---

Kahlin Vortegas closes the book with a heavy sigh, stroking his beard. His head turns up, his eyes looking upon the only mural ever made, painted by Melianis himself, depicting the Goddess' face and features. It is this sacred place, that only he and the captain of the Divine Fist may enter, that the Goddess' reincarnation must be taken to in order for her to awaken.

"... Our time runs dreadfully short. I sense evil spreading from Lorinas. And even from the Dolian Empire, I sense malificence..."

He walks out of the room, locking the door with the gold key around his neck. He exits the church, bringing himself out into the sunlight. The huge main plaza of the city in front of the church, spread out before him, takes up nearly a third of the city's total size. A row of eight monoliths, each one towering up at least 100 feet and positioned four to each side of the plaza, represent the eight elements. Behind him, the cathedral towers even higher, nearly 200 feet. But, the tree, casting an ever present shadow over the entire city, is nearly a mile high to the canopy. The branches stretch out over a five mile area around the trunk, which is almost a 500 feet in diameter. It remains green yearlong, never shedding the leaves, even in fall and winter.

"The tree is still well. At least the evil power is not affecting it."

The area around the tree in a 300 foot radius is walled off, the church being the only building built on the ground. Beyond, lies a small shrine at the tree's base where the Goddess' weapon, the Sword of the Sun, lies waiting for her reincarnation to return.

(OOC: I'll let Cassini describe some more. Keep in mind the city is made almost entirely out of solid rock, even the homes. It's arranged in a circle around the tree and from the outer wall to the inner one is about five miles.)

---

One Week Ago

This is what Ana lives for. To dance, and in front of royalty! To dance in front of knights, nobles, and the Emperor of Dolian! This was her moment to shine. And that's exactly what she'd be doing tonight.

"Here goes nothing..." she gulps, taking her first steps out into the center of the room, stopping in front of the throne.

"O, great Emperor. It is a great honor to be here, entertaining you this evening."

She bows low to the man sitting on the throne, who raises a hand and nods approvingly.

"On the contrary, it is a pleasure to have a lovely young woman like yourself performing here. Please, begin."

The man claps his hands, the band they had hired starting their music. Ana steps back from the throne and to the center of the room again.

"This is it. Concentrate, Ana. Let's really dazzle them! Give it all you've got!"

So, with the beginning of the music, a soft glow spreads over Ana's body. She stands, stretching herself out and begins her routine, her magical mimics only a step or two behind. The afterimages mime every graceful step, and, even with only low torchlight, the room is illuminated. After nearly an hour, Ana sinks to the floor, crouching again. Then, applause. Cheering. Demands for an encore.

"You did it!"

(OOC: Ana's performance at the Dolian castle. If anyone happened to be there, like Sel or Brian's character, feel free to comment. For those of you who are starting in your own made up cities, please describe them.)

The pungent smell of ancient books mingled with the faint scent of dust was something she'd never get accustomed to despite the number of libraries she had visited. Yet, there was something oddly comforting about it. Four books laid opened. Two were her precious journals where she stored bits of information she acquired. Leather bound and sturdy, but still small enough to travel with, the journals suited her purposes perfectly.

The woman rested a finger on one of the large tomes as she perched on the edge of the wooden chair. In her other hand, a pen made furious notes in a journal, the occasional scratch from it tickled her ears. Even the table strained under her efforts. The shorter leg of the table repeatedly struck the stone floor emitting a dull thud upon contact. She muttered under her breath, oblivious to the background noise.

Outside, sun light had long faded. Darkness filled the room, broken only by the traces of moonlight coming in through high windows and the flickering lamp on the table. A man approached carrying a smaller version of the table lamp. He paused by the table, eyeing the woman briefly.

"Miss, we are closed now."

His prompt was ignored. Irritated, he reached out and switched her lamp off. The young woman paused in her writing, apparently baffled by her sudden inability to make out the faded text in the tome. In the next breath, three pale white orbs spun into existence, cycling around her shoulders. The orbs settled, one by the book she was reading, another by the one she was writing in and another by her head. She once again bend over her task. The man did not appear startled by the sudden use of magic.

"Excuse me. Did you not hear what I said. We are closed now." This time he went for the tome, before he placed a hand on it, her arm intercepted his actions. Silver eyes turned to him plaintively.

"I just have a couple more things I want to add. Just dosage of Devil's Trumpet required to-" she entreated, fingers caressing the tome's page.

"No," He replied flatly.

"If I could borrow-"

"Definitely not." She sighed, disappointed. The silver eyed woman picked up her journals, twitching her index and ring fingers on her right hand to make two of the orbs disappear. The final one lit her way out of the library. She could feel the man's glowering eyes on her back.

The scent of the night blooming trees flooded the streets. Neis Calym City was known for its beauty. The Feleta River was channeled through various stone lined passages throughout the city. One was always crossing the gray stone bridges. Of course, certain times of year the water level would rise, so underground passages would shunt the excess water back to the original riverbed. After leaving the city the river would follow its normal path downstream.

The flowering trees, shedding tiny, white, star-shaped flowers, lined the water. Latterns were regularly spaced along the streets, but far away from each other enough to cause darkness in between. This was her situation. It wasn't a pleasant one when one was being approached by several men.

"Feratae. Been waitin' for you," a heavy baritone sounded at her right. Feratae stiffened, she sidled away from him. Her eyes sought his dark ones. A tall man, not bad-looking, but he didn't wear a pleasant expression. "You'd better give it back now." His eyes narrowed, hand extended.

"I won it fair and square. Don't be sour because you lost. You were the one that made the offer, you can't expect me- " She cut off as he took a step closer. She took two back. She lifted her hands in front of her, which begun a series of graceful gestures. He snarled grabbing at her, she danced away from his grip and continued. Fera smiled venomously at him as she made the last hand gesture. He suddenly turned his head aside, eyes tightly closed.

"Just kidding," she whispered and her boots resounded against the stone walkway as she ran. His answer was a series of curses. Feratae had used a spell to cause a sudden brilliant flash of light to blind him temporarily once before. He had been expecting it this time, so she didn't use it. He quickly followed after her as the woman ran across one of the bridges. She paused in the middle of it, smiled then tossed herself into the fast flowing water. He ran to the place she had last stood, staring out into the water trying to find her but with no success. His hand tensed into a fist, he turned and stormed off. His friends following at distance, unwilling to be a target of his rage.

Faretae breathed a sigh of relief from shadowed corner between two buildings. She glanced upward at the full moon cresting the sky. On a night like this, it was only too easy to use illusions. She'd have to get out of the town soon. Pity really. She had gotten comfortable here and enjoyed the perks of a well-off city. However, it was worth it. She touched the small stone in her pocket with a smile.



Next day:

Feratae had gathered up her things discreetly from the place she was staying. She had decided to slip out of the town in the late afternoon with the merchants, farmers, and others that didn't live within the city. For now she'd wait. She slid her rather loaded backpack to the ground, her belt and sword followed suit. After settling herself between two great roots of the large tree, she drew her journal out of the bag along with a pen and tried to remember what she read yesterday. At least, Galenas wouldn't look for her here, he had no appreciation for nature and tended to think everybody else would think likewise. He wasn't really a bad sort, just shallow and short-tempered. He wouldn't kill a man or beat her, but he would threaten and be generally bothersome. Yes, it would be best to take the stone and run. He'd probably ruin her reputation anyways if she remained. The lout. He was the one that enticed her into a game with it to begin with.

Feratae sighed and once again directed her thoughts towards her work as the small park sheltered her existence.


OOC: not really up to par right now. After my finals are done, I should be able to do better posts. Oh I don't really have anything planned right for my character, if anyone wants to blunder into her or something that is fine.

Vinsfeld please delete this post.

/RemovedfromRP

The hurried footsteps in the hall outside the library caught Demnis’ attention, but his eyes did not leave the open book on the desk before him. A Treatise on Magical Staffs , the pages were yellowed and worn with age, but the knowledge inscribed on them was still viable. Leaning on the desk with his elbow, Demnis rested his chin comfortably in his left hand as he quickly scanned the pages. Most of the tome’s contents seemed to be dedicated to the creation of said staffs, but the section occupying Demnis’ attention was about the author’s attempts to deduce the use of a staff found deep within the lair of a green dragon. It contained a few interesting theories that he would have to try later, but most of the account seemed to be warnings on the dangers of experimenting with unknown magical devices. As the door to the library flew open, Demnis calmly noted which page he was on and looked up to view an enraged Shein.

The woman’s blue eyes shined with an anger that belied her age. The earth mage that stood glaring at him was at least in her late fifties. Her long gray hair a tangled mess, her wizard’s robes in disarray, she had obviously been running in an effort to find Demins.

“Aren!” A small lie about his name, but that was only the smallest of lies of which he had told the aged wizard. “I told you I wanted a detailed map of the Bort mine and any structural weaknesses by the end of the day and you are in this damned library again!!”

Demnis pointed to a small table by the door Shien had just stormed through. “I finished yesterday.” He explained in a flat almost bored tone. Shien forcefully snatched the notebook from its table and began quickly flipping through the pages. Demnis continued unphased by the mage’s demeanor, “All structural flaws have been arranged in order of severity and I included several interviews with some of the miners.”

Shien’s attitude changed from outrage to shock as she flipped through the pages of Demnis’ report. “Some of these details would require a flawless use of the analysis cantrip…” She looked up with a hint of confusion on her face, “ I just taught that to you last week!”

“You’ve said I was a quick study since the day you took me in.” Demnis said with a smile. “Besides it is similar to a cantrip my old master taught me for reading the winds.” Demnis stood with a stretch and quickly closed the book he was reading and reshelved it. Grabbing his gray cloak from a nearby chair, Demnis affixed it around his neck with practiced ease. “Unless you have more tasks, may I go into town for a bit? If we are doing another earthquake spell tonight, I’d really like to grab a meal at the tavern before spending all night chanting.”

Already absorbed in the notes he had compiled for her, Shien absent-mindedly waved her apprentice off. Grinning at the old lady’s single-mindedness, Demnis retrieved his night black serpent staff from its resting place near the door and quietly left his master’s abode.

Tuin was a small mining town on the western boarder on the Dolian empire. For the most part it was a town barley worth mentioning. Most of the people in the town were miners, family of miners, or in the business of supplying things to miners. Small groups of tents and poorly constructed houses made up the majority of the town, it was there most of the miners lived. A few of the more prosperous people had houses and places of business in the center of town. The only real value in the town lay in it’s mithril mines, that and the library of Shein, archmage of Earth.

Demnis silently wandered the streets of the overgrown miner’s camp, his serpent staff softly thudding into the dirt roads with every other step. This seemed to be a town of dreams, everyone was trying to strike it rich, even the few children running in the streets carried buckets full of various things to sell to the miner’s leaving the mines. In a way he felt guilty for what he was doing to the people of the town, they just wanted to make a life for themselves. But, Demnis’ concern had to lie with the citizen’s of Loranis and their well being.

Demnis eventually found himself in the woods outside the camp. Despite having told Shein he was going to the tavern, Demnis had business to conclude before he could eat. The mage walked about for fifteen minutes to ensure he was alone. Satisfied he was the only person around, he reached into the inside pocket of his cloak and withdrew a folded piece of parchment. Unfolding it, Demnis re-read it to ensure he had not missed any details.

Master Gerconis,

I believe I have found out why the Empire has stationed an archmage of earth in such a peculiar place. Shein has been causing localized earthquakes to give the miners better access to the larger veins of mithril. This method is highly unpredictable and requires the utmost care not to collapse the entire mine in the process. Suspicious of why such a haphazard manner of mining would be used, I broke into the mine owner’s house last night and investigated. I found correspondence from several high ranking officials within the Empire asking that production be increased by any means possible.

Could this increase in demand mean the Empire is stepping up production of something? Weapons, armor? If so, then that might mean they are increasing the ranks of the army.

I shall continue my investigation for a few more days, then depart Shein’s service. But not before I try to slow down the production of mithril. I will await orders in the nearby town of Higon.

May the Council’s wisdom guide me,
Your apprentice

Satisfied with the note, Demnis placed it upon the ground and took a few steps back. Right hand holding the ebony serpent staff toward the letter, his left hand began forming arcane sigils. The spell itself was a simple one, normally done with but a few simple gestures. The spell created a simple wind gust designed to deliver the letter to its destination. Boosting the spell to cover the great distance the letter had to travel was the only time consuming part. Within moments Demnis could feel the air around him deaden and become still. He could feel small tendrils of mana being drawn to his spell and being focused through the serpent staff in his hand. The air around him moved once more, but this time it moved in accordance to his will. Slowly, lazily, the letter began to float upward, tumbling end over end. Upwards, past the canopy of trees, and eventually beyond sight, the letter was on its way.

Kisling wrapped his hands around his staff tightly as he and Garnen continued to make their way through the foliage just outside the range of the Lorina Ruby. It wasn't exactly a tough journey, but it was cold, causing Kisling to shiver from time to time.

"You alright there, lad?" Garnen may not have been many years ahead of Kisling in age, but the term was still used. Kisling had no problem with this, he looked to Garnen as a brother more than anything else, and was fine with whatever term the dwarf bestowed upon him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Nothing these old bones can't handle. Just a little cold is all. As long as we keep moving, I should be fine." Kisling loosened his grip on his staff, as the cold began to slowly fade. It would be back with the next breeze, however.

"Right ya are, lad." Garnen continued to lead the way. The two were headed towards a small port town, so as to not draw attention. Kisling wasn't exactly welcomed in Lorinas, but most left him alone. He was known in Lorinas as the Burning Mage, or the Crimson Mage, something he was somewhat proud of. He had at the very least made a name for himself, something that he wouldn't have done if he had kept on his original path.

Upon reaching a semi-small clearing, roughly 6 feet in diameter, Garnen decided it was time to rest. Kisling drew a simple rune in the air with his right hand, and an explosion hit the nearest tree, roughly 15 feet up from the base. The top half of the tree began to fall, and landed on another, resting at an angle of roughly 45 degrees. "That should keep us safe from the weather, shouldn't it?" Garnen nodded, as he began to dig into the snow to find the dirt underneath.

Kisling looked at the tree hanging above them, if something were to strike it with enough force, it would topple below and kill them. But Kisling thought that only another mage would have enough power to do such a thing, or the falling snow. But at the rate that the snow was currently falling, it would take a few days before that happened.

Garnen had found dirt, and continued to dig until he found a dry portion of the earth. It didn't take long, and once found, he placed rocks along the outer rim of the dirt circle. From there, he grabbed a few branches, and placed them in the dirt. He grabbed his flint and steel from his pack, when Kisling stopped him. "I'm good for something, you know." He drew another simple rune, it took two seconds, with his left hand this time, and placed it upon the wet branches. A small flame spewed forth from his palm, and the branches lit up. He and Garnen grabbed more, and placed them in the fire. When it was large enough, they moved onto small logs of wood, until the fire was to their liking.

"Now, what to eat, Garnen?" Kisling looked around, not much to choose from, all he could see was snow and trees.

"There's a boar in that direction, lad." Garnen pointed behind Kisling, then took off towards their meal. Kisling remained behind, and took a seat in the snow. Upon Garnen's return with a dead boar, the two set to skinning the animal, then they cleaned the hide. Now armed with a hide, Kisling could set to work.

He grabbed three sticks, and fashioned them into spear-like shapes. He stuck them into the ground at 3 different points, having them all connect at the tips. He also made sure to leave a small portion of the stick intact so as to hang something from each of the three pieces of wood. He grabbed a fourth stick, and sharpened both ends, then pierced each side of the boar hide. He filled the newly created pouch with snow, lots of snow, and hung it over the fire.

In a few minutes, thanks to some help from Kisling, the snow had turned to water, and began to boil. Kisling emptied half the water, which allowed Garnen to place in the meat he had been cutting up off the boar. The water inside, although it carried heat, kept the animal hide cool enough so that it would not light aflame as well.

From there, the two began to peel and cut up vegetables, potatoes, onions, carrots, and the like, and began placing them in the broth. A short while later, Garnen pulled out a ladle, made from bone, and two bowls, also made from bone. He then began to place the soup into the bowls, and the two friends had a meal.

"You did a fine job that time, Kisling. You knew exactly what to do." Garnen smiled, then returned to eating.

"Thank you. If you spend enough time doing something, you eventually learn it, and master it. It's thanks to your teachings. Without them, I wouldn't know how to cook a thing, or even set up something like this."

"Ah, well, you enchanted me axe, making it priceless."

"It looks like we're even, old friend. How long do you think it'll take us to reach port?"

"I'd give it another 5 hours, at least. We're almost there."

"Ah, good. Then we're off to Aras?"

"You'll fit right in there, Kisling. The desert practically breeds flame and water mages. But you'll have to watch out for the bandits and theives."

"I see. Well then, we should probably finish up here."

(OOC: If something's wrong, Eido, lemme know. =p)
EDIT: Minor grammar and spelling.

Qutien sighed again as he fidgetted with the long braid that he had pulled over his shoulder, waiting for the dance to begin as he stood beside his mother at a nice position where he would be able to see the entire performance clearly.

He knew that many other nobles of his age would give a lot to be in his place at the moment, but personally, he would rather be practising his sword moves with Seun under the hot sun. It would be more interesting and educational than watching yet another of the royal performances that his beloved mother loved to drag him to.

But the line of thought quickly vanished when a lone girl stepped into the middle of the hall, and the only thing Qutien could think of was how lovely she was. The lustrous wavy hair that seem to be both green and blue in colour was wonderfully complimented by her outfit that showed off her body, and her eyes was such an entrancing golden in color.

Qutien was sure she was the single most beautiful being in the world, and nothing could be more wonderful. But he was quickly proven wrong when she started to dance, and the young knight-to-be was instantly captivated by the alluring dance. Whispers from around where questions of how exactly did the girl created the afterimages, but the blond could only think of how such perfection could exist.

But soon, it was over. And the sense of loss that Qutien felt as the girl exited the hall was crushing, making it hard for him to breath. Unable and unwilling to simply stood there and feel the emptiness in his heart, he made his way through the crowd towards the exit as quickly as he could, ignoring the unhappy grumbles of his rudeness and his mother's calls. All that he cared about, was to catch up with the girl, to see her again and feel that the world was perfect again.

However, she was nowhere in sight when he finally was able to step out of the hall. He had no idea if she was that fast or he had been too slow while navigating through the gathered nobles, but all he knew was that she was gone. The loss of hope nearly brought him to his knees, as he gazed vacantly at where she could have been. It was only when he heard a couple of servants talking about a dancing girl then did life seeped into him like he was a mere marionette.

Without thinking, he grabbed the arm of the person nearest to him and stared at him with a ferocity that he had never shown, "Who is she?"

The poor servant was scared out of his wits by Qutien's sudden movement and the emotions in those blue eyes that he wrongly interpreted as fury, and he stammered, "W-Who is who, my lord?"

"The girl." Qutien added impatiently when the fellow showed no sign of comprehension, "The dancing girl."

"Ohhh! Oh, her! I only know that she is a half-elf called Ana, and that she is quite famous in town."

His companion quickly added, "She dances at a local tavern. My friend use to go there and watch her."

Qutien let go of the arm he was holding, and spoke her name as though it was the most precious thing in the world, "Ana... Her name is Ana."

"Yes my lord, her name is Ana." The servant answered carefully as he rubbed at his arm. "Will my lord require anymore of our service?"

The young noble shook his head in response and promptly forgot all about their existence, hearing but not registering their footsteps and agitated complaints as he resumed staring at where he had been looking, and whispering the feminine name occasionally.

[OOC: I didn't quite mean to make him out as so completely... err... what do you call it..? Hopelessly in love? But well, my Qutien-muse seem to want it... ^^;]

Demnis laid wearily sprawled on the bed in his small room, staring out the open window at a new rock formation casting shadows in the moonlight. Shien had managed to move a small section of the mine fifty feet straight up. The event not only created the mound of rock, but brought a rich vein of mithril within reach of one of the mine’s main shafts. The fact this feat was accomplished without collapsing any of the numerous tunnels snaking thorough the mine made it even more impressive.

The two mages had spent several hours casting the spell. Demnis’ role had been small of course, Shien not trusting an apprentice to any significant task when the risks were so great. His job had merely been to summon forth and channel the appropriate amounts of mana, while the earth mage focused solely on shaping the arcane signs focused on moving the rock. It was a task far bellow Demnis’ skill, but is gave him ample opportunity to observe Shien’s technique. Typically, Demnis would have expected a spell caster to have spent a lot of time preparing for such a powerful spell and finally cast the spell in one burst. It was they way he had been taught, yet this was not what the earth mage had done. While most of the details of the earth based spell escaped him, Demnis could plainly see the repeating pattern in Shien’s spell. She had not cast one spell, but many small ones. Judging by the slow creation on the rock mound, he guessed each casting moved the slab of earth only inches.

That is how she has managed to do this several times without collapsing the mine. Adjusting and compensating each time she cast. Demnis thought to himself as he tried to settle into sleep. Thoughts of how he might apply this to his own spells jumped back and forth in his mind as he closed his eyes. About to drift off, a small breeze gusted through the open window and stirred the air in the room, bringing with it the heavy scent of rain.

Demnis roused himself from the small bed and went to the window. On the horizon, several massive thunderhead clouds were forming, outlined eerily in the moonlight. Demnis tiredly sighed, “Much sooner than expected and I’d much rather sleep, but who knows when this chance will come again.” Slowly, he retrieved his serpent staff from beside the door. He had spent most of this evening’s dinner in silent contemplation on how best to thwart the mining of mithril without overtly harming the town’s people. The plan he had settled on required a decent sized rain storm.

Returning to the window, Demnis closed his eyes and make a simple gesture. When he looked again at the sky, small rivers of light lazily wound their way between the scattered stars in the sky. Each river represented currents of air flowing high in the atmosphere. Reading the ebbs and flows of the ocean of air in the sky, Demnis noted what needed to be changed. Several arcane sigils quickly altered several of the flows in the sky, directing the oncoming storm directly toward Tuin.

“And now for the hard part.” Demnis glanced back and forth out the window, making sure the streets of the city were empty. Long ago the tired citizens had gone to sleep after waiting anxiously to see if Shein’s spell had worked. The mine was shutdown at night, so there was no risk of accidental injury to people. Once again, he began tracing arcane symbols in the air. In Demnis’ sight, before each symbol faded, it flared brightly as the serpent staff focused and strengthen his spell. Even if there had been someone to watch, they would not have seen the air quickly draining out of the mine entrance. Within seconds the entire mine was in a vacuum, air straining to get in any way it could, except for the entrance. Several gasps issued forth from the newly formed rock formation as the vacuum in the mine pulled at the cracks so recently created, forcing massive amounts of air into the mine to equalize the vacuum. Demnis let the process continue for several moments, before releasing the spell.

Demnis look up at the sky again, towards the storm clouds that were quickly rushing towards the town. Demnis contemplated the results of his actions. If the violent rush of air did not collapse some of the mine shafts, the ensuing storm will flood the mine through the I just created. It will take weeks to empty the mines. Plus, Shien will think twice about using earthquakes.

While glad his mission was complete, no smile graced Demnis’ face. “No time to sleep.”, he admonished himself. He rummaged around in his backpack for a pen and ink, he needed to leave a letter that would explain his sudden absence. Higon was several days away, but with the aid of a simple speed boost spell he could be there mid-day tomorrow. “I can sleep then.” He reassured himself.

(OCC: Sorry for the second post while we are still waiting on some intro posts. But I plan on being very busy this weekend so I wanted to get a post in now. Plus, I view this as less of a post and more of a correct ending to my first post. Sorry if the quality is not up to par, but it is late here and I'm tired.)

“Yes, let us be off now. We have quite the hike ahead of us before we reach the port of Aras, my friend.”

Standing up, Garnen un-pinned the boar hide from the stakes and poured what was left of the water into a gorge that he had on his hip. Then, with the watered down hide in hand, he shook it in the air to shake the remaining droplets of water off. Kisling, who was holding the excess meat, handed it over to Garnen to wrap in the hide and then to stuff it into his knapsack on his back. He then gathered some of the snow that had collected around the campsite they had established and doused the fire with it.

The two began walking once more. The snow had piled up from when they sat a good five inches or so. Garnen trudged his way through the snow, which was now up to his waste, while Kisling found a way through it by melting it with spells.

It was an empty, frigid timberland on the mountainside with fur trees spreading down the mountain and into the valley. In the valley below where elk trees that hid the forest floor from above. Garnen stopped for a moment and pointed out towards something in the distance.

“There’s a small village down there within that forest, Kisling. If you look to the horizon, you can see the smoke billowing up from the canopy.”

A small cloud of smoke could be noticed from where the two were standing. It was thick and black, almost hinting towards some type of festival gathering where there a campfire would produce a cloud of smoke like the one they were watching.

“Yes. I do see it Garnen. I’m not that old you know.”

Garnen chuckled for a moment and then stared back at the cloud of smoke.

“You know….”

“I know exactly. This is the second or third village we’ve come across that’s been celebrating an event of some sort. I wonder what it is this time. The last town we stopped at had been celebrating for nine days straight, just for their villages’ ‘founding’ anniversary. I’m just glad we got out of there quickly; otherwise we might have stayed due to your love of drinking.”

“Hahahaha…yea. If only we had stayed there. No use complaining now. Anyways, lets get going. We need to hurry if we are to make it to Aras before nightfall.”

The two proceeded onward once again through the snow. Their eyes wandered from left to right as they walked around the furs for anything that seemed out of place. They came to a clearing after awhile and were stunned at the sight that lied before them. The Sea of Daeskra and the Port of Aras laid right under their feet now. The sea, as calm as usual was gleaming with the suns reflection. An almost orange color, due to the sun, the sea air whispered up the mountainside and blew a stream of fresh warmth up to Garnen and Kisling. It was almost as if the sea was welcoming the two to them.

“Well, we are finally here Kisling. Aras. What a port, isn’t it? I haven’t been here for ages. Shall we head down now?”

“Yes.”

It was dusk now, and Kisling and Garnen had finally reached the front entrance to the port. The sun had not yet fallen below the horizon. There was still half of it peeping out, giving enough light for wanderers such as the two of them just enough time to make it to an inn before the lights of the towns came on.

The gate opened and the two walked in onto the cobbled pathway. The sunlight glimmered faintly off the half-moonlight tiles that provided shelter for the houses. With gray stoned houses lining the streets of the port, Garnen and Kisling began to wonder which of them was the inn.

“What shall we do Kisling?”



(Verner, if anything needs a change, just let me know. Btw, can you describe Aras a bit more too. Thanks. Pardon the late post as well)

(OOC: Sorry this took so long, and sorry it's short. I've been really busy. This is just an introduction to my character and whatnot. More should be coming soon.)

IC:

The cold, clear rain poured down from the sky. Meriam lay awake in her bed, thinking of the day's events. It had not been much of an unusual day until that night. Meriam had done her usual overseeing of the cadet training, walking the grounds, and briefed the Grand Sage.

It was this last, that was now troubling her. Normally, she walked into his personal chambers, and gave him her briefing. Then, she gave due honors, and left. Today though, he had asked her to stay. This was something he did rarely, and only in extreme circumstances. As she lay in her bed, she began to replay their conversation in her head.

"You know the thousand years has passed since the falling of the great light and great darkness?" He had asked her.

"Yes, your grace. Of this I was aware."

"Then you must be aware of what the prophecies say will take place?"

"Yes, your grace. A great battle shall begin anew, with the Goddess taking the form of a mortal."

"Yes. This is correct. Our mother church must find this mortal. We must use them to vanquish the darkness, and bring peace to our lands once again. Unfortunately, we are not the only one searching for this mortal. Many others have sent parties out too, all of them in search of this mortal. Some of them would use such power... for evil purposes. The church cannot allow this."

"I understand your grace, but what would you have me do?" Meriam asked, politely.

"You are the chief of my guards. Your training is superb. I need you to assemble a party, and begin searching for this mortal."

"But your grace. Don't you need me hear at the temple?"

"The temple will be fine without you for some time. Besides, most of your guards will remain. I ask that you only take a small party, three guards at most. Together, you may be able to find this mortal before others get their hands on him. Remember, if you should find him, you must bring him back to me immediately."

"Yes your grace. When would you have me leave?"

"It is too late this day. Stay, and spend the night. Tomorrow you shall leave. If you leave before noon-hour, you may be able to make it to Vigal Lai by sundown. This should be your goal. Ask around the town, if anyone has heard of a suspicious mortal, perhaps doing feats no person should be capable of, or perhaps acting oddly. Track down any credible leads you receive, and try to locate this mortal. Do the same at the next town, and then the next. Continue through towns until you learn of this mortal's whereabouts. Remember, he could be anywhere, in a town or in the wild. In a forest or on a plain. In the jungle or in the desert."

"Yes, your grace. I will leave first thing tomorrow."

"Good. Moreover, remember. Be careful. There are forces at work on the outside that are perhaps beyond our control. We have only our trust in the Goddess to guide us forward. If you should find yourself in a predicament of sorts, remember that the Goddess is your salvation, and that Her will is what is happening. This has always helped me out in times of great hardship."

"Yes, thank you your grace."

"And one more thing, sweet Meriam."

"Yes, lord?" Meriam said while standing up and moving toward the door.

"Godspeed. Please, be careful. I can ill afford to lose the captain of my guards. Oh, and before you leave, visit Thronmer at the smithy. He should have an item for you that you can use on your journey. It should also prove useful to you in other areas as well."

"What do you mean by this, grace?" Meriam asked, somewhat puzzled.

"You'll have to discover this for yourself."

With that, the sage closed the door to his private study, leaving Meriam puzzled outside his door.

"Discover it for myself?" She asked herself aloud. "What could that mean?"

It was something for her to ponder, and it was the reason she found herself unable to find the realms of dreams on this night. Though her body told her to rest, and her brain told her she needed rest, her mind was unable to slow enough to bring on the tides of slumber.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meriam awoke to sunlight. The rain had quelled during the overnight, and it left a residue of sleek raindrops on the grass, which now shone brightly in the sunlight. This was something Meriam had always loved about the temple city, since she was a small child. The very beauty of the city, with its many churches, sleek temples, and beautiful grand palace. In all her travels, never had Meriam found a more beautiful place, or a place she would rather return home to.

Today, though it was looking to be beautiful, would have different purpose for Meriam. She remembered her mission, received directly from the Grand Sage himself. Today, she would assemble the guards, and choose the several for her team. She would prepare, give them their orders, and finally, visit the smithy, where she was told there was something awaiting her.

She had already decided that the party would leave the next morning. They needed at least a day to assemble, plan, and then prepare for the journey. Meriam could already sense that it would be no ordinary task. Finding one chosen mortal, in a world of millions, could be nigh impossible. They had no idea where to go or where to look. The prophecies, besides the date, were excessively vague. Man or woman, adult or child, young or old. None of these questions was answered by the prophecy, and religious scholars had been arguing about these details since the prophecy was first made one thousand years ago.

Meriam was neglectful to get out of bed. It was an unusually chilly day, and the warmth of her layered blankets felt wonderful against her skin. But she new that too much was waiting for her on this day, and get out of bed she must. Therefore, she climbed out of bed, and slipped into her morning robes. She had bathed last night, and did not need to this morning, so he went directly to morning prayers.

"O goddess protect us
And have holy this day
Bless the ground
And Bless the Sea
O goddess protect us
Have holy this day “She quietly spoke at the edge of her bed. It was a humble prayer she had been taught during her schooling. She had been saying it every day since the end of her apprenticeship, and she believed that the Goddess heard it. Meriam had been blessed with a relatively good life, and she knew it. It was something that she was grateful for, and never failed to remember. This prayer also helped.

Wisps of morning mist still lingered over the city of Seres. The sun peeked just above the city's eastern edge washing out the color of brown stone that made up much of the buildings' structure. Seres wasn't a big city as far as cities go, but still was another hub for trade. If she ran into one of her father's associates here, it would cause her some trouble. Luckily, the crowd of lower middle and lower class merchant and farmers she was blending into were not likely to know her. After her flight from Calym a couple days ago, she certainly did not want to have to run away again. Well, at least until she had built some funds to run away with. It had been a hungry journey.
Feratae walked through the cities large gates, heavy things made of thick wood and studded with iron, which took teams of oxen to move.

She had no choice but to follow the crowd, pressing in on her from all sides. Initially, she didn't mind the scenery of clothing however after somebody's sword sheath managed to ram into the right side of her face, she started losing her temper. Getting asphyxiated by the press of the people around her WAS NOT her idea of fun. She used her elbows and butt of her sword to create some space.

Eventually the mob broke apart as people went off to their various tasks. Free at last, Feratae sat down on the edge of a fountain. She pulled the small leather bag from under her shirt. She loosed the strings and upended the bag into her hand. She counted. Well, she had enough money for a day or two. She'd have to find work soon. She drew the strings closed and dropped the bag back under her shirt where it hung attached by a throng of leather around her neck. First, before she started looking for a job, she'd sate her growling stomach. Feratae followed the scent of fresh bread to a bakery.

Munching on roll of bread, she wandered through the city searching for openings. When she neared the city plaza, tendrils of music reached her and she noted a familiar set of tents rising behind wooden wall. She smiled around the bread, mumbling to herself and walked over to area where people were gathering to watch the performance. She finished the bread quickly as she watched.

To one side of the makeshift stage the instrumentalists played. One stage, people in character masks danced revealing the story in their movements timed with the music and the haunting vocals of a solo female singer. Feratae casually made for behind the stage and towards the tents. Her process was stopped a large male figure.

"Hey, stop right there, Miss. We don't allow people back here during performances."

"Since when did I rate a Miss from you, Valeran," she replied, tilting her head back to smile at him. Valeran at 6'7" was taller than most men. He served as deterrent for anyone trying to pick a fight with the traveling entertainers. His features were rather plain, but he was the sort the guy anybody could get along with.

"Fera! Been a while." His hand settled on her head, ruffling her hair in a brotherly manner. She knocked his hand away playfully. It still surprised her that a man with hands that big could play a mandolin so well.

"Yeah it has, good to see you all again. Is Nesira around?"

"Of course, she is in her tent." He frowned, his eyes drifting back to the mentioned tent. "Don't be hurt if she doesn't remember you. Her mind is starting to go."
She blinked, surprised.

"But she was fine the last time I was with you guys." He shook his head sadly.

"Old age has slowly but surely crept up on her."

"I'll go check on her. Thanks for telling me Val." He nodded briefly and watched as she entered the tent.

The blue tent had cushions on the floor to accommodate guests. The scent of herbs was strong in the still air. Indeed, there was some herbs hanging from the top of the tent. An old woman bent over a pestle. She turned at the sound of Feratae's entrance.

"Fera. You have been away too long," she accused, Fera grinned. Looked like the woman still had her spirit at least.

"My sincere and humble apologies, O' great maester of medicinal knowledge," she responded flippantly.

Pupil,

The information you have gathered pleases us immensely. We have long suspected they would bolster their armies as the time for the Goddess’ revival nears. Our other agents will continue investigating this matter. You are to resume your primary task; it grows more urgent as time passes.


In regards to the mines, we hope you were not as lenient as you were with previous targets. You are the strongest of our servants, and need to act at your full potential. This is not only necessary to properly deal with our enemies and prevent lose ends, but you will cease to grow unless you continue to exert yourself. We feel you act too cautiously; the time is fast approaching in which you will need to act without thought to subversion.

Your Master

Demnis let a smile creep across his face as he mentally reviewed the note he had received in Higon. Vague as always. The generalities served a purpose, the last thing a spy wanted was to be implicated by a misplaced note, but years of hazy references and misdirection just served to amuse Demnis at this point. But his mirth faded quickly as he once again imagined the Council’s reaction to Tuin. Instead of destroying the city, which would have been simpler and possibly could have destroyed the mine as well, he had merely disabled the mine for a few months. The Council seemed to think his actions were motivated by a need to remain hidden, and in part they were, but Demnis just did not see the point in taking life when not needed. Silently he chastised himself on the Council’s behalf; the security Loranis superseded the needs of these foreigners.

A jostle at his right arm brought him back to the present. He was surrounded on all sides by a mass of pilgrims, merchants, and people from various other walks of life. Slowly shuffling down the wide dirt road before them, the crowd was making their way to the walled city that lay before them. A city eternally cast in the shadow of the massive tree that rose above it; The Sanctuary of the Goddess.

It had been several days of magically sped travel for Demnis to reach the holy city, but it was the one place he was certain he would find information on the Goddess’ reincarnation. Having to travel with the crowd was a blessing in several ways. First, it forced him to walk, the speed spell was a draining one. It also gave him a chance to think about just how he could find the information he sought without getting caught.

Entry into the city itself was simple. Demnis just kept walking along with the crowd. The guards at the gate merely passed their eyes over him, a simple looking traveler among a crowd of travelers did not warrant their attentions. The rest will not be as simple. He reminded himself as passed under the ornately decorated stone gateway that lead into the holy city.

The gates opened up into a small plaza with a simple fountain, from here roads lead in all compass directions. The city was a meticulously planned and designed one, each section of the city serving a specific purpose: residential, market, schools, ect. Of course the Temple and its grounds in the center of the city, spreading out concentrically from the massive trunk of the Goddess’ Tree.

Demnis found himself in one of the city’s market districts. Out of habit he glanced toward the sky, but the sun was blocked by the massive branches of the Goddess’ Tree. Frowning, he estimated by the ambient light that he had several hours until sunset, plenty of time to visit the temple before finding a place to sleep. Immediately he began weaving through the streets toward the center of the city, his tattered cloak fluttering behind him, his serpent staff periodically “clacking” on the cobblestones beneath his feet.

___

“I am sorry sir, but the temple is closed to visitors after four.” The man said with a deeply apologetic tone.

Demnis leaned his weight upon the black serpent staff. He had spent the better part of an hour navigating through the crowded city streets, only to be impeded by the mouse of a monk in front of him. He seemed very young to be a member of the Divine Fist. “It is ok.” He assured him. “I merely wanted to try and get a closer look at the Goddess Tree.”

“I am very sorry sir. But, rules you know.” The man shrugged. “I honestly wish they would post a sign or something, but instead I have to tell all these pilgrims they cannot go in after traveling for weeks just to get here.”

“Actually,” Demnis continued “I am in town to do some research for my master on the Goddess’ influence on Mana. I’ll admit I have no idea of where to start and I do not have much time to complete my work and return to my master in Yunic.” Demnis allowed his expression to fall somewhat. “I just really wish I could have gotten started today.”

“Well, there is the library.” the monk offered, obviously glad to help someone instead of turning them away for once. “You should be able to find a lot of stuff there, it is the one part of the temple that is open until nightfall.”

“Part of the temple?” Demnis asked, a small burst of an idea coming to mind.

“Yeah,” the monk motioned, “right across the courtyard. You can’t miss it, the Grand Sage should be giving the evening blessing about now, there will be a large crowd.”
___

Kahlin, relaxed in his chair as one of the priestesses read aloud part of the scripture to the crowd assembled before them. Situated on the balcony, above the throng of devout worshipers bellow, Kahlin surveyed the people as he waited for the reading to finish. Most were normal people, merely seeking the blessing of the Goddess. Toward the front of the crowd a few rich nobles were making an appearance of piety. Younger monks ran back and forth on various duties. Yet, the sage’s attention was drawn one person in particular. In the back of the courtyard, a simply dressed man walked with a purpose. It was the staff in the young man’s possession that intrigued Kahlin. It took him several moments to figure out what bothered him about the object. It caused ripples. The mana flowing from the Tree virtually flooded the city with a torrent of mana. Yet each time the staff hit the ground, this flow of mana was disturbed. It was as if someone had placed a stick in the middle of a river and it caused the river to actually part, ever so briefly. The presence of such a strong magical artifact on the temple grounds gave Kahlin pause. Quickly, the sage gathered his wits and summoned his aide to his side. “Send several monks to keep that man under observation. I want to know everything he does.”

(OCC: Due to Sydra’s post, I skipped my timeline ahead a few days as well. Think it worked out better, seeing as the next post would have been him getting the letter in Higon anyway. Sorry about the quality, it has been a rough weekend, but I still wanted to move the RPG along. I promise the next one will be better. Elyham, please let me know if anything is out of order (such as my use of Khalin.) and yes, I’m about to cause trouble in the holy city )