuring that if she didn't want to be there, then she was more than welcome to leave.... but she seemed excited about the opportunity to fight bandits. It didn't take her long return to the front gates of Meletus, but when she got there she didn't see Pyrrhus or Roland, so she figured she was early. She leaned against the city wall, cloak tucked firmly around her. She wondered if she should make conversation with Azaria, maybe get to know her... but she couldn't think of anything to say without prying or sounding awkward, so she stayed silent. Besides, she didn't seem like the talkative type.

oO*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Oo​

Tieve frowned as the boy apologized and stepped away. She looked over him, taking him in. She couldn't see into the lives of people without touching them... but she could tell a few things about them just my looking. It was like she got a strange sense of what they were feeling, or felt. It was faint, a whisper at the back of her mind... but it spoke for itself when there weren't words to explain it. "You're not a young as you appear." It wasn't a question, but a simple statement. There was a certain darkness about him, a pain... Most people had pain in their hearts, but this was a part of him in a different way.

"Why have you sought me out, Ali of the desert people?"

 

[BugDozer73]

Roland sat with his back against the wall and watched the man slip away. He let out a breath and started walking down the hall, quickly losing his way. Another 10 minutes of walking and he had become completely lost within the temple. Who knew it was so big. A light began to emanate from behind him, and he turned to find a glowing green dragon fly zip up to his face and hover, before zipping past him, down the hall.

Roland took off running, trying his hardest to keep up with the dragonfly, but it was quick and Roland found himself trailing its after glow as the hallways grew darker and deeper. He lost track quickly of which way he was turning and continued to run, not stopping to wonder why. Perhaps it was the magic emanating from it that dragged him along, but he just ran, and ran, until the light gave way to a brighter light, and Roland emerged from the tunnels into a large, covered terrace, with marble pillars and a view of the bay, spanning out gloriously before him. The dragonfly zipped forward to a woman whos back was turned to him,and she lifted a finger for him to land on. She was a merfolk, with Medium blue skin, and large fins on her head. She wore elegant jewelry and opaque silk sashes, loosely covering up her body, but other than that she stood nearly completely exposed. She smiled at the dragon fly, and then turned to Roland with a smile.

"Hello, my son.. You have grown so handsome."

Roland stood there and stared at the woman, who seemed to be completely comfortable leaning against the balcony. The light around her seemed to refract its way into a large ring behind her, sparkling like crystal and arching over her head and shoulders.

"Come now, don't ignore your mother. Stand with me, we have much to discuss."

Roland stepped forward, mind blanking, and stood beside the woman, and she held him by his shoulders and extended him to take him in.

"You look just like your father. So Rugged and daring, so full of life. He was a fine sailor, that man. And he gave me you.. My sweet child.."

Roland's face began to frown at her slight fawning... Her touch was an odd sensation, both warm and cool at the same time, like being held by energy.

"You... You were never there for me.. you never called, or said anything." Roland stepped back, recoiling from her touch. He started off shaky, as if he had not been sure at first what he would say if he saw her, but now they began to pour out of his mouth like a waterfall.

"You sit there and act like a mother now and yet you wouldn't even talk to me until after Greuwn told me the truth. Don't talk about my father! Because of you I grew up with out a family!" Tears began to form in Rolands eyes as visions of his past with no parents began to trickle through. He felt his anger swell in his chest like a storm.

"Don't be foolish Roland. I am your mother, and I do love you. Who do you think Delivered you to Greuwn. That crew was a fine family for you. They taught you how to be strong, and vibrant, and carefree. They made you into a strong man, with a warriors heart. Of course I never reached out to you! I am the GOD of the Ocean. Its a lot of work regulating life itself. You were not ready, not old enough. But now my son, you are ready. We can be together now."

She turned away from him, her eyes gazing back out at the water, a hint of irritation beneath the surface. Roland clenched his fist. He was angry, and felt betrayed. The woman before him was his mother, he could feel it in his blood, the way it pulled towards her, like she was his moon. But at the same time, he felt as far pushed away, and he felt cold: so so cold.

She turned to him once again and walked forward, embracing him like a mother, wrapping his head into the nook between her shoulder and chest. She was taller than him, he just realized, nearly 6'8. She shushed him and rubbed his back, almost like a real mother.

"Roland.... My child.. I wont always pretend like I was the best mother. It would be a lie, and I will not start my first visit with my blood with lies. No, I was not there for you. And I wont always be. But you are my child, and I am always watching you. Every day you grew on that ship, I watched you. I was there when you took your first dive, and when you kissed your first girl. I was there when you sewed your first stitch and caught your first fish. I cradled you in my arms when you swam in the sea."

She pulled him back and smiled a full warm smile this time, wiping away a tear that escaped his eye and fled down his cheek. He looked up at her, his resentment turning to despair and sorrow. "I..."

"Shhhh, my son. The life of a demigod is a life of suffering, and a life of Martyrdom. I grieve everyday for the challenges you will have to face, alone. But know that with all of your coming suffering, you will be given the power to change the world for the better. You are my instrument, and you are worthy. You are my boundless sea, and my darting fish."

Words Roland never thought he would hear left him feeling warmer, and he smiled, a real true smile. A sensation like an anchor dropping from his soul left him worried he might leave the ground, but he knew it was too good to be true.

"I... I won't be able to see you again for a long time, will I?" He hung his head low when he said it, her eyes already answering his question with a mournful gaze.

"...no. He doesn't like it when we talk. He calls me back now as we speak. Roland, I must leave you, but know that I am always with you."

She looked back out at the sea and stepped towards the railing, but Roland leapt forward.
"WAIT!" He cried, and she turned back around to fave him.

"I thought I hated you. I thought I wanted to kill you. I resented you, and resented myself for it. Then you come and make me feel like I am not alone and try to leave again? How is that fair? IT'S NOT FAIR."

"I must depart my fish. Be strong, like the tide. Never lose sight of the horizon. And find the Ring of Storms."

The ring of storms? Roland's brow furrowed, and he struggled to remember anything about it, but could think of nothing. "Whats the ring of storms? Mother?"

But she was already gone, dispelled into a cloud of mist that was ripped back out to sea, through gulls and fading orange light setting the surf ablaze in crimson blue. Roland set against the wall, facing the horizon, and he sat, and put his head in his knees and cried.


After 20 minutes, Roland got up, no longer content to pity himself. He felt free-er than when he had arrived, and yet more bound to something. Like one weight had been exchanged for another. He couldn't seem to remember which was worse, having no mother, or having one and losing them in an instant. He wiped his eyes and leapt off the balcony, landing harmlessly in the water. A school of brightly colored tropical fish fled in shock as he splashed down. He willed himself forward and shot along the coastline to the docs, where he then proceeded to scare several sailors by climbing up from the water onto the boards. To remove suspicion, he let the water soak his clothes, and sopped himself all the way down to the gate, where he waited silently for his companion to return.

 

[Zazz]

Next to the cloaked elf, the halfling was perfectly at peace in the quiet. Well, relative quiet. People were still mulling about the city. Azaria reached into her day's findings and pulled out a few red berries, popping one tart fruit into her mouth. The elf next to her seemed interested. Azaria glanced at the berries and with an amused smirk, placed them into the princess's hand. She had more, anyway.

Stepping back to observe the city wall, plotting a route to scale, she caught sight of a soaked young man down the way. "It seems your friend has been jumping in puddles."

 

[Brendanfp]

From his collar, Ali pulled out an amulet with a crimson gem in the center, the cursed amulet of Zod the archdemon. He felt uneasy showing the amulet to anyone, but this was the Oracle, perhaps she contained the knowledge to rid him of the curse once and for all. A single tear rolled down the Magi's cheek as he relished the thought of being free from Zod.

"This is the reason I have searched for you," Ali whispered to Teive.

Purize

 

[Purize]

Verity cupped the cranberries in her hands, looking down at them in wide-eyed wonder like she had just been given diamonds. She wanted to eat them all in that instant, but she limited herself to a couple of them and put the rest away in her travel bag for safe keeping. "Thank you" She said, a sweet, genuine smile forming on her lips. "I'm rather fond of those."

At Azaria's observation, Verity looked up, watching a rather drenched Roland walk up to the gates. She bit her lip as she looked over him. "It went that well, huh?" She called out to him.

oO*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Oo​

Tieve furrowed her eyebrows as she looked over the amulet. It had a dark and evil aura about it, its red jewel glittering like the eye of a cat. "An amulet...?" She glanced up at Ali before continuing to inspect the object. A part of her told her she shouldn't get close to it, and that nothing good would come of such an artifact. But at the same time, she was curious about it. Brother Avery would be very unhappy if he found her talking to this strange boy... and that urged her forward.

Slowly, she reached out to touch it, her hand drawn to the glow of the gem like a magnet. Her thin, delicate fingers just touched its glassy surface when Tieve's whole body went rigid, her back arched, and her mouth open wide in a silent scream. Images flashed before her eyes. Death. Destruction. Blood. War. Pain. Suffering. The metallic, harsh laughter of a powerful, unearthly demon, his eyes as red as the glow of hellfire. He stared hungrily into her, like he could see every part of her. Then, all at once, it released her. She fell to the wooden floor, crumpling like paper. She was dazed and a soft ringing filled her ears. In the distance she could hear pairs of footsteps running towards them, and someone holding her in their arms. Exhausted, her eyes drifted close and she drifted off into sleep.

One of the Priests of Tempus was yelling at Ali, while another one picked Tieve up off of the ground. "Who are you? What did you do? She isn't supposed to be talking to anyone!"

BugDozer73 Zazz Brendanfp

 

[C.C.]

Morrigan could hear the cobbles beneath the wheels of the carriage as they crossed a massive stone bridge, and entered the grand city. In the near distance, she could make out two more distinct stone walls that towered over the houses in the outer ring. Noble Fairwing turned to Morrigan as the white coach began to slow its speed to accommodate for all the moving pedestrians.

"I suppose, now is a better time than ever, it will take a while to make it to the inner circle of Aeredale anyways," the nobleman commented. "The head of the Fairwing Household has fallen deathly ill. We have heard that you have a... peculiar connection to the dead and dying, so it should be no problem for you to stave off this fit of sickness no? Money is no obstacle."

Morrigan listened closely to the request of the stuffy nobleman but grew more and more anxious as he went on. What he was asking for may not be possible, while she did have a close connection to the dead she could not "stave off death," it would go against nature. However, Morrigan wasn't exactly sure how to say no.

"Well, I can definitely take a look at Master Fairwing, however--" She started but was cut off by the loud and rather an obnoxious coachman.

"Get outa the way you low class brats," the coachman called out to a group of children playing in the streets.

Morrigan was growing more and more uncomfortable as the white carriage drove deeper into the capital.

 

[BugDozer73]

Roland walked past her, eyes puffy from crying. "Yeah, just great. Real nice of her to drop on bye."
Even though he felt happy to feel her presence, and know she was there, all he could feel now was resentment, and he was drowning in it. He stopped a few feet away and looked out into the distance, running his fingers though his hair in frustration, sighing loudly. He looked distraught, and he felt as broken as he seemed. He needed something to take his mind off everything. The bandits would need to be dealt with. Without looking back, he called over his shoulder.
"Who's the other one?"

 

[Purize]

It wasn't hard to tell that Roland was in a really vulnerable and hurt mood. She didn't have to know what they talked about to guess that he didn't receive and answers or fulfillment he may have been looking for... and Verity felt more guilty and worse for bringing him here than she had before. She kicked off of the wall and followed after him. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it at the moment, so she would let it go until later.

She glanced behind her at the half elf and took a quiet, deep breath. Here goes. "This is Azaria. I figured we could use some extra help with the bandit camp, so she will be coming along with us."

 

[Zazz]

Azaria shrugged, figuring that was as good an explanation as any. Her footsteps were much, much quieter than those of the other two, what with Roland sulking and Verity off chasing after him like he was made of glass. Azaria rolled her eyes behind them. The small throwing knife flipped back and forth between her fingers, keeping hand occupied while the three of them waltzed out the gate. It made her skin crawl, being out in the open like that, and she kept her ears hidden in her dark hair.

The halfling was more than happy to leave the stink of the sea behind. Her eyes gleamed at the promise of foliage up ahead, where she could disappear between the trees and feel safe once more. Where she could breathe. While she did not miss the high society of Shylanora, she did miss the scenery. She longed to get lost in the forests that lined the mountains to the south. The Carpathian Forest was her home.